This is a big weekend for Hollywood newcomer Jun Yu as the long-awaited live-action remake of the animated classic Mulan hits Disney+ and select theaters.
Yu plays the role of Cricket, who was an actual insect in the 1998 film. This time, he plays the character reimagined as a young boy who joins alongside lead character Mulan in the Emperor's army.
The actor told Cheddar this was not only his first major role — it was also his first professional audition. "To have gotten this role is truly a blessing, and I'm honored," Yu said.
When asked about differences between the new live-action film and the animated version he said, "I think our director had a good sense of direction of where she wanted to go. And so it made it very easy and very clear to follow her vision."
Still, he drew inspiration from the first movie. "Watching the original film, for me, it helped out a lot to really grab the essence of Cricket, who in the animated film and in this one, has a lot of innocence and purity, and that's what I really wanted to bring forth from the animated one to this one.'
Due to the coronavirus, productions and release dates in Hollywood were halted or postponed over the last several months. Mulan was originally slated for a March 27 debut but saw its opening pushed back several times. Ultimately, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced during an earnings call last month that the film would finally be released Labor Day weekend, but would be an added purchased on the company's streaming service.
Now Disney+ is betting movie fans will find the $29.99 price tag a small price to pay as the film industry slowly gets back to business.
In an effort to fight climate change several corporations have vowed to work to fight climate change by 2030. They say the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 40% or even close to 100%. However, according to a new study, many of these companies are not actually practicing what they preach. Tom Egger, senior lecturer at Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy' dives into over 20 years of the icon himself, Kanye West. The trilogy is described as 'an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West's experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.' Cheddar news sat down with directors of the documentary and long-time friends of Kanye, Chike Ozah and Clarence "Coodie" Simmons, to discuss the project.
The Super Bowl is only a few days away, and the game is currently tracking to be the most expensive one ever.
Gametime, a website and app for last-minute tickets, says the average ticket price for the NFL's championship game is $9,502.50, with the most expensive seats costing nearly $38,000. That's a far cry away from the average ticket price of the first-ever Super Bowl in 1967, which was only $12. The average ticket price increased by more than $8,000 in just the past decade. Matt Rados, Senior Operations Manager at Gametime, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
At-home medical labs company Getlabs raised $20 million in a Series A round, led by Emerson Collective and the Minderoo Foundation. Getlabs aims to be the boots-on-the-ground partner to telehealth. The company says more than 70% of medical decisions still require collecting diagnostic tests in person, and that it fills that void by delivering health care directly to their patients' homes. Founder & CEO of Getlabs Kyle Michelson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Sting has sold his catalog of more than 600 songs for $300 million to Universal Music. The deal gives the label the rights to all of his work, including “Every Breath You Take," as well as all future royalties.
Miller Lite is opening the first branded bar in the metaverse, by way of Decentraland, as a way to advertise during the Super Bowl this year without buying an expensive TV commercial slot. Sofia Colucci, global vice president of Miller Family of Brands, joined Cheddar to talk about the new marketing concept. "We have a lot of great partnerships with NFL teams throughout the year but were shut out of advertising during the Super Bowl game, so this pushes us to think creatively and also think of what feels really relevant right now," Colucci said. "There's no question that there's a lot of excitement with the metaverse, and we wanted to participate but in a way that felt right for Miller Lite."
Kalle Marsal, Chief Operating Officer at PetDx, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how next-generation sequencing technology is being used to detect cancer in pets early.
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.
