The Backstreet Boys are back. This is not a drill.
The Backstreet Boys announced on Twitter their new North America tour dates on the DNA World Tour. "To actually be able to say that we've been together for over 26 years now — and it's just a testament to our amazing fans," Howie D, born Howard Dorough, told Cheddar.
The popular boy band released their first album in 1996, but you can't put a time stamp on musical classics, according to Dorough, and their original music is still a crowdpleaser, allowing fans to reminisce about their younger days.
"It's kind of tough to compete with the big jams we had back in the day," he added comparing the hits to the group's newer work. "Those are the ones that bring people back to their memories."
When not on tour, Dorough talks about dedicating his time to working on positive content for kids with BabyFirst. After feeling like he couldn't connect with his oldest son through contemporary music, he wanted to produce quality, family-friendly music of his own for all ages to listen to and enjoy.
"I created a family CD, loosely based on some of the topics I went through in my life as a little kid," Dorough explained.
The songs from the Which One Am I? album offers musical reflections from his childhood and sparked the idea for the Howie D: Back in the Day musical that loosely parallels Dorough's time in middle school. "I feel like, me doing this kind of CD, and I'm hearing other people are moving into the family lane, it's just good positive promoting of families being together."
He also discussed the overwhelming number of devices kids use to access social media and other content, stating that "when we were little kids it was always 'you're spending too much time watching TV.' Well, now the internet, iPads, and tablets are the modern-day TV."
Gparency, a company that says its mission is to revolutionize the commercial mortgage industry, raised $15 million in its first funding round - representing the largest ever seed round in the commercial real estate space. Gparency's service will allow landlords and real estate developers to receive funding directly from banks, without the need for a mortgage broker. The company says its new approach will give power back to the consumer. Gparency founder and CEO Ira Zlotowitz joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Rapper and singer T-Pain is teaming up with Google this holiday season to encourage shoppers to support Black-owned businesses on Black Friday. Stephanie Horton, the director of marketing for Google Shopping, joined Cheddar to provide some details about T-Pain's new song, featuring Normani, in a new shoppable interactive film for the promotion. She also explained how Google worked with local artists in various states to create shoppable murals, where products seen in the artwork are discoverable online by simply pointing your camera at it.
Jill and Carlo cover the developing story out of suburban Milwaukee, where a speeding SUV careened through a Christmas parade. Looters get more brazen in San Francisco, the missing Chinese tennis star resurfaces, and more.
Alternative asset, sports cards-focused platform Alt recently raised $75 million in a Series B round. Alt's platform lets users research, trade, and securely store sports cards and other high-value assets. Right now, the company has more than $70 million worth of cards in its vault. The company is also hoping to get into other assets, including NFTs. Alt CEO Leore Avidar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
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Ameeth Sankaran, CEO of the emmy-winning media company Religion of Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the "Man in the Arena: Tom Brady" docuseries that premiered on ESPN+ earlier this week. Sankaran noted Brady and former NFL star Michael Strahan as co-founders and discussed the origin of the company and its goal to tell stories about sports figures beyond their roles on the court or field.
The behind-the-scenes story of HBO's history is chronicled in the new book 'Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers.' The book tells the true story of how HBO came to dominate the television industry as we know it. The man behind the book has interviewed over 700 key sources to uncover a bottomless trove of secrets, surprises, and never before heard stories. James Andrew Miller joins Cheddar News to share more.
In an all-new podcast, one sports journalist takes listeners through never-before-heard tapes of a teenage Kobe Bryant as he explores his thoughts, his dreams, his goals at the start of his path to becoming an NBA icon. Journalist at the Philadelphia Inquirer and host of the podcast, "I Am Kobe" from Diversion Podcasts Mike Sielski, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
