Michigan school shooter posted a threat on social media the day before the shooting

On December 10, 2021 By Kendra FranklinIn Social Issue(s), Social MediaLeave a comment

OXFORD, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 01: People embrace as they visit a makeshift memorial outside of Oxford High School on December 01, 2021 in Oxford, Michigan. On Tuesday, three students were killed and eight injured when a gunman opened fire at the school. A fourth student died on Wednesday. The suspect, identified as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, has been charged as an adult with terrorism and first-degree murder. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley posted a Tweet saying “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. See you tomorrow Oxford,” on November 29. The next day, he shot and killed 4 people at Oxford High School, injuring 7 others.

The parents of shooting survivor Riley Franz are suing the Oxford, Michigan school district and officials for $100 million, after ignoring several warning signs leading up to the shooting, NPR reported.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Geoffrey Fieger, accuses school officials of failing to acknowledge direct threats from Crumbley within the weeks leading up to the tragedy, as well as ignoring the concerns from students and parents. The lawsuit states that the school had been notified of Crumbley’s social media threats since mid-November.

The lawsuit tells the account of the school’s response after a parent notified Oxford Principal Steven Wolf of their child’s fears on November 16, Wolf wrote back saying “I know I’m being redundant here, but there is absolutely no threat at the HS…large assumptions were made from a few social media posts, then the assumptions evolved into exaggerated rumors.”

According to the lawsuit, the district superintendent made an announcement over the loudspeaker to the student body, telling them to stop spreading information on social media and relying on it, and that there were no actual threats posed towards the school.

The suit detailed the days leading up to the shooting, stating that Crumbley was posting countdowns on his social media accounts, which were all public.

Crumbley’s parents also provided warning signs on their social media. According to the Washington Post, Ethan’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, posted that she and Ethan were at the gun range just three days before the shooting, “testing out his new Christmas present.”

The school also failed to remove Crumbley from school the day of the shooting, despite a teacher finding a drawing he made that was so violent it prompted a call home to his parents, who refused to come to the school for a meeting. The Washington Post reported that his “rampage” started only three hours after this.

This is likely only the first of many lawsuits, as Fieger already plans on taking it to the state level.

Alec Baldwin claims he never pulled the trigger on the set of “Rust”

On December 10, 2021 By Kendra FranklinIn Ethical Issue(s), MediaLeave a comment

Alec Baldwin sat down ABC News reporter George Stephanopoulos on Dec 2, his first interview since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He claims he never actually pulled the trigger.

Photographed: Halyna Hutchins
Source: Sky News

42-year-old cinematographer Hutchins was shot and killed on Oct 21 after Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of the western movie called “Rust.” According to Time, Baldwin fired the prop gun at the camera that Hutchins was holding while rehearsing a scene. The gun was given to Baldwin by assistant director Dave Halls, who shouted “cold-gun,” signifying that the gun was not loaded with live rounds. Halls’ lawyer Lisa Toracco told ABC News that Halls believes that Baldwin did not put his finger on the trigger.

Baldwin claims that he cocked the gun and released the hammer, never actually firing the gun. Halls backs this claim, according to ABC News.

CNN interviewed Steve Wolf, a theatrical firearms safety expert about Baldwin’s story, saying that it is “not plausible,” even demonstrating how the firearm Baldwin was using works during the interview.

This is actually a really helpful explanation of what Baldwin was trying to claim last night about the gun he used to shoot #HalynaHutchins pic.twitter.com/NlzM8e4VJX
— Nora Neus (@noraneus) December 3, 2021

“When you pull the hammer back, which is an intentional act — click, click, click, click — now the hammer is set,” said Wolf, demonstrating the use of a single-action revolver. “When you pull the hammer back and let go…the hammer doesn’t go anywhere. When you press the trigger…it takes very little to press the trigger there.”

Many wonder about the validity of Baldwin and Halls’ claim that the trigger was never pulled. According to the LA Times, there were already two misfires on set a week prior. The same morning of the shooting, 6 crew members walked off of the set due to the unsafe working conditions. Time reported that “long hours,” “withheld pay,” and gun safety issues were some of the conditions the crew members were protesting.

After Baldwin’s interview with his account of events, many wonder about the sincerity of his apology and the validity of his statement, as evidence points to the scenario being highly implausible.

Chris Cuomo fired by CNN

On December 9, 2021 By Kendra FranklinIn News MediaLeave a comment

Source: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN

CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN on Saturday, December 4. According to CNBC, the termination comes from new information detailing how Cuomo helped his brother Andrew Cuomo respond to sexual assault allegations.

Back in early August, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was exposed for accounts of sexual harassment of over 11 women. After being urged to resign from the majority of the Democratic party and even President Joe Biden, Gov. Cuomo resigned on Tuesday, August 10.

Since then, Chris Cuomo’s position at CNN was in danger. The network placed Cuomo on an indefinite suspension on Tuesday, November 30, after New York Attorney General Letitia James released the evidence of Chris Cuomo’s involvement in aiding Gov. Cuomo, CNBC reported.

The suspension also came only hours after the request for CNN to fire Cuomo by a former Gov. Cuomo aide. The aide, Charlotte Bennet, was one of the 11 women that accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment. After the suspension, it only took a few days for new information to come out, showing the network that Cuomo was more involved than originally assumed.

This new information alludes to Cuomo leveraging his position and resources at CNN to help Gov. Cuomo’s case and possible sexual assault allegations of his own.

Cuomo posted a statement on Twitter the afternoon after his termination, stating his disappointment and how he disagrees with how CNN handled the situation.

pic.twitter.com/YArsJnUjqf
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 4, 2021

On social media, some showed support for CNN’s decision to fire Cuomo.

I liked him but here’s the thing: we are not a cult. He crossed an ethical line and we should hold him to a high journalistic standard. If we circle the wagons to protect our own when they’re wrong, we are as bad as they are.
— Pam Moore (@OFA_Pam) December 4, 2021

Fans of Cuomo, on the other hand, either showed support for Cuomo and/or shared their anger and frustration with CNN’s decision.

He did the right thing. A brother is a brother is a brother.
— Marty Meyer (@WisdomfromM2) December 4, 2021

Thank you @CNN for giving me a reason why NOT to tune in to your network anymore. ✌🏼
— Manny Jones (@MannyJones87) December 4, 2021

There are many observing the situation that understand both sides.

I really can’t blame him, it’s his brother & they are very close, but it broke professional standards. He should have been stronger & respected his position to American viewers by simply standing down on entire issue. Difficult but choice he made has consequences now. Too bad.
— aabraham (@aabraha00422511) November 29, 2021

Since his termination from CNN, Cuomo has lost his book deal with HarperCollins, originally set to release in 2022. Cuomo also stepped down from his SiriusXM show after being urged to by the network.

A hefty legal battle is likely the next chapter of this saga. According to Insider, Cuomo is pondering suing CNN for $18 million, the rest of his contract value.

Chris Cuomo suspended indefinitely by CNN

On December 1, 2021 By aliceherrickIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Earlier today, CNN announced that they would be dropping their news anchor, Chris Cuomo, following new information bout how he aided his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, during his alleged sexual misconduct controversies. To recap, Andrew Cuomo has been under investigation by the attorney general’s office after eleven women came forward, accusing Cuomo of engaging in unwanted sexual advancements, and impropriate behavior.

It should be made clear that Chris Cuomo is not in hot water for his association with his brother. According to documents released by the New York Attorney general revealed that Chris had “a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew.” These documents included records of texts messages between Chris Cuomo and his brother’s staff members, providing private information about some of the women who have come forward with allegations of misconduct.

A CNN spokesperson said, “…he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciate the unique position he was in.” So far, Chris has not commented on nor acknowledged this turn of events, but continues to defend his brother. On his SiriusXM radio show, Chris stated, “I did not want him [Andrew Cuomo] to resign in the beginning, because I believed him, and I thought that you don’t resign, you ask for due process.”

Petition Surpasses 60,000 Signatures for Ban of James Corden in ‘Wicked’ Movie

On December 1, 2021 By troypittman13In UncategorizedLeave a comment

James Corden is known for many things, but what’s most memorable is his outgoing television personality. The Late Late Show with James Corden airs weeknights from 12:37am/11:37 pm c. According to CBS, the Late Late Show is the “ultimate late night party”. With a mix of celebrity guests, performances, comedy segments and games, Corden’s sure to keep you entertained. He’s also known for his popular carpool segment that features him driving in downtown LA with celebrities. He sings a variety of songs with his guests as they talk about their career accomplishments and upcoming business their fans should look out for.

Corden is also seen in Disney’s ‘Into The Woods’ (2014) alongside actors like Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, and Johnny Depp. The film got a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and generated $212.90 million in gross revenue. Corden played the Baker in this film who wishes to break a spell given to his family by a witch. Corden is also featured in ‘Cats’ directed by Tom Hooper. ‘Cats’ was a star studded with actors like Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Jason Derulo, etc. Although the star filled cast grew the films anticipation for its debut, the film received horrible reviews. It earned a 20% on rotten tomatoes and 2.7 on IMDb, making people scratch their heads at how this could be. Critics believed the film to be a disaster because of its overuse of CGI and wandering script. Many fans believed it to be straight up “bizarre” and “creepy”, despite its musical/fantasy approach. James Corden can also be found in Amazon Prime Video’s Cinderella and The Prom on Netflix. But James Corden has not been a fan favorite as it pertains to Broadway musicals.

On November 16th, 2020 Ariana Grande was chosen to sing ‘The Wizard And I’ for the 15th Anniversary of Wicked. Grande is best known for her singing, songwriting, and acting abilities. Her recent albums like Positions, Dangerous Woman, and Sweetener can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, and iHeart radio. Cynthia Erivo best known for her acting, singing, and songwriting abilities were nominated for various awards: Golden Globes, Daytime Emmy Award, Primetime Emmy Award, Grammy, etc. She can be seen in ‘Harriet’ (2019), ‘Widows’ (2018), Boss Baby: Back In Business (2018), etc. With Corden having close ties with the Broadway community, this appeared to be surprising to some of his fans. This stems from his bad history with musical adaptations and a decrease in his popularity. Musical critics believe Corden isn’t talented enough to handle any role in Wicked. And fans began this petition to encourage directors and producers to not include Corden in this timeless musical. But enough negativity. James Corden still hosts The Late Late Show on CBS at 12:35 am and still receives good reviews from loyal watchers. His YouTube channel for The Late Late Show has maintained a whopping 27.1 million subscribers since the last episode/segment featured on the channel.

Colin Cowherd Says Lincoln Riley Hire at USC ‘Good for networks’

On November 30, 2021 By johnwilson21In News Media, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

Colin Cowherd is one of the biggest personalities in sports media. He works in Los Angeles, California, which is where the University of Southern California is located. With the recent hiring of USC Football Head Coach, Lincoln Riley, he is obviously very excited. He claims that the hiring is good for networks, in which I agree. He pointed out that networks want USC to be good because many people in Los Angeles are college football fans, but they have not been watching lately because of the lack of success from the program, but now that they have hired one of the best coaches in college football, people will begin watching again. While other programs on the west coast have had short term success, like Oregon or Stanford, they do not compare to the draw that USC will bring to televisions on the west coast, as well as throughout the country.

I agree with Cowherd’s take because as a big college football fan, I have not watched many USC games lately because they have not been good. Although, when I was a child, I watched them frequently, as they were one of the best teams in the country. USC not having a good football team does not feel right, as they are historically a great program who produces high quality talent. Networks will also be excited to once again show USC games and they will receive much higher ratings than they have in the past few years. Overall, the move was great and will be great for networks.

ESPN Losing Cable Viewers

On November 30, 2021 By johnwilson21In Cable, Sports, Streaming, TelevisionLeave a comment

ESPN is known as “the worldwide leader in sports.” Some bad news for them is that they were in 8 million fewer homes in 2020, although there is some context to it that explains this statistic and lessens the blow. ESPN’s cable subscriptions dropped a substantial amount in 2020, but subscriptions to their exclusive access program, ESPN+, increased by almost 7 million subscribers. The ESPN+ subscription increase likely alludes to people getting rid of their cable packages and heading towards strictly streaming services. While ESPN is maintaining much of its audience, Disney, who owns ESPN, is not satisfied with the drop in cable subscribers, as there have been rumors that they may try and divert from ESPN.

This interests me because I am a huge sports fan, but over the last few years, I have favored other sports networks, such as Fox Sports or NBC Sports, rather than ESPN. ESPN’s quality of content and authenticity seems to be getting worse and many of the channel’s shows have become less entertaining than they used to be. The drop in cable subscriptions makes sense to me, as people are moving towards streaming services, or they are also observing the same things as I have. I will continue to watch ESPN when they show a product that interests me, but at this time, I do not envision myself purchasing a cable package with the network being part of it.

Faulty Emergency Alert Could Earn Fox and FCC Fine

On November 30, 2021 By johnwilson21In Ethical Issue(s), News Media, SportsLeave a comment

Fox NFL Sunday is a very popular show in the football realm. The pre-game show includes former NFL players who discuss the NFL’s news around the NFL and upcoming games each Sunday. They often include entertaining skits and graphics that fans enjoy, as they make the show fun to watch and can add to the football experience. This past Sunday, one of their graphics ideas can find them getting into some trouble. They could be receiving an FCC fine for a bit they did this weekend that mocked the Emergency Alert System, including a faulty message and URL, that lead to a website that did not have to do with football. The emergency alert warned fans that the Philadelphia Eagles have a chance at making the playoffs. The URL that was on the page was not real, but somebody quickly picked it up and created a pro-Trump political page, which could be viewed as a bad look for the league. The FCC states that an Emergency Alert System transmission can only be used for a national, state, or local emergency or as an authorized test for the system, and Fox’s football EAS does not fall into that category.

This story interests me because as somebody who may be in the sports production and media field, this is an important lesson to learn from. The FCC is able to hand out hefty fines to networks for making crucial mistakes like this one. Fox should know better than to put out a false report of an Emergency Alert System message that is not actually for a serious matter. There should have been better planning for this skit or at least had made it very clear that the emergency alert was not real and to not include a fake URL on the screen.

Two films that are signaling hope for movie theaters this Thanksgiving!

On November 26, 2021November 27, 2021 By aliceherrickIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Disney’s “Encanto” and Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” have been box office hits- a optimistic premise for theaters trying to get back on their feet post-pandemic.

With the amount content offered throughout the various streaming services we have access to, it’s easy to forget about the theater-exclusive films that are released. But with families together for the Thanksgiving holiday, heading out to the movies is once again an activity worthwhile- and thank goodness there are two films that are neither franchised or rebooted that both adults and kids can enjoy this holiday. CNN Business reported, “Disney’s ‘Encanto,’ an animated film featuring music written by ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, is expected to have a $35 million domestic opening over the five-day holiday — enough to win the weekend. As for MGM’s ‘House of Gucci,’ a true crime film starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, that film could slide into the No. 2 spot.”

This is welcome news for The Motion Picture Association. The 2020 global pandemic hit the entertainment industry particularly hard. According to Forbes, movie theater turnout had dropped from the billions in yearly attendance to only about 240 million in 2020- an all-time low. Now that businesses are back open and much of the country is fully vaccinated, people are flocking back to theaters for the full over-priced experience. Alright, alright- that may have been a little cynical, but I’ve never gotten over the fact that I had to pay $6 for Milk Duds when I went out to see the Dune reboot. Speaking of reboots (smooth transition), it’s theorized that both “Encanto” and “House of Gucci” have been so successful for not being connected to any other films. In the past decade, viewers have been bombarded with films that further a story; Star Wars, Marvel, James Bond, and even a live action Clifford the Big Red Dog has it the big screen. However, “Encanto” and “House of Gucci” are giving audiences a breath of fresh air by having their story stand on their own, and the impressive box office numbers should serve as a lesson for film executives- originality is key! That’s not to say that those are the only two movies worth watching in theaters right now. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” have both been commercial and critical success in the mainstream thus far.

With so much content striving for our attention right now, as well as aspects of the lockdown still impacting business, it’s easy to see how movie theaters have struggled. Though, these box office numbers are promising in getting back to that normality that we all crave. So now may be the perfect time to grab your friends, hide some snacks in your bag, and enjoy a film on the big screen again! (Not Clifford though, no one needs to see that.)

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