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.
The ocean is an important topic when it comes to the climate. It plays a vital role in shaping our environment, with rising sea levels causing a 35% increase in natural disasters around the world, affecting 1.7 billion people. Dr. Sylvia Earle has been called perhaps the greatest advocate our oceans have ever had, with Time magazine dubbing her its first 'hero of the planet' and the Library of Congress naming her a living legend. She is also the founder of Mission Blue, an organization that inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Dr. Earle joined Cheddar Climate for more on the importance of caring for the ocean and its impact on climate change.
The holidays are here, which means many will raise a glass. In fact, data shows the average American doubles their booze intake between Thanksgiving and New Years, with about 45% of those drinkers choosing vodka as their liquor of choice. Tony Latham, Bacardi's CFO, tells Cheddar what he anticipates will be the most popular spirit or cocktail this holiday season, as well as other trends going into the new year.
This holiday season, e-commerce sales are expected to hit 207 billion dollars, with17 percent of that chunk will occuring between the days of the deals - black friday and cyber monday. Deren Baker, CEO of edge by ascential, joins Cheddar News to give a Cyber Monday preview.
With Black Friday right around the corner, Trae Bodge, Smart Shopping Expert at TrueTrae.com joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss holiday shopping tips ahead of the annual event.
According to recent data, Americans are pulling away from their television screens in a big way. In the last few months, people have returned back to more normal activities, spending time with friends and less time doom scrolling on Instagram, it's a favorite pastime. Licensed Psychotherapist and Author of "Disconnected" Tom Kersting, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
One former employee at Sony Playstation has just filed a lawsuit against the company on allegations of gender discrimination and wrongful termination. According to Emma Majo, the company says she was terminated as a result of the company's decision to phase out a team she was only temporarily working with. Executive Director at International Game Developer's Association Renee Gittins, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Just hours before the scheduled execution of inmate Julius Jones, the Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stit has now granted commuted his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Several advocates along with a number of celebrities have been fighting to stop the execution. Defense Attorney and Police Director Erin Haney, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
According to recent data from the American Gaming Association, U.S. Casinos have just experienced their best quarter ever, winning nearly $14 billion in the third quarter of the year alone. Reporter at The Nevada Independent Howard Stutz, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Guilty verdicts have been handed down to the three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery was out for a jog in February 2020 when Travis McMichael, William "Roddie" Bryan, and Gregory McMichael chased him down and killed him. The judge read the verdicts for each of the three men aloud, starting with the man who pulled the trigger, Travis McMichael. Kirk Burkhalter, professor at New York Law School joins Cheddar News to recap the trial.
All three defendants in the Ahmaud Arbery killing were found guilty today on numerous charges including felony murder. Criminal Defense Attorney Anthony Hall joined Cheddar to discuss.
