Netflix is making its movies so you can ‘watch’ them while scrolling on your phone

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

LOOK AT THE BABY LEARN HOW TO SWIM:

@paulcuffaro

Lola learns how to swim🥹

♬ original sound – Paul Cuffaro

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

Bowen Yang revealed that his SNL goodbye sketch originally included the entire cast, but that Lorne Michaels encouraged him to edit it down to lean more into the emotion of it all, which was the right call. (It does make more sense now, as it felt like there were surprisingly few cast members in the bit. And I bet the reveal of Cher as his “boss” was intended to be a lot funnier, especially if they had brought everyone else out first, setting the boss up to be obviously Lorne.)

A thing I didn’t know until this month: Kenan Thompson has traditionally warmed up the SNL audience by performing “Gimme Some Lovin’,” usually with another cast member. He recently said it was time for him to move on from that, and this week, new cast members Tommy Brennan and Veronika Slowikowska performed “Let’s Go Crazy.”

After years of trying to break free of “pilot season,” which networks seemed to think was restricting them or something, NBC is fully bringing it back. (See “In Development” below.)

Ray Romano is bad at naming TV shows. (“Everybody Loves Raymond” was not his idea, he didn’t like it, and suggested naming the show “Um, Raymond” instead.)

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Michael J. Fox, and Eric Dane are doing genuinely important work by bringing their conditions to light and making all of us more aware.

Matt Damon revealed how Netflix is changing how movies are made, noting that they want a big action sequence in the first five minutes to hook audiences, and then reiterate the plot several times, and announce what they are doing because people are probably playing on their phones while they watch. It’s interesting: I once took a class on soap operas in college (don’t look at me that way; turns out it’s helpful for my job) and one of the things I learned was that soap opera scripts are written with the expectation that their audience will be distracted, and therefore plot points are spoken out loud and characters repeat themselves often. Back in the day, such methods were important because their audience was understood to be doing housework while the show was on, and may be ironing, or cooking, or vacuuming, or moving from room to room, and if you didn’t repeat information, they might lose the plot. But now a writing method that was designed to keep the attention of harried housewives is being applied to films, which is a kind of fascinating lens on how our media has changed so much thanks to streaming and the internet. I could probably write an entire essay on gender dynamics and television writing styles through the years BUT I AM NOT GOING TO BORE YOU HERE.

Matt Damon is also out here saying some dumb things.

I really didn’t need to know so much about Vanna White, Kathy Hilton, and their birth plans, thanks.

No one is asking Chris Cuomo to join MS NOW. Hope that helps.

Sometimes bullying works, Ludacris.

Get better soon, Penn!

Get better soon, Piers. I suppose.

Love is dead.

Congratulations, Will Reeve and Amanda Dubin!

This is why he’s called “The Boss.”

Well well well, look who agreed to finally air that 60 Minutes segment on the El Salvador deportation facility, even though the administration never agreed to an on-camera interview, per Bari Weiss’ demand. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence they aired it against NFL playoff games, without a playoff game on CBS as a lead-in, and with virtually no promotion. BUT GO AHEAD AND CALL ME A CYNIC, I GUESS.

President Crybully threatened CBS that if they didn’t air his interview with Tony Dokupil in its entirety with no edits, he’d sue them, because of course he did.

President Businessman is covering all of his bases. I wouldn’t be too sure he’s got your back, David Ellison.

Well, wait, he’s messing with the college football schedule to benefit Ellison, so he’s got his back at least a little.

Oh, and President Peacemonger openly admitted he’s threatening Greenland because he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize (which he by no means earned). No better way to prove you are all about peace than by threatening your allies when you don’t get a shiny medal.

What can I say, these are the rules now:

View on Threads

In Development

  • Puzzled, a crime drama about a man who sees the world differently after suffering brain trauma, and can help solve crimes, has been given a pilot order at NBC because they want their own High Potential.
  • What the Dead Know, a medical examiner crime drama from Dick Wolf, has been given a pilot order at NBC.
  • An untitled detective comedy from the creators of Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been given a pilot order at NBC.
  • A shark thriller starring Phoebe Dynevor has been acquired by Netflix.
  • The Singers has been acquired by Netflix.
  • Tia Napolitano, the showrunner of Fire Country at CBS, is leaving the show at the end of this season.

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • The Madison will debut on Paramount+ on March 14.
  • Matter of Time will premiere on Netflix on February 9.
  • Naked and Afraid returns on Discovery Channel on February 15.
  • Mama June returns on WeTV in March.
  • A Father’s Miracle premieres on Netflix on February 13.

R.I.P.

Kianna Underwood, Former child actress on Nickelodeon’s All That, voice actress on Little Bill, and Santa Baby

Roger Allers, Co-director of The Lion King

Sheila Bernette, British stage and TV comedic actress

Rocco Commisso, Cable TV mogul and founder of Mediacom

Valentino Garavani, Legendary designer

Kenny Morris, Drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees

Tucker Zimmerman, Cult folk singer

WATCH THIS

Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect: A look at the life and career of Thurgood Marshall, America’s first African-American Supreme Court Justice. 9 p.m., PBS

NBA Games: Because everyone has the day off, how about a full day of NBA basketball? NBC will air three games beginning in the afternoon. 1 p.m., NBC

Judy Justice: Season four premiere. Prime Video

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: A$AP Rocky, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Walker Scobell, Ontonio Kareem
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Sarah Silverman, Mark Strong
  • Watch What Happens Live: Mary J. Blige, Francois Arnaud

MON. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Will Trent
(repeat)		 Will Trent
(repeat)		 Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV
(repeat)
CBS The Neighborhood
(repeat)		 DMV
(repeat)		 FBI
(repeat)		 NCIS: Origins
(repeat)
CW I Am MLK Jr.
(repeat)		 Local
FOX Hell’s Kitchen
(repeat)		 Doc
(repeat)		 News/Local
NBC NBA Basketball
(live)

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