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VIRAL NEWS: PHARRELL'S COLLECTION, SMOSH, AND A BILLION-DOLLAR CAGE FIGHT

A peek into the topics buzzing at Cassandra

Friday is here again, and with it, it's time to talk about the most relevant internet news of the past seven days. Culture moves fast, and we at Cassandra try to move even faster to keep up with all the relevant issues Gen Z can't stop discussing. This week the news cycle was very focused on the awful situation around Oceangate's Titanic submersible, even eclipsing news stories that needed more coverage. But we’ve decided to keep the tone of this week's edition of viral news a little more uplifting. We'll highlight Louis Vuitton's first menswear collection under the directive of Pharrell, how a Millennial Youtube staple channel went back to its roots, and the possible fight between the two most prominent names in tech. All this and more in this week's edition of Viral News!

PHARRELL & LOUIS VUITTON IN PARIS

The first Louis Vuitton menswear collection under Pharrell William's creative direction debuted during Paris Fashion Week this past Tuesday. The musician, designer, and cultural icon took the reins of the legacy brand's menswear division this past February, occupying the empty seat that 41-year-old Virgil Abloh left after his unexpected passing in November 2021. The star-studded audience included Rihanna, Jay Z, and Beyonce, to name a few. The reaction to the collection that featured streetwear, huge sneakers, pixelated camo, jewels, sunglasses, etc., was immediate. TikTok was flooded with analysis of materials used, critiques, praises of the Minecraft-like aesthetic, and even in-depth dives into accessories worn by attendees. Choosing Williams to bring a younger audience's attention to men's fashion was definitely a win.

SMOSH GETS RE-BOUGHT

Smosh, one of Youtube's OGs channels that held the crown of the most subscribed channel in three different years between 2006 and 2013, was acquired by fellow YouTubers Rhett & Link four years ago through their production company, Mythical Entertainment. This week, the original co-founders of Smosh, Ian Hecox, and Anthony Padilla, bought it back for an undisclosed price. The acquisition marks a new chapter for Smosh, which now has 25.6 million subscribers and has changed hands twice since 2018. Padilla left Smosh in 2017 to pursue his independent content. Now, Hecox joined him to announce their acquisition in a video (5.9 Million views and counting) explaining how they missed their sketch comedy roots, which led them to buy back Smosh. Millennials and older Gen Zs around the world rejoice! The awkward comedy duo and creators of Beef ‘n Go, are back!

ELON VS MARK

We all had a particularly entertaining Thursday afternoon thanks to the Twitter and Instagram showdown between arguably the most famous tech bros in the world, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. It all started when Musk, owner of Twitter, threw some shade at Zuckerberg's Meta and their new Twitter competitor, Threads. Musk joked about a cage match face-off, and Zuckerberg seemed up for it. He replied with "Send me location" on an Instagram story. The absurdity of this situation has been off the charts, with some questioning why these two tech billionaires –and supposed geniuses– would choose this route to settle their differences, and others taking the meme route and going heavy with "choose your fighter" posts. People are even placing bets on the potential winner, with Zuckerberg standing as the favorite, according to DraftKings. But is this even a sport? Let's see if this showdown becomes a reality or just a bizarre social media stunt between two overinflated egos.