Time Warner, the corporate parent of CNN, is the latest company to publicly oppose a pending bill in Georgia that has been called discriminatory and "anti-LGBT."

"We urge Governor Deal to exercise his veto," the company said in a statement Thursday.

The three divisions of Time Warner (TWX) -- HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. -- all do business in Georgia. Turner, the division that houses CNN, is based in Atlanta and has thousands of employees in Georgia.

21st Century Fox (FOX) also joined the list of opponents on Thursday.

"On behalf of 21st Century Fox's many creative partners and colleagues who choose to film their projects in the beautiful state of Georgia, we join the growing coalition of businesses in asking Governor Deal to veto this bill," Fox said.

On Wednesday several other major media companies -- Disney (DIS), Viacom (VIA) and AMC Networks (AMCX) -- publicly opposed the bill. Other firms like Apple (AAPL, Tech30), Dell, Hilton (HLT) and Marriott (MAR) have also spoken out.

Among the media companies, Disney has gone the furthest. It pledged to "take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law."

The other media companies have stopped short of saying they'd boycott the state.

The bill in question, recently passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature, would give faith-based organizations in Georgia the option to deny services to gay people.

Proponents say the bill, dubbed the Free Exercise Protection Act, would protect religious freedoms.

Opponents like the Human Rights Campaign say it is "anti-LGBT" and "appalling."

The bill is awaiting Republican Governor Nathan Deal's signature.

Time Warner's statement said, "We strongly oppose the discriminatory language and intent of Georgia's pending religious liberty bill, which clearly violates the values and principles of inclusion and the ability of all people to live and work free from discrimination."

"All of our divisions -- HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner -- have business interests in Georgia, but none more than Turner, an active participant in the Georgia Prospers campaign, a coalition of business leaders committed to a Georgia that welcomes all people," the company added. "Georgia bill HB 757 is in contradiction to this campaign, to the values we hold dear, and to the type of workplace we guarantee to our employees."

Source: cnn.com

BRUSSELS

Bombs exploded at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The two airport blasts, at least one of them blamed on a suicide bomber, left behind a chaotic scene of splattered blood in the departure lounge as windows were blown out, ceilings collapsed and travelers streamed out of the smoky building.

About an hour later, another bomb exploded on a rush-hour subway train near the European Union headquarters. Terrified passengers had to evacuate through darkened tunnels to safety.

The Brussels airport CEO said that the airport will remain closed through Wednesday.

"What we feared has happened," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. "In this time of tragedy, this black moment for our country, I appeal to everyone to remain calm but also to show solidarity.

Source: sacbee.com

The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan today to build two residential high-rises, each as tall as 30 stories, where a parking lot now sits next to the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard.

But opponents with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, with offices in a tower next door to the site, say the project is too tall and dense for its location.

Source: latimes.com

© Provided by Variety

ABC has yanked freshman series “Of Kings and Prophets” from its schedule, Variety has learned. The cancellation comes after just two very low-rated episodes have aired.

The biblical drama premiered March 8 to a 0.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.3 million viewers overall, falling off this week to an even lower 0.5 in the demo with just 2.4 million viewers.

The time slot left vacant by “Of Kings and Prophets” will be occupied by “Shark Tank’s” companion series “Beyond the Tank” starting next Tuesday, March 22, at 10 p.m.

The Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot has been troubled for ABC. Last November, the dark 1980s set drama “Wicked City” opened with a 0.9, fell to a 0.7 and was then pulled after hitting a minuscule 0.4 in its third outing. Previously, the slot had been home to “Forever,” which did okay, but was not renewed for a second season; “Killer Women”( in 2014), which was pulled after just a few airings; and “Lucky 7,” which ran from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2013, before being axed.

“Of Kings and Prophets” received less than lukewarm reviews with Variety‘s Maureen Ryan calling the drama “a messy affair,” before predicting its doomed fate.

“Speaking of prophecy, it’s not difficult to foresee the fate of this mishmash of sword-and-sandals epics and sexy nighttime soaps,” Variety‘s review read. “Given that it was commissioned by ABC’s previous king — er, entertainment president — and given that, under the new regime, the drama is getting a half-hearted midseason roll-out, the destiny of this drama seems clear. ABC was to be commended for trying something far afield of the usual doctor-lawyer-cop formulas, but this dark inversion of the myth-driven ABC show “Once Upon a Time” just doesn’t fulfill its potential. All portents point toward doom.”

“Of Kings” was created by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, and starred Ray Winstone, Olly Rix, Mohammad Bakri, Simone Kessell, Nathaniel Parker, Haaz Sleiman, James Floyd, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Jeanine Mason and David Walmsley.

Source:  msn.com