*By Conor White*
"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner's new anthology series for Amazon, "The Romanoffs," is about far more than Russia's last royal family, according to one of its stars.
"As I said to Matthew when I was doing this, I have to bone up on the Romanoffs," actor Aaron Eckhart said in an interview on Cheddar.
"And he said, 'Well, not really, because it really has nothing to do with the Romanoffs.'"
The family consisted of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and five children. After Russia's February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne and was later executed with the rest of his house. Within the last 30 years, all the bodies have been discovered and identified through DNA testing. Despite that evidence, whispers remain that one of his children, most likely Anastasia, escaped the killings. (The tsar's youngest daughter inspired the popular animated film, "Anastasia," which was recently turned into a musical.)
The Amazon ($AMZN) series features a different cast in each of its eight episodes, which are all linked by some sort of connection to the famous family ー be it real or fabricated.
Eckhart said it's the relationships between the show's characters ー whether directly linked to the royals or not ー that makes the show special.
"The magical part of the show is that it has thematics, and it has through lines with the Romanoffs," the Golden Globe nominee said. "But it's all these different scenarios with different people all over the world."
The series is creator Weiner's return to television after his seven-season run with "Mad Men" ー the highly-acclaimed show garnered two Golden Globes for "Best Drama Series" and eight Primetime Emmy awards.
It was Eckhart's first time working with Weiner, and he said the experience was "educational, interesting," and "fascinating,"
"It's very surprising and striking and bold. It takes a real genius to figure this all out," Eckhart added.
In the age of binge-watching, Amazon has made the choice to release one episode per week after releasing the first two episodes simultaneously on Oct. 12.
Eckhart is a fan of the move and called it "more traditional." But he admitted he has binged his way through at least one classic series.
"I did binge-watch 'Friends'," he said.
"'Friends' is a very good show."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/meet-the-romanoffs).
Dr. Karin Tamerius is the mind behind "Angry Uncle Bot," an interactive feature for the New York Times which simulates conversations between the user and their disagreeable relatives.
Poshmark, the massive digital marketplace for fashion, is launching a curated "gifts market" with more than 6 million items for the holiday season. CEO Manish Chandra explained to Cheddar on Tuesday how the company is leveraging its massive scale to create a streamlined shopping experience for its 40 million users. "It's like making a whole mall a single department store," Chandra said.
It was another rough morning for the markets as the tech sector continued to drag down the major indexes. Retailers such as Target, Kohl's, and Lowe's were also trading lower after reporting disappointing quarterly earnings results. Plus, Cheddar sits down with actress Michelle Rodriguez and director Robert Rodriguez to hear about their new VR film 'The Limit,' now available across all VR headsets.
With news that the White House Correspondents' Dinner will break a long-standing tradition by replacing a comedian host with a historian, Jon Levine, media editor at The Wrap, discusses whether the event should even exist anymore.
PG&E's wildfire liabilities may not be limited to the 2018 Camp Fire that has already exposed the California utility to billions in potential costs. J.D. Morris, energy reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, told Cheddar that the worst case scenario would find PG&E also responsible for the 2017 Tubbs fire.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018.
Since its founding in 1951, the Film Censor Board in India has kept Bollywood light and non-threatening. Enter Amazon, which is partnering with Excel Entertainment to produce "Mirzapur," a new, darker variety of Indian entertainment. Series creator Karan Anshuman talked to Cheddar about how Amazon helped them circumvent restrictions put on Indian television.
Actress and activist Sophia Bush has partnered with PayPal for Giving Tuesday, a national day of philanthropy. She told Cheddar she's focusing on giving back to her home state of California as it recovers from the devastating wildfires.
Beyond Meat, the purveyor of plant-based proteins meant to recreate the taste and texture of meat, has filed for an initial public offering that will help it develop new foods with far-reaching implications that may touch climate change, the obesity epidemic, and world hunger.
Nicolas Jammet, co-founder and chief concept officer at Sweetgreen, spoke with Cheddar about how the fast-casual chain is looking to redefine fast food.
