Beach vacation? Selena Gomez has you covered

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Selena Gomez is a lot of things — an actress, singer, beauty mogul — and now she can add designer to the list with the launch of her swimwear collection with La’Mariette. 

The 28-year-old “Lose You To Love” singer recently dropped a six-style swimsuit collection with the brand after being approached by its founders, Theresa Mingus and Morgan Brutocao, OK! Magazine reports. 

Speaking about the design process, Selena explained, “I wanted to stay away from colors I’m used to, like red and white,” before sharing that she landed on purple.

“Purple felt different for me,” she said. “And we added pops of color like green and neons here and there; it really becomes your own suit, however you wear it.”

The tie-dye print they came up with, called “Aura,” is featured on all six pieces of Selena’s collection, which includes a cross-back one-piece, a wrap halter top, a bralette top, a sarong and two different bottoms. 

“The Aura print is inspired by Selena, her aura shines through in everything she does and we want everyone else to feel that sort of transformative feeling of being their most authentic self,” said Brutocao. “Selena’s confidence is unmatched and being able to design a print with her which embodies that is so rewarding.”

The collection is available exclusively on la-mariette.com. Prices range from $49 to $119.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

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First lady Jill Biden to travel to Tokyo for Olympics opening ceremony

Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith

(WASHINGTON) — First lady Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, which will be held on July 23, according to the office of the first lady.

The Summer Olympics were supposed to kick off in Japan’s capital last year on July 24 but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and are now scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8. Despite the year delay, COVID-19 continues to rip through the country, mudding up the games with controversy and calls to cancel.

To address some of those concerns, organizers unveiled a series of “playbooks” with new rules and guidelines for how they plan to hold safe and successful Games in Tokyo this summer amid the pandemic. The rules include spectator gaps, a ban on cheering, mandatory COVID-19 testing and more.

Asked last month whether the first lady would attend, President Joe Biden said, “That’s the plan.”

“Well, we’re trying to work that out now,” he told White House reporters as he departed for a trip to Wisconsin. “That’s the plan.”

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Two Baltimore police officers shot

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(BALTIMORE) — Two Baltimore, Maryland, police officers were shot Tuesday morning and are in unknown conditions, according to the city’s Fraternal Order of Police.

Baltimore police said the two officers involved are on the Warrant Apprehension Task Force. They were working with the U.S. Marshals regional fugitive task force at the time of the shooting, according to a law enforcement source.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison is heading to the hospital, police said.

Additional information was not immediately available.

Story developing…

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Eli Roth calls the shark conservation documentary ‘Fin’ the “scariest movie” he’s ever made

Photo: Joe Romeiro/Discovery+

Eli Roth is known for his horror films like Hostel and Knock Knock, but he tells ABC Audio the “scariest” film he’s ever done is the new documentary Fin

Co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and released today as part of Discovery’s Shark Week, Fin took Roth behind the scenes of the environmentally disastrous commercial shark fishing industry. 

The documentary maintains that 100,000,000 sharks are slaughtered every year, for use in products from shark fin soup to lipstick. “I didn’t want to be another kind of Hollywood person with a cause,” he insists to ABC Audio. “I just couldn’t believe what was happening.”

He explains it was, “a chance for me to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made because it’s real…you don’t even have to try and make it scary,” Roth insists. “You just have to show what’s happening.”

Roth found that out straightaway, in a scene reminiscent of one his most famous characters, who dispatched Nazis with a baseball bat. “When I got out on the sea the first day of shooting, they killed a Mako shark with a bat. I thought, ‘Wow, this is crazy because I’m so known for that scene in Inglourious Basterds and now I’m watching a shark get beaten to death with a bat…”

A swim with sharks to confront his fears changed his life. “You’re coming from this place of ‘This thing wants to eat me,’ to, ‘Oh, my God, this thing reminds me of my dog.”

The movie fan says, “You know, the most famous horror film of all time is Jaws. And it’s certainly time to show the other side. And I really wanted to make a film that just put into context just how necessary sharks are and how what we’re doing to them is so completely insane.”  

Roth urges those who want to seek an end to the global shark trade to visit FinTheMovie.com, where they can find information to contact their representatives in government.

 

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Consumer prices jumped 5.4% in the last 12 months

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(WASHINGTON) — Consumer prices continued to climb last month, newly-released data indicates, as the economy begins to bounce back from the pandemic-induced downturn.

The consumer price index, the Labor Department’s measure of what consumers pay for everyday goods and services, spiked 5.4% over the last 12 months. In June alone, it jumped 0.9%.

This was the largest one-month change since June 2008 and the largest 12-month increase since August 2008, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The latest CPI data was largely driven up by the index for used cars and trucks, which skyrocketed by a whopping 10.5% in June amid a global chip shortage. This increase accounted for more than one-third of the increase for all items.

The so-called core index, which accounts for all items except the more volatile food and energy index, spiked 0.9% in June after rising 0.7% in May. The core index rose by some 4.5% over the last year — the largest 12-month increase since the period ending in Nov. 1991.

The food index spiked 0.8% in June, double the 0.4% jump reported in May. The energy index spiked 1.5% last month, with the gasoline index spiking 2.5%. Over the last 12 months, the food index was up 2.4% and the energy index rose 24.5%.

While nearly all the indexes saw increases last month, the index for medical care and the index for household furnishings were among the few that decreased in June, according to the DOL. The consumer price index for all items has been trending upward every month since the start of the year.

The latest figures come as the pandemic wanes in the U.S. and consumer demand surges while many businesses have reported supply chain bottlenecks and labor issues. Meanwhile, economists and policymakers mull over whether the data reflects a temporary blip or indicates the potential of longer-term inflation.

Last month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell downplayed inflation fears in a testimony before lawmakers, saying it is likely temporary.

“Inflation has increased notably in recent months,” Powell stated, according to prepared remarks. “This reflects, in part, the very low readings from early in the pandemic falling out of the calculation; the pass-through of past increases in oil prices to consumer energy prices; the rebound in spending as the economy continues to reopen; and the exacerbating factor of supply bottlenecks, which have limited how quickly production in some sectors can respond in the near term.”

“As these transitory supply effects abate, inflation is expected to drop back toward our longer-run goal,” he added.

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Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd & more to perform on Global Citizen Live broadcast

Dan Martensen

Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour live broadcast on Saturday, September 25, will feature performances from music’s top stars, including Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, The Weeknd, BTS, Billie Eilish, Adam Lambert and Coldplay.

The broadcast will be filmed across six continents, with a goal of uniting the world in order to defeat poverty and defend the planet.  It’ll air on ABC, ABC News Live, FX, Hulu, YouTube, Twitter and more.  The musical performances will take place at “iconic locations” in New York, Paris, London, Seoul, LA, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.

Other artists on the bill include Alessia Cara, Andrea Bocelli, Demi Lovato, Duran Duran, H.E.R., Lizzo, Lorde, Ricky Martin, Usher and Doja Cat.

The broadcast is part of Global Citizen’s Recovery Plan for the World in the wake of the pandemic. It calls on governments, the private sector and philanthropists to donate one billion COVID-19 vaccine, contribute $6 billion to famine relief efforts, donate $400 million to education, give $250 million to support COVID-19 response efforts for marginalized communities, and get the world’s biggest companies to commit to reaching net zero emissions to fight climate change.

“It is very important to me to be a part of this historic event to spread awareness and encourage action toward helping the people of Ethiopia during this devastating humanitarian crisis they are faced with,” says The Weeknd, whose parents are from Ethiopia. “It’ll be an honor to perform and help bring support to these citizens who are suffering so severely.”

Visit GlobalCitizen.org for more information.

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Macy’s launches Olympic store to help you cheer on Team USA

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(NEW YORK) — It is finally time to light the Olympic torch. After being delayed a year due to the coronavirus, the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin next Friday, July 23, and will run through Aug. 8.

Since spectators won’t be allowed to travel to Tokyo, all eyes will instead be watching Team USA on TV as they take on the world. And what better way to support Team USA than by sporting some patriotic gear and accessories?

In support of the Olympic Games, Macy’s has launched an Olympic store that will run until Aug. 8. You can check out the items here.

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Report: Kyle Massey hit with $100,000 arrest warrant after failing to appear in court

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Kyle Massey, known for playing Cory Baxter in Disney Channel shows That’s So Raven and Cory in the House, has been hit with an arrest warrant stemming from a case where he stands accused of sending pornographic material to an underage girl.

TMZ reports that Massey, 29, failed to appear at his scheduled court date in King County, WA, on Monday.  Because the actor missed his court date and allegedly did not respond to the summons, a judge signed a $100,000 warrant for his arrest.

This is the second arraignment Massey missed, as he also was absent from the first court appearance set for late June.

Massey’s lawyer, Lee Hutton, spoke with TMZ and said that the actor’s team tried to communicate with the court, but did not hear back.  The claim was denied by a member of the King’s County, Washington, District Attorney’s Office.

The representative said, not only did Massey fail to communicate with the court, “Mr. Massey, nor any representatives of him, have filed anything in the Court docket.”

The D.A.’s rep added, “It is possible that Mr. Massey’s attorney is calling the wrong office. It’s also worth noting that Mr. Massey previously acknowledged the filing of the case in past media articles since the first arraignment date, which also included today’s new arraignment date. There’s no misrepresentation here. Quite simply, Mr. Massey did not appear in court.”

Massey, who maintains his innocence, faces 1 charge of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. 

The alleged victim said she was 13 when she reached out to the former Disney star in November 2018 after learning of a potential Cory in the House reboot and wanted to audition.  She claims he texted her explicit material in the form of images, videos and written communications.

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‘Legally Blonde’ turns 20: Five Fascinating Facts

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20 years ago today, the beloved comedy Legally Blonde hit theaters, with Reese Witherspoon winning over audiences as Elle Woods, a sorority girl seeking to overcome stereotypes while earning a law degree. In honor of the film’s big 2-0, here are five fascinating facts about the film:

  1. The film is based on a true story.
    Before Legally Blonde the movie, there was Legally Blonde the book, written by Amanda Brown, who drew from her real-life experiences at Stanford Law School.
     
  2. Reese Witherspoon almost didn’t get the lead role of Elle.
    Christina Applegate was also in the running but she turned it down, stating that she didn’t want to play another stereotypical blonde character. “What a stupid move that was, right?” she told ET before adding that Reese did a “much better job than I ever could.”
     
  3. The iconic “bend and snap” moment was created during a drunken night out.
    While at a bar in Los Angeles trying to come up with a scene for Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Paulette, lead writer Karen McCullah asked co-writer Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, “What if Elle shows [Paulette] a move so she can get the UPS guy?” Smith then spontaneously came up with what we know now as the “bend and snap.”
     
  4. Legally Blonde made its way to the theatre.
    There were Broadway and West End musicals based on the film. Its London West end production won several awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical.
     
  5. The movie almost had a very different ending.
    The current version ends with Elle delivering a speech at her Harvard Law School graduation, but the first cut actually ended at the courthouse. After winning her case, she shares a kiss with Emmett (Luke Wilson) and then it cuts to Elle and a blonde Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair) opening their own blonde legal defense club in law school. It was changed because of test audiences.

As Legally Blonde celebrates turning 20, a third installment is currently in the works and slated for a May 2022 release —  plenty of time for fans to give the original movie another view. 

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Gloria Estefan, Camila Cabello and other Cuban artists react to country’s crisis

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Celebrities with ties to Cuba, such as Gloria Estefan and Camila Cabello, are raising awareness about the ongoing crisis impacting the country.

Thousands of Cubans are actively protesting the government over rising prices and shortages of food and medicine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as blackouts plaguing the island.  The turnout is among the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba’s recent history. Amid the already growing tensions, Cuba’s government denounced the protests and deployed armed forces, further provoking an already volatile situation. 

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Cabello informed her millions of followers about what’s happening in Cuba and pleaded for their assistance.

“Hey guys, there is a major crisis right now in Cuba and we need your help to spread awareness. Deaths from COVID are rising rapidly and because of the lack of medicine, resources, basic necessities and even, food many people are dying,” she explained, urging her fans to use the #SOSCuba hashtag on social media.

In a follow up, the “Havana” singer continued, “There are simultaneous protests in more than 5 cities in Cuba. Our brave people took the streets to protest for this humanitarian crisis & they need our help.”

Gloria Estefan also rallied her followers on Sunday by sharing footage of a recent protest taking place in the country.

“The Cuban people are reaching their breaking point! I stand with them as I always have!,” she wrote, while also sharing the message in Spanish.  In other social media posts, she called for the country’s freedom.

Other celebrities rallying for the country include J Balvin and Becky G

Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades.  In tandem with the economic crisis, the country is grappling with a new and deadly surge of COVID-19.

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