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Rupert Murdoch could buy Fox regional sports networks back from Disney at a discount of billions

by Alex Sherman

The front-runner to buy 22 regional sports TV networks from Disney is the same company that sold them in the first place.

“New Fox,” the company that will remain after Rupert Murdoch sells $71.3 billion worth of 21st Century Fox assets to Disney, is the leading contender to buy back the RSNs it “sold” to Disney as part of the larger transaction, according to people familiar with the matter. Those networks broadcast the games of 44 professional teams from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League

Formal offers haven’t come in yet. As Sports Business Daily reported, Disney only recently sent out its bid book to prospective buyers. News that Fox was considering buying back the channels was previously reported by The Information.

But people familiar with the process, who asked not to be named because the negotiations are private, say New Fox is the most serious buyer for all the networks. That’s a cleaner outcome for Disney than selling the networks piecemeal, which would bring in smaller buyers and private equity firms.

Premium: Bob Iger Rupert Murdoch split

Getty Images

Disney is a motivated seller because it can’t get its larger deal for Fox done without divesting the networks. The Department of Justice forced Disney, which owns ESPN, to sell the networks to alleviate concerns about too much sports programming power in the hands of one company. In fact, the networks might never even change hands, depending on when Disney’s larger deal of Fox closes.

Winning back the sports networks would be a coup for Rupert Murdoch, who could get the RSNs at a lower price than the value at which he sold them to Disney — a price that was driven up nearly $20 billion by Comcast’s rival bid for the bundle of Fox assets. There may also be beneficial tax benefits to Murdoch, related to tax-deductible amortization, one of the people said.

A declining asset that’s worth more to Fox than anyone else.

There are several ironies here.

First, while the DOJ forced Disney to sell the RSNs to get the larger deal done, the networks were never a crown jewel asset for Fox, Disney or Comcast. Fox was willing to sell them (and did). Disney took them because it wanted other assets from Fox (its studio, its stake in Hulu, Star India).

Meanwhile, Comcast saw the RSNs as an albatross and was equally willing to divest them, according to people familiar with the companies’ thinking.

Regional sports networks used to be huge value-adds for the cable industry. They carry exclusive broadcasting rights to local games, which come with devoted fan bases. About a decade ago, the networks began to hike carriage fees, knowing cable providers would agree to the higher prices rather than risk alienating customers by blacking out the networks. That led to a steady rise in the cost of cable for consumers. Residents of markets like New York or Los Angeles, which have multiple teams and a handful of RSNs, were paying fees up to $10 a month (baked into their monthly cable bill) whether or not they were watching the games.

In recent years, pay-TV providers, which have seen millions of customers cut the cord, have started to see RSNs differently. Providers have pushed to tier them onto packages that appeal just to sports fans while keeping costs lower for everyone else. This has decreased the value of the networks, which are no longer automatically part of everyone’s basic cable packages.

Several pay-TV providers have dropped regional sports networks, refusing to pay their high programming fees. For instance, SportsNet LA, which broadcasts L.A. Dodgers games, which hasn’t been carried by DirecTV for five straight years.

If Fox ends up with the sports networks again, part of the reason will be that no other large pay-TV distributor -- Charter, AT&T, Comcast or Dish -- saw value in owning the networks. While Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley has discussed making an offer for the networks with private equity support, it would need quite a bit of help. Sinclair’s market capitalization is just $2.8 billion. The regional sports networks were valued at more than $20 billion, according to a Guggenheim Securities analysis.

It’s still unclear how much New Fox is willing to spend on the networks — or what Disney values them at. What is clear is that Disney needs to sell them.

Disney to divest regional sports networks post-deal.

The second irony is Murdoch can once thank rival Comcast for making him money if he ends up with the networks.

When Comcast and Disney were jockeying to buy Fox assets earlier this year, one thing was never in doubt -- Murdoch wanted to sell to Disney. Several times, Murdoch aligned himself with Disney’s bids against Comcast.

Yet, the competitive Comcast bids let Murdoch net $19 billion more for his bundle of assets.
Now, Comcast’s participation could help him get the sports networks at a bargain.

Disney originally agreed to buy the Fox assets for $52 billion. Comcast’s rival bids for Fox pushed the price up to $71.3 billion. In that process, it pushed valuation of the RSNs higher, as it did for all of the assets (including 39 percent of British TV provider Sky, which Comcast later agreed to buy).

Disney almost certainly won’t find a buyer that will pay that inflated valuation for just the networks. New Fox’s most likely competitor (barring a competitive bid from a company like John Malone’s Liberty Media) is a private equity firm -- and there’s little chance a leveraged buyout firm could win a bidding war for the RSNs and satisfy its limited partners that it would make a future return on the assets.

(Disney, by the way, will end up getting $15 billion back for selling its 39 percent stake in Sky and possibly about $20 billion for the RSNs, making that $71.3 billion Fox deal look more like $36 billion.)

It’s possible Google, Amazon or another technology company would eventually be interested in the networks for the sports rights. But that seems unlikely. The regional sports networks are tied to a legacy cable system that tech companies typically view as anathema. If Amazon or Google wants regional sports rights, they can just wait until current contracts expire and bid on them then.

The final irony is Fox’s decision to sell the RSNs to Disney may have actually convinced Murdoch that it was better off keeping them. In the months following Fox’s decision to sell, New Fox has clarified its focus, centering itself around news and sports. Netflix publicly praised the company for that decision last week.

It’s possible Fox has come to the conclusion owning the RSNs makes more sense than selling them, even if it didn’t think so 10 months ago.

Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com

Motivational Speaker TShane Johnson Pitch Video for the legendary Match Game!

Motivational Speaker TShane Johnson was asked to provide a pitch video for the legendary long running game show Match Game.

"We weren't really sure what the producers of Match Game expected so we just decided to have fun with it. I hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together."

~ Booyah Productions VP Ray Tharaldson

Match Game premiered on NBC in 1962 and was revived several times over the course of the next few decades. The game featured contestants trying to come up with answers to fill-in-the-blank questions, with the object being to match answers given by celebrity panelists.

The Match Game in its original version ran on NBC's daytime lineup from 1962 until 1969. The show returned with a significantly changed format in 1973 on CBS (also in daytime) and became a major success, with an expanded panel, larger cash payouts, and emphasis on humor.

The series was a production of Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Productions, along with its successor companies, and has been franchised around the world.

In 2013, TV Guide ranked the 1973–79 CBS version of Match Game as No. 4 on its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.

Match Game returns to primetime! Hosted by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin, the iconic panel game show features four contestants who attempt to match the answers of six celebrities in a weekly game of fill-in the missing blank.

"We are excited to potentioanally spread our mission by being on this game show and have fun at the same time!" ~ TShane Johnson

We'll keep you posted as things develop, stay tuned!

'Hate U Give' Actor Dropped From Movie After Racially Charged Remarks

Kian Lawley's role will be recast in the YA adaptation.

by Mia Galuppo
After a video surfaced online of actor Kian Lawley making racially charged jokes, 20th Century Fox has decided to remove him from the upcoming release The Hate U Give.

“Due to the controversy surrounding his past comments and behavior, Kian Lawley will no longer appear in The Hate U Give. The studio plans to recast the role of Chris and reshoot scenes as needed," a studio rep said Monday in a statement.

The Hate U Give is based on the young adult novel by Angie Thomas. The story follows Starr, a young woman drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of her unarmed friend. The story is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg leads a cast that also includes Regina Hall, Common, Issa Rae and Anthony Mackie. In the feature, Lawley was cast as Starr's white boyfriend.

"Words have power and can do damage. I own mine and I am sorry. I respect Fox’s decision to recast this role for The Hate U Give as it is an important story, and it would not be appropriate for me to be involved considering the actions of my past," said Lawley in a statement of his own. "I understand the impact and I have grown and learned since then. From now on I plan to use my voice for positive change."

While the film has not yet been given a release date, filming on Hate U Give wrapped in November. Fox's choice to recast Lawley so far into production parallels Sony's decision to replace Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer on Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World.

Lawley is best known as a YouTuber, but has tried to make the transition to acting, co-starring on the Fullscreen series H8TERS and appearing in AwesomenessTV features Before I Fall and Shovel Buddies.

Lawley is the latest social media star to land in hot water with creative partners after racial and culturally insensitive remarks were published online.

After Logan Paul posted a video on Dec. 31 that featured images of a suicide victim, YouTube put its original projects on hold with the actor and internet personality, including a sequel to the YouTube Red sci-fi thriller The Thinning. And Disney’s Maker Studios severed ties with YouTube gamer PewDiePie, aka Felix Kjellberg, after he released a series of anti-Semitic posts to his 53 million subscribers.

Justin Timberlake backed out of using Prince hologram at the last minute

Justin Timberlake during his Super Bowl performance Getty Images (Composite)

By Carlos Greer

Justin Timberlake was “100 percent ready to use the hologram” for his Prince tribute during his Super Bowl halftime show performance on Sunday, sources say — but backed out at the last minute.

“He was 100 percent ready to use the hologram but nixed it due to backlash from social media and Prince fans. That’s why he had that sheet up like in your mama’s backyard,” sniped one insider.

Prince’s longtime pal Sheila E. had tweeted that Timberlake was not going to use a hologram after they spoke on Saturday. “Family, I spoke w/Justin 2nite and he shared heartfelt words of respect for Prince & the Purple fans . . . There is no hologram.”

But in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” she also hinted that she had nixed the hologram idea personally. “I just said no. I just felt that it was too soon,” she told ET. “The hologram was weird, and Prince did tell me [to] make sure nobody ever does a hologram [of him] . . . He thought it was very demonic and that’s his spiritual beliefs.”

However, a source close to Timberlake told us the hologram plan was never fixed: “There’s no way Justin would ever disrespect Prince’s legacy. He didn’t change his performance.”

Prince fans were also upset about Timberlake hosting his “Man of the Woods” album listening party at the late icon’s Paisley Park and allowing alcohol to be served, but the source told us he had previously gotten the Prince estate’s blessing.

Timberlake’s rep didn’t comment.

Prince’s estate said in a statement: “Justin Timberlake, the NFL and the City of Minneapolis used the stadium and the city to give a beautiful hometown tribute to Prince. The two pieces of footage that appeared on the screens were licensed from the ‘Purple Rain’ movie and a vintage performance in Syracuse, NY.”

How Overseas Film Sales Are Saving Hollywood!

Photographer: Paramount Pictures via Everett Collection

By Anousha SakouiThe duds just keep coming this summer in North America, from “The Mummy” to “Alien: Covenant” to “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The season has been what critics politely call lackluster for Hollywood studios -- but don’t expect them to stop churning out more bombs.

That’s because as badly as so many franchise films and reboots have done in the world’s biggest cinema market, they’ve racked up solid ticket sales elsewhere. Theater-goers in America thought Paramount Pictures’ fifth “Transformers” was pretty much a yawner, but in China they liked it. And No. 6 is already in the works.

“Look at the casualties just this summer,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a Los Angeles-based analyst for ComScore Inc. “If they only had North America, it would be a monumental disaster for the studios.”

For now at least, the rest of the world -- China in particular -- is supporting Hollywood’s love affair with series, sequels and rehashes like “The Mummy,” Universal Pictures’ new take on a story that’s been told dozens of times. The risk is that sequel fatigue will set in overseas too. Chinese moviegoers are becoming more choosy, and the fastest-growing film market is slowing down. That’s a challenge for studios such as Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros., which plan and schedule movies years in advance.

Jonathan Papish, an analyst for China Film Insider, described as a “disaster” the $250 million that “Transformers: The Last Knight” is projected to record in the world’s most-populous country. The reason: the previous version from Viacom Inc.’s film division pulled in 17 percent more, “a worrisome sign for both Paramount and other Hollywood studios who have become far too complacent thinking that Chinese audiences will swallow whatever garbage they shove down their throats.”

This “Transformers” opening in China, at least, was about 30 percent bigger than the opening for the previous one, according to Box Office Mojo.

Not every sequel or franchise entry has fallen flat in North America, of course. “Wonder Woman,” Warner Bros.’ fourth episode in the DC Extended Universe series, has taken in $346 million domestically and is one of the year’s top films. Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” topped the box office for two weeks and has taken in $383 million domestically.

And there are some big-hitters coming. Sony Corp.’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is expected to take in $301 million in North America after its release this weekend, according to BoxOfficePro.com.

“War for Planet of the Apes,” out July 14 from 21st Century Fox Inc., could grab $165 million.

But the second-quarter domestic box office ended down 3.6 percent from a year ago at $2.7 billion, Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR & Co., said in a note. He blamed disappointing sequels; even with a better-than-expected “Wonder Woman,” he predicts a 15 percent decline for the third quarter.

Chinese box-office sales fell in June, as local movies as well as Hollywood imports failed to meet expectations. This month, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC pushed back its forecast for China’s movie market to overtake the U.S. to 2021 from 2017.

This weekend, Universal’s “Despicable Me 3” will test the Chinese market, after opening in first place in 44 out of 46 countries, according to data from the film division of Comcast Corp. A new installment in another Universal series, “The Fate of the Furious,” enjoyed strong demand in China, taking in $393 million there earlier this year.

Even with big budget films flopping at home, movies can earn money for years to come from digital downloads and sales to Netflix Inc. and other streaming sites and cable-television channels. The latest -- and last -- “Pirates of the Caribbean” may have missed expectations when it came out May 26, but it could end up generating a net profit of $219 million, according to an estimate from Wade Holden, analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence.

That hasn’t stopped some analysts from complaining that studios have focused too much on making big-budget features.

“There is an over reliance on sequels,” said Richard Greenfield, a media and technology analyst at BTIG LLC. The major studios “are so worried about investing in an unknown property that they are all just relying on sequels and hoping that sequels will save them.”

While Disney has had tremendous success, Greenfield said it’s not bullet-proof. “The danger is that investors are essentially assuming that a movie like ‘Star Wars’ will be successful forever.”

As much as any studio, Disney has tied its future to sequels and remakes. The company’s 2017 schedule includes eight films, of which six fit that profile, according to Box Office Mojo.

Disney said its strategy sets it apart from the competition -- in 2016 its film business had its most profitable year ever. Other studios trying to ape it have had less success. Sony, for example, tried and failed to refresh its 1984 hit “Ghostbusters” last year in the hope that it could spawn a new series.

In any event, many future slates are laden with new installments of existing worlds of characters. 21st Century Fox and Sony, which license Marvel characters, are planning more “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” chapters.

Disney has laid out several years worth of Marvel superhero offerings and at least a six-picture series of “Star Wars” movies. Meanwhile, the company is revisiting “Mary Poppins” and “Mulan.”

“Studios are rushing these sequels,” said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “If you want to get the domestic audience back, you’ve got to do something a little outside the box.”

Jimmy Iovine Addresses Apple Music Expansion Reports

Days after the Wall Street Journal's report that Apple plans to expand into original TV series and movies, Apple executive Jimmy Iovine hinted at what that might look like.

"At Apple Music, what we're trying to create is an entire cultural, pop cultural experience and that happens to include audio and video," he told reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

"If South Park walks into my office, I am not going to say you're not musicians, you know?" Iovine continued when pressed about the report. "We're going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose. We're going to try."

Iovine appeared Saturday to promote his upcoming HBO documentary The Defiant Ones. The project centers on his relationship and partnership with Dr. Dre. Among their many collaborations, the two teamed together on Beats Electronics, which Apple bought for $3 billion in 2014, a deal that gave both Iovine and Dr. Dre senior titles at the technology giant.

Iovine said the hope for Apple is that it will be better compete with streaming music competitors like Spotify and Pandora, which are largely free for users. "We're fighting free. So a simple utility where, here's all the songs, here's all the music, give me $10 and we're cool, is not going to scale."

Apple Music, which allows users to stream select music to their devices on-demand and also listen to curated playlists, launched in June 2016 and has more than 20 million subscribers as of December.

Apple Music has already stretched into original programming, with the 2016 acquisition of the Carpool Karaoke series, based on the wildly popular Late, Late Show segment from James Corden and produced by CBS Television Studios.

Back in February, The Hollywood Reporter broke that Dr. Dre is exec producing and starring in a top-secret scripted series financed by Apple and made for Apple called Vital Signs.

The series was being eyed for Apple Music distribution, but as of February, it was unclear if Apple TV, the iTunes store or other Apple platforms (or even a traditional television distributor) would be involved. Apple and a rep for Dre declined to comment at the time of the initial report.

The half-hour series, which is described as a dark drama, is said to consist of six episodes. Veteran music video director Paul Hunter is attached as a director on Vital Signs, which is also being produced under his Eye Candy banner along with producers Aaron Ginsburg and William Green. Empire co-exec producer-writer Robert Munic wrote all six episodes and will also exec produce. The first season will likely roll out all at once similar, taking a page from Netflix and Amazon's release strategy.

While the company has experimented with video on Apple Music in the past, most notably streaming a Taylor Swift concert video and a Vice docuseries called The Score among other unscripted efforts, Vital Signs would mark the company's first investment in scripted television.

In March, Apple announced that it had teamed with exec producers Ben Silverman, musician Will.i.am and Howard Owens’ Propagate for a forthcoming unscripted series about the Apple app ecosystem.

Ringling Bros. closing ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ after 146 years

By Michael Hechtman

Send home the clowns.

After 146 years, the curtain is coming down forever on “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Its last performance will be May 21 at the Nassau Coliseum.

The show stoppers included high operating costs, declining attendance and changing public tastes.

Not to mention a long and costly legal battle with animal rights advocates, which ended with its hugest stars — the elephants — being pink slipped. Elephants had been the symbol of the circus since an Asian pachyderm named Jumbo joined the show in 1882.

Employes were told the sad news Saturday night in Orlando.

The circus will perform 30 more times. Besides the show on Long Island, there will be one in Brooklyn. Other stops on its last tour include Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia and Boston.

With its exotic animals and death-defying acrobats, the big top had been a huge draw from the mid-1800s to the mid 1900s.

Phineas Taylor Barnum had made a traveling spectacle of animals and human oddities popular, while the five Ringling brothers performed juggling acts and skits. Eventually, they merged and the modern circus was born.

Its clowns, acrobats, horseback riders — along with their animals — were transported across the country in special cars on extra long trains.

New York staged its own yearly spectacle. When the circus came to town, the performers, along with invited guests, rode elephants from the Sunnyside rail yards through the Queens Midtown Tunnel and then along Manhattan streets to Madison Square Garden.

In its heyday, the circus attracted huge crowds. It had such a glamorous image that kids famously dreamed of running away from home to join.

But as years passed, children grew less enchanted.

First blockbuster movies, then television and finally, video games and the Internet captured the circus’ core audience — both the youngsters and their parents.

“The competitor in many ways is time,” said circus owner Kenneth Feld, adding that transporting the show by rail and other circus quirks — such as providing a traveling school for performers’ children — are throwbacks to another era.

When the Feld family bought the circus in 1967, the show was just under three hours. Today, it’s 2 hours and 7 minutes, with the longest segment — a tiger act — clocking in at 12 minutes. “Try getting a 3- or 4-year-old today to sit for 12 minutes,” Feld said.

Feld and his daughter Juliette Feld, the company’s chief operating officer, acknowledged another reality that led to the closing, and it was the one thing that initially drew millions to the show: the animals.

In May of 2016 the company removed the elephants from the shows and sent them to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida.

In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from groups including the Humane Society, ending a 14-year fight over allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants.

Attendance has been dropping for 10 years, said Juliette Feld, but when the elephants left, there was a “dramatic drop” in ticket sales. While many said they didn’t want big animals to perform in circuses,
many others refused to attend a circus without them.

The Felds said their existing animals — lions, tigers, camels, donkeys, alpacas, kangaroos and llamas — will go to suitable homes.

In recent years, Ringling Bros. tried to remain relevant, hiring its first African American ringmaster, then its first female ringmaster, and also launching an interactive app.

“We tried all these different things to see what would work,’’ said Kenneth Feld. “We weren’t successful in finding the solution.”

With Associated Press

Disney announces new Christmas drone show to light up the skies this winter

DISNEY will send 300 drones into the air every night over Orlando this winter to create a spectacular Christmas-themed light show in the night skies.

The entertainment giant is using 300 Shooting Star drones, specially designed to fly in unison with others, for its new attraction.

The drones – which will replace part of the traditional fireworks show – will all be controlled by a single operator.

Tech giant Intel unveiled the tiny drone earlier this month after a flying 500 simultaneously in Germany breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for most drones operated one person.

And now that the Federal Aviation Administration has given Disney the green light to fly the machines at night – normally illegal in the US.

The Rain Didn't Stop This Parade! Enjoy Your Labor Day America!

by Navy Mom Mary
Today was another amazing day for Larry, Ray and I. We scouted out, photographed and talked with bikers, car enthusiasts and many veterans. Rain does not stop true car enthusiasts. They came out in droves and kept coming in.

We have some amazing news! Keeping our fingers & toes crossed and of course, the prayers going as well. We talked with a couple of guys from the Space Coast. They are taking both flyers back to their corporate offices to talk to them about - are you ready? Orlando Rocks Benefit, Inc. ROCKING THE SPACECOAST!!!!! Oh yeah! This is what it is all about! Spreading the word and helping our brothers & sisters.

This is what I promised at the very first show - " I (WE) will take it across this great nation of our's." We all came away with a very, very proud heart.

We have just risen above 3200 hits in 3 weeks. This IS amazing!

Mary Louise

Orlando Rocks Benefit Inc.
Orlando Rocks Benefit Inc. Facebook Page

photos by Ray Tharaldson & Larry Ingrassia

Tito's SS Camaro

Ed Stanley's 1925 Roadster

Bill Cosby charged with 2004 sexual assault of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in his Pennsylvania home; free on $1 million bail

BY Nancy Dillon, Ryan Sit,
Stephen Rex Brown

Here's where the laughter ends.

Bill Cosby — America’s Dad — accused of rape by dozens of women, was finally hit with a criminal charge Wednesday before getting released on $1 million bail.

Just weeks before the statute of limitations was set to expire, prosecutors charged Cosby with sexually assaulting a Temple University employee at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004.

“The evidence is strong,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Kevin Steele, announcing a single count of aggravated indecent assault against the creepy comedian.

Steele described the defenseless victim, tossing a fresh layer of taint on Cosby’s once-wholesome image.

“Frozen, paralyzed, unable to move,” he said. “A person in that state is unable to consent.”

Prosecutors initially declined in 2005 to file charges in the case, citing a lack of evidence.

Accuser Andrea Constand, who has spoken publicly about the encounter with the perverted funnyman, then filed a civil suit against Cosby and settled out of court the following year. In a deposition in that case, Cosby said under oath that he gave Constand halved pills that he described as “three friends to make (her) relax,” according to the affidavit.

Among the last words she recalled hearing:

“Down them. Put ’em down. Put them in your mouth.”

He also acknowledged under oath that he obtained seven prescriptions in his own name for Quaaludes for the purpose of having sex with women.

Disney, Universal Theme Parks Heighten Screenings, Ban Costumes for Adults

NEWSMAX
Disney announced that metal detectors will be installed at the entrance to Disneyland and its Florida theme parks starting today, as part of enhanced security measures that will also ban adults from wearing masks or costumes and discontinue toy gun sales inside all Disney parks.

The entertainment giant announced the changes quietly Thursday, saying they were not based on "any single event," but were intended to help security personnel and to make guests feel secure.

The portable metal detectors will be positioned beyond the "bag check" area at Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks in Florida. Contract security personnel will randomly select some visitors to pass through the magnetometers as part of a secondary screening. Only some guests will be subjected to
the extra checks.

The company also announced that it will beef up the deployment of police officers contracted to help with security around the parks. At Disneyland, that means beefing up patrols by the Anaheim Police Department. Disney did not give details about the scope of the expansion.

Disneyland will also increase patrols by explosive-sniffing dogs around the parks and related properties, such as Downtown Disney and its resort hotels, the company said.

The ban on masks and costumes will apply to all guests over 14 years old. And the company will no longer sell toy guns inside its parks, or allow guests to carry toy guns with them, regardless of age.

Spokeswoman Suzy Brown said the company banned the toy guns "to avoid confusion or distraction for our cast members and security personnel."

The rules are an apparent response to recent terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Paris. Disney's overseas parks will also enhance security, in accordance with recommendations from its experts at those locations, the company said.

The new rules are included on the company's Disneyland Resort Park Rules page. Spokeswoman Brown said in a statement: "We continually review our comprehensive approach to security and are implementing additional security measures, as appropriate."

A Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson said the park is testing metal detection as well, but doesn't sell toy guns.

"We have begun testing metal detection at our theme park," the spokesperson said. "We want our guests to feel safe when they come here. We've long used metal detection for special events, such as Halloween Horror Nights. This test is a natural progression for us as we study best practices for security in today's world."

Jennifer Aniston Was Replaced on Friends and Nobody Noticed Until Now

By Will Mendelson
Jennifer Aniston was replaced by a stand-in during one scene on an episode of the beloved sitcom Credit: Warner Bros. Television

Eagle eyes! Jennifer Aniston was replaced by a stand-in on an episode of Friends, and it wasn’t until recently that a particular fan noticed.
Jordan D’Amico took to the website RecentlyHeard to document his stealthy observation. He explained that during a marathon viewing, he noticed that Aniston — who played Rachel Green — was replaced during one scene in the Season 9 episode entitled “The One With the Mugging.”

“Only a few minutes into the episode, an enthusiastic Rachel rushes into Monica’s apartment to tell Joey that he got an audition with the famous and fictional actor, Leonard Hayes, played by Jeff Goldblum,” D’Amico wrote. “The three friends admit to admiring the actor. Joey (played by Matthew LeBlanc) goes to sit back down. It’s at this point that… BAM!”

Lo and behold, the Emmy-winning actress, 46, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a stand-in with much darker hair and who was wearing a different colored shirt, was standing and smiling next to Joey, where Rachel was supposed to be.

This isn’t the first time a fan has noticed an error on the beloved sitcom. In another episode, Courteney Cox’s stand-in was also accidentally left in.

Friends aired on NBC from September 1994 to May 2004, spanning 10 seasons. In addition to Cox, LeBlanc, and Aniston, the show also starred Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry.

Tell Us: Did you notice the stand-in on the episode?

Fred Thompson, with larger-than-life persona, dies at 73

FOX NEWS-
Fred Thomson, the former U.S. senator from Tennessee, Republican presidential candidate and “Law and Order” actor, died Sunday after a recurrence of lymphoma. He was 73.

Thompson’s family announced the news in a statement, which was published in The Tennessean.

“It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of grief that we share the passing of our brother, husband, father, and grandfather who died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family,” the statement said.

It continued: "Fred once said that the experiences he had growing up in small-town Tennessee formed the prism through which he viewed the world and shaped the way he dealt with life. Fred stood on principle and common sense, and had a deep love for and connection with the people across Tennessee whom he had the privilege to serve in the United States Senate. He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility. Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home."

"Fred believed that the greatness of our nation was defined by the hard work, faith, and honesty of its people. He had an enduring belief in the exceptionalism of our country, and that America could provide the opportunity for any boy or girl, in any corner of our country, to succeed in life. "

Thompson, born in 1942, served in the senate from December 1994 to January 2003.

Following his time in the senate, Thompson played District Attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order for five seasons, leaving the show to run for president.

Thought to be a contender during the early stages of the 2008 Republican presidential primary cycle, Thompson drew little support in many of the early states and he took a big hit when the former Southern senator failed to win South Carolina. He eventually dropped out in late January.

After leaving the race, he campaigned extensively for presidential nominee John McCain, and briefly sought support to become chairman of the Republican National Committee before quitting after a few months.

"Fred Thompson lived life to the very fullest," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. in a statement. "The first in his family to go to college, Fred would go on to become Watergate lawyer, Senate colleague, presidential candidate, radio personality, and icon of silver and small screen alike who didn't just take on criminals as an actor but as a real-life prosecutor too."

Thompson's rise to the Senate was atypical. He had never before held public office, but he overwhelmingly won a 1994 special election for Al Gore's old Senate seat after connecting with voters. In 1996 he easily won a six-year term.

The son of a car salesman, Thompson was born in Sheffield, Ala., and grew up in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., where he was a star athlete. He was 17 when he married Sarah Lindsey. The couple, who divorced in 1985, lived in public housing for a year as newlyweds.

Thompson graduated from Memphis State University in 1964 and earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1967. To pay for school, he worked at a bicycle plant, post office and motel.

Thompson went on to become a lawyer in Nashville. In 1969, he became an assistant U.S. attorney, then volunteered in 1972 to work on the re-election campaign of former Republican Sen. Howard Baker. A year later, Baker selected Thompson to be chief minority counsel on the committee investigating the Watergate scandal.

Afterward, Thompson returned to Tennessee and represented Marie Ragghianti, the head of the Tennessee Parole Board who was fired in 1977 after exposing a pardon-selling scheme. Ragghianti won reinstatement and her case was made into a 1985 movie titled "Marie," based on the 1983 book "Marie: A True Story," by Peter Maas. The producers asked Thompson to play himself, which launched his acting career.

"Fred Thompson served the people of Tennessee and America with great honor and distinction," said Sen. Bob Corker, R Tenn. in a statement Sunday night. "From the courtroom to Capitol Hill to Hollywood, his larger than life personality was infectious and had a way of making all of those around him strive to be better."

Thompson once called the Senate a "remarkable place" but, like Hollywood, said there was "frustration connected with it." He said he was disappointed the Governmental Affairs Committee didn't get more time in 1997 to investigate the fund-raising practices of the 1996 presidential election.

Some thought his high-profile role as chairman of the hearings could launch a presidential bid. That did not materialize in 2000 after the hearings were dismissed as political theater.

"They ran me for a while and then they took me out of the race, and all the time I was kind of a bystander," Thompson said in 2002 about speculation over his presidential prospects two years earlier.

Just before leaving the Senate, Thompson told the Associated Press that too much time was spent on meaningless matters and partisan bickering.

"On important stuff, where the interests are really dug in on both sides, it's extremely difficult to get anything done," he said at the time.

In June 2002, Thompson married Jeri Kehn, a political and media specialist.

After retiring from politics, Thompson hosted a conservative radio talk show between 2009 and 2011
and became a TV advertising pitchman for American Advisers Group, a reverse mortgage financial company.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jimmy Kimmel Beats Stephen Colbert in Ratings for First Time

By Joe Otterson

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” bested “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in the ratings for the first time on Thursday night, in addition to almost tying “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Kimmel scored a 0.9 rating/5 share in the advertiser coveted adults 18-49 demographic, while Colbert got a 0.7/5. Fallon’s show got a 1.0/5.

Kimmel enjoyed a strong lead in thanks the return of Shondaland shows on ABC, in addition to welcoming Shonda Rhimes herself as a guest.

Kimmel also hosted Dave Salmoni and Jill Scott, as well wrapping up his week of Mean Tweets with celebrities like George Clooney and Halle Berry reading the worst things internet trolls could throw at them.

The NFL match up between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants lead in to Colbert, who had guests on like Maria Shriver, Jim Gaffigan, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

Fallon hosted Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing a barbershop quartet version of Rihanna‘s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and interviewed Chris Hardwick.

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

See video: Shonda Rhimes Reveals Whether ABC Has Ever Told Her 'No,' #TGIT Premiere Thoughts

Kimmel also hosted Dave Salmoni and Jill Scott, as well wrapping up his week of Mean Tweets with celebrities like George Clooney and Halle Berry reading the worst things internet trolls could throw at them.
The NFL match up between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants lead in to Colbert, who had guests on like Maria Shriver, Jim Gaffigan, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

See video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy Fallon's Barbershop Quartet Sing Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money'

Fallon hosted Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing a barbershop quartet version of Rihanna‘s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and interviewed Chris Hardwick.
- See more at: http://www.thewrap.com/jimmy-kimmel-beats-stephen-colbert-in-ratings-for-first-time-ever/#.dpuf

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

See video: Shonda Rhimes Reveals Whether ABC Has Ever Told Her 'No,' #TGIT Premiere Thoughts

See video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy Fallon's Barbershop Quartet Sing Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money'

Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter fatally stabbed in ‘exorcism’

Morgan Freeman with Edena Hines at the Golden Globes in 2005.

Photo: Getty Images

By Kathleen Culliton, Jamie Schram and Larry Celona

The granddaughter of acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman was stabbed to death on a Manhattan sidewalk early Sunday during what law enforcement sources and witnesses described as an “exorcism” at the hands of her ranting boyfriend.

“Get out, devils! I cast you out, devils! In the name of Jesus Christ, I cast you out!” the killer yelled as he plunged a hunting knife into 33-year-old E’Dena Hines’ chest, according to George Hudacko, who witnessed the 3 a.m. attack from his apartment window in Washington Heights.

Hines, an actress who had appeared on Broadway and on red carpets at Freeman’s side, was stabbed 16 times, officials said.

“The girl was making a lot of noise, screaming,” Hudacko said, adding. “I called 911 — I was begging them to come.”

Hines — whose grandmother Jeanette Adair Bradshaw was Freeman’s first wife — was attacked on West 162nd Street near St. Nicholas Avenue, a few buildings from where she lived, cops and sources said.

Her live-in boyfriend, Lamar Davenport, 30, was in the throes of a drug-induced psychosis when he came after her, police sources said.

“Jesus Christ is born!” he shouted maniacally over her body.

A friend who’d had dinner with Davenport and Hines just hours earlier described her as “ecstatic,” the Daily Beast reported.

“I’ve never seen E’Dena as happy as she was last night,” said the friend, Ray Rosario.

By 3 a.m., Davenport was so crazed that he continued his attack even as Hines lay lifeless on the sidewalk, one police source said.

When cops wrestled him off her, he “was still making a stabbing motion with his arm, but he had nothing in his fist — the knife was jutting out of her chest,” the police source said.

Davenport — an actor and rapper wannabe whose nickname is “Lyric” — abuses cocaine, pot and booze, and has two young children, according to law enforcement sources. Hines was not their mother.

He has six prior arrests, including for marijuana and petit larceny, the sources added.

Davenport was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for a psychological evaluation, sources said.

He has been charged with murder.

Freeman, 78, issued a statement soon after the attack.

“The world will never know her artistry and talent and how much she had to offer,” the Oscar winner said. “Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.”

Hines was Freeman’s granddaughter because her mother had been adopted by the star.

He was so close to Hines that in 2012, he had to quash reports that they were lovers.

Hines was a graduate of NYU’s Graduate Acting Program and played Beneatha in “A Raisin in the Sun” on Broadway in 2012.

She’d left the city to teach in her hometown of Memphis, Tenn., but returned to New York in April to co-star in the indie film “Landing Up.’’

“She was an amazing, incredible, loving human being,” the film’s director, Daniel Tenenbaum, told The Post.

Additional reporting by Reuven Fenton, Daniel Prendergast and Beckie Strum