Houston — Nine of the ten wrongful death claims brought following a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld music festival have been resolved, including one that was scheduled to go to trial this week, an attorney said Wednesday.

The family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was one of ten people killed during a crowd crush at rapper Travis Scott’s concert on November 5, 2021, had scheduled the jury selection to start on Tuesday.

However, Neal Manne, an attorney representing Live Nation, the festival’s promoter and one of those being sued alongside Scott, stated at a court hearing Wednesday that just one wrongful death claim remained active, while the other nine had been resolved, including the one brought by Dubiski’s family.

9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

During the court session, Noah Wexler, an attorney for Dubiski’s family, acknowledged that their case “is resolved in its entirety.”

The terms of the settlements were kept hidden, and attorneys declined to speak during the court session due to a gag order.

The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest child murdered at the concert, has filed the only wrongful death case that is still outstanding. Attorneys in the action were scheduled to meet next week to consider when Blount’s family’s lawsuit could go to trial.

“This case is ready for trial,” Scott West, an attorney for Blount’s family, stated in court.However, Manne stated that he and the lawyers representing the other defendants being sued were unprepared.

State District Judge Kristen Hawkins said she wanted to consider the Blount case at next week’s session, as well as prospective trials linked to the injury cases filed following the fatal concert.

Hawkins stated that if the Blount family’s lawsuit is unresolved, she intends to schedule it as the next trial rather than an injury case.

More than 4,000 litigants filed hundreds of lawsuits following the concert. Manne stated that over 2,400 injury cases remain pending.

9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

The notification that nearly all of the wrongful death lawsuits had been settled came after Dubiski’s trial was postponed last week. Apple Inc., which live-streamed Scott’s concert and was one of more than 20 defendants sued by Dubiski’s family, filed an appeal after a court denied its plea to be excluded from the case. The appeals court granted Apple a stay in the case.

In the days following the trial stay, Dubiski’s family’s attorneys reached an agreement with all of the defendants in the case, including Apple, Scott, and Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment organization.

At least four wrongful death claims had already been resolved and announced in court documents. However, Wednesday marked the first time lawyers in the dispute provided an update, stating that nine of the ten wrongful death lawsuits had been resolved.

In court filings, the attorneys for Dubiski’s family and the numerous other plaintiffs have argued that inadequate planning and a disregard for the venue’s capacity and safety were to blame for the concert’s fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

The victims, aged 9 to 27, died from compression asphyxia, which an expert compared to being crushed by a car.

Scott, Live Nation, and the others who have been sued have refuted these allegations, stating that safety is their priority. They claimed what happened could not have been predicted.

Following a police inquiry, a grand jury declined to charge Scott and five others with the festival last year.

SOURCE – (AP)

Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik will reprise their roles as Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Dr.Amy Farrah Fowler in the Young Sheldon series finale, airing Thursday, May 16 (CBS, 8/7c) — which will be exactly five years since The Big Bang Theory signed off in 2019.

Parsons, an executive producer on Young Sheldon, has narrated all seven seasons, while Bialik has reprised Amy and co-narrated two episodes. But this is the first time that anyone from Big Bang will appear in person on-screen on the wildly successful spinoff.

So, what might these photos tell us? For one, we pick up with Sheldon and Amy years after the events of Big Bang — but that doesn’t come as much of a surprise: Young Sheldon, which stars Iain Armitage as the future theoretical physicist, is told from the perspective of a more mature Sheldon, who is older than the version that Parsons last played in 2019.

Through his narration, we’ve learned that Sheldon and Amy go on to have multiple children — including a son named after Sheldon’s best friend, Leonard Hofstadter.

In Big Bang’s last episode, Sheldon and Amy won the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering super asymmetry. Sheldon’s prize is framed and hung up on his office wall, while a photo snapped shortly after Sheldon and Amy accepted their Nobel prize sits on the shelf below, along with a family photo featuring Young Sheldon’s George Sr., Mary, Georgie, Missy and Meemaw.

In another photo, Amy is holding a Flash coffee mug. Behind her, we spot the atomic model that once stood in Apt. 4A — the same atomic model that Leonard and Sheldon spent nearly 140 hours rebuilding before they left for Stockholm. There’s also a Rubik’s Cube-inspired coaster on Sheldon’s desk, not unlike the tissue box that sat on the end table in Leonard and Sheldon’s place.

A third photo shows a smiling Sheldon looking closer at his laptop screen. Is it possible he’s writing his life’s story, which we’ve been told over seven seasons of Young Sheldon? That’s our Big Bang theory!

Young Sheldon will be followed by a second Big Bang offshoot, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, centered on Sheldon’s older brother Georgie (played by Montana Jordan) and his new wife Mandy (Emily Osment), which is slated to air on CBS, Thursdays at 8/7c, this fall.

Series co-creator Chuck Lorre is also working on a third Big Bang Theory series — a top-secret project “derived from” the CBS mega-hit that is earmarked for streaming service Max.

Source: Yahoo News

NEW YORK  — James Corden casually held his arms up as if he owned the Metropolitan Museum of Art while strolling through the hallways heading to cocktails. Joking around with Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez, who happened to be strolling behind him, he remarked, pointing to the priceless artwork on the walls. “Let me know if you want me to talk you through any of this.”

Corden, like many celebs, regularly attends the Met Gala; it was all in good humor.

And then there are the novices. No matter how well-known they are in their industry, these guests frequently express awe at the concentration of notoriety around them and some nervousness akin to a child attending a new school.

Consider Stray Kids. The eight members of the K-pop group showed up for their first gala together, each wearing a distinct combination of red, navy, and white that designer Tommy Hilfiger had created. After climbing the magnificent internal staircase to enter the museum, they went to the receiving queue and proceeded to the drink area, where they claimed to have gradually begun to unwind.

Inside The Met Gala: A Fairytale Forest, Woodland Creatures, And Some Starstruck First-Timers

“At first, we were anxious,” band member Bang Chan admitted. Felix, the bandmate, said, “We had no idea who we would meet or what to expect.” However, they were getting along well and had previously had conversations with Steven Yeun, Chris Hemsworth, and Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons.

The star of “The Bear,” Ayo Edebiri, was also present. She had won numerous honors this year and was attending her first gala. After welcoming hosts Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Hemsworth, and Anna Wintour at the top of the staircase, she appeared to be nearly out of breath.

She exclaimed, “I’m really, really, really excited to be here.” “This is yet another truly lovely thing that I will make an effort to keep in mind.”

The accompanying exhibit for the event was titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” but it wasn’t really about our beloved Princess Aurora. Instead, the goal was to draw attention to and shed light on delicate clothing items from the museum’s collection that were being “awakened” to the public. Nevertheless, the museum fully embraced the fantasy atmosphere.

Guests passed a massive centerpiece that stood 32 feet tall and symbolized a “whimsical tree” as they entered the Great Hall. Over a forest-like undergrowth with twisted branches that resembled the vegetation Sleeping Beauty’s prince had to cut through to give her a genuine love kiss, enormous green fabric flowers began to blossom. Following that, guests were treated to a live string orchestra and a scene that included actors dressed as forest animals playing in tights and tunics.

Inside The Met Gala: A Fairytale Forest, Woodland Creatures, And Some Starstruck First-Timers

When asked if they would rather see the exhibit or go to the cocktails, most guests opted for the latter. However, a few people attended the event, which was a multi-sensory fashion experience that included touch, smell, sound, and sight. Lena Waithe was “just blown away by the work that I’m seeing” after spending some alone time reviewing the clothing.

Like many others, the actor/producer continued, she finds fashion lighthearted and enjoyable. She remarked, “But then I come here and am reminded that it’s an art form.” She also brought up a comment made by Meryl Streep, who played a role akin to Wintour, to Anne Hathaway in “The Devil Wears Prada,” regarding how our wardrobe choices are predetermined. Waithe stated, “I think we need to be reminded of that, that people who are long gone influence our style.”

After spending the evening away from childcare, late-night host Meyers, who was at the event with his wife, commented that it was a pleasant respite. He also playfully questioned why his children, who are 2, 6, and 8 years old, weren’t invited. Meyers joked, “I think it’s very rude that Vogue didn’t invite them.” This place is kid-friendly. Additionally, they excel at keeping their hands off objects.

Meyers claimed that meeting “a lot of people that I’m a fan of, or have interviewed on the show,” was his favorite part of the evening. Regarding style, however, he prefers to play things safe, saying that “nobody wants a guy like me taking a big swing.” I remain in my lane.

Because Wintour is such a theater enthusiast, a sizable Broadway contingent typically exists at the Met Gala. Jonathan Groff, who was nominated for a Tony Award for “Merrily We Roll Along,” laughed and joked at this gala with fellow “Glee” alum and “Funny Girl” actor Lea Michele. Michele is expecting her second child and looks stunning in baby blue Rodarte. Groff reminisced about other Met Gala appearances, such as one in which he performed the television series “Hair” and another in which Beyoncé appeared and sang her song “Lemonade,” which had just been released a week prior. That was epic, he recalled.

Her clothing scraped the floor with an equally unique sound as Sánchez and Bezos walked through the display. “You won’t be lost,” Bezos said in jest. Sánchez claimed that when she initially tried on the striking design by Oscar de la Renta’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, she had started crying. The flowing skirt was intended to mimic Tiffany’s glass with pearl and mirror appliques.

Inside The Met Gala: A Fairytale Forest, Woodland Creatures, And Some Starstruck First-Timers

Sánchez said, “Use my dress if you need a mirror.” She continued by saying that she believed the outfit represented life, in which everything is somewhat shattered, and what you do with the parts determines the outcome. She also mentioned trying the dress on for Bezos, crying as she said. “He told me I had never looked so beautiful,” she remarked.

Interesting fact: according to Sánchez, Garcia had informed her he needed to get a part from Amazon in order to mend the outfit.

How do you obtain meals for hundreds of chit-chatting celebs around the museum? The organizers have made several attempts. It was a group of buglers one year. In a different year, Jon Batiste led a band snapping across the audience with his melodica. David Byrne did the honors last year. A massive choir with dancers accompanying them performed original song “Future of Us” on Monday. “To dinner!” was yelled by the performers as a bell sounded. The throng then moved slowly to the Temple of Dendur, where tables with “enchanted candelabras entwined with flower arrangements” maintained the fairytale theme.

SOURCE – (AP)