IATSE Members File Class Action Suit Over Health Care Cutoff

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAn attorney for the state of New Jersey urged a judge on Wednesday to keep theaters closed, arguing that fans are free to watch movies at home without creating a risk to public health.The National Association of Theatre Owners, and several major theater chains, are seeking an injunction that would allow theaters to reopen in the state. U.S.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterKjersti Flaa is used to asking questions. She writes celebrity profiles for Norwegian magazines and does entertainment interviews for TV2’s “God Kveld Norge” (“Good Evening Norway”) as well as her own YouTube channel.But on Monday, she became the story.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmy Adams and Adam McKay are coming together again for a Netflix limited series about a class action lawsuit against Walmart.Titled “Kings of America,” the series is based on real events and centers on the stories of three women whose lives were inextricably intertwined with the world’s largest company: a Walmart heiress, a maverick executive, and a longtime Walmart saleswoman and preacher who dared to fight against the retail giant in the biggest class action lawsuit in

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA Norwegian entertainment reporter sued the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Monday, alleging a “culture of corruption” under which reporters abuse their power to suppress competition.Kjersti Flaa filed the complaint in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging that the HFPA operates as a cartel in violation of antitrust laws.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has filed a request to extradite Harvey Weinstein, as it seeks to try him on five counts of sexual assault and rape.The D.A.’s office had previously filed a detainer on New York State prison authorities, the first step in a process that has been slowed considerably by the coronavirus pandemic.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge on Tuesday allowed Eko to proceed with its patent infringement lawsuit against Quibi, though she dismissed three of Eko’s nine claims against the streaming startup.U.S. District Judge Christina A.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s star is on the rise, but he’s staying true to his roots.

David Robb Labor EditorMore than 300 IATSE members, dissatisfied with what they call “a-la-carte protocols” for the safe return to work on commercials and music videos, have signed a letter urging their union leaders to adopt uniform guidelines similar to those established for film and television productions.“As of today, we do not have a consistent return to work agreement based on the needs of the COVID-19 outbreak,” the letter states.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe state of New Jersey issued a lengthy defense on Friday of its order closing movie theaters, arguing that theaters pose an “unnecessary” danger amid a raging pandemic.The major theater chains — AMC, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark — have sued the state, seeking to force a reopening on First Amendment grounds.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ready to protect their son at all costs.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterIt has been a long six years since Scott Sava persuaded some Chinese investors to give him $13.5 million to make an animated film.An illustrator from Franklin, Tenn., Sava had written a graphic novel for his twin boys about a magic box of animal crackers, and he wanted to adapt it to the screen.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterClint Eastwood wants it known that, contrary to what you may have seen on the internet, he is not endorsing CBD products.The director filed two federal lawsuits on Wednesday, alleging that his name has been illegally used to sell oils, gummies, and other products containing cannabidiol — a compound derived from hemp and marijuana.In one of the suits, Eastwood cites a fake news article that claims he is “stepping away from the spotlight” in order to devote more

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterTwo women who allege they were sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein have asked a bankruptcy judge to liquidate the Weinstein Co. estate, following the collapse of a global settlement last week.The women, Dominique Huett and Wedil David, filed the motion in Delaware bankruptcy court.

The classic movie ‘Clueless’ is approaching its 25th birthday and so, one of the actors who starred in it, Elisa Donovan, remembered co-star Brittany Murphy, who unfortunately passed away back in 2009 at the age of just 32. As you can imagine, Elisa had only great things to say about Brittany.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA federal judge has upheld a state order closing movie theaters in Michigan, rejecting an owner’s claim that it infringed on his First Amendment right to hold a Juneteenth film festival.Emagine Royal Oak, a theater in the Detroit suburbs, sued Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and two other state officials on June 22, arguing that the state’s order amounted to an unlawful prior restraint on speech.But in a ruling on Thursday, U.S.

Dominic Patten Senior Editor, Legal & TV CriticUPDATED, 3:10 PM: A California judge has denied Netflix’s second motion to dismiss Mo’Nique’s racial and gender bias against the streamer in which she alleges gender and racial discrimination over pay for a potential comedy special.The comic and Precious Oscar winner, real name Monique Hicks, says the $500,000 offered by Netflix in 2017 for a stand-up special was not just an insult but illegal.

Several advocacy groups on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to remove transgender protections from the Affordable Care Act.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA federal judge in New Jersey on Tuesday denied the theater industry’s request for a temporary restraining order that would force the state to allow theaters to reopen.Judge Brian R. Martinotti also set a schedule for litigating the industry’s request for an injunction on the matter, with a hearing expected on or before Aug.

JAY-Z, Yo Gotti, and Team ROC have recently filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 227 inmates of a Mississippi prison over living poor conditions and new concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in the institution's facilities, according to Billboard. The lawsuit is against the state's Department of Corrections Commissioner Nathan Burl Cain and the prison's healthcare provider Centurion.