From Queen Bey's tribute to the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll to the banning of a historic poem, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Note: A major 'Succession' spoiler appears as the last item in today's article. Stop reading after the third story if you're not up to date on Season 4.
BEYONCÉ HONORS TINA TURNER
With the passing of Tina Turner at 83, tributes for the pop legend are pouring in. Among those paying tribute to Turner are other musical legends such as Beyoncé, Cher, and Pete Townshend of The Who. Beyoncé, in particular, stressed that Turner paved the way for her career and so many other musicians. “My beloved queen, I love you endlessly,” Beyoncé wrote on her website. “I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way."
INAUGURATION POEM BANNED
A South Florida elementary school has restricted the poem read at President Joe Biden's inauguration. Poet Amanda Gorman, who wrote the prose for the event, has vowed to fight back against the ban. “I'm gutted,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech."
REGAL OWNER EXITS BANKRUPTCY
Regal owner Cineworld has announced plans to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July after restructuring its debt over the last nine months. The British-owned movie theater chain was considering selling all or part of its business, but opted for a restructuring that will wipe out its shareholders and ultimately lead to the firm being delisted. The news marks another milestone in the movie industry's ongoing recovery from the early days of the pandemic.
MAJOR 'SUCCESSION' SPOILER ALERT BELOW: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU ARE NOT UP TO DATE
BRIAN COX ON 'SUCCESSION' TWIST
The final season of HBO's Succession has gotten plenty of nitpicking from long-time fans, and now star Brian Cox is joining the peanut gallery. Cox said the death of his character Logan Roy early in the fourth season came too soon. “I was fine with it ultimately, but I did feel a little bit rejected," he told the BBC. "You know, I felt a little bit, oh, all the work I’ve done and finally I’m going to, you know, end up as an ear on a carpet of a plane." Series creator Jesse Armstrong separately said he wanted Roy to die early on, so the show could explore the aftermath.
Exercise equipment maker Peloton is attempting to run away from a recent bout of controversy. CEO John Foley published an open letter to employees on Thursday after reports that said Peloton was pausing production of its Bike and Tread products, delaying the opening of a new U.S. factory, and considering job cuts. In the letter, Foley wrote that the information in the reports was 'incomplete,' 'out of context,' and not reflective of Peloton's strategy. Peloton's stock responded on Friday, with shares bouncing back after falling nearly 24% in the regular session on Thursday. CFRA Research's Director of Research Ken Leon joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Home essentials maker Outlines announced its launch at the beginning of 2022, along with $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Social Impact Capital. Outlines says it is re-imagining how we keep our homes clean while also reducing plastic waste. The company's debut product, the Shower Liner System, is made of long-lasting materials, including easy-to-recycle plastic. Outlines co-founder and CEO Luke Young and co-founder and COO Megan Ceryanec joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets joins Cheddar News to discuss CNBC's report that Peloton plans to halt production, despite the company's CEO denying those claims.
Mona Zhang, states cannabis policy reporter at POLITICO Pro joins Cheddar News to discuss major factors that caused Canada's retail marijuana sales to drop last year.
Jackie Rotman, founder and CEO of the Center for Intimacy Justice joins Cheddar News to talk about why Facebook is banning ads by companies targeting women's sexual health but not ads catered to men.
The NCAA has updated its policy on transgender athletes, allowing each sport’s national governing body to make its own decisions for transgender participation. The new rule is in line with recent changes from the U.S. and International Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Joanna Hoffman, communications director of Athlete Ally, joined Cheddar News to discuss the potential impact of the new rule on the transgender community.
"Saturday Night Live" alum Will Forte is hosting the late-night comedy show this weekend alongside musical guest, Måneskin. Forte, who spent a decade working on the iconic NBC show, is currently starring in "MacGruber," the SNL-sketch-turned-movie that is now streaming on Peacock as a tv series.
TikTok recently announced that it is testing a paid subscription model. The news comes days after Instagram publicized a similar service. TikTok has made $2.3 billion from in-app purchases, but mostly through tips, in 2021, showing that its users may be open to spending money on the platform.
The NCAA voted to streamline their constitution at their annual convention on Thursday. Each of the three college divisions can decide how student-athletes can make money from outside sources but still restricts schools from directly paying its players.
