This image released by Amazon shows Riley Keough in a scene from "Daisy Jones & The Six." (Lacey Terrell/Amazon via AP)
This weekend, sit down with Cheddar recommendations for found family feels, fake band drama, small town laughs, and a travelogue about the jewel of the Pacific Northwest.
Rain Dogs - HBO Max
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
It wasn't on my radar, but this dramedy from the UK caught my eye on the HBO Max home page. It's about a single mum and her daughter navigating life after being evicted from their flat. Add in her gay best friend with anger management issues who stands in as the daughter's father figure, and the series seems to be winning the hearts of reviewers who call it a warm and darkly funny story about a found family. The first episode released this week, and I'm looking forward to giving this one a good look.
The trailer is NSFW for language:
Daisy Jones & The Six - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Growth Associate Keara O’Driscoll
Riley Keough stars as Daisy Jones in this highly-anticipated book-turned-movie that just hit Amazon Prime Video last week. The three-episode miniseries follows a Fleetwood Mac-type of band giving their first (fictional) interview since their final performance, recalling what led to the band's hostile breakup. If you gave the book a try but found it hard to follow due to its writing style, I’d suggest watching it for a better take. It's a Hello Sunshine production (Reese Witherspoon's production company), so if you liked Big Little Lies or Little Fires Everywhere you will for sure enjoy this one.
Welcome to Flatch - Hulu
Picked by Senior News Editor Dina Ross
Welcome to Flatch Season 2 is currently available on Hulu. Not Season 1 ... just Season 2 of the sitcom, but tbh, it's fine to jump in there. Barb Flatch (Jaime Pressly) returns to her namesake town, a sleepy suburb that is a far cry from her beloved Pompano Beach, and is ready to zhuzh things up. The wacky residents of Flatch welcome the platinum blonde, pink-clad babe with laugh-out-loud funny lines. I can't wait to figure out where to watch Season 1.
CityBeautiful - YouTube
Picked by Newsletter Writer Graison Dangor
I recently visited Vancouver for the first time, and apart from the ridiculous beauty of the surrounding ocean and mountains, the city felt pleasant in a way that I couldn't put my finger on. So I was excited when my wife came across City Beautiful, the YouTube account run by urban planning professor Dave Amos. His explainer on how Vancouver was planned to be so relaxed and walkable was endearingly nerdy but also not too in the weeds for someone who, like me, has no urban planning knowledge. He's got dozens of other videos I'm looking forward to. First up: "Should cities expand into the sea?"
For more What to Stream picks, check out our recent suggestions:
Some of Tiktok's biggest stars have a message for the platform: It is time to pay up! As the platform has skyrocketed in popularity, many content creators have been given the opportunity to garner millions of fans and even sometimes billions of views. In 2020, the company launched a creator fund in order to incentivize the platform's users. However, while the group of creators has grown larger, the pool of money has remained the same, and creators are fed up, they claim as Tiktok becomes more successful. Senior Editor at Engadget, Karissa Bell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
In 2021, QAnon, the community which traffics in conspiracy theories saw a rapid growth in its numbers. As a result of vaccine rollouts, a number of conspiracies surrounding them also began to circulate which then led to the rise of "Anti-Vaxxers". As a result, the QAnon and anti-vax communities have become increasingly intertwined and the results could be costing lives. Senior Researcher at Media Matters Alex Kaplan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Neil Young gave the streaming service Spotify an ultimatum demanding that his music be removed if the Joe Rogan experience remained on the platform. Joe Rogan's platform has been questioned a number of times as a result of some of his takes on covid treatment strategies and at times downright misinformation. Ultimately, Spotify decided to stick with Joe Rogan's podcast. The Director for the Business and Entertainment Program at American University, John Simson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Nutritional supplement beverage company Athletic Greens has achieved unicorn status. The company announced a new $115 million funding round, bringing its valuation to $1.2 billion. The company's flagship product AG1 combines 75 different vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients into one daily serving. Athletic Greens says it is poised to reach the millions of consumers who are currently driving the health and wellness market's exponential growth. Athletic Greens founder and CEO Chris Ashenden joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Michael Mitchell, senior director of brand at Mailchimp, joins Cheddar News to discuss the launch of Bloom Season and what every BIPOC entrepreneur needs to know to succeed.
Janet Jackson shared that she had a conversation with Justin Timberlake who had asked her if he should make a statement during the scandal over her Super Bowl XXXVIII wardrobe malfunction, in her new self-titled Lifetime documentary. The musical icon said that she viewed the incident as an accident and remains "good friends" with Justin Timberlake.
The gaming industry has seen multiple large scales deals this month alone, including Microsoft's megadeal for Activision Blizzard. And, seemingly in response, rival Sony, picked up Bungie for $3.6 billion, a studio once owned by both Microsoft and Activision. The sector is reportedly on track to spend $150 billion on mergers and acquisitions just this year alone, a record-breaking total, according to investment firm Drake Star Partners. Michael Metzger, a partner at the firm specializing in technology, media, and communications, joined Cheddar to discuss the flurry of deals in the gaming space and what might be behind the hot M&A activity.
Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs and TRM Labs, joins Cheddar News to discuss why Facebook is ditching its crypto project and what that means for the space.
