1. MOST FASHION BRANDS HAVE PULLED EVENTS FROM NEW YORK ARTS VENUE OVER TRUMP TIES: The Shed, a nonprofit arts center that opened in New York’s Hudson Yards development in April, was slated to be a popular venue for New York Fashion Week shows. But after news broke that developer Stephen Ross held a fund-raiser for Donald Trump, fashion designers and institutions such as Michael Kors, Vera Wang, and the Academy of Art University have pulled their events from the $475 million venue. New York Post: “Fashion week creator, Fern Mallis, declared the Shed, ‘kind of over.’ ‘If you know people showing at the Shed, please tell me because I don’t know who is,’ Mallis said. Even the only brand seemingly brave enough to stage its runway show there—Helmut Lang—better suit up for a backlash. As one anti-Trump fashion editor said of the September 7 event: ‘I’m skipping Helmut—I wouldn’t step foot within the Shed.’”
2. PEPSI RENEWS SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SPONSORSHIP: Pepsi has renewed its sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show through 2022. The renewal comes as Jay-Z announced a new partnership with the N.F.L. to advise the league on musical talent for events including the halftime show. Advertising Age: “Addressing the criticism, Todd Kaplan, V.P. marketing at PepsiCo overseeing colas, told Ad Age this week that ‘it’s great that there is finally action being taken towards finding solutions and we are really looking forward to seeing the fruits of this partnership come to life.’ As for the halftime show, Kaplan declined to reveal who might perform at the February 2 game in Miami, but says ‘we’ve been continuing to work with the league throughout the offseason to rethink the overall approach on the overall super Bowl halftime show platform. And we couldn’t be happier to welcome Jay-Z and Roc Nation as our partners in this journey.’”
3. OPRAH TO LAUNCH WELLNESS TOUR IN 2020: Oprah Winfrey will launch a health and wellness arena tour in nine cities across the United States in 2020. The Own television network chief and former talk-show host announced Wednesday the “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour will kick off January 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tour is being held in conjunction with W.W. (Weight Watchers). Associated Press: “The tour will conclude in Denver on March 7. She will also make stops in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Atlanta; Dallas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Brooklyn, New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s her first national tour in five years. She has been to Canada and Australia more recently. Along with high-profile guests, Winfrey said she wants to empower audiences to tap into their potential. The names of her guests will be released at a later date.”