From the Piano Man's final bow at MSG to drama off the NBA court, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Billy Joel Leaving MSG
After performing a staggering 150+ shows at the world-famous Madison Square Garden, Billy Joel's ten-year residency is set to end.
Joel, who holds the record for most shows at MSG, announced that his final show at the venue will take place in summer 2024. Over the course of his stay at the Garden, he sold more than 1.6 million tickets.
"The greatest arena run of all time is coming to an end. The historic sold-out monthly residency at the World's Most Famous Arena will conclude in July 2024 with his 150th lifetime performance," the official account for Joel said in a tweet.
Joel's first-ever performance at MSG was in December 1978. The singer is such a staple at the iconic arena that in 2006, following his 12th consecutive show, a banner in his name was raised above the New York Knicks home court – a sight the team had not seen since 1999 when they won the Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaking of the NBA Finals, the first game between conference champions Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat is set to tip-off tonight but it will be without a familiar face.
Referee Eric Lewis, who has worked the finals for the last four seasons, is currently embroiled in controversy. In the midst of the NBA post-season he was accused of maintaining a secret Twitter account that appeared to support calls he and other refs were making on the court. Now the league is investigating.
"Regarding Eric Lewis and the social media posts, we are continuing to review the matter and he will not be working the Finals," NBA spokesman Mike Bass told the Associated Press.
Critics have compared the potential scandal to that of Tim Donaghy, a former ref who pleaded guilty in 2007 to two felony conspiracy charges for his role in a gambling scheme.
In Other Sports News...
The once-upon-a-time dynamic duo of Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe will no longer exist after the 2023 NBA Finals.
Fox Sports and Sharpe apparently reached a buyout deal that will end his seven-year run at the network. The writing has been on the wall for some time now and became even more clear in recent months when debates around Tom Brady and DaMar Hamlin seemed to get personal between the two. What's next for both talking heads remains to be seen and neither addressed the elephant in the room during Thursday's broadcast.
Tupac's Star
Tupac Shakur has been deceased for nearly three decades but his impact continues to be felt today. Now, the late rapper and activist is set to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The news comes during the success of FX's Dear Mama docuseries, which highlights the unique relationship between he and his mother, the late Afeni Shakur. It's the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's 2,758th star and according to Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Tupac's impact will continue to be felt.
"This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come," she said in a statement.
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday night's top NBA games, Joe Ceraulo hones in on player props, and Trysta Krick delivers her lock of the night on the hardwood.
Partha Unnava, Founder and CEO and Lasso, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the design behind these compression socks can prevent injuries and improve performance.
The United States Women’s National Team has settled its lawsuit over gender-based pay disparity with U.S. Soccer for $24 million. Filed in 2019, the settlement will end with all claims by the USWNT being resolved following a judge's dismissal of its case in 2020.
Coming off of the latest NFL season, Draftkings has plans for growth and new bettors to join its platform following what it saw as a record year of state legalization of sports betting and Super Bowl action. CEO Jason Robins joined Cheddar News to talk about what in store for the company in 2022, including labor issues leading to the postponement of the MLB's spring training games and the NCAA's March Madness. "There's a lot of really exciting stuff that happens in the first couple of rounds all the way through to the championship game. So typically we've seen incredible activity during March Madness on the betting side," Robins said.
PlayersTV is bringing sports viewers Athletes On Demand, a subscription platform to provide fans with thousands of hours of sports content from their favorite athletes. CEO Angela Bundrant joined Cheddar News to discuss the new rollout. "People can expect to receive content or buy into content on demand that comes from their favorite athletes," said Bundrant, listing star partners like the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans' C.J. McCollum.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday's primetime matchup between the 76ers and Bucks, NBA champion Richard Jefferson sets the scene for this weekend's All-Star Game, and Alex Monaco discusses who he's bullish and bearish on for Thursday's action.
The 15-year-old Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva found herself at the center of a scandal after a positive test for a banned substance became public. Valieva fell out of gold contention in the women's free skate after falling, avoiding a potentially embarrassing situation, where a medal ceremony would have been nixed had she won. Scott Hamilton, the retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist in the 1984 Games, joined Cheddar to break down the scandal. “It’s a team competition and every member of the team participated in that score and hers should be disallowed”.
Alex Monaco, host of the “The Bettor Half Hour” on MSG Networks and the “Sports Gambling with Moneyline Monaco” podcast, joins Cheddar Bets to give his last-minute tips before tonight's slate of games starts.
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Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight.
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