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.
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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BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down tonight's big Bucks-76ers matchup -- likely Philly's last game without James Harden.
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While many are excited to watch the final two NFL teams square-off and see which one ultimately takes home the trophy, some, on the other hand, are there for another mian attraction -- the commercials. Companies during this year's game are looking towards the future From electric vehicles, to robots, and crypto-currency, several first-time advertisers are expected to join long-time advertisers like Pepsi, Budweiser and Doritos during the NFL's biggest game. Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA, joined Cheddar News' Big Game Special to discuss.
This week's Spring Training has been delayed as a result of the ongoing MLB Lockout. This past Saturday lead negotiators and lawyers from Major League Baseball and the players union met to discuss the economic hurdles needed to be cleared for a new labor deal, but from all accounts, it seems the sides are still far apart. Baseball Columnist and Publisher of "The Joe Sheehan" Baseball Newsletter, Joe Sheehan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Super Bowl might be over, but people are still buzzing about the players, commercials, halftime show, and more. Google tracks the top searches before and after the game every year, revealing the show-stopping moments of the biggest sporting event of the year. Sadie Thoma, Director of US Creative Partnerships at Google, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the top trends this year.
Private equity firms are taking a big interest in investing in NBA teams, the sports league showing the highest ROI over the last two decades according to Sportico, Forbes, and PitchBook. Wylie Fernyhough, lead analys for private equity at PitchBook joined Cheddar News to discuss the way firms are looking to get a piece of the action on the court. “There’s a certain amount of rarity, with these," Fernyhough said. "They’re not exactly printing new NBA franchises."
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
