All the things going up in price this weekend as we approach the new tax year

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Endeavor is bringing together two of the world’s biggest combat-sports franchises — UFC and WWE — in a blockbuster merger announced Monday. It’s a deal in which “one plus one equals three,” said Endeavor president and COO Mark Shapiro, who will serve in the same role for the merged UFC-WWE. The pact, valuing the combined company at roughly $21.4 billion, is anticipated to close in the second half of 2023. The deal will result in an estimated $50 million to $100 million in annualized run-rate cost synergies, according to Endeavor, including by moving WWE to Endeavor’s back-office infrastructure. Shapiro said Endeavor, when it acquired UFC, realized $70 million in cost savings.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Ever since Chris Evans exited the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Avengers: Endgame,” comic book movie fans have been clamoring for his return as Steve Rogers. It appears they’ll have to keep waiting for now. Speaking at the C2E2 fan convention in Chicago, Evans said a potential Captain America return “doesn’t quite feel right” at the moment. However, Evans did admit that telling more Captain America stories is appealing to him, so never say never. “It’s tough, because look, I love that role deeply,” Evans said when asked about returning as Captain America. “He means so much to me, and I really do. I think there’s more Steve Rogers stories tell, sure. But at the same time, I’m very, very precious with it…it’s like this little shiny thing that I have that I love so much, and I just don’t want to mess up in any way, and I was a part of something that was so special for the special period of time and in a way, it really landed so well.

Naman Ramachandran A fire broke out on Monday on the U.K. sets of Amazon Studios’ “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” according to reports. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing at Bray Studios in Windsor where the second season of the Amazon Studios series is being filmed. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service told the U..K.’s Metro newspaper: “At 12:26pm on Monday, 3 April, we received reports of a fire at Bray Studios near Windsor. At this time, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead Fire Stations have been sent to the scene. Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a single storey warehouse. Firefighters remain at the scene of the incident. Further updates will be provided when available.”

Iconic!!

Tiger King star Carole Baskin is closing down her Big Cat Rescue sanctuary and transporting its wildlife to Arkansas.The closure was announced in a memo, written by Carole’s husband Howard Baskin and posted on the sanctuary’s website last week (March 27). The couple have also vowed to donate funds to the new sanctuary named Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, in which the wildlife are now headed.“Big Cat Rescue has entered into an agreement with Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, an accredited sanctuary in Arkansas, to move most of Big Cat Rescue’s cats to Turpentine Creek where we will continue to fund their care for the rest of their lives,” read the statement.“[Once the cats are moved,] we will sell the sanctuary property and use the proceeds to fund these species-saving projects in the wild.”Baskin further explained the closure by referencing the Big Cat Public Safety Act, or BCPSA – a federal law signed last year that prohibits private ownership of big cats including lions, tigers, cougars, cheetahs, leopards or any hybrid breeds.According to the statement, it was the high costs of maintaining the enclosure that led the couple to sell.

COVID policy will expire for the film and TV industry next month – including the mandate that required all cast and crew to be vaccinated to receive employment.The policy began in September 2020 per an agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Hollywood’s unions. The procedure allowed film and TV sets to start working again after an industry-wide lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic.The policy was supposed to end on April 30, 2021.

Gladiator 2, but wishes lead actor Paul Mescal “the best of luck.”The Academy award winner starred in the iconic 2000 film as Maximus – an ex-Greek  general sold into slavery after his family was murdered, who sought revenge against the emperor who killed them.Fans have speculated that Maximus will return to the film in a flashback, even though he died in the original movie. The new film follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and his lover Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves reunited the Freaks and Geeks cast for the movie’s promotional ad.The ad shows co-director John Francis Daley with his former co-stars Samm Levine and Martin Starr – who often played the board game Dungeons and Dragons in the 1999 hit series.The new promotional clip for the film takes place 23 years later and shows the trio having lost track of time fighting magical creatures, which leads Levine to wonder “if his parents are still alive.”Elsewhere in the commercial, Levine asked if the game should be made into a movie – leading all three to break out laughing. “That would never work,” Levine replied, before Daley called it “the stupidest idea in the world:. “I hope that never happens,” Levine added, with Daley aggreeing: “It won’t.”Daley incorporated the board game with the promotion of the film, having spoken of first falling in love with the franchise after playing it as a child.The ad was released on Dungeons & Dragons Movie Twitter account captioned: “Time flies when you play D&D”Time flies when you play D&D.

There’s no denying Chris Hemsworth is one of the biggest stars in the world. However, when you take away his work as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his filmography has quite a few misses.

Endeavor Group Holdings and Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment have entered a definitive agreement to create a new $21.4 billion live sports and entertainment company consisting of UFC and WWE.The deal, which was unanimously approved by Endeavor and WWE’s boards of directors, values UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE at $9.3 billion. It is expected to close in the second half of 2023.Under the terms of the transaction, existing WWE shareholders will roll all existing equity into a new entity that will be the parent company of UFC and WWE (“NewCo” until it is named at a later date) and intends to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “TKO”.

In theory, Michelle Williams really did not need to do this. It’s just two days after she attended the 95th Academy Awards and, on her fifth nomination, sadly came up short.

I don't know how anyone still watches this racist clown…especially after his text messages proved that he knowingly lied to all them repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/VEogW2uEQdIn each clip, Carlson simply inserts “Shut up, racist” into his spiel as if it were an interjection, rather than prefacing it with something like “Instead, Democrats say…” or any other kind of explanation.

“Extraction 2,” the sequel to the hit 2020 Netflix actioner that ended with Hemsworth’s mercenary left for dead.Sam Hargrave returns to direct “Extraction 2,” which finds Rake tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held. Indeed, the sequel trades the sweaty Bangladesh landscape of the first film for snowy Georgia.The teaser offers up a bit on how Rake survived the end of “Extraction,” but the bulk of the footage is a long shot in which Rake fights his way through a barrage of baddies.When released in 2020, “Extraction” quickly became one of the most-watched Netflix original films ever, and the streamer quickly greenlit a sequel.Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO produces “Extraction 2” and Joe Russo wrote the script.

Internet star KSI has received serious backlash on social media after using a racial slur in a recent Sidemen YouTube video. The rapper has apologised saying there is “no excuse” for using the racial slur and added that he will be taking a step back from social media.

Disney and Lucasfilm are really hoping to send the “Indiana Jones” franchise off into the sunset with a bit of a bang.

Rachel Weisz is opening up about her craft, and her personal life.

Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix is a man committed to his craft, able to garner attention on and off-screen. He certainly did just that when he fainted while filming a scene with Patti LuPone in his new film, "Beau is Afraid." In a Q&A at a surprise screening for the upcoming movie, writer-director Ari Aster revealed that Phoenix actually ruined a shot by passing out. "There was a scene that was very intense for Patti, and it was a shot that was on Patti, it was not on him and all of a sudden he fell out of frame," Aster said of Phoenix.

Chase Stokes showed that he was a true fan of his girlfriend.

 throws the MCU's biggest heroes into question with a new trailer released on Sunday. Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury in the series set in the present-day MCU as he learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls.

Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd has pulled at heartstrings not once but twice as he posed with his actual dog and his new on-screen companion. The actor, who is famed for playing David Platt in the ITV soap, enjoyed a wholesome Sunday out on a walk with his girlfriend Hanni Treweek and their pooch, Baby.

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Picture this…

Honoring its predecessor. NBC’s Quantum Leap revival has often paid tribute to the original science fiction series.

More than a decade on, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the Rochdale child grooming scandal 'remains one of the greatest failures of our society'.

Over one million British Gas customers are set to benefit from decline in their bills after the supplirt brought forward a pre-payment meter change.

Stephen Robinson insists his team’s first-half performance against Livingston was “fantastic” — but has challenged his St Mirren stars to build on their sparkling success.

A man accused of murdering his pregnant wife by pushing her from Arthur's Seat was seen "pulling" her about in the months leading up to her death, a court has heard. Kashif Anwar is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed in September 2021 by pushing the 31-year-old from the 823ft high Edinburgh landmark, causing fatal injury to her and her unborn child.

People living in Winchburgh are being invited to help transform Main Street into a more vibrant, accessible and welcoming place for everyone to travel around and spend time in.

Janey Godley has shared some positive news surrounding her cancer battle, updating fans that her latest scan has come back 'clear this time'.

A banking giant has been accused of letting down the residents of a Renfrewshire town as it prepares to axe one of its branches.

“Someone You Loved” singer Lewis Capaldi is opening up about the reason why he might have to quit the music industry one day.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The wheels are not close to coming off the “Carpool Karaoke” franchise, as a series of new episodes was announced Monday morning for Apple TV+, featuring stars ranging from pop singer Avril Lavigne to TV star Sheryl Lee Ralph to current Broadway queen Lea Michele. The eight new “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” episodes will bow globally on the platform June 23. While most of the installments pair up two stars, three of the episodes promise to incorporate the cast of a series: Netflix’s “Girls5eva,” CBS’ “Ghosts” and Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty.” Some of the partners in carpooling have a joint project to promote. Alison Brie and Danny Pudi, for instance, are not only mutual “Community” alumni but recently reunited for the rom-com “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Not coincidentally, a teaser that was already posted for their “Karaoke” episode has them singing the Gotye song of that same name.

Jordan Moreau After being presumed dead at the end of Netflix’s first “Extraction” film, Chris Hemsworth is back (surprise!) as black ops mercenary Tyler Rake for another high-octane mission. In the first trailer for “Extraction 2,” Hemsworth’s Rake is revealed to be alive, and he’s wasting no time getting back to action. He brutally beats people down with a riot shield in what appears to be a prison break, uses the shield to deflect a fiery molotov cocktail, then proceeds to punch rioters with his burning fist. Director Sam Hargrave returns for the sequel, as do producers Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously teamed with Hemsworth on “Avengers: Endgame.” After making his directorial debut with the first “Extraction,” the follow-up is Hargrave’s second film. He previously worked as a stunt coordinator with the Russos on “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Captain America: Civil War.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Al Franken spent nine years as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota, and it all finally paid off in recent weeks when he logged a stint as a guest host on “The Daily Show.” Franken turned in some robust impressions of Charles Schumer, Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins during one sketch on the Comedy Central program that suggested he was taking some pretty interesting notes when he served in that chamber. “I didn’t give them a heads up,” Franken says in a recent interview, after his run. “I served wth those people. Some I could do. I’m not one othose impressionists who can do everyone. I do who I can do.” While Franken is one of a number of noted hosts who have helped the show keep spinning after the depature last year of Trevor Noah, you might say he has been training for such an appearance for much of his professional life. Franken made some famous appearances on the long-running “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live,” and, after a few stints on the show as a writer and performer, tried his hand at other exploits. He led comedic coverage of the the run-up to the 1992 presidential election for Comedy Central, presaging efforts to do so by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. He later became a progressive radio host for Air America. In recent months, he has been doing a comedy tour around the nation.

Chris Hemsworth is back as Tyler Rake in the action-packed teaser trailer for Extraction 2!

Prince William and Kate Middleton sent one lucky royal fan a sweet photo of their family, as they sent a thank you message for a Christmas card. The touching gift came with a personalised note, which was shared by the receipient on their Instagram account, Duchess of Wonderland.The photo is of the family arriving at the Christmas Day service at Sandringham in December 2022, and features the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.The Instagram user shared the photo and message from Kensington Palace, which read: "Thank you for your thoughtful Christmas message to The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.