Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we suggest the secrets to aging gracefully, life after boxing, a serious criminal drama and classic John Steinbeck.
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones - Netflix
Picked by Senior Editor Dina Ross
To live a long and healthy life is a worthy goal and pockets of people throughout the world seem to have found the secret. So-called blue zones are regions where people tend to live longer than the average human. Explorer and best-selling author Dan Buettner, who has long studied these populations, now hosts a beautiful new docuseries that tries to show viewers how living life differently can change their lives for the better.
For someone who has never watched a boxing or MMA fight, it's definitely weird that this is my second documentary pick on a fighter. However, after watching this series, you will see why.
As you can imagine, with my limited background in the sport, I’m embarrassed to say that I didn't know who Tyson Fury was. However, I found myself interested when I realized the show also featured his half-brother Tommy and sister-in-law Molly-Mae Hague, contestants from Love Island U.K. The dynamics in this show are unreal. First, you have Tyson navigating his mental health challenges after retiring from boxing. Then, the journey of Molly-Mae’s pregnancy. And to top it all off, a glimpse into Irish Traveller culture. Needless to say, I'm absolutely sold.
I found this little gem of a show on Hulu and pretty much binged the entire first season. Each episode opens with a courtroom scene focused on a character standing trial for committing an egregious crime. These ordinary, everyday people find themselves in the most improbable predicaments and fighting for their freedom. Morally, many of them are in the right but we all know the law doesn't operate on moral values. No one episode is connected to another so feel free to skip around
The Grapes of Wrath - Rentable on YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu
Picked by Newsletter Writer Graison Dangor
This feels like a timely watch ahead of Labor Day and the start of a new school year, when untold numbers of kids will get the novel as assigned reading. (Maybe watching this could be extra credit?
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.
