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Field Museum to host Cat Café for Purr-esidents' Day

Field Museum to host Cat Café for Purr-esidents' Day

CBS News17-02-2025

Since November, the Field Museum of Natural History has been hosting an exhibit all about cats of all kinds — domestic and wild, cuddly and ferocious.
The last CBS News Chicago headline to come out of the Field Museum before Sunday was also about felines — specifically the man-eating Lions of Tsavo, which have been on display at the museum in taxidermy form since 1924.
But on Monday, Field Museum visitors will be in for something completely different. Some friendly cats — not taxidermy specimens or stars of nature films like those seen in "Cats: Predators to Pets" or elsewhere in the museum — but real, live cats looking for a new home.
The Field Museum is partnering with exhibition sponsor World's Best Cat Litter and the Anti-Cruelty animal welfare organization to host cat cafés at the museum. Anti-Cruelty will bring cats currently up for adoption at its River North Adoption Center, and visitors can pet, cuddle, and play with them.

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Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times
Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times

In a sweeping decision capping one of Hollywood's most closely watched legal battles, a federal judge on Monday dismissed two high-stakes lawsuits brought by "It Ends With Us" director Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, against actress Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, The New York Times, and others — ruling that the wide-ranging claims, including defamation, extortion and breach of contract, failed to meet legal standards. The case stemmed from a December 2024 New York Times article detailing sexual harassment allegations that Lively made against Baldoni during production of the romantic drama, based on a formal complaint she filed with California's Civil Rights Department. Baldoni and Wayfarer alleged that the article — and Lively's broader conduct — were part of a retaliatory campaign to seize creative control of the film, exclude Baldoni from publicity efforts and harm his reputation. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman rejected those theories in full, granting the motion to dismiss both the $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds and others and the $250 million defamation claim against the Times. 'The motions to dismiss are granted,' Liman wrote in a 132-page opinion, which also denied — for now — requests from Lively's team for attorneys' fees and sanctions under anti-SLAPP statutes in New York and California. In a statement, Lively's attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the ruling a decisive legal victory. 'Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit,' they said. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.' Baldoni and Wayfarer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate physical and verbal conduct, including improvised scenes of intimacy and unsolicited comments about her appearance — allegations Baldoni strongly denied. The Times article recounted those claims, which Baldoni and Wayfarer argued were false and defamatory. In his decision, Liman found the article was protected reporting on a matter of public concern and dismissed all claims against the Times. He also rejected the plaintiffs' claim that a series of pre-publication emails with the paper formed a binding agreement. 'The Wayfarer Parties plead in their complaint that 'the express written words' of the emails 'created an implied-in-fact contract,'' Liman wrote. But he concluded that no such contract existed, adding that the communications did not 'plausibly support an inference that the parties reached a meeting of the minds.' The court also rejected the notion that Lively's conduct — including her hesitation to promote the film and her insistence on workplace protections — amounted to extortion or breach. 'Even if they turn out to be unneeded, an employee can insist on protections at [the] workplace for sexual harassment without being accused of extortion,' Liman wrote. 'If an employer accedes, it cannot later claim to be a victim of the employee's wrongful threats.' He added: 'There also is no allegation that Lively had a contractual obligation to promote the film; if not, there is no basis to assume that the value that she conveyed in terms of her willingness to promote represented anything other than a fair trade for the Wayfarer Parties' willingness to use her cut.' Liman further criticized the sprawl of the plaintiffs' filings — including a 224-page complaint and a 168-page 'timeline' exhibit — calling the latter improper and legally meaningless. While he declined to strike the exhibit from the docket, he said he would simply disregard it. Liman granted the plaintiffs leave to amend only a narrow part of their case — allegations that Lively interfered with Apple and Sony's promotional arrangements — but dismissed all other claims with prejudice, signaling that he found the broader legal theories fundamentally flawed. While an appeal remains possible, the ruling delivers a decisive and public defeat for Baldoni and Wayfarer in their attempt to reframe the fallout over the film. Lively's push to dismiss the lawsuit had drawn support from several advocacy groups, who argue that the case threatens hard-won legal protections for people who speak out about sexual harassment and misconduct. Organizations including Equal Rights Advocates, Child USA and Sanctuary for Families filed amicus briefs in support of Lively's motion, warning that allowing such claims to proceed could deter survivors from coming forward and chill public discourse on workplace abuse. Sign up for Indie Focus, a weekly newsletter about movies and what's going on in the wild world of cinema. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times
Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times

Los Angeles Times

timean hour ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times

In a sweeping decision capping one of Hollywood's most closely watched legal battles, a federal judge on Monday dismissed two high-stakes lawsuits brought by 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, against actress Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, The New York Times, and others — ruling that the wide-ranging claims, including defamation, extortion and breach of contract, failed to meet legal standards. The case stemmed from a December 2024 New York Times article detailing sexual harassment allegations that Lively made against Baldoni during production of the romantic drama, based on a formal complaint she filed with California's Civil Rights Department. Baldoni and Wayfarer alleged that the article — and Lively's broader conduct — were part of a retaliatory campaign to seize creative control of the film, exclude Baldoni from publicity efforts and harm his reputation. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman rejected those theories in full, granting the motion to dismiss both the $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds and others and the $250 million defamation claim against the Times. 'The motions to dismiss are granted,' Liman wrote in a 132-page opinion, which also denied — for now — requests from Lively's team for attorneys' fees and sanctions under anti-SLAPP statutes in New York and California. In a statement, Lively's attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the ruling a decisive legal victory. 'Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit,' they said. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.' Baldoni and Wayfarer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate physical and verbal conduct, including improvised scenes of intimacy and unsolicited comments about her appearance — allegations Baldoni strongly denied. The Times article recounted those claims, which Baldoni and Wayfarer argued were false and defamatory. In his decision, Liman found the article was protected reporting on a matter of public concern and dismissed all claims against the Times. He also rejected the plaintiffs' claim that a series of pre-publication emails with the paper formed a binding agreement. 'The Wayfarer Parties plead in their complaint that 'the express written words' of the emails 'created an implied-in-fact contract,'' Liman wrote. But he concluded that no such contract existed, adding that the communications did not 'plausibly support an inference that the parties reached a meeting of the minds.' The court also rejected the notion that Lively's conduct — including her hesitation to promote the film and her insistence on workplace protections — amounted to extortion or breach. 'Even if they turn out to be unneeded, an employee can insist on protections at [the] workplace for sexual harassment without being accused of extortion,' Liman wrote. 'If an employer accedes, it cannot later claim to be a victim of the employee's wrongful threats.' He added: 'There also is no allegation that Lively had a contractual obligation to promote the film; if not, there is no basis to assume that the value that she conveyed in terms of her willingness to promote represented anything other than a fair trade for the Wayfarer Parties' willingness to use her cut.' Liman further criticized the sprawl of the plaintiffs' filings — including a 224-page complaint and a 168-page 'timeline' exhibit — calling the latter improper and legally meaningless. While he declined to strike the exhibit from the docket, he said he would simply disregard it. Liman granted the plaintiffs leave to amend only a narrow part of their case — allegations that Lively interfered with Apple and Sony's promotional arrangements — but dismissed all other claims with prejudice, signaling that he found the broader legal theories fundamentally flawed. While an appeal remains possible, the ruling delivers a decisive and public defeat for Baldoni and Wayfarer in their attempt to reframe the fallout over the film. Lively's push to dismiss the lawsuit had drawn support from several advocacy groups, who argue that the case threatens hard-won legal protections for people who speak out about sexual harassment and misconduct. Organizations including Equal Rights Advocates, Child USA and Sanctuary for Families filed amicus briefs in support of Lively's motion, warning that allowing such claims to proceed could deter survivors from coming forward and chill public discourse on workplace abuse.

Billie Eilish's Brother, Finneas, Revealed He Was 'Tear Gassed Almost Immediately' While Attending A Peaceful Anti-ICE Protest, Plus More Celebs Who Are Denouncing The Raids
Billie Eilish's Brother, Finneas, Revealed He Was 'Tear Gassed Almost Immediately' While Attending A Peaceful Anti-ICE Protest, Plus More Celebs Who Are Denouncing The Raids

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Billie Eilish's Brother, Finneas, Revealed He Was 'Tear Gassed Almost Immediately' While Attending A Peaceful Anti-ICE Protest, Plus More Celebs Who Are Denouncing The Raids

Finneas O'Connell has revealed that he was tear-gassed while attending a recent protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department's raids. The protests, which took place over the weekend, saw people campaigning against ICE's raids of numerous workplaces in LA while searching for alleged immigration violations. On Friday, over 40 people were arrested in a raid, with LA Mayor Karen Bass telling reporters, 'ICE initiated enforcement actions on several workplaces. That created a sense of chaos, outrage, fear, and terror because people are very worried as to what happened to their families.' President Donald Trump then deployed 2,000 National Guard soldiers to LA to put an end to the protests, which led to numerous attendees being tear-gassed. Finneas, who is the elder brother of singer Billie Eilish, wrote on his Instagram stories: 'Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown- they're inciting this.' Related: 21 Times Celebrities Revealed Wildly Juicy, Shady, Or Even Disturbing Things In Interviews Finneas went on to share a series of posts condemning the ICE raids — and he certainly isn't the only celebrity to do so. Hilary Duff reposted a message from writer, podcaster, & content creator Whitney Alese, which read, 'Masked men abducting people off the street, from their jobs, from their cars, from graduations is not ok. Forcing toddlers & young children to represent themselves in court is not ok. Snatching people when their lawyers are in the bathroom is not ok. Having children come home to an empty house bc their guardians were snatched up is not ok. Arresting law abiding folks at their immigration hearing is not ok. Don't normalize this. Don't look away. Don't stay silent.' Related: Here Are 16 Actors Who Saved Their Skin By Turning Down Roles In Movies That People Notoriously Hated Renée Rapp wrote on her Instagram story, 'fuck ICE fuck this administration fuck all of yall who are complicit in ensuring that this happened this is a fucking disgrace.' Meanwhile, celebrities like Florence Pugh, Chrissy Teigen, Eva Longoria, and Gracie Abrams reshared a series of posts fiercely condemning the ICE raids. Good on those who are speaking out. We'll keep you posted as more unfolds. More on this "Put This On A T-Shirt" — People Are Praising This Anti-ICE Protestor's 3-Word Response To Getting Tear-Gassed At The LA ProtestsMichaela Bramwell · June 8, 2025 Here's What Finneas Had To Say After Billie Eilish Was Accused Of QueerbaitingChelsea Stewart · Aug. 3, 2024 A Child Wrote A Goodbye Note To Their Friend In Fear Of Being Taken By ICE, And People Are Worried About How Trump's Rhetoric Is Affecting Young PeopleMichaela Bramwell · March 1, 2025 Also in Celebrity: Chrissy Teigen Posted The Results Of Her Hairline Lowering Surgery, And Ouch Also in Celebrity: 18 Celebrities Who Called Out Other Celebs On Social Media For Bad, Problematic, Or Just Plain Mean Behavior Also in Celebrity: 21 Incredible Photos Of Hollywood Legends Back In The Day That I Guarantee You've Never, Ever Seen Before

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