| 1. JENNIFER LOPEZ AND SHAKIRA TO HEADLINE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will headline the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Sponsored by Pepsi, the event will take place February 2 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The Hollywood Reporter: “The singers shared the news on Twitter, with the N.F.L. confirming the news shortly after. … ‘We’ve been working closely behind-the-scenes with our longstanding partners at the N.F.L., and now alongside Roc Nation to bring these mega superstars together. It is a testament to our partnership and commitment to push the envelope of what is possible,’ Adam Harter, senior V.P. of sports, media, and entertainment for Pepsi also shared.” 2. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE WILL STOP USING PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES: Norwegian Cruise Line, the third-largest cruise company in the world, plans to switch its fleet from plastic bottles to paper water cartons by early 2020. The sustainability initiative will begin in November with the debut of the Norwegian Encore, a 4,000-passenger ship that will carry cartons of the brand Just Water. The company said the initiative will eliminate five million single-use plastic bottles per year. The New York Times: “The announcement by Norwegian, the third-largest cruise company, comes amid a flurry of new sustainability announcements in the travel industry as it and concerned groups—such as Prince Harry’s newly formed initiative, Travalyst—respond to pressure points that range from disaster recovery in the aftermath of massive hurricanes and increased wildfires to ‘flight-shaming’ of those consumers who travel by plane, requiring a large carbon-emissions footprint.” 3. GUCCI PRESENTATION AT MILAN FASHION WEEK DRAWS SILENT PROTEST ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: Gucci’s runway presentation during Milan Fashion Week kicked off with models wearing prison-inspired sandals and straightjackets, with the brand explaining the colorless look was meant to represent an extreme uniform ruled by those who control society. While most models walked the runway with emotionless expressions, non-binary model Ayesha Tan-Jones raised her hands, which displayed in marker the statement, “Mental health is not fashion.” Washington Post: “Tan-Jones did not immediately respond to an interview request but said in statements posted to Instagram after the fashion show that they decided to protest because ‘I believe, as many of my fellow models do, that the stigma around mental health must end.’ … ‘Many of the other Gucci models who were in the show felt just as strongly as I did about this depiction of straitjackets, and without their support I would not have had the courage to walk out and peacefully protest,’ Tan-Jones said, adding that they had joined other models in donating a portion of their show payments to mental health charities.” 4. CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG CRITICIZES WORLD LEADERS AT U.N. SUMMIT: Young climate activist Greta Thunberg on Monday spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, criticizing world leaders for failing to address climate change. "This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you have come to us young people for hope. How dare you,” said Thunberg. CBS News: “Thunberg recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the start of her climate change movement. Last August, she began striking by herself outside the Swedish parliament, and soon, students around the world began walking out of school, demanding action from their governments.” 5. SMALL TURNOUT, NO ALIENS AT AREA 51 EVENTS: An estimated 3,000 campers and festivalgoers made the trip to Rachel, Nevada, for this weekend’s “Alienstock” festival. Other related events, such as “Area 51 Basecamp,” at the Alien Research Center souvenir shop in Hiko drew smaller crowds. While no one actually “stormed” Area 51, the formerly top-secret U.S. military base, some folks were arrested for trespassing. Associated Press: “‘It seems like a lot of good people chilling and having a good time,’ observed Dave Wells, a 56-year-old stonemason and festivals-seeker from Cincinnati wearing a day-glow green festival T-Shirt and taking in the scene Saturday in Rachel. Did anyone find actual extraterrestrials or UFOs? (As if anyone could really tell among the masked and costumed beings posing for photos and cavorting in the desert.) ‘We didn’t,’ said Little A’Le’Inn owner-turned-’Alienstock’ festival host Connie West, proprietor of the 10-room motel and café that became the center of the extraterrestrial-seeking universe. ‘But we found peace. And friendship,’ she said Sunday as campers packed up to leave and volunteers began cleaning up.” | 