Saturday, dozens of stars around the world are coming together — virtually — for the global and digital broadcast of "One World: Together at Home," a concert event to support healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic response and the World Health Organization.
The event has been curated in collaboration with star Lady Gaga and will feature top-tier acts like Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Elton John, and, just announced today, The Rolling Stones.
Mick Sheldrick, chief policy and government affairs officer at Global Citizen, told Cheddar Friday that businesses and philanthropists have been donating to the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund as part of "One World" and supporting local regional response efforts.
"What this fund is providing is much-needed equipment like PPE to health workers in over 75 countries. They're also providing tests to over 126 countries, and critically they are also supporting many of the laboratory scientists around the world who are rapidly working to develop a vaccine," Sheldrick said.
Lady Gaga has been a tremendous help, he noted and said she has made sure the organization is supporting the critical needs of healthcare workers around the world. He also said the singer will continue working with Global Citizen beyond tomorrow's event.
"She really went above and beyond to make sure she understood these issues and not only did she reach out and curate this phenomenal lineup, but she also did calls and reached out to some the CEO's of the largest companies in the U.S. and around the world," he said.
The two-hour special will begin streaming on digital platforms at 2 pm ET and will air on ABC, NBC, and CBS at 8 pm ET. The channels' late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert, have also joined in the effort and will host the special.
"We hope everyone will tune in and take some time out and show that spirit of solidarity," Sheldrick said.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant that are spooking markets once again. Twitter's @Jack is leaving, SCOTUS takes up abortion rights and the world has a brand new republic.
An episode of "The Simpsons" alluding to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed from Disney+ in Hong Kong. It is unclear whether Disney or Hong Kong initiated the removal, but the change comes amid mainland China's crackdown on tech companies and entertainment.
Jon Lowen, Co-Founder of Surfside, joined Wake Up With Cheddar's Baker Machado to discuss Uber's partnership with cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke, as it's the first time a cannabis merchant has been listed on UberEats across all of its global markets.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, Hollywood has been falling short on financial support for transgender-specific organizations despite some improvements in on-screen representation. Actor and producer Scott Turner Schofield, the founder of the consultancy Speaking of Transgender, joined Cheddar to note that rather than focusing on the dearth of donor dollars itself, fixing media representation helps fund those service groups, even if the money isn't yet flowing. "If you ask people, 'are trans people more visible in media,' everybody is going to say yes because it's very clear, but are there commercials for those direct service organizations? No. That's something you'll get from social media — maybe — if you're following people," Schofield said.
Thanksgiving fueled a lucrative weekend at the box office, even during a pandemic. Over the five-day holiday weekend, moviegoers in the U.S. and Canada spent around $142 million on tickets. Sean O'Connell, Managing Director at CinemaBlend, joins Cheddar News to discuss what the numbers mean for the industry.
Guilty verdicts have been handed down to the three men charged with killing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery on multiple murder counts, as well as other charges. The verdict was delivered last Wednesday by a mostly white jury after more than 11 hours of deliberation spanning two days. It followed eight days of testimony. Jason Nichols, senior lecturer in the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, joins Cheddar News to discuss what's next.
The ocean is an important topic when it comes to the climate. It plays a vital role in shaping our environment, with rising sea levels causing a 35% increase in natural disasters around the world, affecting 1.7 billion people. Dr. Sylvia Earle has been called perhaps the greatest advocate our oceans have ever had, with Time magazine dubbing her its first 'hero of the planet' and the Library of Congress naming her a living legend. She is also the founder of Mission Blue, an organization that inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Dr. Earle joined Cheddar Climate for more on the importance of caring for the ocean and its impact on climate change.
