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Click here to read the full article. Amber Heard told jurors on Thursday that she has been humiliated by the defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp , and deserves to reclaim her voice. Heard was the final witness called in the trial, which has been underway for the last six weeks in Fairfax, Va. Both sides rested their rebuttal cases on Thursday. Closing arguments will be made on Friday, and then the jury will begin deliberations, which are expected to extend into next week. More from Variety Johnny Depp Again Denies Amber Heard's 'Insane' Allegations of Assault and Sexual Violence Kate Moss Testifies Johnny Depp Did Not Push Her Down Stairs in 1990s TMZ Seeks to Block Johnny Depp From Calling Ex-Employee to Testify Depp has accused Heard of destroying his career with fabricated allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has also filed a $100 million counterclaim, alleging she has suffered emotional trauma and career damage from … [Read more...] about Amber Heard Tells Jury She Has Been Humiliated: ‘I Don’t Deserve This’

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 LOS ANGELES (AP) — To drive, or not to drive? This Memorial Day weekend, with surging gas prices that are redefining pain at the pump, that is the question for many Americans as a new COVID-19 surge also spreads across the country. For Marvin Harper, of Phoenix, his family’s weekend travel plans are a double punch to the wallet. His college-age son and daughter each have a soccer tournament in Southern California and Colorado, respectively. He and his daughter will fly to Denver, rather than drive, because of the cost of fuel, while his wife and son will go to California in her SUV. “My mother-in-law’s going with my wife and son to split that cost because it’s just too much on our household,” said Harper, as he filled up the tank of his truck at a Phoenix QuikTrip. “We can’t afford both of us to drive. That’s the bottom line ... Gas prices are killing our household.” For some, that's … [Read more...] about More Memorial Day travel expected, despite high gas prices

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 13 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself. DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003. “Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations. When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the latter would imply she had a partner. She didn't specify who … [Read more...] about Ellen DeGeneres ends daytime show with plea for compassion

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 Ko Im always thought she would live in New York forever. She knew every corner of Manhattan and had worked hard to build a community of friends. Living in a small apartment, she found her attitude shifting early in the coronavirus pandemic. After her brother accepted a job in Seattle in the summer of 2020, she decided to move there too. “It was fine until it wasn’t,” Im, 36, said of her time in New York. “The pandemic really changed my mindset about how I wanted to live or how I needed to live." Eight of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. lost population during the first year of the pandemic, with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago leading the way. Between July 2020 and July 2021, New York lost more than 305,000 people, while Chicago and Los Angeles contracted by 45,000 residents and 40,000 people, respectively. San Francisco suffered the largest rate of decline, losing almost 55,000 … [Read more...] about US Census Bureau: Big city losses early in COVID pandemic

Click here to read the full article. When someone who has made a four-decade career out of being funny decides to take a step back from what made them famous, there’s always that potentially nagging sense of self-doubt that can creep into the artist’s psyche. Is it really my time to be done? Do I have anything left to prove to myself? In Bill Engvall ’s case, he knew it was the perfect time to bid goodbye to the road. “I always said that I wanted to go out on my terms. I never wanted to be the act where someone said they should have stopped a year ago. And I say this with all humility, but I caught the brass ring. I’ve achieved every goal that was in front of me in terms of stand-up,” he says with a smile. More from Variety Bill Engvall to Retire From Stand-Up, Announces Farewell Comedy Tour 'Here's Your Sign, It's Finally Time' Bill Engvall to Host 'Blue Collar Auction' Series for Circle TV Leah Remini, Snooki Among 'Dancing With the Stars' Cast … [Read more...] about Bill Engvall Reflects on Stand-Up Career and Being ‘Given A Gift’ Amid Farewell Tour

Click here to read the full article. With “ Obi-Wan Kenobi ,” debuting Friday on Disney+, English composer Natalie Holt becomes the first woman to score a live-action “ Star Wars ” project, on the heels of her success with Marvel’s “Loki.” She spent four months on the project, including two months in Los Angeles recording with many of the same musicians who recorded John Williams’ new theme for the series, as revealed by Variety in mid-February. More from Variety Lucasfilm Warned Moses Ingram About Racist 'Star Wars' Trolls: Harassment 'Likely Will Happen' Obi-Wan Kenobi Outfit and Gear Set to Drop in Fortnite Vangelis, Oscar-Winning Composer for 'Chariots of Fire,' Dies at 79 “It’s been such a fine balance, all the way along, finding the right level of ‘Star Wars’ homage, because we’ve got heritage characters,” she says, referring to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and others, “and adding in new … [Read more...] about ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Score Has ‘Loki’ Composer Natalie Holt Balancing ‘Star Wars’ Heritage With Fresh Touches

(CNN) Ellen DeGeneres bid a tearful farewell to her daytime talk show on Thursday, saying that the show had "forever changed my life." DeGeneres opened the last hour of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" by discussing the progress that had been made since the series premiered in 2003, noting that she "couldn't say 'gay' on the show" when it started or make a reference to her wife, Portia de Rossi, because gay marriage wasn't legal. "Now I say 'wife' all the time," she said. Noting that there was resistance to the show and that few gave it a chance of surviving, DeGeneres promised that she wouldn't be gone for long. "Today is not the end of a relationship, it's more of a little break," she said. "You can see other talk shows now." The program incorporated clips from DeGeneres' 3,200 episodes, including her tearfully thanking the audience after taping her first episode, as well as other highlights of her career, such as hosting the Oscars and receiving the … [Read more...] about Ellen DeGeneres says goodbye to show that ‘forever changed my life’

Uvalde, Tx. — With criticism swelling about the police response to the Texas elementary school massacre, a law enforcement official said Thursdaythat the gunman who killed 19 children and 2 teachers entered the school “unobstructed” through an unlocked door 12 minutes after police were alerted about a man nearby with a rifle. Victor Escalon, South Texas regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news briefing Thursday that the suspect, Salvador Ramos, 18, did not initially encounter any police officers when he entered Robb Elementary School on Tuesday and opened fire. Ramos shot most of his victims inside within the first few minutes of entering the school, Escalon said. He could not answer why it took an hour for a federal special weapons team to enter the classroom and kill the gunman. “Once we interview all those officers — what they were thinking, what they did, why they did it, the video, the residual interviews — we’ll have a better idea,” … [Read more...] about Police face growing criticism over response to Texas school shooting as parents speak out

SACRAMENTO (AP) – California lawmakers could soon ban the declawing of cats solely for the convenience of humans, advancing a bill on Thursday to halt what animal rights activists say is a painful procedure used primarily to prevent torn furniture and scratched skin. Claws on cats grow from the bone, not skin. Removing them sometimes requires amputating bones, while other procedures sever tendons to prevent a cat from extending its claws. READ MORE: CHP: Woman Killed In South Sacramento Crash Was Broadsided By DUI Suspect Who Ran Red Light Animal rights activists have long said declawing is inhumane when done solely for the benefit of humans, arguing the procedure is painful, leaves the animal defenseless and can cause other health problems. The American Veterinary Medical Association “discourages declawing as an elective procedure,” saying it is not medically necessary in most cases. But the association says it is sometimes necessary “when a cat’s excessive or inappropriate … [Read more...] about California Lawmakers Consider Bill That Would Ban Declawing Of Cats In Most Cases

(CNN) — One of the 10-year-olds aspired to be a lawyer someday. Another loved video games and anything with wheels. And another was saving up for a trip to Disney World. More details are beginning to emerge about the nineteen children and two teachers who were killed after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. As of Thursday afternoon, at least 13 families said they had received devastating news. READ MORE: Garden City Police Search For 2 Vehicles Involved In Shooting That Caused Fatal Crash In the midst of their grief, family members are sharing photos and memories about the loved ones they lost in Tuesday’s massacre — from the big dreams they had to the simple things that brought them joy. LIVE UPDATES: 21 killed in Texas school massacre Here’s what friends and relatives want everyone to remember about the people they lost. Irma Garcia Irma Garcia was a teacher, a wife and mother to four children, according to a … [Read more...] about What We Know About The Victims At Robb Elementary School