ARTICLES
Puck’s “The Great Netflix Hit Factory Paradox,” by Julia Alexander:
“…50 percent of all of Netflix’s Top 10 English-speaking debuts premiered in 2022, including Ozark’s fourth season and Bridgerton’s second season. It’s an impressive feat, and yet it’s entirely discordant with the fact that Netflix also had arguably its worst year on record.
The company lost subscribers in its second and third quarters, and gained only 100,000 subs in the U.S. and Canada in its most recent quarter. [snip] Netflix is projecting subscriber growth of 4.5 million in Q4, about half the number that joined in Q4 2021. Revenue has slowed alongside subscriber growth, and churn rates are still higher than normal at the company.”
The Ankler’s “The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Liar Confesses It All,” by Peter Kiefer:
Puck’s “The People vs James Dolan,” by Eriq Gardner
"[Dolan] had instituted a policy banning lawyers at firms currently suing the company. “While at [Madison Square Garden], I was identified as a banned G&E attorney via facial recognition software,” [Barbara Hart] stated in her affidavit. “MSG employees stopped me and asked for my ID. After I refused to give it to them, they correctly identified me as Barbara Hart.”
Facial recognition software to stop plaintiff lawyers from enjoying live music? What’s next, keeping a movie critic out of theaters after a bad review?“
Huddle Up’s “How The NBA Shoe Business Actually Works,” by Joseph Pompliano (h/t to Sean McNulty at The Ankler on this one)
Pirate Wires’ “The Twitter Files, Part Two: Twitter’s Secret Blacklist Thread, In A More Readable Format,” by Brandon Gorrell:
The 100 Days’ “Twitter is Fun Again!,” by Matt Givens, MD:
“As a political independent skeptical of both parties, I find all of the [following] to be simultaneously true. The opening salvo of the Twitter Files did indeed come up short; corroborate what we knew; highlight a national scandal; and raise fundamental of questions about the integrity of our democracy in general, and the recent presidential election in particular.”
Slow Boring’s “What I learned co-founding Vox,” by Matt Yglesias
The Atlantic’s “The End of High School English,” by David Herman
I wonder if [ChatGPT] may be the end of using writing as a benchmark for aptitude and intelligence. After all, what is a cover letter? Its primary purpose isn’t to communicate “I already know how to do this job” (because of course I don’t) but rather “I am competent and trustworthy and can clearly express to you why I would be a good candidate for this job.” What is a written exam? Its primary signal isn’t “I memorized a bunch of information” but rather “I can express that information clearly in writing.” Many teachers have reacted to ChatGPT by imagining how to give writing assignments now—maybe they should be written out by hand, or given only in class—but that seems to me shortsighted. The question isn’t “How will we get around this?” but rather “Is this still worth doing?”
PODCASTS
Martini Shot’s “If Writers Gave Execs Notes,” by Rob Long:
MOVIES/SERIES
WEDNESDAY - Recommend. Binged this last week but forgot to mention it. Jenna Ortega is really good in the title role; the VERONICA MARS-ness is fine but the sleuthery is not exactly the strongest element of the show.
BULLET TRAIN - Consider. It’s fine, and exactly what it seems to be, I just felt like something was missing. Can’t quite put my finger on it, tbh.