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.
Vietnam's first global automaker is coming to the United States. VinFast unveiled the company's full EV lineup of five models at CES 2022. A reservation program for its first two electric vehicles, the VF 326 and the VF e35, officially opened on Wednesday, with the company set to announce the vehicle's retail prices in the U.S. and Vietnamese markets. VinFast is also one of the world's first automakers to apply blockchain technologies to the process of certifying reservations, payments, and eventually vehicle ownership. VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services for two weeks after Airlines for America, a lobbying group that represents American, Delta, and other airlines, filed a petition last week with the FCC to stop the deployment of 5G in the U.S. over concerns that the network can interfere with certain systems on airplanes. President Biden spoke out about it, saying it would avoid further delays and cancellations of flights. Light Reading 5G and Mobile Strategies Director Mike Dano joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Nick Hotchkin, WW chief operating officer, joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's latest program innovation 'PersonalPoints.' Liv Bowser, founder of Liberate, talks to our Hena Doba about creating the first mental fitness studio. Meanwhile, students in Illinois will now receive 5 mental health days per year, State Senator Robert Martwick tell us more about the bill.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
Caroline Polisi, Criminal Defense Attorney & Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, breaks down the Holmes verdict and how this case impacts the reputation of female entrepreneurs.
As millions of kids go back to school, districts across the country are determined to keep class in person, despite a surge in COVID cases. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to keep the nation's largest school system open amid Omicron, citing the disastrous effect of remote learning on students. Oswald Feliz, NYC council member who sits on the health and education committee, joined Cheddar to discuss the city's plan to combat the recent surge and keep kids in school.
Schools across the country are determined to keep class in session, despite the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. While many parents prefer in-person learning, they also worry whether the current public health guidelines will be enough to protect their kids. Erin Richards, national education reporter for USA Today, joined Cheddar to discuss how are schools are preparing for the surge to avoid another round of remote learning.
Joe Sanberg, Business leader, entrepreneur, and anti-poverty advocate, joins Cheddar News to discuss his push for an $18 minimum wage in California, and how employers are reacting to minimum wage hikes across the country.
