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.
Perteet Spencer, Co-Founder of AYO Foods, joins ChedHER to discuss how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of.
Crystal Etienne, Founder and CEO of period apparel company Ruby Love and Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience bootstrapping her company to $10 million, and how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses.
E-commerce platform for construction and building materials RenoRun has raised $142 million in a Series B round, which the company says is the fourth largest Series B round in Canadian history. RenoRun’s platform offers same-day delivery of construction materials to job sites in Canada and the United States. The company aims to revolutionize the construction industry by maximizing productivity and efficiency. RenoRun co-founder and CEO Eamonn O’Rourke joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Like so many other cities, Miami experienced a tourism boom over the summer after vaccines were distributed. But, the Omicron variant has thrown the travel industry for a loop. David Whitaker, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, joined Cheddar to discuss the city as a tourist destination, and how it has handled headwinds from the pandemic.
Rockstar Energy, a subsidiary of Pepsico, unveiled its new beverage brand, Rockstar Unplugged, changing up the energy drink formula with hemp seed oil as an ingredient. PepsiCo Energy CMO Fabiola Torres joined Cheddar News to talk about how the product promotes “good vibes” and allows consumers to unwind and discuss partnering with "MTV Unplugged" for a concert series. "We couldn't find a better partnership that MTV," she said. "MTV Unplugged has been such an iconic proposition … and we believe that we're the right partners because the insight of our proposition for Rockstar Unplugged comes from music.
Eight months after the National Football League announced $1 million in research into cannabinoids, the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee has awarded the funding to two teams of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Regina. The NFL says the studies will investigate the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players, respectively. Cheddar correspondent Chloe Ailello spoke with Jeff Miller, the executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy for the NFL, about the studies, as well as the recent lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. "Maybe we can learn things from other alternative pain approaches that are going to benefit our player population and then sports medicine as a whole," Miller said.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ and Ayana Morris, co-director of the documentary 'Why Is We Americans?,' join Cheddar News to discuss the new documentary highlighting the impact of the Baraka family.
Former New York City mayor and lawyer to Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani made his singing debut on a taping of Fox’s The Masked Singer. However, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, two judges on the competition show, reportedly left in protest when Giuliani was unmasked upon being eliminated.
All Hands celebrates Black History Month by highlighting achievements in inclusivity and paying homage to those who have fought for equal rights. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) joins Cheddar News to discuss voter suppression; Damali Peterman, CEO of Breakthrough ADR, elaborates on the biggest barriers for Black professionals; Andre Perry, senior fellow of Brookings Institution, dives into student loans and the racial wealth divide; and lastly, BET CEO Scott Mills discusses the company's initiatives for 2022.
