*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).
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg returns to Capitol Hill for a second day of questioning. Today, Zuckerberg testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Ahead of the hearing, we spoke to Congressman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) about what she wants to hear from the Facebook CEO. Dingell is concerned about the privacy of Americans who use the social networking site and speculates about what a regulated Facebook would look like.
In other Washington news, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced today that he will not seek re-election this November. Ryan held a press conference to elaborate on his decision. He said he thinks he's done his part and looks forward to spending more time with his family.
Also, Joanna Coles stops by to talk about her new book, "Love Rules." She says her book can help readers find real love in the age of Tinder and Bumble. Coales, who sits on the board of directors for Snap, discusses what it's like to be a woman on the board of a Silicon Valley tech giant.
Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at Hearst Magazines and author of "Love Rules," says awareness around the gender pay gap has come a long way but we still have to keep the conversation going and pay attention to the data.
Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at Hearst Magazines and author of "Love Rules," says dating apps are as overwhelming an experience as a trip to Costco and should only be used as one of many tools to find love.
To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Old Spice, Crews has been challenging the stereotypical idea of masculinity. Modern masculinity, he says, is softer, "honest," and "emotional."
Brown, who left her eponymous beauty empire over a year ago, has created health supplements because "what you put in your body...is really important."
The icon of the beauty industry, who left her namesake cosmetics brand over a year ago, says social media and influencers hugely impact the industry. But even on those platforms, she's looking for "positive reinforcement" and "real things."
The shoe designer, who co-founded Jimmy Choo before becoming COO at her own eponymous brand, says talking to peers about what you're earning is the only way to find out if you're being undervalued.
The former E! News journalist made a splash by resigning last year because of a massive pay gap between her and her co-anchor Jason Kennedy. Today, she's turned into a face for the fight for equal pay.
As the lead on the hit USA thriller, Biel told Cheddar she was surprised the audience waited week-to-week for each new episode, instead of "this crazy binge TV watching that we love to do." The successful TV series has been renewed for a second season.
The actress, who is married to singer Justin Timberlake, told Cheddar Monday that the two stars "talk about everything and discuss everything."
