-
Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - May 16, 2013
May 16, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Grace notes:
DR. DRE and music biz biggie JIMMIE IOVINE are giving back to the community. Both moguls announced yesterday that they have donated $70-million dollars to the University of Southern California to create a new institute. They're calling it the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. The academy will offer a four-year program that includes classes in everything from marketing to computer science and visual arts. Jimmy and Dre will show up to guest lecture, along with some of their famous friends. The first class of 25 students will be accepted in the fall of 2014 at USC. (Marino)
Small-town politics:
Disgraced former NY Democratic Congressman ANTHONY WEINER is apparently about to do what many people think he shouldn't do --run for mayor of New York City. The New York Post reports that one source close to Weiner said, "He's definitely running."
Weiner was forced to resign from Congress back in June of 2011, when he admitted sending pictures of his "manhood" to a woman who was following him on Twitter. (Pacelli)Fashion Emergency:
Abercrombie & Fitch's longstanding reputation for size snobbery is suddenly facing a backlash. People magazine says a new YouTube video posted only three days ago is the reason why. The new "Fitch the Homeless" video has over 1.2 million views. The video's maker calls out cites the company's longstanding discriminatory sizing policies and previous public statements about what they think makes someone cool.
The company has publicly stated they refuse to carry any sizes above 10, or above size a "Large." Their C-E-O says it's because big people aren't cool. Abercrombie & Fitch CEO MIKE JEFFRIES explained to Salon in a 2006 interview that. "Candidly, we go after the cool kids... A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
Actress KIRSTIE ALLEY has said that her kids "will never walk in those doors because of his views of people." The company has not commented yet on the latest round of outrage. (Bartha)Models:
A topless portrait of late "Golden Girls" star BEA ARTHUR sold at auction last night for nearly $2 million at Christie's in New York. The NY Post reports Bea never posed for the painting by artist JOHN CURRIN, who is "known for campy works featuring women in provocative positions."
The Post says the auctioneer at Christie's called the painting "visually lasting," and claimed it was "historically significant --it's radical to sexualize someone people think of as asexual," he said.
The painting was first shown in 1991. Bea died in 2009.
FYI: The full version of the portrait is HERE.Bad luck:
A Seattle man trying to dribble a soccer ball from Seattle to Brazil has died after being hit by a car in Oregon.
RICHARD SWANSON, who was between jobs, had undertaken the walk ahead of the World Cup to raise funds for One World Futbol Project, a California charity that donates durable blue soccer balls to people in developing countries.
Swanson's website said he left on his journey May 1 and expected the trip to take more than a year. He planned to stay with people he met on the road. He was 42.
The driver has not been charged.
Editor's note: But he has been given a red card.
--Gooooooooooaalllll!
--How sad. He didn't even make it far enough to get robbed. (Maiman)Shop Talk:
New data from Stitcher Radio finds about 60 percent of surveyed respondents believe AM/FM radio will be "dead" within the next five years; 71 percent of Millennials and students believe this. Other interesting findings from the report include:
--Most 18-34 year olds prefer to watch movies on demand
--18-34 year olds are doubly likely to listen to music on demand as those between 35-54 years of age
--18-34 year olds are twice as likely to watch television on demand as those 55+
--81 percent of adults "always or mostly" watch or listen to listed entertainment programs on demand
The survey finds preferences for on-demand options are dictated by an aversion to commercial interruptions and the convenience of listening/watching on one's own schedule.
Of course, this self-serving research was underwritten by an on-demand enteraintment provider. (Kaye) -
-