Former Disney CEO Bob Iger (and his avatar) is entering the metaverse.

Iger is investing in and joining the board of a company called Genies, which lets users create their own digital avatars for use in virtual worlds (you can see Iger’s avatar above). Iger joins Genies CEO and co-founder Akash Nigam, Genies co-founder Evan Rosenbaum, and venture capitalists Mary Meeker and Rick Yang on the Genies board.

Genies has become popular among stars including Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Lil Nas X. The company also has partnerships with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group for avatars and NFTs.

“I’ve always been drawn to the intersection between technology and art, and Genies provides unique and compelling opportunities to harness the power of that combination to enable new forms of creativity, expression and communication,” said Iger in a statement. “After spending the last few months getting to know Akash and learning more about Genies, I am very excited about his vision and how it will be fulfilled and I look forward to working with the entire team.”

With talk of both the metaverse and web3 (a buzzword closely associated with crypto technology), Genies is trying to position itself as the future of online identity, whether that future is in virtual worlds or on the blockchain … or both. The hope is that after users create their avatar, it can be used everywhere and in every app (or virtual world).

And Iger, who officially left Disney at the end of the year, is exploring the metaverse just as his successor Bob Chapek begins exploring similar territory. Chapek cited the metaverse in his memo outlining three strategic “pillars” for the company in January. And in February, Disney tapped executive Mike White to lead its metaverse strategy. But while Disney is presumably looking at the metaverse as an opportunity to tell stories, Iger is betting that soon enough each one of us will be experiencing that Disney content in the metaverse through our own cartoon versions of ourselves.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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Less than a year after launching, Becky G’s Treslúce Beauty is joining the likes of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and other celebrity makeup lines that are available at Ulta Beauty. The makeup collection, which was created in celebration and support of Latinx heritage and culture, includes essentials for your eyes, lips, cheeks and lashes, in addition to makeup brushes and other must-have beauty tools.

“It was a dream come true to bring Treslúce Beauty to life, and I cannot begin to fully express the happiness it gives me to launch at Ulta Beauty,” the 25-year-old singer-songwriter and actress said in a statement. “I am so honored and cannot wait to introduce brand and products to Ulta Beauty guests everywhere.”

Environmentally friendly and cruelty-free, Treslúce products and packaging are infused with Latin sourced ingredients as well as art and starts at $8 up to $75 for some of the more expensive sets.

Prior to launching her own line, the Mexican entertainer, who loved to play in makeup as a child, appeared in campaigns with CoverGirl and other beauty brands. Treslúce last June with just six products. Only certain pieces from the collection are available at Ulta Beauty, like the Treslúce Beauty Illusion Premium Lashes ($14), Eterno Liquid Eyeliner ($15) and the sold-out Line It Up Edge Corrector ($12).

“We are overjoyed to welcome Treslúce Beauty to the Ulta Beauty family,” said Marcia Salcedo, senior vice president of merchandising, Ulta Beauty. “As we continue to bring culturally relevant, trend-forward brands in our assortment, we are confident our guests will embrace these products’ unique and vegan ingredients as well as its deep, meaningful heritage.”

Shop some of the items that are still available at Ulta via the links below.

Buy: Bold y Atrevida Liquid Lip Tint ($18)

Buy: La Flor de México Shadow Pallettte ($30)

Buy: I Am Shadow Pallette ($25)

Buy: Intenso Liner ($12)

Buy: Illusion Premium Lashes ($14)

Buy: Ready to Bounce Cream Blush ($16)

Buy: Like an Artista Brush Set ($35)

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Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday (March 13) that he had tested positive for COVID-19, though he’s feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

“I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” Obama said on Twitter. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.”

Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a booster shot. The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking in late February, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.

I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative.

It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 13, 2022