Commencement Speeches, Cannes Report, Fast Co List + More

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HEADLINER

Its spring graduation season which means commencement speeches. Over the weekend, Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson returned to University of Wisconsin to give the commencement speech where he said its important to know yourself and what to do when dating out of your league. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg addressed students at the University of California, Berkeley and talked about lessons learned from her husband’s unexpected death last year. President Obama addressed students at Rutgers and Elizabeth Warren delivered commencement address at Bridgewater State University telling them to embrace the unexpected.

MORE NEWS

• Thomas Manning has received the first penis transplant in the United States. The organ was from a deceased donor and the operation, which took place at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on May 8 & 9, took 15 hours.

• After its board led by Michael Ferro, rejected Gannett’s initial unsolicited offer of $400 million plus the assumption of debt and approved a so-called poison pill to try to stop Gannett Co., Gannett is back and they’ve raised their all-cash offer for Tribune Publishing Co. to about $475 million, $15 a share. Gannett’s statement said “Our increased offer demonstrates our commitment to engaging in serious and meaningful negotiations with the Tribune Board to reach a mutually agreeable transaction where Gannett acquires all of Tribune.” Things are heating up.

• Congratulations to Chanel Coney and Pat Vihtelic, the two were named to Crain’s Chicago’s 20 in their 20’s. They were featured in our Leaders of the New School last year.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Cannes report: Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis were honored at Kering sponsored Women in Motion event. Sarandon hit out at Woody Allen over his sex abuse allegation, Loving a film about mixed-race marriage forbidden in 1958 Virginia, has thrown its name into the Oscars race after being reviewed at Cannes. Much more from Variety.

FASHION

• The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) has suspended the membership of Alibaba after Gucci, Tiffany & Co and Michael Kors jumped ship. Alibaba though a well funded tech giant for e-commerce, has always been a gateway for facilitating the sale of counterfeit products on a number of its platforms, even facing lawsuits as a result. In a letter to its members, IACC’s board wrote “In consideration of some of the concerns raised by our membership, Bob Barchiesi, president of IACC, has recommended and the board has agreed to suspend the recently announced general membership category to allow further discussion and consideration.”

• Valentino’s creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpalo Piccioli are named in Fast Company’s 100 most creative people in business “for turning a storied fashion house into a $1 billion juggernaut” at #5 #6. The Mansueto Ventures owned Fast Co. named Chicago natives, Jill Soloway, Chance the Rapper and Virgil Abloh at #3 #40 #75, respectively. Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda covers the issue.

“Everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it. If we’re frantic, life will be frantic. If we’re peaceful, life will be peaceful. And so our goal in any situation becomes inner peace.” ― Marianne Williamson

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