Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71New Foto - Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71

Emmy-winningactress Valerie Mahaffey, best known for her role on the TV series "Northern Exposure," has died. She was 71. Mahaffey's publicist Jillian Roscoe confirmed to USA TODAY the actress died Friday, May 30, after a battle withcancer. Her five-decade career included performances on the Broadway stage, countless television appearances and roles in films such as "Seabiscuit," "Sully," "Jungle 2 Jungle" and "No Pay, Nudity." Mahaffey earned a supporting actressDaytime Emmy nominationin 1980 for her role in the NBC soap opera "The Doctors." In 1992, she would win aPrimetime Emmyfor best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as Eve in "Northern Exposure." Most recently, Mahaffey appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller "Echo 3," "The 8th Day" and the film"French Exit,"for which she earned anIndependent Spirit Awardsupporting actress nomination. 'As close as family':Loretta Swit honored by 'M*A*S*H' co-stars Alan Alda, Jamie Farr Born and raised in Indonesia until the age of 11, Mahaffey also lived in Nigeria, Texas and England. She is survived by her husband Joseph Kell and her daughter Alice. "I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses," her husband said in a statement. "She will be missed." Her daughter, who starred in the 2010 film "Summer Eleven," which Mahaffey produced and appeared in (Kell directed), said in a post on Instagram: "don't really have the words to say right now. cancer sucks. i'll look for you in all the fun moments of life. i know that's where you'll be💕🪽 i know we'll see each other again someday. i love you infinity much." View this post on Instagram A post shared by alice richards (@aliceziolkoski) After her regular role as Ashley Bennett on "The Doctors," Mahaffey began a steady stream of TV appearances including recurring roles as Alma Hodge, the devious ex-wife of Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan) over nine episodes (2006-2007) on "Desperate Housewives," the teacher Victoria MacElroy (2017-2020) on "Young Sheldon," and on theNetflix comedy "Dead to Me," as Christina Applegate's mother-in law, Lorna Harding, for nine episodes (2019-2022). Mahaffey also had guest appearances on comedies such as "Cheers," "Seinfeld" and "Newhart." George Wendt:'Cheers' stars Ted Danson, John Ratzenberger and Rhea Perlman pay tribute Mahaffey's early career included Broadway plays such as "Dracula," in which she performed with Raul Julia. She also won two Obie Awards for off-Broadway plays "Top Girls" at the Public Theatre and for Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads" at the Minetta Lane. Her other theater credits include playing Desdemona in "Othello" opposite Morgan Freeman, and Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" with Tom Hulce. What's everyone talking about?Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider&@mikegsnider.bsky.social&@mikesnider& msnider@usatoday.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Valerie Mahaffey dead: 'Young Sheldon,' 'Northern Exposure' star dies

byAlpha World
in
May 31, 2025

Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71

Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71 Emmy-winningactress Valerie Mahaf...
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I Have a Major Theory About 'And Just Like That' Season 3—and OG 'Sex and the City' Fans Are Gonna Love itNew Foto - I Have a Major Theory About 'And Just Like That' Season 3—and OG 'Sex and the City' Fans Are Gonna Love it

In one of the fastest new season turnarounds in recent memory,And Just Like That…is back with season three—and things are off toa slow but totally solid start. The first episode ofAnd Just Like Thatseason threeis alreadystreaming on Max(Or HBO? Or HBO Max? I dunno,ask Jean Smart). So far, Carrie is doing long-distance with Aidan, Miranda is sleeping with a very familiar looking nun, LTW has a Michelle Obama quandary,Seemais serving up a Hollywood movie ending on a dilapidated pier and Charlotte…well, she has another dog plotline. But what will happen next?! After watching the first episode of the new season, I have a prediction—and I think fans of the originalSex and the Citywill like my theory. Craig Blankenhorn/Max As the credits rolled (and Carriedidn'thave a voiceover saying, "And just like that…"—more on this in a minute), I couldn't help but wonder, are we finally getting back to the show's roots? My theory: This season will be the closest one yet to the OGSex and the City. I have a few reasons to think this. First of all, the new characters are much more solidified now. We know them. We love them. We aren't confused as to why Carrie is spending so much time with her realtor anymore. In a great way, for the first time, we aren't introducing major new characters. Like with the original series, the new faces we meet (like Rosie) are clearly guest stars who will provide minor storylines at best. And while the new season three gang stands at five members instead of the original four, this feels much more manageable—and much more likeSATC—without usalsohaving to follow Che and Nya (and too much of Anthony's plotline) as well. This, plus the absence of any life-altering events like a spouse's death, makes the whole thing feel much more episodic, likeSATC. Craig Blankenhorn/Max And finally, the end of the episode seems to hint that we're getting back to our roots in a big (but not Big) way—albeit with a twist. No more podcast. No more trying to force Carrie into some career she was never intended for. Carrie sits down at her laptop and begins to type, complete withSex and the City-esque voiceover.And, we ditch Carrie saying, "And just like that…" as her final line (although she does slip it into dialogue in the middle of a convo with Anthony earlier—TBD ifthatbecomes a thing this season). Seeing Carrie back at her laptop, after an episode free of deaths or wild twists or new characters or too many characters is refreshing. It takes me back to why I fell in love with the series and the characters in the first place. The one big twist with the laptop though? Carrie doesn't write in the first person. Her text (and voiceover) says, "The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into." The woman?! At least this is a Peloton-free twist I can get on board with. Here's to more ofAnd Just Like Thatfeeling likeSex and the City!New episodes air Thursdays on Max. 16 Shows and Movies to Watch This Weekend, Recommended by Our Editors

byAlpha World
in
May 31, 2025

I Have a Major Theory About ‘And Just Like That’ Season 3—and OG ‘Sex and the City’ Fans Are Gonna Love it

I Have a Major Theory About 'And Just Like That' Season 3—and OG 'Sex and the City' Fans Are Gonna Love it In one of the fas...
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Joni Ernst posts sarcastic apology video following comments that 'we all are going to die'New Foto - Joni Ernst posts sarcastic apology video following comments that 'we all are going to die'

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst posted a sarcastic apology video following a viral moment when she told a town hall audience member that"we all are going to die"in response to concerns over Medicaid cuts. The Iowa Republican's original comments came at a town hall in Parkersburg on May 30, while she was answering a question about cuts to Medicaid inPresident Donald Trump's tax packagethat the Senate is poised to consider. During Ernst's answer, someone in the audience interrupted her to shout, "people will die!" Ernst replied by saying, "People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven's sakes, folks." The comment instantly drew national attention and received widespread condemnation from Democrats who have criticized the impact of the potential Medicaid cuts. Ernst posted a video to her Instagram story May 31 where she spoke directly to camera, apparently from a cemetery. "Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall," she began, before describing the incident. More:What's in Trump's big tax bill? Here's what you need to know. "I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth," she said. "So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well. "But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," she added. More:'Don't know how we will survive': Medicaid cuts could put this group of mothers in peril The Congressional Budget Officeestimates that Trump's tax bill will reduce federal Medicaid spendingby $723 billion over a decade and could increase the number of uninsured people by 7.6 million. At the Parkersburg town hall, Ernst said the goal of the bill is to make sure that people who are not eligible for Medicaid benefits don't receive them. "What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable," Ernst said. "Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa. If you don't want to listen, that's fine." Later that day she blamed "hysteria that's out there coming from the left" for the response to her initial comments. Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached by email atsgrubermil@registermedia.comor on X at@sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register:Joni Ernst posts sarcastic apology following viral Medicaid comments

byAlpha World
in
May 31, 2025

Joni Ernst posts sarcastic apology video following comments that 'we all are going to die'

Joni Ernst posts sarcastic apology video following comments that 'we all are going to die' U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst posted a sarcastic a...
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Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on ThursdayNew Foto - Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will travel to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, German and U.S. officials said on Saturday. This will be Merz's first visit to the United States since taking office on May 6, and comes amid high tensions between the trans-Atlantic partners over trade and the Russian war in Ukraine. The visit was confirmed by a German government spokesman and a White House official. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Toby Chopra)

byAlpha World
in
May 31, 2025

Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Germany's new chancellor, Frie...
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Jackie Chan Didn't Train for 'Karate Kid: Legends': 'I Don't Need to Anymore. I've Been Training Every Day for 64 Years'New Foto - Jackie Chan Didn't Train for 'Karate Kid: Legends': 'I Don't Need to Anymore. I've Been Training Every Day for 64 Years'

Jackie Chan is back. Not that he ever went away, but Chan returns as Han in "Karate Kid: Legends," the latest installment in the film franchise. This time around, he's in China mentoring his young nephew, Li (Ben Wang). When Li is forced to move to New York City, he finds himself tussling with a bully at school, and winds up in the Five Boroughs Tournament. Han comes along to train Li in martial arts, while Danny LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the original Karate Kid, arrives from California to teach Li karate. More from Variety Box Office: 'Karate Kid: Legends' Chops Off $7.5 Million Opening Day, 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Mission: Impossible' Still Leading Charts Michael Cera Got to Meet Jackie Chan on Their Press Tours, but 'I Think He Thought I Was a Competition Winner': 'Who Is This Person? What's Going On?' 'Karate Kid: Legends' Star Ben Wang Did Most of His Own Stunts in That Final Fight: 'He Took Some Hard Hits' "I feel like this film understands a really specific and fundamental difference between Hong Kong martial arts, which is all about the choreography and the moves, and American martial arts where it's all about basically punching," says director Jonathan Entwistle. Chan, who first joined the franchise in the 2010 "Karate Kid" starring Jaden Smith, says he didn't need any training for this new entry. The 71-year-old says, "I don't need to anymore. I've been training every day for 64 years. I've been fighting, fighting, fighting." Chan has been acting since the 1960s and is a legend of fight choreography. He performs all of his own stunts "Karate Kid: Legends." But he's slowed down with age. Chan laughs, "I'm not liked I used to be when I was 20, and could do a triple kick in the sky. Now, I do one kick." But, it's still all him. Chan says he passed on valuable advice to Wang. "I said, 'Ben, we do have a double for you, but you should do your own thing. The audience respects you more. When you use a double, you become lazy.'" In contrast, the 25-year-old Wang had a stricter training program. "I got a systematic ass-kicking," Wang says. While much of Li's journey is about building confidence in his moves, Wang says he spent a month and half before shooting even began working with the stunt team. "We kept going. It was five days of formal training, from morning to night, and then, I trained by myself on the weekend." Wang says the team had 90 days to get him to the point when he could "look okay doing a fight scene with Jackie Chan." Says Wang, "When Jackie showed up, he was nothing but helpful." As for Macchio, even though Netflix's "Cobra Kai" has ended, it didn't mean the end of Danny LaRusso. As soon as he finished that, he was on a plane to the set of "Karate Kid: Legends." But his training began before he even got to set. "It was a different stunt team, and they sent me videos in advance, and I worked on certain pieces," Macchio explains. When he finally did get to set, everything came together. He recalls that moment when he arrived. With Wang becoming the new Karate Kid, and the baton being passed on, Macchio smiles, "I helped build the foundation to this house, but I felt like I was at somebody else's house." What does Chan think of Wang? Chan beams with pride, "He's like my young Jackie Chan." And so, a new Karate Kid legend is born. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byAlpha World
in
May 31, 2025

Jackie Chan Didn’t Train for ‘Karate Kid: Legends’: ‘I Don’t Need to Anymore. I’ve Been Training Every Day for 64 Years’

Jackie Chan Didn't Train for 'Karate Kid: Legends': 'I Don't Need to Anymore. I've Been Training Every Day for 64 Ye...
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