In today’s issue we discuss Mariah Carey is now a Barbie doll, Sam Bankman-Fried is trading packaged mackerel to get haircuts in prison, a pink haired AI-generated model named Aitana López is taking over social media, Taylor Swift recharges in between concerts on her Eras Tour in a $50 million dollar NYC penthouse

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Snoop Dogg Stops Smoking, Or Is It Just A Marketing Stunt?

Business

With no access to the internet, what’s a crypto trader to do? Learn the prison fish trade it seems. Sam Bankman-Fried, you know that guy who committed fraud and stole from FTX customers, has learned the economic system of the New York's Metropolitan Detention Center and is trading packaged mackerel to “buy” services such as haircuts.

Apparently, ever since federal prisons banned cigarettes, packaged mackerel fish which are referred to as "macks" by inmates, has been the choice of currency in the clink.

See, now you’ve learned something new about trading in prison. Don’t ever say this e-Newsletter doesn’t educate!

Here’s a couple of interesting stats about federal prisons, where Sam Bankman-Fried will probably live out the rest of his life trading packaged mackerel.

90.3% of inmates have pleaded guilty at their trails.

88.8% of inmates were sentenced within the past 10 years, and 68.2% were sentenced within the past 5 years.

92.9% of the population of federal prisons are men, of which 34.6% are Black, 31.8% are Hispanic, 29.5% are White, and 4.1% are Other races.

Their average age in federal prison is 41 years.

84.4% are United States citizens.

Before his epic downfall Sam Bankman-Fried's net worth was estimated to be around $15 billion. He now claims in court filings he has less than $100,000 left, and I’m guessing that will be used by my legal fees before we even get to his sentencing and the astronomical fines he’s sure to receive.

With no access to crypto, disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is now trading fish to pay for services in prison

Tech

As if those poor skinny models didn’t have it rough enough flying 1st class all over the world to walk the runways for the biggest fashion brands, now they’ll have to compete with AI models! Oh the tragedy of it all.

Fed up with real models and influencers who have egos and were tough to work with, a Spanish modeling agency called The Clueless has created an AI-generated woman named Aitana López who is 25-years old and has pink-hair. What’s even more surprising is her IG account has already racked up an impressive 125,000 followers. And when I say impressive I mean it’s impressive considering she’s not even a real person but rather is some male software developer’s vision of a hot Instagram model (they’re not wrong).

The AI-generated model, or should I say the modeling agency’s AI developers, is already earning $11,000 a month, which I’m sure is going to go up after people read this issue. 

There’s been a rise in the number of AI models out there, many with their own IG and OnlyFan’s account. Some are already charging $1,000 per photoshoot (or should I say Photoshop shoot).

So what happens to the modeling industry, or better yet the advertising industry, when a company can create an AI-generated model that fits their target audience based on demographic information gleaned from their visitor’s online profiles? Are we seeing the dawn of generative AI influencer marketing? If so, then sign me up!

An agency created an AI model who earns up to $11,000 a month because it was tired of influencers 'who have egos'

Aitana Lopez

Entertainment

Just what every little girl in 2023 wants for Christmas - an unrealistic Barbie version of Mariah Carey to compare themselves to! #hardpass

Mattel released this new doll on Friday, November 17, 2023 in the likeness of the Grammy winner and self-titled "queen of Christmas" Mariah Carey just in time for her "Merry Christmas One and All" tour. The doll reportedly sold out instantly, which isn’t really a surprise since Barbie is so hot right now, and everything Christmas-related that Mariah Carey does is wildly successful. Even though the doll originally retailed for $75 that wasn’t enough to discourage fans and parents alike from buying as many as they could get their manicured hands on before they sold out.

In a cringe-worthy quote Mariah said "It's a once-in-a-lifetime dream to have my own Barbie," Carey said in a statement. "If I could go back and tell my little girl self that one day, I would have a Barbie made in my likeness, I think she would flip out!"

Now, thanks to a mild case of inflation, and good old fashioned price gouging, the only place we could find the doll for sale was on Walmart.com for the low low price of $136.78, or $13 a month of Affirm.

Mariah sure is busy this holiday season. Her "Merry Christmas One and All" tour is in full swing, and she performed her famous song “All I Want for Christmas” at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. She’s starring in 2 holiday campaigns for Victoria’s Secret and The Children’s Place. Not to mention Mariah just released her own line of holiday merchandise through her Amazon Merch Shop, which let me save you from having to check out because it’s just as cringy as you might expect.

And before you think Mariah Carey’s Barbie doll is a one-off just to capitalize on the mega hit movie Barbie, you should know Mattel has released lots of Barbie dolls based on famous musicians including Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner and Gloria Estefan, although I’m sure to hear Mariah tell it she’s the most famous Barbie of all.

Mariah Carey Receives Barbie Doll Just in Time for Christmas

Real Estate

If you’re anything like me you love Zillowing celebrity homes. When it comes to real estate Taylor Swift has amassed a vast portfolio estimated at $150 Million dollars. She still owns the first condo she ever purchased in Nashville, Tennessee at age 14. And she doesn’t own just one property in Nashville, but also owns a Greek Revival home known as Northumberland Estate which she purchased in 2011 for a modest $2.5. 

She owns a $50 million dollar penthouse in an old TriBeCa building in Manhattan, and if that wasn’t enough she bought another townhouse literally right next door for $18 million dollars (because you can never have too many bedrooms if you’re Taylor Swift who travels with a huge entourage of loyal friends everywhere she goes). You can’t expect Taylor to be homeless when she’s in LA, so she owns a 11,000 sqft Beverly Hills mansion that she’s renovated and turned into a historic landmark. If I had to pick my favorite of Taylor Swift’s properties it would have to be her 12,000 sqft Watch Hill estate in Rhode Island where she throws 4th of July parties with her friends.

Take a peek inside Taylor Swift’s $50 million NYC compound where she seeks reprieve between Eras Tour shows

Sports

I think the NFL is going to come around to regret their decision to stick with X (formerly named Twitter, a much more popular and successful name, but I digress) when it comes to advertising, while dozens of other brands pause their advertising or drop them all together including Disney, Comcast, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount and Lions Gate.

This is a bad move IMO for the NFL to align themselves with a platform that is becoming the go-to destination for white supremacists and hate speech ever since Elon Musk took it over (I wish this wasn’t a coincidence, but the time is what the timing is).

The NFL is better than this! I wonder how long it’ll take for NFL players to become more vocal about where the NFL advertises? We’ve seen just how powerful athletes are in other leagues including NBA, and most recently with the women’s U.S. Nation Team when they stuck together and were able to attain equal pay for female soccer players.

Come on NFL - get with it. Stand up to hate speech. Sadly, in 2023 I think it’ll take more than platitudes to change things. The almighty buck rules at the end of the day.

NFL committed to X partnership as Elon Musk’s social platform gets heat for hate speech

So much news, so little time. Until tomorrow we’re signing out.

— Chris