Rosamund Pike attends the World Premiere of "The Wheel of Time" at BFI IMAX Waterloo on November 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
This week, Cheddar's Digital Team recs the return of Los Angeles real estate drama in Selling Sunset, Amazon Prime's fantasy epic The Wheel of Time, a revisit of Bond's Quantum of Solace, and Adam Sandler's parenting hijinks in Big Daddy.
Selling Sunset: Season 4 - Netflix
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
Next week we'll have a special holiday edition of What to Stream for you, so I'm going long this week. Last weekend was about getting ready for Tiger King 2, which debuted on Netflix Wednesday. Next Wednesday, my absolute favorite reality series of the pandemic is back for its fourth season: Selling Sunset. The series follows some of L.A.'s most fabulous real estate brokers as they try to hawk homes to the ultrawealthy. Along the way, of course, we have love, loss, and lots and lots of wine. Can't wait to see what the team at The Oppenheim Group has been up to, especially Chrishell, who wrapped Season 3 with an absolutely heartbreaking and unexpected turn of events.
The Wheel of Time - Amazon Prime
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
As a teen many, many years ago, I picked up a paperback called The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I thought it was the start of a trilogy (all the rage back then) called The Wheel of Time. little did I know it was the beginning of a massive, multi-book series that would outlive its original author and see its completion 23 years later. Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin still has time to meet that total output challenge I guess, but at least his series was already adapted to TV. Jeff Bezos famously would go on to direct Amazon Prime to match prestige shows like HBO's GoT, and voila! The Wheel of Time IP was purchased and adapted into this series (already greenlit for Season 2) premiering on November 19. Starring Rosamund Pike as a powerful magic user searching for a youthful Chosen One destined to save — and destroy — the world, the setting is as rich and complex as Martin's series but admittedly more fantastical.
Quantum of Solace - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
For me, the Daniel Craig-era of Bond films is a bit of a wash. I like certain elements of them: the hard-nosed action, Craig's steely, wounded visage, the beautiful location photography. At the same time, I find the constant references to backstory tiresome. Bond movies used to be standalone adventures. Now everything has to be connected like it's the Bond Cinematic Universe or something. Anyway, I digress. If you're looking to prepare for the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, I'd check out Quantum of Solace, which is perhaps the most underrated in the Craig cycle. For one, it's comparatively short at under two hours, and it moves at the pace of a chase movie. Bond's usual globe-trotting is pushed into overdrive, as he recklessly pursues the people behind the murder of his wife in Casino Royale. It's a tad brutal for a Bond flick, but it works on its own terms. Word to the wise, Casino Royale and Skyfall are also available on Prime Video, and No Time to Die is available as well for a higher rental price.
Big Daddy - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Producer Lawrence
Small confession: I sometimes look to films and TV series for inspiration when it comes to apartment hunting. That brought me to this week's pick of Adam Sandler's classic 1999 film Big Daddy. I sat on my couch this week thinking of random movie apartments, and it hit me. How did Sonny Koufax, Sandler's character, afford that massive loft apartment in Manhattan? What exactly did he do for a living? I had to go back and rewatch, and then I recalled that his father was a loaded attorney, bankrolling his degenerate son's lifestyle. I also recalled how hilarious it was to watch a man care for a kid that was essentially left on his doorstep by a stork — in this instance, a caseworker. Then there was the classic "hip hop anonymous" scene that forced tears out of my eyes (because of the humor and not because Rob Schneider's character was actually illiterate). It was a nice stroll down memory lane and just even more impressive that Koufax was able to find such a good apartment in Manhattan.
Looking for more to watch? Check out our recommendations from last week and the week before.
Catching you up on today's entertainment headlines with the Tribeca Film Festival has kicked off in NYC, "Black Adam," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson dropped its first full trailer, the musical "Come From Away" based on a true story set during 9/11 will be closing on Broadway this October, and more.
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
The Elevate Prize Foundation is donating $10,000 to different grassroots organizations based on a theme every month to help scale their work, focusing on a different theme each time. Upcoming prizes will help uplift an organization supporting the LGBTQ community and one mobilizing to help end gun violence. The foundation's CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram joined Cheddar to discuss the initiative and why it's important to uplift these grassroots organizations. "We are identifying social entrepreneurs around the world to help them scale their work. but the ultimate purpose of that is to create the first-ever fanbase for good," she said. "We're trying to make good famous and by inspiring people to think about the role they can play in doing good in the world."
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
If you have been on the road this past year, you've probably seen more accidents on the road than you ever have. You're not wrong. Traffic fatalities are not only increasing they are hitting historic highs. Almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2021. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier investigates - and finds out why.
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew
in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
