Amazon names Rosalind Brewer to board of directors

Amazon says it has named Starbucks executive Rosalind Brewer to its its all-white board, making her the second black woman to ever sit on the online retailer’s board of directors.

Brewer is currently the chief operating officer at coffee chain Starbucks. She has also been CEO of Sam’s Club, the warehouse club owned by Walmart.

Seattle-based Amazon and other big companies have been under pressure to diversify their boards, which tend to be made up of white men.

With Brewer’s addition, Amazon’s 10-person board now has four women members.

[SOURCE: MARKETWATCH]

Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is best selling book of 2018

Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" has become the best selling book of the year in the United States, surpassing Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" and others.

Wolff's "Fire" was a publishing world sensation when it came out in January. To date it has sold 1,008,088 hardcover copies, according to NDP BookScan data.

All year long, it was the year's No. 1 political book. Its closest competitor was "Fear," by Bob Woodward, which came out in September and has sold 872,567 hardcover copies to date.

But "Becoming" outpaced them both in just a couple of weeks. BookScan shows 1,122,618 hardcover copies of Obama's uplifting memoir have sold since its November 13 release date.

That makes it No. 1 for the year. The year's No. 2 book in terms of hardcover sales is "Magnolia Table," a cookbook by TV star Joanna Gaines. "Fire and Fury" now ranks No. 3, followed by Rachel Hollis' self help book "Girl, Wash Your Face" at No. 4 and "Fear" at No. 5.

Obama's publisher, Penguin Random House, said Friday that "Becoming" "sold more than 2 million units in all formats and editions in the U.S. and Canada during the first 15 days of its publication."

The hardcover edition of "Becoming" is now up to six printings, meaning the publisher has had to order more and more copies to keep up with demand. By the end of the sixth printing, there will be 3.4 million copies in print in the U.S. and Canada, well-timed for the holiday book-buying season.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Urban Movie Channel is Now Available to Amazon Prime Customers

RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) today announced its urban streaming channel UMC – Urban Movie Channel is now available to Amazon Prime members as part of Amazon’s newly announced Streaming Partners Program. As part of the program, Amazon Prime members can easily add UMC via the Amazon Video app. A 14-day free trial is available to Prime customers and the service thereafter is $4.99/month.

Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of BET says, “We are excited that UMC is among the initial streaming channels to be included in the Amazon program. UMC provides viewers seeking high quality and entertaining urban-themed content. Being aligned with Amazon will allow us to reach tens of millions of Prime members and is a tremendous opportunity increase the awareness and subscriber growth for our UMC digital channel.”

About UMC

UMC – Urban Movie Channel was created by Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), UMC features quality urban content showcasing feature films, documentaries, original series, stand-up comedy, and other exclusive content for African American and urban audiences. New titles added weekly include live stand-up specials like Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand Up and Comedy Underground Series, and performances featuring Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx and comedic rock star Kevin Hart; dramas including Blackbird starring Academy Award® winning actress and comedian Mo’Nique, Isaiah Washington, and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk, and Playin’ For LoveDark Girls and I Ain’t Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac; action/thrillers including The Colony starring Laurence Fishburne; and stage play productions including What My Husband Doesn’t Know by David E. Talbert.