If you don't have plans on stepping out this weekend because COVID concerns are sticking around or it's just too darn hot out there, perhaps you'll be bowing down before King James in the reboot of the Looney Tunes/NBA mashup Space Jam: A New Legacy on HBO Max (despite the lackluster reviews). But if you're looking for something else to stream, Cheddar's digital team might have a few suggestions to get you through the weekend.
Note: Spoilers possible. Proceed with caution.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan
Starz
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
As writer and showrunner Courtney Kemp would say, “Power never ends.” Premiering this Sunday is the second spinoff of Starz’s hit television series Power, titled Power Book III: Raising Kanan. The spinoff, a prequel to the Power series, is set in 1990s southside Jamaica, Queens and will track the origin story of rapper 50 Cent’s character, Kanan Stark. If you’re new to the Powerverse, no need to go back to the previous series to catch up but you should be prepared for a rough ride, centered around a savage family of criminals in the drug business. Starring in the series are a number of fresh faces including Mekai Curtis and Hailey Kilgore as well as some familiar ones like Omar Epps.
Gunpowder Milkshake
Netflix
Picked by Copyeditor Mike Nam
Need a cool, smooth streaming snack? Netflix's Gunpowder Milkshake offers up a stylish, vibrant action film performed by some top notch leading ladies. Marvel's Nebula, Karen Gillan, kicks off the blood-drenched, neon-noir-ish gunplay as an assassin rescuing a young girl with the help of her killer mom Lena Headey and some "librarians" played by Angela Bassett, Carla Gugino, and Michelle Yeoh.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Season 1, Episode 12
Disney+
Picked by Copyeditor Mike Nam
For more family- friendly fare, Star Wars: The Bad Batch continues with episode 12 of its inaugural season, Rescue on Ryloth, where the turncoat clone warriors crossover with a previous animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, as they aid young ace-pilot-to-be Hera Syndulla, whose parents have been arrested by the Empire.
Black Summer Season 2
Netflix
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
In most cases, you'd be excused for skipping over the latest zombie TV series. They are a dime a dozen, and it's hard to tell what's good and what's just padding out the horror sections of streaming platforms. But Black Summer, which last month released its second season on Netflix, is a notable exception. The show, helmed by action director John Hyams and producer Karl Schaefer , forgoes exposition and extended dialogue scenes in favor of a near-constant string of nail-biting set-pieces. Each episode is a lean, mean horror-thriller: no build-up or delayed gratification, just incident after incident. In a classic example of showing and not telling, the characters come to life through their actions, rather than endless, half-whispered dialogue. Come for the thrills, stay for the almost elemental portrayal of survival and struggle.
The Kominsky Method
Netflix
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
When I'm only three years behind in my streaming playlist that's not too bad, and I am grateful I've finally had time to get around to The Kominsky Method on Netflix. It's dark, it's hilarious, and it's very, very bingeable. You need Hollywood royalty like Alan Alda and Michael Douglas to pull off this kind of humor about things we, as humans, unfortunately have to deal with at times: death, addiction, medical emergencies — fun stuff like that. After getting through a crazy day, it's just the kind of entertainment I need. And luckily at this point, I have three seasons ahead of me!
Catching you up on the entertainment headlines of the day with Justin Timberlake selling his entire musical catalog to IP management firm Hipgnosis, Ellen DeGeneres airing the final episode of her show, Alanis Morissette making a guest appearance on Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ tour, and more.
Cheddar recently teamed up with Amazon Bestseller Jamie Hopkins to explore the term 'Rewirement' while highlighting those who didn't let retirement be the end of their journey... Instead, they used it as a new beginning.
Today, Jamie is speaking with Linda Lombri, a former home economist and marketing executive, and Virginia Cornue, a former cultural anthropologist. For them, retirement didn't mean stopping work--it meant re-inventing themselves and living out their dreams of becoming mystery authors, even though neither had written fiction before. Together, Linda and Virginia began an e-book series, the Sandra Troux Mysteries.
Brightseed Co-Founder Sofia Elizondo breaks down what plant bioactives are, and how they're using the latest technology to study human's biological connections with plants.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Brightseed Co-Founder breaks down what plant bioactives are, and how they're using the latest technology to study human's biological connections with plants; Esper Bionics CEO breaks down how they re creating a mind-controlled bionic hand that guest smarter the more you use it; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Capturing A Black Hole In Our Milky Way.'
The number of births in the U.S. increased last year for the first time in seven years. According to a new federal report, about 3.6 million babies were born in 2021, only about a 1% increase from 2020. Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst for creditcards.com, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why the pandemic baby boom was more like a baby bust, and how to raise kids while on a tight budget.
Following the mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two adults dead, the debate over gun control has been reignited. While studies have shows most Americans agree on some additional regulations, there hasn't been much legislative traction even as gun violence worsens in the country. Brian Lemek, the executive director of Defend The Vote and the former executive director at Brady PAC for gun control, joined Cheddar to discuss reform efforts. "The lawmakers that we have aren't passing these at the federal level," he said. "That's the problem. We have the wrong people in charge."
The crypto industry is still reeling from Terra's recent crash. The company's blockchain was temporarily halted earlier this month after the collapse of its cryptocurrency Luna (LUNA) and its stablecoin TerraUSD (UST), which led to almost $45 billion being wiped from the tokens' market caps within a week. Now, many are left wondering what Terra's struggles mean for the broader crypto market. Reeve Collins, CEO of the NFT platform BLOCKv, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell from Davos 2022 to discuss.
China's largest ride-hailing company will no longer be listed on the world's largest stock exchange. Didi shareholders voted on Monday to delist from the New York Stock Exchange, less than a year after launching a $4.4 billion IPO with the most significant U.S. share offering by a Chinese company since Alibaba debuted in 2014. Since going public in June of last year, around $70 billion has been wiped from Didi's market value and shares of the company have dropped nearly 90%. Now, Didi is expected to begin preparations to list in Hong Kong. Kevin T. Carter, founder and Chief Investment Officer of EMQQ Global, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
