A fraudster known as the 'con Queen of Hollywood' impersonated well-known figures to dupe more than 300 victims out of one million US dollars by offering non-existent work in the film business, a court has heard.
02.09.2022 - 08:21 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Indonesia is often described as the world’s most populous Muslim nation. But the country’s development as a global-scale media market has been uneven and full of promises unfulfilled. Many of the old connections between media ownership and political influence appear to have been transplanted from the analog era into the digital one, making it a tricky place for foreign film, TV and (latterly) streaming companies to operate in. The slate announcement and Friday’s Jakarta event, however, appear to normalize Netflix’s position in Indonesia after a politically-charged and controversy-laden first few years. The presentation included a gushing video message from Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.
The company began operations in the country in 2016. But it was quickly blocked by state-owned Telkom Group, the country’s largest internet service provider, Netflix was barred from the IndiHome, Telkomsel and WiFi.id platforms. There were accusations that the streamer was carrying pornography and supporting terrorism. The state claimed the carrier’s decision was a commercial one, rather than a political one. But that seemed scarcely credible when the government was simultaneously moving to appease more conservative elements in society through content controls and to expand taxation of the growing digital economy. Ministers were also explicitly calling for foreign digital companies to work through local partner companies. If Netflix’s lack of local partner may have been a strategic-political misstep, Telkom Group may have picked the wrong foreign partners. It allied itself with Hooq and Iflix, Asian-run streaming services which have both since disappeared. Ironically, one of the
A fraudster known as the 'con Queen of Hollywood' impersonated well-known figures to dupe more than 300 victims out of one million US dollars by offering non-existent work in the film business, a court has heard.
After movies, shows, and docs about Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, and others, Netflix now turns its attention to one of America’s most infamous serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer. And “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” sees the streamer give its subject the deluxe treatment.
“The Midnight Club” series, and death abounds in the next show from “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and “Midnight Mass” creator Mike Flanagan.The show is based on the beloved Christopher Pike novel of the same name and takes place at a hospice with a mysterious history, where the eight members of the Midnight Club (all of whom are terminally ill) meet each night at midnight to tell sinister stories – and to look for signs of the supernatural from the beyond.Mike Flanagan executive produces and directs the show alongside Trevor Macy through their Intrepid Pictures and Leah Fong. Flanagan and Fong are the show’s creators, while Pike serves as an executive producer.The first season spans 10 one-hour episodes and stars Iman Benson, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Annarah Cymone, Chris Sumpter, Adia, Aya Furukawa, Sauriyan Sapkota, Matt Biedel, Samantha Sloyan, with Zach Gilford and Heather Langenkamp.This is the latest horror-tinged Netflix series from Flanagan, who also directed the Warner Bros.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief SK Global’s “Thai Cave Rescue” series faced almost as many obstacles as the specialist divers drafted to bring out 12 boys and their coach from a waterlogged grotto in summer 2018 in front of a blaze of media attention and an expectant Thai nation. The show debuts on Netflix on Thursday, a timing that means it follows three feature-length depictions and multiple news media specials retelling the watery events. It is also the retelling that is most closely associated with the Thai government, which auditioned prospective production companies and streamers and has carefully held the real-life rescued youngsters close to its chest.
Robbie Williams has spoken candidly about the mental health struggles Take That suffered, while reflecting on 25 years in the entertainment industry . The singer was promoting his upcoming Netflix documentary on Good Morning Britain and speaking to showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold in a pre-recorded interview, Robbie spoke of the difficult experiences he and his Take That bandmates faced at the height of their boyband fame.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video compete for second position behind Netflix in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region’s most developed streaming market. But, increasingly, all premium SVOD suppliers are focusing on profitability rather than simple growth. A new report from consultancy and research firm Media Partners Asia, “Australia Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics” shows that Australian consumers streamed 24 billion minutes of premium online video between January and August this year. SVOD platforms accounted for 70% of viewing time, while broadcaster-operated platforms (BVOD) claimed 30%. The numbers reflect a mixture of measured usage and a panel of viewers.
Evan Peters has played many characters on American Horror Story. From a ghost in a murder house to a murderous spirit in a hotel to a frat boy zombie, he has had his fair share of scary and disturbing characters. But his latest project ,Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, may provide his scariest role yet.
Addie Morfoot Contributor It’s been a good year for several documentary filmmakers who sought and found distribution for independently made projects at major festivals. But for many nonfiction helmers, this year’s festival circuit hasn’t proven to be as fruitful as it once was. Pre-pandemic, streaming services went to film fests to fill their slates, but now with media conglomerates consolidating, brands merging, and Netflix tightening its wallet, film fest documentary shopping sprees have slowed down. On top of mergers and economic unease, there’s been an increase in streamers like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple, and Disney either pre-buying docus or commissioning their own nonfiction projects.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Not surprisingly, the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8 — ending a historic 70-year reign — spurred renewed interest in “The Crown,” the popular Netflix series that follows the monarch’s life and events during her time on the throne over multiple decades. “The Crown,” which begins in the late 1940s prior to Elizabeth’s becoming the Queen of England, will end with Season 6, taking the show into the early 2000s. Between Friday and Sunday (Sept. 9-11), the show’s viewership in the U.K. increased more than 800% compared with the previous Friday-Sunday period, according to data analytics firm Whip Media. In the U.S., viewership of “The Crown” more than quadrupled from Friday-Sunday compared with the previous week, and in France viewing jumped threefold, per Whip Media.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix announces production of upcoming Japanese series “House of Ninjas,” set for release in 2024. Ninjas are the legendary Japanese heroes of the shadows, known for their ambush attacks and ferocious fighting style. But they remain figures of mythology or, at least, the past. Set in modern-day Japan, “House of Ninjas,” tells the story of the Tawara family, the last ninja clan. It had abandoned its roots after an incident in the past, but now the family must take on the greatest crisis in Japanese history, one that threatens to shake the nation to its core.
A group of Gulf states are threatening Netflix with legal action if the streamer does not remove what they class as content that “contradicts” Islamic values. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a statement saying it has contacted the SVoD to demand the content, which was not specified publicly, is removed.
Netflix has announced it has commissioned The Vince Staples Show, a fictional comedy series loosely inspired Vince Staples and his life story. Staples is joined by producers Kenya Barris, best known for creating Black-ish, Corey Smyth and Calmatic.
Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries in the Middle East have told global streaming giant Netflix to remove un-Islamic content. Although not specified, this is understood to mean that it should take down content including LGBTQ elements. The announcement was made Tuesday by the Committee of the Electronic Media Officials within the Gulf Cooperation Council, a trade and political association that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. issued similar, separate statements. Associated Press reported that Saudi state television also aired video of an interview it conducted with a woman it identified as a behavioral consultant who described Netflix as being an “official sponsor of homosexuality.” It aired footage of a cartoon that had two women embrace, though the footage was blurred out. “Saudi state television also aired a segment suggesting Netflix could be banned in the kingdom over that programming reaching children,” AP reported.
For all the noise that Nicolas Winding Refn makes with his daring, provocative, controversial, and challenging films, perhaps one of the least-seen things any modern auteur has made in recent years is his series, “Too Old To Die, Young,” starring Miles Teller which was seemingly not promoted and dumped on Amazon in the summer of 2019. That’s a shame because as difficult as it was to watch, violent, gruesome, brutal, and confrontational as it was, “Too Old To Die Young” was a blistering statement about America.
relentlessly entertaining. This looks delightful! A super bitchy, high school-set variation on Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” in “Do Revenge” Camila Mendes (from “Riverdale”) and Maya Hawke (from “Stranger Things”) play picked-on high schoolers who make a pact to go after each other’s bullies.
The Wonder is Gothic without the architecture. Set in rural central Ireland in the wake of the Great Famine of the mid-1800s, director Sebastian Lelio’s adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel methodically moves the chess pieces around in telling the tale of an 11-year-old girl who has locals mystified as to what God is intending by letting her survive for four months without eating. Atmospheric and intriguing up to a point, it nonetheless feels like much ado about a mildly curious situation that’s been milked for rather more than it’s worth.
For all the noise that Nicolas Winding Refn makes with his daring, provocative, controversial, and challenging films, perhaps one of the least-seen things any modern auteur has made in recent years is his series, “Too Old To Die, Young,” starring Miles Teller which was seemingly not promoted and dumped on Amazon in the summer of 2019. That’s a shame because as difficult as it was to watch, violent, gruesome, brutal, and confrontational as it was, “Too Old To Die Young” was a blistering statement about America.
Meghan Markle "won't return to acting" despite her multi-million pound Netflix deal, a royal expert has said.The Duchess of Sussex, 41, whose father recently hit out at her The Cut interview as he said she "dumped me", made her on-screen debut back in 2002 in General Hospital. It wasn't until she played the role of Rachel Zane on hit law show Suits that she found fame, starring alongside the likes of Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams.