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Shaking reported in Denver after rare earthquake

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Shaking reported in Denver after rare earthquake


Tens of thousands of people in the Southeast were jolted by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake on Saturday, May 10. Seismologist and professor of geophysics at the Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Zhigang Peng joined FOX Weather on May 11 to talk about why so many people in the East reported feeling the earthquake and just how common they are in the region.

DENVER – Shaking was reported in Denver, Colorado, following a magnitude 2.9 earthquake Friday morning. 

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake happened north of Denver, about 3 miles southwest of Dacono, Colorado.

Earthquake reported near Denver.

Earthquake reported near Denver. 

(FOX Weather)

Light shaking was felt along Interstate 25 throughout Denver and surrounding towns. 

The quake was relatively shallow at 5.09 miles beneath the surface. 

According to the USGS, earthquakes in Denver are rare.

Shaking from the earthquake was felt throughout Denver and surrounding areas.

Shaking from the earthquake was felt throughout Denver and surrounding areas.

(FOX Weather)

There hasn’t been a magnitude 3 or larger earthquake in the Denver metro area since 1981, when a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in Northglenn, the USGS said. 

The USGS said Friday’s earthquake was most likely felt because it was shallow, in a well-populated area and happened around the time people were awake and getting ready for the day. 

No damage has been reported from the earthquake at this time. 



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Exes Chris Pratt and Anna Faris Photographed Together for the First Time in Almost 7 Years

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Exes Chris Pratt and Anna Faris Photographed Together for the First Time in Almost 7 Years


  • Exes Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were photographed together for the first time in nearly seven years this week.
  • Pratt and Faris attended the sixth grade graduation of their 12-year-old son Jack on June 9 in Santa Monica, California.
  • Also there was Pratt’s wife Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, who Pratt married in 2o19.

Exes Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were photographed together for the first time in nearly seven years—and they really are role models in how to co-parent in a friendly manner with a former spouse.

Pratt and Faris reunited for the occasion of their 12-year-old son Jack’s sixth grade graduation in Santa Monica on June 9, at one point sharing a hug and posing for photos together in a picture taken by Pratt’s wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, per Page Six. Faris and Schwarzenegger Pratt also chatted, solidifying their friendly relationship, too.

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt in ‘Movie 43’.

The last time Pratt and Faris were photographed together was for Halloween in 2018, when they trick-or-treated with Jack. Schwarzenegger Pratt was also there; she’d been dating Pratt for about four months at the time. 

Pratt and Faris married in 2009 and announced in August 2017 that they were legally separating before Pratt filed for divorce four months later. The divorce was finalized in October 2018—the same month of those aforementioned Halloween photos. Pratt and Schwarzenegger Pratt got engaged in January 2019, just three months later, and married five months after that in June—right around the time of their one-year anniversary. In addition to Jack, they are parents to daughters Lyla, 4, and Eloise, 3, and 7-month-old son Ford.

Chris Pratt with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt at ‘The White Lotus’ premiere on February 24, 2025.

Getty Images


Despite some media reports to the contrary, it seems, according to the exes themselves, that they get along pretty well. Speaking on divorce attorney Laura Wasser’s podcast “Divorce Sucks!” in 2019, Faris said, “Grudge-holding is not something that Chris and I do. So we wanted to make sure, of course, that Jack was happy, but that we were happy and supportive of each other and that we could have this fantasy idea of, do we all spend Christmas together? Do we all vacation together? How do we make sure that everybody that we love feels safe, and that we also respect the love we have for each other?”

Per People, Faris added, “Under all of these uncoupling circumstances, I think that we are so good and respectful toward each other, and I think there is so much kindness and love, and I know we want to get to that ultimate goal—and I know it sounds lame and optimistic—but that’s what I want.”

Anna Faris.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty Images


Faris said on her own “Unqualified” podcast that there is “no bitterness” that Pratt was remarrying, saying, “I’m just so happy that we’re all really happy,” and adding that “they’re both fucking amazing people, and I’m so happy.”

As Schwarzenegger Pratt prepared to launch her own podcast, she told Us Weekly of Faris and her show “Unqualified” that “I really admire all the work that she’s done, and she’s definitely an expert at it. Learning from her is another huge gift.”

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt on November 4, 2023.

Getty


Faris has previously said that she and Pratt remain friends and believe that co-parenting is “hugely important”: “We are great, and there’s so much friendship and love, and we surround Jack with love, and funny, kind, happy people, and as a result, he is really happy,” she told Extra.



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‘Chaps frame the buttocks in a beautiful way’: John C Reilly on Magnolia, moving into music – and his nice bum | Music

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‘Chaps frame the buttocks in a beautiful way’: John C Reilly on Magnolia, moving into music – and his nice bum | Music


Your roles fluctuate wildly between the serious and silly. Does one necessitate the other? vammyp
I’ve always thought it’s all the same. You just try to be as honest as you can, and if you’re being honest in absurd circumstances then you’re in a comedy. It’s not like I try to be funny or serious – just honest. If you’re watching someone play a bad guy and there’s nothing about the performance that makes you feel for the person or understand them in a deeper way, that’s a fail to me. Because the truth of life is that at a funeral someone always cracks a joke. There’s something so rich about being able to laugh at a funeral. That is what life is to me: all those grey areas, these contradictory things.

I’m impressed and baffled by this left turn with Mister Romantic [Reilly’s vaudevillian crooner alter ego]. How did you come up with the character? Why did you pick out the songs that you did? steve__bayley

I made the musical Chicago years ago and played this character Mister Cellophane, and it reawakened my love of musical theatre. In particular, my love of the vaudeville performance style: very presentational, trying to connect with the audience and not aloof in any way. I love performing like that. I wanted to sing all those songs, but I was also looking at the world and I thought: man, things are getting pretty unkind and divisive out there. So I created Mister Romantic. He has no memory of the past and so that puts the show live, in the moment. The whole mission is to create empathy and connection and to explore ideas of love.

Watch the video for What’ll I Do?.

Who were your main inspirations for this album? EddieHaskell
Respect must be paid to the real musical inspirations, such as Harry Nilsson, Irving Berlin, Tom Waits and Nat King Cole. I’m not saying I’m as good as them by any means, but what those people did was they fell in love with a song and said: this is a beautiful thing, I’m going to share it with the world. I feel part of that lineage. If you really love a song, it can’t be set in amber by one performer; it has to be given life. It’s a little nervy of me, I admit, to try to reinterpret these songs after they’ve been done so beautifully by other people. But life is for living and we have to keep renewing these things if they have meaning for us.

Big fan here. Also a big fan of Tom Waits. Do you think Mister Romantic could be persuaded to record an album of Waits covers, à la Scarlett Johansson? TheManWithoutFear
I love that Scarlett Johansson did that. I guess Mister Romantic could do an entire album of Tom Waits songs, but I think it’s more likely that I would. I literally refer to Tom as Saint Tom. He’s a big influence in my life. Not only musically, but also as a performer – his ethos, the way he treats performance and the way he carries himself. I came upon him when I was 18 and he changed my life. I love the way he interprets characters.

I’ve had the luck to meet him a couple of times. Once, he was getting ready to do a movie and he said: “Can you hook me up with an acting teacher?” I was like: Tom, with all due respect, you’re one of the greatest living storytellers, what could anyone tell you about acting? But I set him up with Patrick Murphy, my first acting teacher and closest friend, and they met in Sacramento and went to the zoo and talked about character and looked at animals.

I thought you really captured the frailty and humanity of Oliver Hardy perfectly in Stan & Ollie. What kind of research did you do to prepare for the role? Which Hardy performance is your favourite and why? brucevayne1000

Lifelong inspiration … playing Oliver Hardy alongside Steve Coogan’s Stan Laurel in 2018’s Stan & Ollie. Photograph: BBC Films/Allstar

I have trouble picking favourites, but I love Brats. It really inspired my absurd sense of comedy. In a weird way, I’d been preparing to play that role my whole life since watching the films on repeat as a child. Oliver Hardy has been a lifelong inspiration and is one of the greatest clowns who ever lived. But one of the great tragedies about him is that he was a beautiful singer, a really incredible tenor, and yet when you look for recordings of him singing there’s only about three or four and they’re all tied to movies. That’s a real shame and I don’t want that to happen to me. If people like my singing, I want them to be able to hear me express myself.

What compliment still makes you smile? ashtynds
Someone told me I had a nice butt. I was wearing chaps at the time, which have a way of framing the buttocks in a beautiful way. I have a hard time receiving compliments, actually. I don’t live in a place of narcissistic wonder. I live in a place of wishing I was better most of the time or seeing my shortcomings. It’s good for an artist to keep their ego in check as much as they can.

One of TV’s most extraordinary characters … as Dr Steve Brule. Photograph: Cartoon Network/Everett/Shutterstock

What is it like to be in a film that just doesn’t work or doesn’t find an audience? covsky
Every film is like a prayer and it’s a miracle when they work. Even if you make the perfect piece of art, it can still trip over itself at the box office if it’s not the moment in the zeitgeist when people want that story. I try not to get too caught up in the immediate success or failure of things. If you’ve made something you’re proud of, that is success. I’ve not always felt that way – there were box office disappointments that were devastating – but I’ve learned things can be unexpectedly successful or unsuccessful. In the end, what you carry with you is your personal experience. Yesterday’s reviews are recycling.

I’m convinced that Dr Steve Brule [the parodic public TV host played by Reilly between 2007 and 2016] is one of the most extraordinary characters ever. Nobody could bring that character to life like you. My question – did you really drink the water from the marina? Was that your idea? papalzalewd
Steve definitely drank water from the marina. I was executive producer on that show, so I can’t speak to Steve’s experience. You’d have to check with him, but I’m not sure I would take his advice on everything as a doctor. I’m not even sure what kind of doctor he is. Someone told me once that his mother actually named him “Dr Steve Brule” – that his middle name is Steve and he is not a medical doctor. I’m so proud to be involved with that show and I’m delighted that people love it. I love it as much as they do.

Did Magnolia [Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 ensemble drama] simply belong to a special time? Can a film in a similar style happen again? Why are most films so formulaic, without any of that movie’s surprises or spontaneity? julian6

‘Push on no matter what’… with Melora Walters in 1999’s Magnolia. Photograph: Getty Images

I don’t agree with the underlying sentiment. You could have said the same thing about Badlands: no one makes movies like that any more. But that’s the job of the artist – to push on no matter what it seems like you’re allowed to make. That’s certainly what Paul Thomas Anderson did with Magnolia. I won’t go into it, because he’s a private person, but almost everything in that movie has some personal connection to him. Things come in waves: capitalism and the marketplace get the upper hand, but then humanity has this need for stories and honesty in art and it comes back around. Don’t let yourself get too depressed about the way things are.

There have definitely been moments in the last few years, especially with the current state of the movie business, when I’ve felt just like this reader. I went to Cannes film festival a couple years ago, really feeling dejected, like: that’s it, the streamers have taken over, the movie business is dead. But then you watch these movies from all over the world, Mongolia or Sudan, and you realise: oh no, it’s alive and well. This art form is never going to die, because it still works. You just have to seek it out. If you’re worried that there aren’t more things you like out there, then you have to make sure you show up for the things you do. Because that’s what’s gonna keep them alive.

What’s Not to Love? by Mister Romantic is released on 13 June on Reilly’s label Eternal Magic Recordings



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Shaq to pay $1.8 million to settle FTX investor lawsuit

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Shaq to pay .8 million to settle FTX investor lawsuit


Shaquille O’Neal sits on the bench before the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks during Game 2 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on May 23, 2025.

Jesse D. Garrabrant | National Basketball Association | Getty Images

Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle claims that he misled investors by promoting the now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX.

The retired NBA superstar, who once urged fans to trust the platform, will resolve the allegations without admitting wrongdoing. But the deal marks one of the first high-profile settlements in the legal reckoning over FTX’s collapse.

The proposed settlement, filed in Florida federal court, would end a class action lawsuit accusing O’Neal of presenting FTX as a trustworthy and legitimate investment tool — particularly at live events and in social media content — while allegedly helping drive adoption of unregistered securities.

The class includes anyone who deposited money into FTX or held its proprietary token, FTT, between May 2019 and late 2022.

If the overseeing judge approves the deal, O’Neal’s $1.8 million payout will cover all legal fees, notice and administration costs and payouts to eligible investors. The arrangement also includes a sweeping release from future liability, and a provision barring him from seeking reimbursement from the FTX bankruptcy estate.

In short: The check he’s writing is final — and all-inclusive.

“We are pleased to have this matter behind us,” counsel for O’Neal said in a statement.

Unlike other celebrity defendants and former FTX endorsers — including Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen and Steph Curry — who had their claims largely dismissed, O’Neal remained entangled after a lengthy effort to serve him legal papers.

Front Office Sports reported in February that O’Neal inked a $15 million deal to remain with TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

O’Neal told CNBC in 2022 that, regarding FTX, he “was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial.”

O’Neal was named in a class action lawsuit alleging that FTX’s spokespeople “either controlled, promoted, assisted in [or] actively participated” in a plot to “aggressively market” the company.

In earlier interviews with CNBC Make It, O’Neal said he was actively avoiding cryptocurrency.

“I don’t understand it, so I will probably stay away from it until I get a full understanding of what it is,” he said at the time, adding: “From my experience, it is too good to be true.”



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Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s lawyer slams lawsuit

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Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s lawyer slams lawsuit


A lawyer representing Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Australian-made film Together has slammed a copyright lawsuit filed against the production, arguing it is “not remotely similar” to the film Better Half.

Together is a body-horror movie written and directed by Melbourne filmmaker Michael Shanks. The film, in which a married couple begin to physically fuse, opened the Sydney Film Festival earlier this month.

The team behind Together claim their film was made entirely independently.Credit: Sydney Film Festival

On May 13 (US time), Shanks, married stars Brie and Franco, their agency WME, and distributor Neon were served with a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging the concept of Together was stolen from Better Half, a 2023 satirical romcom directed by US filmmaker Patrick Henry Phelan.

In a letter sent to the plaintiff’s lawyers on May 21, obtained by Variety, attorney Nicolas Jampol denied the plagiarism accusations, saying similarities between the films were not subject to copyright protection.

“Your client does not own this concept,” Jampol wrote. “Neither do our clients. It is an unprotectable idea, one that pre-dates all of our clients and has been explored in many films, television shows and other fictional works.”

The lawsuit against Together’s team accused them of “blatantly ripping off” the concept of Better Half, which also sees two people physically fuse. However, Jampol argued Together is “the opposite of Better Half in almost every way”. He said they explored the idea differently – the former through a supernatural horror lens and the latter through a more comedic lens.

The suit claimed Phelan allegedly pitched his screenplay for Better Half to Franco, Brie and their representative agency WME in August 2020; however, the pitch was rejected. The suit alleges that Franco and Brie rejected the offer because they wanted to produce the film themselves.

In response, Jampol claimed Shanks registered a draft for Together with the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) in 2019 – a year before Better Half was offered to Brie and Franco’s agent.



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Where There’s Taron Egerton, There’s Fire

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Where There’s Taron Egerton, There’s Fire


Smoke premieres Friday, June 27, on Apple TV+. New episodes debut through August 15.

Taron Egerton has played many heroes in different guises over the last decade. Hoodlum-turned-spy. A TSA agent living out his wildest John McClane fantasy. Elton John in the 1970s. But his best opportunity for saving the day and showing off his dramatic chops arrived with Dennis Lehane’s limited series Black Bird; in the new Apple TV+ drama Smoke, Egerton reunites with Lehane to bring down yet another dangerous criminal. But the duo is not in danger of retreading old ground: For example, Egerton is tracking two criminals in the role of arson investigator Dave Gudsen. Though Smoke’s storytelling is bumpier and more abstract than Black Bird’s, Lehane has brought Egerton another role he can thrive in: a self-aggrandizing man with a deep desire to be a savior, whose ambition is hard to extinguish or contain.

Whereas Black Bird saw Egerton playing an incarcerated ex-football phenom tasked with getting a serial killer to confess his crimes, here he’s heading an investigation into two serial arsonists plaguing the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Umberland. Dave was a firefighter who moved into his current line of work after a near-death experience on the job; we get his perspective on the event – and fire in general – in some flowery voiceover. Though director Kari Skogland brings Dave’s walking nightmare to life, the cheesiness of the narration is jarring. This feels like bad screenwriting, until we learn that Dave isn’t just mining his past to aid the case – he’s also writing a novel based on his career. The book expands what I thought would be a standard mystery into an exploration of masculinity, identity, desire, and heroes that ties to the biggest question: Why set fires in the first place?

After months of dead ends, police detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) is brought on board to assist Dave. Their first scenes together are lousy with cop clichés: Michelle is emotionally closed off thanks to a fiery childhood trauma that still haunts her, and her messy personal life is a catalyst for her new assignment. Meanwhile, Dave is reluctant to accept her help or expertise, and it seems like their power struggle might spill over into an affair, aided by more clunky dialogue. (“I quit, but me and nicotine go way back” is but one early howler). No spoilers, but I was pleasantly surprised by how this partnership actually evolves, following a path that intentionally plays on our first impressions of the pair.

The push-pull between them is there from the jump, as they investigate one arsonist who lights stores on fire while they’re open and another who lights milk jugs full of accelerant on the porches of unsuspecting victims late at night. There’s a slipperiness to Dave and Michell’s interactions as each tries to figure out the other, allowing Egerton and Smollett to play with perception and perspective. Some of this mistrust is fueled by ego, some by vulnerability, and both push the parameters of their authority in the pursuit of the truth.

Considering Egerton’s previous leading man roles that embrace action – such as the recent Netflix movie Carry-On and the Kingsman franchise – it isn’t a leap to think Dave is another character who’ll tick those daring boxes. The opening scene takes place in a blazing inferno, cranking up the sense of danger with real flames and Egerton himself taking on the burn-stage stunt. It’s an intense introduction to this character, whose arrogance masks insecurity. Playing confidence comes easily to Egerton, but he’s always doing more than the bare minimum to convey it. Smoke takes this a step further as the story progresses, with Egerton deftly switching his physicality and mannerisms as Dave’s heroic identity begins to unravel. His toothy grin is a Hollywood smile in some scenes, a potential creepy threat in others.

While one of Dave and Michelle’s cases is more of a whodunnit, the other fits the “howcatchem” model of Columbo and Poker Face, revealing the culprit early on: a socially awkward fry cook named Freddy (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine). Having two different storytelling frameworks keeps things varied throughout, but also adds to the disconnect between the two arson threads – even if they ultimately overlap. Smoke dives into the psychology of an arsonist, including how upbringing and circumstances might contribute to a firebug’s pathology. While the intent is there, it takes too long for Freddy to be given a backstory and personality. Still, Mwine sells Freddy’s pain, even when the script doesn’t always give him much to work with.

Egerton’s toothy grin is a Hollywood smile in some scenes, a potential creepy threat in others.

Likewise, Egerton and Smollett are both terrific, as is the ensemble around them, which includes the reliably great Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, John Leguizamo, and Anna Chlumsky. Leguizamo and Chlumsky help stabilize Smoke late in the series, their characters – he a rival from Dave’s past, she a mid-investigation addition to the team – teaming up just as the story begins to sag. As Michelle’s police captain, Spall shifts his demeanor between the first episode and the rest of the series, underscoring his range in a role that’s worlds apart from his lead performance on Apple TV+’s parenting comedy Trying. The character is aggressive and short-fused, but brings more to the dynamic than dick-measuring with Dave – though there is also plenty of that. One standout moment between the two men comes during a rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For a Hero” that comes across more like a warning than a celebratory refrain during a party being held in Dave’s honor. Another great sing-along (this time a solo in his car) allows Egerton to show off his Sing– and Rocketman-honed pipes to the perfectly timed tune of Michael Bolton’s “When I’m Back on My Feet Again.”.

Unfortunately, the twisty material in Smoke doesn’t always land; I found myself beginning to second-guess the characters’ interactions, particularly when the tone shifts dramatically and the material swings between grounded and heightened. Horrifying reality clashes with the fantastical, making it hard to trust what we’re seeing. Even if it’s an intentional choice, it sometimes took me out of the story. Still, whenever I worried Smoke was getting too lighthearted or frivolous, there was a reminder of the occupational hazards Dave and crew face. There are several that I still can’t shake from my head.

Smoke is undoubtedly ambitious; it gets even more destabilizing and, for lack of a better word, weird, as it goes on. Watching something so unpredictable is exciting and whiplash-inducing. One moment it’s echoing Mindhunter by showcasing a task force profiling a criminal; the next, it’s taking a page from the glossy, Sutton Foster-poses-as-a-20something publishing-industry dramedy Younger. While giving a safety demonstration, Dave says that fire is akin to chaos, and the same parallel could be drawn for any given episode of Smoke. Ambiguity is welcome, but by the end of the ninth episode, I had more questions than answers, and the lack of resolution for some characters is bewildering. I’m all for showing a range of flawed figures who wear masks to hide their fears and sins, but a tenth episode would have been welcome.

The different story threads in Smoke are like dancing embers flitting between fantasy and reality. Some are quickly extinguished, others slowly smolder, and some ignite into a larger flame, burning through plot hot and fast. Even though the ending falls short, it’s still a solid summer TV offering that tips into a pulpiness that the wannabe novelist at its center can only dream of achieving.



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Dave Franco, Alison Brie and Together team deny plagiarism claims over Sundance smash | ScreenHub Australia

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Dave Franco, Alison Brie and Together team deny plagiarism claims over Sundance smash | ScreenHub Australia


In a Variety exclusive, the team behind Together has hit back at a plagiarism lawsuit, labelling the claims ‘baseless’ and insisting the two films in question are ‘not remotely similar.’

The Dave Franco and Alison Brie-led film was directed by Australian Michael Shanks, and it recently sold to Neon for a reported USD $17 million following its Sundance premiere (Kismet is handling Australian distribution).

The plot of Together and indie film Better Half were allegedly similar enough to launch a lawsuit earlier this year.

That lawsuit, filed in May by the producers of Better Half, alleges that Together is a ‘blatant ripoff’ of their 2023 indie feature, which was reportedly offered to Brie and Franco via their agent at WME in 2020 – and rejected.

Both films centre on a couple who become mysteriously stuck to one another through an unexplained force, but the similarities end there, according to Together’s legal team.

ScreenHub: Together review: Sydney Film Festival opener is freaky fun

In a letter obtained by Variety, lawyer Nicolas Jampol argued the films differ in tone and genre, asserting that Better Half is ‘light and comedic,’ while Together leans into ‘supernatural body horror.’ He also dismissed the central concept as unprotectable under copyright law.

‘Your client does not own this concept,’ Jampol wrote to the plaintiffs’ legal representatives. ‘Neither do our clients. It is an unprotectable idea, one that predates all of our clients and has been explored in many films, television shows and other fictional works.’

Significantly, Jampol also noted that Together’s screenwriter, Michael Shanks (a known figure in Australia’s genre and comedy scenes), had registered a script draft with the Writers Guild of America back in 2019 – a full year before the plaintiffs claim their project was submitted to Brie and Franco’s reps.

‘The simple truth is that none of our clients copied a thing from Better Half,’ he wrote.

Despite this, the plaintiffs – writer-director Patrick Henry Phelan and producers Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale – claim that Together copies not just the premise, but ‘virtually every unique aspect’ of their original script, including specific scenes, character dynamics and even references to the Spice Girls and Plato’s Symposium.

One particularly pointed allegation involves a sequence in which the central couple, fused at the genitals, must hide from a romantic rival in a bathroom – a scene the plaintiffs argue appears almost identically in both films.

Attorney Daniel Miller, representing the plaintiffs, said in a June 9 response that the defendants were ‘doing their very best to explain away the unexplainable.’ He accused the Together team of refusing to produce the 2019 script registration they claim proves independent creation.

‘We are confident a jury will see this sequence for what it is: a replication of Better Half’s original expression,’ Miller said, adding, ‘The evidence speaks for itself.’

Jampol, in turn, called for the lawsuit to be dropped, warning that if the case proceeds, the defendants would pursue legal costs.

He concluded: ‘Accusing people of copyright infringement – especially ones who have dedicated their lives to creating original works and performances – should not be done lightly.’

While both films share the unusual premise of involuntary intimacy, the legal back-and-forth now hinges on whether Together simply mirrors a well-worn trope, or whether it crosses the line into derivative copying.

Representatives for Brie, Franco, Shanks, WME and Neon all declined to comment to Variety’s reporters.

Together is set for theatrical release in Australia on 31 July.



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Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett Team Up at Apple

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Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett Team Up at Apple


Some fans on social media say looking at a trailer of Apple TV+’s “Smoke” reminds them of the early ‘90s film, “Backdraft.” While the film and the TV series both have fire as a main theme, “Smoke,” is not about saving lives. It’s really about destroying them.

Loosely based on the “Firebug” podcast that tells the story of John Leonard Orr, an arson investigator convicted of having set thousands of fires in the Los Angeles area over approximately two decades, “Smoke” was written by the prolific novelist-turned-screenwriter-turned-TV writer Dennis Lehane. Lehane’s books “Gone Baby Gone,” “Moonlight Mile,” “Shutter Island” and the Oscar-nominated “Mystic River” became movies. He found further success as a staff writer for the Emmy-winning shows “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire.” In 2022, Lehane developed the true crime drama (and fan favorite) Blackbird for AppleTV+. Blackbird starred Egerton, Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta in his last role.

Egerton (also an executive producer on “Smoke”) and Kinnear are back in “Smoke” with Kinnear convincingly playing gruff police chief Harvey Englehart. Harvey is fiercely loyal to his family and friends, so finding out that the person he mentored may be a monster happens very gradually. Even then, he’s still hoping it’s not so. Kinnear, an Oscar nominee who’s spent a lot of years making films where he is the strong support to the lead, allows his looks to give way to a character with thinning hair and the middle-aged wariness of long working a job with few rewards. It works.

Greg Kinnear in “Smoke.” (Apple)

Egerton’s arson investigator Dave Gudsen, is laser-focused on his job, has a nice wife and stepson and appears relatively content. Enter police detective Michelle Calderon (Smollett). She is bright, assertive and extremely career-oriented. We learn that this is in part to be successful, and in part to rise above the misogynistic microaggressions she regularly faces from her male co-workers. When the two are teamed up to track down two arsonists burning up the city, each is wary of the other but eventually lets down their guard to work on the case.

Or so it seems. Is Gudsen’s laser focus because he knows more about these cases than he’s letting on? Is Michelle Calderon’s perfect cop the result of good cop work, or is it because her trauma-filled childhood has led her here? Either way, the fire investigation is drawing them closer together. When Michelle was young, her mom went into some kind of psychopathic rage, started a fire that almost killed her and did indeed kill others. Fuzzy flashbacks show Michelle as a little girl, hiding in a closet as a fire rages somewhere nearby. We see glimpses of her mother’s face caught up in the ravages of her mental state as embers drop around her. Then the adult Michelle once again manages to squash her nightmare and continue with her days as a hard-charging cop. But that childhood helplessness has left her with deep-seated anger that can quickly rise if challenged. The results make for a far less than stellar cop. Make no mistake, she will get revenge. It’s enough to think that she may be one of the two arsonists they are hunting, at least for a moment.

Dave’s a different story. He works by day and writes a book in the evenings. He leans on his wife, a librarian, to read and offer pointers where he needs them. The book is about a fire investigator who also relishes starting fires but no one suspects him. We learn that Dave is feeling a lot of anxiety. He finally admits to his boss (Kinnear) that he doesn’t feel he is measuring up with his wife (played with purposely reserved warmth by Hannah Emily Anderson). Egerton’s characteristic performance gives Dave a smile that is at once many things; it is forced, too bright, desperate and could it also be maniacal?

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As the story opens up, we find that no one in “Smoke” is easily likable. No one is without their flaws and secrets. The boss has them, Dave and Michelle’s co-workers have them. Michelle’s family has them, as does Dave’s wife and stepson.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, probably best known for “The Chi,” is just scary as a woe-be-gone character without the tools needed to make his life better. His Freddy Fasano is under-educated, works 10-hour days in a greasy fast chicken restaurant where he rarely even gets to come to the front to work the counter. He lives in a rundown apartment he barely sees, has no family or friends, and seems to live inside his head. A part of him wants to break these chains but he doesn’t know how and the darkness hovers. Mwine embodies this character so much so that you forget you’re watching an actor.

Adina Porter (“American Horror Story,” “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries”) gives a nail-biting performance as the customer (Brenda Cypus) who tries to save him but like many good samaritans, isn’t expecting her good deed to step into her private life.

British actor Rafe Spall (AppleTV+’s “Trying”) gives a solid performance as Steven Burk, the long-married cop having an on-again, off-again affair with Michelle and he should get out of it, not just for moral/heart reasons but also because it’s clear that he doesn’t seem to know when to stop.

John Leguizamo rounds out the cast in a showy role as a crafty ex-cop pushed out by Dave and pining for a chance to vindicate himself.

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Taron Egerton in “Smoke.” (Apple)

Yet the series is led by Egerton and Smollett who seem to be in a character (and actor) duel to the end. Both give performances where they convincingly convey the underlying anger, pain and frustration that neither of their characters can quite grasp or extinguish.

“Smoke” has everything fans of Lehane’s books or TV shows have come to expect, mystery, action, violence, foreboding atmosphere but this series also has dark comedy and bits of fantasy. There are times when you’re not so sure where the fictional Dave’s fictional book ends and this fictional version of a true story begins.

“Smoke” premieres Friday, June 27 on Apple TV+.



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Indiana State Fair announces first list of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts

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Indiana State Fair announces first list of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts


The shows are free with your state fair admission ticket and begin at 7:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — The first list of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts was announced Wednesday by the Indiana State Fair.

Part of their “Soundtrack of Summer” series, the 2025 lineup features favorites from R&B, rock and more set to appear during the fair’s run Aug. 1-18.

(Note: The story in the video player is a 13News report on the first weekend of the 2024 Indiana State Fair.)

Performers announced Wednesday include: 

  • Friday, Aug. 1: Three Dog Night
  • Saturday, Aug. 2: Disney Throwback DJ Night Aug. 2, 
  • Wednesday, Aug. 6: Babyface
  • Friday, Aug. 8: Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers
  • Friday, Aug. 15: Melissa Etheridge

All Hoosier Lottery Free Stage shows are free with paid fair admission. The performances begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise announced, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of reserved viewing area tickets are available now.

Discount admission tickets for this year’s Indiana State Fair are available here.  

RELATED: Indiana State Fair announces theme for 2025

“The Hoosier Lottery has enjoyed a great relationship with the Indiana State Fair for many years. We are proud to sponsor the popular Hoosier Lottery Free Stage again this year where fairgoers can enjoy the ‘Soundtrack of Summer,’ providing summertime value and entertainment,” said Hoosier Lottery executive director Sarah M. Taylor.

The 2025 Indiana State Fair opens on Friday, Aug. 1. 

RELATED: Help wanted | Indiana State Fair seeks applicants for 800 seasonal positions

🎶🎡 Get ready to TURN UP THE VOLUME on Summertime Fun! At the 2025 Indiana State Fair we’re celebrating The Soundtrack of…

Posted by Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center on Thursday, April 24, 2025

About the performers

The Indiana State Fair provided the following information about the Hoosier Lottery Free State performers:

Three Dog Night


Indiana State Fair announces first list of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts

This legendary pop-rock band dominated the charts between 1969 and 1974, with no other group having more top 10 hits. Three Dog Night has maintained and grown their audience, adapting to new music technology and continuing to tour yearly, giving fans new and old the chance to experience their dynamic performances of their classic hits as well as several new songs. Marking nearly 50 years on the road, Three Dog Night continues to captivate audiences. 

DJ Throwback Disney Night 


Disney Lovers, 90s Kids, or anyone who just wants to “Let It Go…”: You’re officially invited to BE OUR GUEST. Experience the magic while we spin your favorite Disney tracks. Get ready to sing your heart out to “Circle Of Life,” “Under The Sea,” and “Zero to Hero.” Don’t worry – we’re also throwing in the classics from the iconic Mouseketeers: Britney, Miley, Jonas Brothers, Demi, and more. If they were on the Disney channel, they’re on our DJ panel. Costumes encouraged! Bring your prince charming, evil queens, and fairy godmothers. You’ll want to make this a part of your world. 

Babyface 


Indianapolis native Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds is a 13-time GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, producer, and one of the most celebrated creative forces in music history. He is the only producer to win the ‘Producer of the Year’ category four times, a record he holds to this day. Kenny is also co-founder of the legendary record label LaFace, which launched the careers of artists like Usher, Toni Braxton, TLC, Outkast, and P!nk. 

Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers


Bill Murray, award-winning American actor, comedian, and writer, will perform with the Blood Brothers, a musical collaboration featuring artists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, for a series of shows in 2025. This tour will showcase their performances, blending Murray’s unique charm with classic rock music. The concerts promise to be an engaging experience, connecting audiences through shared appreciation for music. Bill Murray and the dynamic duo guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, along with Bluesman Jimmy Vivino, have come together and created “Bill Murray & his Blood Brothers.” In September of 2024. Murray, the award-winning American actor, comedian, and writer has been part of the music scene on numerous occasions. Over the years, Murray has performed at events such as Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival, John Prine & The Steeldrivers at the Grand Ole Opry and Love Rocks NYC at The Beacon Theatre. During his years on “Saturday Night Live,” Murray portrayed Nick the Lounge Singer and entertained guests with songs like “Brandy” and most famously “Star Wars.” Zito and Castiglia are true “Blood Brothers” in life and in the music they have created collectively. Zito is a Nine-time Blues Music Award Winner Castiglia is a five-time BMA winner. Each won awards in the Blues Rock Artist of the Year category as well as the BMA for Blues Rock Album of the Year for their independent works. Vivino has been around the music business for twenty plus years and is best known for serving as Conan O’Brien’s musical director, guitarist, and bandleader. Vivino released ‘Gonna Be 2 Of Those Days’ on February 14, 2025. He also plays select dates with Canned Heat and the successful Beatles tribute band The Fab Faux. 

Melissa Etheridge


Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the rock scene with her 1988 debut, earning her first Grammy® in 1992. Her 1993 breakthrough album, Yes I Am, delivered hits like “I’m the Only One” and the Grammy®-winning “Come to My Window.” Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy vocals, Etheridge has remained a powerful presence for decades. She won an Academy® Award for “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth and inspired many with her 2005 Grammy® performance during cancer treatment. Recent releases include Memphis Rock & Soul, The Medicine Show, and One Way Out. In 2020, she founded The Etheridge Foundation for opioid treatment research. Her acclaimed one-woman Broadway show, My Window, premiered in 2022, followed by the 2024 docuseries and album I’m Not Broken, recorded at Topeka Correctional Facility. 





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Preview: Colorado Rapids vs Orlando City – prediction, team news, lineups

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Preview: Colorado Rapids vs Orlando City – prediction, team news, lineups


Sports Mole previews Sunday’s MLS clash between Colorado Rapids and Orlando City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two teams looking to shake off a rough patch will do battle at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday as Colorado Rapids entertain the challenge of Orlando City in matchday 18 of the 2025 Major League Soccer campaign.

Both sides head into this weekend’s encounter on a run of consecutive defeats and will be keen to get themselves back on track by leaving Commerce City with all three points.

Match preview

Colorado Rapids went five games without a victory between April 20 and May 15, but back-to-back wins over Real Salt Lake and St Louis City in the subsequent two outings signalled an apparent upturn in form, which has, however, since vanished into thin air.

Chris Armas‘s men were beaten 2-1 by Portland Timbers in their final outing of May before falling to a 2-0 defeat against Austin FC last time out courtesy of a Mikkel Desler strike and Rafael Navarro‘s own goal in either half.

Despite being on top for large spells of their most recent outing, the Pids were once again wasteful in front of goal en route to a third blank in six matches and have now missed exactly two-thirds of their 45 clear-cut opportunities this term.

That has unsurprisingly had a negative bearing on their goalscoring numbers, with only six of the other 29 teams finding the back of the net on fewer occasions than the Colorado Rapids’ tally of 18 in 17 matches.

Nonetheless, the Denver-based outfit are ninth in the Western Conference standings with 22 points, one shy of the final guaranteed playoff spot, having played a game fewer due to their clash against Club World Cup-bound Los Angeles FC that was postponed a fortnight ago.

Managing just one win from their last 11 meetings against Sunday’s opponents, Colorado Rapids have been abysmal in this fixture, although their home record during that span has been decent with one defeat, one win and two draws across four matches.

Luis Muriel of Orlando City pictured on August 24, 2024

After going unbeaten in 12 straight matches across all competitions, Orlando City’s 3-2 defeat to Nashville SC in the US Open Cup back in May ushered in a torrid run of results that has yielded three defeats from four matches.

Off the back of a shambolic start to proceedings which saw them concede three times in the opening 32 minutes, Oscar Pareja‘s men were comprehensively beaten 3-1 by Chicago Fire last time out for their first home league defeat since the opening weekend.

The Lions, who were recently as high as third, following a 1-0 victory over Portland Timbers just under three weeks ago, have now dropped down to eighth in the Eastern Conference, albeit just three points adrift of second-placed Cincinnati.

Games involving Orlando City have proven to be a guaranteed source of entertainment, with their 17 matches so far yielding a combined 53 goals (31 for and 22 against)—the fourth-most in the entire division.

Having not lost three times on the spin since March 2024, Sunday’s visitors will be hopeful of securing a positive result on enemy territory, where they were without defeat in seven straight matches prior to a 3-2 defeat against Atlanta United in their most recent away involvement.

Colorado Rapids MLS form:

Orlando City MLS form:

Orlando City form (all competitions):

Team News

Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro celebrates scoring on August 31, 2024

Wayne Alix Frederick II is currently on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago at the ongoing World Cup qualifiers and is unavailable to play any part for the Colorado Rapids here.

Cole Bassett and Ali Fadal are also expected to miss out for the home side due to ankle and knee injuries respectively, although the former is drawing increasingly closer to a return.

Wilder Cartagena remains a long-term absentee for Orlando City after suffering an Achilles tendon injury back in February, and the Peruvian is still a long way off making a comeback.

Alex Freeman is also on international duty with the United States, ruling him out of contention for the visitors, alongside Yutaro Tsukada, who is out with a knee injury.

Twenty-one-year-old Nicolas Rodriguez is set to miss game number seven on the bounce as he continues to battle with a thigh problem he picked up in early March.

Midfielder Cesar Araujo did not participate in his side’s defeat to Chicago Fire last time out due to a suspension but is now eligible to play a part in this weekend’s trip.

Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:

Defreitas-Hansen; Travis, Awaziem, Maxso, Cannon; Larraz, Atencio; Ku-DiPietro, Mihailovic, S Bassett; Navarro

Orlando City possible starting lineup:

Gallese; Freeman, Schlegel, Jansson, Brekalo; Pasalic, Gerbet, Atuesta, Cortes; Muriel, Ojeda

SM words green background

We say: Colorado Rapids 2-2 Orlando City

This fixture has historically been characterised by lots of goals, and we expect Sunday’s game to be no different.

That said, we are backing a share of the spoils with honours even at the end of the 90 minutes.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

 

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Colorado Rapids win with a probability of 45.45%. A win for Orlando City has a probability of 30.36% and a draw has a probability of 24.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a Colorado Rapids win is 2-1 with a probability of 9.25%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 1-0 (8.67%) and 2-0 (7.12%). The likeliest Orlando City win is 1-2 (7.32%), while for a drawn scoreline it is 1-1 (11.26%).

Previews by email

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