Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was gaming’s biggest name in 2018, and he’s continuing that in 2019 by starring in a Super Bowl ad alongside some of the biggest athletes. Blevins, who is widely considered one of the biggest Fortnite players in the world, tweeted out the ad today, confirming it will play before Maroon 5’s halftime show. It stars former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Michael Strahan, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The entire commercial is about Blevins, with Manning calling him a “video game master.” “So happy to share with you guys one of the many amazing things we’v e been working on and why I’ve been traveling so much,” Blevins tweeted. It’s a major moment for gaming, esports, and streaming in general. The entertainment industry, various sports leagues, and major companies have begun to take Twitch streamers and YouTube creators more seriously in the past couple of years. Last year, Brian “RiceGum” Le starred in a commercial for Monster Headphones that debuted at the Super Bowl. Still, there’s no one bigger than Blevins in the streaming space. The fact that he’s starred in an official NFL Super Bowl ad — less than one year after becoming friends with Drake and making a name for himself along Fortnite — is just additional proof. Since rising to Fortnite stardom, Blevins has inked a sponsorship deal with Red Bull, appeared in a television commercial promoting Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9, and even has an electronic music album with his name on it, thanks to a partnership with label Astralwerks. The 2019 Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday at 6:30 PM ET, when the Los Angeles Rams will take on the New England Patriots for the championship ring.
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Jussie Smollett's family is speaking out after the actor was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago on Jan. 29. The family's first statement since the attack, shared with Us Weekly on Jan. 31, read, "In the early hours of Tuesday morning, our beloved son and brother, Jussie, was the victim of a violence and unprovoked attack. We want to be clear — this was a racial and homophobic hate crime." It continued, "We are so grateful that God saw him through this cowardly attack alive. Jussie is a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed." The family's statement continued, "These are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such. They will continue to occur until we hold each other accountable. Make no mistake, words matter. Hateful words lead to hateful actions. Radical love is the only solution, but passivity will be our downfall. We, as a family, will continue to work for love, equity and justice until it reigns supreme in our nation and all over the world." Jussie Smollett, Jazz Smollett-Warwell, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Jake Smollett. Per the statement, Jussie has continued to work with local authorities since his hospitalization. Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi recently released surveillance photos of the two individuals believed to be responsible. He also told CNN they have Jussie has five siblings — Jake Smollett, Jocqui Smollett, Jojo Smollett, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Jazz Smollett — many of whom are actors or public figures. Many celebrities have shown their support for Jussie following the attack, including his Empire costars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. Step targets teens and parents with a no-fees mobile bank account and Visa card TechCrunch1/31/2019 A new mobile banking startup called Step wants to help bring teenagers and other young adults into the cashless era. Today, cash is used less often, as more consumers shop online and send money to one another through payment apps like Venmo. But teenagers in particular are still heavily burdened with cash — even though they, too, want to spend their money on things that require a payment card, like Amazon.com purchases or mobile gaming, for example. That’s where Step comes in. The company aims to address the needs of what it believes is an underserved market in mobile banking — the 75 million children and young adults under the age of 21 in the U.S., who are still being forced to use cash. This market isn’t the “unbanked,” it’s the “pre-banked,” explains Step CEO CJ MacDonald, whose previous startup, mobile gift card platform Gyft, sold to First Data several years ago. Above: Step CEO, CJ MacDonald “We’re building an all-in-one banking solution that primarily focuses on teens and parents,” he says. “We want it to be a teen’s first bank account. We want to be a teen’s first spending card. And we want to teach financial literacy and responsibility firsthand.” MacDonald, along with CTO Alexey Kalinichenko, previously of Square and financial services startup Token, founded Step in May 2018. The 10-person team also includes several prior Gyft employees. Last summer, Step closed on $3.8 million in seed funding from Sesame Ventures, Crosslink Capital and Collaborative Fund. Crosslink general partner Eric Chin sits on the board. While there are a number of mobile banking apps out there today — like Chime, Monzo, Simple, Revolut and others — Step will specifically target teens, 13 and up, and other young adults with its marketing. Teens under 18 still need parents’ approval to sign up, of course. But the goal is to encourage the teens to bring the idea to their parents — not the other way around. Step’s focus on this younger demographic puts it in a different space, where there are fewer competitors. Its more direct rivals are not the bigger mobile banks, but rather startups like teen debit card and bank app Current, or the parent-managed debit card for kids from Greenlight. The mobile banking service Step provides will also aim to be more comprehensive than just a debit card. It will offer a combination of checking, savings and a Visa card that works as both credit and debit. The card includes Visa’s Zero Liability Protection on all purchases from unauthorized use, and allows parents to set spending limits. Parents will also be able to connect their own bank accounts to Step to instantly transfer in funds, which can then be distributed to kids’ accounts for things like allowances and chores, or other everyday spending needs. Step’s bank account itself is backed by Evolve Bank, so it’s FDIC-insured up to $250,000. Unlike Current, which charges a subscription to use its service, Step aims to be a fee-free bank for consumers. Users don’t have to pay for their account, and there are no fees for things like overdrafts. Instead, Step’s plan is to generate revenue through traditional means — like interchange fees and by way of lending practices, once it has established a deposit base. The company pays a 2.5 percent interest rate on deposits, offers a round-up savings feature and a range of budgeting tools and supports free instant transfers between Step accounts. It also provides access to a network of 35,000 ATMs with no fees. Beyond simply facilitating mobile banking, Step’s bigger goal is to teach teens to become financially responsible. “Schools do not teach kids about money. A lot of families don’t talk about money. And it’s a crucial life skill that’s not really addressed properly when people are growing up,” says MacDonald, who says he was lacking in life skills in this area, even as a young college grad. “There were ‘Money 101’ skills that I had not learned — that no one had talked to me about. Things like building credit, how many credit cards you should have, debt to income ratio,” he continues. “A lot of people get released into the real world without experience [in those areas],” he says. Long-term, after solving the needs associated with everyday banking transactions, Step wants to layer on other products and services — like tools that allow a family to save together for college, for example. The company is launching the banking service under an invite-only system to scale up. Today, it’s opening a waitlist and referral program. When you invite a friend, you each receive one dollar. Access will then be rolled out on a first-come, first-serve basis this spring. Users can join Step through the website, iOS or Android application. Shane Dawson’s new hour-and-a-half-long exploration of conspiracy theories was demonetized by YouTube for 12 hours — not because of its focus on conspiracy theories, but because of a reviewing mistake. The new video from Dawson, one of YouTube’s most popular creators who has over 20 million subscribers, has amassed more than 7 million views since being posted last night. The video contained multiple ad spots when it was first published, but those ad placements disappeared only a couple of hours later. Although Dawson’s conspiracy series is sponsored, he didn’t receive any advertising revenue for those crucial hours. Dawson’s video has since been remonetized, but it was originally cut off because it included a clip of footage showing a dangerous prank. YouTube recently altered its community guidelines to specifically tackle dangerous pranks — especially in wake of potentially harmful stunts like the Bird Box Challenge, which had creators like Jake Paul driving around blindfolded. Since Dawson included footage of the prank, YouTube’s system assumed that the video was promoting harmful and dangerous activities, and it removed monetization privileges. The Internet Creators Guild, an organization dedicated to fighting for creators’ rights, noted in 2016 that “erroneous de-monetization will always result in significant lost revenue.” Plus, demonetized videos that aren’t seen as family-friendly may not be recommended. All of this means that Dawson lost out on a ton of revenue within those first 12 hours. Even if Dawson was making the average return on display ads ($2 per every thousand views), that means he lost out on $14,000 within those 12 hours. Dawson is likely earning even more than $2 per 1,000 views because of his popularity and influence on the platform, though. “Even now that the notification & appeals process is in place, a video could still be de-monetized for hours or days after upload while the manual review is pending,” the Creators Guild wrote. “That could particularly hit hard at timely or viral content.” Originally, many fans assumed Dawson’s video was demonetized because of its focus on conspiracy theories, another issue YouTube has tried to tackle. Dawson’s video focuses on a number of conspiracy theories, including subliminal suicide messaging in cartoons as a form of population control, iPhones constantly recording what people are saying, and a theory that the California wildfires were intentional. YouTube has been trying not to monetize or promote content that could be seen as potentially harmful, including conspiracy theories. The company even announced a new push last week to recommend fewer conspiracy theories, which could help explain why Dawson’s video isn’t on the site’s Trending Page, despite amassing more than 7 million views. Even Dawson was prepared to face major demonetization woes. In a response to notable conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson on Twitter, Dawson said YouTube has demonetized other conspiracy theory videos he’s posted, too. “I’ve never made money on my conspiracy videos and I’ve had some removed,” Dawson wrote. “It’s the risk of being into this dark shit I guess!” Image Source: HBO It was during a five-hour-plus flight back home from a work trip that I came across The Incredible Jessica James on Netflix (which I initially thought was the first season of a show and was heartbroken to find out I was wrong). The movie has everything I love in my flicks — a quirky (but not annoying) protagonist, an awkward love interest, and that modern millennial romance that makes us wince in secondhand embarrassment, while wishing we had that kind of love. Plus, Jessica James is played by Jessica Williams, who I basically want to be when I grow up. So it's safe to say that I was going to enjoy it. By the end of the movie, I was crying.
I wasn't crying because the movie is particularly heartbreaking or overwhelmingly amazing (though it's good!), but because it feels like ME. The Jessica James on my 13.3-inch screen was someone I could relate to on practically every level. She's creative, smart, a little bitter, a lot jaded, full of swagger, and black. Just like me. There have been so few times in my life that a character was able to check off every single box that allows me to connect to them on a deeper level. But with movies like Black Panther, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Little, as well as shows like Grown-ish or Black Lightning, I'm beginning to check off that final box more and more, which was practically impossible several years ago. I was a kid during what felt like the golden age of black television. I remember staying up with my sister so I could watch repeats of shows like A Different World, Living Single, and Martin, but never getting them because I was too young. When I got older, there was UPN (which was basically known as the "black channel"), and with it came iconic shows like Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, and Moesha. These were essential watches for black families in the late '80s / early '00s. We had actual black families on our TVs who were loving and realistic and who dealt with problems we understood. These were the kinds of shows that stuck with us. I'm fairly certain that if I ran into a black woman my age who also grew up in New York and randomly started singing the Moesha theme song, she would join in. Whenever I think about the kind of relationship I want, I think of Whitley and Dwayne (I love a little drama, I can't deny it). When I think about my girlfriends, I want us to be as close as Khadijah, Maxine, Synclaire, and Regina. These were the shows that shaped my hopes and dreams of the future, and they were shows that focused on black women. Image Source: Everett Collection But it's always felt like the older I get, the less those shows are around. By the time I was in high school, barely any shows had predominantly black casts. Sure, there were black characters on shows, but they weren't the focus or the protagonists. They were always the sidekicks. As someone who has always watched a lot of TV, growing up with a lack of proper representation has had a lasting impact on me. Sure, I enjoy a lot of shows that have predominantly white cast members, but I'm always conscious of the fact that no one looks like me, even with shows based in my own city. I can relate to aspects of a character's personality, but that's as far as it can go. I always find myself thinking, "But if she was black . . ." Some people may think that's a negative way to watch a show. I call bull, because everyone tries to find pieces of themselves in their favorite characters. For example, I love the show Veronica Mars with a passion — call me a Marshmallow if you like. But even though I can relate to Veronica's vivaciousness with gusto, it has always been a superficial connection, and I can never imagine really being in her shoes. Even within the skewed reality of laws that Veronica Mars exists within, there's absolutely no way a black girl could get away with the same things Veronica did. Imagine Issa Rae breaking into people's homes in Neptune and being able to con her way out of it with a smile and a coil flip. It's not happening. The entire show would have to be changed because all of Veronica's experiences would have to take into account how her being black would affect it. It would alter how she reacts in situations and how people react to her. Because the reality is that, fictional characters or not, things are different when you're different. Image Source: Freeform That's why the re-emergence of predominantly black television and film is so damn important. Proper representation matters. Seeing yourself in the media is a sign of relevance. It's an indication that your existence is acknowledged and understood. It makes people feel seen and not alone. It shows people that they matter in the grand scheme of things, and it can teach people how to understand those who aren't like them. Proper representation can give someone hope or show them their own potential.
Despite what people like to believe, the media is part of everyone's lives. Whether you're conscious of it or not, it permeates your brain; it builds up and becomes part of your belief of what is "normal" and possible. When you don't see images or characterizations that you can relate to, you start to alter yourself or shrink yourself to fit into the "parameters" society has designated for you. Or, you just feel lost and adrift because you can't change yourself. I would have killed for a PG-13 version of Insecure or a show like Grown-ish when I was a tween and getting called an Oreo for being too "bougie" and nerdy. It would have saved me a lot of years of feeling like an anomaly. Instead, the only figures in media who were close to how I see myself were Hollywood's answer to geeks, i.e., attractive white guys who liked to listen to Death Cab for Cutie and read manga (yes, I'm referring to Seth Cohen from The O.C.). Having a character like Jessica James, Issa Dee, or Zoey Johnson to relate to in my awkward tween years would have been a godsend. It would have meant that enough people understand that black girls are also quirky and weird and like to dance offbeat to music just like anyone else. That black women can also be badass warriors who can be funny and save the day too. And they understand it enough to make it a movie or create a TV show about it! Tween Meki would have been over the moon to see someone act like her, who looked like her and could have easily grown up like her, on the screen.
Yes, there have been great strides for representation of various identities in media, but as a black woman, I can honestly say that seeing so many different kinds of black women on my screen has sparked a change in me. Seeing the black women of Queen Sugar, How to Get Away With Murder, and Atlanta showcase how truly different we can be is exhilarating! I see black women who differ in shade, occupation, education, and temperament. I see black women who are doctors, dancers, lawyers, teachers, creatives, and stay-at-home mothers. I see black women who are shapely, athletic, full-figured, slim, and everything in between. And I want to see more. I need to see more. We all need to see more! We have generations of black women who have lacked images of themselves in media, which claims to showcase the world but only does so sparingly or so incorrectly its warped, and they are hungry for something more. It's about f*cking time we gave it to them. Chronic lower back pain … who doesn’t struggle with this? My own experience with lower back pain started when I was 19. It was not surprising to me though. I actually sort of expected it — after all, my dad had back pain for as long as I can remember. The doctors who examined me could find no structural issues in there — by all accounts, my lower back was not injured. After years of not getting any satisfying answers, it was suggested that I might have to just accept the fact that, thanks to genetics, it was simply my lot in life to be plagued with chronic back pain. But here’s the thing about me: I am very, very stubborn. Fast forward nearly two decades and it’s now been years since I’ve dealt with any back pain. Despite all the lifting of heavy barbells, running all the miles, and the many other ways I use my body every single day, no issues. And that’s no accident. Like most things in life, it was a process of self-study of taking an honest look at how I routinely position my spine and assessing whether it’s actually working for me. Turns out, I didn’t need a new spine, I just needed to learn to properly recruit my core muscles to support the one I had a little better (story of my life). And because I know how it feels to think that you inherited something that’s broken, I want to share with you what I’ve learned in the hopes that perhaps it can help you find some relief for your lower back as well. Sometimes all it takes is learning how to work with and better support the body you’ve got. I created this short yoga practice to help you do just that. Try it out and let me know if it helps. Yoga Core Workout for Lower Back PainHow do you cope with your lower back pain? –Alison
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Uber is suspending its professional taxi service in Barcelona from tomorrow almost a year after it re-entered the Catalan capital. The move follows the regional government agreeing new regulations for the vehicle for hire (VTC) sector aimed at making sure they do not compete directly with taxis. “The new restrictions approved by the Catalan Government leave us with no choice but to suspend UberX while we assess our future in Barcelona. We are committed to being a long term partner to Spanish cities and hope to work with the Catalan Government and the City Council on fair regulation for all,” an Uber spokesman told us. We’ve reached out to Cabify to ask whether it will also be suspending service in the city tomorrow. The ride-hailing company also said previously that it would have no choice but to leave if the decree was approved. And local press is reporting it will also suspend services across the region tomorrow. The new regional VTC rules, which also come into force across Catalonia from tomorrow, require a minimum 15 minute wait between a booking being made and a passenger being picked up. The decree also bans VTCs from circulating in the streets between jobs, requiring they go back to a base such as a parking lot or garage to wait for the next pick up. VTC companies using apps for ride bookings are also prohibited from displaying the real-time location of bookable vehicles prior to a reservation being made. Achieving compliance would clearly require major changes to how ride-hailing companies like Uber and Cabify operate. The decree also provides for fines of up to €1,400 (~$1,600) for any VTC drivers caught infringing the provisions. So Uber’s announcement of a service suspension is not a surprise. Nor does the company appear prepared to return unless the decree is reversed, saying it needs a “fair” regulation — echoing its messaging when it pulled out of Denmark back in 2017. “The obligation to wait 15 minutes to travel in a VTC does not exist anywhere in Europe and is totally incompatible with the immediacy of on-demand services, such as UberX,” it writes now in a blog post entitled ‘see you later, Barcelona’. “Barcelona, we hope to see you soon,” it adds, claiming the relaunched service was used by more than half a million people over its run, relying on “thousands” of drivers to deliver it. Uber’s original p2p service was also forced out of Barcelona, back in 2014, following legal challenges from the taxi sector that eventually went all the way up to Europe’s top court. At the end of 2017 the court judged Uber to be a transport company, not a neutral platform — enforcing compliance with local VTC rules and rendering the Uber’s early regulation-dodging playbook a dud in Europe. Since then, taxi associations in Barcelona and other major Spanish cities have been keeping up the pressure for regulation on the VTC sector by holding a series of strikes — including one earlier this month in which some strikers were caught on camera attacking a Cabify driver’s car. The driver was reported to have suffered a panic attack during the attack. An ‘indefinite strike’ was also called last summer and only ended after the Spanish government agreed to devolve regulatory power to autonomous regions and local authorities. Uber and Cabify temporarily paused services in Barcelona during that strike after reports of violence, including attacks on drivers. Although taxi associations organizing the protests were quick to distance themselves from any violent acts, urging their members to protest peacefully. The most recent strike in Barcelona also saw some VTC drivers take to the streets to try to apply the brake to regulation, parking their vehicles along a major road and demonstrating outside parliament. There’s still a chance that the Catalan parliament could refuse to back the decree. Though the current regional government is committed to a full restructuring of the law to ensure VTCs and taxis do not compete for the same work. Ultraviolet, one of the entertainment industry’s first attempts at creating a comprehensive digital locker service, is shutting down on July 31st, according to Variety. Users should link their libraries to the service of at least one retailer which can then be used to access their films and TV shows after the shutdown. Ultraviolet’s days were numbered ever since Disney, the only major Hollywood studio not to join, launched its expanded Movies Anywhere locker service in 2017. Not only did it offer broad studio support, it could also be connected to major digital retailers like iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play, unlike Ultraviolet. Walmart’s Vudu, the biggest retailer to support Ultraviolet (and later Movies Anywhere), issued a statement to ease concerns from those worried about the closure of the cloud-based locker service. “Customers who use Vudu to watch, rent, or buy movies and TV shows will not be impacted by the discontinuation of the Ultraviolet platform,” said Vudu VP Scott Blanksteen in a statement carried by Variety. “These customers will continue to be able to enjoy Vudu content as they have been and continue to access any and all movies and TV shows they have saved in their Vudu library, even after the shutdown of the Ultraviolet service.” Ultraviolet claims more than 30 million users who store over 300 million films and TV shows in their lockers. Wendy Aylsworth, president of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) consortium tasked with running Ultraviolet, told Variety that users will be informed of the shutdown on Thursday. Celine Dion's life is the latest to get the movie treatment, coming on the heels of musical biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman. The $23 million French film, called The Power of Love, is officially in the works, according to Variety. The movie will reportedly explore the Grammy winner's childhood, rise to fame, and relationship with her late husband and manager, René Angélil. It appears the upcoming movie has Dion's blessing, as she and her record company have authorized the project and allowed her songs to be used. Dion is best known for her timeless hits like "My Heart Will Go On," "All by Myself," and "Because You Loved Me." Valérie Lemercier will direct the film and star as the celebrated singer. The Power of Love is slated to release in December 2020, so get ready to mark it on your calendar! |
AuthorAt the moment I'm exporting jigsaw puzzles in Prescott, AZ. Once had a dream of getting my feet wet with crayon art in Orlando, FL. Spent a year training wooden trains in Salisbury, MD. Spent childhood selling salsa for the underprivileged. Had moderate success building Virgin Mary figurines on the black market. Archives
April 2019
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