These are their stories: Sam Waterston to leave 'Law & Order' later this month after 400 episodes
NEW YORK (AP) – Sam Waterston, who has played the tough, no-nonsense district attorney on “Law & Order” since the mid-1990s, is leaving the role. NBC announced Friday that Waterston's final episode of Jack McCoy will be on February 22nd. He appeared in more than 400 episodes of the crime drama, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Tony Goldwyn has been cast as the new District Attorney. McCoy was an intelligent, dedicated angel of justice, but prone to moral outrage that cut right through his truth. Bushy-browed Waterston began his acting career as a stage actor in New York, playing numerous Shakespearean roles.
New Orleans increases police presence as Mardi Gras approaches, parade schedule scrambled in the rain
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans' annual Carnival extravaganza has entered the home of a huge turnout with an increased police presence and an all-weather parade schedule. This is the first of two big weekend parades before the season ends with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on February 13th. Three parades were scheduled for Friday night, and no inclement weather was expected. However, heavy rain was forecast for Saturday. City officials and organizers of five elaborate parades scheduled for Saturday had moved up their start times in hopes of avoiding major flooding. Another parade in New Orleans was postponed until Sunday, as was a large parade in neighboring Jefferson Parish.
Martin Lawrence shows off his strength in new Super Bowl commercial with Shannon Sharpe
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Martin Lawrence stars with Hall of Fame football player Shannon Sharpe in a new Super Bowl commercial. Lawrence and Sharp pair up to play friendly golf, but their cart rolls into a pond. That's when Lawrence proves his strength to the muscular former NFL player, watching as the digitally enhanced comedian walks into a pond, picks up a cart and carries it away. This is a 30 second commercial for Oikos Yogurt. Lawrence said he will be returning to comedy soon and is looking forward to the fourth installment of the Bad Boy series, which will be released on June 14th.
Too cute?Easter poster depicting a handsome and refreshing-looking Jesus draws criticism in Spain
MADRID (AP) – A poster in the southern Spanish city of Seville depicting a young, handsome Jesus wearing only a loincloth has caused a storm on social media. Some labeled it an insult to the image of Christ, while others posted vile comments and memes making fun of the image. The poster, painted by internationally known Seville artist Salustiano García Cruz, depicts a clean-faced Jesus, without a crown of thorns, without a suffering face, and with no scars on his hands or ribcage. It was commissioned to promote Holy Week celebrations ahead of Easter in Seville. The artist dismissed the poster's criticism as outdated. The mayor of Seville said he liked the poster.
Fat Tuesday means big business for New Orleans bakers as demand for king cake explodes
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Carnival season is here in New Orleans, with long morning lines outside popular bakeries and a brisk pace inside to meet customer demand for king cakes. ing. Seasonal sweets have become explosively popular in the past few years. One New Orleans bakery owner said king cake sales account for an estimated half of his business in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras. In recent decades, ring-shaped desserts have grown in popularity and variety, with bakeries using different recipes and ingredients to attract customers. The season ends on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, on February 13th of this year.
A skyscraper-sized asteroid will zip around Earth on Friday, safely passing within 1.7 million miles.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – An asteroid the size of a skyscraper will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday, astronomers say. It will pass seven times the distance from the Earth to the Moon, so there is no chance of it hitting us. NASA estimates that the space rock is between 690 feet and 1,575 feet in diameter. That means this asteroid could be as large as New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower. This asteroid was discovered in 2008. The asteroid will return to us in 2032, but it will be encountered much further away, 45 million miles away.
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is set to leave Mercedes at the end of 2024 and join Ferrari.
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has shocked the motorsport world by announcing that he will be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this season. The Italian team had been trying to sign Hamilton before he signed his latest contract extension with the Silver Arrows. Hamilton just signed a two-year extension with Mercedes at the end of August. Mercedes announced that the 39-year-old British driver has activated a release clause in his new contract that will allow him to join Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton won six of his seven titles with Mercedes. However, his last win came in the penultimate race of the 2021 season, with Mercedes struggling to get its new car up to speed against rivals Red Bull.
Crane attacked potential spouses.But then she fell in love with the zookeeper
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the great interspecies love stories of modern times has come to an end. Walnut, a white-naped crane who fell in love with a zookeeper on the campus of the National Zoo in Virginia, has died at the age of 42. Walnut rejected all male crane suitors, so zookeeper Chris Crowe imitated their actions and movements to form a bond with the majestic bird. It lasted nearly 20 years. Once she gained her trust, she was able to use the male crane's sperm for artificial insemination. She gave birth to 8 healthy chicks. The story of the bird and its keeper went viral on the internet, spawning the occasional love song. Crowe said Walnut had a unique and bubbly personality.
Songs by Taylor Swift, Drake, and more are starting to disappear from TikTok.The reason is as follows
NEW YORK (AP) — TikTok may look (or sound) a little different when you scroll through the app from now on. Earlier this week, Universal Music Group, which represents big-name artists such as Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Drake, announced it would no longer offer its own music on TikTok after a licensing agreement between the two companies ended on Wednesday. They announced that they would not allow it. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, confirmed to the Associated Press that it has now begun deleting UMG-related music. As of Thursday, a huge list of popular songs is disappearing from the social media platform's library. It may take a few days for UMG-licensed music to be completely removed, but TikTokers may already be feeling the effects.
Friends jailed for decades for 1987 New Year's Times Square murders acquitted
NEW YORK (AP) — Two childhood friends convicted of killing a French tourist in Times Square in 1987 have been acquitted by a New York City judge. Eric Smokes and David Warren are now in their 50s. Arrested as teenagers for Jean Kass's murder, they long maintained their innocence and spent decades in prison before being released. On Wednesday, a New York judge agreed to vacate the conviction after prosecutors claimed they found evidence that police pressured witnesses. Two lawyers praised the decision, but said it “should have been made a while ago.”
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