SAG-AFTRA Health Plan to Pay $15 Million to Resolve Ed Asner’s Class Action Lawsuit

Ethan Shanfeld John Early has set his first HBO special with “Now More Than Ever,” a stand-up comedy hour in the style of a “gritty ’70s rockumentary.” Airing on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max in June, the special will feature “stand-up and explosive song covers from Britney to Neil Young, intercut with Spinal Tap-esque backstage sketches.” Among his other credits including “Would It Kill You to Laugh?” and “Search Party,” Early is known for whipping out his famous Britney Spears impression on late night television. Perhaps he’ll reprise his rendition of “Lucky” or Spears’ lesser-known Christmas song “My Only Wish (This Year)” in the special.

Emily Longeretta “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime” have all been renewed for new seasons, set to air on NBC in the fall. While the flagship series, which returned in 2022 a decade after the series’ cancellation, will air Season 23, “Organized Crime,” led by Chris Meloni, will air its fourth season. “Special Victims Unit,” starring and executive produced by Mariska Hargitay has been renewed for a groundbreaking Season 25. The shows are produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment. While both “Law & Order” and “SVU” will have 22 episodes, “Organized Crime” will have 13.

BreAnna Bell Big Freedia is redefining royalty with some New Orleans bounce. The proclaimed “Queen of Bounce” has partnered with Netflix’s Strong Black Lead to create a “Hey Queen” bounce remix tied to the streamer’s forthcoming project, “Queen Charlotte.” The music video debuted on Monday. Shot in Freedia’s home town of New Orleans, the video features appearances from the HBCU royal court at Xavier University and was also directed by the artist’s longtime friend and collaborator Edward Buckle. “I love that the whole idea of the show isn’t based on race and it has a lot of different characters in it, every different walk of life and the way that everyone sees different royalties,” said Freedia of the concept.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Is “Peaches” from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” one of the first Oscars original song contenders of the year? The ultimate power ballad, sung by Jack Black as the evil Bowser, will be eligible to submit for best original song consideration at the Oscars, Universal has confirmed to Variety. “Peaches” is all about Bowser’s unrequited love. And the subject of his adoration? Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor Joy), who is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. The song is co-written by Black, the film’s directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, as well as Eric Osmond and John Spiker.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan announced on Monday that it has agreed to pay $15 million to older performers who lost health coverage due to eligibility changes made in 2020. Under a settlement agreement, the health plan will also pay up to $5.6 million over the next eight years to older performers who no longer qualify for coverage. The settlement resolves a class action lawsuit filed in December 2020 by Ed Asner, a former SAG president, and nine other performers. Asner and the other plaintiffs alleged that the plan had discriminated against older members by raising the earnings floor to qualify for health benefits and excluding residuals from the earnings threshold. The plaintiffs said the change forced nearly 12,000 participants off the plan.

Emily Longeretta Despite the many changes in the One Chicago world, “Chicago Fire,” Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med” have all been renewed, NBC announced on Monday. Dick Wolf’s procedurals have been a major staple on NBC since debuting with “Chicago Fire,” a spinoff of “Law & Order: SVU,” in 2012. In the fall, the firefighter drama will air its eleventh season, while “Chicago P.D.” will air Season 11 and “Chicago Med” will air Season 9. All three shows, produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment, stream the next day on Peacock. Over the last year, the One Chicago universe has gone through a great deal of changes, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. “Fire” co-creator and co-showrunner Derek Haas will be exiting at the end of the current season, stepping away from Wolf Entertainment. Additionally on “Fire,” Taylor Kinney is on a temporary leave of absence from the show due to a personal matter. He made his last appearance during the Feb. 22 episode.

after they went missing on March 16.The two embarked on a kayaking trip in the Ozark Mountains and following an unsuccessful search, a recovery effort was launched.“We were all hoping for a miracle, but at this point, the search for Chuck and Charley has moved to a recovery,” read a post by the band.“With help from the K9 team, there is a probable location on the lake, but logistical challenges including temperature, weather, and depth have prevented a recovery thus far. It is unknown how long these efforts may take,” it continued.

Succession delivered a game-changing bombshell in the third episode of season four.In the episode titled Connor’s Wedding, Logan Roy (Brian Cox) departs on a flight to Sweden with some of his closest advisors to negotiate a new deal with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), while Logan’s children Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) attend their brother’s wedding on a cruise ship in New York.While Connor (Alan Ruck) is hopeful his father will make time for a fly-by visit, Roman, Kendall and Shiv are soon informed by Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) over the phone that Logan has fallen ill during the flight and has become unresponsive.After some emotional final goodbyes over the phone, Logan is later pronounced dead when the private plane lands back on US soil. Roman, Kendall and Shiv are then faced with issuing a statement to the press and the ramifications of Logan’s death on the future of Waystar RoyCo.“I never thought that I would be crying for Logan’s death, but this episode was brutal,” one viewer wrote.

Emmerdale fans were left stunned this week after Nicky's true identity was finally revealed, with viewers having questioned the character's intentions since he arrived in December. Newcomer Nicky is played by actor Lewis Cope from Hartlepool, who has made some earlier TV appearances including in Doctors and ITV's Vera. Making his debut in the Dales in December, his mysterious character Nicky left viewers of the ITV soap questioning his intentions with some suggesting he could have a secret identity and others saying he was "too good to be true".

In quite the departure from her day job, Kim Kardashian is set to join the star-studded cast of American Horror Story. Kim, who was recently slammed for over-editing her social media photos, usually makes her money through many of her business ventures which includes SKIMS and KKW Beauty.

Halle Berry sent fans wild with a nude photo that she shared to her Instagram page. Posing on her balcony, the Oscar-winning actress, 56, could be seen sipping a glass of wine as she bared all while surveying her surroundings.

Hot on the heels of their very first Easter with daughter Bambi, Molly Mae Hague and Tommy Fury took a special break together on Monday as they visited Alton Towers together for the first time since becoming parents. The loved up couple, both 23, didn’t let the doom and gloom of the British springtime deter their plans for an exciting adventure, as they both braved the rain to head to the iconic theme park.

Hilary Swank is officially a mother of two! On Sunday, the Oscar-winning actress shared that she and her husband, Philip Schneider, welcomed their twins — a boy and a girl.Over the course of her pregnancy, Swank, 48, took her bump on promo tours, shared pictures from holidays, and even revealed how she hid her news on the set of her latest show. Here's a look back at the star's road to motherhood and pregnancy journey.While promoting her series,, on, Swankannounced she was pregnant. «This is something that I've been wanting for a long time,» she told the hosts and the crowd. «And my next thing is I'm going to be a mom.

One woman was left reeling after her pre-booked flight seats were stolen by another family - but was delighted when karma hit immediately.

universe is expanding with an animated spinoff series ahead of the flagship's final season.The untitled animated series will be set in the world and will be developed by the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Eric Robles, it was announced Monday.According to the Duffer Brothers, the new series was inspired by childhood cartoons they watched as kids.“We’ve always dreamed of an animated in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling," the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. «We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues…”News of the animated series comes as the fifth and final season approaches.»I know a little bit about where it's headed and it's really exciting," star David Harbourtold ET in September 2022, «but you'll see it in another 15 years when it's able to be released when we've shot it.» Millie Bobby Brown said in a recent interview with that she is «very ready to say goodbye» to the series after first joining it when she was 12 years old.«I'm definitely ready to wrap up.

Stacey Solomon admits she felt 'worried' about sharing photos from her lavish family holiday to Abu Dhabi due to the cost of living crisis.

Megan Thee Stallion accused Tory Lanez of shooting her in the feet, a jury found him guilty of assault with a semiautomatic firearm; discharging a firearm with gross negligence, and carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle; along with allegations that he personally used a firearm and inflicted great bodily injury.Megan, 28, has been at the center of a maelstrom since coming forward with her allegations against Lanez in August 2020. Lanez was officially charged in October 2020 with a felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, negligent discharge of a firearm and having a concealed and unregistered firearm in a vehicle.Lanez -- whose real name is Daystar Peterson -- pleaded not guilty to the charges, previously saying that «the truth will come out.» He was barred from speaking publicly about the case and was put under house arrest after another violation of Lanez's bail in which he allegedly attacked singer August Alsina. The Canadian rapper faces a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison if convicted.Since Megan came forward, the case has played out on social media and even in music released by rappers not involved in the conflict.

world, but not all of the drama is coming from the cast of the season currently streaming on Netflix.Season 2 alums Natalie Lee and Deepti Vempati have started their new podcast, where they are discussing season 4 of the hit reality dating show.Natalie previously noted that she doesn't think newcomer Micah Lussier is «genuine» on the show based on things that «production sources» have told her.When posted a clip to Instagram of Natalie discussing Micah's relationship with her fiancé,Paul Peden, comparing it to how Natalie behaved on the show with her now-ex, Shayne Jansen, it raised some eyebrows.«I feel like her and Paul are doing the same thing that Shayne and I did. I wouldn't say we faked our scenes, but we definitely hid a lot from the camera,» Natalie said on the podcast.

Emily Ratajkowski is getting candid about her dating and sex life. The 31-year-old author sat down for an interview on the latest episode of the  podcast, opening up about her post-divorce love life. «I went to a party where it was just, like, every famous person in the world and I was, like, not wearing my ring, and it, like, spread by the end of the night and I had so much fun,» Ratajkowski shared.

Hilary Swank has given birth to twins — a boy and a girl. The 48-year-old "Million Dollar Baby" actor posted a photo of her and her twins looking at the sunset on Instagram Sunday evening with the caption: "It wasn't easy.

NBC has renewed all six of its Dick Wolf-produced shows including the One Chicago franchise — Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. — and the trio of Law & Order dramas — the mothership series, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime — for the 2023-2024 season.

EXCLUSIVE: Four-time Emmy nominee Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey, Godless) has joined the cast of Here, Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel from Miramax.

Warner Bros Television has acquired rights to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s latest novel Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films will develop the book for television with Mindy Kaling’s production company Kaling International, which is under an overall deal at WBTV.

UPDATED with debut date, image: Disney announced the opening date for Rogers: The Musical is June 30, 2023. The one-act play will have a limited run this summer on the Hyperion Stage inside California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran sports and news broadcaster Keith Olbermann has signed with Buchwald.

On Saturday (April 8) Doja Cat confirmed some new details on her forthcoming album, Hellmouth.

Fred again.. is NPR's latest guest on Tiny Desk.

A new reality power couple? Tayshia Adams and Luke Gulbranson sparked romance rumors after they were photographed holding hands on Easter Sunday.

Sticking the landing. Succession viewers were shocked to see Logan Roy (Brian Cox) killed off three episodes into season 4 — but the HBO show’s cast showed their support for the twist.

Elizabeth Hubbard, who rose to stardom for her appearances in various soap shows, has died at age 89.

Girl, please! Amanda Stanton begged her fans to stop inquiring about having more kids after marrying Michael Fogel.

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She’s all that! Gabrielle Union showed off her seriously fit physique while soaking up the sun in Miami. 

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A lawsuit filed against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, which claimed that changes to eligibility for benefits “illegally discriminated” against older members, has been settled. The suit was filed in federal court in December 2020 by former SAG president Ed Asner and nine other SAG-AFTRA members. The Health Plan, which had been facing staggering deficits, said that the changes were necessary to keep it from going broke.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Labor negotiations are typically marked by revolutionary rhetoric followed by incremental gains. For all the pre-game talk about rewriting the economic order, the end result typically looks like three yards and a cloud of dust. The Writers Guild of America argues that its current negotiation is different, and that it must result in a dramatic overhaul of writer compensation. Central to that case is the claim that writer pay is declining. But is it? The guild has cited internal survey data showing that TV writer-producer weekly pay has dropped 4% (or 23% adjusted for inflation) since 2013.