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Laufey on Her Concert Movie, ‘A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl’: ‘I Definitely Don’t Feel Uncomfortable in Front of a Camera, and I Really Discovered It That Night’

In reviewing Laufey’s August concert with the LA Philharmonic, Variety wrote, “Laufey feels like she was born to play the Hollywood Bowl, with her rapturously received pop/jazz/classical set.” Something else she might have been born for: the big screen. She’s on Imax screens across America this weekend (and some slightly less massive-scale ones as well) with “Laufey’s […]

‘Outlander’ Stars Break Down the ‘Worst Wedding Ever,’ That Surprising Hook-Up and the Resurrection of [SPOILER]

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the “Outlander” Season 7, Part 2 episode, “A Hundredweight of Stones,” now streaming on Starz, and the Diana Gabaldon’s book, “A Echo in the Bone.” David Berry recalls that penciled into the margin of the scripts for this week’s episode of “Outlander” was a reminder of the tone […]

The 5 Best Moments From Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Nonsense Christmas’ Special, Including That Chappell Roan Duet

“It’s the ho, ho, ho-iest special of all!” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Nonsense Christmas” show arrived on Netflix on Friday. Highlighting her 2023 “Fruitcake” EP, the 49-minute show was chock-full of celebrity appearances, sketch comedy and a blend of her festive tunes and Christmas classics with Carpenter’s signature remixed lyrics. While some of Carpenter’s holiday tracks are […]

Laura Benanti Says ‘F— You Forever’ to Zachary Levi for Suggesting Vaccines May Have Killed Their Broadway Co-Star: ‘I Never Liked Him’

Laura Benanti may have led the Broadway revival of “She Loves Me” with Zachary Levi in 2016, but the actress certainly doesn’t share the sentiment of the title. Benanti opened up about the ill feelings she maintains about her former co-star this week on the That’s a Gay Ass Podcast, hosted by Eric Williams. “I […]

‘The Madness’ Debuts With a Massive 2.2 Billion Minutes Watched in One Week: Luminate Streaming Ratings November 29-December 5

“The Madness” was the most-watched streaming original in the U.S. by far during the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5, per Luminate. The Colman Domingo-led limited series was watched for 2.2 billion minutes in that timeframe, which marked its first full week on Netflix. This is the first time a title has crossed 2 billion minutes […]

Mark Withers, Television Actor on ‘Dynasty,’ Dies at 77

Mark Withers, a television actor known for portraying Ted Dinard in the original “Dynasty” series, died Nov. 22. He was 77. Mark Withers’ death was confirmed by his daughter, Jessie Withers. The cause was pancreatic cancer. His daughter remembered him fondly, writing: “He confronted his illness with the same strength and dignity he brought to […]

‘The Hungarian Dressmaker’ Review: A Seamstress Feels Hemmed in by Authoritarianism in Taut Slovakian Drama

Looking back seems to offer a prescient look ahead in “The Hungarian Dressmaker,” Iveta Grófová’s compelling adaptation of Peter Krištúfek’s novella “Emma and the Death’s Head,” set in Slovakia during World War II. At the time, locals had to navigate the uncharted territory of authoritarianism, when the far-right Hlinka Slovak People’s Party rose to power […]

‘The Sticky’ Star Margo Martindale on ‘Playing Psycho’ to Defy the ‘Invisibility of the Older Woman’ in the Comic Maple Syrup Heist Thriller

Margo Martindale has a long history of playing characters that are raw, memorable and slightly unhinged. In Prime Video’s new series “The Sticky” however, the three-time Emmy-winner is stepping into the lead with one of her meatiest roles yet: a desperate maple syrup farmer. “This is a woman at the end of her rope who […]

‘Wicked’ Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Finally Explain Their Side of the ‘Holding Space’ Interview (EXCLUSIVE)

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been holding space for the concept of “holding space.”  While being interviewed alongside their “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu for a forthcoming Variety feature, the actors reflected on their experience of being part of the funniest and most inscrutable meme to come out of awards season so far. Last […]

‘Sweethearts’ Review: Kiernan Shipka Leads a Reductive, Raunchy Rom-Com That Examines Love and Life’s Complexities

Decades after “When Harry Met Sally” asked audiences if adult men and women can be friends, yet another romantic comedy poses the same question of a contemporary collegiate crowd. However, in director Jordan Weiss’ “Sweethearts,” which revolves around two besties breaking up with their hometown romances over a holiday weekend, the time-honored query waits until […]

After critics decry Orion heat shield decision, NASA reviewer says agency is correct

Within hours of NASA announcing its decision to fly the Artemis II mission aboard an Orion spacecraft with an unmodified heat shield, critics assailed the space agency, saying it had made the wrong decision.

"Expediency won over safety and good materials science and engineering. Sad day for NASA," Ed Pope, an expert in advanced materials and heat shields, wrote on LinkedIn.

There is a lot riding on NASA's decision, as the Artemis II mission involves four astronauts and the space agency's first crewed mission into deep space in more than 50 years.

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© NASA/Amanda Stevenson

US to start nationwide testing for H5N1 flu virus in milk supply

On Friday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would begin a nationwide testing program for the presence of the H5N1 flu virus, also known as the bird flu. Testing will focus on pre-pasteurized milk at dairy processing facilities (pasteurization inactivates the virus), but the order that's launching the program will require anybody involved with milk production before then to provide samples to the USDA on request. That includes "any entity responsible for a dairy farm, bulk milk transporter, bulk milk transfer station, or dairy processing facility."

The ultimate goal is to identify individual herds where the virus is circulating and use the agency's existing powers to do contact tracing and restrict the movement of cattle, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the virus from US herds.

A bovine disease vector

At the time of publication, the CDC had identified 58 cases of humans infected by the H5N1 flu virus, over half of them in California. All but two have come about due to contact with agriculture, either cattle (35 cases) or poultry (21). The virus's genetic material has appeared in the milk supply and, although pasteurization should eliminate any intact infectious virus, raw milk is notable for not undergoing pasteurization, which has led to at least one recall when the virus made its way into raw milk. And we know the virus can spread to other species if they drink milk from infected cows.

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