Hotness in the News, brought to you by SociaLifeChicago, is your daily intel for quick news stories to keep you up on what’s going on in Chicago and the world. With sports, celebrity, business, fashion news and our ‘Look of The Day.’ Make small talk, better.
“Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror.” ― Colin Powell
CHICAGO NEWS
• Though 3-day passes sold out in a snap yesterday, the lineup for Lollapalooza 2015 has now been released and single day passes ($110) will go on sale today at 10AM CST. Headliners include Sir Paul McCartney, Metallica, Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith, A$AP Rocky, FKA Twigs, Kid Cudi, Of Monsters & Men to name a few. [LOLLAPALOOZA]
NATIONAL NEWS
• Officers in Detroit found the body of a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy inside the freezer of a home during an eviction process, the mother, 35-year-old Mitchelle Blair, has been arrested and taken into police custody; two other children lived in the home. Blair’s Facebook profile declared: “Loyal to my babies.” One recent post was of the words: “There is no greater blessing than being called Mom.” [DETROIT NEWS]
WORLD NEWS
• Every man for himself is the motto for Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi who has fled his home in Aden to an undisclosed location as Shiite Houthis rebels closed in after seizing al-Annad air base, the country’s largest. The base was crucial in the U.S. drone campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. President Hadi recently sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council to authorize a military intervention “to protect Yemen and to deter the Houthi aggression expected to occur at any hour from now.” [TIME]
• The fate of Amanda Knox lies in Italy’s highest court, Court of Cassation, who will decide to uphold her conviction for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher; Knox and her then boyfriend were re-convicted last year by a court in Florence, handing Knox a 28-1/2 year sentence and Sollecito 25 years. A confirmation of those convictions could trigger a complicated and drawn-out battle to try and extradite Knox from the United States. [REUTERS]
SPORTS
• As the NFL owners meet in Arizona to discuss and approve changes for 2015, the NY Jets have filed tampering charges against the Patriots, based on remarks made by Patriots owner Robert Kraft about cornerback Darrelle Revis. The tampering rules prohibit “[a]ny public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media.” Patriots filed tampering charges against the Jets last year based on owner Woody Johnson’s remarks to brign Davis back. What a hot potato! [NBC SPORTS]
BUSINESS
• Following speculation, its been confirmed that Brazilian private-equity firm, 3G, will purchase Kraft Foods in partnership with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a longtime investor in Kraft, and merge it with ketchup maker Heinz. Kraft shareholders will receive 49% stock in the combined company, plus a special cash dividend of $16.50 a share. Buffet and 3G most recently collaborated on the $11.4 billion Burger King acquisition. This partnership will make it the world’s fifth-largest food company. [BLOOMBERG]
• A long-rumoured IPO for fashion house Versace may be closer to reality after it was announced yesterday that profits have leapt almost a third in the past 12 months, for the second year running, with net profits up up 27%. The Blackstone Group, which recently purchased Willis Tower, own 20% stake in Versace and plans to publicly list the firm within the next three to five years. [VOGUE UK]
CELEBRITIES
• Mad Men actor Jon Hamm has completed a 30 rehab stay for alcohol treatment at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut. Mad Men’s final season will begin airing April 5 on AMC. [PAGE SIX]
FASHION
• Designer Mary Katrantzou was named winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund prize, where she will receive a grant worth $298,500 plus high-level mentoring for a year. Designers presented their collections and five-year business plans to the judging committee, previous winners include Peter Pilotto, Nicholas Kirkwood, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Erdem. [WWD]
• Diane von Furstenberg has signed a licensing agreement with Brown Shoe Co. for a women’s footwear collection that will launch for the resort 2016 season. She previously had an agreement with Schwartz & Benjamin. [WWD]
LOOK OF THE DAY
• Christie Brinkley
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