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.
Once again, YouTube is releasing its annual list of the top trending videos and music videos that had people in the U.S. talking. Madeline Buxton, trends expert for YouTube joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The Robin Hood Foundation is New York City's largest poverty-fighting organization. For more than 30 years, Robin Hood has built and fueled non-profits across all five boroughs. CEO Richard Buery joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell ahead of his ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange and later, lighting of the NYSE Christmas tree.
Creator commerce platform LTK raised $300 million in a recent funding round, now valuing the company at $2 billion. LTK is the world's largest influencer marketing platform and is known for helping to pioneer the so-called 'creator economy.' The company helps content creators make money off of their social media posts by hosting them on one central marketplace. LTK says more than $3 million in products are bought each year on its website and app. Now, the company is looking to continue its growth. LTK co-founder and president Amber Venz Box joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Scott Bonneau, VP of Global Talent Attraction at Indeed, joins Cheddar to discuss why employee happiness and workplace flexibility go hand in hand, and how to track employee productivity while offering flexible work options.
Miranda Cosgrove joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about the upcoming Season 2 premiere of the "iCarly" reboot on Paramount+. She talked about the distinction between filming the reboot versus the original series and noted that this time around she has more creative input. Cosgrove also talked about her partnership with HP's Girls Save the World and efforts to address the climate crisis.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest on Omicron, another school shooting in America and more. Plus, bidding farewell to 'transitory' inflation, and the controversy surrounding 'Lovely Bones' author Alice Sebold.
Adrienne Shelly was behind the critically acclaimed 2007 film 'Waitress' but was killed before she could witness the film's success. Now, the HBO documentary 'Adrienne' takes viewers along her husband Andy's personal journey to share his wife's story and gives a rare window into how a family confronts the unthinkable. Andy Ostroy, director of the film joins Cheddar News to talk about his creative process.
Elaine Low, Senior Entertainment Business Reporter at Insider
joins Cheddar News to discuss the Animation Guild's upcoming contract negotiations, hoping to close pay gap with live-action counterparts.
