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Artist, actor, and daughter to Will and Jada Smith, Willow Smith, is the latest face for Japanese fashion brand Onitsuka Tiger. Smith stars in the label’s recent campaign sporting its Fall/Winter 2020 collection.

Onitsuka Tiger serves as a lifestyle brand that fuses Japanese culture with mod designs ranging from updated classic silhouettes to new styles and collaborations with like-minded artists and cultural references. Smith being a fresh face forOnitsuka Tiger’s provides a diverse take on the brand’s direction while also harmonizing its contemporary design.

“With awareness of what’s going on in our world today, the environment we live in, and the planet we have to take care of.” said Andrea Pompilio, the Creative Director of Onitsuka Tiger. “In this campaign, we expressed Willow’s natural beauty and strength as well as her love for the Earth which oozed from the bottom of her soul,” Pompilio concluded.

Onitsuka Tiger × Willow SmithWillow Smith in the Autumn-Winter 2020 Collection. @willowsmith @westbrook#WillowSmith #BrandAmbassador #OnitsukaTiger #OnitsukaTigerAW20

A post shared by Onitsuka Tiger Official (@onitsukatigerofficial) on Jun 18, 2020 at 2:30am PDT

In light of the social outrage against police brutality, the fashion industry has taken a stance by donating to Black Lives Matter movements, while also, recognizing the influence and monetary value the Black community provides for fashion. Onitsuka Tiger also joining the majority of the industry by donating a part of the proceeds of the sale of this campaign to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “I immediately connected with Onitsuka Tiger’s vision for their new campaign. I loved that we were able to align both of our energies and create something that promotes a positive existence in this world. I’m excited for the future of the brand,” exclaimed Smith.

To check out the Onitsuka Tiger Fall/Winter 2020 collection visit www.onitsukatiger.com.

The post Willow Smith Is The New Ambassador For Onitsuka Tiger appeared first on Essence.

Rahne Jones is a Hollywood newcomer, but all the ingredients for success have been simmering for a long time.

After working for several years as Homeland Security agent, Jones quit her job and decided to move to New York to pursue acting. Upon arrival, she soon found herself participating in theater productions before ultimately landing her very first role as Skye Leighton on the Netflix series, The Politician.

The quirky comedy stars Ben Platt as Payton Hobart, an ambitious, rich kid from California who as a child wanted to be president of the United States. The series also includes a bevy of A-list stars, including Bette Midler (Hadassah Gold), Gwyneth Paltrow (Georgina Hobart), Jessica Lange (Dusty Jackson), and a list of talented new actors.

The series occurs in real-time. The series begins in fictional Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, California, where Payton begins his pursuit of the nation’s highest office by running for president of his high school. When his opponent Astrid Sloan (Lucy Boynton) chooses Skye, a gender non-conforming, Black student, to be her running mate, an all out war ensues with each side angling to outsmart the other in a race to the win.

Payton ultimately wins the race, under suspicious circumstances, but soon begins a downward spiral once the school year ends and enters into the real semi-real world of college. Fortunately, his high school friends and former foes rally around him and convince him to consider returning to the political landscape after a brief absence.

For Jones,  securing the role wasn’t her indoctrination into being politically minded. Instead, the part piqued her interest to go even further into the inner workings.

“I wouldn’t say the show made more interested per se, but I will say the particular climate that the show started in made me more inclined to figure out the ins and outs of the political process,” Jones says. “I was already into it then 2016 election happened. It just so happened that The Politician came after that, so I was already in it. But I think it might have helped in some ways.”

Skye represents a dynamic previously unseen in Hollywood portrayals of high school students. As a Black, self-identified gender non-conforming lesbian, she’s identified by River Barkley (David Corenswet) as the ideal running mate in the upcoming school election. Passionate, bold, and unique, River believes that she not only “checks the boxes” but possesses qualities that will resonate with students who aren’t part of the “in” crowd.

Jones’s ability to portray a character that isn’t the “norm” and the show’s depiction of sexual fluidity of her character and others make her proud.

“The idea of sexuality and gender ideas being fluid is needed,” Jones said. “There was never a coming-out moment for any of the characters. It was this notion of this is just how it is. I feel like it’s an ideological thing where one day we won’t have to have a ‘coming out story’ if you’re gay, or lesbian or anything like that. I think it was a world that Ryan [Murphy, of Hollywood, American Horror Story] tried to create where this is okay. There doesn’t need to be an explanation, and I’m proud of that.”

With Season 2, the array of students is moving on to the next chapter. Season 1 ended in complete chaos following the school election. Skye, Payton, and the other students of Saint Sebastian face new challenges as they head into college and continue their political aspirations. During this period, Skye evolves into a less impulsive, levelheaded individual eager to make her mark by Payton’s side.

“We are all in our 20s at this point. We know more about ourselves and campaigning. Our campaign for Season 2 is a state senate seat. We’ve all moved to New York, so we’re much more adult now, so our past mistakes are no longer. That moment last season when we went full steam ahead with the idea of saving the guinea worm to spite the other side was embarrassing for those characters. I would have done more research, but I think it speaks to the idea of the competitiveness of everyone, and this season we’ll see more of that.”

Season 2 of The Politician is currently streaming on Netflix.

The post Rahne Jones Enters Season 2 of ‘The Politician’ Less Impulsive and More Informed appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

I have some interesting news about baseball. The MLB already planned on having a 60-game season. However, though, all the baseball players want to have more games. So, the MLB decided to change the season to 70 games which may start on July 19-September 30. Spring training is expected to begin on June 26-28, they expanded the playoffs to 16 teams in 2020 and 2021 seasons. Now if the 2020 season comes via mandate and not an agreement, the players union would retain its right to file a grievance, with that group likely alleging the league did not try to play as many games as possible. In terms of the agreement, if they start the season without an agreement, it would also eliminate the possibility of expanded playoffs, keeping the field at 10 teams not 16.

In other news, there is also news that the MLB season may be considering ties for 2020 season as part of a modified extra innings plan. Major League Baseball and the players union are considering the possibility of having games end in a tie for the first time in the sport’s history, and at the very least, will change the format of extra innings except for the playoff games if possible. Here is something that interests me. The runner on second base would be the last out of the last inning unless that player has been substituted. The pitcher will not be charged an earned run if the runner on second base scores which will start on the 10^th inning. It would be deemed by the official scorer that he reached by a fielding error. This could become permanent, but the union agreed to change the rule for only 2020.

Stay tuned for more MLB updates.

The post MLB Season Updates? appeared first on The Nerd Element.

The Doom Patrol is back! Now I think we can all agree, the first season was a hell of a trip. Mr. Nobody breaking the fourth wall every episode, the excessive F-bombs, dimensions coming out of donkey butts, giant eyes in the sky, sentient streets, and beard-eating metahumans — all a weird, insane delight to […]