This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Zachary Levi, left, and Helen Mirren in a scene from "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
From March Madness to movie madness, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Brackets Busted
March Madness officially tipped off this week, and after just one day of competition a mere 0.06 percent of Yahoo Sports brackets are still 100 percent intact after a slew of first round upsets — including No. 13 Furman University's shocker over No. 4 University of Virginia. According to Yahoo, just 13.5 percent of people selected Furman to win (its first NCAA tourney victory since 1974. Overall, only 23 total brackets on the site remain perfect.
Tyra Banks' New Ventures
Dancing With the Stars may have at least one less host with the departure of Tyra Banks. The model/entrepreneur announced that it may be time to leave the show after three seasons. "I think it's time to graduate from the dance floor to the stock market floor…I think my heart, my soul, is into my business, it's also into producing new TV," Banks told TMZ. Season 32 is expected to air on Disney+ in the fall with Len Goodman also departing after he's been a judge since the 2005 inaugural season.
'Shazam: Fury of the Gods' Previews
Warner Bros. and DC's Shazam sequel kicked off Thursday night previews with $3.4 million. Fury of the Gods is off to a more lackluster start than the original, which opened with $5.9 million in previews. The global box office outlook only anticipates the film raking up between $35 million and $40 million and reviews of the film have not been particularly glowing. The film cost at least $100 million to produce.
Ashleigh Hinde, Founder and CEO of WALDO, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss why now is a good time to make eyecare a priority, and how they are democratizing access to eyecare for all.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: WALDO CEO breaks down why now is a good time to make eyecare a priority, and how they are democratizing access to eyecare for all; COO at PetDx explains how next-generation sequencing technology is being used to detect cancer in pets early; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Inside The Mind of a Con Artist.'
Plans to add affordable housing to a development in Yellow Springs, Ohio, were squashed after comedian Dave Chappelle and other community members spoke out against the project. Chappelle threatened to pull the plug on his local comedy club and restaurant projects if the development had been approved.
Jason Moser, Senior Analyst at The Motley Fool, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to talk about the big takeaways from Disney's Q1 report, which showed the company nearing 130 million Disney+ subscribers as parks revenue ticks up.
Shares of Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth surged after the company reported Q3 earnings Wednesday morning, with shares up more than 15 percent at the close of the day's trading session. Despite net revenue declining year-over-year, Canopy beat analyst expectations and has ramped up efforts to develop a "THC ecosystem' in the U.S. Canopy Growth's CEO, David Klein, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the report. He noted that its brands Storz & Bickel vaporizers and BioSteel beverages showed record growth.
Florists are dreading weekend pickups for this year's Valentine's Day, which lands on a Monday. Christina Stembel, founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers joined Cheddar News to discuss the challenges presented by shortages caused by supply chain issues, lack of labor, and climate change and how her company is preparing for this year's holiday. “A Monday delivery is just really hard for small businesses like us," said Stembel. "Larger companies have the scale that some of the large transportation carriers will provide a Sunday pick up for Monday delivery, but for small companies like us, that's not an option. So we have to try to convince people to order early."
PLAY, a low-cost airline headquartered in Iceland, is expanding service to New York Stewart International Airport, marking its third destination in the United States. PLAY is the latest affordable carrier to fly onto the scene, debuting its first flights a little more than six months ago. Birgir Jonsson, CEO of PLAY, joined Cheddar to discuss what this expansion means for the airline and what it's been like to lead a new airline during a pandemic. "For us to get into the market now, have the availability of great, brand new aircraft at historically low prices, and basically being able to secure a low operating cost base for the future is a completely rare opportunity," Jonsson said. "We can get into the market now when our competitors are also weak."
