Entertainment - page 5

Seattle boasts a wide variety of theatre. If you are in the mood for live theatre entertainment the lineup of shows is truly something to look forward to. Whether you are looking for a date night out in the city, something kid friendly, humorous, or more meaningful these shows are looking lively, nostalgic, and entertaining.

Dirty Dancing, Toyota Theatre Kennewick
A beloved cult classic is coming to the live stage. Including hit favorite like ‘I Had the Time of My Life’ and ‘Hungry Eyes’ this throwback is a production that is sure to please. It delivers everything the audiences can hope for – lots of sexy dancing and rock ‘n’ roll. Starring Aaron Patrick Craven as Patrick Swayze and with Kaleigh Courts as Baby, come dance the night away with this great cast.

Kiss Me, Kate, 5th Avenue Theatre
Kiss Me Kate! The Golden Age classic and popular Cole Porter musical celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018. The show will be directed by Alan Paul with the book by Samuel and Bella Spewack. A meta-musical that takes place within a play, features music and lyrics including Too Darn Hot, Brush Up Your Shakespeare and Another Op’nin, Another Show. A show full of laughs, humor, and love, this is a play you won’t want to miss and will make a great night out in the city.

Aida, Seattle Opera
In ancient Egypt, in the capital city, Memphis, an Ethiopian princess, Aida, is held prisoner in Egypt, and she lies about her identity. Now, she is a slave of Amneris, the Egyptian King’s daughter. An Egyptian General, Radames, is secretly in love with Aida, and she with him. For a dramatic night at the opera, this night is sure to fit the bill.

Love Never Dies, Paramount Theatre
Andrew Lloyd Webber presents this new touring version of his blockbuster musical Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Reuniting the masked ghoul from the original with his one true love Christine. Love Never Dies is a worthy follow-up to one of the most popular musicals of all time.

Taylor Mac, Moore Theatre
New York City institution Taylor Mac, the daring and innovating drag and performance artist, director, producer, writer and musician, is quite simply a human force of nature. Recipient of the 2017 MacArthur Genius Grant, Mac is touring a condensed version of his Pulitzer Prize-nominated A 24 Decade History of Popular Music, a 24-hour concert that debuted in his native city in 2016.

Shakespeare in Love, Cornish Playhouse
Young Will Shakespeare is in dire need of inspiration. His next play is up against a deadline, and the only thing he’s figured out is the title: Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter. Then he meets Viola, a smart and beautiful woman who desperately wants to perform on the stage even though it’s forbidden. Will is smitten and gets inspired to write the greatest love story the world has known.

James and the Giant Peach, Cornish Playhouse
A classic Book to children and parents, come enjoy the creative an imaginative night with James and the Giant Peach. When James is sent by his devious aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a giant peach which falls off the tree and into the ocean, launching him on a journey. As the peach is transported across the waves, he must create community with the other residents on board — a group of human-sized insects with bright personalities.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, McCaw Theatre
For an exciting and colorful night, Shen Yun presents an evening of dance and music. A performance by this company is a true representation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization.

The Lamp is the Moon, Seattle Children’s Theatre
Meet Shawn, a bright young girl with a head full of science and imagination, which makes naptimes particularly difficult. Today it’s her friend, Lamp, that despite having no cord and no bulb, triggers a wide-awake adventure when it reveals its greatest dream is to learn to fly and become the moon. Launch into a voyage fit for mission control as Shawn and her lamp, with the guidance of the audience, escape another naptime and blast into space.

News headlines nowadays are covered with stories surrounding #MeToo and Time’s Up. Hollywood is experiencing a cultural shift as individuals are coming forward about their experience with sexual assault. For years, many of these stories have been silenced and kept under wrap. As stories of Hollywood elite abusing their power becomes public knowledge, people are forming their own opinions about those accused. While a movement like this is critical to fixing a power indifference within a corrupt industry, it is essential to understand the facts and history around the different accusations being made. With each person that is accused, there are varying circumstances at play, and in the current cultural climate, when someone is charged, people wrap them up with others that have been accused.

Woody Allen is one of the many names that has brought up in the movement. In contrast to other’s accused, the accusation against him is unique. His adopted daughter Dylan O’ Sullivan Farrow has brought a family situation back to the public limelight. Dylan Farrow asked why Allen was spared in the wake of the Time’s Up movement, claiming Allen abused her as a 7-year old in their family Connecticut home. Her brother Ronan Farrow is a journalist who brought down Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein. When Dylan began to speak out, she was listened to after asking why people were excusing her father. With the rise of the movement, multiple actors and actresses apologized for working with him, donated their salaries from his movies to charity, and said that they would not work with him in the future. In the wake of multiple allegations of top Hollywood producers turning out to be something where numerous parties could claim the same assault, Woody was lumped in with these powerhouse names. In the era of Time’s Up, is it fair to assume all accused as guilty? Allen’s case was an isolated accusation that happened decades ago, and a 14-month long, thorough investigation found Allen not guilty.

As mentioned, not another claim against Allen has been made since Dylan has resurfaced this case. This differs significantly from the allegations that have been made against other high-profile Hollywood producers. In fact, considering the length of Allen’s career and the time of the movement, now would be the ideal time to come forward and expose him, yet, no one has. In fact, the opposite has occurred. His adoptive son Moses Farrow wrote a 5,000-word account of life growing up, giving many details of the day of alleged abuse, and denying that his father abused Dylan Farrow. While that content has received some attention, it is an essential piece of this story that has been going on for decades. Moses begins by saying, “I’m a very private person and not at all interested in public attention. But, given the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit.” The account explains Mia Farrow’s family history, the abuse that took place in the home growing up, and a very personal story of his experience as a child, a young adult, and an actual adult navigating unhealthy family dynamics. It’s a raw and telling account of many of the hidden layers of information that the public has not been privy to. There is both family tension and public tension at play in this situation. As critics were ready to judge Allen as guilty, Moses was not willing to stand by any longer and watch his father get taken down when Moses had unheard information to share, but one must ask if Moses’s account came too late, because actors and actresses had already taken the necessary steps to disavow Allen. One must wonder if people had the opportunity to hear the story from multiple perspectives.

Allen is towards the end of an incredible cinematic career. It’s a shame that his name has been wrapped up in all this when he was proved not guilty many years ago. Dylan had a response to her brother saying on Twitter, “My brother is a troubled person, “I’m so sorry he’s doing this.” This family is divided on a severe issue, and it’s been a point of contention over the years. This is not the first time that Dylan Farrow has spoken out, and Moses has discounted her accounts. However, this is the first time that Moses has given a full account of what life was like growing up and how Mia used her children to bring down her ex-lover, Woody Allen. In the wake of his movement, you are criticized for having a differing opinion or not being on the side of the victim. For example, actress Blake Lively was slammed for working with Woody Allen in the middle of the resurfaced accusations. If you are guilty by association, that’s not a great place to be. Many Hollywood elite are picking sides and supporting the victim. While you can still be a supporter of the movement and believe that women should be treated with respect within the workplace, not all cases are black and white. And the Farrow Family is one of these cases. To lump Allen in the same category as repeat offenders is not what the movement is about. Allegations are not facts. And Allen is being treated as guilty even though he was found not guilty.

It’s important to be discerning and listen carefully as people come forward with their stories, for many of these wounds are deeply painful. However, not all cases are black and white, as is the case made against Woody Allen. While Dylan Farrow actively shares her truth, for many years the case verdict held as the investigation team found him not guilty. However, considering the recent movement people have become more vocal about protecting the victim, and disowning anyone accused, for it is safer to have an opinion than to stay silent because those who are silent on the matter are called out on their silence as complacent. As many people have stated, it’s entirely possible that Dylan truly believes this happened to her, while it still might not be the actual case. False memories are a real thing, and through the account that Moses gives about their mother drilling and coaching Dylan, it may very be that Dylan recalls an event that might have never happened. But, we will never honestly know for sure.

As with all movements, there is a certain level of criticism that comes with navigating new and unexplored territory. Many complaints and critiques surrounding Time’s Up stem from the foundation being created in the bubble that is Hollywood within a circle that is predominately white and wealthy. So where does #MeToo come in? Activist Tarana Burke started #MeToo after an encounter she had with a 13-year-old girl who shared her experiences as someone who experienced sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend, according to the New York Times. Burke also founded the non-profit Just Be, Inc., a program that supports victims of sexual misconduct, specifically focusing on young girls of color. While there is much overlap between Time’s Up and #MeToo they are two separate things. Time’s Up organization was started by a group of over 300 women within Hollywood. Wit A-list stars including Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and high profile producers like Shonda Rhimes and Oprah.

There have been several other men who have found themselves up close and personal within the movement including stars like Aziz Ansari, who was brought up in the #MeToo conversation after a date he thought was going fine, didn’t end up going well for the young woman he was with. In an open letter on Babe, the anonymous young women described it as the worst night of her life. Ansari responded saying that he had no intention of making the night uncomfortable, and from his accounts, it was a consensual night through and through. The letter circulated on the internet and many people were surprised over the event, as Ansari has been known to be an avid supporter of women’s rights and have a progressive pool of thought. Many of his stand-up gigs poke fun at the current dating culture and the less pleasant side of the experience. Ansari made a public statement in response to the letter, saying that by all accounts he believed the night was consensual. Ansari said, “I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”

In an interview with Bill Maher, Ronan Farrow, whose investigative journalism brought down sexual offenders, was asked if he finds it problematic that Ansari’s name will get wrapped up with the likes of those who were also accused. Ronan Farrow said, “our culture has actually been pretty good, on the whole, about self-regulating.” He then turned to the example of Ansari: “I don’t think anyone saw that and said, ‘Oh, he’s Harvey Weinstein. This is a multiple rapist.” What’s interesting is that Ronan Farrow says this about Ansari, but the same thing can’t be said for Allen, who happens to be Ronan’s (supposedly) father. Unlike Woody Allen, fans seem to be a bit more forgiving towards Ansari. Ansari was met with an excited crowd when he recently appeared at a Comedy Cellar, doing what he does best, standup comedy. This is a sign that people are receptive and still willing to support his career. He has received support from Parks and Recs co-stars and Amy Schumer in the wake of the incident. In the climate of sexual assault, one must wonder if the lines are ever blurry in these situations. Of course, with top Hollywood producers where people come out in large numbers of accused sexual assault, there is little gray area; there was a clear abuse of power, and someone was taken advantage of in a vulnerable state. However, with cases like Ansari, things become a little more unclear. The work that is happening to surround this topic is essential to changing how women are treated and respected. While it looks like Aziz Ansari may recover from his isolated incident, Allen might not recover from his. Accusations are accusations, and sometimes the truth is not a clear-cut as one would hope it to be. People are looking for justice and, and who gets it is not always clear.

*Visitor Submitted Article.

Summer is just around the corner, which brings us to—wedding season. Brides and grooms, your mothers, fathers, family, and friends, will all be racing around to help make your big day perfect, so make sure to point them in the right direction with the help of local shops, venues, florists, salons, and more. Whether you’re looking for a traditional white wedding, or taking a modern twist on the big day with your forever honey, rest assured that you will find everything you need for your special day in the city of Seattle.

Dresses and Tuxedos
Looking elegant and sharp on you wedding day is a must. When looking for your dress or tuxedo, be sure to research samples or pieces from specific shops before going in, to make sure they fit your niche.
Lovely Bride Seattle: This indie bridal shop and boutique offers a selection for not-so-over-the-top brides to be. With simple twists on traditional and modern styles, Lovely will supply all the needs for unique brides, bridesmaids, and mother(s) of the bride(s). Too busy putting last minute wedding plans together?—shop online for your easiest convenience!

La Bella Elaine’s: For over 35 years, La Bella Elaine’s has been helping brides find everything they need for their wedding day—from bridal dresses, bridesmaid dresses, jewelry, and accessories. They have the largest collection of bridal necessities in the city, so if you’re a girl who likes options, they have a pick for you.

BHLDN- Seattle: Located in Seattle’s downtown shopping center, BHLDN supplies bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, mother(s) of the bride(s) dresses, accessories, and even décor. This bridal shops grandiose location, makes way for a fun-filled day of bridal shopping, and seeing Pike’s Place Market.

KUHLMAN- Seattle: Bespoke Tailoring offer custom made tuxedos for both men AND women. Hand crafted from Italian wool, the process takes about eight weeks while your pieces are crafted in the Seattle shop. For a unique bride or groom, a custom outfit may be your pick.

The Tuxedo Club: Since 1988, The Tuxedo Club has been styling groom and groomsmen parties with premier tuxedos and formal wear. Come get your wedding parties exclusive tuxedo needs satisfied in Lower Queen Anne, Seattle.

The Black Tux: With THE BLK TUX, your tuxedo is guaranteed to fit using their perfect fit algorithms, the first time. Their use of 100 percent merino-wool, sourced straight from Italy, will have you looking dapper.

Salon Services
Whether the wedding party wants an on-site makeup and hair artist, or wants to make a trip to the salon prior to your wedding, fear not, Seattle’s got you covered.

Sorrida Salon: Providing onsite services, Sorrida’s leaves every bridal party feeling gorgeous and stress-free while getting ready for their big day. From bridal, bridesmaid, mother, and flower girl packages, to a la carte hair and makeup services, they have got you covered.

Blossom & Beauty: Another onsite bridal beauty service, provides magnificent hair and makeup for the big day. Packages and a la carte services provided with trial run at a location convenient for your busy schedule.

Hair by Joey: This private men’s grooming salon provides a relaxing one on one services (the only salon in Seattle whom provides this) for grooms to be. To look extra sharp on your big day, get groomed by Joey.

Sugar Plum: Whether you’re preparing for your honeymoon or wanting to feel extra smooth for your wedding day, hairless skin is moments away. Sugar plum sugaring services offer facial, body, bikini, and manzilian hair removal for every gender, sexuality, and body type. So as long as you’re a human looking for smooth skin, Sugar Plum will have you well on your way.

Venues
Depending on the needs of your guests, season of your wedding, or size of your wedding, you’ll need to be sure your venue attends all of your demands.

The Rainier Club: This mansion located in the downtown business district of Seattle, makes way for an event full of elegance. With gold leafed ceilings, and a Pacific Northwest feel, this venue can cater to both intimate weddings, and parties of up to 500 guests. If Seattle’s inconsistent weather worries you, The Rainier Club offers a weather-worry-free, year-round, indoor venue.

Columbia Winery: Located right outside of Seattle in Woodinville, WA, this lush, beautiful venue offers both indoor and outdoor amenities. Sitting up to 250 guests, or 300 standing, this is a great location for those with larger amounts of family and friends. Complementary fine wine will be provided alongside meals—even ask about our wine educators to make your big day extra special.

Seattle Bride: Celebrate alongside the beautifully renovated cabana and 1895 Robinswood House. Spacious patios and sunken garden leave way for a beautiful, floral, nature-esque wedding day—perfect for a warm summer day. Intimate and large weddings welcome, maximum 225 guests. Intimate ceremonies of 60 guests or less may be celebrated in the Robinswood House apace with a romantic fireplace surrounded by friends and family.

Florists
Fleurt Weddings: Based in Seattle, Fleurt vows to offer “creative floral design, crafting romantic floral art for modern, stylish couples.” Portfolio collections range from Summer Elegance, Secret Garden, Urban Chic, Springtime Romance, Industrial Charm, and Bohemian Blush.

Fab Floral: Creating customized wedding floral designs, owner Laurie Henderson listens to each client to make sure their floral arrangements will be perfect for the couples’ big day. She puts her own unique twists on floral décor, including floral jewelry.

Ravenna Bloom: Ravenna’s specializes in bouquets, ceremony, reception, and cake flowers. Utilizing exquisite traditional flowers to make classy centerpieces, bouquets, and more, these superb floral masterpieces will leave your guests in awe.

Whether you’re a bride, groom, part of the wedding party, family member, or helpful friend, these local resources will aid you in planning an impeccable wedding day.

The Seattle area welcomes spring with open arms every year. After months of rain and dark cloudy days, Spring gives locals the hope and reminder that the sun will returning to the Pacific Northwest. Spring is always a bit fickle in the Seattle area, but locals make the most of those sporadic breaks. The Seattle area is one of the most beautiful places in the world during the spring and summer and offers a variety of festivals, performances, and experiences that bring people in from out of town and locals look forward to.

University of Washington Cherry Blossoms
While the UW campus looks like Hogwarts, the Cherry Blossoms add an extra magical element to the campus. Lovely pink blossoms surround the campus quad during the Spring. If you want to find parking and get the quad kind of to yourself go early in the morning. During the day the quad will be packed with students, tourists and people exploring the UW campus. If you get to experience these lovely blossoms, you’ll be back the following year. They are quick to bloom and quick to fall, so don’t miss your window of opportunity.

Tulip Festival
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a spring event not to be missed. It’s so popular it has been known to create traffic jams on I-5 during the peak season and for good reason. If you plan ahead and set aside a day during the week the experience will be just that much more enjoyable thanks to the lack of crowds. The Tulips will start blooming in April, so prepare yourself. And prepare yourself for the Instagram photos of brilliantly bright flowers appearing in your feed. If you are in the area, or have never been, its an experience not to be missed. This is a great location for taking scenic pictures or memorable family pictures.

Sasquatch Music Festival
Sasquatch Music Festival will again take place at the award-winning Gorge Amphitheatre on Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, 2018. This year features: Bon Iver, The National, Modest Mouse, David Byrne, TylerThe Creator, Ray Lamontagne, Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals, Spoon, Grizzly Bear, Explosions In The Sky, Neko Case, and more! This is a well-attended local favorite. Get your tickets sooner rather than later.

Whale Watching
Going whale watching is something everyone should do at least once if you live in Seattle. One route to increase your success of spotting some sea life is to go with Clipper Vacations. They offer the only whale watching trip departing from Seattle and their day trip options San Juans area a favorite. See orca, minke and humpback whales as well as Dall’s porpoise, seals, otters and bald eagle. The best time of the year for whale watching starts in spring, so don’t miss out!

Go to the Mountains
Spring is time for exploring mountains in the Seattle area. It’s not unlikely that spring skiing is still available for mountain lovers through the late months of spring. With warmer temperatures and sunshine, hit the mountains to get in a few more runs before the snow melts for the summer. Snoqualmie and Crystal Mountain are the top two locations for Seattleites to explore. Some favorite hikes include Mailbox Peak and Rattlesnake Ridge.

Daffodil Festival
Pierce County celebrates the fluffy yellow flowers, who have had their own festival in the area since 1934. The highlight of the event is its grand parade, where the festival’s royal court (made up of 23 “princesses” from Pierce County high schools) sail down the street on Daffodil-covered floats taking place in several different cities across the south Puget sound.

Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival
In appreciation of the 1,000 cherry trees gifted to Seattle by Prime Minister Takeo Miki 40 years ago, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration of Japanese culture. It’s the oldest in the Seattle Center Festal series.

The 5th Avenue Theatre
Great entertainment awaits musical lovers this Spring at the 5th Avenue Theatre.
Kiss Me, Kate run from April 6–29. The 5th is producing the Cole Porter classic as part of the city-wide Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare festival, with opulent sets and costumes from the critically acclaimed production by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. For an evening of fun, laughs, and comedy, Kiss Me Kate is a classic musical theatre production.

Hunchback of Notre Dame runs June 1–24. This musical, while it has all of the goods from the Disney movie, is not an adaptation of the Disney film. It stays truer to the book and is darker than the Disney film. This will be directed by Glenn Casale, who directed Little Mermaid.

Pike Place Market
With dozens of covered stalls, restaurants, bars, and galleries, any time of year can be a good time to visit Pike Place Market. Blooming flowers and blue skies mean that the Market is at its loveliest during the warmer sunny days of spring and summer. Walk down to the waterfront and ride the Ferris wheel for some stunning views of the water, Mt. Rainer, and the city. Stop by the original Starbucks, pick up a bag of freshly made donuts, or just enjoy the buzz of the market with street performers, vendors, tourist fresh off a cruise, or locals coming down to pick up ingredients for a fresh dinner. The market is a Seattle highlight and and very memorable to visit when the weather warms up.

This is just a sliver of what is happening in the spring in Seattle. However, these are some classic favorites from locals and visitors. If you are looking for a productive way to spend the upcoming sunny days, this list will get you on the right track or hopefully act as inspiration to investigate other upcoming events.

With streaming services like Amazon Video, Netflix, and Hulu, consumers have changed the way they view movies and television shows. Paying for Comcast is a thing of the past to cut the cord and consider these options. Gone are the days of sitting on the couch and flipping through different programs. These streaming services offer consumers more options, flexibility, and power over how and when they want to watch their programs. Each service has its own story and rise to popularity and different offerings for a unique viewing experience.

Amazon Video

The creation of Amazon Video was led by Hollywood Executive Roy Price, who made the transition from Los Angeles to Seattle to get Amazon Video off the ground. Amazon Video has transitioned from its original framework and has grown immensely in what it offers consumers. The service debuted on September 7, 2006, as Amazon Unbox in the United States. Currently, Amazon Prime members can subscribe to over 100 premium channels like HBO, SHOWTIME, and STARZ, as well as specialty channels like Acorn TV, PBS Kids, and Heera. What’s great about the service is you only pay for the channels you want, watch anywhere, and cancel anytime. Cable is not required. Prime Video is available on its own for $8.99 per month. It offers streaming access to thousands of movies and TV shows. The ability to download shows on a tablet or phone for offline viewing is also available. The Prime packages also include free two-day shipping from amazon.com, unlimited ad-free streaming of Prime Music and unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. Amazon is located in Seattle, Washington.

Amazon Video knew that they were not the only streaming service available, and to create engaging content to compete with others, Amazon Studios was created. Amazon Studios is a division of Amazon, which focuses on developing television shows, distributing and producing films, and comics from online submission. Scripts for Amazon Studio television and film are submitted through online submissions to Amazon. They are reviewed and rated by other readers in a crowd-sourced fashion, and by Amazon staff. In a 2012 interview with WIRED, Roy Price was asked what he is trying to do at Amazon Studios. He answered, “We are trying to do two things. One is to create opportunities for film and TV creators, and the other is to create great new movies and TV shows for our customers.” With Prime, you already have access to a huge library of movies and TV shows at no additional cost, including award-winning Amazon Originals like Manchester by the Sea, The Man in the High Castle, The Grand Tour, and Mozart in the Jungle.

In 2017, Amazon Studios became the first streaming media service to have an Oscar Best Picture nomination, earning it for Manchester by the Sea. The film The Salesman was nominated and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Manchester by the Sea was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, winning two Oscars, including Best Actor for Casey Affleck and Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan.

With all that Amazon Video and Amazon Studio have accomplished up to this point, it’s no surprise that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants the same thing from his streaming shows that he wants from every other part of his company, overarching success, and domination. Roy Price, says Bezos and other senior Amazon management team members have made it clear that they want more attention-grabbing shows. In other words, something to put them ahead of other competitors. In an interview with Variety, Price said that Amazon Studios would refocus on “big shows that can make the biggest difference around the world,” and specifically cited Game of Thrones as a model. An excellent model to work with, as that show has become a cultural phenomenon. To take their entertainment services to the next level, Amazon will have to continue to come up with creative and gripping new content. As people become more discerning in what they watch, Amazon will have to understand its user base to create a show and concept that draws in subscribers. View Roy Price’s LinkedIn Professional Profile or full biography here.

Netflix

Netflix is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. It specializes in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail. It is headquartered in Los Gatos, California.

In 1998 Netflix launched the first DVD rental and sales site called Netflix.com. In 1999, Netflix started a monthly subscription model, unlimited rentals for a single monthly rate. In 2000, Netflix offered to be acquired by Blockbuster for $50 million, but the offer was declined. Little did Blockbuster know how quickly and successfully Netflix would take off. In the same year, Netflix introduced a personalized movie recommendation system, which uses Netflix members ratings to predict choices for all Netflix members. In 2007, Netflix introduced streaming which allowed members to watch tv shows and movies on their personal computers instantly. In 2008, Netflix partnered with electronics companies to stream on the Xbox 360, Blu-ray disc, and tv step-top boxes. In 2010, Netflix was available on Apple iPad, iPhone, Wii, and other internet-connected devices. In the same year Netflix launched its services in Canada, and by 2016 Netflix was available worldwide.

Netflix has found extreme success with certain television shows. In 2013, Netflix premiered “House of Cards” a series about the corrupt politicians of D.C. and Netflix had invested $100 million for two 13-episode seasons. A huge risk, but one that paid off as the first season earned eight Emmy nominations. The second season earned 13 Emmy nominations. “Orange is the New Black” is another Netflix show that took viewers by storm. An inside look at the inmates of a women’s prison debuted in 2013. This show also received 12 Emmy nominations.

As of the middle of 2014, Netflix had grown to more than 50 million subscribers with a stock price over $400 a share. Today, Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with over 109 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 140 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

How the idea of Netflix came about has conflicting views. CEO, Reed Hastings said, In the mid-Nineties, he was said to have rented Apollo 13 from his local Blockbuster Video store and lost it. The penalty for was a heavy $40 fine. Here’s how Hastings told it eight years ago:

“I remember the fee because I was embarrassed about it. That was back in the VHS days, and it got me thinking that there’s a big market out there. So, I started to investigate the idea of how to create a movie-rental business by mail. I didn’t know about DVDs, and then a friend of mine told me they were coming. I ran out to Tower Records in Santa Cruz, California, and mailed CDs to myself, just a disc in an envelope. It was a long 24 hours until the mail arrived back at my house, and I ripped them open, and they were all in great shape. That was the big excitement point.”

While co-founder and former CEO Marc Randolph says, “there was no late fee, no aha moment, just long commutes in Silicon Valley that the pair spent plotting their next venture around the time that Hastings’s first business, Pure Software, merged with Atria, where Randolph worked and sold to another company.”

Whether a late fee, or just late nights and brainstorming sessions, it’s safe to say that Netflix users are pleased that the service exists, and aren’t too concerned whether it was brainstormed in a room with the early creators or because of a late fee. Netflix has revolutionized entertainment and is a household name across America and the world.

Hulu

Hulu was created as a joint venture by NBC Universal, Fox Entertainment Group, and ABC Inc. and was announced in 2007. Hulu launched public access on March 12, 2008. While Amazon Video and Netflix offer a spread of entertainment, Hulu offers a more focused approach and is geared towards television series, carrying current and past episodes of series from its owners’ respective television networks and other content partners. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California and service the U.S. and Japan.

One of Hulu’s most successful shows is “The Handmaid’s Tale” which took home five Primetime Emmys and 13 nominations. Hulu also announced its plans to launch seven new original series in the new year. Other Hulu originals include “Future Man,” “I Love You American,” “The Mindy Project,” and “Casual.” Hulu also offers 30 Rock, Buffy, and they also just swiped all the old episodes of Will & Grace, just in time for the revival season on NBC. Hulu’s also a great way to keep up with current network TV if you don’t have satellite, cable or maybe just work late. You can watch the new episode of a show just a day after it airs, as you could before Hulu went subscription-only. Hulu’s videos are only for people inside the U.S. Starting at $5.99 a month for the first year, and $7.99 a month after that. You can also now do a live TV plan for $39.99 a month, which includes many of the programs you would find on cable. These programs include live news, entertainment and sports from 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, The CW, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive to its offering and making it the only TV service that brings together live, on-demand, originals, and library content all in one place. If you are a lover of television series who just can’t get your schedule to line up with the live showings, this is a perfect solution for you.

It was reported that in 2011, Hulu made $420 million, which was $80 million short of the predicted revenue. Mike Hopkins, who as CEO of Hulu since 2013, has led the company through significant audience growth and the successful launch of Hulu with Live TV, left the company in 2017. Randy Freer has been named CEO. As of April 2017, Hulu has 32 million users.

Whatever you are looking for as an alternative to traditional cable, Amazon Video, Netflix, and Hulu entertain viewers looking for a variety of shows and entertainment experiences. Since their beginnings, it is evident that these companies have shifted and evolved from their early stages. As they continue to develop to keep an edge on their competition, they will continue to adapt to what audiences are looking for in entertainment. With fewer advertisements, more options, and different purchasing packages, these services allow for a consumer to pick what streaming service they want discerningly.

The Farrow family has had a long history of turbulence. The Farrow name has been in the Hollywood spotlight for multiple generations through numerous scandals. Most recently, the two adopted children of actress Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen have been in the spotlight. Moses Farrow and Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow who once shared a childhood home, memories, and life together, are estranged from one another. Moses and Dylan recall different accounts of life growing up in the Farrow household. But the isolated situation that drove a wedge between these adopted siblings is their differing account of what happened in the family home on the day Woody Allen was accused of sexually assaulting Dylan Farrow. For many years, Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow and Moses Farrow were on the same team. They gave statements against their father, and it was clear that the Farrow family was going to stick together to protect Dylan. That is no longer the case. They cohesive family narrative started to breakdown when Moses claimed that Woody Allen never sexually assaulted Dylan Farrow and it was a ploy by his adoptive mother Mia Farrow to get back at Allen for dating her daughter who she co-adopted with previous partner composer Andre Previn.

In 2018 Dylan Farrow talked about the alleged abuse during a TV interview. She has spoken about the sexual assault before, in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2013 and in an open letter published in the New York Times in 2014.

Moses Farrow believes that Dylan’s claims are misinformed and driven by their calculated mother. Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow was furious at her brother for speaking out against her and the events of that day. Both Moses and Dylan have different accounts of what happened on the day in the family house. Moses had spoken out several times about what happened on that day, and how he was able to share more of his truth as an adult compared to when he was younger. Dylan continues to stand by her story. The difference in the story-line these two tell has created a significant strain on their relationship. So much so that Dylan has said that Moses is dead to her. This case has been viewed through the public eye for over 25 years. But both siblings hold their version of the truth close to the chest.

A family divided is not a new concept to the children growing up in the Farrow household. Mia Farrow and brother Ronan Farrow have stood by Dylan through her public claims, and she has received much attention with the recent #MeToo movement, asking the public and the Hollywood realm why Woody Allen was spared. To state the facts, Allen was found not guilty over a 14-month long investigation when the case was first brought to light, and no one has accused him of sexual assault since. Ronan Farrow has been a driving force behind the journalism and news of the movement likely to ensure justice for his sister. But with such different accounts of what happened on that day from multiple parties, the amount of time that has past, and many fuzzy details regarding the case, it’s hard to say with certainty what happened. Moses Farrow details what life was like growing up, as well as details about the day of the alleged abuse. In reaction to continued claims made by his sister, Moses stepped forward protecting his adoptive father and saying that Dylan Farrow was coached and influenced by their mother to make these claims.

Moses Farrow, who is 40 and works as a Family Therapist, was the first child to speak out his sister’s claims. Moses has been quoted in numerous publications about how confusing and frightening it was growing up under Mia Farrow’s rule, and how he was not able to share his truth until he was older and more removed from the situation. Today he has a relationship with his father Woody, and while it has taken him time to get there, his is happy to have his connection back with his father. For years, the Farrow family stuck together to make Allen out as the villain of the situation. It was drilled into the children that Allen was an evil man and this likely informed their decisions about him as adults. However, Moses’s detailed account of the day gives us a fuller understanding of what happened on the day of the alleged abuse, and what life was really like in the Farrow home.

Moses Farrow’s account entitled “A Son Speaks Out” is a 5,000-word document that sheds new light on the family situation. The document fills the public in on many details that have gone unknown. Moses recalls acting as “the man of the house” and monitoring Allen’s every move on the day of Dylan Farrow’s alleged assault, there was never a moment when Allen and Dylan Farrow were alone together. “I deliberately made sure to note everyone’s coming and going. I do remember that Woody would leave the room on occasion, but never with Dylan,” he wrote. “He would wander into another room to make a phone call, read the paper, use the bathroom, or step outside to get some air and walk around the large pond on the property.” Moses was 14 at the time.

As for the day of the alleged abuse, Moses discounts his sisters claims and details the many reasons why Dylan’s testimony against Woody cannot be true. From the size of the space where it was alleged to have taken place, to the presence there, or not, of a toy train-set she claimed to have been looking at. His central claim is that Dylan’s statements were coached and influenced by Mia Farrow and that this is consistent with the way in which the family was brought up. Two nannies and a French tutor were also present during the time of the alleged abuse. Moses goes into detail about who people were behaving, and how nothing about that night added up to the accusations later made. He said there were no complaints by the nannies, Woody and Mia went out to dinner, and Woody stayed overnight in a downstairs bedroom-with, apparently, not abnormal behavior by Dylan, and no hostile reports from any of the grownups.

Moses’s shared his personal experience growing up in the Farrow household. He claims that he was humiliated and physically abused by Mia, once forced to stand naked in the corner of her room, in front of his older siblings, because he cut the belt loops off a new pair of jeans. Mia’s treatment of her children had severe repercussions later in life for them, their psyche, and development as people. Tragically, three of Mia’s adopted children are now dead. One, Thaddeus, committed suicide. Another, Tam, died of an overdose after many years struggling with depression, although Moses speculates that this too was suicide, saying that “of course, blindness didn’t impair her ability to count.” Another sister, Lark, apparently struggled with addiction and died, aged 35. It’s an unsettling thought that this many of Mia’s children have passed, especially given the environment Moses describes. What’s odd is that we never hear similar accounts from Dylan or Ronan, who have aligned with their mother over the years. As far as they are concerned their mother is a child-activist, who protects those who don’t have a voice of their own. Maybe they never directly experienced this kind of behavior from their mother, but to have no impact or shared memories with Moses shows just how big of an experience gap the children had. Moses was significantly older than the other two children, Dylan was the victim child, and Ronan was Mia’s biological son, so it might not be so surprising that they had such different memories. Dylan responded to Moses’ essay on Twitter saying: “As I said when he last made these claims, this is an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings. It’s easily disproven, contradicts years of his own statements, is beyond hurtful to me personally, and is part of a larger effort to discredit and distract from my assault. My brother is a troubled person. I’m so sorry he’s doing this.”

Dylan and Mia have since renounced Moses as part of the family. Moses stated that public perception was fundamental to his mother, and one of her biggest fears was that people would uncover she was not the saint she was portrayed as. Moses’s narrative casts a dark shadow about the upbringing these adopted children experienced. As children, fear is a powerful tool, and if you are an adopted child, the fear to abide and stay in a family is a powerful influence to do a mothers bidding. Moses ends his post by appealing directly to his sister. “To my sister Dylan: Like you, I believe in the power of speaking out. I have broken my silence about the abuse inflicted by our mother. My healing began only after getting away from her. And what she has done to you is unbearable. I wish you peace, and the wisdom to understand that devoting your life to helping our mother destroy our father’s reputation is unlikely to bring you closure.”

Moses does not call his sister out as a manipulator or ill-intended, but rather that she was influenced and molded to do her mother’s bidding. There have been several commentators on this family that have said Dylan honestly could believe she is telling the truth, even if she was manipulated at a young and tender age. Moses appeals to the controlling nature of his mother to explain the situation and how it was all concocted to smear Allen’s name.

What’s sad and somewhat odd, is how different accounts these two have. Moses’s account is convincing that it was not a happy household to grow up in, while it seems like Dylan has clung to her mother for most of her life. It’s unlikely that Moses and Dylan will ever reconnect or be able to bridge this family gap. While they continue in their own lives, it seems doubtful that the siblings will be able to cultivate a relationship again. What is likely is that this isn’t where the story will end. With more information coming out to the public, and the use of social media, I’m sure we will hear more from the Farrow family. It took over twenty years to hear from one sibling of the family, so only time will tell what kind of information comes out next. What’s for sure is that one family holds many versions of the truth and are willing to go to great lengths to defend their claims.

**Visitor submitted article.

There was a time where a typical Friday night involved a trip to a Blockbuster Video or Hollywood video to try and rent the hottest new release before anyone else did. There was always limited number of new releases and there were always a very limited number of the classics. It was always frustrating to try and find the exact movie to watch. Choices were limited and overall disappointment about not having the opportunity to watch what one wanted when they wanted became the driving force in the next evolution of how we watch TV. Cable networks also only provided limited viewing options and charged high prices for the privilege.

Netflix and Amazon Video radically changed how we watch TV. Not only did these streaming services put multi-million dollar companies like Blockbuster out of business but they also changed how the average person watches TV. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video provided unlimited access to large amounts of movies and television shows. They also provided access to movies and television shows from different parts of the world. Suddenly, subscribers to these services had unlimited access to new and exciting shows. Shows and movies that would have never made it to the standard cable networks or the traditional commercial broadcast networks were made viewable to a large audience.

There are certain individuals who made streaming movies and shows a reality for many households around the world. People like the founders of Netflix and Roy Price worked tirelessly to bring about the reality of streaming. It was still such a new and foreign concept that at first there was a question whether streaming videos through the Internet was a viable business model. But individuals like Roy Price, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph were the forerunners in the streaming entertainment industry.

Netflix is one of the greatest unlikely success stories in the business world. It was founded in August of 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in California. Both men had already experienced success in their respective businesses and decided that they wanted to start their own business. Randolph worked as a marketing director for Hastings’ company, Pure Atria Corporation. Randolph was also a co-founder of MicroWarehouse, which was a computer mail order company. Reed Hastings, a mathematician and computer scientist, sold Pure Atria in 1997 for a very cool $700 million. At the time, it was the largest acquisition in Silicon Valley history. The two men came up with the idea for Netflix while their morning commute between their homes in Santa Cruz and the Pure Atria’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. They both knew that there was a better and cheaper way to have access to movies and TV shows by using the Internet.

Amazon and its business model inspired the basic idea behind Netflix. Both of the founders wanted to offer a service that would sell a large number of items over the Internet using a very similar model but they wanted to strictly ship entertainment items through the Internet. VHS tapes were still very popular at the time but both Hastings and Randolph thought that they were too expensive and too delicate to ship. DVD’s were still a fairly new concept and relatively unheard of during 1997 but both Hastings and Randolph they believed that they had the answer to their problems.

The first test run of Netflix involved mailing a DVD disk to Hastings own house in Santa Cruz. They wanted to test whether they could successfully ship a DVD without it breaking. They wanted to see if their business model of buying and selling DVDs through the Internet was viable and if they could successfully send them through the mail without getting damaged. When they had a successful test run, they decided to take the plunge. They officially launched in April of 1998 with only 30 employees and they had 925 DVD’s available through a pay per rent business model.

It took a few years for Netflix to gain true popularity but once it did, the company decided to move away from the single rental model, where someone could only rent a few DVD’s at a time and move towards a subscription service. They started to offer flat-fee unlimited rentals without having any due dates or late fees. Netflix then approached Blockbuster to offer a buyout of $50 million and Blockbuster turned it down. By 2005, Netflix was shipping 1 million DVD’s per day.

Netflix was doing really well, but the company knew that times were changing. Blockbuster was struggling and the DVD market was starting to lag. Netflix took note of the popularity of Youtube and they saw that streaming video was the wave of the future. Data speeds and bandwidth costs had become much more affordable. Netflix started to move away from the DVD rental industry and they began to focus on the video on demand market. Even though DVD sales fell sharply, Netflix continued to grow.

When Netflix started to focus on the video on demand market, their customer base also grew exponentially. By the end of 2013, they had 33.1 million subscribers in the United States. By the beginning of the fourth quarter in 2014, Netflix said they had subscribers in over 40 countries and were looking to expand to other countries in the world. All those subscribers were moving away from DVD’s and traditional cable companies because Netflix offered more options. Netflix also was working on offering new and unique content from around the world.

People were so attracted to Netflix in the beginning because it was a cheap and easy way to get a DVD but the company really grew when they decided to expand their video on demand offerings. Soon, companies like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video declared bankruptcy and the rise of Netflix paved the way for other entertainment companies to focus on the video on demand industry.

Netflix was inspired by Amazon but soon Netflix would inspire Amazon to add their own streaming service. Amazon has become the largest retailer in the world. What started as a marketplace for books has exploded into the easiest and fastest way to get almost anything. People can buy electronics, clothes, toys, food and so much more on Amazon. When Amazon saw the overwhelming popularity of Netflix they knew the next step in their evolution as a company, was to start offering streaming services.

Amazon has been selling DVD’s and VHS tapes for a long time. The giant retailer knew that the VHS market was dying out but they thought that the DVD market would have more longevity. Netflix changed this and suddenly the DVD market was dying. People in general didn’t want to buy and store DVD’s so when the option of streaming movies and television shows through the Internet became available, it was widely appealing. Amazon debuted their Amazon Video in September of 2006 to help create another avenue for streaming movies and shows.

Roy Price already had a long and successful career before he was brought on board at Amazon. He had already established himself as a power player in the Entertainment industry and Amazon knew that he was the perfect person to helm their latest project. After a successful career at Disney and as a consultant for some of the largest firms in the world, Price was eager to be working on such a new and exciting part of the next evolution in how people around the world watch television.

Price first started as a Group Product Manager at Amazon Video on Demand and quickly moved up to Director. He was an instrumental part in the creation of Amazon Video on Demand and Amazon Studios. His time at Amazon Video on Demand helped Amazon to become a direct competitor with the reigning champ Netflix. When he was promoted to director, he developed and launched Amazon Studio along with developing and launching new and original series for Amazon.

The first incarnation of Amazon Video was Amazon Unbox. The service grew rapidly by expanding its library and then they added the Prime Video Membership when Prime was created. In 2011, Amazon rebranded service as Amazon Instant Video and added over 5,000 movies and TV shows for Amazon Prime members. Eventually the name was shortened to just Amazon Video in 2015. Not only did they change the name but this also ushered in the largest expansion that the service has ever seen.

Not only was Amazon Video focusing on streaming new and exciting content but also they started to move towards offering live sports. This last April, Amazon was the first streaming service to acquire non-exclusive rights to live stream a portion of NFL’s Thursday Night Football. They also acquired the British television rights to the ATP World Tour and the deal is set to run through 2023. This was a huge win for Amazon because the sports watching demographic was still relying on getting their sports predominately through cable. Most sports fans still pay for cable because that is the only provider of live sporting events. But Amazon is making moves to change that and they plan on continuing to work on deals in order to stream all available sporting events.

The introduction of streaming services rapidly changed how the average person watches TV. Cable packages in 1995 cost about $22 month and now depending on your cable company, can cost upwards to $80 per month. US cable TV has experienced a steady price increase every year in spite of economic downturns. The cable price increase has outpaced inflation every single year for over the past twenty years. For anyone who has owned cable over the years, the yearly price increase was difficult for most families.

When Amazon and Netflix both started to offer their streaming services, both offered television and movies for a lot less than cable. They also began to focus on creating original content and featuring shows and movies from around the world. People were exposed to content that most cable companies would have never put into production. Large broadcast companies stuck to formulaic plotlines and characters for most of their shows. With the introduction of Netflix and Amazon, doors were opened to a wide variety of content with different themes and plotlines.

These streaming services started to move people away from basic and premier cable and from the once popular stereotypical shows to new and unique shows. Netflix and Amazon both offered streaming services for far cheaper than traditional cable companies. Both streaming services also offered a full season of the shows to be watched in complete succession. Being able to stream almost any show or movie at anytime was widely attractive to viewers.

There has been a revolt in the entertainment industry being led by consumers. Most consumers don’t want to pay exorbitant prices to watch their favorites shows and movies. Streaming services offered a way for people to watch their favorite show and movies at much cheaper prices. Both Amazon and Netflix have huge libraries filled with lots and lots of titles. Premier cable channels like HBO would only offer a run of the same 10-15 movies for months on end. Options were limited and Netflix and Amazon offered far more options. Consumers also want new and exciting content. Some of the most popular shows currently are original programing produced by either Amazon or Netflix.

It has become apparent that people were ready for something different. The popularity of Netflix and Amazon has blown up over the last 7 years and it has been predicted that these companies could put cable companies out of business. Award winning television shows and movies are being developed and produced by streaming companies and they are the most watched shows and movies on the planet. Cable companies are trying to keep up with the demand that streaming companies have created but they have not created the same magic. Streaming companies are revolutionizing the entertainment industry and there is no doubt that both Netflix and Amazon will lead the way to the next development in entertainment.