Coolio performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park on September 18, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)
Posthumous Coolio Album
When the late rapper Coolio died suddenly in 2022, he had a new album in the works. Now that project, titled Long Live Coolio, is set to be released posthumously later this year with guest appearances from Ras Kass, Treach from Naughty By Nature and J-Dee from Da Lench Mob. The 11-track album is being pitched as a celebration of the legendary rapper's career, which took off in the 1990s with classic hits such as “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage."
Southbox Raises $80 Million
The Atlanta-based media company Southbox Entertainment has raised a total of $80 million to greenlight new movie and TV projects, according to Deadline. The fundraising could have big implications for the industry, as the company is promising to spend a good portion on independent films with budgets of $5 million to $35 million. It's also likely that many of the projects will be developed in Georgia, where tax credits have helped spur a boom in production.
Sarah Silverman Sues OpenAI
Comedian Sarah Silverman is joining a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI and Meta alleging that both companies' large language models were trained using illegally-acquired data sets containing her work. Specifically, the suit claims that the companies tapped so-called “shadow library” websites such as Bibliotik, Library Genesis, Z-Library, which featured Silverman's copyright-protected work. Authors Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey are also joining the lawsuit.
'Blacklist' Finale
The NBC show The Blacklist is ending its 10-year run with a two-hour-long finale. Star James Spader, who plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, told AP News the cast was grateful for the chance to take their time saying goodbye. He also noted that the show, which was mostly shot in New York City, went overseas to Spain for the finale.
The most recent school shooting in Michigan is highlighting the tragic fact that U.S. shootings on campuses are ticking up. The aftermath of these incidents leaves students, faculty, and families suffering intense trauma with lasting effects. Darby Fox, an adolescent family therapist, joins Cheddar News to discuss how school shootings impact the mental health of students and their families.
With so many high-profile court cases taking over the media, from the trial over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse to the ongoing Elizabeth Holmes trial, Cheddar took a look at these cases and why there is such a big interest in them. Rachel Fiset, a white collar criminal defense lawyer and partner with Zeiback, Fiset, and Coleman, and Bryan Hance, attorney-at-law, professor, and academic program director of the pre-law and paralegal studies program at National University, joined Cheddar for a roundtable discussion on why there is so much public interest in so-called courtroom drama.
2022 is just around the corner and one of the world's most famous trendspotters says that there is a wide-ranging mix of trends coming up in the new year that could impact businesses, culture, and our society at large.
Trendspotter and cultural zeitgeist analyst Marian Salzman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Spotify has just officially released its 2021 'Wrapped'. For the past few years, the streaming giant has been presenting customers with their listening habits from the prior year, including favorite artists, most listened to the genre, podcasts, songs you name it. However, critics say this method just shows how apps can collect our data. CEO of Prevailion Karim Hijazi, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Recent internal documents obtained by the New York Times reveal how exactly TikTok's algorithm works. The report highlights how the app is mainly focused on retaining two metrics which are retention and time spent. In addition, the document titled, "TikTok Algo 101" details how the algorithm understands human nature from when we get bored to our sensitivity and culture ques. It means the app monitors will kind of videos you like. Professor of Computer Science at the University of California in San Diego Julian McCauley, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
According to a recent study by a group of international researchers, artificial intelligence can predict new illegal drugs before they hit the streets. This method could help save lives and fight crime. Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
A lockout is now in place for Major League Baseball. The collective bargaining agreement between the league and players association expired at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said both sides were unable to negotiate a new contract by that time, so the league locked out the players on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. The lockout also means trades and free agency deals have to stop for now. Dodgers Nation lead editor Clint Pasillas joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.