Benzinga Buzz: The Latest On Ye, Disney, Twitter's New CEO, Oscars Backlash, TikTok & More

Zinger Key Points
  • Also in this week's column: Rick Ross' cannabis, MrBeast's houses, Grand Theft Auto's cost and Guitar Hero's comeback.
  • Plus: A "Transformers" actor is lending his talents to TikTok; and Seth Rogen is mad at streamers.

Each week, Benzinga Buzz compiles the latest entertainment news into a cohesive column for your consideration. Read on for the latest updates — both useful and irreverent.

  • For Sale: Nazi Shoes, Never Worn. Adidas (OTC: ADDDF) (OTC: ADDYY) got stuck with more than $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy footwear sitting in storage ever since it parted ways with Kanye West over the singer's anti-Semitic, Nazi-sympathizing rants. The athletic apparel company has now decided to sell the merchandise because "burning the goods would not be a solution," CEO Bjørn Gulden said. West will still get a cut of every sale, and a portion of the proceeds will get donated to charitable organizations. And so, as Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, predicted back in March: Yeezy products will return "as if nothing had happened."
  • Hello, He Musk Be Going. Linda Yaccarino, the global advertising chief at Comcast Corporation's CMCSA NBCUniversal, is expected to replace Elon Musk as Twitter CEO. This makes sense. Twitter desperately needs an ad-ult in the room. When Musk first came on board, the social-media platform lost a significant amount of advertisers. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson — who scared advertisers off during his now-canceled prime-time Fox show — announced that he will broadcast a "new version" of his show on Twitter. Good luck, Linda! 
  • Blow Into The Cartridge. Nintendo Isn't Working. Profits and sales at Nintendo NTDOY are way down. And yet, Super Mario (the beloved plumber who practically carries the company on his back) saw his movie rake in more than $1 billion at the box office. So, that's where we are nowadays: Instead of playing video games at home, we're watching them at the movies.

  • Disney Discussions. Gov. Ron DeSantis' favorite company, Walt Disney Co. DIS, isn't doing well in India. But, after laying off thousands of employees, CEO Bob Iger recently proclaimed: "We’re pleased with our accomplishments this quarter." Also, Hulu is marrying Disney Plus.

  • Autobot Your TikTok. ViacomCBS’s (NASDAQ: VIACParamount Pictures allowed TikTok to incorporate the iconic voice of Peter Cullen into the platform’s text-to-speech functionality. Who's Peter Cullen, you ask? Why, he's Optimus Prime in "Transformers," of course. The versatile actor also roared as King Kong, gurgled as The Predator, and moped as Winnie the Pooh's pal, Eeyore. If the Oscars were still important, I'd totally give him one.
  • Mr. Holland's Offended. Speaking of Oscars, under the new Academy Award guidelines, movies nominated for Best Picture have to meet two of four benchmarks that include having lead actors from underrepresented groups or 30% or more of the cast and crew from underrepresented groups. Speaking in an interview on the PBS series “Firing Lane,” Richard Dreyfuss — star of "Jaws" and "Mr. Holland's Opus" — said the new rule changes make him want to ... click here to find out.
  • Miscellaneous. Legendary rapper Rick Ross has a new cannabis strain; MrBeast bought several houses; Grand Theft Auto 6 cost a whopping $1 billion to produce; Guitar Hero is planning a comeback; and Seth Rogen is taking streamers to task over "secretiveness."

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Posted In: EntertainmentGamingNewsGlobalTop StoriesGeneralBenzinga BuzzBob IgerElon MuskKanye WestLinda YaccarinoMrBeastRichard DreyfussRick RossRon DeSantis
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