2featherbear
Of sports & TV. The only sport I follow with much attention is UConn women’s basketball. I was surprisingly devastated by their loss in the sweet 16 to the Ohio State University. For consolation, I went to BritBox for Season 1, episode 5 of Beyond Paradise, only to watch in horror as Martha broke off her engagement with DI Humphrey. Just a bad weekend. Perked up a bit when Iowa & Caitlin Clark somehow upset the South Carolina Gamecocks last Friday. Iowa played LSU for the women’s national championship Sunday afternoon. I’d been following LSU during the season & the playoffs, and their flamboyant coach Kim Mulkey. I was hoping they’d lose to Iowa, since, especially in the semifinal with Miami, their inept offense struck me as a disgrace to women’s basketball. But on Sunday, they were touched by the basketball gods, & instead of grind it out bball they rained 3s on Iowa, burying a team of 3 pt specialists. All respect to LSU players; they came to play. A great moment for them. Later watched the season ending episode 6 of Beyond Paradise. DI Humphrey, unable to function, takes leave of England and retreats to his former rental in Ste. Marie. As he stares out into the waves at the front door, he is joined by the house gecko & his old super, Commissioner Selwyn Patterson. Then, who comes trotting up the beach but fiancée Martha, who has had a change of heart. Pull out panorama of the beach. Improbable storybook endings all around!
3featherbear
Richard Brody. New Yorker, 04/09/2023: The Best Movie Performances of the Century So Far.
4featherbear
John Koblin. NYT, 04/11/2023: ‘Succession’ and ‘Dr. Pimple Popper’ Together in New Warner Streaming App.
"On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery executives will unveil plans for the new combined streaming service, bringing together classic HBO series like “The Sopranos” and “Succession” with Discovery series like “Dr. Pimple Popper” and “Fixer Upper.” The service will be called Max and debut in the next month or two, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.
"The streaming service will cost roughly $16 a month — the price of HBO Max now — though there will be several price tiers, including a less expensive one with advertising, the people said."
"“Dropping HBO from the name is cementing that ‘we’re not just a home for premium programming,’” Ms. Alexander said. “‘We’re the home for anything you want to watch.’” (Julia Alexander is a research analyst for something called Parrot Analytics) The aim of the merger, she claims, is that " it will help with time spent on the app, pointing to data that many subscribers use streaming services for ambient television experiences — the kind of watch-it-while-you-fold-the-laundry fare that is Discovery’s bread and butter with brands like HGTV and the Food Network.
“You’re opening HBO Max once a week and might not open it up for the rest of the week,” she said. “They want you to open it two, three or four times a week. Unscripted programming creates that increased engagement.”
"On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery executives will unveil plans for the new combined streaming service, bringing together classic HBO series like “The Sopranos” and “Succession” with Discovery series like “Dr. Pimple Popper” and “Fixer Upper.” The service will be called Max and debut in the next month or two, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.
"The streaming service will cost roughly $16 a month — the price of HBO Max now — though there will be several price tiers, including a less expensive one with advertising, the people said."
"“Dropping HBO from the name is cementing that ‘we’re not just a home for premium programming,’” Ms. Alexander said. “‘We’re the home for anything you want to watch.’” (Julia Alexander is a research analyst for something called Parrot Analytics) The aim of the merger, she claims, is that " it will help with time spent on the app, pointing to data that many subscribers use streaming services for ambient television experiences — the kind of watch-it-while-you-fold-the-laundry fare that is Discovery’s bread and butter with brands like HGTV and the Food Network.
“You’re opening HBO Max once a week and might not open it up for the rest of the week,” she said. “They want you to open it two, three or four times a week. Unscripted programming creates that increased engagement.”
5featherbear
From Netflix DVD; kinda figured this was coming:
"For 25 years, it's been our extraordinary privilege to mail movie nights to our members all across America. On September 29th, 2023, we will ship our final iconic red envelope.
While times have changed since our first shipment in March 1998, our goal has remained the same: to provide you with access to the broadest collection of movies and shows possible, delivered directly to your door, with no due dates or late fees."
So, I'm figuring on continuing with Criterion Channel for art house -- until they go belly up; not sure where to go for classical & jazz performances; I tend to purchase educational material via Great Courses, though they have a streaming service I might look into. Best feature of Netflix DVD was the indefinite loan period.
"For 25 years, it's been our extraordinary privilege to mail movie nights to our members all across America. On September 29th, 2023, we will ship our final iconic red envelope.
While times have changed since our first shipment in March 1998, our goal has remained the same: to provide you with access to the broadest collection of movies and shows possible, delivered directly to your door, with no due dates or late fees."
So, I'm figuring on continuing with Criterion Channel for art house -- until they go belly up; not sure where to go for classical & jazz performances; I tend to purchase educational material via Great Courses, though they have a streaming service I might look into. Best feature of Netflix DVD was the indefinite loan period.
6featherbear
Addendum:
Pamela Paul. NYT, 04/27/2023: The Dramatic, Comic, Tragic, True-Life Story Behind the Death of DVD.com.
"Let me explain. Netflix pays for streaming rights to films and programs it does not own the rights to, which means that films come and go on the service according to the terms of those contracts. But DVD.com offered all its movies and TV shows at all times." However, my queue has a long list of DVDs that Netflix once had available but they were unable to replace.
More:
Zach Schonfeld. The Guardian, 04/27/2023: I’ve rented DVDs from Netflix for half my life – streaming is a poor substitute.
Pamela Paul. NYT, 04/27/2023: The Dramatic, Comic, Tragic, True-Life Story Behind the Death of DVD.com.
"Let me explain. Netflix pays for streaming rights to films and programs it does not own the rights to, which means that films come and go on the service according to the terms of those contracts. But DVD.com offered all its movies and TV shows at all times." However, my queue has a long list of DVDs that Netflix once had available but they were unable to replace.
More:
Zach Schonfeld. The Guardian, 04/27/2023: I’ve rented DVDs from Netflix for half my life – streaming is a poor substitute.
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