» Maksim Chmerkovskiy is Trying to Flee Ukraine After Getting Arrested “I’m gonna try to start getting towards the border,” said the veteran Dancing with the Stars instructor. “I have options. My options are better than most people’s, unfortunately. I am just a little nervous, to be honest with you, but I think it’s going to be all right. About nine hours later, he shared a travel update on his Instagram story. “I made it on the train,” he wrote. “We’re headed to Warsaw (hopefully).” [Vulture]
» Fewer Americans Are Fearful of Getting COVID As Omicron Surge Fades, Poll Finds Twenty-four percent of Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” worried about themselves or a family member contracting COVID, down from 36 percent in both December and January, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Another 34 percent say they are somewhat worried. [The Associated Press]
» AirBnb is Offering Free Temporary Housing for Ukrainian Refugees The San Francisco tech company said Monday it will offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 people fleeing the hostilities in Ukraine. “The greatest need we have is for more people who can offer their homes in nearby countries, including Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania,” Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive, Brian Chesky, said on Twitter. [KTLA]
» ‘Euphoria’ Becomes HBO’s Second-Most Watched Show The Zendaya-led drama, which racked in a series high of 6.6 million viewers, is now HBO’s second-most watched show since 2004 behind Game of Thrones. [Variety]
» EMT Workers Protest in L.A. and Orange Counties Protest for Higher Wages, Better Treatment Ambulance employees protested Monday for higher wages in Los Angeles and Orange counties, arguing that their pay of roughly $15 to $16 has drained workers from their company. [Los Angeles Times]
» FIFA Suspends Russia from World Cup Russia has been banned from all top soccer competitions staged by FIFA, the world’s soccer governing body, and European soccer governing body UEFA “until further notice.” The sanctions, announced Monday, follow Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. [The Hollywood Reporter]
TOP STORIES FROM L.A. MAG
» California to Drop School Mask Mandates After March 11 Indoor masking will no longer be mandatory at California schools and childcare facilities this coming month, officials announced Monday
» Hollywood Drug Delivery Service Exposed After Fentanyl Overdose Death Actor Kather Sei is charged with delivering drugs for woman known as Mimi-Snowie that led to the death of Ray Mascolo
» Samuel L. Jackson Dismisses Joe Rogan’s Apology for Using the N-Word
”It’s not the context, dude — it’s that he was comfortable doing it. Say that you’re sorry because you want to keep your money, but you were having fun and you say you did it because it was entertaining,” Jackson says
ONE MORE THING
How The Chinese Put the Squeeze On Hollywood
Even as the western world tries to dissuade Russia from continuing its invasion of Ukraine through sanctions meant to cripple its economy, Hollywood is still hungry to make whatever money it can by continuing to release its most hotly-anticipated pictures to moviegoers in the aggressor nation.
First on the slate for Russian audiences is Warner Bros.’ The Batman, which is set to start the studio’s worldwide release with a March 3 opening day in Russia. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has no plans to pull the pic despite an appeal this weekend by the Ukrainian Film Academy for studios to boycott Russian cinema.
In an online petition, the Academy is asking producers to stop licensing their films and series for Russia, for international festivals to ban Russian films from inclusion, and for international producers to end all business dealings with Russian companies.
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