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.
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
BTS’ hit single “Butter” tops the zeitgeist again, bumping back up to number one on Billboard’s Hot Trending Chart. The chart tracks what songs people are talking about rather than what they're listening to.
The American Red Cross has declared its first-ever "national blood crisis" in the United States. Since COVID hit the U.S. in March 2020, blood donations have declined by 10 percent. American Red Cross Medical Director, Dr. Baia Lasky joined Cheddar News to discuss the country facing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Dr. Lasky noted that as much as 40 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood but only about 4 percent do so. "This is going to be ongoing," she said. "This is not an acute shortage. We really do need the commitment of people to come out and donate and donate again." Appointments to donate can be made by using the Red Cross Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
On this episode of ChedHER: Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE breaks down how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses; AYO Foods Co-Founder discusses how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of; Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer at Chase Auto talks her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry, and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
Renée Horne, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Chase Auto, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
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.
