Mena Suvari Portrays Modern 'American Woman' in Throwback Series
*By Alyssa Caverley*
The producers of "American Woman" set out to create a period drama about three women confronting sexism, changing gender roles, and female empowerment. Though it is set during the second-wave feminist movement of the 1970s, the series, starring Men Suvari, could just as well be about the #MeToo movement in the era of Time's Up.
"This show has actually been in development for about five years now, so obviously it's an amazing day and age that we are living in because of these conversations, but it was sort of happenstance for us and I think it's really wonderful," Suvari said in an interview with Cheddar. "It has the potential to create and furthermore of these conversations about where we were at."
Suvari plays a wealthy, single Beverly Hills socialite looking for love from all the wrong men. She's best friend to the show's main character, Bonnie, played by Alicia Silverstone.
"It's 1975 and this is right around the time of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) trying to pass and there's this huge wave of feminism that's sweeping through the country and it's woven throughout the entire series," Suvari said. "You really see each of these women coming up against all sorts of life challenges."
The character of Bonnie was inspired by "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kyle Richards's mother, and Richards is a co-executive producer of the series on Paramount Network. Bonnie is trying to raise her two children on her own after her marriage fell apart.
The show also stars Jennifer Bartel as Diana, who is trying to climb the corporate ladder in the male-dominated finance industry.
"It's such a wild ride with all of these women," Suvari said, adding she hopes modern women will see something relatable in the portrayals of the 70s versions of themselves.
"I think it's highly relatable and what I love about it and hope for, is that it creates more conversation about where we were and where we need to be and where we want to go as women," she said.
The show had its debut on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/mena-suvari-talks-feminist-themes-in-american-woman).
We are just one day away from what has been called the most influential tech event in the world. CES 2022 will officially kick off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but the annual tech summit is being impacted by COVID-19, like so many other recent events. The Consumer Technology Association originally planned for a hybrid event to take place from January 5-8, with some in-person events and some virtual; however, a few big-name companies announced they will not be attending in-person, so the CTA decided to shorten the event by one day, with it now ending on Friday. Consumer electronics senior analyst Will Greenwald joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
