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☆ Mexican liquors and beers are on the rise in the U.S. — here’s what’s driving the torrid growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Tequila has been such a national treasure here in Mexico," said Guilherme Espagnoli Martins, global brand director of Diageo-owned Don Julio Tequila. The Mexican beer boomIt's not just tequila and mezcal — Mexican beer is booming, too. Mexican beer imports into the U.S. are up 10.6% in 2023, according to alcohol research firm Bump Williams Consulting. watch nowA spokesperson for Constellation told CNBC that Mexican beer sales grew as Hispanic culture gained a stronger foothold around the world. Constellation on Thursday reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street estimates, driven by the surge in demand for its Mexican beer brands.

Persons: Mario Tama, Lea, Tequila, Guilherme Espagnoli Martins, Don Julio Tequila, Don Julio, George Clooney, Martins, Don, Don Julio Tequila Blanco, Bump, Bud Light, Cowen, Vivien Azer, InBev's Bud, Constellation's, Azer, Jonnie Cahill, Tecate, Cahill, Heineken's, It's, Dos Equis, Eduardo, Lalo, González, LALO Blanco Tequila, Don Julio González Organizations: Modelo Especial, Getty, U.S, Experts, Diageo, CNBC, Bump Williams Consulting, Mexico's Modelo Especial, Constellation, Modelo, Constellation Brands, Anheuser, Busch InBev, InBev's, Heineken USA, Cinco de Mayo, Dos, Corona Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Mexico, The U.S, United States, British, Mexican, Modelo, Dos

☆ Taylor Swift and Beyoncé prove yet again why they're some of the world's best businesswomen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are making concert films from their blockbuster Eras and Renaissance tours. In August, Swift announced that an Eras concert film will be released October 13. After much speculation, on Sunday night Beyoncé announced her own concert film: The Renaissance tour's film is set to debut December 1. "Taylor Swift ignited the spark. The Eras film will be released on over 4,000 screens in North America; the Renaissance film likely will have a similar rollout.

Persons: Taylor Swift, —, Queen Bey, Swift, Beyoncé, Paul Dergarabedian, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Kim Kardashian, George Clooney, Dergarabedian, Puck's Matthew Belloni, Travis Kelce's, Shawn Robbins, Sam Wrench, — Belloni, they've, Michael Jackson's, Justin Bieber, Robbins, Taylor, It's Organizations: Service, Netflix, AMC, Box, Swifts, Office, Swift Locations: North America

☆ Hollywood workers resort to flea markets, bake sales as strikes drag on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., July 25, 2023. Hollywood writers walked off the job in May, followed by actors in July. The motion picture and sound recording industries shed 17,000 jobs in August because of the strikes, according to U.S. government statistics. Writers and actors can apply for assistance from their unions, and some crew members are eligible for state unemployment benefits. In the meantime, stars including George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson and Meryl Streep have donated millions to Hollywood charities that assist industry workers.

Persons: Mike Blake, IATSE, Dejon Ellis, Kevin Klowden, Daniel Fox, Fox, Laura Seaman, Berry, Greg S, Tiffany Puterbaugh, Puterbaugh, I've, Gavin Newsom, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Meryl Streep, Ellis, We're, it's, John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman, Andrea Tyler, Tyler, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Disney Studios, REUTERS, Rights, IATSE, Milken Institute, Star Wars, Hollywood, SAG, Netflix, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, Rights BURBANK , California, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, Georgia, New Mexico

Executive Producer Reese Witherspoon attends a premiere for the television series "The Last Thing He Told Me" in Los Angeles, U.S, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Acquire Licensing RightsTORONTO, Sept 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Reese Witherspoon is putting her star power – and business acumen – to the takeover test again. Private equity firm Consortium Brand Partners said on Wednesday it had bought 70% of Witherspoon’s “steeped in Southern charm” apparel company for an undisclosed sum. For all the attention A-listers now command in deal-making, however, the financial stars often don’t align. Follow @sharonlam_ on XCONTEXT NEWSPrivate equity firm Consortium Brand Partners said on Sept. 6 that it had acquired a 70% stake in Draper James, the fashion and lifestyle brand started by Hollywood actor Reese Witherspoon.

Persons: Reese Witherspoon, Mario Anzuoni, –, Blackstone, Draper James, George Clooney’s, Dre’s, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba, ”, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Sunshine, Brand Partners, Diageo, Apple, Bloomberg, Honest Company, Jay, Hollywood, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, U.S, North America, Coty, Delaware, Draper

☆ The Big Number: $15 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Marie Solis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Meryl Streep and George Clooney are leading the charge, according to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a charity associated with the actors’ union that provides financial assistance to workaday performers. They each donated $1 million, and then began lobbying their fellow A-listers. Large donations have poured in from celebrities like Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey.

Persons: Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey Organizations: SAG, AFTRA Foundation

☆ Streep and Clooney Lead Donation Campaign for Striking Actors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood actors have now been on strike for nearly three weeks. They have walked picket lines in broiling heat, orchestrated noisy rallies and flooded social media with cris de coeur. The president of the actors’ union, Fran Drescher, on Tuesday spoke about “greed-driven” studios at a New York City Council meeting. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a charity that provides financial assistance to workaday performers, said on Wednesday that Ms. Streep and Mr. Clooney had helped lead a donation campaign that had raised more than $15 million over the last three weeks. The pair each gave $1 million and then started to lobby Hollywood’s other top-earning stars for contributions.

Persons: cris de coeur, Harrison Ford’s, Fran Drescher, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Streep, Clooney Organizations: SAG, AFTRA Foundation Locations: Georgia, New York

☆ Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

US singer Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto) performs on stage during an invitation only concert at the newly opened Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett, Massachusetts on August 8, 2019. "No country has given the world such great music," Bennett said in a 2015 interview with Downbeat Magazine. The evening's performance resulted in the album, "Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged," which won two Grammys, including album of the year. Bennett would win Grammys for his tributes to female vocalists ("Here's to the Ladies"), Billie Holiday ("Tony Bennett on Holiday"), and Duke Ellington ("Bennett Sings Ellington — Hot & Cool"). He also won two Emmy Awards — for "Tony Bennett Live By Request: A Valentine Special" (1996) and "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" (2007).

Persons: Tony Bennett, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, Bennett, Antonia Benedetto, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Sylvia Weiner, Bennett didn't, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Sinatra, Sinatra's, Cheek, Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Amy Winehouse, Winehouse, Oscar, Amy, Porter, George Gershwin, George Cory, Douglass Cross, Ralph Sharon, Ralph, Danny, David Letterman, Fred Astaire, Elvis Costello, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, — Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Long, Susan Crow Benedetto, Anthony, Anna, James Infirmary, Bel, Miriam Spier, you'll, it's Bing Crosby, Art Tatum, Lester Young, Stan Getz, Joe Bari, Rosemary Clooney, Arthur Godfrey's, Pearl Bailey, Bob Hope, Mitch Miller, Hank Williams, Miller, Chuck Wayne, Chico Hamilton, Art Blakey, Count Basie, Harry Belafonte's, Martin Luther King Jr, Selma, Bennett's, Johnny Mandel's Oscar, Clive Davis, Tony, Bill Evans, Patricia Beech, Sandra Grant, Susan, Johanna, Antonia, Dae, —, Benedetto — Organizations: Associated Press, American, MTV, Ellington, New, Frank Sinatra School of, Arts, Armed Forces Network, Armed Forces Radio, American Theater, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, Greenwich Village, Paramount Theater, Sinatra, Columbia Records, Count Basie Orchestra, Army, Civil Rights Movement, Carnegie Hall, Columbia, IRS, Kennedy, National Endowment, Arts Jazz, Smithsonian Museum of American Locations: Everett , Massachusetts, Francisco, New York, San Francisco, Little Rock , Arkansas, Astoria, New York City, Queens, Italian, Germany, Greenwich, Montgomery, Los Angeles

☆ SAG strike: Amid strikes and flops, it's a cruel summer for Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For Hollywood, 2023 will be remembered as a cruel summer, a dead reckoning of a different kind. The summer’s ostentatious setbacks for studios have included “The Flash” (released by Warner Bros., like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. The asterisk – and it’s a big one – is that the guilds know precious little about the economic specifics of the streaming business, which aren’t widely shared. Actors and writers who once counted on residual payments could see TV ratings and box-office tallies. Because projects are produced far in advance, consumers won’t see the broader consequences of these strikes for a while.

Persons: –, Ronald Reagan, Disney’s “ Indiana Jones, ”, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller, Indiana Jones, “, Tony Gilroy, Duncan Crabtree, Bob Iger, Iger, Mike Blake, George Clooney Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, Screen, Warner Bros, Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures, Variety, ESPN, SAG, Adobe, Disney, Netflix, Writers Guild of America, Reuters Locations: Sun Valley, Los Angeles

☆ George Clooney says entertainment industry is at an 'inflection point' as actors like Jason Sudeikis hit picket lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Dan Heching Cheri Mossburg Chloe Melas | Dan Heching | Cheri Mossburg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Oscar winner George Clooney has joined the chorus of artists calling for change as actors hit the picket lines in their first strike against film and television studios since 1980. “This is an inflection point in our industry,” Clooney told CNN in a statement on Friday. The SAG-AFTRA strike was officially announced on Thursday. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, stressed to reporters on Friday that the actors’ strike is not a ploy for big name stars to make more money. The writers’ strike had already halted production on most films and television shows.

Persons: CNN — Oscar, George Clooney, ” Clooney, ”, “ Ted Lasso ”, Jason Sudeikis, Sudeikis, Alexi Rosenfeld, Constance Zimmer, Lisa Edelstein, Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, ” Crabtree Organizations: CNN, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, SAG, Writers Guild of America East, NBC Rockefeller Center, Getty, WGA Locations: New York, Ireland

☆ ‘Out of Sight,’ 25 Years Later
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jason Bailey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“I said sure, I’d read it right away, and I did,” Soderbergh wrote. In other hands, “Out of Sight” might not have proved to be such a game changer for Clooney, who was having a rough time making the transition from “E.R.” heartthrob to movie star. And another director might not have cast Jennifer Lopez, whose movie-star stock also rose considerably after her tough, sexy turn in the film. “Out of Sight” (streaming on Peacock) was part of a mini-bonanza of Leonard adaptations, following the success of “Get Shorty” (1995). (Tarantino told him that “Jackie Brown” was “nothing like ‘Out of Sight,’” Soderbergh wrote in March.

Persons: Steven Soderbergh, Casey Silver, “, Elmore Leonard, George Clooney, ” Soderbergh, Casey, ”, Soderbergh, Clooney, ” heartthrob, Jennifer Lopez, Leonard, Shorty ”, “ Shorty, Barry Sonnenfeld, Scott Frank, Frank, Cameron Crowe, Mike Newell, Quentin Tarantino’s, “ Jackie Brown, Tarantino, Jackie Brown ” Organizations: ”, ” Jersey Films, New York Times Locations: ” Jersey, Black

☆ Diageo ends its 15-year partnership with Diddy following lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Spirits maker Diageo has cut ties with Sean “Diddy” Combs, ending a lucrative 15-year partnership that recently culminated in a racial discrimination lawsuit. The music mogul charged that Diageo had neglected and underpromoted his DeLeón tequila, dismissing it as an “urban” product in its marketing, in a suit filed last month. Diageo responded that he has “amassed nearly $1 billion dollars” from the partnership. Diageo and Combs have partnered on Ciroc vodka since 2007. In 2013, Combs bought DeLeón and formed a joint venture with Diageo for the high-end tequila.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Johnnie Walker, Diddy’s, Diddy, Diageo, Don Julio, George Clooney, “, Combs, Martha Stewart, DEO, ”, they’ve, John Hueston, Diageo “, ” Hueston, Josh Gerben, it’s “, ” Gerben Organizations: New, New York CNN, Diageo, CNN, Diageo “ kneecapped Locations: New York, London

☆ A Hollywood movie mogul and campaign adviser to Joe Biden is telling the president to embrace his age like Harrison Ford and Mick Jagger
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Hollywood big shot is helping Joe Biden pitch his age to wary voters in the 2024 election. Jeffrey Katzenberg wants Biden to tout his age like Harrison Ford or Mick Jagger, per The Wall Street Journal. Katzenberg has told Biden to embrace his age like 80-year-old Harrison Ford, who is reprising his role in the "Indiana Jones" franchise, or Mick Jagger, who was still performing on tour last year at 79. "I've never, ever had the sense that Jeffrey does this for what the business people call ROI," Begala told the Journal. "He's very much committed to Biden, for Biden, and I think he may be one of the few people who can talk to him as a near peer."

Persons: Joe Biden, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Biden, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger, —, Jeffrey Katzenberg —, Katzenberg, Indiana Jones, Jeffrey, there's, George Clooney, he's, doesn't, Clooney, Paul Begala, I've, Begala Organizations: Street Journal, Service, DreamWorks, Hollywood, Democratic

☆ Here are 5 key trends shaping the liquor industry as spirits overtake beer for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Jason Koerner | Getty ImagesCHICAGO — The spirits industry is overcoming economic headwinds to meet changing consumer preferences as it chips away at the dominance of beer. Despite supply chain issues and high inflation, the beverage alcohol industry has a lot to toast to these days, said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS. "This is a great American success story," Swonger said of the industry's market share supremacy. As the spirits industry works to maintain its top spot this year amid fears of a recession, here are some key trends industry leaders who spoke to CNBC see shaping the business today. The company runs incubator and accelerator programs to develop Black talent within the spirits industry.

Persons: Casamigos, Alo, Jason Koerner, Beer, Chris Swonger, Swonger, We're, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg, Aron Marquez, Ryan Reynolds, Sean, Diddy, Combs, Kendall Jenner, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, it's, Patrick Shorb, Molson Coors, Tobin Ludwig, Pinkard Organizations: Alo Miami, Getty, CHICAGO, CNBC, Diageo, Chicago, Brands, Heineken, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Molson, Hella, Black Locations: Miami, United States, Chicago, Pennsylvania

☆ Clooney Foundation sues Venezuela over alleged human rights abuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nicolás Misculin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUENOS AIRES, June 14 (Reuters) - The Clooney Foundation for Justice has accused Venezuelan security forces of crimes against humanity against government opponents since 2014 in a lawsuit filed in Argentina on Wednesday. "We are talking about arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions," said Ignacio Jovtis, a lawyer for the Clooney Foundation. The Clooney Foundation for Justice was founded by actor George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is investigating alleged Venezuelan human rights violations. The Argentine justice system has previously agreed to investigate alleged crimes against humanity carried out in Spain and Myanmar in the past, which prompted the Clooney Foundation to file the complaint in Buenos Aires.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Ignacio Jovtis, George Clooney, Amal Clooney, Jovtis, Clooney, Nicolas Misculin, Steven Grattan, Howard Goller Organizations: Clooney Foundation, Justice, Wednesday, Foundation, Criminal, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Venezuelan, Argentina, Venezuela, The Hague, Argentine, Spain, Myanmar, Buenos Aires

London CNN —Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega says it has been the victim of “organized criminal activity,” alleging three of its former staff members admitted working with intermediaries to sell a fake Speedmaster watch for some $3.4 million dollars. The watch was bought by Omega itself for 3.115 million Swiss francs—25 times the auctioneer’s upper estimated price—at a Phillips auction in in Geneva in November 2021. “OMEGA and Phillips were the joint victims of organized criminal activity involving the selling of this specific watch by auction,” the statement added. “This timepiece is currently a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation that must also bring to light the seller of the watch. “The watch was bought by OMEGA for the OMEGA Museum and we understand from OMEGA that it has discovered that the watch is composed of unrelated parts from various sources, and that OMEGA employees may have been involved in assembling the watch.

Persons: “, Omega, Phillips, ”, Giovanni Alegre, “ OMEGA, ” Phillips, Buzz Aldrin, Ryan Reynolds, George Clooney, Rory McIlroy Organizations: London CNN, Omega, Phillips, CNN, OMEGA, OMEGA Museum Locations: Swiss, Geneva, Bienne, Switzerland

☆ Here's why Diddy is suing Diageo over his vodka and tequila brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Diddy attends The After, hosted by the entrepreneur and Doja Cat, powered by Ciroc Premium Vodka and DeLeon Tequila at Club Love in New York City, May 1, 2023. Sean "Diddy" Combs is suing multinational spirits giant Diageo for alleged racial discrimination in the handling of his vodka and tequila brands, which Combs claims the company typecast as "Black brands." In a lawsuit filed Wednesday with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, Combs' lawyers accuse Diageo of neglecting his Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands, and of marginalizing their appeal by marketing them as "urban" brands. Following the success of the partnership, Diageo co-purchased the DeLeon tequila brand with Combs' company in 2013. Diageo, a multibillion-dollar, publicly traded spirits company based in London, owns more than 200 brands, including the Don Julio tequila brand.

Persons: Diddy, DeLeon Tequila, Sean, Combs, DeLeon, Puffy, George Clooney's, Clooney's, Bump Williams, Don Julio, Stephen Rust, Martha Stewart, Rust, They're Organizations: Diageo, New York Supreme, Clooney's Casamigos, Nielsen, CNBC Locations: New York City, Manhattan, London, Ciroc

☆ Diddy is suing the co-owner of his tequila for racial discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Sean “Diddy” Combs is suing Diageo for racial discrimination, claiming that the spirits company that produces DeLeón — the tequila he co-owns with the company — failed to market DeLeón on par with its other brands, including Don Julio and George Clooney’s Casamigos brands. Tequila sales have grown in the United States in recent years, according to data from Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. However, Combs said that his tequila brand hasn’t benefited from the same growth as Casamigos or other tequilas. “While Diageo invested in and expanded its other brands — many of which were acquired after Ciroc and DeLeon — Mr. Combs’ brands were allowed to wither,” it said. In 2013, Combs bought DeLeón and formed a joint venture with Diageo for the high-end tequila.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Don Julio, George Clooney’s, Combs, Ciroc, DeLeon, DeLeon — Mr, Martha Stewart, DEO, “, we’ve, Diddy, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Diageo, Diageo “ kneecapped, Ciroc, Tequila, Casamigos, “, CNN, ” Locations: New York, United States

☆ Diddy Accuses Diageo of Abandoning His Tequila
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jennifer Maloney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DeLeón, a tequila brand co-owned by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Diageo, ranks 28th among tequila brands in the U.S. by sales. Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesSean “Diddy” Combs sued Diageo on Wednesday, alleging that the spirits company has neglected the DeLeón tequila brand it co-owns with the music mogul. At the same time, the lawsuit says, Diageo has poured resources into two other tequilas, including Casamigos, the George Clooney-backed brand that Diageo agreed to buy in 2017 for up to $1 billion.

Persons: Sean ‘ Diddy ’ Combs, Mike Coppola, Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, George Clooney Organizations: Diageo Locations: U.S

☆ Movie stars who draw audiences to theaters are getting older, raising questions about young Hollywood's star power
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new study found the actors who are most likely to draw audiences to theaters are getting older. Most of the top 100 actors — with 13 exceptions — were age 40 or older, according to the study. 10 among Gen Z), Zendaya (No. 14 among Gen Z), Michael B. Jordan (No. But older actors also ranked highly with younger cohorts, including Hart and Sandler, who were the third and fifth biggest box-office draws respectively for Gen Z.

☆ Goldman Sachs' David Solomon invested in a luxury real-estate developer his bank failed to win business from
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jeffrey Cane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon owns shares in a luxury real-estate developer, according to the NYT. David Solomon, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, is known to fly to the Bahamas, where he has a home. The valuation the bankers gave for Discovery Land fell well short of $1 billion, and Goldman did not win that deal. Discovery Land eventually sold $300 million of shares without the help of any bank in early 2021. Insider has previously reported that at least a small number of Goldman Sachs partners and other insiders have complained about Solomon's personal jet use, as well as his side gig as a DJ.

☆ How Jimmy Kimmel Fixed His Back Pain by Reading a Book
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ debuted 20 years ago. Earlier this year, Jimmy Kimmel celebrated the 20th anniversary of his late-night talk show by having three of the guests who appeared on the very first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live return: George Clooney, Snoop Dogg and Coldplay. There was one aspect of that 2003 taping, though, that Kimmel, 55, and his team definitely did not want to replicate. “Someone in the third row vomited right in the middle of the show,” says the comedian and host. “It’s funny because we’ve always assumed she was drunk, but I recently watched a tape of the first show and I’m not so sure.

☆ ‘Linoleum’ Review: Jim Gaffigan’s Cosmic Midlife Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Midlife disappointment becomes a problem in much the same way as bankruptcy overtook Mike Campbell in “The Sun Also Rises”—gradually, then suddenly. Jim Gaffigan is an inspired choice to play its flabby, saggy embodiment in the quirky dramedy “Linoleum,” in which he plays a frustrated, 50-something children’s television-show host who is beginning to agree with everyone around him that his existence hasn’t added up to much. Mr. Gaffigan is a sneakily brilliant stand-up who deserves more opportunities to shine on the big screen. I wouldn’t cast him as Batman or Thor, but in the small subset of movies that remain centered on characters much like ourselves, he is underutilized. With his body-by-Pillsbury shape and his aura of being woefully familiar with defeat, he makes for a much more convincing option as an aggrieved Everyman than, say, George Clooney .

☆ The founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the best-selling Black-owned spirit brand in the US, explains how she reached $100 million in sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fawn Weaver founded Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the US's best-selling Black-owned spirit brand. Uncle Nearest has generated more than $100 million in sales since its launch, information Insider verified with documentation. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. In 2017, Weaver opened the Nearest Green Distillery and launched Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, making storytelling the foundation of her brand's success. Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.

☆ Sony's movie chief talks China censorship, upcoming game adaptation 'Gran Turismo,' and how his studio is preparing for a potential Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It was a long-term deal so I don't think we have to confront that yet, but it's gone terrifically for us, actually. If you don't want to compete, don't come in. Can you talk about the synergy with the Whitney Houston movie — she was a Sony Music artist — or "Gran Turismo," a Playstation game? Do you wish HBO Max's "The Last of Us," which is also based on a Sony Playstation game, had been a movie? A lot of big movies come out of it.

☆ Cheers! Spirits like gin, vodka, overtake beer's U.S. market share
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spirits like whiskey, cognac and tequila, a celebrity favorite, have surpassed beer's U.S. market share for the first time due to price hikes and high-end cocktail trends, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. U.S. sales for spirits totaled $37.58 billion last year, while beers like Anheuser-Busch inbev SA's (ABI.BR) Bud Lite tallied $37.46 billion, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council. Spirits' market share was 42.1%, while beer's was 41.9%, according to the data. Tequila and ready-to-drink canned cocktails including Constellation Brands Inc's (STZ.N) Fresca vodka spritz were among the fastest-growing types of spirits, the Distilled Spirits Council said. "The 'premiumization' trend, where people look at distilled spirits as an affordable luxury, is affirmed by these numbers," said Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council.

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