Elton's Farewell
Elton John is ending his touring career with a bang! The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour has officially become the highest-grossing concert tour ever. It first kicked off in 2018 and has since grossed $817.9 million after performing in 278 shows, according to Billboard. John surpassed Ed Sheeran's 2019 The Divide Tour, which raked in $776.4 million. But it's not over yet, as the shows will continue through July 2023.
Lil Wayne on Road
Also in touring news, Lil Wayne announced a slate of shows set for Spring 2023. The Welcome to Tha Carter tour is set to kick off in Minneapolis in April and will run through May with the final show in Los Angeles. The news comes days after the Recording Academy revealed that Wayne would be one of four recipients of its Global Impact Award at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
DC Cinematic Universe
The DC Universe is kicking it into high gear with a newly announced full slate of films and shows. DC Studios heads James Gunn, co-CEO with Peter Safran, unveiled the 10 projects in a new first chapter which he called "Gods and Monsters," with the titles being connected to each other in the same universe (unless otherwise labeled like Matt Reeves' The Batman). Some of the new titles revealed include the film Superman: Legacy, to be written by Gunn and slated for a July 2025 release, and TV projects Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns.
In a conference call with reporters on Thursday that lasted more than 80 minutes, Mark Zuckerberg declared that an extensive New York Times report about his company's insufficient and self-preserving response to Russian meddling on the platform was "simply untrue."
Robin Koval, CEO and president of the anti-smoking Truth Initiative spoke to Cheddar on Thursday about the FDA's decision to seek restrictions on flavored nicotine products and menthol cigarettes. She said she's pleased with the progress, but is calling for more robust restrictions.
Equinox Fitness Clubs founder Lavinia Errico spoke with Cheddar about her early days as an entrepreneur, and the future of fitness. "People are going to realize that in order to be healthy, you have to be spiritually healthy, mentally healthy, emotionally healthy and physically healthy," Errico said. "That's the movement."
In the age of countless dating apps and a more sex-positive culture, why are younger people having less sex? Kate Julian, who wrote the latest provocative cover story for The Atlantic about the "sex recession," told Cheddar that there's a number of factors, ranging from rising anxiety rates to the proliferation of porn.
The New York Times published a bombshell report Wednesday evening detailing how Facebook has navigated public scandals and attacked its critics over the past few years. The stock moved lower Thursday on the news.
With an increasing number of mobility options, putting an end to distracted driving is more urgent than ever. Ryan Luckey, assistant vice president of brand marketing at AT&T, told Cheddar about AT&T's partnership with e-scooter company Bird to keep distracted drivers ー and scooter riders ー off the roads.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Ford and Walmart envision a world in which products are delivered straight to customers' doors ー no driver required. The two titans of industry are teaming up along with Postmates to explore delivery via self-driving cars in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
The former president of Pinterest has a new mission to curb tech addiction. Tim Kendall left his perch as the top business chief of the $12 billion company one year ago and is now the CEO of Moment, a mobile app that aims to teach people how to reduce their phone use.
Amazon's planned HQ2s in New York and Virginia will be a boon for homeowners near the complexes ー but for renters and potential home-buyers, it's a bit of a different story. Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com, tells Cheddar what locals can expect.
