Earth day

The war of words continues between Actors’ Equity and a group of Los Angeles-based actors and theater owners opposed to the union’s plan to force small playhouses to pay their actors minimum wage. In a recent email to members, the union said the minimum wage opponents have “openly threatened Equity staff and councilors and blacklisted members of their own community for speaking on behalf of fair pay.” Opponents say that forcing 99-seat theaters in L.A. to pay minimum wage will force many of them out of business, or to go non-union. The union, however, scoffed at that notion, telling members it’s just part of a “campaign of misinformation and propaganda.” “This is a stunning assault by Equity on its own membership,” said Frances Fisher , one of the leaders of the group opposed to Equity’s plan. “It’s really too bad my union has chosen this scorched-earth approach. Publicly discrediting your own membership because they have a legitimate disagreement with you is just poor … [Read more...] about Actors’ Equity Leaders Say They’ve Been “Threatened” By 99-Seat Plan Opponents

Ten years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of a podcast. Now, they’re an integral part of the media landscape, and none more so than those about true crime . To rank the best, we polled true-crime aficionados about their favorite shows, then sifted through the top choices. Whether they cover a new case each episode or present a story over the course of a season, these picks each shaped the genre in their own way. Some are the results of deep investigative journalism; others are by amateur sleuths trying to help families find answers. Some focus on bringing publicity to cold cases in underrepresented communities, and some changed the way we think about crime storytelling altogether. Perhaps equally important, they’re all great listening, promising the kind of captivating intrigue that continues to draw generation after generation to true crime: tragedy, mystery, a search for answers, and always the hunger for justice. 25. CounterClock Fans of procedurals will bond with … [Read more...] about The 25 Best True-Crime Podcasts of All Time

“I’m going straight to the White House,” John Kerry says. “I’m thrilled with where the campaign is right now.” Just 90 minutes earlier, on this warm afternoon in late September, he stood on an outdoor stage at the University of Pennsylvania campus in downtown Philadelphia and gazed out onto a sea of 20,000 supporters. The school had hosted only one other rally this big in recent memory – when Bill Clinton came through on his re-election tour in 1996. It’s heady stuff when a first-time presidential candidate draws crowds comparable in size to those of a popular sitting president. “I feel as if we have finally gotten the American people and the press simultaneously focused on the real issues,” he says. “Things I’ve been talking about for two years. George Bush has made catastrophic mistakes in Iraq, catastrophic mistakes in foreign policy. He’s shown bad judgment, made bad choices about how to proceed in a war on terror. I think he’s also out of touch with the American people on what … [Read more...] about Kerry Fights Back

Twenty years after their mass suicide made headlines across the world, Heaven’s Gate is still one of the most notorious cults of the 20th century – not to mention one of the most recognizable. In March 1997, America was shook by the strange story that included mass suicide, wild public-access-style videos, an obsession with U.F.O.s and, in true late-Nineties fashion, tracksuits and matching Nikes. They also had a new recruitment tool: the Internet. Heaven’s Gate has the distinction of being the first well-known American cult of the Internet era, using the new technology to share their beliefs with a wider audience and also to make a living. They derived a large portion of their income from designing web pages. Formed in the Seventies, they had become reclusive by the start of the 1990s and started attempting to recruit members online using the organizational name “Higher Source” for the website . Though the web would eventually become central in the organization, the … [Read more...] about Heaven’s Gate 20 Years Later: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

Michael Jackson 's pianist could have been huge -- hauling in nearly half a million bucks -- if Conrad Murray didn't kill MJ ... so now he's threatening to sue Murray for all the money he lost. Morris Pleasure was in the band for the "This Is It" tour, and last fall -- while Conrad was still in jail -- he fired off a letter accusing the doctor of robbing him out of what would have been his "highest-paying job." Pleasure's no stiff -- he's performed with Earth, Wind & Fire , Christina Aguilera , Janet Jackson , and Natalie Cole , Roberta Flack and many more -- but the MJ gig would have been his pinnacle of his career. We're told Mo P stood to make about $400,000 over 2 years of touring with Michael. By law, Murray had 90 days to work out a settlement -- but the piano man's attorney tells us they've heard nothing ... so the next step will likely be a lawsuit for the lost wages. … [Read more...] about Michael Jackson’s Pianist — Conrad Murray Screwed Me Out of ‘This Is It’ Riches