Beyonce On Pepsi Criticism: 'It's All About Choices'

 

Beyonce Knowles Carter was a big part of Michelle Obama's Let's Move fitness campaign, a decision that would later be called into question when the singer signed a complex, $50 million promotional deal with Pepsi.
Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi has long been criticized for targeting children (and adults) with sugary drinks that, when consumed in excess, have negative effects on long-term health. In a new interview with Flaunt, Beyonce soft-handles the idea that her involvement with both the First Lady's plan and Pepsi constitutes blatant hypocrisy:

Some were critical at your participating in a Pepsi campaign after you moved your body for childhood obesity. Where is the balance between your career objectives and your philanthropy? Pepsi is a brand I've grown up seeing my heroes collaborate with. The company respects musicians and artistry. I wouldn't encourage any person, especially a child, to live life without balance.

"Knowles is renting her image to a product that may one day be ranked with cigarettes as a killer we were too slow to rein in," Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times. "From saying, as she once did in referring to Let’s Move, that she was 'excited to be part of this effort that addresses a public health crisis,' she’s become part of an effort that promotes a public health crisis."
Beyonce's deal includes not only traditional ad spots, but also gives the company a stake in her art. By funding certain creative endeavors, Pepsi opens new investment avenues, while the singer is freed from worrying about finding the cash to support her projects. Jay-Z's Samsung deal may or may not have been similar on paper, but that the rapper's album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail," went platinum upon its release because the tech giant purchased 1 million copies to dole out to app users for free seems to align with the idea behind the Pepsi deal. (Beyonce and Jay-Z were 2012's highest-paid celebrity couple.)
Beyonce's biggest projects with Pepsi to date have been her "Mirrors" commercial, in which the singer debuted a new song, "Grown Woman," and the Super Bowl halftime show, which the beverage company sponsored. Beyonce also has a massive deal with H&M and premiered "Standing in the Sun" in an ad for the clothing chain.
For more, including what she thinks of sex advice, head over to Flaunt.

Galaxy S3 Explodes, Injuring Woman: Report

18-year-old Fanny Schlatter was at work, carrying her cellphone in her pocket when her Samsung Galaxy S3 reportedly exploded, Le Matin reports.
Schlatter, who lives in Switzerland, suffered severe burns on her leg and her pants had to be torn off . Samsung Switzerland is reportedly taking the incident "seriously."
This is the third incident of an allegedly exploding Samsung product in the past two years. In 2012, a Dublin man said that his Galaxy S3 exploded in his car, and this past February a South Korean man alleged that his Galaxy Note's battery (which was not attached to the phone at the time) caught fire.
Cellphones, and other electronics can, and occasionally do, explode. Over the years, multiple iPhones, at least one Android, and many non-smartphones have all exploded. One man even alleged that he was struck in the eye by a piece of glass when an iPhone exploded in his face. As Android Beat points out, two exploding Galaxy S3's out of the more than 20 million sold isn't a terrible average.

Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. Murder Investigation: Family Member Arrested, Human Body Found

MENIFEE, Calif. -- A 16-year-old family member was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in the case of a missing 11-year-old autistic boy in Southern California, police said Wednesday.
A body that matched the description of Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. was found partially exposed in a shallow grave on the family property, Menifee police Chief John Hill said at a news conference.
The body has not yet been positively identified, Hill said, adding that the death was the result of "a domestic issue" at the house.
Terry has a 16-year-old half brother who authorities have said was the last person to see the boy. However, Hill identified the suspect only as a "family member" and would not confirm if the suspect lived at the house.
Police responded to a tip about the body early Wednesday before they discovered the body, said Hill. Televised news reports showed sheriff's investigators concentrating on what appeared to be a small hole by a tree and about 75 feet from the house, which sits in a rambling, weedy lot off a remote road.
The 16-year-old family member, the boy's mother and other family members were taken in for questioning before the arrest, said Albert Martinez, Riverside County sheriff's deputy.
Terry had been missing from his Menifee home since Saturday, and hundreds of volunteers have helped search for him.
Volunteers were told to stop searching Tuesday night, because they were getting stranded in the desert and causing problems, hours after local officials pledged to continue searching for the boy.
The boy was reported missing on Sunday morning in the Riverside County community about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Terry was last seen Saturday night, reportedly following his half brother, who told the boy to go home, the Desert Sun said. The boy's mother, Shawna Smith, said she didn't realize he was missing until the next day.
Searches of the area with a bloodhound, horses and a helicopter were unsuccessful. Hundreds of volunteers also joined the effort but days of covering miles of desert in 100-degree temperatures turned up nothing.
Terry's family worried that he may have wandered off without food, water or special medication.
However, "foul play has never been ruled out" by investigators, Martinez said.

Jeff Bauman, Boston Marathon Bombing Victim Pictured In Iconic Photo, Walks

Jeff Bauman, the Boston bombing victim who’s become the face of resilience since the attacks, recently took his first steps toward independence.
In its extensive profile, The New York Times painted the painstaking efforts Bauman, who lost both legs in the bombings, has made in order to heal and learn to live with his injuries. The 27-year-old is perhaps one of the most well known survivors -- in large part because of a gruesome photo that went viral, showing him being wheeled away from the finish line with a peace activist in a cowboy hat pinching his artery closed.


Now, nearly two months after the bombings and a number of surgeries, Bauman manages his pain with a baggie of prescribed pills and works with a physical therapist to strengthen his body and learn to walk again with his prosthetics.
“I just want to get to the places I can’t get in the wheelchair, you know? I want to stand up,” Bauman told his prosthetist’s assistant, according to the Times.
With his mom and girlfriend by his side, Bauman recently took his first few steps.