*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).
Despite progress in increasing diversity in the film and TV industry, Hollywood still has a long road ahead. Cheddar spoke with some of the biggest influencers at the American Black Film Festival in Miami to discuss how to continue progress.
The league launched an initiative aimed at empowering women and girls by partnering with organizations like Planned Parenthood and It's On Us. "This is basically encoded in our DNA and has been for the 22 years that we've been in existence," WNBA President Lisa Borders tells Cheddar.
Match, which acquired a 51 percent stake in the dating app last week, will help the company scale both domestically and around the world, said Hinge CEO Justin McLeod. Match's portfolio also includes Tinder and OkCupid.
Rich Fulop, CEO of Brooklinen, tells Cheddar about how he was able to turn an idea into a full-time, thriving business.
AMC Theaters rolled out its MoviePass competitor Tuesday, dealing another blow to a company that's been hemorrhaging money and trying one strategy after another to stay afloat. PCMag's Rob Marvin says that, while he likes MoviePass as a customer, its "business model is fundamentally an unprofitable one."
Instagram is now estimated at over $100 billion in value. Venmo rolls out an actual plastic debit card with Mastercard. The FDA approves its first marijuana-derived medication. The newest member of the Bush family is Sully the service dog. The yellow lab has been assigned to President George H.W. Bush, who is 94, and recovering from recent hospitalizations.
The "Real Housewives of New York" star says she leveraged her entrepreneurial skill set to raise money for projects in Guatemala and Puerto Rico. "I knew that skill set ... I know how to manage and execute," says Frankel.
The actor, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, says the industry needs to incorporate more people with disabilities to change perception.
Some of Hollywood's hottest artists and industry leaders are speaking out on diversity and inclusion. The biggest names at the American Black Film Festival in Miami join Cheddar to discuss the issues in the showbiz spotlight.
Trade tensions are heating up again as reports emerge that President Trump is planning to block Chinese investments in U.S. tech companies. Plus, Harley-Davidson announced it will move some of its U.S. production to facilities in Europe in an effort to avoid retaliatory tariffs from the EU.
Celebrity chef Sheldon Simeon joins Cheddar to talk about the opening of his second restaurant in Hawaii this summer. Simeon, a native-born Hawaiian, also weighs in on the devastating volcanic eruptions across Hawaii and urges people to travel to the islands.
