Texas AG sues feds over pushback against state’s anti-trans actions

Halsey will be at the 2022 Grammy Awards tonight (April 3), despite having surgery just four days after surgery.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Morbius,” the latest comic book adventure from Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, opened in first place at the domestic box office, though ticket sales were considerably softer than recent superhero blockbusters.Dinged by comically terrible reviews, “Morbius” sunk its teeth into $39.1 million from 4,268 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. That initial tally is at once a sign that audiences truly love comic book movies (in pandemic times, a non-superhero film with a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes wouldn’t stand a chance at the box office) and an indication that not every superhuman character will be greeted equally on the big screen.

While nowhere near the levels seen with Sony’s “Venom” films, “Morbius” was made on a considerably lower budget than Tom Hardy’s antihero romp with a reported $75 million budget. The $39 million launch is just below independent projections of a $40 million range opening but above Sony’s much more conservative projections of $33 million, an opening posted by recent comic book movies “Birds of Prey” and “Dark Phoenix,” both of which had higher budgets than “Morbius.”But while “Morbius” is off to a solid start, the film’s reception scores have been mixed at best.

Anais Gallagher received a reaction she perhaps wasn't expecting as she shared photos of her new tattoo. The daughter of legendary former Oasis star Noel Gallagher revealed a simple inking on her hip of the name 'NIN' written in capital letters.

Nearly one week after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, Saturday Night Live got in on the conversation.

Revisiting their love story! Zeke Smith surprised boyfriend Nico Santos at the GLAAD Media Awards — where they first met four years earlier — with a romantic proposal.

Actress Estelle Harris has died at 93. She passed away of natural causes in Palm Desert, California.

Six people have died in a shooting in California, with nine others injured, police in Sacramento say. The horror attack took place early on Sunday morning, the force added.

A new Covid variant has been found in the UK, experts have confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was looking at the XE variant, which is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains.

Anton Du Beke will reportedly return as a judge on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing later this year.The dancer, 55, stepped in for Bruno Tonioli in last year’s series, with Craig Revel Horwood being said to have revealed that Anton will be joining the panel as a judge again. It comes after Bruno was unable to take part in the 2021 series due to Covid travel restrictions and work commitments in the US, leaving Anton to take his place. Craig, who has appeared in every series of the BBC show so far, made the admission at his new stage show All Balls and Glitter, according to The Sun .

returned over the weekend with a whole lot of material, thanks to Will Smith's actions at this year's Oscars.Many expected the slap heard 'round the world to be the primary focus of the night's cold open — although the show instead opted to for politically-focused sketch that only touched on the slap, via James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump.However, first-time host Jerrod Carmichael made sure to address the elephant in the room in his hilarious debut monologue. Additionally, Michael Che and Colin Jost didn't hold back while mocking the controversy during Weekend Update. And then there was the sketch that took fans back to the night in question with an up close and personal look at what it was like for the people around Smith during the altercation.Here's a roundup of how this week's dealt with the largest pop culture news story in recent memory.Carmichael plays an Oscars seat filler who is overjoyed to be sitting next to his Hollywood hero, Will Smith.

Fire crews are currently battling a blaze at a Port Glasgow flat as flames rip through the roof of the residential block.

In the latest episode of his Apple TV+ series, Jon Stewart convened a panel of guests to discuss racism in America, a hot-button topic if there ever was one.

Emergency services are currently dealing with an ongoing incident in Rutherglen after being called to reports of a ‘disturbance’.

Police Scotland are investigating after a glass bottle was thrown onto the pitch during this afternoon's Old Firm clash.

A Wishaw pensioner caught with hundreds of child abuse images has been jailed for 18 months.

Celtic continued their fine form and recent Old Firm bragging rights with an important win over Rangers.

EASTENDERS actor Adam Woodyatt is asking fans to fork out £40 to be "roasted" or subject to a "pep talk". The Ian Beale star, who has been away from the BBC soap for a year, has tapped into another cash stream with a Memmo Me profile.

LOVE Island star Sharon Gaffka has revealed a show divide and admitted the cast's forced friendships have finally come to an end. The reality show alumni, 26, said she doesn't speak to many of her former housemates, which includes winners finalists Millie Court and Liam Reardon.

CORRUPT cop Roy Slater was Del Boy's nemesis throughout the Only Fools And Horses episodes. Yet the actor behind Peckham's Mr Unpopular, Jim Broadbent, 72, looks completely different now.

K.J. Yossman Jacob Batalon is best known as Spidey’s BFF Ned Leeds in the box office-smashing “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” but he’s exploring his undead side in upcoming Syfy comedy drama “Reginald the Vampire.” In the series, based on Johnny B. Truant’s “Fat Vampire” novels, Batalon plays a recently turned vampire, Reginald, who finds he still has mostly the same problems as his living counterparts: an evil boss, unrequited love and a vampire chieftain out to get him.

Rihanna, 34, recently turned heads when she was photographed walking outside a fancy Los Angeles, CA restaurant while putting her baby bump on display in a stylish outfit. The singer, who has had headline-making maternity fashion choices since announcing her first pregnancy earlier this year, wore a hot pink mini dress with spaghetti straps and a light blue feather lining at the bottom as she went to enjoy an Italian dinner at Giorgio Baldi. She also rocked green heels and held a feathery purse that matched the feathers on her dress.

The fallout for Will Smith continues. Following the dramatic slapping incident with Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, the 53-year-old actor’s upcoming film projects have been put on hold. Will’s Netflix film Fast and Loose was “quietly moved to the back burner” by the streaming giant, per a report from The Hollywood Reporter published on April 2. Bad Boys For Life (a.k.a. Bad Boys 4) will also be “paused” by Sony, despite Smith already receiving 40 pages of a script. HollywoodLife has reached out to both Sony and Netflix for comment on the respective films.

Rolling Stone.““I’m proud to rep Houston but I’m not proud to rep Texan politics right now. There are very regressive laws being passed,” Lizzo told the audience.

Lizzo used her platform to denounce her home state’s new discriminatory laws during a keynote conversation at SXSW on Sunday. During a conversation with Angela Yee, the pop star weighed in on Texas laws banning abortions and barring trans athletes from sports, alongside directives from Governor Greg Abbott himself to regard gender-affirming medical treatments as crimes and place parents of trans-identified children under investigation by children and family services.Though she’s proud of the city that raised her, the “Truth Hurts” singer expressed disappointment in the way state government is being run.

Ken Paxton, lawyers for parents of trans kids disagree on whether child abuse investigations can continue” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 741741.When a judge ruled Friday that Texas could not investigate parents for child abuse simply for providing gender-affirming care, it was immediately clear that the legal fight was far from over.That same night, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an appeal and then announced on Twitter that the “Democrat judge’s order permitting child abuse is frozen.”He said that “[m]uch-needed investigations [will] proceed as they should,” and noted that his “fight will continue up to the Supreme Court.”Lawyers representing the families of transgender children said they don’t believe the appeal should affect the injunction.Legal experts say this case falls into a complicated corner of the law until the appeals court weighs in.This case stemmed from a nonbinding legal opinion that Paxton issued last month, arguing that certain gender-affirming health care can constitute child abuse.

Jamie Lee Curtis is celebrating daughter Ruby on her birthday.

Lizzo hit out at Texas’ anti-transgender legislation and abortion policies in a keynote speech as part of this year’s SXSW festival at Austin Convention Centre.Legislation introduced last month in Texas defines gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth “child abuse”. The state’s governor Greg Abbott proceeded to advise medical professionals and members of the public to report to state authorities if transgender youth were receiving gender-affirming care.Additionally, Abbott called on the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who provided their transgender children with gender-affirming care.

AUSTIN, Texas – Lizzo had strong opinions on Texas' legislation and policy regarding abortion and transgender children during Sunday's keynote session at the SXSW Film Festival. Lizzo, who was raised in Houston, said she wasn't "proud to rep" the state's political laws and policies. "I’m proud to rep Houston, but I’m not proud to rep Texan politics right now," the "Truth Hurts" singer told the audience listening at the Austin Convention Center.

executive order that directs law enforcement officials to investigate gender affirming medical treatments for transgender youths as a crime has grown loud and intense, with many demanding LGTBQ organizations condemn the order through significant action not just words.In an op-ed posted to SB Nation’s Outsports.com on Tuesday, March 1, Brittney Miller — 11-year veteran of the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) and manager of the Puget Sound Pronouns — called for the 2022 event to be removed from Dallas and held in another city.Citing the fact that the GSWS has an “economic impact” of $5 to 7 million, Miller stated the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) should find a new host city in a different state to support the transgender community.Miller called the executive order cruel and explained how it criminalizes the mere existence of transgender people, but her most severe criticisms were reserved for NAGAAA itself.The organization, which Miller stated is one of the “largest governing bodies of queer athletes in America,” has yet to release a statement on the issue, a decision Miller believes is indicative of how the organization views its transgender members.“NAGAAA’s failure to release even a milquetoast statement shows we [the transgender community] are an afterthought to them,” she wrote. “If the trans community can’t count on them to stand up to bullies in the face of cruelty and intolerance, who can we count on?”She explained that the “wait and see” approach NAGAAA seems to be employing with the executive order should be abandoned, immediately.