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☆ Silicon Valley Founders and VCs Are Making Sobriety Popular
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sellers is among a growing contingent in the tech community that's going alcohol-free. From founders to investors, members of the startup community are eschewing booze in the name of staying sharp — and healthy. "About six months ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy.

☆ Surprises, snubs and a watershed moment that wasn’t.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Scott Heller | Alexis Soloski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Not everyone can wake up to good news on Tony nominations morning. Then again, with a panel of voters often un-wowed by celebrity, the roster typically turns up left-field choices and anoints young talent. But the Tony committee gave the show’s team something to laugh about, lavishing six nominations, including two for Cooper himself: best play and best featured actor in a play. Cooper, who portrayed a saucy airline hostess named Peaches, gave it his all, onstage and off: When the show’s sudden closing was first announced, he took to Instagram to rally audiences. Yet Tony voters passed on nominating Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan for their sexy, impassioned portrayals of a fraying couple in 1960s Greenwich Village.

☆ Katy Perry loses a trademark battle with a fashion designer called Katie Perry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pop singer Katy Perry lost a 15-year trademark battle with a clothing designer named Katie Perry. The "Teenage Dream" singer partially infringed the trademark of the designer's business. "This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name," the judge said in her ruling. The trademark battle spanned 15 years as the performer attempted to block the designer from registering the trademark and sought to stop her using it before dropping the move, Katie Perry claimed. The clothing designer registered her brand name Katie Perry in 2008, a year after she started selling clothes under that name.

☆ Coronation travel guide: Transport advice, London hotels and where to watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Take the Conrad London St. James, for example, which sits between the Mall and Westminster Abbey. Most of the roads around Westminster Abbey and St. James’s Park Underground station will be blocked off. How to see the coronationCharles and Camilla will ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty ImagesThe coronation itself will take place on the morning of Saturday May 6 at Westminster Abbey. Royal Windsor Racecourse, near Windsor Castle, and on the bank of the River Thames, is having a race night to celebrate the day’s public holiday.

☆ Katy Perry loses trademark fight with Australian fashion designer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - An Australian court has ruled that pop superstar Katy Perry infringed the trademark of a Sydney-based fashion designer who has sold her products locally under a label with her birth name "Katie Perry". The judge dismissed a bid by the popstar seeking to cancel the Katie Perry trademark. Taylor, whose birth name was Katie Perry, called the verdict a "David and Goliath" win for small businesses. Representatives of Katy Perry could not be immediately reached. The tussle between the popstar and the Australian fashion designer over the homophonous name began in 2008 when Taylor registered the "Katie Perry" brand in Australia.

☆ Rihanna set to star in new ‘Smurfs’ movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Superstar Rihanna is set to play Smurfette in the upcoming “Smurfs” animated film. “Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me,” Rihanna said. The “Smurfs” film franchise kicked off in 2011 with “The Smurfs,” starring Neil Patrick Harris. “The Smurfs 2” was released in 2013, followed by 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village.”As for her acting career, Rihanna starred in 2012’s “Battleship” and appeared as herself in 2013 comedy “This Is the End.” She also appeared in “Ocean’s 8,” among television show appearances. The “Smurfs” movie hits theaters February 14, 2025.

Charles’ coronation is expected to be shorter than his mother’s seven decades ago. The spot where King Charles will be crowned inside Westminster Abbey Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesWhat happens during the coronation service? Which crown will King Charles use? How is King Charles making the ceremony more inclusive? Don’t missThe coronation of King Charles III brings pageantry, revelry, and new questions – is the monarchy relevant in the modern world?

☆ Royal fans slam Ticketmaster for a confusing ballot system that has left them without tickets to King Charles III's coronation concert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fans were told they had won tickets for King Charles' coronation concert in the final ballot. This was the third and final ballot for a total of 10,000 concert tickets. It was made up of those tickets left unclaimed from the previous two ballots, a Ticketmaster spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Insider. The Ticketmaster spokesperson said that Tuesday's tickets were "released on a first-come, first-served basis to those who had previously applied to the ballot (and were unsuccessful). The BBC, which is organizing the Coronation concert, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Carol Burnett's birthday special' is an elegant (and hilarious) event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hulton Archive/Getty Images Burnett peeks at a portrait of herself that was being painted by artist Dmitri Vails in 1963. CBS/Getty Images Burnett interacts with the audience of her new variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," in 1967. CBS/Getty Images Burnett, left, and Cher perform a skit on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in 1972. CBS/Getty Images Burnett poses with her memoir "One More Time" at a book signing in Beverly Hills, California, in 1986. Will Hart/NBC/Getty Images Carol Burnett Square was unveiled in Los Angeles in front of her alma mater, Hollywood High School, in 2013.

☆ King Charles coronation concert fans slam Ticketmaster ‘shambles’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The company was hired by the BBC to handle ticketing for a concert on May 7 to celebrate the ascension of King Charles to the British throne. Some fans who received an email from the ticketing site saying they’d won tickets for The Coronation Concert say they were later told that all tickets were gone. A total of 10,000 free tickets for next week’s concert were allocated to fans in three ballots. But some fans have said Ticketmaster’s instructions on how to secure the tickets allocated in the third ballot were confusing and contradictory. “Like so many others, [I] got the @Ticketmaster email to say I’d got tickets for the Coronation concert but they’re all gone.

☆ Royal castles to luxury getaways: How to spend King Charles III's coronation weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The king has pledged a more scaled-back affair than that celebrated by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Here's CNBC Travel's top picks for how to spend the coronation weekend. Watch the ceremonial processionThe coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Buckingham Palace, London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, is open for tours outside of the coronation weekend. Picnic in the Royal ParksLondon's Royal Parks offer a more low-key way to absorb the royal atmosphere over the coronation weekend.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey go back almost one thousand years. Like Charles III, William had his coronation at Westminster Abbey. Gross says coronation blunders do not become truly significant for monarchs until their reign starts to go wrong. A “beautiful and symbolic” silver cross containing a piece of the so-called True Cross will lead King Charles’ coronation procession in London next month. Meanwhile, gun salutes will sound from military bases and ships at sea to mark the moment Charles is crowned King.

☆ I'm a celebrity photographer. I captured the true nightlife-energy of famous people and refused to sell photos to paparazzi.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Costa B. Pappas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mark Hunter is a celebrity photographer who started uploading nightlife-photos to his blog in 2003. My approach to nightlife photography was very forward thinking. After every party I'd post the photos on my blog. I've learned nightlife photography is all about your reputation, working hard, and networkingI feel like I'm just as in demand now, if not more than I was back in the day. Becoming a nightlife photographer is going to be challenging because there's no formula like at a corporate job.

☆ Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Take That to perform at King Charles' coronation concert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Take That will star in an eclectic lineup at a concert to celebrate King Charles' coronation next month, billed by organisers as a chance to celebrate a new chapter in Britain's history. The formal coronation ceremony for Charles, who became king on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth last September, will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6. U.S. music star Richie said: "To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration." The line-up also includes opera star Andrea Bocelli, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench. The list of performers was announced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who will produce and broadcast the showcase.

☆ Elon Musk appears to offer $1 million bounty to 'convict' those responsible for Twitter 'botnets'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk appeared to offer a $1 million bounty to help find the source of "botnets" on Twitter. The user said by taking control of several accounts, botnets were able to suppress certain accounts by mass blocking, unfollowing, and reporting them. Blogger Jane Wong pointed out that Twitter's algorithm specifically labels if Musk wrote a tweet. He plans to allow only the tweets of verified accounts and those users follow on the For You feed. "Legacy verified accounts," those verified by Twitter before Musk's takeover for free largely on the basis of noteworthiness, will begin to lose their verification marks this weekend, according to Twitter.

☆ Cruise ships have named celebrity 'godmothers' including Oprah Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth, and Nicole Scherzinger. Here's what the role involves.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Being a cruise ship godmother is a long-standing tradition. Here's where a cruise ship's godmother is and what the role includes. A cruise ship godmother is a long-standing tradition. Several cruise companies, including Norwegian, have a mixture of ship godmothers and godfathers. Naming a cruise ship godmother is also a marketing initiative, celebrities sponsoring ships brings more publicity and build excitement for the launch of a new ship.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ Working 11-hour days backstage on Broadway: 'You have to be a little bit crazy' but 'I love it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

On a Wednesday matinee performance of Broadway's "& Juliet," assistant company manager Annie Schroeder is making the rounds backstage. Schroeder's school hosted an annual drag show that raised money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 'I kind of describe [Broadway] as like a food chain'It takes dozens of people to put on a Broadway show. This includes hiring the company managers, who are responsible for payroll, policy enforcement and meeting the day-to-day needs of select patrons, cast and crew. "& Juliet" stage as seen from behind the sound booth.

☆ I plan a Brit Awards after-party attended by celebrities like Katy Perry and Lorde. Here's what goes into organizing an event for the stars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lola Christina Alao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Claire Haffenden is the director of artist relations and events at Universal Music. That planning experience helped me in my current role, director of artist relations and events at Universal Music, where I lead a team of five. I became head of artist relations and events in 2008 and director of artist relations and events in 2013. Claire Haffenden, the director of artist relations and events at Universal Music. I make sure every artist's team has an allocation of guest tickets, for the artist's family, friends, and contacts.

☆ Keenan Cahill, YouTube creator who made videos lip-syncing with celebrities, dies at 27
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Keenan Cahill, a popular YouTube creator who made lip-sync videos with celebrities like 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and more, died on Thursday after open-heart surgery on Dec. 15. On his YouTube account, which has roughly 721,000 subscribers, Cahill’s videos have garnered more than 500 million views. He posted his first lip-sync video in August 2010 to Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” which has reached 58 million views. A year later, the pop star met up with Cahill in person and they filmed a video together. Cahill’s most popular video was with 50 Cent, where they lip-synced “Down on Me,” to the tune of 60 million total views.

Three people close to FTX and Bankman-Fried told CNBC that the former CEO lobbied aggressively for a partnership with 11-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. Bankman-Fried's commitment to getting the Swift deal done despite the deteriorating business environment fit a pattern of ignoring his lieutenants and going it alone, a half-dozen former company insiders and business partners said. The Financial Times reported earlier that FTX held talks with Swift about a potential sponsorship. Part of the Swift deal would have included the production by the singer of a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), or digital items that can rise and fall in value. Beyond that, there was a lack of clarity over what Swift would be doing for the company, sources said.

☆ Elon Musk is on track to become Twitter's most-followed account. From Barack Obama to Katy Perry, here's how his rivals rank.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Elon Musk is expected to become Twitter's top influencer in JanuaryDimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesMusk, who acquired Twitter in late October, has the second most-followed account on the platform with 119.5 million followers. Social Blade, an analytics website, told BBC News it predicts that Musk would have the most Twitter followers by January 17. Musk has gained an average of 268,303 Twitter followers a day over the past year, Social Blade told the BBC. When Twitter fired contractors on November 12, Musk lost almost 200,000 followers in a day, according to Social Blade. Since he took over Twitter, Musk has posted 84% more often and hit his tweet record on November 22 with 75 tweets, Social Blade told the BBC.

☆ Adele reminds us how Vegas made artist residencies cool
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Caryn Rose | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

After being abruptly postponed in January, Adele’s Las Vegas residency, “Weekends With Adele,” made its debut at Caesar’s Palace on Friday. But Adele highlights how it’s been transformed into an artistic achievement, why it’s never going away and reminds us how Las Vegas made residencies cool. This isn’t a complete list because a Las Vegas residency is no longer necessarily out of the ordinary. Does this all mean a Vegas residency is the right fit for everyone? In the shifting economic climate and post-pandemic realities, a Vegas residency may be more appealing to artists whowouldn’t normally consider it.

☆ Factbox: Sam Bankman-Fried: The crypto mogul whose empire came crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried on Friday resigned from his role as chief executive of FTX and the crypto exchange said it will initiate bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, capping off a tumultuous week for the industry. Following are some facts about the co-founder and former CEO:EDUCATION AND VENTURES BEFORE FTXBorn in 1992, Sam Bankman-Fried grew up in California. Bankman-Fried later graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in physics. After a more than three-year stint at the New York-based firm, he moved to crypto trading and founded Alameda Research in 2017. The company offered trading on crypto tokens and derivatives, while also boasting of a robust risk management system.

☆ How to watch and what to expect at the CMA Awards
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

(CNN) Hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will present the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards, known as the CMA's, live from Nashville, Tennessee on ABC on Wednesday night. Other performers slated to take the CMA stage include Kelly Clarkson, HARDY, Marcus King, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and the Zac Brown Band, according to the association's initial lineup announced in October. Not far behind with five nominations apiece are McBryde, Pearce, Chris Stapleton and Shane McAnally. PresentersThere's no shortage of celebrities set to take the stage to hand out the awards. Where to watchThe CMA Awards will air on Wednesday, November 9 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

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