John Amos, star of TV’s ‘Good Times’ and ‘Roots,’ dies at 84
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — John Amos, the U.S. football player turned actor who was acclaimed for his roles in the 1970s TV series “Good Times” as well as the miniseries “Roots,” died on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles at age 84, his son Kelly Christopher (K.C.) Amos said.
Amos’ death, which was due to natural causes according to a press release, was not disclosed until Tuesday.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” his son said in a statement.
“He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold … and he was loved the world over,” he added.
Amos played the dad, James Evans, for 61 episodes of the sitcom “Good Times” in the mid-1970s and also the older Kunta Kinte in the TV miniseries “Roots,” based on the 1976 novel about slavery by Alex Haley. He also played the TV weatherman Gordy Howard in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the same decade.
Amos also had a brief professional football career in the 1960s.
CNN puts a paywall on its website as TV revenues decline
(TNS) — CNN has long had one of the most visited news websites in the world. Starting Tuesday, users are going to have to pay for it.
The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned news operation is putting a paywall on CNN.com, requiring U.S. users to pay $3.99 for access or a discounted rate of $29.99 a year. The subscription will allow unlimited usage of the site, which is visited by 150 million people globally each month.
Users will be asked to subscribe after accessing a number of free stories, according to an internal memo from Alex MacCallum, executive vice president of digital products and services for CNN.
CNN’s reason for the move is rooted in the problems that plague all of traditional television. Consumers are spending more time with online video and canceling their traditional pay-TV subscriptions. Revenues from cable and satellite subscribers are declining as cord-cutting continues at a steady pace each year. The trend, along with a decline in ratings, has put pressure on CNN’s profit margins.
Whether consumers will pay for a product they have used for free over the years remains to be seen. Mark Thompson, who took over as CNN’s chairman last year, turned the New York Times into a successful digital subscription site during his tenure at that company.
Man buys guitar autographed by Taylor Swift at charity auction, smashes it with hammer
(TNS) — A man bought a guitar autographed by Taylor Swift for $4,000 at a charity auction in Texas, then gleefully took to it with a hammer as the crowd cheered.
The unidentified snowy-haired buyer sauntered up to the stage after winning his bid, collecting the instrument and hammer from the emcee, then started smashing. His message was unclear and his motive unknown, but he seemed to be having fun and looked pleased.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump cackled, while Swifties shrugged. People on both sides of the political divide assumed the smash act was related to the singer’s recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president, but auction organizers told TMZ it had been donated before Swift made her announcement.