Peacock announces premiere date for reboot of ‘Saved by the Bell’ Season 2

Peacock has announced that the second season of the reboot of “Saved by the Bell” will premiere exactly one year after the first season’s debut, on November 24, 2021. The cast includes Haskiri Velazquez, Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Mitchell Hoog, Belmont Cameli, Dexter Darden and John Michael Higgins. Original cast members Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Mario Lopez are also regulars, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar recurs.

A synopsis of the show reads: “In the new Saved by the Bell, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), now governor of California, gets into political trouble for closing too many underfunded high schools and proposes sending affected students to some of the more affluent schools — including his alma mater, Bayside. An influx of new students gives the privileged kids of Bayside a needed dose of reality.”

Saved by the Bell Season 2 will premiere Wednesday, Nov. 24, with all 10 episodes .

They’re Back! ‘Saved by the Bell’ OG Cast Reunites in 1st Season 2 Photos

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Los Angeles Dodgers defeat San Francisco Giants to win NLDS in Game 5, advance to face Braves in NLCS

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series on Thursday night at Oracle Park. With the score tied 1-1 in the ninth, the Dodgers Cody Bellinger drove in the series-winning run with an RBI single against Giants closer Camilo Doval. Dodgers starter Max Scherzer recorded the final three outs, helping to send the Dodgers to the NLCS.

Los Angeles will now will face the Atlanta Braves in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series beginning Saturday night at at Truist Park in Atlanta.

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Prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh charged with stealing $4.3M of late housekeeper’s insurance settlement

Authorities announced on Thursday that prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was arrested and charged with misappropriating insurance settlement funds in the wrongful death suit that followed the mysterious trip and fall death of his longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. The heirs of Satterfield, a family housekeeper who died three years ago in what was initially described as an accidental fall, have insisted they received none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement they said was orchestrated in secret by Murdaugh.

The 52-year-old Murdaugh was arrested in Orlando, Florida, upon his release from a drug rehabilitation facility. Murdaugh claimed that he was shot in the head on a roadside in September, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (“SLED”). He faces two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and is expected to appear at an extradition hearing on Friday before he’s arraigned in Columbia, South Carolina. Murdaugh has been taken to Orange County Corrections where he will be held until he receives an extradition hearing. Upon extradition being granted or waived, he will be brought back to South Carolina to receive a bond hearing.

Murdaugh, a well-known attorney in the South Carolina Lowcountry, was thrust into the national spotlight after he came home on the night of June 7, 2021, to find his wife, Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, shot to death on the grounds of their hunting lodge. From the beginning, authorities have considered Murdaugh a person of interest in the deaths of his wife and son, though his attorneys insist that his client was not involved. Murdaugh was fired in June from his job at his family’s law firm after being accused of embezzlement. He was shot in the head, gone to rehab for substance abuse and arrested and accused of hiring a hitman to help him commit suicide so his surviving son could cash in on a $10 million life insurance policy.

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FDA panel unanimously approves Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine booster shots

An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Thursday to approve the Moderna COVID-19 booster shot for recipients over 18. In the first day of a two-day meeting to evaluate requests from both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to authorize their booster doses, the panel voted 19-0 to approve Moderna boosters beginning at least six months after completion of the initial two-dose regimen. On Friday, the committee will meet to evaluate the Johnson & Johnson booster dose, which is produced by subsidiary Janssen.

The authorization applies to people 65 years and older as well to those between 18 and 64 who are at high risk for the disease. Moderna officials said in a tweet: “We are grateful for the opportunity to present the clinical data package for our COVID-19 booster vaccine to the FDA’s advisory committee today. We thank the committee for their review & for their unanimous vote in support of EUA of the 50 [microgram] booster dose.”

Last month, the FDA approved a third shot of the vaccine made by Pfizer for people over 65, as well as recipients between 18 and 64 who are at high risk of severe illness and who face frequent institutional or occupational exposure to COVID-19. Almost 9 million people in the United States have received a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine over the past few weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The panel’s recommendations will have to be approved by the FDA and CDC before Americans could begin to receive the Moderna and Janssen boosters. The soonest the agencies could grant that approval is Oct. 22.

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Mike Shildt fired as St. Louis Cardinals manager

The St. Louis Cardinals fired Mike Shildt as the team’s manager on Thursday afternoon. St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said the decision to part ways with Shildt came due to “a philosophical difference in the direction our major league club is going. After a successful 2021 season, we have determined that we have a philosophical difference in the direction our major league club is going. We have decided, at this time, that it is best for us to end our partnership with Mike Shildt.”

The 53-year-old Shildt replaced Mike Matheny as the team’s interim manager in August 2018, and leaves with a 252–199 record across four seasons with St. Louis, winning NL Manager of the Year in 2019. The Cardinals reached the playoffs in 2021 after a 17-game winning streak in September which helped the team secure a wild-card spot. The Cardinals finished second in the NL Central in 2021 at 90–72 before losing to the Dodgers in the Wild Card. St. Louis has reached the playoffs in three straight seasons, however, they haven’t won a World Series in 10 years.

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Ottawa Senators and Brady Tkachuk agree to 7-year, $57.5M contract

Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators have agreed to a seven-year, $57.5-million contract. The Senators made the announcement on Thursday morning, just hours before Ottawa’s home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tkachuk was a restricted free agent and had not played for the Senators during the pre-season.

General manager Pierre Dorion said: “This is an exciting day for the Ottawa Senators. Brady possesses a very dynamic skill set and is a prototypical power forward in today’s NHL.  “He scores goals, he plays physical and exemplifies what it means to be a pro for all players in our organization.”

The contract has an average annual value of $8.214 million, and Tkachuk will be paid $4 million this season, $6.5 million in 2022-23, $10.5 million in 2023-24, $10.5 million in 2024-25, $10.5 million in 2025-26, $8.5 million in 2026-27 and $7 million in 2027-28.

The 22-year-old Tkachuk has 60 goals and 65 assists along with 250 penalty minutes over 198 career games. A 2019-20 NHL All-Star, he is one of only 29 all-time Senators with 60 goals and one of only 28 with 250 penalty minutes. Tkachuk played in all 56 of Ottawa’s games last season and led the Senators in scoring with 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists). He also led Ottawa with 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists) the previous season.

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George Strait with special guest Willie Nelson to headline new Austin venue grand opening

George Strait is set to headline Austin’s newest venue, the Moody Center, next April as part of their grand opening ceremony, and Strait will be joined by Willie Nelson & Family, as well as Randy Rogers Band. The manager of Moody Center says, “While planning our grand opening celebration, we knew we had an obligation to the Lone Star State. George Strait, Willie Nelson and Randy are all Texas natives who have built legendary careers while having an unbelievable impact on the country music industry. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.”

Willie Nelson & Family is currently on the road with ‘Outlaw Music Festival.’ Said Strait: “I’m so glad I’ll get to ‘sing one with Willie’ and I can’t think of a better place to do it than Austin Texas. Willie is an incredible musician so I know this will be a great night together along with our friends from Randy Rogers Band.”

Moody Center opens April of 2022 at the University of Texas. Exclusive VIP Packages and tickets for the ‘Strait from Moody Center’ Grand Opening Celebration Presented by Bud Light go on sale Friday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. CT. Fans can also sign up for the Moody Center newsletter between now and Monday, Oct. 18 to receive venue pre-sale access from Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. CT until Thursday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. CT.

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Kacey Musgraves reacts to her ‘Star-Crossed’ album being deemed ineligible in country categories for the 2022 Grammy Awards

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. made the decision last week that Kacey Musgraves’ latest album ‘star-crossed’ is ineligible for the country album category at the upcoming Grammys. Members of the screening committees can reject recordings if they do not feel they fit into the genre, though they remain eligible for the all-genre Album of the Year category. Musgraves, who released ‘star-crossed’ on Sept. 10, already has six Grammy awards — two of those wins are in the country album category – in 2014 for Same Trailer Different Park, and in 2019 for Golden Hour. Golden Hour also won Album of the Year that year.

Kacey’s label — Universal Music Group Nashville — expressed their displeasure at the decision, with label president Cindy Mabe penning an open letter to the Recording Academy that made a case for ‘star-crossed’ to be considered a country album. Now Kacey has offered a brief ‘reply’ on social media about the controversy, tweeting a snapshot of herself as a child wearing a broad, pink cowboy hat along with the caption: “You can take the girl out of the country (genre) but you can’t take the country out of the girl”.

The 64th annual Grammy Awards will be held Jan. 31.

Kacey Musgraves Responds To ‘Star-Crossed’ Being Ineligible In The Country Album Category At 2022 Grammys

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Take a look at the new trailer for ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Season 11

Curb Your Enthusiasm is back for Season 11, and HBO shared a trailer which sees David proclaiming that he’s “too smart” to be stuck in traffic, explaining how baldness proves that prayer doesn’t work, and much more.

Familiar faces are back, including JB Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Patton Oswald, Jeff Garlin, Jon Hamm, Seth Rogen, Richard Lewis, Vince Vaughn, and Richard Kind, among others.

HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to premiere on Oct. 24.

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Howie Mandel says he’s “home and doing better” after suffering medical emergency at Starbucks

Howie Mandel says he’s “home and doing better” after collapsing at a local Starbucks. The 65-year-old television personality updated fans on social media, after being hospitalized for a health scare. Mandel told fans on Twitter that he experienced low blood sugar, writing: “I am home and doing better. I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar. I appreciate the great doctors and nurses that took such good care of me. Thank you to everyone who reached out but I am doing ok!”

Mandel was with his wife and friends at a Starbucks in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Wednesday when he suddenly passed out. Paramedics responded to the scene and Mandel was taken to a hospital in Tarzana. A rep for the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed they received a call at 10:03 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, of a 65-year-old male experiencing a medical issue.

Mandel serves as one of the judges on the NBC reality competition series ‘America’s Got Talent,’ which completed its 16th season in September.

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