With critics' groups across the country starting to hand out their awards, the Oscar race is officially on. Cinemablend's Sean O'Connell joins us to handicap the major categories. With no clear frontrunner, it's anyone's guess which movie is going to break out before the big night.
In the Best Picture category, it's looking like things are boiling down to a showdown between "The Post" and "Lady Bird." O'Connell weighs the pros and cons of each, noting that he thinks the Steven Spielberg political drama is the best movie of the year. We also consider whether "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" could be the franchise's first Best Picture nominee since the 1977 original, "A New Hope."
Then, we tackle the contenders duking it out in the acting categories. Meryl Streep is looking to win her fourth Oscar for her leading role in "The Post." If anyone can stop her, O'Connell says it will likely be "Lady Bird's" Saoirse Ronan or "I, Tonya's" Margot Robbie. As for the actors, "Darkest Hour's" Gary Oldman is pulling ahead as the one to beat for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.
Many households adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to a survey. However, there were also pets that were raised in isolation in the same period if they weren't adopted. Michael S. Gould, canine trainer and founder of Hounds Town, and Sam Reilly, a dog management specialist and trainer, both joined Cheddar News to explain how they have built up pets' confidence and social skills ahead of being potentially adopted.
Court records show that the Maryland judge who was shot to death outside his home presided over divorce case of the man now identified as person of interest in the killing.
October is Breast Awareness Cancer Month as the disease affects millions of American families. Elissa Kalver, founder of Wegotthis.org, joined Cheddar News to explain how breast cancer inspired her to create her own nonprofit and provided some details of her personal battle while maintaining a family.