September 15, 2015

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Entertainment September 15, 2015

Today In Movie Culture: Idris Elba in 'Spectre,' Eric Stoltz Still in 'Back to the Future' and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Dream Recast Movie of the Day:

Here you are, everyone who wants to see what Idris Elba would be like as James Bond, specifically in the upcoming Spectre:

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Replaced Actor of the Day:

Eric Stoltz was famously Marty McFly for four weeks before he was let go from starring in Back to the Future, but here’s video evidence that he wasn’t erased completely from the movie (via Geek Tyrant):

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Movie Takedown of the Day:

Furious 7 is out on DVD and Blu-ray today, so Honest Trailers ran over it and whacked it about with a tire iron:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

With news that Disney is making a Mary Poppins sequel, here’s a look at the original being made with Julie Andrews and a little friend:

Adorable Star Wars Cosplay of the Day:

Little girls are already finding great new role models in Star Wars: The Force Awakens characters, this one in Rey (via Fashionably Geek):

Adorable Star Wars Toy Purchase of the Day:

And here’s another little girl excited about another new female character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (via Gabbing Geek):

I have to say, hearing her shout “it’s the girl stormtrooper!” was pretty cool #StarWarsTheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/Hy7wB7TIOL

— Eric Alt (@Eric_Alt) September 13, 2015

Movie Character Conference Call #1:

A bunch of movie characters, including Rambo, Ferris Bueller, Jason Bourne, Ron Burgandy and Marty McFly all seem to be on a party line in this phone call supercut:

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Movie Character Conference Call #2:

Coincidentally, there’s another brand new supercut of movie characters seeming to be on the same call, and it includes many of the same people, plus E.T. (via Cinematic Montage Creators):

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Fan Art of the Day:

Why should recent movies be the only ones with Lego re-creations? Here’s one for Harold Lloyd‘s Safety Last (via Holmfirth Silents):

Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Hackers, the cult classic starring a young Angelina Jolie. Watch the original trailer below.

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Business September 15, 2015

Giving More Workers Overtime Could Have Downsides, Employers Say

New federal rules would make millions more workers eligible for overtime.
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New federal rules would make millions more workers eligible for overtime. Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption

itoggle caption Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images

The Labor Department is considering changing rules that define who qualifies for overtime pay and who does not, and businesses say it would have far-reaching consequences that may not be good for workers.

Currently, the rules say you have to make less than $23,660 a year to be eligible for overtime, but the Labor Department’s proposal would more than double that required salary level to $50,440. That would mean an estimated 6 million more people would be eligible for overtime pay.

Worker advocates say the current rules open up millions of workers to abuse. Many earn relatively low salaries but are asked to work many extra hours without pay because they’re exempt from overtime rules, says Vicki Shabo, vice president of the National Partnership for Women and Families. She says some research shows women, who would make up about 3.2 million of those workers, would especially benefit.

“Either people will get an increase in their wages and will be paid for the overtime hours that they’re working, or they won’t be forced to work overtime hours without pay anymore, and they’ll be able to spend more time taking care of their other responsibilities in life,” Shabo says.

But employers do not believe it would be a windfall for workers. They say they will be forced to cut costs in other ways if the proposed rules take effect as written — and that workers may not like those changes.

The Michigan Health and Hospital Association employs 107 people, more than half of whom are currently salaried, and some of whom put in extra hours, especially during emergencies.

“It only takes one bus accident, or one fire or something like the Ebola crisis,” says Nancy McKeague, chief of human resources.

She says her nonprofit can’t afford overtime, but it also can’t forgo having people work as needed.

“The last thing you want to do in the health care setting is to look at your watch and say, ‘You got your eight [hours], you’re out,’ ” she says.

McKeague says more work will fall to managers. The rules will also require her to review tasks associated with every job to see whether the position qualifies for overtime. Plus, she’ll have to spend more administrative time on things like clocking employees in and out.

Cecilia Boudreaux is human resources director for the Regina Coeli Child Development Center, a Head Start program in Robert, La. Under the new rules, Boudreaux says, 26 of her 35 salaried employees would qualify for overtime pay, in the event of a building emergency or if a parent is late for pickup. But increasing salaries would cost at least $74,000 extra a year — meaning she’d have to cut costs elsewhere.

“Our grants stipulate how many children we have to have per classroom, so even to increase it we’d have to get permission,” she says.

Boudreaux says she’d have to furlough employees. Or convert some salaried positions to hourly, then cut the hourly rate, which she dreads doing.

“Who would want to come to work the following day, saying that ‘We have to move you to hourly, and oh, by the way you’re not gonna make as much as you would make normally. You have to work this minimum number of hours if you want to still make the same amount,’ ” she says.

Tony Murray, HR director for Diamond B Construction, also based in Louisiana, says many workers would consider going from salaried to hourly a demotion.

“When I was younger, all I [wanted] to do was get to a salaried position just simply because you knew what was going to be coming in each week and you did have the flexibility,” he says, including the ability to go to soccer tournaments or work late to make up for doctor’s appointments. Murray says under the new rules, those converted back to hourly status wouldn’t be able to do that.

“Millennials take into account more than anything workplace flexibility,” he says. “And of course who do you think is in that entry-level management … millennials more than anything.”

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Entertainment September 15, 2015

A.R. Rahman Responds To Fatwa Issued For 'Muhammad' Biopic

Indian composer A.R. Rahman performing in Mumbai in February 2014.

Indian composer A.R. Rahman performing in Mumbai in February 2014. STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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A big-budget Iranian biopic depicting the childhood of the Prophet Muhammad has already faced a fair amount of backlash. But now the film’s director and its composer — the hugely popular Indian musician A.R. Rahman — have had a fatwa, or religious edict, issued against them by the Raza Academy, a Mumbai-based Sunni Muslim organization.

The director of Muhammad: The Messenger of God is Iran’s Majid Majidi, who has released this as the first in a planned trilogy chronicling Muhammad’s life. According to the BBC, the Raza Academy has also asked the Indian government to ban the film, which cost a reported $40 million to make. It was released in Iran and was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival in August.

In its fatwa, the Raza Academy says that both Majidi and Rahman must recite the kalimas, or professions of Muslim belief, and repeat their marriage ceremonies — in essence, reestablish themselves as Muslims. The film project has also been denounced by Al-Azhar University in Cairo, according to the Guardian in the U.K.

Outside the Muslim world, a fatwa is often misinterpreted as a threat of violence, particularly after the infamous fatwa issued against author Salman Rushdie following the publication of his book The Satanic Verses in 1988. However, a fatwa is supposed to be no more than an edict issued by a religious scholar, ranging from matters mundane to profound, and is not necessarily linked to negative action. (For example, one prominent Muslim cleric issued a fatwa against ISIS last year.)

However, the Raza Academy has been linked to violence in the past. In 2012, protests in Mumbai that were alleged to have been organized by the Raza Academy turned violent; two people died and 54 were hurt in the rioting that ensued.

Rahman, also a singer and instrumentalist, has become one of the world’s most popular artists. He is known primarily in the West for his Oscar-winning score to the film Slumdog Millionaire (and the ensuing hit single version of his song “Jai Ho,” a collaboration with The Pussycat Dolls). He is a massive superstar in other parts of the world, primarily for his scores to movies not just from Bollywood, but in several regional Indian film markets, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada-language movies. As of 2009, he had written some 130 film scores and reputedly sold more than 100 million records worldwide (though that number is hard to track, given widespread music piracy across South Asia).

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Rahman converted to Islam in the late 1980s and identifies as a Sufi, following a path within the Muslim faith that emphasizes a personal, mystical connection with the divine. In a 2006 interview I did with the composer for the now-defunct Global Rhythm magazine, Rahman told me: “Sufism is of course about the love for God, and that love above everything else. Whatever comes in between us, we must release. Music connects that love with God, and Sufism in turn connects music with God. I also believe that music has healing qualities, and that it can heal hatred and so many of the world’s other ills.”

After the Raza Academy’s objections became public, Rahman posted a lengthy letter that he distributed Monday via his official Facebook page. In it he responds directly as a practicing Muslim himself, including quotes from the Quran as well as attaching honorific phrases to the names of God and of Muhammad.

“I didn’t direct or produce the movie ‘Muhammad (PBUH), Messenger of God,'” he wrote. “I just did the music. My spiritual experiences of working on the film are very personal and I would prefer not to share these.” (PBUH is an English abbreviation of the Arabic phrase “Alayhi as-salaam” or “Peace be upon him,” a traditional phrase that follows mention of the Muslim prophets.)

But, as Rahman continues:

“What, and if, I had the good fortune of facing Allah (Sbt), and He were to ask me on Judgment Day:

“‘I gave you faith, talent, money, fame and health … why did you not do music for my Beloved Muhammad (sals) film? A film whose intention is to unite humanity, clear misconceptions and spread my message that life is about kindness, about uplifting the poor, and living in the service of humanity and not mercilessly killing innocents in my name.’ …

“Let us set a precedent in clearing conflict with grace and dignity and not trigger violence in words or actions.”

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Health September 15, 2015

Small Changes By Employers Can Raise Workers' Health Costs

It may be harder for some employees to qualify for wellness incentives at work.

It may be harder for some employees to qualify for wellness incentives at work. Gillian Blease/Ikon Images/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Gillian Blease/Ikon Images/Corbis

During the open enrollment period for health insurance this fall, workers who get health coverage on the job may not see huge premium increases, significant hikes to deductibles or other out-of-pocket expenses. But there may be other less obvious changes that could make a real difference in coverage or costs, benefits consultants say.

Employers are focusing more sharply on employee wellness. And some employers are raising the bar for workers to qualify for incentives, says Tracy Watts, senior partner at human resources consultant Mercer.

Some employers have offered cash incentives, made deposits into health savings accounts or given workers breaks on premiums if they filled out an assessment of their health risks. But it’s becoming more common, Watts said, for employers to tie the incentives to requirements that workers participate in biometric screening, such as measuring workers’ blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar levels to ensure they’re within recommended ranges.

Likewise, some employers that had already moved to require biometric screening to earn financial rewards are now moving to limit those perks to people who’ve achieved target levels or who are working with a health coach to get there.

Premium increases for dependents, especially spouses who have health insurance available through their own jobs, are likely to be higher next year than for employee-only coverage.

“If employee-only coverage is going up 5 percent, coverage for the spouse and maybe the family is going up 10 percent,” says Randall Abbott, a senior consultant at Towers Watson.

As workers evaluate their plan offerings, one key area to check is coverage of specialty prescriptions, pricey drugs that often require special handling or administration and are typically used to treat complex conditions such as cancer, hepatitis C or multiple sclerosis. Biologic drugs derived from living cells are often considered specialty drugs. Specialty drugs currently account for about one-third of total drug spending in the U.S., and that figure could increase to half by 2018, according to a report published in August by the Congressional Research Service.

Health plans’ strategies to contain specialty drug spending may make it tougher for consumers to access them. “We’re seeing acute attention to prescription drugs, especially specialty drugs,” says Abbott.

In addition, some employers have been ratcheting back generous health benefits and shifting more costs to workers in anticipation of the so-called Cadillac tax on health plans with generous benefits.

Under the law, employee health benefits that exceed $10,200 for single-coverage and $27,500 for family coverage in 2018 will trigger a health plan excise tax of 40 percent on the amounts over those thresholds.

Delving into coverage details may not be the formidable task it once was because employers and insurers increasingly are making tools available that help workers evaluate and compare plans.

And the effort can be worthwhile. “Even if you’re planning on staying with the same plan, that plan may be changing,” says Craig Rosenberg, who leads the health and welfare benefits administration practice at Aon Hewitt. What’s more, he says, “your health may be changing, and maybe the best health plan for you has changed.”

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