By Cassandra Yany
Here are the some of top stories in beauty, entertainment and tech so far this week:
Apple Announces Sep. 15 Apple Event
Apple announced Tuesday that they will be hosting an event on Wednesday September 15 at 10 am PDT. The ‘Time Flies’ event will take place virtually from Apple Park, the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA. It is speculated that the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch Series 6 will be revealed at the event next week. According to AppleInsider, there is also word of a possible new iPad or Apple Silicon MacBook.
While some expect the new iPhone to be revealed next week, others say that the announcement will come a few weeks later, due to delays caused by COVID-19. According to The Verge, There will be four iPhone 12 models released this year: two iPhone 12’s that will be sold at a lower price point, and two iPhone Pro’s. These will include a 6.7-inch iPhone Pro, making it the largest iPhone to date. CNET reports that the new model will be the first iPhone to run on 5G. The new Apple Watch will allegedly feature added monitoring blood oxygen levels, updated sleep tracking, and a faster processor.
Selena Gomez launches Rare Beauty, Broken Hearts Gallery to Hit Theaters Friday
This week has been very eventful for artist Selena Gomez. On Thursday Sep. 3, she launched her makeup line Rare Beauty, which shares the same name as her most recent album that was released early this year. The line includes 20 makeup products and accessories, available in a variety of shades and colors. Items can be purchased on the Rare Beauty website, as well as online and in stores at Sephora.
Along with the makeup line, Rare Beauty also established the Rare Impact Fund to support the mental health of the brand’s community, employees and partners. One percent of all sales and funds from partners will go toward increasing access to mental health resources. The brand shared their mission via Instagram “to shape conversations around beauty, self-acceptance, and mental health.”
Broken Hearts Gallery, a film executive produced by Gomez, will be released in theaters on Friday Sep. 10. The movie features actors Dacre Montgomery of “Stranger Things” and Geraldine Viswanathan of “Blockers” (2018) and “Hala” (2019) as the two leads. Gomez took to Instagram on Monday to share a special trailer of the film and encourage those who see it in movie theaters to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines.
These projects come just weeks after the release of Gomez’s collaboration with Blackpink, the virtual premiere of This Is The Year— a film she produced alongside former Disney Channel co-star David Henrie, who directed the film— and the release of her HBO Max show “Selena + Chef.”
McDonald’s x Cactus Jack Collab
McDonald’s launched its collaboration with Travis Scott on Tuesday. The fast food chain has added the “Cactus Jack” meal to their menu for $6. The meal does not come with a Happy Meal toy, but does include a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon and lettuce, medium fries with BBQ dipping sauce and a medium Sprite with extra ice— Scott’s go-to order. McDonald’s employees will be sporting new uniforms for the partnership, and the restaurant and rapper have also released merchandise to mark the event. The items are sold on Scott’s website and include t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, sweatpants and other accessories and household items containing his name and the restaurant logo.
Travis Scott visited a McDonald’s location in Downey City, CA to celebrate the launch, causing chaos amongst the large crowd, as seen in videos fans posted on Twitter. Scott went live on Instagram to share the experience with his followers. On Wednesday, Scott served customers the meal from the drive-thru window at a McDonald’s in Texas, as seen in a video posted by the TikTok account RAP. As part of the month-long collab, the artist and fast food chain will be exploring ways to support different charities and organizations. The partnership will run until Oct. 4. This is Mcdonald’s first collaboration with a big celebrity since they featured a Michael Jordan-themed meal on their menu in 1992.
