Posts made in April 2021

HOW TO START THE YEAR STRONGER, HEALTHIER AND FITTER

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Kent Bradley, MD, Herbalife Nutrition Chief Health and Nutrition Officer

2020 was a year like no other. Driven by a global pandemic, many of us experienced more time at home sheltering with family. Baking became a hobby and working out at the gym was limited. Because of this, many of us gained weight and fell off our health goals as we shifted priorities and gave ourselves forgiveness in a challenging year. Good health is a combination of physical and mental health, which is greatly strengthened by nutrition and exercise, sleep, and connections with others. By making a few small adjustments to your life, you can be more vigorous in 2021 and ready for any future challenges.

Fuel with food

Most people know that healthy eating helps us maintain a healthy weight. But what Is often overlooked are the additional benefits of eating a well-balanced diet. A diet that provides good nutrition means getting the necessary nutrients, the vitamins and minerals along with the macronutrients, to help your body work its best. From improving your emotional wellbeing to maintaining the body’s systems to reducing food sources of heart-threatening bad cholesterol, the advantages of eating healthy are manifold. Most of us start the new year with goals, including eating better, but we often fall off our plans as the year progresses. As a health professional, I have found that many people benefit from eating healthy and losing weight when they are part of a community, all working, collaborating, and supporting one another. While many of these groups are unable to meet in person, they have blossomed online, and the camaraderie has been shown to help healthy weight loss and meet nutritional goals.

Focus on overall wellbeing

Eating healthy is a must – but so is having a balanced lifestyle. To keep stress at bay, look at all aspects to improve your wellness. If you are not eating a nutrient rich diet, be sure to supplement – and remember that hydration is an important aspect of balanced nutrition. Exercise will also improve your overall health; and may improve your sleep quality.

Mental health also plays into our wellbeing – with stress being a contributing factor in conditions from heart disease to obesity. According to WebMD, 75% to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints, including headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. There are wonderful new apps like Headspace and Calm that can help you navigate several stress-inducing scenarios. Remember that if you are already suffering these or other medical conditions, reducing stress remains important, but you should seek medical treatment.

For overall wellbeing set a daily routine that includes nutrition, exercise, sleep and mental breaks.

Stay connected

One of the insights that 2020 taught us was how much we crave connection. Isolation has led to higher rates of depression. Multiple studies have shown that social connection “can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher self-esteem and empathy, and improve our immune systems.” While the beginning of 2021 will still have its challenges in this department, try picking up the phone more often, try write good old-fashioned letters and cards, and plan for late-year meetups and vacations. There is light at the end of the isolation tunnel.

Reinvest time in things you enjoy – or find new things

Participating in activities we enjoy gives our brain a boost – and learning new things impacts our overall brain health. It can be hard to find time to do something we want, but it benefits us to prioritize it. So, get out and garden, volunteer for a meaningful cause, take a dance class this summer or learn a new language to prepare for a future trip you have always wanted to take. I have personally undertaken all of these in my own personal quest to tap into a source of joy of new experiences. Keeping your mind busy and finding hobbies may protect you from that dreaded stress.

While 2020 brought many challenges, there is hope as we take control of our choices and stay connected with a healthy supportive community. So, let us embrace the future and our opportunity to go into it strong and healthy. Here’s to a happier, healthier and better new year.

Immersive Van Gogh’s New Creative Director

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IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH AND DESIGNER DAVID KORINS (HAMILTON) JOIN FORCES TO CREATE THE LARGEST AND MOST ELABORATE ITERATION OF THE EXHIBIT

Slated to be Seen in 19 Cities Across North America in 2021, Immersive Van Gogh Brings the Artist’s Masterpieces to Life Via 500,000 Cubic Feet of Projections Indoors in New York

Hailed as “Mind-Blowing” (Toronto Star) and “Undeniably Impressive” (–Time Out Chicago)

Immersive Van Gogh, the highly-anticipated immersive art installation coming to New York this summer, announced today that Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated designer David Korins, known for his set designs featured in numerous Broadway hits including Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, will serve as Creative Director New York for the installation. Scheduled to open on June 10, a new block of tickets will go on sale to the public Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. ET. The New York location and further details, including a preview of David Korins’ designs, will be revealed at a virtual press event on Friday, April 23 at 10 am ET.

As the Official Card Sponsor of Immersive Van Gogh in New York, American Express® Card Members have exclusive pre-sale access to the new block of tickets before the general public beginning Monday, April 19 at 10 a.m. ET through Wednesday, April 21 at 9:59 a.m. ET here.

Korins will join creative team for Immersive Van Gogh, the original North American immersive celebration of Van Gogh’s art. The team includes Creator Massimiliano Siccardi; Composer Luca Longobardi and Art Director Vittorio Guidotti. This winning team will make Immersive Van Gogh the most impressive staging to date and the most expansive in the world, having already opened to tremendous acclaim in Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco, with additional openings scheduled for 16 cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas and more. Since its North American premiere in July 2020, more than 1 million tickets have been sold to Immersive Van Gogh, making it the most popular attraction currently in North America.

Immersive Van Gogh invites audiences to “step inside” the iconic works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement and imagination. The gallery space offers patrons more than 500,000 cubic feet of animated projections. Renowned Creative Director Korins will create a custom design to fit the architecture of the exhibition’s New York home, adding elements to the gallery space as well as adjacent auxiliary elements. Korins will create numerous New York-specific installations, viewing platforms and high-tech, experiential and interactive elements previously unseen in any other venue.

“Immersive Van Gogh has been hailed as an entirely new way of encountering art and has been enthusiastically embraced by press and patrons in every city in which it currently is being presented,” said Producer Corey Ross. “Our New York exhibition will be by far our most ambitious. Not only do we have the talents of our ingenious Italian creative team, we also have David Korins bringing his distinct creative vision to the project to provide an unsurpassed guest experience.”

“This will be an event that New Yorkers and visitors can enjoy safely, quite literally surrounding themselves with the work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the greatest artists who ever lived,” added Producer Svetlana Dvoretsky.

“I am thrilled to be collaborating with the creative minds behind the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit to create a truly unique experience for the city of New York to enjoy and be inspired by,” said David Korins, Creative Director New York. “I have always been deeply moved when looking at Van Gogh’s paintings, which are universally beloved for their color and unique use of texture, or his transcendent ink drawings, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to develop an experience that will enhance the viewers’ time spent with his powerful art.”

It is expected that Immersive Van Gogh will be the first event of its magnitude since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have a track record of producing this event safely in numerous cities throughout North America,” said Co-Producer Irina Shabshis. “We hope that this will lift the spirits of so many New Yorkers, who have not had the opportunity to experience cultural attractions for the past year, with first-rate production values that will make this one of the top events in the city this summer,” added Co-Producer Maria Shclover.

“David Korins is a very experienced and creative; he is giving his professional and artistic contributions to the implementation of the New York venue that will host my creation Immersive Van Gogh“, said Creator Massimiliano Siccardi, “I have enormous respect for his creativity, and I feel that his vision will be able to excellently enhance the audience experience, priming their minds as they enter and exit our exhibit, and also creating architectural enhancements that will provide unique vantage points from which they can observe my work. Most of all, I know that David shares a deep appreciation of and respect for the work of Vincent van Gogh, and that he, like me, wants to pay homage to the brilliance of his body of work, a legacy that influenced us all in our individual development as artists.”

Immersive Van Gogh has received rave reviews from critics and patrons. The Chicago Tribune exclaimed “entire rooms pulse with imagery and emotional resonance.” The Toronto Sun declared, “the mind-blowing imagery, brings Van Gogh’s best work to life — including Sunflower, Irises, and The Starry Night — for a cathartic and liberating experience.” “Immersive Van Gogh ups the emotional ante,” Toronto Star stated, “I wondered: could projections of paintings on walls and floors be thrilling? The answer is ‘yes.’” Called a “completely new way of encountering art” by CTV and a “blockbuster digital experience that has taken the art world by storm” by Artnet News, the exhibit “cleverly embraces creativity,” according to Washington Post. The San Francisco Chronicle summed it up saying “It’s one hell of a way to wake up from our long pandemic art nap.”

The hour-long walk-through installation has been designed with health and safety as a priority. Admissions will be limited according to New York City’s capacity guidelines with touchless ticket-taking; temperature checks upon arrival; hand sanitizer stations and social distancing markers prominent throughout the venue; and digitally projected social distancing circles on the gallery floors to ensure appropriate spacing. All guests must wear a face covering at all times during their visit to Immersive Van Gogh.

Immersive Van Gogh was designed by Creator and Italian film producer Massimiliano Siccardi, with original, mood-setting music, both original and curated, by Italian multimedia Composer Luca Longobardi, who provided a score that combines experimental electronic music with pure, ethereal and simple-seeming piano. Vittorio Guidotti is the Art Director. Siccardi and Longobardi are both pioneers of immersive digital art installations in Europe, where they created the world-renowned Van Gogh, Starry Night exhibition, among others. With approximately 100 state-of-the-art projectors illuminating over the exhibit space, visitors to Immersive Van Gogh will be encircled from head-to-toe in Van Gogh’s brushstrokes and colors, including animated details from works such as Self Portrait with Felt Hat (1888), The Bed-room in Arles (1889), Irises (1889) and The Starry Night (1889).

Tickets for the exhibition are on-sale now online and by phone. Tickets range in price from $29.99 for kids to $99.99 for VIP Flex tickets, which comes with priority access, flexible admission, a limited-edition poster, a souvenir laminate and a van Gogh cushion. Basic timed tickets are $49.99. The New York location will be revealed at a virtual press event on Friday, April 23 at 10 am ET. To RSVP and receive a link to the press event, click here.

The new block of tickets will go on sale to the public Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. ET.

For more information about Immersive Van Gogh, visit this website or call. Follow the exhibition on social media at @goghnyc on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About Vincent van Gogh

Legendary Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is recognized as one of the world’s greatest and best loved artists. He was born in the Netherlands to his father, Theodorus van Gogh, and his mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus, a moody artist whose love of nature, drawing and watercolors was passed on to her son. He worked at his uncle Cornelis’ art dealership when he had already been fluent in French, German and English, as well as his native Dutch. He fell in love with English culture when he was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London in 1873.

During his short life he painted more than 2,000 artworks ranging from ordinary household items and self-portraits to surreal landscapes that inspire awe. Van Gogh was a post-Impressionist painter whose work — notable for its beauty, emotion and color — highly influenced expressionism in 20th-century art. He struggled with mental illness and remained poor and virtually unknown throughout his life.

He was tragically admitted to a psychiatric hospital after offering his severed ear to a woman at a local brothel. For hope, he turned to painting and nature, until one day when he went out to paint in the morning with a loaded pistol in his hand and reportedly shot himself in the chest. In his 37 years alive, Van Gogh only sold one painting, The Red Vineyards, to his brother Theo.

About the Creative Team

DAVID KORINS, Creative Director New York

David Korins is the award-winning Creative Director, Designer and Founder of his eponymous New York City based creative studio. In his two decades of creating omnidirectional experiences, he has, along with his expert team, reached hundreds of millions of people all over the world while helping the most influential brands, companies and individuals bring their stories to life. From stage to screen, museums to hospitality, experiential design to singular live events, Korins has traversed the landscape of world building and storytelling through almost every medium available. Korins created the worlds for the Tony Award-winning musicals Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and Beetlejuice: The Musical. He has also designed the set for the musical Mrs. Doubtfire as well as over 20 additional Broadway shows. Among numerous TV credits, Korins is the Production Designer for the 91st Annual Academy Awards and Grease: Live!, for which he received an Emmy Award.

Collaborators include Bruno Mars, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Sia, and Takashi Murakami, and presented at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Coachella, Gagosian, Lollapalooza, SXSW, and Sotheby’s. Brand partnerships include the NFL, Twitter, Google, Spotify, YouTube, and Microsoft. As the Creative Director for the USC Shoah Foundation, he has led the organization’s rebranding efforts, the creation of several new experiences, and state of the art testimonials. In 2019, through an ongoing collaboration with Sotheby’s, Korins unveiled a unique exhibit at their New York City headquarters in celebration of the company’s 275th Anniversary. In addition, he designed the Time Square restaurant Bond 45. His work has earned him an Emmy Award, three Tony nominations, Drama Desk, Lortel Awards, three Henry Hewes Design Awards, and an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design.

MASSIMILIANO SICCARDI, Creator

Massimiliano Siccardi studied at the London School of Contemporary Dance of London. But in 1990, he left the world of dance to begin a new journey in the world of video art. Siccardi quickly became the artistic force behind several visual mise-en-scène for choreographers around the world. He also created video scenographies for numerous prestigious festivals and galas around the world. He also re-constructed the video mapping of the Basilica di Giotto and for the Teatro Petruzzelli of Bari, where one of his permanent installation’s virtually reconstruct the frescoes of the Cupola. Siccardi is also a celebrated photographer and has had photo ex-hibitions in Spoleto and Rome, to name a few. He is professor of digital image elaboration at the Accademia di Comunicazione e Immagine of Rome. In 2012, Siccardi received the prestigious International Award “Romaindanza” for his talent in the visual work of dance theatre. Since 2012, he has been artist in residence at the Carrières de Lumières – Atelier des Lumières where he authored the mise-en-scène of numerous immersive shows. He is currently creating projects within Italy as well as New York, Berlin, Leipzig and Rome.

LUCA LONGOBARDI, Composer

Italian composer and pianist Luca Longobardi is a classically trained musician who incorporates the contemporary electronic music into his pieces. Born in 1976, Longobardi studied classical music in Italy and New York and went on to earn his doctorate in digital audio resto-ration in Rome in 2011. His works reveal a strong interaction between classical and contemporary music. The experience he has gained as a theatre musician has increased his interest in the relationship between sounds and spectacle; he has composed music for ballets and films and accompanied installations and experimental art productions (Atelier de Lumières – Paris, Carrière does Lumières – Baux-de-Provence, Kunstkraftwerk – Leipzig). At his multimedia performances and in his recordings, strong experimental electronic music meets pure, ethereal and simple-seeming piano playing that nevertheless relays deep emotions.

About the Producing Team
The producers of Immersive Van Gogh New York are Corey Ross and Svetlana Dvoretsky, working with Co-Producers Maria Shclover and Irina Shabshis. Together they founded Immersive ArtSpace NY, LP to bring Immersive Van Gogh to New York.

Corey Ross is the founder of Starvox Entertainment which has ranked in Profit Magazine’s Fastest growing Canadian companies for 5 years in a row. The company produces and man-ages cross-over performing arts shows and exhibition including the Art of Banksy in London, Canada, the USA, Taiwan, and Japan. He is also a co-founder at Lighthouse Immersive – a company producing the Immersive Van Gogh in 19 North American cities and Illusionarium in Toronto.

Svetlana Dvoretsky is the founder of Toronto’s Show One Productions and a proud recipient of the Order of York by the Government of Canada for her “significant role in arts and culture.” Show One Productions is leading presenter of high-profile international artists in classical music, theater and dance. She is a co-founder of Lighthouse Immersive and co-producer of Immersive Van Gogh.

Maria Shclover and Irina Shabshis are the co-founders of Maestro Immersive Art. Shclover founded Maestro Artist Management in 2004, Shabshis in 2005 and together they have presented more than 1,000 theatrical and classical music performances across the United States, including projects with Michel Legrand, Mikhail Baryshnikov, John Malkovich and more. In 2012, Shclover and Shabshis formed a non-profit organization, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, presenting an annual international theatrical festival to audiences in New York City and beyond.

Wolf Alice – SMILE

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WATCH THE VIDEO

NEW ALBUM BLUE WEEKEND DUE JUNE 11, 2021

Wolf Alice, Britain’s best band, today release their uncompromising new single “Smile” via. The track was inspired by lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s desire to fight back against those who try to define her, and is the second single from their highly-anticipated third album, Blue Weekend, the follow up to the Mercury Prize winning Visions of a Life.

Listen to “Smile”

Watch the video for “Smile”

“Smile” is carried along on a tide of visceral energy, a song destined to be a live favorite. The band envisaged this during their time recording Blue Weekend in Brussels during lockdown. Rowsell states, “this is one of the songs we wrote thinking that we would play it live. I miss that feeling of singing on stage. It’s like screaming into a pillow or something — you can get away with being more nasty. There’s a whole other part of me missing.”

“Smile” is accompanied by a video directed by Jordan Hemmingway (Gucci, Raf Simons, Comme Des Garçons), the band’s second collaboration with Hemmingway, following previous single “The Last Man On Earth” (watch). The saturated visuals of the band in full-flow, combined with the casting of riotous punk extras and pub locals, provide the ideal hedonistic backdrop to the track.

“The Last Man On Earth” spent 7 weeks on the BBC Radio 1 A-List. It was premiered by Annie Mac as her Hottest Record In The World, further cementing a longstanding relationship between the band and Annie. Last week, the band released a special live version of “The Last Man On Earth” which can be viewed below.

Watch “The Last Man On Earth” live

The release of “Smile” follows the news of the band announcing a 2022 UK & Ireland tour, their first headline shows since 2018. For the full list of dates see below, to purchase tickets please visit Wolf Alice’s website. Before then, on May 22, Wolf Alice will play the Glastonbury Presents Live at Worthy Farm Livestream alongside Coldplay, Michael Kiwanuka, Haim and more.

Wolf Alice UK & Ireland January 2022 Tour Dates

05 January – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK (EXTRA DATE)

07 Jan – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK (SOLD OUT)

08 January – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK (SOLD OUT)

09 Jan – O2 City Hall, Newcastle, UK

10 Jan – UEA, Norwich, UK (SOLD OUT)

12 Jan – O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

13 Jan – O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK (EXTRA DATE)

14 Jan – O2 Academy, Sheffield, UK (SOLD OUT)

15 Jan – Uni Mountford Hall, Liverpool, UK (SOLD OUT)

18 Jan – Eventim Apollo, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

19 Jan – Eventim Apollo, London, UK (EXTRA DATE)

22 Jan – O2 Guildhall, Southampton, UK (SOLD OUT)

23 Jan – De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill On Sea, UK

24 Jan – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, IRE (EXTRA DATE)

25 Jan – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, IRE (SOLD OUT)

27 Jan – O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK

28 Jan – Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth, UK

30 Jan – O2 Academy, Bristol, UK (SOLD OUT)

31 Jan – O2 Academy, Bristol, UK (EXTRA DATE)

Wolf Alice are Ellie Rowsell (vocals, guitar), Joff Oddie (guitar, vocals), Theo Ellis (bass) and Joel Amey (drums, vocals). It has been a decade since the band began as a duo of Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie, then later expanding to a four-piece, with Joel Amey and Theo Ellis joining the group. Since then, the band saw their 2015 debut album My Love Is Cool soar to #2 on the UK charts, their sophomore album Visions Of A Life win the 2018 Hyundai Mercury prize, and a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Performance. The band played a massive 187 shows on the Visions Of A Life world tour – including a sold out Alexandra Palace, 2 sold out dates at Brixton Academy, and a set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

It was no surprise that creating a follow-up to Visions Of A Life was a daunting task. The record was a huge success, which subsequently led to many months spent on tour – with intercontinental flights, hotels and long-bus journeys taking a toll on the band.

The band decamped to an Airbnb in Somerset, and it was there that they reconfigured who they were together, far away from festival stages, tour buses, awards shows, and fans. They cemented their friendship and set to work on some fledgling demos in a converted church. These demos evolved into Blue Weekend, a record produced by Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Björk, Brian Eno, Florence + The Machine) who has aided the band in refining their sound to an even sharper point. Rowsell’s personal storytelling is at the core of Blue Weekend, an album that sees Wolf Alice embrace a newfound boldness and vulnerability in equal measure.

Blue Weekend will be released on June 11th 2021 via Dirty Hit/RCA Records, and will be available on all DSPs & vinyl.

Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend tracklisting

The Beach
Delicious Things
Lipstick On The Glass
Smile
Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love)
How Can I Make It OK?
Play The Greatest Hits
Feeling Myself
The Last Man On Earth
No Hard Feelings
The Beach II

Autofutura × Gforces Merge

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LEADING AUTOMOTIVE SOFTWARE COMPANIES AUTOFUTURA AND GFORCES MERGE

Merger brings together Autofutura’s real-time data insight with GForces’ leading-edge e-commerce solutions, to create a new auto tech group
Created at a time of rapid digital acceleration in automotive retail, the new group enables car makers, dealers and finance providers to grow the lifetime value of their customers, by accelerating sales, simplifying the customer journey and improving customer retention

Two of the automotive industry’s leading retail software suppliers, Autofutura and GForces, have merged to form a new group. With the rapid acceleration of the digitization of the automotive sales process, the companies have come together to maximize sales efficiency and improve the way consumers buy cars.

The new group, backed by Inflexion Private Equity, sees the combination of Autofutura, the global, data-driven business intelligence provider, with market leading automotive e-commerce and omnichannel supplier, GForces. It also benefits from the expertise of the recently acquired Chrysalis Loyalty business, now an integral part of Autofutura.

The first of its kind in the industry, the new group aims to connect car maker, finance provider, dealer and consumer to optimize the entire customer journey – through the provision of software and data services.

The new group will be led by two highly experienced executives; data intelligence expert Christian Erlandson as CEO and automotive veteran David Riemenschneider as Chairman. Autofutura and GForces already serve 20 of the world’s leading car manufacturers and over 10,000 locations, across 96 countries. Headquartered out of the UK, its global presence includes offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Vietnam, UAE and the USA.

Christian Erlandson, CEO, commented: “The digitization of the automotive sales process is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and now is the time to combine the expertise of Autofutura and GForces. By merging Autofutura’s data intelligence insight with GForces’ e-commerce solutions, there is huge potential to support our customers in streamlining the consumer journey, accelerating sales and driving revenue from the first transaction.”

Simon Turner, Managing Partner, Inflexion, said: “The combination of Autofutura with GForces unlocks a unique and highly relevant technology proposition for the automotive retail industry, against a backdrop of accelerating change and disruption for dealers and OEMs. We are delighted to be backing this team to create such an exciting auto tech group, by merging two outstanding private businesses with a long track record of growth.”

The newly merged group was advised by GCA Altium, Headpoint Advisors, Higgs & Sons and Taylor Wessing.

Fortnite Most Streamed Game on Twitch

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Fortnite Most Streamed Game on Twitch for March 2021 – 7M Hours Streamed

According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites US, Fortnite was the most streamed game on Twitch for March 2021 – a total of 6.99 million hours streamed for the month.

Fortnite Leads Several of Twitch’s Key Metrics

Fortnite continues to dominate charts in 2021 and was the most streamed game on Twitch for the month of March. The popular online Battle Royale game logged a total of 6.99M hours streamed on the platform. The second most streamed game on Twitch was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with a total of 5.03M hours streamed for the month of March.

Fortnite also led the charts in the number of streamers for the month of March 2021. A total of 669,749 streamers streamed Fortnite for the month. Minecraft had the second largest number of streamers with 468,017. Overall, the top 10 leading games in terms of the number of streamers for the month of March, were streamed by an estimated 3.2M streamers on Twitch.

The top 10 games on twitch with the most channels accounted for over 50K channels. Twitch had an almost 20% share of this total with 9,707 channels in March 2021. The second most was COD: Modern Warfare with just under 7K channels.

League of Legends had the largest recorded peak viewers on Twitch in March 2021 with 704,375 peak viewers. The second-largest belonged to Minecraft which recorded 663, 533 peak viewers in March 2021. Fortnite had the fifth largest peak viewers with 641, 227.

Rex Pascual, Esports Editor at Safe Betting Sites US commented: “Despite the rise of many other titles within the same game mode such as PUBG and Warzone, Fortnite continues to attract large audiences on video game streaming platforms. Fortnite’s status as the pioneer of the increasingly popular Battle Royale game mode gives it a loyal and avid fanbase that will keep it near the top of Twitch’s charts for years to come.”

You can read more about the story with more statistics and information here.

2021 Eurovision Song Contest

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Will there be a shock winner at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest?

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most popular annual events that takes place across Europe. Over 180 million people tuned into the 2019 contest, which was won by the Netherlands. The final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest final takes place on 22nd May in Rotterdam, where thirty-nine countries will take part in the live-streamed musical event.

The current favorites to win in 2021

There are a few acts that will be confident of winning the final, with the Eurovision song contest odds placing Malta as 4/1 favorite to win, who will be represented by their act, Destiny. They have never won the contest before but have finished in 2nd place on two occasions. Despite being the favorites, Malta will have to navigate a semi-final before they reach the main stage.

The second favorites to win are France, who are at 5/1 odds. Unlike the predicted winners, France has won the contest on five occasions, however, they haven’t won it since 1977. Switzerland, Italy, and Bulgaria will also perhaps all fancy their chances of winning this year as well.

Will 2021 see a shock winner?

The United Kingdom hasn’t seen a Eurovision winner since 1997 – on that occasion, Katrina and the Waves won with the song “Love, Shine a Light.” The UK’s representation in 2021 will be James Newman, a singer-songwriter who has had a successful career in the industry – though many bookmakers believe that he is unlikely to win.

Ireland is also seen as huge outsiders to win, but they are actually the most successful country in Eurovision’s history. They have won the competition on seven occasions, with the last success coming in 1996.

A previous shock winner

The 2011 edition was won by Azerbaijan, and it was seen as a huge shock at the time. This was their first success in the competition, having only entered for the first time four years previously.

How many times has the host nation won Eurovision?

The host nation of the final has won Eurovision on seven occasions. The last time this occurred was in 1994 when the competition was won by Ireland. Looking back towards the upcoming contest, the Netherlands are, however, seen as huge outsiders to win.

A further brief history of Eurovision winners

The first edition of the contest was held in 1956. On that occasion, it was won by Switzerland. In 1969, four countries won the contest, which was the first and only time in which there were joint winners, all garnering the same score from international judges and the public vote. The United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, and France all came in first place that year.

A few years later, in 1974, ABBA won their contest, and the Swedish pop group would go on to become music icons. Their winning song “Waterloo” is still popular all over the world.

There are several other countries that are yet to taste success in Eurovision. This list includes Iceland, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Will the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest see a first-time winner?

Desenio: SS21 Interior Trends

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DESENIO

SS21 INTERIOR TRENDS:

UPDATE YOUR HOME FOR THE NEW SEASON

Desenio makes it easy to update your home for the new season in a simple way: by switching up your art prints. Are you ready to update your home for SS21? Here are the four color palettes you’ll be decorating your walls with this spring and summer!

BEIGE BALANCE

“We’re seeing a new, elegant take on the warm neutrals trend, influenced by the 60s and 70s,” says Desenio’s Executive Creative Director, Annica Wallin.

The Beige Balance trend is all about creating a comforting environment to make you feel at your most peaceful and sophisticated, no matter what the world throws at you. Warm neutrals combine to create an environment that is both cozy and chic.

NATURAL LIVING

“The Natural Living trend is heavily inspired by the rustic atmosphere of Provence, both in terms of materials and color palettes,” says Annica Wallin.

The Natural Living trend blurs the boundaries between inside and outside. Let fresh air blow into your home and uplift your spirits. Welcome meadow greens, citrus yellows, and natural wooden textures to open up your space and to enjoy the simple luxuries of nature.

PASTEL PARADISE

“This trend brings much-needed happiness to our homes, focusing on playful, pastel colors in home decor and art,” says Annica Wallin.

The Pastel Paradise trend updates neon hues for 2021, giving them a softer, more palatable tint. It’s up to you how you incorporate these colors into your space: be bold and make them a key colour scheme or use them as subtle accents in your home.

SERENE SPACES

“Serene Spaces is a more minimalistic trend that hones in on a bright and light aesthetic that’s free of clutter. White on white tones, accessorizing with mirrors and patterned glass, and open, clean spaces create a simple and uplifting feeling,” says Annica Wallin.

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us look to the past to inspire notions of a simpler life. The Serene Spaces trend invites us to incorporate traditional elements such as embroidered fabrics and worn surfaces into an otherwise modern, clean, and bright space.

How to Feel Beautiful in Old Age

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Alongside all the wonders that old age brings, including wisdom, freedom, and an extended family, there are also some setbacks. You might look at a picture from when you were young and wish you had the same radiance of adolescence, or you might wish you could dance the way you used to. Aging happens to everyone, and while people are taught that youth is more beautiful, that isn’t the case. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and confidence is prettier than any facial feature. Enhance your natural radiance and embrace the confidence of aging with the best tinted sunscreen, a skincare essential that not only protects but also provides a radiant and even complexion. Combining sun protection with a touch of tint, the best tinted sunscreen effortlessly blends into your skincare routine, ensuring that your beauty shines through at every age.

If you are struggling with confidence as you get older, here are some ways to help you feel beautiful once more:

Wear that Outfit

If you find yourself looking at an outfit you would have snapped up ten years ago but now tell yourself that you’re too old for it, then shut out that voice! There is no age limit on clothing, so buy that outfit and wear it with pride. It might be scary at first, especially if it’s different from your usual wardrobe, but after a while, wearing it will fill you with confidence.

Find the Right Lipstick

Lipstick is timeless; it looks great on twenty-somethings right up to the oldest seniors. Nothing gives a face a glow up like a pop of color on the lips, so find the right shade for your complexion and wear it with pride.

Makeup sometimes becomes more difficult as you grow older, as many brands cater to youthful skin more often than mature skin, but lipstick isn’t this way. Talk to beauty consultants to match you up with the perfect color.

Treat Your Vision

One of the most disheartening symptoms of aging is the deterioration of vision. It can make you feel lost as well as affect your confidence, so it’s important to treat it as soon as possible. If you are affected by cataracts, which is extremely common in old age, then have a look at a cataract lens implant for a life-changing treatment that gives you clear vision.

Exercise

Your body weakens with age, and one of the ways to prevent this is to keep moving. You don’t have to work out five days a week to reap the benefits – a gentle swim a few times a week or simply walking more is enough! Not only will it improve your body, but it will bring you tons of positivity, making you feel confident in yourself once more.

Up Your Skincare Regime

What your skin needs varies from person to person, so figure out your skin type and match your routine to that. Mature skin tends to need plenty of moisturizing products to bring out that glow and prevent the deepening of wrinkles and fine lines, so avoid any product that says ‘oil-free’.

Grow the Gray

Many people obsessively attempt to cover up their gray as they get older, but this often results in dry, damaged hair. Gray is a beautiful color and there’s no reason to cover it up! Grow it out and embrace your hair’s natural beauty. Without all the chemicals that come with hair dye, you’ll find your strands will thank you with extra thickness and health!

Virtual Ozy Fest

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OZY MEDIA ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL OZY FEST FOR MAY 15-16 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HBCUs, CLUBHOUSE

Headliners at the May festival include Chance the Rapper, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Condoleezza Rice, Mark Cuban, Malcolm Gladwell, Sevyn Streeter and Marc Rebillet

OZY Media announced that OZY Fest, its one-of-a-kind festival of great entertainment, interactive experiences and big conversations, will return on May 15-16 as a virtual event, after the 2020 festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Headliners include musicians Chance the Rapper, Sevyn Streeter, Big Freedia, Marc Rebillet and Kat Cunning; comedians Tig Notaro, Maz Jobrani and Aida Rodriguez; chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Tom Colicchio and Ming Tsai; thought leaders Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mark Cuban, Condoleezza Rice, Malcolm Gladwell, Jim Cramer, Revd. Al Sharpton, Deepak Chopra, Rep. Maxine Waters, Sunny Hostin, Alicia Garza, Marcus Scribner, Sophia Chang, DeRay Mckesson, Carmen Yulín Cruz, Adam Grant, Katty Kay, Matt James, Valerie Jarrett, Dr. Michael Lomax, Mariana van Zeller, Dr. Danielle Moss, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., Angela Benton and Carlos Watson; and sports figures Michael Vick, Stephen A Smith and CC Sabathia. The festival will be livestreamed to the Carlos Watson Show YouTube Channel, presented by OZY Media.

OZY Fest brings together the game-changers and change-makers who are ahead of their time and worthy of yours for a virtual celebration of bold change and big ideas. The festival has previously been held in New York City’s Central Park with guests including John Legend, Trevor Noah, Issa Rae, Padma Lakshmi and Joe Biden, and has been described as “TED meets Coachella” and “New York’s answer to SXSW” for its unmatched blend of thought leadership and entertainment.

The virtual festival will be streamed live, with two simultaneous virtual stages between 5pm and 9pm ET offering a combination of live music and comedy performance, thought leadership, and interactive programming. VIP tickets are available for purchase allowing access to exclusive interactive virtual offerings. OZY Fest’s partnership with new live social media platform Clubhouse will break new ground, employing the app’s private chat functionality to host VIP meet-and-greets in an intimate audio-only setting.

“We are so excited to be bringing OZY Fest back,” says OZY COO and co-founder Samir Rao. “Virtual events and festivals have been hit and miss over the trying past year, but OZY Fest is going to take things to the next level, with the most interactive virtual experience of all time. OZY Fest won’t disappoint if you’re as tired of Zoom as we are.”

The theme of OZY Fest 2021 is “Reset America,” with organizers saying that it hopes to host conversations to reimagine how democracy, racial justice, education and more should work in the 21st century. OZY Media is partnering with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to provide free access to all current students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and to donate proceeds from VIP ticket sales to UNCF. UNCF CEO, Dr. Michael Lomax, is featured among OZY Fest headliners.

“It’s a privilege to be partnering with UNCF to make an impact with OZY Fest this year,” says Carlos Watson, OZY CEO and co-founder, and host of The Carlos Watson Show. “I have said before that the 2020s will be the new 1960s, and OZY will play its role in facilitating some of the most important conversations about where we turn next as a society.”

OZY Fest is brought to you by Chevrolet and American Family Insurance. It is produced by OZY Media in partnership with YouTube, Twitter, Clubhouse and iHeartRadio.

For a full list of headliners and information about how to register for tickets or purchase VIP passes, head to OZY Fest.

Toys for Tots × Good360

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Toys for Tots teams up with Good360 (again!), to Distribute One Million Toys, Games and Books to Families-in-Need

Toys for Tots announces the expansion of their year-round efforts to support those less fortunate by distributing one million toys, books, and games to families in need NOW. While Toys for Tots is primarily known as a Christmastime charity, the organization recognizes there is still great need to provide emotional support and doesn’t want to wait until the holiday season to deliver hope to children in need.

As a Nation we’ve all been hopeful that the Coronavirus pandemic would be in our rearview mirrors by now, but the sad reality is that COVID-19 has had a long-term impact on just about every sector of our society. Less fortunate children likely suffered the greatest learning loss by not being able to attend in-person classroom instruction, and in order to help combat that Toys for Tots has decided to distribute one million toys this spring and summer with a focus on toys that teach providing STEM-related toys.

We realize the importance of reminding children that there is still joy to be found in simple gifts every day, no matter how difficult things may be right now. That is why we are once again partnering with Good360, the global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving, and providing them with one million toys to distribute via their network of nonprofit organizations across the United States to DoGoodNOW.

“Toys for Tots is more than a Christmas charity—that is why we want to DoGoodNOW and expand our partnership with Good360,” said Lieutenant General Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “Without the assistance of Good360 and their vast network of non-profits throughout the country, Toys for Tots would not be able to distribute the one million toys we’re providing to families who are struggling outside of the holiday season.”

“With so many families struggling during the pandemic, Good360 is proud to continue the great work of our Marine Toys for Tots partnership,” said Matt Connelly, CEO of Good360. “We’ve seen firsthand how toys, books and games bring joy to children and their loved ones served by our nonprofit partners and expanding our efforts will significantly increase the impact of our program.”

Toys for Tots and Good360 have complementary strengths, and this partnership will generate greater impact. Together we are more than just the sum of our parts—together we can DoGoodNOW. The two organizations launched their collaboration in April of 2020 and since that time have distributed 1.8 million toys, games, and books.

If you’d like, you can donate to Marine Toys for Tots here