Elton's Farewell
Elton John is ending his touring career with a bang! The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour has officially become the highest-grossing concert tour ever. It first kicked off in 2018 and has since grossed $817.9 million after performing in 278 shows, according to Billboard. John surpassed Ed Sheeran's 2019 The Divide Tour, which raked in $776.4 million. But it's not over yet, as the shows will continue through July 2023.
Lil Wayne on Road
Also in touring news, Lil Wayne announced a slate of shows set for Spring 2023. The Welcome to Tha Carter tour is set to kick off in Minneapolis in April and will run through May with the final show in Los Angeles. The news comes days after the Recording Academy revealed that Wayne would be one of four recipients of its Global Impact Award at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
DC Cinematic Universe
The DC Universe is kicking it into high gear with a newly announced full slate of films and shows. DC Studios heads James Gunn, co-CEO with Peter Safran, unveiled the 10 projects in a new first chapter which he called "Gods and Monsters," with the titles being connected to each other in the same universe (unless otherwise labeled like Matt Reeves' The Batman). Some of the new titles revealed include the film Superman: Legacy, to be written by Gunn and slated for a July 2025 release, and TV projects Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns.
A new documentary about campaign finance is coming to PBS on Monday. "Dark Money" explores the relationship between corporate spending and politics and how the laws have changed to allow more influence in the political arena. Kimberly Reed, the director and producer of the film, said that it is crucial to American democracy for its citizens to know who is trying to influence politics.
Robert Gaafar is one of the survivors of the Las Vegas shooting a year ago, and he is now partnering with Everytown to help launch a new election initiative. Gaafar said the progress on gun control in state and local races is heartening, even if the federal government remains unable or unwilling to do anything.
With Facebook racing to contain the damage from its latest -- and largest ever -- security breach, Michael Nuñez, the deputy tech editor for Mashable, said that users are starting to get smarter about what kind of data they share with the company.
Verizon launched its first 5G network in four U.S. cities Monday. One possible use for the technology will be in rolling out self-driving vehicles. Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, said that while it will take some time for fully-autonomous cars to be deployed, 5G will help in solving connectivity and latency issues.
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, said that the newest 5G network that Verizon is launching in four new cities, is the answer for cord-cutters. The network is the fastest on the market, and Vestberg said it's "a new way to get TV into your home."
Dang Foods, the health food company with a focus on protein bars and other high-protein snacks, has launched new bars with no added sugar and a keto certification. Vincent Kitirattragarn, CEO and founder of Dang Foods, said the goal of the company is to keep customer churn low via its subscription service.
Rafat Ali, the CEO of Skift, took his employees to Puerto Rico to see the destruction from Hurricane Maria firsthand, which became the inspiration for the Skift Foundation. He said the foundation supports destinations and small businesses in the hospitality and travel sector that need additional resources.
Shares of the social media giant dropped sharply after the company said it found hackers were able to gain control of as many as 50 million user accounts. Facebook's Product Management VP Guy Rosenberg said the attack affected the "View As" feature, which lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else.
Sophia Amoruso, founder and former CEO of Nasty Gal, sat down with Cheddar and talked about her approach to business and how she wants to empower other women to take risks in their professional lives. Her newest venture, Girlboss, curates information and resources for women about careers, money, and wellness.
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