Yara Shahidi for Town and Country - Summer 2019
Ava DuVernay, Melinda Gates, Christine Lagarde, and Yara Shahidi are the four cover stars of Town & Country’s Summer 2019 issue.
Here are some excerpts from Yara fro the issue.
On Instagram and displaying joy: “I can say, my friends look great today, let’s take a picture’ and be equally concerned with issues globally. There’s a power in just displaying joy.”
On activism without borders: “My love of history, or even being socially engaged, stems from having, firsthand, people to care about around the globe and at a young age expanding my community beyond these fake borders we put on each other.”
On philanthropy as a family value: “I remember when we first got an investment banker, he would meet with me and my brother at 10 and seven. I think from the time I got my first check, you said [her mother, Keri], ‘You have three jars: You have savings, you have spending, and you have donating. What do you want to put in each jar? So it’s already kind of infrastructurally set up – you get, and then you give some.”
Get more HERE
#RHOA: Tanya Sam breaks down her first season and reveals if she'd return for another
This past season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" welcomed several new faces to the mix, including technology businesswoman, Tanya Sam, as a friend of the cast.
First introduced as a friend of NeNe Leakes, Tanya quickly saw her place in the group shift as she simultaneously connected with cast member Eva Marcille and saw her friendship with NeNe implode right in front of her eyes.
Tanya Sam recently stopped by the offices of AOL to discuss her first season on the highly-rated Bravo hit, where things went astray with NeNe, why she's okay with not showing her professional life on the show and whether or not she would do the whole thing again (spoiler alert: she's "sure" she'll be back "in some capacity.")
Check out their full conversation with "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Tanya Sam below:
This was your first season on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Overall, how was your experience on the show? Was it different from what you expected at all?
I will first say that the experience has been incredible. You go into this and people tell you what to expect, but until you really live it, you have no idea. Now that the show’s aired and we’ve gone through it, I look back and see how much fun it was. I had a really good time. One of the biggest pluses to come out of all of this is that I’m just in love with the fans of this show. They are so hardcore, and those that love you, love you, and the ones that don’t, don’t. The community of people who have embraced me and are fine with my quirky personality has been really wonderful.
This was sort of addressed on the reunion, but I'm not sure it was ever truly answered: Can you explain the shift that happened between you being described as "NeNe Leakes' friend" and "Eva's friend" this season?
This is one of those questions that I find really hard, because Atlanta is a small place and people always ask me how I got on this show. You have so many different circles of influence, so I had known Michael Sterling before I ever met Eva. We’re in technology, so I didn’t spend much time hanging out with Kandi or the music scene, but we were always at the same type of events. I went shopping at NeNe’s boutique and I happened to meet her there and she was like, “Hey, girl, your car is fabulous and bigger than mine, you should think of being on the show.” So, she planted that bird and it’s really about the rest of Bravo creating the other things. It wasn’t really under my control. We’re all grown women on this show and doing whatever we’re doing in our own right and it’s not like someone made me do this show at 40 years of age. That’s something we didn’t really get into at reunion because it’s always about, “Why are you here?”
On the show they don’t want to get into the logistics of it all.
Yeah, but I’ve always been very particular about that part because it’s like, I've been moving and shaking and building my career for a long time within my own right. The funny part about going from NeNe’s friend to Eva’s friend is that it felt really true in real life. We went on that girls’ trip where we had that competition, and it all started with the high/low sunglasses. I was genuinely being like, "Shout out to Swagg Boutique!” I wasn’t trying to put any more meaning to that, but I felt like I got persecuted the rest of that trip and wanted to get out of there.
Using your Hibachi room to invite the rest of the cast on your and Eva's trip to Japan was so fun. Talk to me about your involvement in the planning of that trip for Eva's bachelorette party and how it did or didn’t go according to plan.
That was really fun, because that was where Eva and I started hanging out. Our personalities are similar and the Canadian and California mix is very natural. We just started hanging out and at that time, two things had happened where the girls were on her about being shady and I realized that I had offended Nene. It was the perfect time for a girls' trip and making it about her bachelorette, so I offered to plan it. I love to entertain and I thought it would be fun. I hadn’t been to Tokyo, but I had traveled around the world and it was so much fun. We got to do a lot of really fun stuff.
There was some major tension with NeNe on that trip, too. Where did things turned with her, do you think? Was that even in your control?
Destin was one thing, and when I went back and looked at that there were a lot of things said: That I was shallow, ignorant, small-minded. I had to let that go, and a lot of how I looked at it throughout the season is that this woman was going through something so great with her family. She would say these things and I would just let it roll off my back and remind myself to empathize with the position that she was in. Fans were like, "Why aren’t you standing up for yourself?" Maybe that was on me, but I didn’t feel like it was that deep. We came full circle at reunion and I was able to voice all that. But I don’t know where to pinpoint it.
Tokyo was really rough, and there were a couple days there where I was like, "I’m outta here." Part of what happened in Tokyo was… I look at my friendships that, if you say something to hurt my feelings, you have to be open to me telling you why it hurt my feelings. There has to be that give and take, and I just don’t feel like I got that. After the season aired, we watch it along with you guys, so you kind of relive it a little bit and notice that we just weren’t talking as much.
Were there any things that you found out about while watching? What’s it like watching the whole season back?
For most of the season, it felt very true to self. Everyone always ask if you get misrepresented, but everything that comes out of your mouth actually came out of your mouth. The one thing is watching the reunion back, because it’s really long and intense and you often don’t hear what people say because you’re far away. There was stuff in the reunion about pulling a peach from your vajayjay that I was shocked about, because I didn’t hear it. [Laughs] That was the first time I wished I had heard stuff or wish I had a do-over.
You have a whole career outside of Housewives that's incredibly impressive, but we didn’t get to see it on the show. Do you wish that you had gotten to show that side of you more?
Not really, and I’ll tell you why: This was such a great endeavor to venture on and it wasn’t really on my roadmap of things I wanted to do, but when the opportunity came up … you know that book by Shonda Rhimes, "The Year of Yes"? It’s about saying yes to everything. It was like, "YOLO! Let’s do this." I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to juggle everything. It’s kind of like the plate spinner: I work full-time, I work in startups and technology, I help others build their businesses, etc. I was like, "I can’t really slip on that stuff." But this was a good introduction.
A lot of people have wondered why Marlo hasn’t been promoted to a full Housewife after all these years, but the response is usually that she doesn’t want to show every aspect of her life on the show. That's a demanding requirement of being a Real Housewife.
They’re literally in your bedroom! Like, I’m going through IVF right now, and we actually came to Columbia [University] to see a specialist here, and they could be in the ultrasound room and you have to be open to sharing things like that.
I didn't know that you were going through IVF right now. What has your IVF journey been like? What are you comfortable sharing?
We have been doing this on and off for about two and a half years. We love our work and traveling, so we wanted to have babies a little bit later, but we figured we should be smart about it and store some embryos, and that’s what we’re doing IVF for. It involves taking needles -- sometimes 5 in the morning, 5 at night -- for a two-week cycle. You’re doing all these ultrasounds and watching your eggs grow in ovaries like grapes. I’ve done that several times, and I have one embryo but need more. It’s a lot of work. I like sharing that, and it’s one of those things people only sort of talk about. If someone told me when I was 30 to bank my eggs so I wouldn’t have to think about this at 40, then maybe I would’ve done it.
It's kind of like Kandi being so open about turning to surrogacy to have more children: It's refreshing to see both of you talking about these things publicly, so that they can become even more normalized.
That’s such a great example, because so many celebrities used to quietly do it, but now they’re talking about it because there are so many possibilities for so many people. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Kim and Kanye… it’s not weird to do it. If you want a child, you have to do things to get there.
You’re from Canada, and I think that comes out not just in your voice but also in your disposition: You have a different outlook than a lot of these ladies. How do you view that in comparison to the other women?
When I first started hanging out with the girls in group settings, people were unsure what to make of me. They were like, "She’s bubbly!" And I was confused for a valley girl, which is a term we don’t even have in Canada. I like to laugh, and I think bubbly is better than b--chy any day, so it doesn’t really bother me. Go ahead and call me a breath of fresh air!
Sometimes these shows do need a different perspective or personality to mix things up, anyway.
Totally. I liked it. So many people really identified with that and would write me these nice notes. Showing people another character on this show that kind of epitomized Atlanta and black women has been really great for the franchise and representation is key.
"Real Housewives" gets a bad rep a lot of the time, with critics saying that it doesn't paint women in a positive light, but Roxane Gay argued the opposite during her recent appearance on "WWHL," and she defended the show by saying that it shows a different side of affluent, aspirational, complicated women of color who run their own businesses. Did you think about how the show is perceived going into it?
I definitely did, but that was more other people’s opinions that they were putting on me, but that drove me to do it more. People were like, "Are you worried?" I was never worried about how I was going to conduct myself, because I’m just me. I knew I wasn’t going to snatch someone’s wig off, but I really started to be welcoming of the idea of putting some different characters in the mix. I do come from a different background, and that platform is so big. Atlanta is such a great place to live and it has such a deep history of being a progressive city for African-Americans, where you’ve got people who run Fortune 1000 companies and longtime CEOs and it’s so diverse, which I don’t think gets touched on a lot on the show. Let’s show more of that!
I like her!
#Empire: The Fans say To Bring Jussie Smollett Back For Last Season
Earlier this week, FOX confirmed during their 2019 Upfront presentation for the Fall TV Lineup that the upcoming 6th season of Empire will be the show’s last.
FOX Entertainment's CEO Charlie Collier told Entertainment Weekly that the final season of Empire will leave the fans fully satisfied.
He shared: "We are turning the final season into a large TV event. We are trying to go out guns a-blazing. One of the great benefits of announcing the final season is that it actually allows fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve. Six years is a remarkable run."
It was also announced that while Jussie Smollett’s option for the season 6 was picked up, there are no plans to bring his character, Jamal Lyon, back to the show.
Fans of the disgraced star aren’t here for this news as they have started a Change.org petition to bring him back since "all charges have been dropped" against him in the hoax hate crime case.
It reads: "Recent reports have stated Jussie Smollett's future on Empire is uncertain. This is even after all charges against him have been dropped and there has not been a single piece of evidence shown to the public that shows he did what he was accused of doing."
After noting reports that "major cast members on Empire have asked that Jussie be brought back, they write: "How many times can a man be attacked? #StandWithJussie #NoJussieNoEmpire,"
the petition already has 14,382 of their 15,000 signature goal. Are you sad to see Empire go or it's time?
#NewMusic from Montell Jordan “When I’m Around You’
The moment many R&B lovers have been waiting on for years now is here; Montell Jordan has returned to the genre with a new single. Today he’s released the brand new song “When I’m Around You” featuring rapper Lecrae.
The uptempo love song takes an influence from his roots in 90’s R&B and proves he still has a lot to offer. “When I’m Around You” is a love song dedicated to his wife who is also pictured on the single cover.
This is the first R&B song that Montell has released since he left and joined the ministry a decade ago. Although he has come back to performing from time to time, up until now he had not released a new R&B song.
LISTEN HERE
Montell’s previous album “Let it Rain” was released back in 2008.
#HipHopNews: Wu-Tang Clan To Release New Ep This Friday
Shaolin Stand Up! It looks like fans will have new Wu-Tang Clan music before the week is over.
On Tuesday (May 14), the legendary group used their Twitter account to announce that they will be dropping a new EP inspired by their Showtime docuseries, Of Mics and Men, on Friday (May 17).
"You've seen episode 1/ Wu documentary by now (and if you haven't, what were you doing last weekend), now listen to the music inspired by the series," reads one part of the tweet. "On Friday, we're coming with a new Wu-Tang EP from @36ChambersALC and Mass Appeal, so let your boss know you'll be in late to work."
The EP follows the group's last release, The Saga Continues, which dropped in October 2017. The EP, a soundtrack titled Wu-Tang: Of Mics and Men Soundtrack, is inspired by Of Mics and Men, which is a four-part series that premiered on Showtime last Friday (May 10), and will continue airing for the next three Fridays. The doc contains never-before-seen footage and interviews with the group and people who had an instrumental part in their story, with director Sacha Jenkins at the helm.
In addition to their Showtime docuseries, Hulu is currently developing a 10-episode TV series inspired by the Wu. Wu-Tang: An American Saga will be set in the 1990s and based on the rise of the game-changing group, and includes both RZA and Method Man as executive producers. Dave East has been tapped to star as a character named Shotgun, who is based on Method Man.
OH NO! Britney Spears May Never Perform Again, Manager Says
Britney Spears’s longtime manager Larry Rudolph says the singer may never perform again. Speaking to TMZ, Rudolph said, “As the person who guides her career — based on the information I and all of the professionals who work with her are being told on a need-to-know basis — from what I have gathered it’s clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again.”
Rudolph has managed Spears for most of her career, going back to her first album, “Baby… One More Time,” in 1999. “I’ve been with her for two-thirds of her life,” he tells Variety. “I look at her almost like I look at my own daughter. It’s very emotional for me … and really rough. Personally, I want for her to just find a peaceful, happy place — whatever that means for her. It’s not about a career anymore — it’s about life.”
The singer is scheduled to undergo psychological evaluation after postponing her Las Vegas residency in the wake of her father’s recent treatment for a ruptured colon. Rudolph says that, though Spears had rehearsed the show (the residency was due to launch on February 13), the Vegas engagement is effectively off, which is what prompted his speaking out in the early hours of May 15.
The decision was made “not to move forward with the Vegas residency,” he explains, adding that the question of what she’s going to do next is not the focus Spears or her family is concerned with right now. “She’s taking time to regroup and get her head together,” says Rudolph. “She’s putting herself ahead of everyone else, and I’m proud of her for that. If she never works again, she never works again. My role is to handle her career when she wants a career. If she comes back strong and full of desire and passion and wants to do it, great. If she takes off six months or six years, it’s totally fine. To me, it’s about her finding her happy place.”
Spears’ father Jamie Spears has been her co-conservator since 2008 when she suffered a very public breakdown. He became sole conservator this year after attorney Andrew Wallet resigned from his co-conservatorship in March. Jamie Spears’ recovery from his ailment evidently has not been smooth; after postponing her residency, Britney later checked herself into a health facility for a month-long stay, suffering from stress due to his illness.
Rudolph says that “[Britney] is the one whose focus is on on [getting better]. She’s driving it.” This runs contrary to the belief put forward by the “Free Britney” movement that she’s effectively imprisoned against her will. “I understand how much these fans love her and support her and I love that,” says Rudolph. “The part that concerns me is that it has no factual basis. The personal issues that Britney is dealing with are highly complicated and the conservatorship is there for a reason. The courts of the State of California take this very seriously. I hope the people allow her to have her private time.”
Alfonso Ribeiro & Wife Angela Welcome Baby Girl Ava Sue
Congratulations to Alfonso Ribeiro and his wife, Angela Ribeiro, on the birth of their baby girl.
Ava Sue Ribeiro arrived on Monday (May 13) to join her three siblings.
The proud papa announced his baby girl’s birth via Instagram writing:
Ava Sue Ribeiro finally decided to send @mrsangelaribeiro1 to the hospital on Mother’s Day and came into our world early yesterday morning.
Both Ava and Mommy are doing great. Thank you Dr. Jason Rothbart for an amazing job.
This is the actor and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host’s third child with Angela, but he is also a proud papa to his daughter, Sienna, from a previous relationship.
Congratulations to the happy and growing family!
RuPaul says Trump is banned from his new talk show, talks partying with 'personable' Michelle Obama
These days, it’s rare for Donald Trump to pop up on a TV show that doesn’t air on Fox News. Even so, he shouldn’t hold out hope for getting an invite from RuPaul anytime soon.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race star is branching out with a new daytime talk show which will premiere on select Fox stations on June 10. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Monday night, a fan called in to ask RuPaul which celebrity would be “banned” from the show.
He didn’t hesitate. “Oh, well probably the 45th president of the United States,” RuPaul responded to cheers from the audience.
He went on to allude to the current political climate as he spoke about his goals for the program.
“We are at an interesting time in our culture,” he told Cohen and fellow guest Anjelica Huston. “I want to be a part of a conversation that moves the conversation forward to the 21st century and helps people navigate some of these tricky, tricky waters we’re in right now ... Nobody knows how to handle all of this.”
But one political figure would most certainly be welcome: former first lady Michelle Obama.
RuPaul shared how Obama invited him and the singer Adele to the after-party for her book tour stop in London last month.
“The best part was when Mrs. Obama invited us to the after-party and she came over to our table to eat fish and chips, which was really good,” he revealed. “And she was so personable and human, and we talked about everything. She’s a great person.”
POTUS may be banned from visiting RuPaul, but he did inspire a March episode of Drag Race. “Trump: The Rusical” saw contestants staging a musical set at the “Trump School for Girls” and featured a cameo from MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.
Lamar Odom Regrets Cheating on Khloe Kardashian: 'I Wish I Could Have Been More of a Man'
Lamar Odom is opening up about his many regrets from his four-year marriage to Khloe Kardashian.
In a new excerpt from the former NBA star's new memoir "Darkness to Light," obtained by People, Odom speaks about his regret over being unfaithful to Khloe and lying to her about his cocaine addiction.
"I wish I could have been more of a man," Odom told People in an interview to accompany the excerpt. "It still bothers me to this day. But regret is something we have to learn to live with."
Khloe and Odom, who were married in 2009 just one month after they met, said their relationship was "bliss" in the beginning. The highs and lows of their marriage was documented on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and the spinoff "Khloe and Lamar."
"For a while, being with her was bliss and I was the happiest I've ever been," Odom writes in his memoir. "We were one of the most famous couples in Hollywood and we made more money together than we had individually."
"At the start of our marriage I was faithful to her," he adds. However, as Odom's addictions grew worse, the professional athlete started having affairs and cheating on Khloe.
"I could not handle the lethal cocktail of the spotlight, addiction, a diminishing career and infidelity," he writes. "Oh, did I mention the paranoia, anxiety, depression. ...I couldn't keep my d--k in my pants or the coke out of my nose. Drug addicts are incredibly skilled at hiding their habit. I'd get defensive and Khloé would just drop it."
Although Khloe and Odom split in 2013 after only four years of marriage, the reality star was by her ex-husband's side after he nearly died after a drug overdose in 2015.
Odom, whose mother Cathy died of cancer when he was 12, told People: "I remember waking up and [Khloe] showing me pictures of my mother. I was surprised on how quick she was to show her devotion to me."
"Her love for me must have been unconditional," he added. "That's the only thing [I think] that gave her the strength to still love me at that time."
Khloe and Odom's divorce was finalized in 2016. Khloe went on to have a relationship with Tristan Thompson, with whom they share baby True, 1.
Odom said he is now completely drug-free and hopes to mend his relationship with Khloe and her family.
"I hope we can be friends," Odom said. "I miss the family. And I hope we can all be reacquainted one day."
"Darkness to Light" is out May 28.
A Disturbing Video shows A Woman pushing an elderly man off Las Vegas bus. He later died.
A 25-year-old woman is accused of pushing an elderly man off a Las Vegas bus. He later died. Now police have released video of the incident in an effort to find witnesses.
Cadesha Bishop, 25, was arrested on May 6 and charged with open murder on an elderly-vulnerable person in the death of a Serge Fournier, 74, whom she is accused of pushing out of a bus on March 21, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and NBC affiliate KSNV.
This video is disturbing ‘CAUTION’
The bus surveillance video released by police on Tuesday shows Fournier starting to exit the bus with a large foldable cart when Bishop shoves him from behind with both her hands. Fournier flies through the bus doors and lands face-first on the sidewalk and his cart.
Police said Bishop was argumentative with people on the bus, and had gotten into a verbal spat with the victim before pushing him. A police report said Fournier had told Bishop to "to be nicer to passengers," according to KSNV.
When officers arrived at the Downtown Las Vegas scene, Fournier refused medical attention, but he checked into a hospital later that night, police said.
Fournier's family told police that he died from his injuries on April 23.
Wendy Williams is dissolving The Hunter Foundation to further separate herself from her Husband Kevin Hunter!
Wendy Williams is dissolving The Hunter Foundation, her philanthropic organization dedicated to helping those suffering from substance abuse.
Williams announced the news on Wednesday’s episode of her daytime talk show, reading an official statement that said she “remains committed to helping others in the struggles of life.”
“While accepting her new reality, many things in her life have changed,” the statement continued.
Williams, 54, said she would be dedicated to “other foundations,” and put a major emphasis on “other.”
However, a source said that Williams’ decision to dissolve The Hunter Foundation stems from the fact that she no longer wants to be associated with estranged husband Kevin Hunter, with whom she launched the foundation.
In March, Williams and The Hunter Foundation launched a substance abuse hotline in partnership with T.R.U.S.T. but has rarely mentioned it on her show since the initial announcement and a subsequent telethon.
It’s unclear what is going to happen to the hotline and the employees working at the call center.
ABC’s ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ won’t recast Constance Wu after renewal drama
Constance Wu will remain stuck on her boat. ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said on Tuesday that Wu, 36, will be staying on “Fresh Off the Boat” despite declaring her disdain for the show’s sixth season renewal.
“There’s been no thought to recasting Constance,” she said when asked by a reporter. “We love what she does with the show and we love the show…”
She added, “We never really considered not bringing back ‘Fresh Off The Boat.’ The show’s just too strong for us.”
Burke also seemed to reference Wu’s non-apology statement regarding her tweets and Instagram comments, saying, “I’m going to choose to believe Constance’s most recent communication about the show that she’s happy to return. The cast and crew is happy to have her back and were thrilled to have her back.”
After tweeting “f–king hell,” among other comments, shortly after news of “Fresh Off the Boat’s” renewal, Wu clarified that she was happy to be on the show but it meant she had to “give up another project.” She ended her statement by asking fans to believe her and “believe women,” which many felt was out of touch given the Me Too and Time’s Up movements.
Beyonce’s “Homecoming” Documentary Averaged 828,000 Viewers a Minute; 1.1 Million U.S. Viewers On Its Premiere Day
Beyonce’s iconic ‘BeyChella’ performance has proven to be the cultural gift that keeps on giving. After the Queen scalped us with her live-streamed ‘Homecoming’ performance at the 2018 Coachella festival, she released the behind the scenes footage via Netflix, titled, “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé.”
Not only did the Netflix special allow us to re-experience the legendary works of the Virgo Goddess, but it also gave us a glimpse of the blood, sweat, and tears Bey put into a show to pay homage to a culture and community built for us, by us.
But now, nearly one month after its release, Nielsen has revealed the official stats of Yonce’s reach. According to the publication, thanks to Beyonce’s young, black, female audience, the iconic film reached 1.1 million U.S. viewers on its premiere date, averaging 828,000 viewers a minute. In fact, on April 17, the film’s audience was 63% African American, but that number dropped to 55% within the first seven days, which was still higher than any other original streaming series or film to date.
Although Bey’s “Homecoming” numbers fell behind “Bird Box’s” 3.5 million premiere date viewers and Will Smith’s 5.4 million for “Bright,” Nielsen only covers the U.S. and internet-connected TVs, which excludes phones and computers, which also means Bey’s number could very well be much higher than reported, according to Variety.
As for the social media aspect of Beyonce’s reach, ‘Homecoming’ garnered 757,000 interactions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the first week, a lot of which came from Michelle Obama’s congratulatory video.
Uber Black launches Quiet Driver Mode
Tired of chatty drivers? Uber is finally giving users its most requested feature: an in-app way to ask for minimal conversation during your ride. The “Quiet Mode” feature is free and will be available to everyone in the U.S. tomorrow, but only on Uber Black and Uber Black SUV premium rides. Users can select “Quiet preferred,” “happy to chat” or leave the setting at “No preference.” The desire for silence might convince more riders to pay for Uber’s more expensive vehicle types so they can work, nap, take a call or just relax in the car.
Quiet Mode comes as part of a new slate of Rider Preferences features that users can set up before they hail an Uber Black or SUV, but not while waiting for their ride or while in the car. A Bags option lets users signal that they have luggage with them so the driver knows to pull over somewhere they can help load them into the trunk. The Temperature control lets them request the car be warm or cold so drivers know whether to crank the air conditioning.
Uber Black drivers are now supposed to wait 15 minutes after arriving before cancelling on you as is standard with private car services, though you’ll start to be charged and they’ll be compensated after 5 minutes, plus they technically can cancel whenever they want. Uber Black riders will get premium phone support like members of Uber Rewards’ highest Diamond tier. And Uber is going to require nicer and newer cars for future drivers signing up for Uber Black, with centralized rules written by Uber HQ instead of local branches. “We’re looking to create more differentiation between the premium products and the regular products to encourage more trips,” Uber product manager Aydin Ghajar tells me. Quiet Mode in particular “is something that people have been asking for for a long time,” and talkative drivers have been the subject of plenty of comedy sketches.
Uber did extensive research of drivers’ perceptions in the three months it took to develop the feature. But due to employment laws, it can’t actually require that drivers abide by user requests for quiet, though they might get negative ratings if they ignore them. Ghajar insists “It’s not mandatory. The driver is an independent contractor. We’re just communicating the rider’s preference. The driver can have that information and do with it what they want.”
Given premium rides often cost 2X the UberX price and over 3X the UberPool price, Uber could make a lot of money encouraging upgrades.That’s crucial at a time when it’s desperate to improve its margins and shrink its losses after a weak IPO last week saw its new share price dip. With so many competing ride services around the world, Uber is wise to try to differentiate on customer service instead of just costly efforts to win with more cars, lower prices and sharper algorithms.
Fans Drag Kylie Jenner’s New Skincare Line Before It’s Even Released
Kylie Jenner is gearing up for the launch of her new skincare line, but critics are already warning that her line’s walnut scrub, could be dangerous to users.
Skincare fans are pointing out that one of the scrub’s ingredients, fine walnut powder, is actually very bad for your skin, as it causes dry skin and even broken capillaries.
The Skin Care line titled “Kylie Skin” on Twitter already has over 1M followers, and many are responding to tweets the product line put out describing the walnut face scrub as the “secret” to Kylie’s fresh face.
However, Dr. Ross Perry, spoke to Yahoo News and explained the dangers of using Walnut shell powder to clean your face:
“Walnut shell powder has a reputation of being a relatively harsh exfoliator on the skin, and although exfoliating is a great way of getting rid of dead skin cells and unclogging pores, all skin types are different, therefore, harsh exfoliating ingredients can actually end up tearing the skin.”
Last year, a group of people tried to bring a class action suit against Unilever for the use of walnut shells in its St. Ives Apricot Scrub product, but a federal court ultimately tossed the claim. Are you buying Kylie’s Walnut Face Scrub?
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘HOLLABACK GIRL’
Is the Gwen Stefani circa 1995 look coming back?
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Papi Oso
Meet Papi Oso! So you know what to do to see them goods. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
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HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
