“Trust should not be doled out easily to anyone, especially white people.”
– Excerpt from “Leave the World Behind,” released on Netflix December 8, 2023
Tag: Netflix
Corporate America Slowly Backs Away from ‘Diversity’ Language in Wake of Supreme Court Decision
American businesses have been moving away from using diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language in the workplace after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in June, according to Bloomberg Law.
Read the full story‘Jesus Revolution’ Immediately Lands in Netflix’s Top Ten
The faith-based film Jesus Revolution soared to popularity on the big screen in early 2023, and now has become an immediate hit on Netflix, landing in the streaming service’s Top 10 in the United States.
The film, which first hit theaters February 24, debuted on Netflix on July 31 and, by the next morning, was ranked in the number 8 spot of the top 10 movies viewed in the United States, reported What to Watch.
Read the full storyNetflix Poised to End Password Sharing, Potentially Affecting 100 Million Users
Netflix is reportedly poised to cancel the widespread user practice of “password sharing,” limiting accounts to one single household in a move to shore up its struggling bottom line.
The streaming company several years ago “identified password sharing as a major problem eating into subscriptions,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, but did not move to address it until this year due to significant gains in subscribers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full storyBeacon Center’s 2022 Pork Report Identifies Three Biggest Wastes of Taxpayer Money in East Tennessee
In its annual Pork Report published earlier this week, the Beacon Center of Tennessee highlighted three areas of waste, fraud, and abuse of Tennessee taxpayer money in East Tennessee. The report specifically identified the issues of the city of Knoxville’s lawsuit against Netflix and Hulu, synthetic turf athletic fields in Johnson City, and pickleball courts in Bristol.
Read the full storyOhio Senate Bill’s Provisions Aim to Protect Families from Fertility Fraud
Ohioans may soon get protections from fertility fraud after the Senate passed a major criminal justice reform bill.
A 27-2 bipartisan vote sent Senate Bill (SB) 288 sponsored by State Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) to the House where lawmakers will consider it further prior to sending it to Governor Mike DeWine for final approval.
Read the full storyHoliday Organization and Wellness Tips from The Home Edit
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –I interviewed Netflix’s dynamic duo Clea and Joanna, from the Emmy-nominated show Get Organized with The Home Edit, to get their organization and wellness tips for the upcoming holiday season. And even though Clea is in the process of finishing her cancer treatment at Vanderbilt, they were gracious enough to speak to me for a few minutes.
The Home Edit was founded in 2015 by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin in Nashville, Tennessee. Brought together by a mutual friend, it was friendship at first text, and a business partnership immediately thereafter.
Read the full storyArab Countries Pressure Netflix to Remove Gay Content
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which represents Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE among others, demanded that Netflix remove content that violated “Islamic and societal values,” which Saudi state media implied would include LGBTQ content.
While the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM), a Saudi-based media watchdog for the GCC, did not specify the nature of the content in question, it mentioned that some was targeted at children and that failure to comply would result in legal action, Reuters reported. Saudi state-run TV outlet Al Ekhbariya, discussing the announcement, accused Netflix of “promoting homosexuality by focusing excessively on homosexuals,” the BBC reported.
Read the full storyMinnesota Companies to Cover Travel Expenses for Abortions
Some Minnesota businesses are joining a growing list of companies offering travel benefits to employees who want to terminate their unborn babies. This new policy comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Target Corporation
According to multiple sources, Target Corporation will expand its existing health care travel reimbursement policy to include costs for “reproductive services” for employees in states that ban abortion. Benefits are expected to begin this month.
Read the full storyCrowd-Funded, Family-Friendly Angel Studios Announces $100M in Original Content
Netflix may be tightening its belt following sour stock news, but Angel Studios is pouring plenty of cash into its content slate.
Angel Studios, the team behind hits like “Dry Bar Comedy” and “The Chosen,” just announced more than $100 million in new original content.
Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon shared details of the announcement with John Solomon on his “Just the News Not Noise” show. The upcoming slate includes the third season of “The Chosen,” a 10th for “Dry Bar Comedy,” and the animated film “David,” based on King David.
Read the full storyTargeted Staff Cuts, New Corporate Ethos: Netflix Takes a Stand for Creative Independence
Dave Chappelle’s 2021 Netflix stand-up special “The Closer” sparked protests from the streamer’s own employees over allegedly anti-trans jokes.
Now, the platform is drawing an unmistakable line in the sand, proclaiming a corporate culture that prizes individual creative freedom above the collective ideological discipline enforced by cancel culture.
Read the full storyCorporations Stay Quiet on Abortion After Disney’s Disastrous Tangle with DeSantis
Corporations previously outspoken about hot-button social issues have stayed quiet on the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade after a dramatic fight between Disney and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the company’s political activism.
Following the leak of a draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats are trying to ram through a bill legalizing third trimester abortions; however, corporations are largely staying out of the fray, following Disney’s disastrous battle with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that ended with the company losing its special tax privileges.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: As China Insulates and Builds up Military, the Media Drumbeat for Tech Dominance Farce Continues
Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary regarding the insulation and military build-up of China.
Read the full storySocial Justice Groups Demand Netflix Pull Down Dave Chappelle Special over ‘Anti-Trans’ Content
Social justice groups are up in arms Thursday over what they have labeled “anti-transgender” bigotry from comedian Dave Chappelle, who recently released a new Netflix special called “The Closer.”
In part of his standup routine, he discusses cancel culture, and how author J.K. Rowling was “cancelled” for an essay she wrote defending the idea of biological sex. For that, she was labeled a “Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminist” (TERF).
Read the full storyFaith-Based Nature Docuseries Bypassing Gatekeepers Thanks to Crowdfunding
N.D. Wilson loves nature documentaries, but one element of the genre always gets under his skin.
The God-fearing producer calls it the “grinding, empty atheism” found in every sequence.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Obamas’ Aggressively Political Netflix Show
No, Higher Ground isn’t where the Obamas plan to move to from their beachfront Martha’s Vineyard mansion when they flee the rising ocean levels caused by climate change. It’s the name of their production company, which in May 2018 inked a “high eight-figure” production deal with Netflix to go along with their $65 million contract with Viking Press to write their memoirs. Announcing the Netflix partnership, the former president promised that “these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us all.” (That’s what Oprah always says, too, about her own noble but inert efforts as producer.)
Anyway, a year after their big announcement, the Obamas — apparently not wanting to rush too precipitously into anything — finally made public their first slate of Netflix projects. One is a biopic of Frederick Douglass. (That topic took a year to come up with?) Others include Bloom, a drama series about the “barriers faced by women and by people of color” in New York’s post-war fashion business, and Fifth Risk, a documentary series about “everyday heroes” in government. (Can I write the one on Maxine Waters?)
But the project we’re here to talk about is the just-released We the People. It’s a series of 10 civics lessons for kids, each in the form of a four- or five-minute piece of animation. (Somehow, the word “cartoon” seems inappropriate, given that this show is almost entirely lacking in humor.) Nine of the 10 episodes are music videos featuring original songs performed by some of the biggest names in the music business today. (I know that they’re some of the biggest names in the music business today because I’ve only ever heard of two of them.) The 10th features a poem. Perhaps needless to say, all of these videos exhibit the hyper-Benetton-ad-level diversity — e.g., hijabs galore, and more people in wheelchairs than you’ll ever see in real life — that is de rigueur everywhere in the entertainment industry nowadays.
Read the full storyVirginia Among 37 States Suing Google
Virginia is one of 37 states suing Google for alleged anti-competitive and unfair business practices, Attorney General Mark Herring announced Wednesday.
“Google has really become a major player in the tech market, so much so that its products play a role in almost every aspect of Virginians’ daily lives, including their cell phones and the apps that they use on a regular basis,” Herring said in a press release.
Read the full storyCEO of Netflix Donates Over $3 Million to Support Gavin Newsom in Recall Election
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donated a staggering $3 million to defend California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) from the upcoming recall election, according to Fox News.
As per the report from the California Secretary of State’s office, the hefty donation was made on Thursday to the Stop the Republican Recall committee, marking the committee’s largest single donation thus far. In addition to the bulk donation to the committee, Hastings himself had donated over $60,000 directly to Newsom’s actual campaign in February, donating $32,400 and nearly $29,600 on two separate occasions.
Hastings has been active in California Democratic politics, and has made even larger donations in the past. In the 2018 gubernatorial primary, Hastings poured over $7 million to a pro-charter school PAC that supported former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Calif.), who lost the primary to then-Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.
Read the full storyNew Jersey Governor Wants to Steal Georgia’s Film and TV Productions
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reportedly wants Hollywood to leave Georgia and set up shop in his state. Murphy cited Georgia’s new voter integrity law, SB 202, as the reason.
Read the full storyJ.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy Author and Early Never Trumper, Likely Candidate for Ohio GOP U.S. Senate Nomination
J.D. Vance is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate in Ohio.
“All signs point to J.D. launching a run in the coming months,” a source told the Washington Times.
In a video sent to The Star, Vance appears to be the first high-profile candidate who will not position himself as a Trump Republican – if his views from 2016 and 2017 remain.
Clevelander Mike Gibbons Announces Statewide Listening Tour in Potential Preparation for Run at U.S. Senate
Monday morning Cleveland businessman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate Mike Gibbons announced a statewide tour during which he will listen to what Ohio voters have to say as he considers a run for office in 2022.
“This listening tour will allow me the opportunity to meet directly with the voters who understand that we can’t afford to send another politician or party insider to Washington. We need to send someone with a business background, who will fight for working-class Ohioans, who’s unafraid to stand up to his own party and who will always tell the truth,” said Gibbons.
Read the full storyObamas Set to Produce Netflix Sketch Comedy Series ‘Based on Anti-Trump Book’
Barack and Michelle Obama are set to produce a Netflix sketch comedy series expected to be “loosely based on an anti-Trump book that portrays the chaos that reportedly erupted after President Trump won the 2016 election,” according to a Fox News report.
The former first couple in 2018 acquired the rights to author Michael Lewis’ book “The Fifth Risk.” The nonfiction book “examines the transition and political appointments of the Donald Trump presidency, especially with respect to three government agencies: the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce,” an entry on Wikipedia says.
Read the full storyNetflix Raising US Streaming Prices Amid Booming Growth
Netflix is raising most of its U.S. prices by 8% to 13% as its video streaming service rides a wave of rising popularity spurred by government-imposed lockdowns that corralled people at home during the fight against the pandemic.
The increases imposed Friday boost the cost of Netflix’s most popular U.S. streaming plan by $1 to $14 per month, while a premium plan that allows more people to watch the service on different screens simultaneously will now cost $2 more at $18 per month. Netflix’s basic U.S. plan remains at $9 per month. It marks Netflix’s first price changes in the U.S. since an increase rolled out early last year.
Read the full storyCommentary: Your Favorite TV Show Now Promotes Open Borders and Black Lives Matter
Millions of Americans continue to watch network TV shows—not exactly a favorite pastime of the chattering class. The primary audience for these programs is older Americans living out in flyover country, the kind of people who aren’t aware of the latest trendy show on Amazon Prime or Netflix. The audience generally prefers more conservative programming that doesn’t feature gratuitous violence, nudity, or overbearing political messages. They just want to be entertained as they relax at night.
Read the full storyNetflix CEO Says ‘Cuties’ Is Misunderstood, but ‘Speaks for Itself’
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a Monday interview that the hotly-debated new movie “Cuties” is misunderstood.
“It’s a little surprising in 2020 America that we’re having a discussion about censoring storytelling,” Sarandos said Monday, according to Deadline.
Read the full storyTexas Grand Jury Indicts Netflix for ‘Lewd Visual Material’ in Cuties, State Rep Says
A Texas grand jury has indicted Netflix, Inc. for “lewd visual material” in the movie “Cuties,” a Texas state representative said Tuesday.
Republican Texas state Rep. Matt Schaefer announced Tuesday afternoon that a grand jury for Tyler County, Texas, indicted Netflix, Inc., for “promoting material in Cuties film which depicts lewd exhibition of pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 yrs of age which appeals to the prurient interest in sex.”
Read the full storyBlackburn Joins Senators in Questioning Netflix Over Decision to Create Show Based on Scifi Novels by Liu Cixin, Who Supports Communist China’s Internment of Uyghurs
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is sounding the alarm about Netflix over the streaming service’s plans to adapt and promote a Chinese sci-fi book series written by an author who expresses support for the Communist government’s “re-education” camps for Muslim Uyghurs.
On Wednesday, Blackburn and U.S. Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) signed a letter to Ted Sarandos Jr., co-CEO and chief content officer for Netflix.
Read the full storyOhio Attorney General Yost Calls on Netflix to Remove ‘Cuties’
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called on Netflix to remove the controversial new movie “Cuties” from their platform.
In a joint letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Yost, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requested that the platform “voluntarily remove” the movie “from your service due to the great harm it causes to our children.”
Read the full storyJosh Hawley Calls on Netflix to Remove ‘Cuties’
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley demanded that Netflix remove “Cuties” Friday after Netflix defended the film in a Thursday night statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“In early 2019, journalists first began to report that YouTube videos of children in partial states of exposure were being ‘inundated with comments’ by pedophiles, exposing the children involved in the videos and other children visiting the platform to potential harm,” Hawley wrote in the Friday afternoon letter.
Read the full storyCinema Chain AMC Warns It May Not Survive the Pandemic
Movie theater chain AMC warned Wednesday that it may not survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered its theaters and led film studios to explore releasing more movies directly to viewers over the internet.
All of AMC’s theaters are shut down through June, which means the company isn’t generating any revenue. AMC said it had enough cash to reopen its theaters this summer, as it plans to do. But if it’s not allowed to reopen, it will need more money, which it may not be able to borrow.
Read the full storyNetflix Refuses to Comment on ‘Holiday Special’ Implying Jesus Christ Is Gay
Netflix refuses to comment on outrage from Christians over a “holiday special” portraying Jesus Christ as gay.
Read the full storyOver a Million People Sign Petition Bashing Netflix Movie Implying Jesus Christ Is Gay
Over a million people signed a petition against a Netflix movie that implies Jesus Christ is gay.
Read the full storyCommentary: Disney and Netflix Go All-In for Corporate Fascism Over Georgia’s Pro-Life Laws
by George Rasley A few weeks ago, we explained the new phenomenon of corporate totalitarianism where corporations campaign against their customers and betray their shareholders in pursuit of Left-wing political goals. Now, with their announcements that they are boycotting Georgia and Alabama over their adoption of pro-life legislation, it appears that media giants Disney and Netflix have become the latest members of the league of corporate totalitarians. According to CNN Business, Netflix and Disney have said they will join WarnerMedia in a boycott of Georgia if the state’s new abortion law takes effect. The state became a hub for entertainment industry production, in part because of generous tax breaks Georgia offers filmmakers and producers. But the companies are prepared to betray their fiduciary obligations to shareholders and give up those tax incentives and leave the state in pursuit of the Left’s morally bankrupt abortion agenda. Reporting for CNN Business, Brian Stelter and Shannon Liao claim prominent celebrities and some production companies have vowed to boycott Georgia as a result of the state’s pro-life legislation. But, say Stelter and Liao, the deep pockets of Netflix and Disney “mean the companies have louder voices.” Citing the concerns of the predominantly liberal-leaning stars and producers…
Read the full storyFacebook Shakes Up Board, Ousts Exec Who Once Threatened Peter Thiel for Supporting Trump
by Chris White Netflix CEO Reed Hastings will not be renominated to Facebook’s board of directors when the members meet in May for the company’s annual stockholder’s meeting, Facebook announced Friday night. The move comes less than three years after Hastings told fellow board member Peter Thiel that he intended to slam the PayPal co-founder’s performance review over his endorsement of President Donald Trump, who was in the heat of the 2016 campaign at the time. Hastings offered to resign in 2016 following his flare up with Thiel but CEO Mark Zuckerberg refused the offer. Facebook announced Friday the nomination of PayPal executive Peggy Alford to join the board. She will be the company’s first black woman to sit on Facebook’s board if elected. Erskine Bowles, president emeritus of University of North Carolina, will also not be renominated to Facebook’s board in May. “Peggy is one of those rare people who’s an expert across many different areas — from business management to finance operations to product development. I know she will have great ideas that help us address both the opportunities and challenges facing our company,” Zuckerberg said in a press statement announcing the decision. Reports in 2017 showed the degree of bad blood between the…
Read the full storyiPhone Sales Falling, and Apple’s App Fees Might Be Next
As iPhone sales slip, Apple has been positioning its booming digital-services business as its new profit engine. But there could be a snag in that plan. A brewing backlash against the rich commissions Apple earns from all purchases and subscriptions made via iPhone apps could undercut the app store, which generates about a third of the company’s services revenue. Late last year, Netflix rebelled against Apple’s fees, which can range from 15 percent to 30 percent. Analysts fear other companies may follow. And attorneys representing consumers in a pending Supreme Court case charge that Apple is an unfair monopolist in the market for iPhone apps. An adverse decision, in that case, could open a legal door that might eventually force Apple to cut its generous commissions. Apple shares have plunged 25 percent from their peak in early October thanks to concern over iPhone sales. Investors are now hanging onto Apple services as a “life preserver in the choppy seas” just as it’s about to float away, Macquarie Securities analyst Benjamin Schachter concluded after the Netflix move. These app-store fees mostly hit app developers themselves, although some pass along the costs to users of their iPhone apps. Spotify, for instance, used…
Read the full storyNetflix Show Attempts to Revive NC ‘Bathroom Bill’ Fight As 2020 Approaches
A Netflix show appears to be attempting to revive the atmosphere of corporate activism, economic blackmail, and political point scoring seen during the 2016 fight over North Carolina’s House Bill 2 – also known as the ‘Bathroom Bill’. Jonas Pate, the creator of the Netflix show OBX, has threatened to take filming of 10 episodes of the show to Charleston, South Carolina because of a provision in the repeal bill for House Bill 2 (HB2). Netflix as a company has yet to comment on Pate’s position. The repeal bill (House Bill 142) has a provision placing a moratorium on municipalities passing local ordinances. The moratorium sunset date falls after the 2020 elections, which makes it difficult to revive HB2 and House Bill 142 as a political wedge issue. Pate’s choice of Charleston is likely intentional, as it is one of only two cities in South Carolina that has a public accommodations ordinance that includes, “perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality or gender identity or expression.” South Carolina as a whole received a ‘failing grade’ from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in their 2018 Municipality Equality Index. By contrast, Netflix received a perfect score of 100 on HRC’s 2018 corporate equality index report. Pate…
Read the full storyFacebook Gave Data on Users’ Friends to Some Firms While Barring Others
Facebook Inc let some companies, including Netflix and Airbnb, access users’ lists of friends after it cut off that data for most other apps around 2015, according to documents released on Wednesday by a British lawmaker investigating fake news and social media. The 223 pages of internal communication from 2012 to 2015 between high-level employees, including founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, provide new evidence of previously aired contentions that Facebook has picked favorites and engaged in anti-competitive behavior. The documents show that Facebook tracked growth of competitors and denied them access to user data available to others. In 2014, the company identified about 100 apps as being either “Mark’s friends” or “Sheryl’s friends” and also tracked how many apps were spending money on Facebook ads, according to the documents, referring to Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. The insight into the thinking of Facebook executives over that period could invite new regulatory scrutiny into its business practices. Facebook said it stood by its deliberations and decisions, but noted that it would relax one “out-of-date” policy that restricted competitors’ use of its data. One document said such competitor apps had previously needed Zuckerberg’s approval before using tools Facebook makes…
Read the full story‘Sopranos’ Prequel Movie ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ in the Works
If you did not stop believing, here, at long last, is your reward. A long-rumored “Sopranos” prequel has been given the green light, Deadline reports. “The Many Saints of Newark,” a screenplay from “Sopranos” creator David Chase, has been picked up by New Line Cinema, the report says. “The Many Saints of Newark,” a screenplay from “Sopranos” creator David Chase, has been picked up by New Line Cinema, the report says. The story is reportedly set in 1960s Newark, around the time of the Newark riots.
Read the full storyNetflix’s Hit Show ‘House of Cards’ Will Resume Production in 2018 Without Kevin Spacey
“House of Cards” will resume production in 2018 without Kevin Spacey, according to Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix. The sixth and final season of the popular series will feature a lead role for Robin Wright, who plays the wife of Spacey’s character.
Read the full storyCommentary: Good Riddance to ‘Net Neutrality’ That Was Anything But Neutral
by Jeffrey Tucker At long last, with the end of “net neutrality,” competition could soon come to the industry that delivers Internet services to you. You might be able to pick among a range of packages, some minimalist and some maximalist, depending on how you use the service. Or you could choose a package that charges based only on what you consume, rather than sharing fees with everyone else. Internet socialism is dead; long live market forces. With market-based pricing finally permitted, we could see new entrants to the industry because it might make economic sense for the first time to innovate. The growing competition will lead, over the long run, to innovation and falling prices. Consumers will find themselves in the driver’s seat rather than crawling and begging for service and paying whatever the provider demands. Ajit Pai, chairman of the FCC, is exactly right. “Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet. Instead, the F.C.C. would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them.” A Fed for Communication The old rules pushed by the Obama administration had locked down…
Read the full story‘Stranger Things’ Returns to the ‘Upside Down’
The element of surprise and Reagan-era nostalgia rendered the Netflix series “Stranger Things” a breakout when it arrived last year complete with monsters, mad scientists and mullets. For those viewers who happened upon the quirky little show while combing through their congested Netflix queue, it felt as if they’d finally made a diamond-in-the-rough discovery. The show,…
Read the full storyNetflix Raising Subscription Prices
Netflix on Thursday said it is bumping up subscription prices in the US and parts of Europe as the leading online streaming service invests in more shows and features. Shares of the Silicon Valley-based company jumped more than four percent to $192.44 in trading following news of the relatively small price hike. “From time to time,…
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Kerri Medders
Kerri Medders is an artist with High School Nation, an organization that promotes music and arts in schools.
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