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☆ George Michael, Willie Nelson among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/FilesFeb 1 (Reuters) - Late pop singer George Michael, 89-year-old country music icon Willie Nelson and rapper Missy Elliott are among the first-time nominees announced on Wednesday for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2023. Of the 14 nominees on this year's list, eight are first-timers, including singers Sheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper and the late singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, alongside rock band Joy Division/New Order and rock duo The White Stripes. Singer Kate Bush, heavy metal band Iron Maiden, rock band Rage Against the Machine, rock group Soundgarden, R&B vocal group The Spinners and hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest are returning nominees. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. She did promise to earn the honor and has announced a forthcoming record with covers of rock classics entitled "Rock Star."

☆ The ChatGPT and generative AI 'gold rush' has founders flocking to San Francisco's 'Cerebral Valley'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Because of pandemic-era closings, San Francisco became somewhat of a ghost town for two years. Now, a race to succeed in the fledgling space of generative AI has founders flocking back. Generative AI takes training data — for instance, a vast corpus of written text — and teaches itself how to produce completely new, unique works. After giving New York a try for several weeks, the generative AI boom picked up. Thomas Maxwell/InsiderPerez said that the sense of urgency to get working on building better AI models comes from how generative AI improves with more data.

☆ Trump sues Bob Woodward and publisher for $50 million over use of his interview recordings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former President Donald Trump sued famed journalist Bob Woodward on Monday over the release of audio recordings of his interviews with Trump, who claims he never agreed to allow those tapes to be sold to the public. The suit seeks $50 million or more which it says is based on an estimate that the audiobook, "The Trump Tapes," sold more than two million copies at $24.99 apiece. Woodward then "decided to exploit, usurp, and capitalize upon President Trump's voice by releasing the Interview Sound Recordings of their interviews with President Trump in the form of an audiobook," the complaint alleges. Woodward interviewed Trump over the phone and in person 19 times between December 2019 and August 2020, according to the lawsuit. Trump sued Woodward, who is one-half of the legendary reporting duo that reported on the Nixon-era Watergate scandal, as he ramps up his 2024 presidential campaign.

☆ Ronaldo's Saudi switch another symbol of Chinese decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Portuguese striker's Saudi Arabia switch following the cancellation of his Manchester United contract has highlighted a shift within Asian football that started before the COVID-19 pandemic and which continues to have a significant impact. With money pouring into clubs often owned by debt-fuelled property developers, the Chinese Super League (CSL) had been enticing an increasing number of leading players and coaches to the country since early last decade. The downturn in Chinese football has spared few. Two-time Asian champions Guangzhou FC, once Chinese football's dominant force, went into decline after their owners, developers China Evergrande, were forced to limit funding after the government restricted borrowing. With attention now squarely focused on the oil-funded riches on offer in a newly assertive Saudi Arabia, Chinese football's lustre has all but disappeared.

☆ TikTok star Randy Gonzalez of Enkyboys dies at 35
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Gina Vivinetto | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father , Randy Gonzalez. The statement went on to thank fans for their “kind words and condolences,” and added that a public memorial for Randy Gonzalez would take place at a later date in Houston. Celebrities commented to share their condolences with the Gonzalez family. In April 2020, Randy Gonzalez announced in a video that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer six months earlier. Lopez paid tribute to Randy Gonzalez Jan. 26 on Instagram, writing, “My sincerest condolences to Brice and the entire Gonzalez family.

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YouTube, Arizona State University and "Crash Course" — the popular educational YouTube channel founded by vloggers Hank and John Green — on Tuesday announced the launch of Study Hall, a pathway to college credit and higher education resource. Study Hall provides guides about the college selection and admissions process, as well as foundational courses that students can receive college credit for. Hank Green said the idea for Study Hall came after years brainstorming solutions for the student loan debt crisis. Study Hall provides free access to four YouTube courses that cover subjects that are typically taken during early college years. YouTube wants to improve on the experience for learners on the platform without "breaking the magic" of informal YouTube education content, Kurtz said.

☆ 'Heartbreaking', Woodbridge bemoans Wimbledon doubles decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Nine-times Wimbledon men's doubles champion Todd Woodbridge said on Thursday it was "heartbreaking" to hear the All England Club had made the decision to cut the event to best-of-three sets rather than five from this year. "Five sets lets the best team win generally in that situation." Woodbridge won six Wimbledon men's doubles titles with compatriot Mark Woodforde in the duo known as the "Woodies" before teaming up with Swede Bjorkman for another three. American Mike Bryan, who with sibling Bob formed the most successful professional doubles team of all time, also bemoaned the decision. The 2022 Wimbledon men's doubles final took more than four hours to complete with Australian duo Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beating Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic over five sets.

☆ StoryCo and 'Halo' showrunner team up to launch 'Disco Ball,' a blockchain-based immersive story that's a model for Hollywood's move into Web3
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The blockchain-based creative platform StoryCo is launching a new immersive storytelling concept. People who sign up for a StoryPass (an NFT) can collect digital art and have creative control over "The Disco Ball." StoryCo just raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by VC firms Collab + Currency and Patron. At the end of "Disco Ball," NFT holders "will assume control over the infinitely expanding Disco Ball universe." Half of all net revenue from projects like "Disco Ball" would then be split among the treasury's members after its story writers and creators are compensated.

☆ Read the 15-page pitch deck that raised $6 million for StoryCo, a blockchain-based platform that links Hollywood creatives directly with fans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

StoryCo founders Justin and J.P. Alanis are part of a wave of entrepreneurs building blockchain-based storytelling platforms. StoryCo raised a $6 million seed round from Web3-focused VC firms and Hollywood insiders. In other words, Hollywood studios have been gatekeepers to content — and profits — for far too long. StoryCo is one of several startups that see blockchain and Web3 technology creating big new opportunities for TV and film creatives. Passholders will have access to a project's treasury, which will include NFT sales, IP licensing revenue, and royalties.

☆ ‘Sesame Street’ co-creator Lloyd Morrisett dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

"Sesame Street" co-creator Lloyd Morrisett has died, Sesame Workshop announced on Monday. Morrisett co-founded the Children’s Television Workshop with his close friend and fellow “Sesame Street” creator Joan Ganz Cooney in 1968, where he continued to serve as chairman of the workshop board until 2000. Thus, they created “Sesame Street” in 1969. After famously spawning the hit children’s series, the Children’s Television Workshop was later renamed as Sesame Workshop. “Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no ‘Sesame Street.’ It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers.

☆ George Santos says he's undecided on whether he'll vote to kick Ilhan Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The GOP wants to remove Ilhan Omar from a committee over years-old comments seen as anti-Semitic. George Santos, who has lied about being the Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors, is undecided. As he boarded an elevator, Santos re-affirmed that he hadn't decided how he would vote on Omar. Omar apologized at the time, and on Wednesday, she called the effort to remove her from the committee was a "political stunt." Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) January 25, 2023

☆ Trump missed an entire day of his golf club's senior championship tournament but claimed victory anyway
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump claimed victory in a senior golf tournament, despite missing the first round of the competition. He was paying his respects to Diamond of "Diamond and Silk" on the first day of the tournament. Trump, whose company owns the course, was able to substitute in a previous score. "In addition to being an excellent golfer, President Trump is an even better human being," Chung said in a statement to the publication. Trump's golf prowess has also been called into question.

☆ Panic! At The Disco breaks up as the lead singer shares personal news
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Anna Kaplan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

At The Disco is calling it quits after nearly 20 years, the pop-punk group’s lead singer, Brendon Urie, announced Tuesday. So many places all over the world, and all the friends we’ve made along the way,” Urie wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. At The Disco will be no more.”The singer thanked the band’s fans for their support over the years. Smith officially left the band in 2015, according to Variety, effectively making Panic! At The Disco, including the band’s seventh studio album, “Viva Las Vengeance” last year.

☆ Asian actors and filmmakers dominate Oscar nominations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Asian American-led projects have been the standouts at this year’s award shows, and the Academy Awards nominations, which were announced Tuesday, were no different. Golden Globe-winning stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were also nominated for best actress and best supporting actor, respectively. Stephanie Hsu, who played Yeoh’s daughter, Joy, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Deirdre, an IRS inspector, were also nominated for best supporting actress. The film was also nominated for best picture, best costume design, best original screenplay, best original score, best film editing and best original song. “Then along came the best gift: ‘Everything, Everywhere All at Once.’”Hong Chau, who plays Liz in A24’s “The Whale” with Brendan Fraser, was also nominated for best supporting actress.

☆ Trump supporter ‘Diamond’ died of heart disease, death certificate says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

RALEIGH, N.C. — Lynette Hardaway, a zealous supporter of former President Donald Trump whose death had prompted widespread speculation over its cause, died earlier this month of a heart condition, according to a death certificate obtained Monday by The Associated Press. Known by the stage name “Diamond” of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk, Hardaway, 51, died Jan. 8 of heart disease caused by chronic high blood pressure. Hardaway and her sister, Rochelle “Silk” Richardson, found internet stardom as Black women who ardently backed Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. The cause of Hardaway’s death, which was not released by the family, had become a topic of broad speculation. Joined on stage at the memorial by Trump, Richardson said her sister died after returning to her North Carolina home from a relative’s birthday celebration.

☆ Kim Kardashian's Skims campaign with 'The White Lotus' breakout stars shows the power of pop culture in marketing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand, Skims, launched a campaign with stars of "The White Lotus." Watson added that with this campaign, Skims is leveraging characters who are both relatable and aspirational to evoke that perception of the products. Here's why the latest Skims campaign works and what other business owners can learn for their brand marketing, according to Watson. For fans of 'The White Lotus,' we feel this source of pride, like 'here's our friend getting a platform.'" "You're not going to be able to emulate the reach of Kim Kardashian overnight," he said.

☆ An Apple a day could keep the layoffs away
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For many tech workers, however, this Lunar New Year was tainted with layoff anxiety. Apple is the only Big Tech company that hasn't conducted sweeping layoffs recently. Apple has long been a lone wolf among its Big Tech peers. The chart above shows how more tech workers were laid off in January 2023 than during the first half of 2022 combined. Read four of the memos in full here, from Google Chrome, Google Cloud, Google UK, and its Europe, the Middle East, and Africa offices.

☆ 2 Illinois EMS workers charged with murder in death of patient strapped to stretcher appear in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The two EMS workers accused of killing a Springfield, Illinois, man in their care who died last month after they transported him strapped tightly facedown on a stretcher pleaded not guilty. Peter J. Cadigan, 50, and Peggy J. Finley, 44, were charged with murder on Jan. 9 in the death of Earl Moore, Jr., 35, on Dec. 18. Moore died shortly after the EMS workers placed him on a stretcher in the prone position with tightened straps placed on his back and lower body, Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright said. The duo appeared in Sangamon County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing Friday morningBoth were being held in the Sangamon County jail on bail of $1 million each. “When you look at that video, they offer no humanity to Earl Moore Jr. And that’s why this case is so unique,” Crump said at a news conference Thursday.

The Sundance Film Festival has long been known for premiering some of the most original — and ultimately the most award-winning — indie titles of the year. As the most notable international film festivals increasingly feature queer titles in their lineups, it’s no surprise that much of the exciting content premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival comes from LGBTQ filmmakers or features queer themes. The Premieres sectionAs usual, many of the year’s most high-profile films, including those from queer creators and featuring queer storylines, are coming out of the festival’s Premieres section. Courtesy of Sundance InstituteEnglert’s film will screen in the world cinema dramatic section alongside queer films “Girl,” from U.K. filmmaker Adura Onashile, and “Mamacruz,” from Spanish director Patricia Ortega. The list of LGBTQ creators and titles doesn’t end there, making this perhaps the most significant Sundance Film Festival for queer cinema yet.

☆ How Holly Thaggard and Amanda Baldwin, Supergoop's founder and CEO, structure their daily routines running a multi-million dollar skincare company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Amanda Baldwin joined forces with Holly Thaggard and Supergoop in 2016. Supergoop sells sunscreen to makeup, with a focus on making SPF a part of daily life. Courtesy of SupergoopThaggard starts the day with Pilates, while Baldwin starts with pancakes. Though the Supergoop founder and its CEO, respectively, have different morning routines, they structure their days based on their productivity patterns and priorities, they told Insider. "We're so aligned on what we're trying to achieve, but we have very different lives," said Baldwin, who joined the skincare and sunscreen company as its CEO in 2016, nine years after Thaggard launched the business.

☆ Disney investors pay twice for half-leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) poor succession planning is costing its shareholders twice over. That takes Disney to $60 million in total pay for the duo. Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), a fraction of Disney’s size, awarded its boss David Zaslav a $247 million compensation package in 2021. For the 2023 fiscal year, his target compensation package in 2023 is approximately $28 million. Disney urged shareholders to vote for its slate of directors at the company’s upcoming annual meeting.

☆ Breakingviews: Disney investors pay twice for half-leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) poor succession planning is costing its shareholders twice over. That takes Disney to $60 million in total pay for the duo. Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), a fraction of Disney’s size, awarded its boss David Zaslav a $247 million compensation package in 2021. For the 2023 fiscal year, his target compensation package in 2023 is approximately $28 million. Activist investor Nelson Peltz, through his company Trian Fund Management, has challenged Disney by seeking a seat on the board.

☆ In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It's time for everyone to take Fridays off.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Molly Lipson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The results of the new report were unequivocal: The four-day workweek was better for everyone. And nearly all of the 495 employees involved in the trial wanted to maintain the four-day working week. The 4 Day Week trial found that participants spent an hour less time commuting than before the trial. A four-day week also provides vast improvements in well-being, life satisfaction, and sleep for women. As companies continue to grapple with attracting and retaining staff, the four-day week could be a relatively simple solution.

☆ Montana man who took his juvenile son on 3-day road trip to the US Capitol for Jan. 6 is arrested and charged
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Montana man who prosecutors say brought his son to the Capitol attack was arrested earlier this month. Prosecutors said O'Brien and his son drove from Montana to DC over the course of three days. Prosecutors said O'Brien and his young son, whose age was not specified, took a road trip to reach the nation's Capitol in time for the insurrection. The duo traveled 39 hours over the course of three days to reach DC, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Security and surveillance footage from the Capitol caught O'Brien and his son inside the building on Jan. 6, according to prosecutors.

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