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Growing Pains Star and TV Host Alan Thicke Dies at 69

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Dec 13 23:21 – CP_PB – The Canadian Press

Alan Thicke, a versatile performer who gained his greatest renown

as the beloved dad on a long-running sitcom, has died at age 69.

Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke’s son, singer

Robin Thicke, said the actor died from a heart attack on Tuesday in

Los Angeles. She had no further details.

Thicke was a Canadian-born TV host, writer, composer and actor

well-known in his homeland before making his name in the United

States, most notably with the ABC series “Growing Pains.”

On that comedy, which aired from 1985 to 1992, Thicke played Dr.

Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and father-knows-best who moved his

practice into his home so his wife could go back to work as a

reporter. Along with his clients, he had three (later four) kids

under foot, including his oldest son, Mike, played by breakout

heart-throb Kirk Cameron, who served as a constant source of comedic

trouble for the family.

Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1947, Thicke was nominated for three

Emmy Awards for his work in the late 1970s as a writer for Barry

Manilow’s talk show, and later for a satirical take on the genre in

the variety show “America 2-Night.”

He composed several popular theme songs, including the original

theme for “The Wheel of Fortune” and other shows including “The

Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.”

Perhaps his boldest assault on the U.S. market was as a virtual

unknown taking on the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson. “Thicke of

the Night” was a syndicated talk-music-and-comedy show meant to go

head-to-head against NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny

Carson.”

It premiered in September 1983 with great fanfare, boasting an

innovative format and regulars including Richard Belzer, Arsenio

Hall, Gilbert Gottfried and Fred Willard. But all too quickly, it

was evident that Carson wasn’t going to be dethroned, and the

ambitious “Thicke” disappeared into the night after one season.

In the 1990s and beyond, Thicke stayed busy as a celebrity TV

host and with guest shots on dozens of series, including “How I Met

Your Mother” and, this year, the Netflix series “Fuller House”

and the NBC drama “This Is Us.”

Celebrities who had crossed paths with Thicke, whether through

music, acting or simply as friends, expressed their sorrow at news

of his death.

“I grew up watching him and got to know him through Robin. He

was always so kind to me,” John Legend posted on Twitter.

“You were a part of my family and hockey family. You will be

greatly missed. My heart hurts,” Candace Cameron Bure tweeted.

“RIP dear friend and gentleman,” posted Marlee Matlin.

Thicke’s fellow Canadians also responded quickly.

William Shatner tweeted that he was saddened by his friend’s

loss, and singer Anne Murray’s Twitter post said she was “shocked

and devastated,” recalling him as a friend as well as a writer and

producer of many of her TV specials.

The Edmonton Oilers also weighed in.

“RIP to one of the great ones, Alan Thicke,” was posted on the

hockey team’s website, with a photo of a young Thicke and Wayne

Gretzky on the ice.

Like any good Canadian, Thicke was a hockey fan, frequently

attending LA Kings games. He took credit for introducing the sport

to celebrity friends.

He began playing at age 5, but acknowledged he wasn’t very good

at it.

“You were expected to play,” he said in 1998. “I was never

good enough for the big time, but I always had fun at it.”

In 2003, Thicke received 30 stitches and lost five teeth after he

was struck by a puck while practicing for a celebrity fundraising

hockey game. “I won’t be playing any leading men roles in the next

couple of months,” he joked after the accident.

He had the satisfaction of seeing his musical skills passed down

to son Robin, a successful singer-songwriter and producer who, with

brother Brennan, was born to Thicke and the first of his three

wives, Gloria Loring.

In an email, Loring described Thicke’s passing as “a shock. We

were all just together for Thanksgiving. He was funny, talented and

deeply devoted to his family.”

Thicke also leaves a son, Carter, from his marriage to second

wife Gina Tolleson. He had been married to Tanya Callau since 2005.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and AP

Music Writer Mefin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

_____

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and AP

Music Writer Mefin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

President Todayville Inc., Honorary Colonel 41 Signal Regiment, Board Member Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award Foundation, Director Canadian Forces Liaison Council (Alberta) musician, photographer, former VP/GM CTV Edmonton.

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Pedro Pascal launches attack on J.K. Rowling over biological sex views

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Quick Hit:

Pedro Pascal, star of HBO’s The Last of Us, ignited backlash this week after publicly hurling an expletive-laced insult at author J.K. Rowling in response to her support for a landmark UK ruling that upheld the legal definition of sex as biological. Rowling celebrated the decision, which affirms the rights of women to single-sex spaces—a view shared by many who advocate for the safety and integrity of women’s rights. Pascal, a vocal progressive and LGBTQ+ activist, labeled Rowling a “heinous loser,” aligning himself with calls to boycott HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot.

Key Details:

  • Pedro Pascal responded on Instagram to Rowling’s post celebrating a UK court ruling that legally defined “sex” as biological.

  • Pascal echoed an activist’s call for a fan-led boycott of the Harry Potter reboot, saying Rowling’s stance was “heinous LOSER behavior.”

  • HBO has downplayed concerns of a boycott, citing the blockbuster success of Hogwarts Legacy despite similar activist campaigns.

Diving Deeper:

The latest clash in the culture war surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and the trans activist movement reached a new level of hostility this week when actor Pedro Pascal, a key face of HBO’s entertainment slate, stooped to name-calling on social media. His remarks came in response to Rowling’s defense of the United Kingdom’s recent court decision, which reaffirmed that sex, under British law, means biological sex—a ruling many women’s rights advocates hailed as a long-overdue step toward protecting vulnerable female spaces such as shelters, hospital wards, and sports.

Rowling, whose views on the importance of distinguishing biological sex from gender identity have made her a target of trans activists for years, posted a pointed but unapologetic reaction: “I love it when a plan comes together.” She added, “I get the same royalties whether you read [my books] or burn them. Enjoy your marshmallows!”

In the comments of a post by activist Tariq Ra’ouf—who had attacked Rowling and promoted a boycott of HBO’s Harry Potter reboot—Pascal added his own vulgar commentary: “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.” While Pascal did not explicitly mention Harry Potter, the post he endorsed included calls to tank all future franchise content, including theme parks and merchandise.

Pascal’s involvement with HBO places the network in a difficult position. As the Emmy-nominated co-lead of The Last of Us, one of HBO’s crown jewels, Pascal’s comments are being widely interpreted as an implicit endorsement of the boycott. While HBO has attempted to downplay the activist push, the tension is palpable. Casey Bloys, HBO’s chief content officer, previously noted that the 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy, which also faced calls for boycotts due to Rowling’s views, still became the year’s top-selling game.

Pascal’s activism is personal as well as political. His sister, Lux Pascal, publicly transitioned in 2021, and he has frequently signaled support for trans activism. At the UK premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts, Pascal wore a shirt that read “Protect the Dolls,” a slogan popularized in trans activist circles.

Rather than “heinous,” Rowling’s remarks represent a reasoned defense of biological reality and a pushback against an increasingly aggressive ideology that demands conformity and punishes dissent. Her critics, like Pascal, resort to vulgarity and character attacks instead of engaging with the substance of her argument. But Rowling has stood firm in supporting women’s rights and advocating for clarity in laws that impact everything from sports to safety in single-sex spaces—positions grounded in truth, not hate.

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California planning to double film tax credits amid industry decline

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California legislators have unveiled a bill to follow through with the governor’s plan of more than doubling the state’s film and TV production tax credits to $750 million.

The state’s own analysis warns it’s likely the refundable production credits generate only 20 to 50 cents of state revenue for every dollar the state spends, and the increase could stoke a “race to the bottom” among the 38 states that now have such programs.

Industry insiders say the state’s high production costs are to blame for much of the exodus, and experts say the cost of housing is responsible for a significant share of the higher costs.

The bill creates a special carve-out for shooting in Los Angeles, where productions would be able to claim refundable credits for 35% of the cost of production.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his proposal last year and highlighted his goal of expanding the program at an industry event last week.

“California is the entertainment capital of the world – and we’re committed to ensuring we stay that way,” said Newsom. “Fashion and film go hand in hand, helping to express characters, capture eras in time and reflect cultural movements.”

With most states now offering production credits, economic analysis suggests these programs now produce state revenue well below the cost of the credits themselves.

“A recent study from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation found that each $1 of Program 2.0 credit results in $1.07 in new state and local government revenue. This finding, however, is significantly overstated due to the study’s use of implausible assumptions,” wrote the state’s analysts in a 2023 report. “Most importantly, the study assumes that no productions receiving tax credits would have filmed here in the absence of the credit.”

“This is out of line with economic research discussed above which suggests tax credits influence location decisions of only a portion of recipients,” continued the state analysis. “Two studies that better reflect this research finding suggest that each $1 of film credit results in $0.20 to $0.50 of state revenues.”

“Parks and Recreation” stars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott recently shared on Lowe’s podcast how costs are so high their show likely would have been shot in Europe instead.

“It’s cheaper to bring 100 American people to Ireland than to walk across the lot at Fox past the sound stages and do it and do it there,” said Lowe.

“Do you think if we shot ‘Parks’ right now, we would be in Budapest?” asked Scott, who now stars in “Severance.”

“100%,” replied Lowe. “All those other places are offering 40% — forty percent — and then on top of that there’s other stuff that they do, and then that’s not even talking about the union stuff. That’s just tax economics of it all.”

“It’s criminal what California and LA have let happen. It’s criminal,” continued Lowe. “Everybody should be fired.”

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, housing is the single largest expense for California households.

“Across the income spectrum, 35–44% of household expenditures go to covering rent, mortgages, utilities and home maintenance,” wrote PPIC.

The cost of housing due to supply constraints now makes it nearly impossible for creatives to get their start in LA, said M. Nolan Gray, legislative director at housing regulatory reform organization California YIMBY.

“Hollywood depends on Los Angeles being the place where anybody can show up, take a big risk, and pursue their dreams, and that only works if you have a lot of affordable apartments,” said Gray to The Center Square. “We’ve built a Los Angeles where you have to be fabulously wealthy to have stable and decent housing, and as a result a lot of folks either are not coming, or those who are coming need to paid quite a bit higher to make it worth it, and it’s destroying one of California’s most important industries.”

“Anybody who arrived in Hollywood before the 2010s, their story is always, ‘Yeah, I showed up in LA, and I lived in a really, really  dirt-cheap apartment with like $10 in my pocket.’ That just doesn’t exist anymore,” continued Gray. “Does the Walt Disney of 2025 not take the train from Kansas City to LA? Almost certainly not. If he goes anywhere, he goes to Atlanta.”

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