Actor Christopher Plummer Dies at 91
Christopher Plummer, who won an Oscar, two Tonys and two Emmys but was best known as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music," died on Friday at the age of 91.
His wife, Elaine Taylor, said Plummer's death came as the result of a hit to the head during a fall, The New York Times reported.
The Canadian-born Plummer considered himself first and foremost a Shakespearean actor, playing the leads in Hamlet, MacBeth, Richard III and other classics on premier stages around the world.
In its obituary, the Times said he, "had immense and myriad natural gifts: a leading man's face and figure; a slightly aloof mien that betrayed supreme confidence, if not outright self-regard; an understated athletic grace; a sonorous [not to say plummy] speaking voice; and exquisite diction."
Plummer was of course best known as the stern but ultimately lovelorn suitor to a young Julie Andrews in perhaps one of the most beloved films of all time, "The Sound of Music." Plummer hated the film, nicknaming it "The Sound of Mucus."
"That sentimental stuff is the most difficult for me to play, especially because I'm trained vocally and physically for Shakespeare," Plummer told People magazine in 1982. "To do a lousy part like von Trapp, you have to use every trick you know to fill the empty carcass of the role. That damn movie follows me around like an albatross."
J&J Seeks Emergency Approval of Single-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine
The world's first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use approval.
Preliminary findings from a large international study suggest the vaccine isn't quite as strong as the two current FDA-approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are two-dose vaccines, the Associated Press reported.
However, the J&J vaccine is easier to use and could ease COVID-19 vaccine shortages.
An FDA advisory panel will review data on the new vaccine on Feb. 26. The FDA will then decide whether to approve it.
FDA Vaccine Chief Dr. Peter Marks has cautioned against making comparisons between vaccines before all of the evidence is collected.
"With so much need to get this pandemic under control, I think we can't ignore any tool in the tool chest," he told the American Medical Association last week, the AP reported. "We will have to do our best to try to make sure that we find the populations that benefit the most from each of these vaccines and deploy them in a very thoughtful manner."
The J&J vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and 85% protective against the most serious symptoms, according to early results of the clinical trial that included 44,000 people in the United States, Latin America and South Africa, the AP reported.
And starting 28 days after receiving the vaccine, no one who got it required hospitalization or died.
Lawsuit Launched Over Color Additive Used in Impossible Burgers
Too little testing was done before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a genetically-engineered color additive that makes Impossible Foods' vegan burgers appear to "bleed" like real meat, the U.S. Center for Food Safety claims.
In court documents filed last week, the nonprofit food advocacy group is challenging the FDA's 2019 approval of soy leghemoglobin, CBS News reported.
It's a so-called "heme" colorant that's produced in genetically engineered yeast and used in Impossible Foods' plant-based burgers.
"Because [genetically engineered] heme is new to the human diet, and substantial quantities are added to the Impossible Burger, FDA should have required extensive safety testing before approving its use as a color additive, as required by law," the Center for Food Safety said in a statement.
The FDA approved the substance without long-term animal studies to assess potential risks such as cancer and reproductive harm, according to Bill Freese, the center's science policy analyst, CBS News reported.
"We find this to be all the more troubling because a number of potential adverse effects were detected in a short-term rat trial: disruption of reproductive cycles and reduced uterine weights in females, and biomarkers of anemia, reduced clotting ability, and kidney problems," Freese said.
An FDA spokesperson said the agency does not comment on possible, pending or ongoing litigation.
An Impossible Foods spokesperson said that all of its products had "undergone rigorous safety testing and meet or exceed all relevant federal requirements," CBS News reported.
