In this Feb. 9, 2020, file photo, Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
From laughs to thrills to in-real-life dramas, this weekend Cheddar recommends Season 4 of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the Steven Soderbergh cyberthriller "Kimi," and two Netflix Documentaries: "The Tinder Swindler" and "Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy."
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 4 - Amazon Prime
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
Maisel is back, and I am here for it! If you haven't already gotten pulled into the charm of the Amazon Original series, it's time. The show follows a funny lady (played by Rachel Brosnahan) who is trying to make it as a standup comedian in the 1950s and '60s in order to put food on the table and a roof over her family's heads (in a sweet uptown doorman apartment). As you may recall, that wasn't an easy era for upscale women to work, divorce, or do many of the things we take for granted today. Add in a wacky family, a straight-talking manager, and it's a recipe for television success. I can't wait to see what Mrs. Maisel gets up to next when the new season drops Friday, February 18.
Kimi - HBO Max
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
Prolific director Steven Soderbergh (director of Ocean's 11 and its sequels) churns out movies so quickly that sometimes they just pop up on your streaming platform one day. That was the case with his latest, a cyberthriller called Kimi. After his excellent heist flick No Sudden Moves from last year, I was ready for whatever Soderbergh did next, and Kimi didn't disappoint. It's about an agoraphobic tech worker who hears a violent crime in the data stream but struggles to convince her company to do anything about it. If that sounds very zeitgeisty, it is, but Soderbergh does the material justice by delivering a tense, stylish chamber piece.
The Tinder Swindler - Netflix
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
Between 2017 and 2019, women throughout Europe might have found themselves matching with a handsome, jet-setting son of a diamond oligarch on Tinder. He seemed too good to be true — and he was. Simon Leviev, according to The Times of Israel, was running a Ponzi scheme on his lovers, swindling cash from one lady in order to party extravagantly with another lady in his life. I'm absolutely fascinated and disgusted by grifters, and Leviev used a crew of pretenders, spun high-stakes stories to create a bubble of paranoia around his victims, and created an entire fake history on the Internet, all seemingly out of the classic con man playbook. Netflix has put out a gripping documentary from the perspective of some of the women he bamboozled, who later aided in taking down his schemes, and now that we're past Valentine's Day, it's well worth the watch — especially since he hasn't exactly left the public eye.
Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy - Netflix
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
The first part of the highly-anticipated Netflix documentary Jeen-yuhs has finally premiered on the platform. The trilogy's three parts, to be released weekly, documents the early days of Ye West's music career with never-before-seen footage. The artist-formerly-known as Kanye initially became renowned for his work behind the scenes by producing records for some of the biggest hip hop stars, including Jay-Z and Scarface, but the documentary looks at the many obstacles he faced in pursuing his own rap career. It's sort of hard to imagine that Ye, one of the biggest megastars today, wasn't able to garner early support from the music industry given the multiple hits, moments, and classic albums he's put out since.
After premiering at the 2022 Sundance Festival, Showtime is slated to drop the four-part docuseries "We Need to Talk About Bill Cosby" this Sunday. Director W. Kamau Bell joined Cheddar to discuss the sensitive project and about coming to grips with the reality of who Bill Cosby is following the numerous allegations of sexual assault. Bell said the biggest takeaway from the project is that survivors are not only looking for the 84-year-old comedian to be held accountable, they also want to prevent future assaults. "Maybe the key thing to learn is how do we create a society that is more supportive and accepting particularly women in this case who are survivors of sexual assault," Bell said.
Tax season is now underway, and it's going to be a bit different than in years past. For starters, the deadline is April 18, instead of the typical April 15th, and many Americans will need to account for advance child tax credit payments, the return of the recovery rebate credit, and a special break for charitable contributions, among other things. Brent Weiss, Co-Founder and certified financial planner at Facet Wealth, tells us what we need to know about filing our taxes this year, and when we can expect to receive our returns.
College enrollment has been on a steady decline for years, and the pandemic hasn't helped. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a 6.6% — more than 1 million students — drop in undergraduate enrollment, according to a recent report. Douglas Belkin, higher education reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to discuss the long-term implications of students sitting out of college, and what institutions can do about it.
As the midterm election looms, things aren't looking too promising for President Joe Biden. One year into his term as president, Biden is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president, threatening his party's control of the House in 2022. Brian Bennett, Senior White House Correspondent for TIME, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
A full one year into his term as President of The United States, President Biden addressed the nation on Wednesday, facing questions on everything from inflation to chip shortages and covid-19. As Biden enters his second year in office, he is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president. Kate Davidson, Reporter, POLITICO joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
San Diego has just implemented a new law that could set the stage for how the country deals with food waste. This new law hopes to make a dent in that. Businesses and groceries stores out in San Diego will need to put a plan in place to *donate edible food rather than toss it straight to the trash. Food Rescue Manager at Feeding San Diego, Kate Garret
The streaming giant Netflix posted its latest earnings from its fourth quarter after the close on Thursday. The company's stock plummeted shortly after the company warned that its rate of subscription additions are slowing down. Senior Reporter at MarketWatch Jon Swartz, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Earlier this month, New York City experienced one of the deadliest fires it has seen in decades. 17 people lost their lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx. This was due to a faulty space heater which reportedly began on the lower floor of the 120 unit building. Thanks to the F. D. N. Y. And heroic neighbors, many were able to get out in time. Unfortunately, the toxic smoke surged upwards through a safety door. Now, many advocates say negligence by policymakers and landlords has led to the deaths in black and brown communities from fires that honestly could have been preventable. Legislative Director of Citizen Action of New York, Rebecca Garrard, and the Chair of Journalism and New Media Studies at St. Joseph's College Theodore Hamm, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
