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Business

Toys R Us closes their only two stores

Toys R Us has closed their only two stores in the US.

The legendary toy brand filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and closed over 700 locations. In 2020, the chain attempted a come back. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has shuttered any chance of the store coming back in a big way.

While Toys R Us still has an online presence through an Amazon store, a physical store will not be in the companies future anytime soon.

“As a result of COVID, we made the strategic decision to pivot our store strategy to new locations and platforms that have better traffic,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. “Consumer demand in the toy category and for Toys R Us remains strong and we will continue to invest in the channels where the customer wants to experience our brand.”

The owners of Toys R Us, Tru Kids, had big plans for the brand.

31 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Entertainment Politics

Donald Trump’s Hollywood residual income drops

written by Ruben Jay

The former President has seen his income from his Hollywood days shrink.

The 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, saw his Hollywood income plummet.

Trump was a Hollywood power house prior to his Presidential term. During his pre-White House days, Trump was the host of The Apprentice as well as making cameo appearances on many movies.

The New York Post says that his Hollywood income has virtually disappeared, according to his latest financial disclosure. For example, Trump earned $2 million in 2018 from The Apprentice. In 2019, his check from The Apprentice was $1.6 million. Last year, his check was just $275,000.

One of the biggest reasons for the drop off is that The Apprentice is not currently in syndication or streaming anywhere. His union pensions rose a little. He earned $84,292 from SAG and just under $10,000 from AFTRA.

27 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Entertainment Featured Sports

The Super Bowl may not be as “super” for the commercials

written by Ruben Jay

I have one less reason to watch the Super Bowl.

According to the New York Post, the Super Bowl will be seeing less commercials than normal. Many major advertisers like Coke, Pepsi, and Budweiser are all pulling their ads as they were unable to find the “right tone.” Many advertisers struggled to find a tone that worked while dealing with political unrest, record unemployment, and a global pandemic.

“There is trepidation around Super Bowl advertising this year,” said Bill Oberlander, co-founder and executive creative of ad agency Oberlander. “For the Super Bowl, you generally go big or go home. I think brands are going home rather than spending tens of millions of dollars and not getting it right. They’re saying, ‘Let’s wait until this s—storm clears.’”

Coke is the biggest name to pull their ads. The soda company has had a commercial air in every Super Bowl since 2006.

“This difficult choice was made to ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times,” Coca-Cola said.

25 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Entertainment Featured Television WWE

The WWE Network will be streaming exclusively on the Peacock streaming app in the United States

written by Ruben Jay

WWE is moving their WWE Network to be exclusively on Peacock in the United States.

The New York Post is reporting that NBCUniversal, the parent company of the Peacock streaming service, has signed a multiyear deal that makes Peacock the exclusive US home for the WWE Network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the WWE Network will debut on Peacock on March 18th.

When the Network comes to Peacock over 17,000 hours of original WWE programming will be available. WWE will also be streaming their monthly pay-per-view events on Peacock as well. WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series among others will be available on WWE’s Peacock channel. WWE Fastlane will be the first event streamed on the Peacock channel.

WWE will also be featuring reruns of Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, as well as WWE24 documentary series. There will also be a Peacock exclusive documentary.

The price tag for WWE Network on the Peacock network will be $4.99 with ads or $9.99 for an ad-free experience. WWE says that fans currently paying the $9.99 price will automatically be migrated to the $4.99 plan when the Network moves to Peacock. Details to come.

“WWE Network is a transformative addition to the platform and complements Peacock’s massive catalog of iconic movies and shows, as well as the best live news and sports, from NBCUniversal and beyond,” said Rick Cordella, Peacock’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer.

“We are thrilled to further the long-standing and trusted partnership WWE has with NBCUniversal,” said Nick Khan, WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Peacock is an innovative platform that will enable us to showcase our most significant events, including WrestleMania, and provide the extraordinary entertainment our fans have come to expect with the combination of premium WWE content, live sports, news, films, and television programs.”

This move has been rumored for almost a year now.

25 January, 2021 0 comment

Business

Instacart lays-off 1,900 employees

written by Ruben Jay

Instacart, the grocery delivery app, says it plans to lay off 1,900 workers as part of cuts across the company. In those 1,900 cuts are the only unionized employees the company has.

The lay off comes as grocery chains begin to train and hire their own employees to do the job that Instacart employees do. According to the New York Post, 10 of the employees being laid off are the only staff members who joined a union.

Instacart claims that the lay offs have nothing to do with the unionization of the staff.

24 January, 2021 0 comment

Business NBC Television

Legendary news broadcaster Tom Brokaw is retiring

written by Ruben Jay

Legendary news anchor Tom Brokaw is officially retiring from NBC News.

“During one of the most complex and consequential eras in American history, a new generation of NBC News journalists, producers and technicians is providing America with timely, insightful and critically important information, 24/7. I could not be more proud of them,” Brokaw said in a statement obtai n ed by Deadline.

Brokaw is 80 years old. He spent 22 years as the host of NBC Nightly News. Most recently, Brokaw served as a special correspondent for NBC.

His online Emmy bio says that Brokaw is the only person to have served as host all three of NBC’s major shows, Today, NBC Nightly News, and Meet The Press.

22 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Tech

Judge says Amazon won’t be forced to host Parler

written by Ruben Jay

The free speech focused social media app Parler has seen its first loss in their lawsuit against Amazon.

Parler sued Amazon after the e-commerce giant kicked the platform off their web hosting service. Amazon claims that Parler didn’t do enough to “moderate violent content.”

Parler has asked the courts to order Amazon to allow Parler on their servers as they waited for a final judgement from the court. On Thursday, US district Judge Barbara Rothstein said the social media site did not present a convincing argument.

If Parler isn’t able to open back up to the public soon, they may go out of business for good.

21 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Entertainment Music

Dr. Dre was released from the hospital

written by Ruben Jay

Dre. Dre was released from the hospital over the weekend after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Peter Paterno, the music mogul’s attorney, said that Dre was home but did not offer any further details. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dre was released on Friday from Ceders-Sinai Medical Center.

According to the report, rapper Ice T said he connected with Dre via facetime and Dre “just made it home. Safe and looking good.” Dre also released a statement that he was “doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team.”

We continue to wish Dre a speedy recovery!

17 January, 2021 0 comment

Business Tech

Parler is back online, but not open just yet

written by Ruben Jay

Parler, the social media app that has cause so much drama, is back online after being taken down by Apple. Google, and Amazon Web Service.

John Matze, the founder and CEO of Parler, posted a message for their “Lovers and Haters” on their website.

Now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform. We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both.

We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

17 January, 2021 0 comment

Business

Taco Bell may bring back the Mexican Pizza

written by Ruben Jay

2020 was a terrible year for everyone, including those who love Taco Bell.

Last November, the Mexican fast food joint eliminated over a dozen menu items, including the beloved Mexican Pizza. And of all the items cut, that was the one item that got everyone to hate Taco Bell.

The President of Taco Bell, Mike Grams, said “While we know fans may be understandably sad to see some of their favorites go, this evolution of our menu truly paves the way for fresh new ideas…”

Now, a few months after getting the axe, there is hope that the Mexican Pizza might be returning to the menu. Another item that was cut at the same time was the cheesy potatoes, and that is making a come back in March! “We definitely heard from our consumers — because they love our potatoes,” Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer Liz Matthews told Insider. “We do have a direct line with our consumers and they’re loud and vocal, and we love that because they’re passionate about our brand.”

Business Insider pushed Matthews on the idea of the Mexican Pizza returning, she gave an optimistic response. Matthews said “I think there’s always a chance. We’re constantly listening to our customers. So, I wouldn’t pull that off the table.”

If you are a fan of the Mexican Pizza, keep fighting!

17 January, 2021 0 comment