Frank Ocean attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" exhibition on May 2, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
From a Coachella controversy to a comeback kid, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Frank Ocean Fallout
Frank Ocean has been feeling the backlash for his 2023 Coachella performance — or lack thereof in the opinion of some attendees — but now he's getting some uplifting support from Justin Bieber.
The Biebs took to Instagram to offer some kind words to his former Bigger collaborator and said he was "blown away" by the performance. "His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail… I was deeply moved. It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist. He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget," he said.
Fans had not seen Ocean take to the stage in about six years so the hype around the set was high. The overall takeaway from his performance apparently was that it was low energy, lacked crowd engagement as he performed a significant portion of his set with his back turned to the crowd, and got started way too late.
Apparently the singer made a number of changes to the set just hours ahead of the live show, which was because he suffered an ankle injury, according to Rolling Stone. There is a chance that fans that plan to attend the Coachella festival this upcoming weekend will have a different experience as Ocean is slated to headline once again.
Writers Authorize Strike
Would you be able to cope if some of your favorite shows like Euphoria, Snowfall, or The Last of Us were delayed? Well, there is a possibility that scripted TV and films could experience a production stoppage.
The Writer's Guild of America, the union that represents TV and film writers, has voted to authorize a strike in an effort to pressure Hollywood into offering better contracts. Nearly 98 percent of its membership voted on it with their current three-year contracts coming to an end.
The union is looking to negotiate better pay, regulate the use of artificial intelligence, and standardize the compensation and residuals for feature scripts regardless of if they were released in theaters or sent directly to a streaming platform, among other demands.
Hamlin Cleared
For the first time since suffering cardiac arrest earlier this year, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been cleared to make his return to the football field. The star athlete was thrust frighteningly into the spotlight after collapsing in the middle of a game. Hamlin noted that experts agree the cardiac arrest resulted from commotio cordis, which occurs when the chest suffers a severe impact timed at the right moment of a heartbeat.
In an interview with ABC's Michael Strahan, Hamlin said he'd be making his way back to playing.
"Eventually. That's always the goal, but I'm allowing that to be in God's hands."
Hamlin was present at the Bills' offseason voluntary workouts on Monday, according to ESPN.
'Top Gun: Maverick' making an estimated $156 million domestically for its four-day opening weekend. Daniel Loria, SVP of Content Strategy and Editorial Director at Boxoffice Pro, joins Cheddar News to weigh in on the long-awaited sequel and the summer box office.
The holiday weekend saw Disney+ and Netflix competing head-to-head for streaming views as the Disney behemoth kicked off the unofficial start to summer with its release of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and Netflix responded with the first part of "Stranger Things" Season 4. The streaming giants caught the eye of Wall Street, and Seth Schachner, the managing director at consultancy Strat Americas, joined Cheddar News to break down the heavy hitters. "This is a very tough, competitive game, and I don't see it getting any easier," he said. "I think you'll probably see more consolidation."
The founder and president of Cyborg Mobile Kobie Hatcher has been on a strong trajectory to disrupt his industry with a program called The New Technologists. It's not only meant to address the diversity gap within large tech companies but also help pave the way to transform the lives of young BIPOC students. He joined Cheddar News to talk about how he's working to make a difference with the lack of diversity in tech. “There's truly no lack of talent out there. It's just identifying them and letting them know that, hey, I've been in the tech sector for over 20 years. I see you. I know what you can bring, bring it, we need it," Hatcher said.
Catching you up on the entertainment headlines of the day with "Top Gun: Maverick" soaring up to a record opening at $160.5M, Harry Styles also hitting number one on Billboard with "Harry's House," Netflix released images of Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," and more.
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The 2022 NBA playoffs are intensifying as four teams vie for an NBA finals berth. Tonight, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors can book their finals ticket with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, while Miami will be feeling the 'heat' tomorrow night, facing elimination against the Boston Celtics.
And with the growing popularity of sports betting, the NBA playoffs offers a potential money-making opportunity for fans. Trysta Krick, host of BetMGM Tonight, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
As the holiday weekend arrives, travelers are bracing themselves for higher gas prices amid the inflation surge, but Robert Sinclair, AAA spokesperson, joined Cheddar News to discuss how the higher costs likely won't hold people back this Memorial Day Weekend. “We're near pre-pandemic levels. Nearly 40 million people are traveling. And of that total, about 35 million will be driving to their destinations," he said.
