Members of the media are taken on a tour during the transformation taking place inside Vivint Arena before the start of the NBA basketball All-Star weekend Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Salt Lake City. More than 60 players are making their way to Salt Lake City for All-Star weekend, some of them for the first time, one of them for the 19th time. And while some events will tout the league's future, many will be celebrating the past.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
NBA All Star Gam3 '23 - TNT/TBS
Picked by Reporter Lawrence Banton
It's the midpoint of the NBA season and that means it's time for the league's best to gather for their annual exhibition game. Weeks ago LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named team captains. The league switched its approach to the game this year and have upped the stakes. Teams will be selected less than an hour before competition commences. It should be noted that Team LeBron is 5-0 in the All-Star Game and has not lost since the league made the format switch in 2018. The big game tips off on Sunday at 8:30 pm. Other events like the celebrity game and three-point contest begin today and run through the weekend.
Star Trek: Picard: Season 3 - Paramount+
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
The saga of the iconic Starfleet admiral concludes in the third season of Picard, which is streaming now. The final season draws together the original cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation, prompting folks online to quip that it's essentially the eighth season of THAT show. In any case, join Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and Brent Spiner for one last trek across the stars with the beloved classic cast.
Love and Monsters - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
This Amazon Prime Video original — released early in the pandemic to little fanfare — is about a post-apocalyptic world in which gigantic, carnivorous monsters reign over the surface and humans live in underground bunkers. The plot begins when a young survivor decides to leave the safety of the bunker and travel miles across a dangerous landscape to reunite with his girlfriend from before the world ended. The cast is strong; the CGI imaginative and convincing; and the pace pleasantly brisk. So if you're looking for something to hold you over before the next The Last of Us episode, Love and Monsters hits many of the same notes.
Throwback Picks
Shrek 1 & 2 - Prime Video
Picked By Growth Associate Keara O’Driscoll
This series is one of the few "children's" movies that truly can be enjoyed by all ages. Both choices are great to throw on in the background for the kids in your life, and you won’t find yourself banging your head against the wall to the tune of We Don’t Talk About Bruno.
The Freshman - HBO Max
Picked by Senior News Editor Dina Ross
Marlon Brando knocks off Marlon Brando playing The Godfather in this 1990 comedy, which also stars a young Matthew Broderick playing a bright-eyed film student who gets a rough-and-tumble welcome to New York City. Broke and alone, Clark (Broderick) is offered a job that is too good to be true that leads him on a wild ride involving the mafia, an eye-roll-inducing academic advisor, and a pesky komodo dragon. If you haven't seen it in a while, or ever, it's worth an easy watch.
Podcast Pick
Let’s Make a Rom-Com - CBC Podcasts
Selected by Newsletter Impresario Graison Dangor
Perhaps you’ve heard about BuzzFeed’s new AI quiz that generates the plot of a romantic comedy. (Mine is called Life's a Fire, starring Henry Golding and Christina Aguilera as love interests, set in Winnipeg. Agents: Get in touch anytime.) The CBC’s approach to making a rom-com is much more fun: Have three podcast hosts try to create a script that’s actually good. To get help over the eight-episode series, the trio turn to screenwriters who have worked on iconic rom-coms like Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You. Their approach worked in the podcast’s first season: The New Yorker called Let’s Make a Sci-Fi one of 2022’s best shows.
Cody Roark, NFL analyst at Pro Football Network joins Cheddar News to talk about NFL playoff predictions and which teams have a shot at the Super Bowl.
Next-gen social sports platform Break the Love recently raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Break the Love's platform and iOS app allows users to discover and book group-based tennis activities, to either learn, train, or compete. The new company has already gotten support from a few big names in the world of tennis, including the coach of Naomi Osaka, as well as the United States Tennis Association and the brand Wilson. Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about his own brand of organic light beer called Eight (his jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys) and explained that he's had an interest in the industry since his days working for a distributor during college. "These brands that are on the market have been there for a long time and [I] felt that it was time for something fresh, something new, and I thought that we could do it in a way that was a better-for-you beer' and that's what we've done," he said. Aikman also provided some insight into the upcoming NFL playoffs and noted that he doesn't see a clear frontrunner for this year's Vince Lombardi trophy.
It is 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicks off on four major betting operating platforms this Saturday. The state, with over 20 million residents, will be the most populous state with legal online sports betting. Max Bichsel, VP of US Business for EmpireStakes.com joins Cheddar News to discuss.
College athletes scored big in 2021 when they were finally allowed to begin earning money based off of their name, image, and likeness, known as NIL. But how can young athletes best manage their money so they can set themselves up for years of success? Nicole Pullen Ross, Head of Goldman Sachs Sports and Entertainment Solutions, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss why financial management for college athletes is important, common pitfalls they could run into, and more.
On Saturday, New York will join neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut in authorizing mobile sports betting. Matt Kalish, president and co-founder of Draftkings North America, joined Cheddar to talk about the landmark change that is estimated to rake in $500 million in annual tax revenue on a potential billion-dollar market. Kalish also addressed the possibility that legalized sports betting in the Empire State could cannibalize his company's revenues in the bordering states. "It's pretty inconvenient, you know, to go across the border to make a bet. And people were doing it, but I think it really stifled a lot of the opportunity," he said. "So while there's some of that going on, I think really a tremendous amount, like a giant percent, of New York will be very incremental."
Desmond Howard, former NFL wide receiver and Modelo college football playoff ambassador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the Modelo sweepstakes honoring the 30th anniversary of his iconic punt return.
The New York Times has acquired sports outlet The Athletic in a $550 million deal. The acquisition brings the Times closer to its 10 million paid subscribers goal by 2025.
Austin Mock, College Football betting contributor for The Athletic, explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
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