Salon.com > Netflix http://www.salon.com Wed, 03 Jul 2013 01:14:35 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 What Obama’s global warming strategy could gain from Netflix http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/what_obamas_global_warming_strategy_could_learn_from_netflix/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/what_obamas_global_warming_strategy_could_learn_from_netflix/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13330703 President Obama's slow movement on global warming after spotlighting the world's rising oceans at his inauguration and State of the Union earlier this year has been surprising -- but Obama seems to think he has data on his side.

The Washington Post reported that Obama was relying on "dial testing" of his State of the Union address, which sharply pivoted downward once he declared he would act decisively on the issue. Ameliorating the effects of global warming isn't a popular issue, and one that would cost a great deal of political capital! Or so Obama has convinced himself on the basis of a method of testing that is "all but meaningless," per ThinkProgress.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/what_obamas_global_warming_strategy_could_learn_from_netflix/feed/ 3 Netflix to run original Dreamworks TV series http://www.salon.com/2013/06/17/netflix_to_run_original_dreamworks_tv_series_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/17/netflix_to_run_original_dreamworks_tv_series_ap/#comments Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:03:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13329031 NEW YORK (AP) -- Netflix is going to start running original television series from Dreamworks Animation.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Netflix Inc. says the multi-year agreement is its biggest deal ever for original first-run content and includes more than 300 hours of new programming. It expands on an existing relationship between the companies.

For Dreamworks, the transaction announced Monday is part of a major initiative to expand its television production and distribution worldwide.

Netflix has been adding original programming to its roster of movies, and debuted the original series "House of Cards" on Feb. 1. It has also increased its focus on children's programming in a move seen as taking a different tack than traditional premium pay TV channels such as HBO, Starz and Showtime, whose original shows are tailored more to adults.

In December Netflix announced it will offer Disney movies, starting with films released in 2016. It declined to make a similar deal for the rights to Sony movies starting in 2016, which was kept by Starz.

The new Dreamworks shows will be inspired by characters from its hit franchises like "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" and upcoming feature films as well as the Classic Media library that Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc. bought last year. The television shows will be commercial free.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/17/netflix_to_run_original_dreamworks_tv_series_ap/feed/ 0 Can a show about murdering women actually be feminist? http://www.salon.com/2013/06/16/can_a_show_about_murdering_women_actually_be_feminist/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/16/can_a_show_about_murdering_women_actually_be_feminist/#comments Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13322326 The endless parade of serial-killer dramas on TV today raises an uncomfortable question: What does it mean that we as a society seem to find violence against women endlessly entertaining? "The Fall," a BBC2 series now streaming on Netflix, forces us to take a hard look at ourselves as viewers and what we like -- and makes the powerful point that killers who target women aren't as deep or interesting as other shows make them seem.

At first glance, the show might look like "Law & Order: SVU," or pretty much any murder series of the last decade. A man, a grief counselor, married with two adorable kids, cannot control his urges to hurt and control women. We don’t know much of his background, or his past crimes, but we come upon him in the beginning of a killing spree in which he stylizes the dead body. The police try to track him down with the help of a super-detective, one devoted solely to the job, so much so that she sleeps at work.

What makes this show uniquely feminist is the way it handles this seemingly familiar subject matter. It showcases the electric talent of a top-tier actor (Gillian Anderson) as a complex and brilliant detective solving gruesome crimes against women. It focuses on the explosive relationships between men and women, on misogyny, on the nature of violence, and it deeply cares about women, feminism and the ways in which men mistreat women, from petty judgments to torture, rape and murder.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/16/can_a_show_about_murdering_women_actually_be_feminist/feed/ 30 Lynda Obst: Hollywood’s completely broken http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/lynda_obst_hollywoods_completely_broken/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/lynda_obst_hollywoods_completely_broken/#comments Sat, 15 Jun 2013 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13325839 I was driving west in a classically horrible L.A. morning commute on my way to Peter Chernin’s new office in Santa Monica, thinking about our regular lunches back when he ran the studio and I worked as a producer there in the nineties. Peter, who is now building his own media empire at Fox and had been president of News Corp. for over a decade, was clearly the perfect person to ask what had turned the Old Abnormal into the New Abnormal. First of all, he was incredibly smart about the business. But more important, I now realized that during those lunches, he was the first to warn me that the proverbial “light ahead” was an oncoming train. It was way before things turned obviously grim. Since I was reliably churning out pictures then, I didn’t take his gloomy talk about piracy seriously. I just went around saying, “The landlord has the blues,” and blithely fell into the future.

Peter wasn’t exactly having a hard time making the transition. Once he decided in 2009 to leave the number-two job overseeing the News Corp. media empire, he became the biggest producer at Fox (one of the biggest anywhere), with guaranteed pictures and huge potential profit participation. His first picture was the tentpole smash Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and he already had three television shows on the air. More recently, he released the smash Identity Thief, with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/lynda_obst_hollywoods_completely_broken/feed/ 194 Executives concede TV isn’t everywhere http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/executives_concede_tv_isnt_everywhere/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/executives_concede_tv_isnt_everywhere/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13323649 WASHINGTON (AP) -- TV was supposed to be everywhere by now - watchable anytime, anywhere, on your smartphone or tablet. But four years into the industry's effort, network executives readily admit: TV isn't everywhere.

The promise of "TV Everywhere" has been a key strategy in the cable and satellite TV industry's fight to retain customers in the face of challenges from online video providers such as Netflix.

With TV Everywhere, customers who pay for packages with hundreds of television channels are supposed to be able to watch them on mobile devices and computers as well for no extra charge. That perk is meant to make pay TV packages seem more worthwhile and keep customers from defecting.

Yet many rights deals still haven't been worked out. More important, audience measurement firms have been slow to count viewing on mobile devices, so advertisers have been reluctant to pay as much for commercials on phones and tablets compared with television sets.

"We either don't get any credit at all, or if we do get credit it's at a fraction of what we would have gotten if they first watched it live on the TV," Ron Lamprecht, NBCUniversal's executive vice president for digital distribution, said during a panel at The Cable Show, an industry conference this week.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/executives_concede_tv_isnt_everywhere/feed/ 0 The Internet didn’t ruin “Arrested Development”! http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/the_internet_did_not_ruin_arrested_development_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/the_internet_did_not_ruin_arrested_development_partner/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13319980 PajibaPeople often blame the cable’s 24-hour news cycle for the downfall of “journalism,” but the Internet also runs on a 24-hour news cycle, and there are far more online outlets than there are cable news channels. Pop culture and television review sites have to fill our pages full of content each and every day, and we love to please the masses because it means masses of page views. That’s been no more apparent than in this short week’s coverage of season four of “Arrested Development,” in which we all have an opinion, and we all want to deliver that opinion before you’ve had a chance to make your own (we are just as much to blame, and though we waited until Tuesday, we wanted to be at least slightly ahead of the curve, and claim our own piece of ownership over the series).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/the_internet_did_not_ruin_arrested_development_partner/feed/ 5 Hollywood sexism is somehow getting worse http://www.salon.com/2013/06/07/hollywood_misogyny_is_somehow_getting_worse_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/07/hollywood_misogyny_is_somehow_getting_worse_partner/#comments Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:05:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13319697 The Tyee

Every time I look at the film listings lately my heart sinks. It's hard out here for a woman. If you're packing a pair of ovaries, might as well pack it in mama. There's very little here for you.

Let's take a look at the films currently playing at the Scotiabank Theatre -- Fast and Furious 6, Star Trek, Iron Man 3D and Oblivion. All of these films star men, were made by men, and are principally about men. Not only that, but when they're released in the theatre, they're critiqued mainly by even more men (91 per cent of critics writing for major entertainment magazines and/or websites are of the male persuasion). These critiques are then published in magazines and aired on TV and media outlets that are also owned by almost entirely by men (women make up more than 50 per cent of the population but they hold less than seven percent of all TV and radio station licenses in the U.S.).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/07/hollywood_misogyny_is_somehow_getting_worse_partner/feed/ 22 Netflix interested in more “Arrested Development” episodes http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/netflix_interested_more_arrested_development_episodes/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/netflix_interested_more_arrested_development_episodes/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 12:54:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13312659 Although the new season opened to less-than-favorable reviews and caused a dip in Netflix's stock, the online streaming company would be willing to make more episodes of "Arrested Development," said CEO Reed Hastings.

In an interview with CNBC Hastings said, "Arrested is unique, because [whether or not it comes back is] really up to the talent. If the talent were willing to do more, and interested in that, I’m sure we would be willing."

While the show's new season was not a hit with critics, however, fans seem to like it: Eighty-five percent of the viewers who rated the new season of "Arrested Development" gave it a four or five star rating, according to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

He told the The Wrap: "Social buzz is off the charts. Every negative review of the show is accompanied by 50 to 100 slams to the critic in the comments section. There's no question that the fans love the show."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/netflix_interested_more_arrested_development_episodes/feed/ 2 The imperfect new “Arrested Development” is still good enough http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/the_imperfect_new_arrested_development_is_still_good_enough/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/the_imperfect_new_arrested_development_is_still_good_enough/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 22:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13312245 “Arrested Development’s” much-hyped, long-heralded, eagerly awaited fourth season arrived on Netflix this past Saturday night, a whole four days ago. “Arrested Development’s” creator, Mitch Hurwitz, cautioned against stuffing all the episodes in your eyes as fast as possible, but that was like a guy yelling about portion control at an all you can eat buffet. So a little less than 96 hours after “Arrested Development” debuted enough people have seen enough of it for it to have gone from being almost messianically longed for to more than a little roughed up. The dream of the thing has been replaced by the thing itself: Netflix’s stock took a turn on the strength of bad reviews, Hurwitz is sending out passive aggressive tweets about how critics are "resisting change," and a friend of mine compared the new episodes to the recent “Star Wars” trilogy, which is like bringing Jar Jar Binks to a knife fight.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/the_imperfect_new_arrested_development_is_still_good_enough/feed/ 18 Netflix stock dips after “Arrested Development” gets negative reviews http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/netflix_stock_dips_after_arrested_development_gets_negative_reviews/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/netflix_stock_dips_after_arrested_development_gets_negative_reviews/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 15:35:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13311847 The swelling excitement around the return of cult comedy "Arrested Development" deflated on Sunday, as viewers tuned into a show largely devoid of the "lightning-fast pace" of jokes and robust of characters that made the original comedy so memorable. Hitfix called the episodes "herky-jerky and awkward" while the A.V. Club stated that the fourth season "has major issues." The New York Times proclaimed that the Internet "has killed 'Arrested Development.'"

Netflix stock is now reflecting the disappointment, as shares tanked by more than 6.3 percent when markets closed on Tuesday, reports the AP. The company lost $14.55 a share throughout Tuesday -- its biggest one-day drop in six months -- ending the day at $214.19.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/netflix_stock_dips_after_arrested_development_gets_negative_reviews/feed/ 10 “Arrested Development,” hurry up and get here so you can stop being so annoying http://www.salon.com/2013/05/25/%e2%80%9carrested_development%e2%80%9d_hurry_up_and_get_here_so_you_can_stop_being_so_annoying/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/25/%e2%80%9carrested_development%e2%80%9d_hurry_up_and_get_here_so_you_can_stop_being_so_annoying/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13308126 As you have likely heard many, many times over, "Arrested Development" returns this Sunday on Netflix with 15 brand-new episodes dropped smack dab in the middle of Memorial Day weekend. In the months leading up to this monumental cultural brouhaha, there has been a deluge of “Arrested Development” ephemera. You can read about how “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz wants you to watch the show (not all at once), watch Tobias Fünke's amazing sizzle reel, pour over Netflix’s posters and trailers, get “Arrested Development” emojis, enjoy more than one painstaking chart of every single call-back on the show, read a primer on the existing episodes, and many, many more supporting materials.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/25/%e2%80%9carrested_development%e2%80%9d_hurry_up_and_get_here_so_you_can_stop_being_so_annoying/feed/ 13 Mitch Hurwitz: Watch “Arrested Development” Season 4 in order http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/mitch_hurwitz_watch_arrested_development_season_4_in_order/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/mitch_hurwitz_watch_arrested_development_season_4_in_order/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 20:50:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13299699 Although "Arrested Development" star Jason Bateman told GQ that the fourth installment -- due out on Netflix in two weeks -- can be watched in any order, like a "choose your own adventure" book, show creator Mitch Hurwitz today tweeted that fans should watch the show in its given order. Apparently, the jokes don't hang together well enough to pull off the ambitious format:

[embedtweet id="334753110960529408"]

[embedtweet id="334753649681121280"]

To get an idea of how complex and interwoven the recurring jokes are, check out this helpful infographic, which maps references from seasons 1 through 3.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/mitch_hurwitz_watch_arrested_development_season_4_in_order/feed/ 2 Watch the new trailer for “Arrested Development” http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/watch_the_new_trailer_for_arrested_development/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/watch_the_new_trailer_for_arrested_development/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 12:51:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13297022 The final countdown has begun: The fourth season of cult comedy "Arrested Development" arrives on Netflix on May 26. Watch the trailer, below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/watch_the_new_trailer_for_arrested_development/feed/ 0 Can Netflix save TV? http://www.salon.com/2013/05/11/can_netflix_save_tv_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/11/can_netflix_save_tv_partner/#comments Sat, 11 May 2013 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13295329 Pajiba There are a number of headlines floating around about Netflix the last few weeks, especially because of the upcoming return of “Arrested Development” and the debuts of “House of Cards” and “Hemlock Grove.” What used to be the common refrain of hoping that TBS might save a cancelled show, or that the network in question would recognize its terrible mistake once the DVD sales numbers detonated, has now become the hope that Netflix will be the white knight of disgruntled fans. I’ve seen headlines in the last few weeks, trade news stories written solely about what one disposable Netflix executive or another said when asked about Netflix picking up some random show.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/11/can_netflix_save_tv_partner/feed/ 6 YouTube launches pay channels with B movies http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/youtube_launches_pay_channels_with_b_movies_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/youtube_launches_pay_channels_with_b_movies_ap/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13294174 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Roger Corman's campy B movies, children's shows like "Sesame Street" and "Inspector Gadget," and inspirational monologues by celebrities - these are among the offerings on 30 channels that will soon require a paid monthly subscription on YouTube.

Although the world's largest video site has rented and sold movies and TV shows from major studios since late 2008, most people watch videos on YouTube for free.

It's the first time YouTube is introducing all-you-can-watch channels that require a monthly fee. The least expensive of the channels at will cost 99 cents a month but the average price is around $2.99.

In the field of paid video content online, YouTube is playing catch up to services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, all of which have millions of paying customers.

But with a billion monthly visitors from around the globe, the Google-owned video service hopes to quickly add subscribers and add to the money it already makes from online advertising.

"This is just the beginning," said Malik Ducard, YouTube's director of content partnerships. The site plans to roll out a way for a broad number of partners to also launch pay channels on their own soon.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/youtube_launches_pay_channels_with_b_movies_ap/feed/ 0 Kevin Spacey defends how “House of Cards” portrays Washington, to Washington crowd http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/kevin_spacey_defends_how_house_of_cards_portrays_washington/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/kevin_spacey_defends_how_house_of_cards_portrays_washington/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 12:56:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13292568 Kevin Spacey’s fictional Democratic Whip Francis Underwood in the Netflix series "House of Cards" isn’t much like real Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. But the two have become chummy -- and engaged in an honest exchange about the show's portrayal of politics at a Motion Picture Association of America event in Washington on Tuesday night.

Despite their relationship, the actual whip critiqued Spacey’s show when the event's host, NBC's Chris Matthews, gave him the opportunity to ask Hoyer if he had any questions for “the man who’s pillorying your career.” “One of the phrases that I hate the most is when people say ‘well, that’s politics,’” Hoyer said, “and your show is a lot about, ‘well, that’s politics.’” People already have an unfairly negative view of politics, Hoyer explained, and “House of Cards” plays into a nihilistic and venal portrait of politics that goes further than reality.

Spacey acknowledged the point, but chalked it up to the medium, noting that Hollywood makes plenty of movies about the film business that are grimmer than Hollywood really is. That’s drama.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/kevin_spacey_defends_how_house_of_cards_portrays_washington/feed/ 14 Netflix releases “Arrested Development” character posters http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/netflix_releases_arrested_development_character_posters/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/netflix_releases_arrested_development_character_posters/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281779 Netflix is promoting "Arrested Development," with full-force, last night releasing another series of posters -- this one featuring characters in the Bluth family. The fourth installment of the hit show arrives May 26:

[slide_show id =13281826 ]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/netflix_releases_arrested_development_character_posters/feed/ 3 Netflix teases with new “Arrested Development” posters http://www.salon.com/2013/04/10/netflix_teases_with_new_arrested_development_posters/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/10/netflix_teases_with_new_arrested_development_posters/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13266930 It's time for the final countdown: May 26th, the day Netflix releases all 15 new episodes of "Arrested Development," is almost here. Get excited for the fourth installment with these new posters:

[slide_show id=13266984]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/10/netflix_teases_with_new_arrested_development_posters/feed/ 0 David Cross: “I’m not a sad clown” http://www.salon.com/2013/04/02/david_cross_im_not_a_sad_clown/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/02/david_cross_im_not_a_sad_clown/#comments Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:44:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13256055 David Cross may be best known for his role as flamboyant analyst/therapist Tobias Fünke on "Arrested Development" -- but he doesn't have to like it. When comedy junkies stop him on the street, Cross tells Salon, "I want to say, 'I've done other stuff!'"

The contrast between his most famous work -- the latently gay aspiring actor and psychiatric professional he played on a short-lived sitcom -- and the "other stuff" becomes clear this spring. In the lead-up to the "Arrested Development" reunion on Netflix, Cross is to appear in a much smaller-scale project, the black comedy "It's a Disaster." Cross appears alongside America Ferrera and Julia Stiles, among others, as part of a group of 30-something navel-gazers who see their weekly "couples' brunch" only briefly interrupted by dirty bombs dropped across America. (The film is available on video-on-demand platforms now and will be released in theaters April 12.)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/02/david_cross_im_not_a_sad_clown/feed/ 17 “Movies featuring an epic Nicolas Cage meltdown” and other April Fools’ jokes on Netflix http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/movies_featuring_an_epic_nicolas_cage_meltdown_and_other_april_fools_jokes_on_netflix/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/movies_featuring_an_epic_nicolas_cage_meltdown_and_other_april_fools_jokes_on_netflix/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13257772 If you are a company searching for the perfect Internet prank for April Fools' Day, you might as well give up, because Netflix has beat you to it.

The online streaming company, known for its increasingly precise category recommendations, last night launched a set of bizarre new categories for the occasion. (If you have a Netflix account, check the third row of categories.)

Better hurry home tonight, so you don't miss out on some of these one-time recommendations:

[slide_show id=13257727]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/movies_featuring_an_epic_nicolas_cage_meltdown_and_other_april_fools_jokes_on_netflix/feed/ 2