NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 13: View of the atmosphere during a spine-chilling soirée in celebration of the launch of Disney+ and Hulu's "Goosebumps," the new series inspired by R.L. Stine's books, at Chelsea Factory on October 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we have more picks for the spooky season, a classic fairy tale, plus a reality show about kids running errands.
Goosebumps - Disney+ and Hulu
Picked by Keara O’Driscoll
Recreating a classic childhood show is hard, but Disney somehow gets it right most of the time. The show takes a modern twist on the bestselling series by RL Stine, featuring stories that will be sure to take fans down memory lane. The plot follows a group of teens who experience some weird situations that all trace back to a strange connection that their parents all have with the town's most haunted house ‘Old Biddle House.” Ps, you know when there is a house that is referred to as “the old *insert surname here* house,” something is bound to be going down. The writing is smart as well and doesn't follow the cringe way writers try to make Gen Z sound in shows, but actually, in the way people of Gen Z talk. That being said, I binged the first five episodes that were dropped. The next five episodes will be released weekly.
Back when I initially recommended 'Old Enough!' I didn't think I would ever find a sweeter show. But then I checked out Season 2. The long-running reality show, which premiered in Japan back in 1991, follows young children as they purportedly run their first errand without their parents. Netflix has hand-picked a number of old episodes which subscribers can now enjoy the show way across the globe. The first set of episodes that Netflix picked to share with new audiences was adorable, but they upped the ante with Season 2. This time, every episode ends with a check-in to see where the kids ended up once they became young adults.
Continuing with the theme of Halloween, I've been seeking out horror flicks. I heard about Hereditary and decided to give it a go. I definitely enjoyed the plot of the film, which was centered around a Utah family whose connection to evil uncovers itself following a series of unbelievable events. The film has all the components of some of the most iconic scary movies like seances, conjuring the dead and gruesome death scenes. I have to admit, the finale scene of the movie left me so confused that I'm still unsure of what to make of it.
Bono and artist Gavin Friday have expanded the classic orchestral fairy tale into a half-hour mostly black-and-white animated film. The music is, of course, beautiful, and its mix of animation styles mirrors the swirl of feelings — both light and dark — that the 12-year-old Peter is going through as he deals with a major loss.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
