In this Wed., July 15, 2015 file photo, director Woody Allen attends a special screening of "Irrational Man," hosted by The Cinema Society and Fiji Water, at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Woody Allen has an unlikely new female star: Miley Cyrus.
Cyrus will star in Allen's not-yet-titled Amazon series, a spokeswoman for Cyrus confirmed. The head-spinning casting combines the 80-year-old filmmaker with the 23-year-old former Disney star.
Cyrus will star alongside Elaine May in the six half-hour episodes planned to run this year.
On Instagram, Cyrus posted a painting of Allen that she said had been beside her bed for years. Cyrus wrote that she was "looking into his eyes when I got the call to be a part of the cast."
Allen has previously voiced regrets about his first foray into streaming television. At the Cannes Film Festival in May he called it "a catastrophic mistake."
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
