Tim Allen will reprise his role from The Santa Clause movies in a limited series for Disney+.
1994’s The Santa Clause had Allen playing Scott Calvin, a divorced dad who has to contractually fulfill the role of Santa Claus after a mishap leads the death of the real McCoy in the line of duty. The movie was followed up with 2002’s The Santa Clause 2, and 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
This time around, the Toy Story and Home Improvement vet will portray Calvin as he’s nearing retirement age as the Man with the Bag, with a family seeking a normal life.
“With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole,” the announcement teases.
The Disney+ series will re-team Allen with his Last Man Standing producer, executive producer and showrunner Kevin Hench. Jack Burditt, who backed Emmy winners like Frasier and 30 Rock, and the Emmy-nominated hit The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, is also producing.
(CHICAGO) — Students are walking out of their classes in Boston, Chicago and other cities across the country in protest of in-person learning conditions as COVID-19 rages on.
Public school students in Boston left their classrooms at 10:30 a.m. Friday to demand that local leaders take more initiative in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in schools and implement a two-week period for remote learning.
“We will then stand there for exactly 10 minutes, one minute for every hundred thousand new COVID-19 cases found on the 2nd of January,” according to a post from the student-run Massachusetts COVID Walkout Instagram page.
Following the walk-out, students held a webinar to discuss their fears about the handling of the pandemic in schools. Students at the virtual event recounted their urge to take action and keep their fellow students, teachers and staff safe.
They are demanding a two-week remote learning period, proper Personal Protective Equipment for teachers, adequate technology for remote learning and the cancellation of some standardized testing.
In a statement to ABC News, Boston Public Schools said it “believes deeply in students advocating for what they believe in.”
“We further believe it is critically important that we encourage and support them in expressing their concerns, beliefs and positions to their leaders,” the statement said. “We will continue to listen to our students and families as we navigate this latest surge and the impacts it has on our ability to remain in person and deliver a quality education.”
In spring 2021, Massachusetts officials said remote learning would no longer count toward required learning hours. Any school-wide remote learning days must be made up by students and teachers at the end of the year.
Boston Public Schools has reported 3,483 COVID cases as of Jan. 5, according to the district website.
Students in Chicago also walked out of their classes Friday and chanted demands that schools address COVID-19 safety concerns.
As they walked en masse on the streets and toward the administrative offices of the Chicago Public School district, students yelled, “Si se puede,” or “Yes, we can,” as well as “No more oppression, change is now in session!”
Chicago Public Schools’ Radical Youth Alliance, a student-run advocacy group, also sent a letter of demands to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, CEO of Chicago Public Schools Pedro Martinez, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady.
The students asked for transparency and accuracy in the school’s COVID-19 data, youth participation in decision-making and accountability for “mistakes.”
“As you consistently prove yourself and your leadership to be incompetent, we as Black and Brown young people are the common denominator of being the most harmed and impacted,” the letter read. “We are tired, exhausted, and frustrated.”
The group also backed the Chicago Teachers Union, which narrowly accepted a new agreement on COVID-19 safety precautions.
Chicago Public Schools had 10,928 cases among its students and staff since the start of the 2021-2022 school year, according to the district website.
In a statement, Chicago Public Schools said it “remains committed to fostering learning environments that allow students to respectfully deliberate issues with evidence and an open mind – and safely participate in civic action.”
According to the CPS website, students are required to wear masks in schools and answer a self-screener symptom questionnaire before school. Testing is optional.
Protests in New York, California and other states have highlighted the growing concerns that school leaders are failing to address COVID-19 and its impact on education and health in schools.
(NEW YORK) — Martin Shkreli became infamous, and earned the nickname “Pharma Bro,” after he hiked the price of a potentially lifesaving antiparasitic medication in 2015. On Friday, a federal judge ruled he should pay $64 million for his actions.
The judge said Shkreli should pay the financial penalty, equivalent to the profits from his scheme, and receive a lifetime ban from participation in the pharmaceutical industry.
Shkreli earned widespread condemnation in 2015 when he raised the price of Daraprim — an anti-malaria medication often prescribed for HIV patients — by 4,000% and initiated a scheme to block the entry of generic drug competition so that he could reap the profits from Daraprim sales for as long as possible, the judge said.
Through his tight control of the distribution of Daraprim, Shkreli prevented generic drug companies from getting access to the quantity of Daraprim they needed to conduct testing demanded by the Food and Drug Administration. Through exclusive supply agreements, Shkreli also blocked access to the two most important manufacturers of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for Daraprim.
Through these strategies, the judge said, Shkreli delayed the entry of generic competition for at least 18 months. Shkreli and his companies profited over $64 million from this scheme.
“Envy, greed, lust, and hate, don’t just separate, but they obviously motivated Mr. Shkreli and his partner to illegally jack up the price of a life-saving drug as Americans’ lives hung in the balance,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office sued with several other attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission.
Shkreli is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted of securities fraud in August 2017 related to his work at hedge funds MSMB Capital Management prior to founding Turing Pharmaceuticals. He had called the trial a “witch hunt” and blamed his increase in the cost of Daraprim for making him a target of federal investigators.
In May 2020, Shkreli petitioned for an early release from prison, saying he wanted to research a potential cure for COVID-19. The request was denied.
Blake Shelton claims the number-nine spot in the top 10 list of highest-earning musicians for 2021, according to a report from Rolling Stone.
He’s the only country star to make the cut, raking in $83 million for the year. $50 million of that comes from a catalog sale that previously went unreported, plus he padded that salary with an eight-figure income from his role as a coach on NBC’s The Voice.
Blake’s new album, Body Language, further bumped up his earnings for the year. Plus, his tour brought in $14.5 million, Rolling Stone reports, despite the challenges of selling tickets amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Though Blake’s the only true country figure to make the list, Taylor Swift came in just behind him in earnings with $80 million, in part due to her Taylor’s Version releases of country albums like Red and Fearless.
Both Blake and Taylor came in at the tail end of the list of highest-earning stars, with comparatively modest salaries compared to artists like Ryan Tedder, who brought in $200 million, and Kanye West, who earned $250 million.
The highest-paid musician of all in 2021? That would be Bruce Springsteen, who earned a whopping $590 million in 2021 after selling his publishing copyrights and master recordings to Sony at the end of the year. With a $550 million price tag, it was the largest sale of a solo catalog ever.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood Foundation
Rolling Stone has unveiled its list of the 10 highest-earning music artists for 2021, and the tally is made up mostly up veteran acts who sold the rights to their music catalogs last year.
Topping the list is Bruce Springsteen, who earned a whopping $590 million last year, $550 million of which came from the sale of his publishing copyrights and master recordings to Sony, the parent company of his longtime label. The Boss’ 2021 earnings also included money he made from his Springsteen on Broadway performances, the Spotify podcast he did with Barack Obama, and the book that emerged from the podcast.
Landing at #3 on the tally was Paul Simon, who enjoyed a $260 million payday in 2021. Simon also sold his entire music catalog to Sony Music Publishing last year, including his solo compositions and those he wrote for Simon & Garfunkel.
Also in the top 10 of the list were The Red Hot Chili Peppers at #6 with $145 million in earnings, Lindsey Buckingham at #7 with $100 million and Mötley Crüe at #8 with $95 million in income. All three acts sold the rights to their music publishing and/or master recordings in 2021.
Discussing the wave of music catalog acquisitions that’s been taking place recently, Josh Gruss, CEO of Round Hill Music, notes, “These are almost like pieces of art — there’s a finite number of real, super-high-quality hit songs from the past — and there’s this sort of all-out grab to own those rights…It’s a very steady stream of revenue that’s there.”
Only three artists in the top 10 didn’t sell their music rights last year — Jay-Z, Kanye West and Taylor Swift.
Here are the 10 artists who made the most money in 2021
1. Bruce Springsteen — $590 million
2. Jay-Z — $470 million
3. Paul Simon — $260 million
4. Kanye West — $250 million
5. Ryan Tedder — $200 million
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers — $145 million
7. Lindsey Buckingham — $100 million
8. Mötley Crüe — $95 million
9. Blake Shelton — $83 million
10. Taylor Swift — $80 million
Michael Bublé is starting off the year with brand new music and, on Friday, revealed when you’ll be able to hear his next single.
Taking to Instagram, the “Haven’t Met You Yet” singer shared a brief video of him hyping up the song, revealing its title to be “I’ll Never Not Love You,” and discussing the inspiration behind it. Michael admits the track’s name may fudge the rules of grammar slightly because it “is a double negative,” but says he chose it because “I think it makes you feel positive.”
“The waiting is the hardest part! I’m so excited to share this song with all of you. I’m so proud of it and I hope that you will love it as much as I do,” the Canadian singer added in the caption. “The wait is over, January 28th!”
The song was originally set for release today, January 14, but it appears it required a few more tweaks before earning Michael’s full seal of approval.
Michael further excited his fans by raving about how his friends and family adore the song — a claim that was bolstered by pal Josh Groban, who praised in the comments, “I’m never NOT (did I do it right?) gonna be listening to this on repeat!”
The uplifting love song, which arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day, is available to pre-save now.
Michael’s new album is due in 2022 and, as he hinted with his upcoming song, he feels his next album may be the best one yet. The Grammy winner will support the studio effort when taking over Las Vegas for a brief residency that runs from April 27 to May 7 at Resorts World.
The Betty White Challenge, created in memory of the late TV icon who passed away on December 31 at the age of 99, has been a smashing success, to say the least.
The challenge, an online event set for January 17 — on what would’ve been the star’s 100th birthday — encourages people to donate $5 to animal rescue organizations in her name.
Since its announcement last week, organizers report that 17,000 fundraisers have been created on Facebook and Instagram and more than $550K has already been raised — 100% of the money going directly to the challenge.
Uber has even joined the Betty White Challenge with a donation of $50,000 to the ASPCA to donate to local shelters.
You can participate nationally in the challenge by donating to Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. You can donate on Facebook or Instagram.
You can also click the menu bar on the Facebook mobile app or scroll the menu on the left on facebook.com to find the ‘Fundraisers’ icon, or click here to go straight to an explore page and search for “#BettyWhiteChallenge” fundraisers.
There are several local charities and shelters with active fundraisers that you can support, including SPCA of Wake County in Garner, North Carolina or Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale, Washington.
Ever since Madonna announced that she was making a movie of her life, there’s been speculation as to who would play her. Now she may be hinting that she’s found her star.
The Queen of Pop posted a photo of herself and model/actress Julia Fox embracing on a couch and captioned it, “Went to dinner with Julia to talk about my movie and some other folks showed up.”
Among the “other folks” in the slideshow: Fox’s boyfriend Kanye West, boxer Floyd Mayweather and football player Antonio Brown. According to the New York Post, the celebs were all together Wednesday night at L.A. hotspot Delilah’s.
Later that evening — actually, early the next morning, around 3 a.m. — West allegedly punched a man who asked for his autograph outside the members-only club Soho Warehouse; he’s now being investigated for misdemeanor battery.
Fox is best known for her appearance in the 2019 movie Uncut Gems.
Madonna is producing, co-writing and directing the biopic, which has been in the works for quite a while now. She wrote in October that the script was “almost finished.”
The Lumineers have premiered the video for “Where We Are,” a track off the band’s just-released new album, Brightside.
The clip, which is streaming now via Facebook, dramatizes the story of “Where We Are,” in which frontman Wesley Schultz details a frightening car accident.
Brightside, the fourth Lumineers album, is out today. Its title track, which was released as the record’s lead single, has led Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart for the last four weeks.
The Lumineers launch a European tour in support of Brightside in February. They’ll return to the U.S. in March to play Florida’s Innings Festival.
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has revealed new details about his forthcoming solo album, Earthling, including the fact that some very famous musicians have lent their talents to the project, including Elton John, Ringo Starr and Stevie Wonder.
Elton appears on a song titled “Picture,” while it wasn’t announced which tracks feature Ringo and Stevie.
Also contributing to the album are three members of Vedder’s Earthlings solo band: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-RHCP guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer, and guitarist and producer Andrew Watt.
Interestingly, Vedder contributed to a song called “E-Ticket” from Elton’s latest album, 2021’s The Lockdown Sessions, while Elton, Smith and Watt, along with Miley Cyrus, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, all collaborated on a version of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” that also appears on The Lockdown Sessions as well as on last year’s The Metallica Blacklist tribute record.
Meanwhile, Vedder has shared a new song from Earthling called “Brother the Cloud.” The track, which you can download and stream now via digital outlets, is the third advance cut to be released from the record, following “Long Way” and “The Haves.” Smith, Klinghoffer and Watt all play on the track.
Earthling, Eddie’s first solo effort in 11 years, is due out on February 11. Vedder and the Earthlings will launch a tour in support of the record February 3 in New York City.
