Not even a day after Netflix head Ted Sarandos told Variety he “screwed up” about how he handled the company’s controversial Dave Chappelle special The Closer, comes a coordinated protest from trans employees and allies.
The hit special had been called transphobic by some, and even hate speech by others.
Netflix employees staged a virtual walkout Wednesday, during which organizers declared “participating staffers will not do any work for Netflix and instead engage in content that does support the trans community and donate to charities,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As that happens internally, supporters initially gathered at Netflix’s offices on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles to have their voices heard, but according to organizer Ashlee Marie Preston, the crowd grew too large at that location and moved to a nearby street. Several stars, including Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness, former Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez, and The Good Place‘s Jameela Jamil supported the protest, in a video introduced by Preston.
Preston also announced that Sarandon will be presented with a “list of demands” from the streaming service.
According to The Verge, that list of demands from Netflix’s Trans Employee Resource Group (ERG) includes “steps…to begin to repair the relationship between the Company, our colleagues, and our audience.”
Specifically, the ERG wants Netflix, “to adopt measures in the areas of Content Investment, Employee Relations and Safety, and Harm Reduction, all of which are necessary to avoid future instances of platforming transphobia and hate speech, and to account for the harm we have caused.”
The Closer, in which Chappelle also railed against “cancel culture,” has become a hot potato for the streaming service. Amid the initial outcry, Sarandos defended it and Chappelle, noting freedom of speech and claiming that “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.”
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg spoke on “The View” about the criticism he’s been met with over his paternity leave amid Congress’ pending approval of the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill.
Buttigieg and husband Chasten welcomed twins Joseph August and Penelope Rose in August. On Wednesday, he told the co-hosts about his growing family.
“It’s such an incredible blessing,” he said, adding that he has a “whole new appreciation” for parenting now that he’s living it.
“Every time I look in their eyes, I just realize that the most important thing that Chasten and I will do in our lives is be dads to these incredible, beautiful, little children, our boy and our girl,” he continued.
Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family. pic.twitter.com/kS89gb11Ax
When Buttigieg went on paid paternity leave after their twins were born, Congress was discussing the Biden administration’s Build Back Better Act. If the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package is passed, it would give all workers up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
Under current U.S. policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees who qualify can take time off to care for a newborn or loved one or recover from illness without losing their job — but leave is unpaid in most cases.
Buttigieg faced criticism from media figures such as Tucker Carlson about taking his paternity leave amid a pending infrastructure bill and supply chain crisis, and he said “maybe some good came out of” the attacks.
“It’s helped us have a conversation about parental leave,” he said. “Every American ought to be able to get paid parental leave. That’s something that the president believes in and has proposed. It’s something I believe.”
But, he continued, “When parents take that parental leave, they need to be supported in making that choice.”
Buttigieg acknowledged the negative impact parental leave stigmas can have on women who “find their ability to get ahead in their careers influenced by these judgments,” and he shared his perspective on why men should use it.
“If there’s this idea that maybe men have access to paternity leave but it’s frowned on if they actually use it, then obviously that doesn’t work for a marriage like mine, but also for a man who’s married to a woman,” Buttigieg said. “That carries with it the assumption that the woman’s going to do all the work. That just makes no sense in the 21st century.”
“There’s still this cultural idea, I think, out there in some places, that this is vacation,” he said.
“My work day as a secretary of transportation starts at a relatively normal hour,” he continued. “My workday as a dad starts at about 3 in the morning when Chasten finally hits the sack and it’s my turn to start that first feeding.”
The infrastructure bill currently being debated in Congress includes paid family leave — and potential solutions to existing supply chains disruptions.
“There’s no easy fix. There’s no magic wand, but there are a lot of things we can do,” Buttigieg said about the supply chain crisis on “The View.” “We’re relying on infrastructure that was built decades ago, sometimes a century ago.”
Buttigieg said “supply, demand and the pandemic” are the main forces behind the supply chain bottlenecks being seen around the world, which caused record shortages of household goods to electronics to automobiles for American consumers.
“Americans have more money in their pockets compared to a year ago,” Buttigieg said. “Where they used to maybe spend it on going to shows or travel, they’ve been more likely to spend it on things, which is why actually we have a record number of goods coming through our ports.”
“Retail sales are through the roof, that’s part of why we have this challenge, but it is creating a lot of pressure on businesses, especially small businesses that can’t exactly charter their own ship or create their own supply chain when they have a challenge,” he said.
He argued the infrastructure bill would not only address long-term issues, but also short-term issues, such as “working with the ports to get them open 24/7” and “make it easier for truck drivers to get commercial driver’s licenses.”
“All of those steps are going to make a difference. But again, the biggest difference of all, the thing that would really help with all of the disruptions, all of the shocks that we’re seeing is to put this pandemic behind us,” Buttigieg said.
Denise Truscello/Resorts World Las Vegas/Concerts West/AEG Presents
Earlier this week, Celine Dionannounced that she was canceling her new Las Vegas residency show at Resorts World for medical reasons — she is having “severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing,” according to a statement. Now, the Canadian superstar’s sister is shedding a bit more light on exactly what’s wrong.
In an interview on a news show on TVA, a French language television network in Canada, Celine’s sister Claudette said Celine will be out “maybe for a few months” due to the muscle issues, which involve her lower body, and were apparently also problem at her last Las Vegas residency.
“The stage was a bit of a steep slope, and it was causing her problems with her muscles and her legs and feet,” Claudette explained, adding, “I know she can’t wait to get back to her fans, she can’t wait to get back on stage, but she won’t if she doesn’t feel 100% fit.”
“I’m not worried, because if we had had the slightest concern, we would already have had [more] medical details to tell you,” noted Claudette, who believes that her sister’s “great professionalism and passion” will allow her to overcome these issues so she can perform safely.
Celine’s residency was supposed to kick off in November; it also included performances in January and February. All those performances have now been canceled.
In a statement announcing the cancellation, Celine said, “I’m heartbroken by this…I’m especially sorry for disappointing all the fans who’ve been making their plans to come to Las Vegas. Now, I have to focus on getting better… I want to get through this as soon as I can.”
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans have stopped — for the second time this year — a Democratic measure aimed at enacting sweeping federal election law changes, a move that is certain to increase pressure on the majority to change the chamber’s filibuster rule.
Every Senate Republican opposed the vote to start debate on the voting rights bill.
“This bill is a compromise, but a good one. It’s a bill that every Senate Democrat is united behind enthusiastically,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer before the vote. Schumer had worked to get moderate Democrat Joe Manchin behind the proposal known as the Freedom to Vote Act.
The legislation is a product of Democrats’ concerns about the wave of stricter new voting laws in red states following the false claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was stolen.
Manchin, D-W.Va., refused to endorse a more comprehensive reform effort by his caucus in June, saying it lacked bipartisan input and encroached too far on state’s rights to run elections. But after months of trying to corral GOP support, Manchin has found none.
The vote on Wednesday was to start debate on the measure, a move that required 10 Republicans to vote with all Democrats. But no Republicans supported the revised bill.
“There are areas where we could perhaps work together, but the legislation that’s been crafted (by Democrats) is not what I’ll support,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a consensus-minded Republican whom Manchin approached. “Federalizing election law is something which I think is not a good idea.”
Sen. Angus King, D-Maine, a lead sponsor of the legislation and member of that working group, pleaded with colleagues to support the bill, saying U.S. democracy is “fragile” and at stake in the wake of Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election despite no widespread fraud found in multiple, nonpartisan investigations.
“The problem with this goes well beyond the wave of voter suppression legislation sweeping the country; the deeper problem is the massive and unprecedented erosion of trust in the electoral system itself, the beating heart of our democracy,” said King. “Of all the depredations of Donald Trump, this is by far the worst. In relentlessly pursuing his narrow self-interest, he has grievously wounded democracy itself. And by the way, I mean ‘narrow self-interest’ quite literally; he doesn’t give the slightest damn about any of us — any of you — and will cast any or all of us aside whenever it suits his needs of the moment.”
But Republicans for months have said they see the efforts to counter red state laws as nothing more than “a partisan power grab.”
“The only thing this proposal would have done for the people…would be to help make sure that the outcome of virtually every future election meant that Democrats win and Republicans lose. Thus, Republicans would be relegated to a permanent minority status. That was the goal,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, charged in a Tuesday floor speech. “If this bill weren’t so dangerous, it would have been laughable.”
King told reporters on a conference call that the only option after the vote Wednesday is to alter the Senate’s filibuster rule that requires 60 votes to pass most legislation but also imposes no requirement on the 41 senators who are in opposition other than his or her stated opposition to legislation that is up for a vote.
“I’ve been very, very reluctant on (changing the filibuster), but on the other hand, it strikes me that this is a very special case, because it goes to the very fundamentals of how our democracy works,” King told reporters, adding that the debate among Democrats “can’t go on forever, because as you know redistricting has already started in states…It’s got to happen, I would say, in this calendar year.”
King said Democrats are looking at a number of possible changes, from requiring those supporting a filibuster to appear on the floor and hold the chamber with speeches — the so-called “talking filibuster” — to modifying the rules to end filibusters on motions to start debate — which is what will happen Wednesday — to ending the filibuster altogether.
Changing the filibuster would require all Democrats to be united, but that is not the case currently. Manchin and his fellow moderate, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have steadfastly refused to change the chamber’s rules citing a fear of permanently damaging the institution.
Outside groups pushed back Tuesday and called on Biden to do more.
“The president must get in the game. Say into a microphone, ‘You’ve got to get rid of the filibuster,” said Meagan Hatcher-Mays of the progressive group Indivisible.
“The filibuster is paralyzing the Senate. It’s preventing it from doing the very basics, such as debating bills,” said Adam Jentleson, a one-time deputy chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and founder of the Battle Born Collective, a progressive interest group.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki demurred Tuesday when asked about support for the filibuster.
“It’s a discussion that we would have with leaders and members in Congress,” said Psaki, who added that the White House was focused on the Wednesday vote. “Republicans still have an opportunity to do the right thing to protect people’s fundamental right to vote.”
The Democrats’ new bill still encompassed sweeping election law changes, including voter ID requirements, expanded early voting, making Election Day a national holiday, banning partisan gerrymandering, and implementing election security and campaign finance measures.
Among the provisions dropped or changed since June were the automatic mailing of ballots. Under the new measure, any voter could request a mail-in ballot but they are not sent out automatically. The legislation would have continued to allow voter roll purges but required changes to be “done on the basis of reliable and objective evidence” and prohibited the use of returned mail sent by third parties to remove voters.
The bill would have also no longer implemented public financing of presidential and congressional elections. Still, there were a number of election security provisions, including mandatory, nationwide use of machines that deliver paper ballots.
ABC News’ Allie Pecorin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Isiah Brown, who was shot eight times by police earlier this year in Virginia, is filing a lawsuit for $26.35 million against two officers involved in the shooting.
On April 21, Brown was on the street near his mother’s home, speaking to a 911 dispatcher on the phone when Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy David Turbyfill drove up, exited his car and shot Brown several times, according to the lawsuit.
Earlier that night, at the home, a disagreement ensued, 911 was called and Turbyfill was dispatched to address the dispute, the lawsuit states.
In a portion of the 911 call released by police, Turbyfill seems to have thought that Brown had a gun. The officer is heard yelling at Brown to drop a gun on the recording. Brown was unarmed, according to the Virginia State Police, which investigated the incident.
Brown’s attorney states that his client was holding a phone at the time of the shooting and obeyed all police and dispatcher commands. In a statement, Sheriff Roger Harris said that he then ordered the deputy to begin providing first aid, and later contacted the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal to investigate the incident.
“Today we filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Isiah Brown against Spotsylvania County Police Chief Roger Harris and Deputy David Turbyfill for their roles in the totally unnecessary shooting incident involving Mr. Brown that occurred April 21,” said Brown’s attorney David Haynes of The Cochran Firm in a statement to ABC News.
The lawsuit states that Turbyfill was negligent, committed battery and used excessive force during the incident. Turbyfill’s lawyer, Mark Bong, declined ABC News’ request for comment on the lawsuit.
Turbyfill was also charged with felony reckless handling of a firearm, according to a special grand jury indictment in July. Turbyfill had been placed on administrative duties since the shooting, according to a past statement from the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s office.
The county sheriff is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, and is stated to have responsibility for the actions by directing and supervising Turbyfill’s deputies.
Haynes said that the shooting caused life-altering injuries for Brown, which will “leave him with permanent damage for the rest of his life.”
“Isiah Brown’s life will never be the same after his tragic encounter with David Turbyfill,” Haynes said. “Our hope is that this lawsuit will provide a measure of justice for Mr. Brown and force the Spotsylvania Police Department to enhance their training and update their policies and procedures so that this never happens to another person.”
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
Scotty McCreery reconnected with a fellow American Idol alum — Kelly Clarkson — this week, stopping by the stage of her talk show to perform his latest single, “Damn Strait.”
Coming off his new Same Truck album, “Damn Strait” is a heartbroken ballad paying tribute to the King of Country, told from the perspective of someone who can’t listen to his favorite George Strait songs because they remind him of the girl who left him behind.
“Damn Strait” hit country radio airwaves last week, and since then, it’s picked up more station adds than any other song in Scotty’s career to date. The new single follows his latest number-one hit, “You Time.”
Meanwhile, American Idol is gearing up for a new season. Representing the country music contingent is Luke Bryan, who will return for another season as a judge.
Lifetime has tapped an all-star cast for their winter 2022 film lineup.
The network announced they’re developing three new thrillers for next year’s holiday season. Those films include Single Black Female starring Raven Goodwin and Amber Riley as new best friends dealing with dark secrets; Line Sisters, a sorority sister drama headlined by LeToya Luckett and Kierra Sheard-Kelly; and Vanished: Searching for My Sister, which features Tatyana Ali in a dual role of twin sisters. Official release dates for the films have yet to be announced.
In other news, Amanda Lipitz, the award-winning director behind 2017’s Step, a documentary about a high school step team in inner-city Baltimore, has released a new documentary called Found. The feature follows three adopted American teenage girls who discover that they’re blood-related cousins and travel back to China together in search of answers. This is a personal story for Lipitz, who is aunt of one of the three adopted girls, Chloe Lipitz. Found is now available to stream on Netflix.
Finally, Paramount+ has released the official trailer to their upcoming The Game reboot. As previously noted, the 10-episode series will now take place in Las Vegas and will star many of the original cast members in their original roles. This includes Wendy Raquel Robinson as sports agent Tasha Mack, Hosea Chanchez as former star quarterback Malik Wright, and Pooch Hall as former footballer Derwin Davis. The new series is said to center on a “modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of pro football.” Executive-produced by Mara Brock Akil, The Game launches on Paramount+ Thursday, November 11.
John Shearer/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS
Madonna is giving fans an update on the progress of her upcoming biopic.
In an Instagram post, the pop legend says the film’s script is “almost finished.” She shares a series of photos of herself laying on a luxurious rug while looking through a binder containing pages of the script, marked with post-it notes.
“Grateful for the success of Madame X, that my script is almost finished, and for the support of my beautiful children! While laying on this gorgeous Rug by Alexander McQueen!” she captions the post.
Madonna is co-writing the biopic, as well as directing and producing it. She explained her hands-on approach during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“The reason I’m doing it is a bunch of people have tried to write movies about me, but they’re always men…there’s nobody on this planet that can write or direct or make a movie about me better than me and that is just the truth!” she said.
It’s nice to know that after more than 50 years in the music business, there are still some things that Elton John hasn’t done…until now.
The 74-year-old legend’s latest achievement is toppingBillboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” his collaboration with Dua Lipa. What’s more surprising, though, is that this is also Dua Lipa’s first time on top of that chart.
As previously reported, “Cold Heart” is a mashup of four previously released Elton songs from the ’70s and ’80s: “Rocket Man” from 1972, “Sacrifice” from 1989, “Kiss the Bride” from 1983 and “Where’s the Shoorah?” from his 1976 album, Blue Moves.
“Cold Heart” has also been number one on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart for nine weeks, and it’s also ascended to #25 on the Hot 100, which is the highest Elton’s been on that chart since March of 1998.
“Cold Heart” has already become Elton’s first number-one hit in the U.K. in 16 years.
In addition to prepping his upcoming solo album The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, Damon Albarn has also started working on new Gorillaz music.
As Albarn tells Rolling Stone, he recently recorded a new song with hit-making Puerto Rican rapper BadBunny, which he describes as the “seed for the next Gorillaz album.”
“I put my seed in the ground and I’ll see what kind of beanstalk grows from it this time,” Albarn says, adding that he hopes the upcoming record will feel like Gorillaz’ self-titled 2001 debut in spirit.
“I think I’m always in some ways trying to work like that since it was so unpretentious, so in the moment,” he explains. “That was its charm. I’m trying to not be so conscious about making music.”
One thing Albarn is conscious of is that his other band, Blur, hasn’t been all that active in recent years, which he says is partly by design.
“I don’t think you can overdo those sort of things,” Albarn says. “They are so imbued with what you were like when you were younger. There has to be a real buildup of feelings and reasons to do something. It’s important stuff and it shouldn’t be squandered.”
As for future live Blur shows, Albarn’s certainly open to the idea.
“I’m not sure about touring touring,” he says. “But I hate to think I’d never sing those songs again with those guys.”
Meanwhile, The Nearer the Fountain, Albarn’s second solo effort, arrives November 12.
