In the darkest days of the lockdowns, millions of people looked to remote “watch parties” to binge their favorite shows with friends — even if they couldn’t get together.
And according to the media researchers at Hub, this “co-viewing” trend is here to stay, thanks in part to the pandemic, and because 70% of homes in the U.S. now have smart TVs that allow for a more streamlined co-viewing experience.
The company crunched the numbers, and as part of its third annual “Evolution of the TV Set” report, compiled just who these co-viewers were, and how they’re getting their shared entertainment.
According to Hub’s non-scientific survey of more than 2,500 people aged 16 to 74, 23% percent of viewers said they have enjoyed content via a co-viewing app or service this year, up three percentage points from 2020.
Forty-one percent of viewers aged 16 to 34 have co-watched; 23% of those 35 to 54 have; while — perhaps not surprisingly — only 3% of those 55 and older have watched shows and movies with others remotely.
According to Hub’s findings, Amazon Watch Party is the most commonly used co-viewing app at 44%. The next most popular apps are two adapted from other uses: Discord, familiar to gamers, was at 28%, followed close behind at 27% by Zoom, with which we’ve all become familiar during the pandemic.
Use of Amazon Watch Party proved to be more common with the 35-54 age group, versus those in the 16-34 age range, and the app proved more appealing to men than women: 52% to 31%.
On the flip side, 33%, or a third of those surveyed in the 16-to-24-year-old group, chose Discord; just 26% of their 35-to-54-year-old counterparts did.
(WASHINGTON) — As part of his effort to get out in front of a politically sensitive issue, President Joe Biden on Monday convened a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland, law enforcement leaders and elected officials to discuss rising crime rates across the country.
Glancing at Garland at the top of the meeting, Biden opened his remarks by acknowledging that he’s been trying to solve this problem for many years.
“We’ve been at this a long time, a long time. Seems like most of my career I’ve been dealing with this issue. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, we know there are some things that work. And the first of those that work is stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violent crimes,” Biden said.
“It includes cracking down on holding rogue gun dealers accountable for violating the federal law. It includes the Justice Department creating five new strike forces to crack down on illegal gun trafficking,” Biden said, without directly acknowledging more meaningful gun control is impossible without getting Senate Republicans to go along.
While Biden said he’d be asking the experts he assembled what else they believe should be done on the federal level to address rising crime rates, he did not directly address Congress or put any pressure on lawmakers to act on a national level.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki previewed the meeting at an earlier press briefing and said the group will discuss Biden’s “comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence and violent crime.”
Biden’s plan, unveiled last month, targets law-breaking gun dealers, provides federal resources to police departments for gun-crime enforcement and allows communities to repurpose millions of dollars of federal coronavirus relief funding for programs proven to prevent gun violence.
“During the meeting, the president will discuss his crime reduction strategy — strategy which gives cities and states historic funding through the American Rescue Plan, and a range of tools they can use to improve public safety in their communities including support for community violence intervention programs, summer employment opportunities and other proven methods to reduce crime,” Psaki said.
“I’ll underscore his commitment to ensuring their state and law and local law enforcement have the resources and support they need to hire more police officers and invest in effective and accountable community policing,” Psaki said.
Notably, Biden has not taken the same stance as some progressives who’ve called to “defund the police,” a position that gained traction last year during what many deemed to be a racial reckoning in the country.
Still, Republicans have attacked Biden for being “soft on crime.”
Psaki said Biden is stressing partnerships with local leaders on the effort. Attendees at the White House included Washington Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who just won New York’s City Democratic mayoral primary. Unlike other progressive candidates, Adams did not run on a “defund the police” agenda but instead cited “public safety” as his top priority for the city and Democrats in general.
“This president is making it clear,” Adams said following the meeting, “he’s going to redefine the ecosystem of public safety, and that includes identifying the role of police, schools, families, resources, employment.”
“Why did it take so long before we heard the gunshots that families were listening and hearing every night? Other communities are waking up the alarm clock, communities of Black, brown and poor people are waking up to gunshots and this president says this is not the America we’re going to live in,” he continued.
Police chiefs, including David Brown, superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, along with a community-based violence intervention expert, also attended the White House meeting.
Psaki said the group would talk about what the federal government is doing to stem the flow of guns used in crimes, “including the administration’s zero-tolerance policy for dealers who willfully sell guns illegally, the Department of Justice’s gun trafficking strike forces, as well as previous steps the White House has announced like cracking down on ghost guns, which are increasingly used in violent crimes.”
Biden’s session comes as the country faces a rise in violent crime, particularly in those involving firearms.
According to a study released earlier this year by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, homicides spiked by 30% in 2020 compared to the year before.
And in the first three months of 2021, the number of homicides increased by 24% compared to the same period in 2020 and by 49% compared to the start of 2019, the researchers said.
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
Raven-Symoné and Loni Love have signed on to respectively host the next two Daytime Emmy ceremonies, Variety reports.
The Daytime Emmys Children’s & Animation awards, which will be held virtually on Saturday, July 17, at 8 p.m. ET, will be hosted by Raven-Symoné, a previous Daytime Emmy nominee. Meanwhile Love will take on the virtual hosting duties for the Daytime Emmys Fiction & Lifestyle awards on Sunday, July 18, at 8 p.m. ET. Both events will be streamed on the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Emmy OTT platform.
In other news, Starz has given a greenlight to a second season of Power Book III: Kanan ahead of the series’ premiere on July 18. According to the Starz, the renewal comes “amidst strong demand for the upcoming premiere of the third book in the growing Power Universe franchise.” Additionally, Antonio Ortiz, who recurs as Shawn “Famous” Figueroa in the first season, has been promoted to a series regular role for the second season. As previously reported, Power Book III: Kanan, starring Mekai Curtis, Patina Miller and Omar Epps, follows the early years of the now-deceased Power character Kanan Stark, portrayed by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
Finally, Uzo Aduba and Ron Cephas Jones are among the stars who have been added to Second Stage Theater’s upcoming Broadway production of Lynn Nottage‘s new play Clyde’s, Deadline has learned. They join a cast that already includes Reza Salazar and Kara Young. The play follows Aduba as Clyde, the owner of a truck-stop sandwich shop who “tries to keep her staff under her thumb even as the staff members are given purpose and permission to dream.” Clyde’s begins previews on Wednesday, November 3, with an official opening on Monday, November 22, at Second Stage’s Broadway home, The Hayes Theater.
(WASHINGTON) — The top U.S. military general leading the withdrawal in Afghanistan stepped down during a ceremony in Kabul Monday, a sign that America’s longest war is nearing its end.
Gen. Austin Scott Miller has commanded U.S. Forces−Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support mission since the summer of 2018. At Monday’s ceremony, Miller handed his responsibilities off to Gen. Frank McKenzie, who leads U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
“I need to let you know that command of this coalition has been the highlight of my military career,” Miller told a small audience at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul.
“The countries that have served here, many have lost service members, civilians; our Afghan partners have lost service members, they’ve lost civilians,” Miller said. “And as we’ve spoken about it previously, on this very ground with this group over time, our job is now just not to forget.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin thanked Miller for his leadership in Afghanistan in a Monday afternoon tweet.
“I want to thank Gen. Miller for three years of exceptional leadership in Afghanistan. That we have been able to secure our interests in Afghanistan, as well as those of our allies and Afghan partners, stands as testament to his operational acumen and strategic vision,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s also worth noting that we have conducted our retrograde safely and orderly, and the transfer in command from Gen. Miller to Gen. McKenzie does not signify the end of our drawdown process, only the next milestone. We remain on track to meet @POTUS’ end of August goal.”
A Pentagon spokesperson said Miller left Afghanistan following the ceremony and was traveling back to the United States.
As the U.S. military finishes its withdrawal from the country, an emboldened Taliban has ramped up attacks and gained ground.
“I’m one of the U.S. military officers who’s had the opportunity to speak with the Taliban,” Miller told the audience in Kabul. “I said, it’s important that the military sides set the conditions for a peaceful and political settlement in Afghanistan, we can all see the violence that’s taking place across the country, but we know that with that violence, that what is very difficult to achieve is a political settlement. So again, what I tell the Taliban is they’re responsible too.”
McKenzie, who traveled to Kabul to attend the handover ceremony, said that while Miller’s departure is a milestone in the U.S. withdrawal, it also signifies “our renewed commitment to our Afghan partners.”
“The most important thing that continues is our support to the people of Afghanistan and to its armed forces,” McKenzie told the audience, which included Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, chief of Afghanistan’s National Council for Reconciliation, and other Afghan officials.
“We are confident in you. We are confident you have what it takes to protect your country,” McKenzie said. “Our support will be different than what it was in the past, but we know how much you love your country, and we know the sacrifices that you have made in the past and that you’re going to be willing to make in the future to do that. You can count on our support in the dangerous and difficult days ahead. We will be with you.”
McKenzie will maintain the ability to launch counter-terrorism operations from bases and ships outside of Afghanistan as needed, but a major post-war concern is maintaining the U.S. diplomatic mission
To that end, a detachment of about 650 U.S. troops will remain in the country indefinitely to protect the U.S. embassy as well as the airport in Kabul, which is critical to keep the mission running.
The embassy announced Sunday that it had resumed in-person interviews for immigrant visas, including those Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan translators, guides and other contractors who worked for the U.S. military and diplomatic missions.
Interviews are a key part of the visa application process, but they had been halted for a month because of a significant COVID-19 outbreak throughout Afghanistan, including the U.S. embassy there.
There are approximately 18,000 Afghans seeking SIVs: 9,000 who haven’t finished their application and 9,000 who are waiting for the U.S. government to move their case forward, according to a State Department spokesperson.
This resumption does not yet extend to everyone. For now, the embassy is only rescheduling applicants who had their interviews postponed and appointment capacity remains limited, the embassy said Sunday.
In the meantime, the U.S. will relocate a group of SIV applicants and their families out of the country to safe locations to await their cases being processed, President Joe Biden confirmed last week. While he said those relocations will begin before the end of this month, it’s still unclear how many applicants that will involve, where they will go and when.
Despite pressure from lawmakers and activists, the Biden administration has emphasized SIVs as the way to help Afghans whose lives are at risk, instead of evacuations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assigned 50 more staffers in Washington to help process paperwork and work through the enormous backlog.
But even with all that, critics said time is running out for the Afghans who risked theirs and their families’ safety by working for the U.S., as American forces draw down and the Taliban gain control of more districts.
When you were a kid, you had New Kids on the Block bed sheets. Now, you can relive your childhood days as a Blockhead as you prepare dinner for your kids.
The 1980s-era pattern that was used in the original design of New Kids on the Block bed sheets is now back in a line of more mature merchandise. Available now at NKOTBStore.com, you can get the pattern on an apron, oven mitt, pint glass, coffee mug, dish towel, coasters and other grown-up items.
In a statement, NKOTB’s Danny Wood says, “My favorite item from the [merch] drop is the oven mitt. It has been put to the test while filming my show The Wood Works in my kitchen. I am very particular about my kitchen accessories and this fits right in.”
There will be two additional merchandise drops in the summer and the fall.
In other NKOTB news, Joey McIntyre will be doing a co-headlining Las Vegas residency with Debbie Gibson this August and September at the Sands Showroom at the Venetian Hotel Las Vegas. A duet version of Debbie’s #1 hit “Lost in Your Eyes” featuring Joey is out now.
Following the release of her single “Bouncin’,” Tinashe hasannounced a U.S. tour kicking off this fall to celebrate her upcoming album, 333.
The 28-year-old singer and dancer is prepared to give fans the live show they’ve been waiting for after last year’s Tour for You was postponed due to COVID-19.
For The 333 Tour, Tinashe will be joined by rising Korean-born pop singer REI AMI, who will open each night from September 16 until October 24. The two artists will perform at venues in New York, Chicago, Texas, Boston, Atlanta and more, including a digital experience for fans at home in partnership with Moment House.
Access to VIP packages will be available on Tuesday, July 13, at 10 a.m. ET. Spotify listeners will be offered fans first presale tickets from Wednesday, July 14, at 10 a.m. until Thursday, July 15 at 10 p.m. Meanwhile, general admission tickets go on sale Friday, July 16, at 10 a.m. local time at TinasheNow.com or Ticketmaster.com.
Although organizers so far are mum, Variety reports Kristen Stewart‘s Princess Diana biopic Spencer will make its debut at the Venice International Film Festival.
The event runs from Wednesday, September 1 through Saturday, September 11 in Italy. It’s not yet known what date the film will premiere.
The movie, directed by Pablo Larraín, will debut “in competition,” meaning its eligible for judging and, potentially, the festival’s coveted Golden Lion for best film.
As previously reported, Spencer takes place in the 1990s and will have Stewart playing Diana over a crucial Christmas holiday during which she plotted her divorce from Prince Charles and began charting a life away from the British royal family.
The synopsis from production company Neon reads, “December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.”
Princess Diana was killed August 31, 1997 in a car crash in Paris that was caused in part by a high-speed pursuit by paparazzi. Her partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, were also killed. Paul was later found to have been driving drunk. A bodyguard survived the crash.
The film will debut in 2022, timed to the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death.
Director Larrain previously called the shots on Natalie Portman‘s Oscar-nominated Jacqueline Kennedy 2016 biopic, Jackie.
According to ESPN, Johnson a given rapid-test following the final round of the John Deere Classic on Sunday, before a chartered flight with other players, caddies, and managers to Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. Everyone was tested before the flight.
Johnson’s test came back positive, and he withdrew from the tournament before the flight.
If Johnson had been on the flight, close contact rules in the United Kingdom would have mandated any players on the flight to be subject to removal from the tournament, according to ESPN.
There were 16 players from the John Deere Classic on the charter flight, according to ESPN.
Lykke Li is reissuing her 2011 album Wounded Rhymes in honor of its 10th anniversary.
The expanded package includes previously unreleased demos, as well as a remix of the song “I Follow Rivers” by Tyler, the Creator. It’s due out on digital platforms this Friday, July 16, and will be released on vinyl October 15.
Wounded Rhymes is Li’s second studio album. It includes the single “Get Some.”
Garth Brooks officially returned to the stage over the weekend, hitting Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the first post-pandemic stop on his Stadium Tour on Saturday.
And while he admits he was “nervous as hell” before the set began, Garth says he always had a sneaking suspicion that it was this show, on this date — July 10 — that would be the one to kick off his return to the road.
“When I saw the date — July 10 — that’s my mom’s birthday. And Mom — nothing was impossible,” he explains. “She was five foot tall, and nothing was impossible to her. So when I saw July 10, I said, ‘I betcha 10-to-1 this is the one. It’s gonna happen.’”
Once he got back onstage and got into the live show groove, Garth explains that the show kept building in momentum as he, his band and the audience were feeding off each other’s energy.
“It was one of those things where you were out of body! And the band and they were going back and forth,” the singer gushes. “It was great! And everybody won!”
Garth will keep the party going in the days ahead, as his Stadium Tour is scheduled to hit Salt Lake City for a sold-out stop this Saturday, July 17. At the end of the month, he’ll head to Nashville for a hometown show, which is also sold out.
