TV news
New executive producer for 60 Minutes
Paramount Global’s CBS News on Thursday appointed Tanya Simon as the executive producer of its prime time news magazine broadcast 60 Minutes, in place of Bill Owens, who had stepped down citing lack of editorial independence.
Owens left the post in April after months of legal battle with US President Donald Trump, who claimed in a lawsuit that 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris that the network broadcast in October. Earlier in July, Paramount agreed to pay $16m to settle the suit, allocating the money to Trump’s future presidential library.
Simon, who began her career at CBS News in 1996, has been with 60 Minutes for 25 years and recently served as interim executive producer after Owens’ exit. She is the fourth executive producer in the broadcast’s 57-year history and the first woman in the role, CBS News said. “Tanya knows that the success of today’s 60 Minutes depends on delivering a weekly mix of the most informative, impactful and entertaining stories and investigative journalism from around the world,” said Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News. Reuters
Celebrity endorsement
Sydney Sweeney heads denim campaign
American Eagle Outfitters surged 10% on Thursday after unveiling a new denim campaign with Sydney Sweeney, as the apparel retailer bets on the Euphoria and The White Lotus actress to reconnect with Gen Z shoppers and boost sales.
The company has partnered with Sweeney for its autumn season denim collection that includes a limited-edition denim jacket as well as a “The Sydney Jean”. The campaign, called “Sydney Sweeney Has Great (American Eagle) Jeans”, is the company’s latest effort to revive demand as it navigates muted consumer spending and higher potential costs due to tariffs. The US retail industry has been struggling to spur demand as consumers grappling with financial constraints cut back on non-essential buys, including apparel and accessories.
"[The campaign] is its bid to stand out more and make some noise. Denim is popular right now, so putting money behind marketing it makes sense for American Eagle,” GlobalData MD Neil Saunders said. Reuters
Movie snacks
Galactus popcorn container draws fans
An enormous $80 popcorn container shaped like Marvel’s planet-devouring villain Galactus is offering a unique twist on movie snacks.
During its unveiling in Los Angeles, the container drew excited fans to the TCL Chinese Theatre and set a Guinness World Record. The mammoth movie snack holder, tied to the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps film, is 51cm wide and 45.5cm tall. It boasts a capacity of 10l — enough to satisfy even Galactus’ cosmic appetite.
Lacey Noel, a tour guide at the TCL Chinese Theatre, presented the bucket to eager onlookers. “It is $80 and people are currently eating it up,” she said. The Galactus container isn’t just about size. It features a metallic finish and piercing bright blue LED eyes, adding to its appeal as a display piece long after the popcorn is gone. Reuters
Jazz
Flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione dies
American two-time Grammy-winning jazz flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, best known for his 1970s cross-over hit Feels So Good, died last week at 84 years old at his home in Rochester, New York. The prolific musician and composer — whose career spanned five decades and 30 albums — died in his sleep on Tuesday, a local funeral home said.
“Chuck’s love affair with music has been characterised by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiated from the stage,” his family said in a statement to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper.
Mangione showed his appreciation for his audiences by sitting at the edge of the stage after his concerts, signing autographs for fans who stayed to meet him and the band, it said. Born Charles Frank Mangione in 1940 in Rochester, he was a virtuoso flugelhorn and trumpet player. He grew up in a household where his father exposed him to the jazz greats of the 1950s, including Dizzy Gillespie, a family friend who dined with them frequently. He began taking music lessons at eight, and by the time he was a teenager, Gillespie was so impressed by his musical prowess that he gave Mangione one of his trademark “upswept” trumpets. Reuters
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