In this Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, Kristen Bell arrives at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Veronica Mars has another mystery to solve.
Hulu has ordered eight new one-hour interconnected episodes of the series, starring Kristen Bell, that premiered in 2004 and aired on UPN for two seasons and The CW for one. Bell announced the news Thursday on her Instagram account.
The original series centered around Bell as a whip-smart high school student named Veronica, who was a teenage detective and made the actress a star.
This isn't the first revival of "Veronica Mars."
In 2013, Bell and series creator Rob Thomas launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a "Veronica Mars" feature film that premiered in 2014 and took place 10 years after the show ended.
Hulu has also secured the streaming rights to the series.
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
