With critics' groups across the country starting to hand out their awards, the Oscar race is officially on. Cinemablend's Sean O'Connell joins us to handicap the major categories. With no clear frontrunner, it's anyone's guess which movie is going to break out before the big night.
In the Best Picture category, it's looking like things are boiling down to a showdown between "The Post" and "Lady Bird." O'Connell weighs the pros and cons of each, noting that he thinks the Steven Spielberg political drama is the best movie of the year. We also consider whether "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" could be the franchise's first Best Picture nominee since the 1977 original, "A New Hope."
Then, we tackle the contenders duking it out in the acting categories. Meryl Streep is looking to win her fourth Oscar for her leading role in "The Post." If anyone can stop her, O'Connell says it will likely be "Lady Bird's" Saoirse Ronan or "I, Tonya's" Margot Robbie. As for the actors, "Darkest Hour's" Gary Oldman is pulling ahead as the one to beat for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.
After the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, Sarah Ullman felt called to action. The Los Angeles-based filmmaker is the founder of "One Vote at a Time," a Super PAC created to stop gun violence. She spends her days making free campaign ads for politicians who support gun control policies and are running in competitive districts.
A new documentary about campaign finance is coming to PBS on Monday. "Dark Money" explores the relationship between corporate spending and politics and how the laws have changed to allow more influence in the political arena. Kimberly Reed, the director and producer of the film, said that it is crucial to American democracy for its citizens to know who is trying to influence politics.
Robert Gaafar is one of the survivors of the Las Vegas shooting a year ago, and he is now partnering with Everytown to help launch a new election initiative. Gaafar said the progress on gun control in state and local races is heartening, even if the federal government remains unable or unwilling to do anything.
With Facebook racing to contain the damage from its latest -- and largest ever -- security breach, Michael Nuñez, the deputy tech editor for Mashable, said that users are starting to get smarter about what kind of data they share with the company.
Verizon launched its first 5G network in four U.S. cities Monday. One possible use for the technology will be in rolling out self-driving vehicles. Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, said that while it will take some time for fully-autonomous cars to be deployed, 5G will help in solving connectivity and latency issues.
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, said that the newest 5G network that Verizon is launching in four new cities, is the answer for cord-cutters. The network is the fastest on the market, and Vestberg said it's "a new way to get TV into your home."
Dang Foods, the health food company with a focus on protein bars and other high-protein snacks, has launched new bars with no added sugar and a keto certification. Vincent Kitirattragarn, CEO and founder of Dang Foods, said the goal of the company is to keep customer churn low via its subscription service.
Rafat Ali, the CEO of Skift, took his employees to Puerto Rico to see the destruction from Hurricane Maria firsthand, which became the inspiration for the Skift Foundation. He said the foundation supports destinations and small businesses in the hospitality and travel sector that need additional resources.
Shares of the social media giant dropped sharply after the company said it found hackers were able to gain control of as many as 50 million user accounts. Facebook's Product Management VP Guy Rosenberg said the attack affected the "View As" feature, which lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else.
Sophia Amoruso, founder and former CEO of Nasty Gal, sat down with Cheddar and talked about her approach to business and how she wants to empower other women to take risks in their professional lives. Her newest venture, Girlboss, curates information and resources for women about careers, money, and wellness.
