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.
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.
