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‘Chucky’ actor, of horror films, dead at 61: ‘He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films’

Ed Gale, the in-suit performer who played Chucky in the “Child’s Play” films, died Tuesday at the age of 61.

TMZ, citing sources, reports Gale died Tuesday in hospice in Los Angeles. The cause of death was not mentioned.

Gale’s niece, Kayse Gale, posted a tribute to her uncle on Facebook.

“It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife.”

Kayse Gale said her uncle “hitched a ride to California” at 20 years old with just $41 in his pocket.

“He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films like ‘Howard the Duck’ and ‘Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town,’ earning himself some serious street cred at every con he attended. Which he never stopped bragging about. Ever.”

According to Kayse Gale, Ed Gale appeared in more than 130 movies, TV shows and commercials, including “Bones,” “Spaceballs” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

“Ed’s favorite role was that of the “fun uncle,” she continued. “His love language was sharing his love of the entertainment industry and the magic of Hollywood with his nieces.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

General

COVID vaccine change: Shots no longer recommended for 2 groups

Changes in recommendations for who should get COVID vaccines in the U.S. removed two key groups from the list, federal officials said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced that healthy children and healthy pregnant women have been removed from the Centers for Disease Control’s recommended immunization schedule.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a video posted on X. “We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again.”

The change means insurance companies will likely no longer pay for the vaccinations, which had previously been recommended for all Americans age 6 months and older. The annual vaccine is still recommended for people aged 65 and older who have medical conditions that make the virus particularly dangerous or who have never received a COVID vaccine.

The announcement came after the Trump administration made changes that could dramatically restrict availability for the next round of COVID boosters, NRP reported. The government will now require additional testing for vaccines used by anyone other than people who are at high risk from COVID due to age or other health conditions.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet this week to make recommendations on strains that are included in the next round of shots. In recent years, COVID patterns have followed that of the flu with upticks in the winter months.

General

What advice would Kalen DeBoer give his past self about coaching Alabama football?

Just over one year ago, Kalen DeBoer began attending his first SEC spring meetings. The Alabama football coach was less than six months into the job, after he moved from Washington to Tuscaloosa in January of 2024, to replace Nick Saban.

A year later, DeBoer spoke to reporters Tuesday, after a full season on the job, one where the Crimson Tide went 9-4 and missed the College Football Playoff. During his press conference, a reporter asked DeBoer what advice he would give his past self about what was to come.

“I think a lot of it was just the early piece, just understanding what the timing of it was in January,” DeBoer said. “I think that was the hardest part. The season and the ups and downs, I’ve been part of that. I think the first year is always extremely hard because there are going to be things that come your way that you just know are going to be hard to handle. And a lot of times, it’s the wins and losses that I’m talking about.”

Once DeBoer touched down at Tuscaloosa National and rode to the Crimson Tide’s facility, he had to begin work at a breakneck pace. First, the transfer portal was open due to Saban’s retirement, making it open season on UA’s roster.

Then, he had to assemble a staff, and quickly. Before he knew it, spring practice had arrived, then camp, then UA’s first game against Western Kentucky.

“Last year, it didn’t play itself out like you want, but I think a lot of things that came weren’t so farfetched when it came to what you expect a first-year season in the SEC to be at Alabama,” DeBoer said. “It’s going to be a grind. It’s going to test you, as far as staying the course, and just test our team as far as sticking together.

“That’s going to be every year, and it just is on another level, I guess, when you really look at guys leaving the program and not getting an opportunity to bring too many in just because of the timing of when the transition happened.”

The 2024 season was the Crimson Tide’s first without winning 10 games since 2007, Saban’s first year in charge. Alabama fell short of the College Football Playoff, after it lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, as well as Tennessee, then dropped the ReliaQuest Bowl to a Michigan team without many of its starters.

On paper, Alabama might be deeper in 2025, after DeBoer and company had a year to stabilize the roster. The coach said Tuesday that he was expecting improvement.

“We’re in a good spot right now because I think our guys have really found out who wants to be here,” DeBoer said. “They’ve really dug in deep. We’ve got a great mix of upperclassmen that understand what it takes, mixed with some young guys that either got their feet wet last year or are coming in and have been really accepted in a way that they feel appreciated by the guys who have gone through it. So I’m really looking forward to this team, this next 6-8 months.”

General

The new comedy series ‘Adults’ premieres tonight: How to watch, where to stream free

The brand new comedy series Adults premieres on FX Wednesday, May 28 at 9/8c.

Those interested in checking out the latest FX series can stream the show even without access to traditional cable through Fubo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) and Sling (50% off first month).

What is Adults?

Similarly to the hit 90s comedy Friends, Adults centers on a group of twenty-somethings in New York trying to be good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet.

Throughout the eight-episode debut season, the housemates tackle responsibility to varying degrees of success.

Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele star.

How to watch Adults season 1

Those interested in watching the premiere can stream the series through Fubo, DirecTV or Sling.

Fubo and DirecTV offer free trials, while Sling offers those that commit to a paid subscription half off their first month and one month free of AMC+.

What is Fubo and DirecTV?

Fubo and DirecTV are two of the top streaming services steadily replacing traditional cable services. Both offer free trials to new subscribers, a plethora of popular live TV channels, on-demand streaming options and helpful features such as unlimited DVR storage.

Fubo considers itself a sports-focused live streaming service, but with over 100 live TV channels available through its base package at just $84.99 after its free trial, it offers much more to its subscribers.

Popular TV channels available through Fubo include ABC, FOX, BET, MTV, CNBC, MSNBC, USA and much more.

DirecTV mirrors Fubo by offering many of the same live TV channels and useful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNN, BET and much more.

Two other DirecTV packages are the Choice package (original price $114.99) and the Ultimate package (original price $129.99), both of which are part of an ongoing promotion that offers new subscribers $10 off the original price for the first three months of their subscription.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another streaming service to consider if you stream popular TV channels such as FX. Though no free trial is available to new subscribers, those who commit to a paid plan get half off the first month and one month free of AMC+.

Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month, but with the current promotion, Sling users will pay just $23 a month for the first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).

General

Indiana Fever vs Washington Mystics free livestream: How to watch, date, time

The 2025 WNBA continues to move along, with a strong slate of games set for this week. On Wednesday, the Indiana Fever will head to Washington to take on the Mystics. The Fever will be without superstar Caitlin Clark, as she’s expected to miss the next two weeks with a quadriceps strain.

Fans still looking to tune into the Fever vs Mystics game can do so on Fubo, who’s offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Here’s everything you need to know before the Fever and Mystics tipoff:

When: Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Where: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, MD

Time: 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Fans still looking to tune into the Fever vs Mystics game can do so on Fubo, who’s offering a free trial to new subscribers.

General

Pro Bowlers from Alabama still among the NFL’s unsigned players

Wide receiver Amari Cooper has posted seven 1,000-yard seasons and received five Pro Bowl invitations during his 10 NFL seasons. But 11 weeks after he became an unrestricted free agent and with NFL teams winding down their offseason work, the former Alabama All-American remains unsigned.

The five NFL teams that had not started the final phase of their offseason programs are doing so on Wednesday. By June 20, all 32 NFL teams will have completed their offseason work and entered the summer break until spring training.

Cooper isn’t the only player from an Alabama high school or college who became a free agent on March 12 and remains unsigned. Others still in need of a team include:

Running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood)
Guard Lester Cotton (Central-Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville, Auburn)
Offensive lineman Jack Driscoll (Auburn)
Wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing, Miles)
Tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama)
Safety Ronnie Harrison (Alabama)
Offensive tackle Chris Hubbard (UAB)
Defensive end Carl Lawson (Auburn)
Cornerback Christian Matthew (Samford)
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (Auburn)
Defensive end Za’Darius Smith (Greenville)
Tight end C.J. Uzomah (Auburn)
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama)
Linebacker Chandler Wooten (Auburn)

Smith is a 10-year NFL veteran who has been a Pro Bowl selection three times. Wills was the 10th pick in the 2020 draft who is coming off two injury-affected seasons. Hubbard is a 12-year NFL veteran. Abdullah and Uzomah just completed their 10th seasons.

Another set of free agents includes players who had contracts for the 2025 season but have been released this offseason. Players with Alabama football roots in this category include:

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams (Auburn)
Cornerback James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford)
Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (Alabama)
Tight end Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy)
Linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore, Alabama)

Mosley has been a Pro Bowler five times in 10 NFL seasons. Bradberry missed the 2024 season because of injury, but the 2020 Pro Bowler started 124 games in the eight seasons before that.

There is yet another set of free agents who have been on the open market even longer. These are players who finished the 2024 season on practice squads. Each became a free agent a week after his team’s season ended. Players from Alabama high schools and colleges who appeared in regular-season games during 2024 as practice-squad members and remain unsigned for 2025 include:

Linebacker Kwon Alexander (Oxford)
Defensive tackle Angelo Blackson (Auburn)
Fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn)
Linebacker Rashaan Evans (Auburn High, Alabama)
Cornerback Zyon Gilbert (Jeff Davis)
Safety Eddie Jackson (Alabama)
Safety Kareem Jackson (Alabama)
Defensive back Bobby McCain (Oxford)
Linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville)
Tight end John Samuel Shenker (Auburn)

Kareem Jackson is a 15-year veteran who ranks fourth with 205 regular-season games and second with 193 regular-season starts on Alabama’s all-time NFL list.

Eddie Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro with 104 starts in eight seasons.

Alexander, Blackson and McCain are 10-year NFL veterans.

Blasingame and Morrow played for Philadelphia in the Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX last season.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

General

Grocery store chain recalls seafood that may contain ‘life threatening’ allergen

California based Santa Monica Seafood has voluntarily recalled Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing because it may contain undeclared soy, according to a recent release from the company.

“People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy risk a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product,” the release reads.

The products were distributed at Aldi Stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona.

No illnesses linked to the allergen have been reported to date, the release says.

The company advised shoppers to look on the white portion of the label located on the front of the package for the product date code.

If it says to use or freeze by June 2, the release urged buyers to return the product to the store for a full refund.

“The supplier identified the problem during a routine inspection of label proofs from a completed production batch,” the release reads.

“This recall was initiated because the product contains soy, a known allergen, but the packaging does not list it as an ingredient. This labeling error means that individuals with a soy allergy may unknowingly consume the product.”

For questions, shoppers can contact Santa Monica Seafood at 1-800-969-8862, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, the release says.

General

‘Small tornado’ damages NASA building on Redstone Arsenal

A “small tornado” caused severe damage Tuesday evening to a NASA building on Redstone Arsenal but resulted in no injuries, according to the arsenal Garrison.

The incident occurred about 7:30 p.m. as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through the area. Building 4604 at the Marshall Space Flight Center, which is unoccupied, suffered “severe damage to the exterior,” a Garrison news release stated.

“We are grateful that no one was injured during this severe weather event,” Garrison Commander Col. Erin Eike said. “Our team is working diligently to assess the damage and ensure the safety of all personnel.”

The area around Building 4604 has been secured.

Redstone officials are advising personnel to watch for potential hazards and to report any damage or safety concerns to their supervisors or the Directorate of Emergency Services, 256-876-2222.

General

Former Navy SEAL who ran for sheriff is first GOP candidate for Tuberville’s Alabama Senate seat

Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who founded an organization to fight human trafficking, has announced he will run for Tommy Tuberville’s seat in the U.S. Senate.

Hudson’s announcement comes one day after Tuberville said he is running for governor next year instead of reelection to the Senate.

Hudson becomes the first announced candidate for the Republican primary.

“I’ve spent my life taking the fight to America’s enemies,” Hudson said in a press release. “Now it’s time to continue the mission in Washington.

“I’ll be a warrior for President Trump’s America First Agenda.”

Hudson and his wife and three children live in Birmingham. They are active members of their church, the press release said.

Hudson ran for sheriff of Jefferson County in 2022, losing to Sheriff Mark Pettway. Hudson, who was making his first run for office, got 48% of the vote.

Hudson is a graduate of Mortimer Jordan High School. Following graduation, Hudson completed fire college and became a firefighter but said he felt led to join the military.

He served as a SEAL operator with Naval Special Warfare and was deployed multiple times to combat zones including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Foal Eagle.

He served one year as a deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and worked as a reserve deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

He also worked as an investigator with a prosecutor’s office in Indiana and is certified with the Alabama Peace Officer Standard Training Commission.

Hudson, who has his MBA, is CEO of his business, The Shooting Institute, which he founded. Through the institute, he has trained area law enforcement agencies, military personnel and civilians in self-defense.

He and his wife. Lauren, founded the Covenant Rescue Group, which fights human trafficking. Through Covenant Rescue, Hudson and his team train law enforcement agencies and also work with them to carry out human trafficking operations.

Hudson becomes the second candidate in the race, following Kyle Sweetser of Mobile, who announced in April that he would seek the Democratic nomination.

Sweetser is businessman and former two-time Donald Trump voter who bashed the president at last year’s Democratic National Convention.

Potential Republican candidates include Attorney General Steve Marshall, former Congressman Mo Brooks, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, former Congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson, former Secretary of State John Merrill, and former Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis.

General

Alabama shrimp season to begin in state waters at sunrise on Sunday

Bubba had more than 20 ways to cook shrimp in the movie Forrest Gump.

But no matter how you like your shrimp cooked, they’ve first got to be caught. And in Alabama shrimping season begins in coastal waters at sunrise on June 1.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announced Tuesday that the annual season for state waters begins at 6 a.m. Sunday. It will last for nearly seven months, until New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31.

The season begins for all inside waters not permanently closed by Alabama state law or regulation. That includes Mobile Bay, Bon Secour Bay, Mississippi Sound, Perdido Bay, Arnica Bay, Wolf Bay, and Little Lagoon.

ADCNR is reminding live bait dealers holding a permit for special live bat areas that the area beside the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park south of the Tensaw River Bridge will be open from one hour before sunrise until sunset from June 1 to Dec. 31.

The Alabama Gulf Coast is among the more popular shrimping spots in the United States. The Gulf typically accounts for about 70% of the country’s shrimp catch due to the long season that generally runs from June to December.

June through August is considered the peak season when huge numbers of brown shrimp are harvested. White shrimp catches ramp up more in late summer and fall.

The state urges people to call 251-861-2882 for more information.