*By Carlo Versano*
Tropical Storm Michael moved rapidly northeast over Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday after coming ashore as an unprecedented Category 4 on the Florida Panhandle a day earlier and doing severe damage to coastal cities like Panama Beach.
But the biggest fears of potentially catastrophic storm surge did not appear to have been realized. Sarah Rosario, a reporter for the local CBS affiliate in St. Petersburg, Fla., told Cheddar from Crystal River that the waters there had receded, and "things are looking much better."
Up north on the panhandle, though, the damage was more severe. At least two people are dead and hundreds of thousands remain without power after Michael made a direct hit on the region. "This is the biggest storm that area has seen ever," Rosario noted. "It came out of nowhere."
The focus now turns to flooding in the southeast, where the ground remains saturated with rainwater from last month's Hurricane Florence. Michael is expected to quickly move north toward Virginia before exiting back into the Atlantic as a post-tropical system.
Michael is the [fourth](https://twitter.com/chrisdolcewx/status/1050348660339412992) Category 4 storm to hit the U.S. in 14 months.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/hurricane-michael-hits-florida).
Paramount Global is set to absorb Showtime into Paramount+, creating a single streaming option to compete with the likes of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. The company also plans to raise the monthly price from $9.99 to $11.99 per month after the integration.
HBO released a sneak peek of next week's series finale for 'Succession' after four seasons.
Dua Lipa is teasing her new single from the upcoming 'Barbie' movie.
Warner Bros. released the official trailer for the upcoming musical film, 'The Color Purple,' based on the novel and 1985 original film.
Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. noticed a young boy who had a sign that read he had beaten cancer. Guerrero decided to surprise the young fan.
From the newest 'American Idol' to the end of a 'Bill & Ted's' hot spot, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier is taking a staycation, and all week he'll be trying out different summer activities in New York and the surrounding area that will hopefully serve as an inspiration no matter where you live. On Monday, Shannon traveled to Huntington, New York to get a taste of the boating life. He spoke with Maggie Maskery, head of public relations for Discover Boating, about some of the best boat share options.
A guitar destroyed by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain sold for nearly $600,000 dollars on Saturday at an auction in a Hard Rock Café in New York City.
Scores of Boston University students turned their backs on the head of one of Hollywood's biggest studios, and some shouted “pay your writers,” as he gave the school's commencement address Sunday in a stadium where protesters supporting the Hollywood writers' strike picketed outside.
The laws are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals," the NAACP wrote over the weekend.
