Netflix
The Song Exploder Podcast Is Becoming a Netflix Series
Hrishikesh Hirway’s popular podcast Song Exploder has been adapted into a new Netflix series by Hirway and documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville. The show will investigate the creative process one song at a time, and it’s available beginning October 2nd. Upon the launch of Song Exploder in 2014, Hirway carved out a niche by restricting his interviews to a single individual song. In the process, he’s unearthed stories of inspiration, frustration, and triumph which have now been downloaded over 60 million times. The Netflix adaptation adds a visual dimension to the same conceit while retaining Hirway as host. Season 1 features Alicia Keys talking about “3 Hour Drive”, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s perspective on the Hamilton tune “Wait for It”, R.E.M.‘s memories of the career-altering t...
Cheer Star Jerry Harris Charged with Producing Child Pornography
Cheer star Jerry Harris has been charged with producing child pornography. In a complaint filed by federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois, Harris, 21, is accused of contacting two underage boys on social media and soliciting explicit photographs and videos. One of the boys allegedly responded to Harris’ request by sending several photos and videos. Harris is also accused of soliciting oral sex from one of the boys in a bathroom at a cheerleading event they both attended. Harris was arrested Thursday morning and is scheduled to make his first court appearance later today. Update: According to the complaint (via EW), Harris participated in a voluntary interview with investigators and admitted to asking between 10-15 underage boys — including the victim mentioned in the comp...
Dave Chappelle Unloads on Critics Upon Winning Emmy for Best Variety Special
During the fourth and final night of the Creative Emmy Awards on Saturday, Dave Chappelle captured the prize for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Despite being one of the most accomplished comedians of all time, Chappelle felt particularly vindicated by the award, as it came in honor of his divisive 2019 Netflix special Sticks & Stones. Upon the special’s release last summer, Chappelle was met with immense backlash over jokes he made about Michael Jackson and R Kelly’s alleged sexual abuse victims and the LGBTQ+ community. While Chapelle has long been known to push the envelope, the consensus among many critics was that the material featured in Sticks & Stones was stale and tone-death. “Edgy, but empty, Sticks & Stones might not break any bones, but it won’...
Netflix ‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Arrested On Child Pornography Charges
Source: Jim Spellman / Getty Netflix Cheer star, Jerry Harris, has been arrested. According to published reports, the 21-year old star was arrested and taken into custody on Thursday (Sept 17) on one charge of the production of child pornography, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Fitzpatrick, following an FBI investigation into claims that Harris was soliciting minors for sex. As previously reported, the FBI began investigating Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris, one of the students featured in Netflix’s breakout docuseries “Cheer,” after a complaint was filed on behalf of two 14-year old boys who claimed that Harris had solicited them for sex. According to federal court records, Harris admitted to agents that he solicited and received explicit messages on Snapchat from at least 10 to...
Netflix’s Song Exploder Will Feature R.E.M., Alicia Keys and More
Since 2014, Hrishikesh Hirway has been sitting down with musicians to talk about how they imagined and created their biggest hits on the Song Exploder podcast. Now, Hirway and Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville have turned the podcast into a docuseries that will premiere on Netflix next month. In the trailer released today (Sept. 17), Alicia Keys will break down “3 Hour Drive;” Lin-Manuel Miranda will talk about the birth of “Wait for It,” from the award-winning Broadway hit Hamilton; Ty Dolla $ign will discuss the inspiration behind “LA” and Michael Stipe will talk about the R.E.M. hit “Losing My Religion.” “‘Losing My Religion’ was kind of a mistake,” Stipe said in the trailer. “The fact that it became what it became is still puzzling to all of us.” The R.E.M. singer a...
Netflix ‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Under Investigation For Allegedly Soliciting Sex From Minors
Source: Jim Spellman / Getty A star of the Netflix series Cheer, Jerry Harris, is under investigation for allegedly petitioning minors to have sex. According to USA Today, the FBI is investigating allegations that celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors. On Monday afternoon at a home in Naperville, Illinois, as part of that investigation, agents executed a search warrant. “The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” FBI special agent, Siobhan Johnson said before declining to further comment. Harris, who gained national prominence when he was featured in Netflix’s recent “Cheer” docuseries, has not been criminally charged, but the investigation is based on allegations by 14-year-old twin brothers, who d...
Ted Cruz Asks Department of Justice to Investigate Netflix’s Cuties for Child Pornography
Netflix’s Cuties is stirring up some ugly controversy. The streaming service has been countering claims that the French film is pedophilic in nature by arguing it’s actually “a social commentary against the sexualization of young children.” They may have to figure out a more proper legal defense, however, because Senator Ted Cruz wants the Department of Justice to investigate Cuties for child pornography. Cuties, which won a Sundance directing award for Maïmouna Doucouré, follows an 11-year-old named Amy as she joins a “twerking” dance group of young girls in Paris as she strives to find identity and acceptance. From the beginning of Netflix’s promotional rollout, the movie has drawn criticism for its overly sexualized depiction of pre-teens. Scenes show the protagonist posting pictures of...
Aaron Sorkin’s Star-Studded The Trial of the Chicago 7 Gets First Trailer: Watch
The Oscar hype is on for writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s star-studded historical drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. On Sunday night, Netflix dropped the film’s first teaser trailer ahead of its October 16th premiere on the network. The film captures the events surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which saw a peaceful protest dissolve into a violent clash between the police and the National Guard. This led to seven organizers — which included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale — being charged with conspiracy. Given the current political landscape — and the fact that this lands a few weeks before the 2020 Election — one might say The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a tad prescient, no? Whatever the case, it features the most incredible cast in recent memory, s...
Netflix Defends Controversial Film Cuties as “Social Commentary” Against Sexualization of Children
Netflix is defending its newly released film, Cuties, against claims that it overly sexualizes its young subjects. Cuties (or Mignonnes) is a French comedy-drama that won Maïmouna Doucouré the Directing Award-Dramatic at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It centers on a 11-year-old Senegalese girl named Amy who seeks to understand her identity while living in Paris. She comes across a group of girls in a twerking dance squad, and begins to seek freedom and acceptance by joining their sexualized troupe. Since launching on Netflix on September 9th, the film has received intense backlash. Now, Netflix has issued a statement defending the movie. “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” a Netflix spokesperson told Variety. “It’s an award-winning film and a pow...
Netflix’s The Devil All the Time Is a Messy Southern Gothic Stew: Review
The Pitch: Set against the mud-covered backdrop of southern Ohio and West Virginia in the ’50s and ’60s, we see the ways that faith, violence, and lost innocence play out against an interconnecting web of characters. There’s Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård), whose experiences in WWII haunt him even as he tries to make a life back home with a sweet waitress (Haley Bennett). There’s also Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy (Riley Keough), who get their kicks picking up hitchhikers, photographing them, then slaughtering them. There’s Sandy’s brother, Lee (Sebastian Stan), a portly, corrupt sheriff constantly gunning for re-election and turning a blind eye to his sister’s wrongdoing. Caught in the middle of it all is Alvin (Tom Holland), Willard’s orphaned son, trying to navigate his way throug...
Adam Sandler Reunites with Julie Bowen in Trailer for Netflix’s Hubie Halloween: Watch
Adam Sandler is leaving the Diamond District and heading to Halloweentown — or rather, Salem, Massachusetts. The blockbuster comic is back just in time for the season of the witch with his latest Netflix comedy, Hubie Halloween. Today, the streaming giant has unleashed the movie’s first trailer ahead of its October 7th premiere. Directed by Steven Brill (Heavyweights, Little Nicky), this spooky comedy follows Hubie DuBois (Sandler), a kooky, albeit good-natured, community volunteer who stumbles upon a real-life murder case on Halloween night. The problem is he’s something of a laughing stock across Salem to both adults and children alike. As with any of Sandler’s flicks, Hubie Halloween is chock full his go-to pals: Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, and Colin Quinn. However, old-s...
Netflix and Chills Halloween Schedule: The Haunting of Bly Manor, Adam Sandler, Unsolved Mysteries, and More
Netflix is getting into the spooky business. Today, the streaming giant announced their Fall programming, which they’ve aptly dubbed Netflix and Chills. This includes new movies, shows, and all kinds of tricks and treats for the living room. Among the many highlights is Mike Flanagan’s new miniseries The Haunting of Bly Manor, Adam Sandler’s kooky new comedy Hubie Halloween, Ben Wheatley’s reimagining of Rebecca, and a second volume of Unsolved Mysteries. That’s all without mentioning Ryan Murphy’s creepy Cuckoo’s Nest prequel series Ratched, Rachel Talalay’s A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting, and a number of children’s programming like The Worst Witch and A Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween. Peruse the full calendar below and stay tuned for more things to go bump in your night. Let’s no...
