Colin Farrell needed 46 takes to film Minority Report scene after wild birthday night: 'Tom wasn'...

The actor recalled an assistant director taking one look at him and saying, &34;You can't go to the set like this.&34; Colin Farrell needed 46 takes to film Minority Report scene after wild birthday night: 'Tom wasn't very happy' The actor recalled an assistant director taking one look at him and saying, &34;You can't go to the set like this.&34; By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

The actor recalled an assistant director taking one look at him and saying, "You can't go to the set like this."

Colin Farrell needed 46 takes to film *Minority Report *scene after wild birthday night: 'Tom wasn't very happy'

The actor recalled an assistant director taking one look at him and saying, "You can't go to the set like this."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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October 29, 2025 12:08 p.m. ET

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Colin Farrell in 2022's 'Minority Report'. Credit:

David James/Twentieth Century Fox

If only one of the precogs could have warned Colin Farrell that going out for his birthday would result in one of his crappiest times shooting a movie ever.**

While visiting *The Late Show* on Tuesday, the actor revealed that he partied so hard one night that he needed 46 takes to nail one of his scenes in *Minority Report* with his costar Tom Cruise the next day. **

"I also had one of the worst days I've ever had on a film set [on *Minority Report*]," Farrell admitted to host Stephen Colbert. "It was my birthday on May 31, and we were shooting, and I begged production — who did I think I was? — of a $120 million film if they [could] not have me working on my birthday."

Tom Cruise, Neal McDonough, and Colin Farrell in 'Minority Report'.

David James/Twentieth Century Fox

He quickly learned, however, that not even a birthday can stop production. **

"So of course my pickup was 6 a.m. on May 31, and I got up to all sorts of nonsense the night before," he said. "And I remember getting into bed, and as soon as I turned off the light the phone rang and it was the driver, [who] said, 'It's 10 past 6.' And I went, 'Oh, s---.'"

2002 rewatch: The infinite influence and disappointment of 'Minority Report'

Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie's favorite 'Big Bold Beautiful Journey' dance scene was cut

Farrell explained that he arrived on set in such a state that it caught the attention of the movie's second assistant director, David H. Venghaus Jr. **

"I got out of the car and he went, 'You can't go to the set like this,'" he recalled. "And I went, 'Just get me six Pacifico Cervezas and a packet of 20 [Marlboro] Red."**

Turning to the audience, Farrell quickly cautioned, "Now, listen, it's not cool because two years later I went to rehab, right? But it worked in the moment. All the holy people that we look to on how to live a life would say the present is all that counts."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

So then Farrell "had a couple of beers" and went to set. "It was terrible," he lamented. "I will never forget the line I had that I couldn't get out. It was, 'I'm sure you've all grasped the fundamental paradox of pre-crime methodology.' That was the line that started the scene."

It got so bad, Farrell said, that the crew began to try to help him out. "I remember one of them coming up and saying, 'Do you want to go out and take a breath of fresh air?'" he said. "And I remember thinking, 'If I go out and take a breath of fresh air, then I'll be under more pressure when I come back in to be better.' And I went, 'No, we'll just go through it.'"

The plan did not work. "We did 46 takes," Farrell deadpanned. "Tom wasn't very happy with me. Tom, who I love, was not very happy!"

To prove his point, Colbert brought out a snapshot from the film that featured Cruise's character, John Anderton, holding a gun to Farrell's Department of Justice agent Danny Witwer's throat. "No, this is what he did. He pulled a gun on you," the host joked. "That's him at the end of the take right there!"

Released in 2002, and adapted from Philip K. Dick's 1956 novella of the same name, *Minority Report *starred Cruise as the head of D.C.'s pre-crime division, which arrests individuals before they can commit any offenses using premonitions received by clairvoyants, a.k.a precogs. However, John finds the tables turning on him when he is accused of a future crime, forcing him to go on the run.

Watch Farrell discuss his terrible, no good, very bad day on set above.

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Colin Farrell needed 46 takes to film Minority Report scene after wild birthday night: 'Tom wasn'...

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Remember, Dorothy is just &34;a pawn in the middle of&34; Elphaba and Glinda's journey. Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu teases how much of Dorothy fans will see in the movie Remember, Dorothy is just &34;a pawn in the middle of&34; Elphaba and Glinda's journey. By Shania Russell :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ShaniaRussellauthorphoto5934b684845d480caa4485648c39ef2b.jpg) Shania Russell Shania Russell is a news writer at , with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine. EW's editorial guidelines October 29, 2025 1:03 p.m.

Remember, Dorothy is just "a pawn in the middle of" Elphaba and Glinda's journey.

Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu teases how much of Dorothy fans will see in the movie

Remember, Dorothy is just "a pawn in the middle of" Elphaba and Glinda's journey.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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October 29, 2025 1:03 p.m. ET

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Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in 'Wicked: For Good'. Credit:

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

The time has finally come for Dorothy Gale to ease on down the Yellow Brick Road.

When *Wicked: For Good* arrives in December, it will conclude the story of Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the witches whose friendship changed Oz for good. And as anyone who's seen *The Wizard of Oz *already knows, that ending isn't possible without Dorothy, her clicking heels and a bucket of water. But that certainly doesn't mean the musical will retread ground already covered in the classic tale — which is why director Jon M. Chu is taking a different approach to Dorothy's side of the story.

While the Kansas farm girl *will* appear in the musical movie, Chu says that audience will never actually see her face.

The Tin Man, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow in 'Wicked: For Good'.

Universal Pictures/YouTube

"I didn't want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with," Chu explained in PEOPLE's *Wicked: For Good *special issue. He added that while the story still directly intersects with Dorothy's tale in *Wizard of Oz*, it was important to emphasize that the musical two-parter "is still Elphaba and Glinda's journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it."

In truth, this approach to Dorothy will see her feature more heavily in* For Good* than she does in the *Wicked* stage show. The Broadway production only sees Dorothy appear in shadowed silhouettes and though she is frequently mentioned in the second act, she largely exists offstage. But the trailer for *Wicked: For Good* has already hinted at more time spent on Dorothy, who is glimpsed standing side-by-side with her iconic entourage: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.

Amanda Seyfried had 6 auditions for 'Wicked' before losing role to Ariana Grande

'Wicked: For Good' unveils first snippets of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's original songs

Additionally, Grande has teased a complicated relationship between Glinda and the rainbow-chasing farmgirl. Last month, she told *Empire* that although the Good Witch offers Dorothy advice after she crash-lands in Oz and even points her in the direction of the Wizard, she doesn't exactly give her the most direct route to safety.

"I love the little bit of shadiness that Glinda has towards Dorothy," Grande said. "There's a lot going on, and she doesn't really have time to deal with this. She could have told her to take the Emerald City train! But she didn't. That's a little shady, Glinda! So I leaned all the way into Glinda sort of having an eye roll for Dorothy whenever she has to deal with her."

Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in 'Wicked: For Good'.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Adapting the second act of the stage play, *Wicked: For Good* sees Elphaba transform into the Wicked Witch of the West as she is vilified by the citizens of Oz, forcing her to live alone in exile. Meanwhile, Glinda enjoys the perks of fame and popularity as the Good Witch of the North — but isn't yet ready to give up on her relationship with Elphaba.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Chu previously cautioned ** that the finale will be significantly more emotionally taxing than the first film, sharing, "If Part 1 is about choices, Part 2 is about consequences. Choices are difficult to make, but when you do make those choices, sometimes the result isn't what you expect it to be."

*Wicked: For Good* flies into theaters Nov. 21.**

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Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu teases how much of Dorothy fans will see in the movie

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Kenny Chesney explains 'Boston' in an exclusive excerpt from 'Heart Life Music'

Kenny Chesney explains 'Boston' in an exclusive excerpt from 'Heart Life Music' Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYNovember 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM 0 Kenny Chesney's storytelling flair is woven into all of his songs. But now the country music titan is telling a different story, the one about his life and how a kid from East Tennessee obsessed with sports evolved into a stadiumselling megastar behind smashes including "Beer in Mexico," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "I Go Back." Chesney's book, "Heart Life Music" ( William Morrow/HarperCollins, Nov.

- - Kenny Chesney explains 'Boston' in an exclusive excerpt from 'Heart Life Music'

Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYNovember 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM

0

Kenny Chesney's storytelling flair is woven into all of his songs.

But now the country music titan is telling a different story, the one about his life and how a kid from East Tennessee obsessed with sports evolved into a stadium-selling megastar behind smashes including "Beer in Mexico," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "I Go Back."

Chesney's book, "Heart Life Music" ( William Morrow/HarperCollins, Nov. 4), cowritten with music journalist Holly Gleason, also gives fans a peek into some of his experiences with idols and peers, such as George Jones and Jimmy Buffett.

"This book is full of surprises, full of moments I couldn't have imagined, so living them with me is something I wanted to share," Chesney told USA TODAY in an email. "But it's also, I hope, an honest look at how one builds a dream; it's the setbacks, the frustration, the small moves that add up and a reminder that hard work, fighting for great songs and not letting go is so critical."

Kenny Chesney's "Heart Life Music" includes stories of his adventures with George Jones and Jimmy Buffett. The book is out Nov. 4, 2025.

Chesney will visit with fans on a book tour from Nov. 1 to Nov. 16, with stops in cities including Boston, Chicago, Nashville and Miami.

In an exclusive excerpt from the book, Chesney shares the story behind "Boston," from his 2005 album "Be As You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair)."

He told USA TODAY that he chose this segment to highlight because of its significance to his songwriting.

"It was such a perfect slice of that time when things were shifting and I was finding my authentic self. I'd had success, but it wasn't connecting – and it's when I started drawing on real life that the pieces fell together," Chesney said. "It shows how songs literally rise up out of your life, that something people listen to in their car came out of moments that actually happened. To me, that's where and how No Shoes Nation was built: common realities we all have."

More: Kenny Chesney adds new Sphere Las Vegas shows in 2026. How to get tickets.

Kenny Chesney tells the story of his life in "Heart Life Music," out Nov. 4, 2025.'Heart Life Music' by Kenny Chesney exclusive excerpt

Starting in 1998, it seemed eight out of every ten girls I met in the Virgin Islands were from New England. Whether the bars, restaurants or on boats, those accents you can't miss.

Having some local friends, I could hang out and run into someone I knew. I kept seeing this one bartender. She wore a Red Sox cap backwards, and you could she had these baby dreadlocks peeking out from under it. Didn't matter when or where I saw her, she always had that Boston cap on.

You never know why something strikes you. Someone's spark, a random detail catches your imagination.

I was in the middle of writing the "Be As You Are" album, though I didn't know it yet.

I had these songs that didn't have a place on my commercial records, but they were talking to each other. More authentically me than anything I'd ever done, I kept writing.

All that was whirling around my head one night when Mark Tamburino started playing this guitar part. It had a real groove, with a melody inside it that felt good. I was in my bunk thinking about that bartender, about a lot of stories I'd heard from my friends down there. That groove started circling around my head, the beats dropping just so…

"She wears a Red Sox cap… to hide her… baby… dreads…"

In a bunk on a bus rolling down the highway, "Boston" started to take shape.

I had no idea how far that song would travel. I only knew it was an authentic truth about that bartender, but so many other people in the islands.

Writing these songs, the people came with me.

Even when I wasn't there, the islands colored my writing. Scheduled to play the University of Texas' Frank Erwin Center in 2003, a freak ice storm cancelled our show. Trapped, because the roads were too icy to travel, Tim (Holt), Daryl (Hobby) and I were stuck.

"Somewhere in the Sun" fell out of that frozen – literally and metaphorically – moment in time. Trapped in a Holiday Inn parking lot, on our buses and these old hotel rooms, songs emerged. I started describing where we were: the bad room service, the TV with only "Andy Griffith" and "Barney," because the cable was knocked out.

Whatever channel we could get, there was an ad for Cancun that kept airing. I could feel the melody as I writing it all down. Danny Tucker, my bus driver at the time, threw out the toast that became the bridge, so he was co-writer on the song, too.

A love letter to the people and places I was discovering, you can hear the pull of this other life. Some people thought I was recharging, but it was more opening up and letting go. There's a quiet you need to hear your soul, something you can't do when there's a bunch of buses and trucks, people needing answers.

The answers I needed were found in hidden bars only the locals and sailors knew.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kenny Chesney shares exclusive excerpt from 'Heart Life Music'

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Kenny Chesney explains 'Boston' in an exclusive excerpt from 'Heart Life Music'

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Inside the Off-Screen Drama on Stranger Things’ Final Season

Inside the OffScreen Drama on Stranger Things' Final Season Tess Bonn November 3, 2025 at 7:09 AM 20 Inside the OffScreen Drama on Stranger Things' Final Season A trailer for the longawaited return of Stranger Things dropped Thursday, but the buzz was quickly eclipsed by unsettling reports from set. The show's star, Millie Bobby Brown, reportedly filed a complaint before production on the Netflix series began last January, accusing costar David Harbour of "bullying and harassment.

- - Inside the Off-Screen Drama on Stranger Things' Final Season

Tess Bonn November 3, 2025 at 7:09 AM

20

Inside the Off-Screen Drama on Stranger Things' Final Season

A trailer for the long-awaited return of Stranger Things dropped Thursday, but the buzz was quickly eclipsed by unsettling reports from set.

The show's star, Millie Bobby Brown, reportedly filed a complaint before production on the Netflix series began last January, accusing co-star David Harbour of "bullying and harassment."

The fifth and final season — an eight-episode run that reportedly cost Netflix more than $400 million — is expected to bring the hit sci-fi series to a close after nearly a decade on air. The upcoming installment has been billed as the show's most ambitious yet, with creators Matt and Ross Duffer promising an emotional farewell to the residents of Hawkins. But according to reports, production may have been overshadowed by off-screen tensions between two of its biggest stars.

An unnamed source told The Daily Mail that Brown's filing included "pages and pages of accusations" and led to a months-long internal investigation that has been kept tightly under wraps. The source also noted that "the allegations did not include claims of sexual impropriety." The outlet did not specify when the investigation began or whether it has since concluded.

Harbour plays Jim Hopper, the gruff but lovable former police chief of Hawkins, who becomes guardian to Brown's character, Eleven — a telekinetic child test subject whose coming-of-age story lies at the emotional center of the show. Their on-screen relationship, evolving from mistrust to deep mutual care, has been one of Stranger Things' most enduring storylines.

In 2021, Harbour spoke about the bond he'd formed with Brown after years of working together, noting that he felt protective of her as she navigated fame at a young age. "Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young," he said on a 2021 episode of the That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast. "I have a real protective feeling for her. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with."

But off screen, that dynamic may have become more strained in recent years: Brown allegedly had a personal representative with her on set during filming for the final season, reportedly as a precaution amid the investigation and to ensure a safe working environment.

Netflix, Brown, and Harbour have not publicly commented on the reports.

The allegations come at a turbulent time for Harbour, whose personal life has also been under intense scrutiny. The 50-year-old actor recently finalized his split from British singer Lily Allen after four years of marriage. Allen released her new album West End Girl in October, which includes songs many fans interpret as alluding to the breakdown of their relationship. In one standout track, "Madeline," she sings, "We had an arrangement / Be discreet and don't be blatant / There had to be payment / It had to be with strangers / But you're not a stranger, Madeline." The lyrics have drawn widespread attention for their raw portrayal of infidelity and emotional fallout. In an interview with The Times of London, Allen said the titular character is fictional — and confirmed when asked that she's "a construct of others," rather than a direct reflection of one real person.

Still, sources close to the situation have clarified that the on-set allegations involving Brown are not believed to be connected to Harbour's divorce from Allen. "Lily supported him throughout it all," a source told The Daily Mail. "It was a brutal time."

Netflix remains tight-lipped about the investigation and its fallout. For now, fans will have to wait to see how Stranger Things ends — and whether the real-life tension behind it proves just as dramatic as what happens on screen.

The post Inside the Off-Screen Drama on Stranger Things' Final Season appeared first on Katie Couric Media.

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As champagne flows, Dodgers anointed 2026 World Series favorites

As champagne flows, Dodgers anointed 2026 World Series favorites Field Level MediaNovember 3, 2025 at 11:09 AM 0 Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers twoway player Shohei Ohtani (17) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) celebrate with the Commissioner's Trophy in the clubhouse after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. SokolowskiImagn Images (John E.

- - As champagne flows, Dodgers anointed 2026 World Series favorites

Field Level MediaNovember 3, 2025 at 11:09 AM

0

Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) celebrate with the Commissioner's Trophy in the clubhouse after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Just as the Los Angeles Dodgers finished turning a game-ending double play to win the World Series, folks were already talking about a three-peat.

The Dodgers didn't get a lot of time to celebrate before being installed as favorites to win the 2026 World Series after outlasting the Blue Jays in a highly entertaining seven-game World Series. Los Angeles won the finale, 5-4 in 11 innings on Saturday night in Toronto.

Los Angeles defeated the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series and oddsmakers favor a rematch in the 2026 Fall Classic.

FanDuel and BetMGM each have the Dodgers at +350 to win the 2026 World Series. The Yankees are second at both sportsbooks -- +700 at FanDuel and +750 at BetMGM.

Los Angeles figures to have a solid chance at becoming the first team since the Yankees (1998-2000) to win three straight World Series crowns.

National League MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani is in the prime of his career as a hitter and will get more work as a starting pitcher since he won't be coming off a major arm injury. Players like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith (game-winning homer in Game 7) will again be main cogs and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow will join Ohtani in a strong rotation.

The Yankees will again be led by American League MVP candidate Aaron Judge and the lineup figures to include Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm. Gerrit Cole is expected to return from a major arm injury in May to join a rotation that includes Max Fried and Carlos Rodon.

FanDuel rates the Philadelphia Phillies (+1000) and New York Mets (+1100) as National League teams who could dethrone the Dodgers. BetMGM has the Phillies at +1100 and the Mets at +1400.

In the AL, FanDuel rates the Seattle Mariners (+1200) and Houston Astros (+1300) as strong candidates to reach the World Series. Seattle might need AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh to have another historic season to make that happen. BetMGM has both teams at +1300.

Looking for a team getting little respect? How about the Blue Jays, who took a lead into the ninth inning of Game 7 before ultimately losing. Toronto is just +2000 by both entities.

Some of that might be due to the possibility that star shortstop Bo Bichette could leave as a free agent. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn't going anywhere and George Springer is one of the top clutch hitters in postseason history.

Also worth noting, Toronto was lightly respected entering the 2025 season. FanDuel listed the Blue Jays at +6600.

The Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals have the longest odds at +50000.

--Field Level Media

(odds to win World Series from FanDuel)

Los Angeles Dodgers: +350

New York Yankees: +700

Philadelphia Phillies: +1000

New York Mets: +1100

Seattle Mariners: +1200

Houston Astros: +1300

Boston Red Sox: +1700

Atlanta Braves: +2000

San Diego Padres: +2000

Toronto Blue Jays: +2000

Chicago Cubs: +2200

Milwaukee Brewers: +2200

Baltimore Orioles: +2700

Cleveland Guardians: +2700

Detroit Tigers: +2700

Kansas City Royals: +3500

San Francisco Giants: +3500

Cincinnati Reds: +4000

Texas Rangers: +4000

Tampa Bay Rays: +5000

Arizona Diamondbacks: +6500

Minnesota Twins: +8000

Athletics: +10000

St. Louis Cardinals: +12500

Miami Marlins: +15000

Pittsburgh Pirates: +22500

Los Angeles Angels: +30000

Colorado Rockies: +50000

Chicago White Sox: +50000

Washington Nationals: +50000

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As champagne flows, Dodgers anointed 2026 World Series favorites Field Level MediaNovember 3, 2025 at 11:09 AM 0 Oct 31...

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US government shutdown worsens financial woes for court-appointed defense lawyers

US government shutdown worsens financial woes for courtappointed defense lawyers By Nate RaymondNovember 3, 2025 at 8:06 AM 0 FILE PHOTO: A U.S. flag flies over a federal courthouse Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo By Nate Raymond (Reuters) As the U.S. government shutdown disrupts paychecks for federal workers across the country, it is exacerbating the financial woes of lawyers who defend the poorest members of society when they are accused of federal crimes.

- - US government shutdown worsens financial woes for court-appointed defense lawyers

By Nate RaymondNovember 3, 2025 at 8:06 AM

0

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. flag flies over a federal courthouse Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) -As the U.S. government shutdown disrupts paychecks for federal workers across the country, it is exacerbating the financial woes of lawyers who defend the poorest members of society when they are accused of federal crimes.

Some of the private attorneys who work as court-appointed lawyers for indigent federal criminal defendants have stopped taking new cases and have argued that their clients are being denied their right to effective counsel, according to court records and defense lawyers.

About 12,000 private lawyers across the U.S. serve on court-managed panels that provide counsel to defendants who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The program that compensates these lawyers under the Criminal Justice Act ran out of money in early July, and the shutdown - now in its 34th day - has resulted in Congress not authorizing any new funding.

Lawyers who serve on these panels represent about 40% of criminal cases against people who cannot afford attorneys, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The remaining 60% of indigent cases are handled by full-time federal public defenders who work for the court system. Since mid-October, they have been working without pay as well.

Courts are still hearing cases during the shutdown.

The funding gap for the defense lawyers is an example of how the shutdown – which on Tuesday will tie a record for the longest in U.S. history – is hindering wide swaths of federal services. It has also resulted in cuts to economic data collection, delays in air travel and, as of Saturday, an end to federal food aid to low-income Americans.

If the shortfall in funding for court-appointed defense lawyers persists, some courts could struggle to provide representation to indigent criminal defendants as guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark 1963 ruling Gideon v. Wainwright, defense lawyers say.

The lack of government funding for lawyers, as well as for expert witnesses, interpreters and other service providers paid for using congressionally appropriated funds, has prompted a number of defendants to try to dismiss indictments against them, U.S. District Judge William Shubb in Sacramento, California, wrote in an October 20 ruling rejecting one such request.

Defense attorney Danica Mazenko, whose client in the case was charged with illegally possessing ammunition, argued in a court filing that allowing the prosecution to proceed without compensation for legal counsel "would render Gideon a hollow promise."

The judge declined to dismiss the charges, saying no court in the modern history of government shutdowns has held that delayed payment to court-appointed lawyers violated their clients' rights.

A lawyer for a New Mexico man charged with unlawfully possessing 16,300 pills containing fentanyl intended for distribution raised a similar argument, saying the case should be dismissed not only because he was not being paid but also because he could no longer hire and pay a forensic chemist to serve as an expert witness necessary for the defense.

Expert witnesses for indigent defendants are compensated from the same pool of funds used to pay their lawyers.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Garcia declined to toss the case on October 16, calling that option an "extreme" remedy and saying he was "confident that the shutdown will eventually end and the necessary funds will become available."

However, the judge delayed the trial from November to January, citing the defendant's inability to pay for the expert witness key to his case.

"Criminal defendants and society are interested in ensuring that the former have effective assistance of counsel and access to a fair trial," Garcia wrote.

Richelle Anderson, the man's lawyer, in an interview said it was difficult to understand how Congress could fail to provide enough funding for defense lawyers like herself.

"You can't have a criminal trial if you don't have defense attorneys showing up," she said. "They want to arrest people and they want to prosecute people. The other side of that equation is funding attorneys for those people."

About 85% of lawyers who serve on court-appointed panels for the indigent are sole practitioners or work for small firms, according to the administrative office.

Court officials and defense attorneys say they are concerned that more of these lawyers could cease taking on cases if funding remains unstable.

"When you're a sole practitioner, predictability of income is tremendously important to you and your livelihood," said Jason Tupman, the federal public defender for North Dakota and South Dakota. "If this is not going to be predictable, they're going to have to do something else, and they will."

Private lawyers who sign up for the panels are paid far below prevailing market rates, earning $175 per hour for non-capital work and $223 per hour on death penalty cases after they submit vouchers.

Brian Karth, the district court executive for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, said lawyers performing work on panels for the indigent "are expressing that they're near the end of their ability to provide services without pay."

In his district, which covers Los Angeles, the pool of private attorneys available to take indigent cases has fallen from the usual 100 to fewer than 20, said Anthony Solis, a defense attorney who serves as that district's Criminal Justice Act panel representative and acts as a point of contact between panel members and other parts of the judicial branch.

In California's Southern District, which covers San Diego, the court's panel of lawyers for poor defendants normally has around 100 attorneys, yet the number taking on new cases now is in the low 70s, said Adam Doyle, a lawyer who acts as the district's panel representative.

Kelly Margolis Dagger, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based partner at the 45-lawyer firm Ellis & Winters who serves as the panel representative for court-appointed lawyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina, said she had heard from five to 10 lawyers in her district "who've expressed concerns about their ability to continue to take cases due to the funding crisis."

"I personally am going to do my best to continue to accept the appointed cases, but I also cannot blame the many, many sole or small-firm practitioners on my panel who find themselves unable to do that," Dagger, speaking on her own behalf, said.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Amy Stevens and Matthew Lewis)

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Money"

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Source: Money

Published: November 03, 2025 at 01:18PM on Source: GETTY MAG

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November 03, 2025

US government shutdown worsens financial woes for court-appointed defense lawyers

US government shutdown worsens financial woes for courtappointed defense lawyers By Nate RaymondNovember 3, 2025 at 8:0...

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Mom Couldn't Believe the Photos from Her Kids' School Picture Day, Admits She Didn't Know If She Should 'Laugh or Cry' (Exclusive)

Mom Couldn't Believe the Photos from Her Kids' School Picture Day, Admits She Didn't Know If She Should 'Laugh or Cry' (Exclusive) Kayla GrantNovember 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM 0 Courtesy of Paige Higgins Paige Higgins and her children Paige Higgins couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her children's first photos from picture day The 32yearold mom of three tells PEOPLE that she didn't know whether to "laugh or cry," adding she didn't expect them to look the way that they did Despite her children's "shocked" looks, Higgins says she's keeping the photos for their memories Paige Higgins couldn't belie...

- - Mom Couldn't Believe the Photos from Her Kids' School Picture Day, Admits She Didn't Know If She Should 'Laugh or Cry' (Exclusive)

Kayla GrantNovember 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM

0

Courtesy of Paige Higgins

Paige Higgins and her children -

Paige Higgins couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her children's first photos from picture day

The 32-year-old mom of three tells PEOPLE that she didn't know whether to "laugh or cry," adding she didn't expect them to look the way that they did

Despite her children's "shocked" looks, Higgins says she's keeping the photos for their memories

Paige Higgins couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her children's first school photos.

The 32-year-old mom of three, who's based in the U.K., was "eagerly" awaiting the final images from her older kids' school picture day. However, she tells PEOPLE that she didn't know how to react when she opened the online album and saw the first picture of her little ones, Blasie, 3, and Barley, 4

"It was the first picture when I opened the online album and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," Higgins tells PEOPLE.

The proud mom, who shares her children with partner Jack Gager, 33, tells PEOPLE that she didn't expect her children to look "so scared" in the photos.

She says, "I didn't imagine them to look so scared [and] shocked that's for sure."

Poking fun at the picture, Higgins uploaded a few photos from behind-the-scenes of the photo shoot on TikTok before showing the hilarious picture of her two children. The video, which is set to Drake's "Over," went viral, amassing nearly one million views on TikTok.

In text over the first photo, which shows the photographer trying to direct them for the photo, Higgins playfully wrote, "POV- you're a mum eagerly awaiting the first CUTE sibling photos since starting reception....."

She tells PEOPLE that she "can't believe" how many people have seen her clip with her children. "I can't believe how many views it's had so far, and still gaining everyday!"

Courtesy of Paige Higgins

Paige Higgin's children

Higgins, who's also a mom to 4-month-old Beri, shares that Blasie and Barley have a "typical" brother and sister sibling dynamic.

"They are typical brother and sister [with a] love-hate relationship," she tells PEOPLE of their sibling dynamic. "During the photos, they were pushing each other apart while the photographer was trying to get them to be close together for the photos!"

Courtesy of Paige Higgins

Paige Higgin's children

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As for the status of the siblings' first picture day photo, the proud mom tells PEOPLE she decided to purchase it, so they can look back at this moment.

"I have bought the photos for memories," she says. "I'm not sure it can get worse!"

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

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Source: Entertainment

Published: November 03, 2025 at 01:09PM on Source: GETTY MAG

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November 03, 2025

Mom Couldn't Believe the Photos from Her Kids' School Picture Day, Admits She Didn't Know If She Should 'Laugh or Cry' (Exclusive)

Mom Couldn't Believe the Photos from Her Kids' School Picture Day, Admits She Didn't Know If She Should ...

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