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!
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
According to the Federal Reserve, the investment gap between Black and white Americans has remained substantial, with only 34 percent of Black households joining in on the historic rise in the markets. Stacey Tisdale, the first Black woman to have reported from the NYSE and the CEO and president of Mind Money Media Inc., said that the data might not be as disheartening as it seems. "I think that number is very deceiving. That Federal Reserve study is actually from 2019, and it's very important that we all look beneath that number and look beneath the surface because there is nothing short of an investing revolution going on in the Black community," Tisdale said.
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Ava Rathenberg, Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover,' joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community.
An award-winning performance by the LSU Tiger Girls dance team is going viral on TikTok, but like many other viral tiktoks, this one had a larger story to tell. The story goes back to 2021 when for the first time in 22 years, the LSU dance team was informed it could not compete at Universal Dance Association Nationals. The team made their anticipated return to UDA Nationals this year with a performance that delivered a strong and clear message to their university. The LSU Tiger Girls walked away from the competition with their first national championship title in 12 years, redemption against the university that held them back, and of course- millions of new fans and friends on TikTok.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL over racial discrimination, exposing a long-running problem the NFL has had with diversity in its top coaching and management positions. Eric Mitchell, the president and CEO of public relations and communications company LifeFlip Media, joined Cheddar News to delve into the scandal rocking the pro football world just before the Super Bowl. "There is a problem. If you look at who owns teams in the NFL, it's right, it's a good old boys club, it's a bunch of old white guys," he said. "So, it's exposing something that's been around for ages and now that we're sitting in 2022 has come up."
This April, Madison Square Garden will be hosting the first-ever women's boxing match to headline at the arena in its 140 years of history in boxing. Undisputed lightweight champion, Katie Taylor, and seven-division champion, Amanda Serrano, will go head-to-head for a career-high guaranteed seven-figure purse for both of them. The pair joined Cheddar News to talk about the upcoming "fight of their lives." "I mean, this is the first step I believe," said Serrano. "Unheard of, two women headlining the Garden, we get in the biggest paydays of our career, I hope it continues to break down barriers."
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, founder of BrainTrust Founders Studio joins Cheddar News to talk about the importance of supporting Black beauty and wellness founders.
