Trouble With the Apple Card Leads to Trending Topic

On By Kendra FranklinIn Brand, TechnologyLeave a comment
Source: Apple Inc.

Apple unveiled their new iPhone 13 line on Friday, with pre-order sales opening at 8 a.m. that morning. For over an hour and a half after of the opening, customers were raising concerns about trouble ordering their new iPhone using the Apple Card, with many unable to purchase using their iPhone Upgrade Program.

Though users were able to purchase using other card payment options, this option takes away from some of the main benefits if getting an Apple Card, like 3% cash back and payment plans.

Users took to Twitter to express their frustrations about not being able to order an Apple product despite using an Apple service, eventually making “Apple Card” a trending topic on Twitter that day.

Some dealing with the issue expressed frustration.

Others, however, used humor to cope with the inconvenience.

Apple addressed the issue on their system status page, stating that “some Apple Card customers are not able to make iPhone Upgrade Program purchases.” The company updated the system status page at 12:36 p.m., claiming that the issue was resolved. The problem lasted for over four hours before Apple was able to address it.

Which Philly is Adam Sandler bringing to Netflix?

On By aliceherrickIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

While Manayunk hosts the production of the new Sandler film, Hustle, rumors are beginning to circulate about whether or not the town will actually be referenced in the movie.  

If you live in Northwest Philly, you’ve probably been hearing all about it: Adam Sandler is filming a movie in Manayunk! It has been the talk of the rowhouse town for weeks now. Happy Madison Productions, is telling the story of a basketball scout (portrayed by Sandler) attempting to revive his career by bringing an athlete from another country to play in the NBA. The film takes place in various parts of the city of brotherly love, but for the few days, production has been centered in Manayunk.

Many fans of the actor gathered on the streets at all hours trying to get a glance of the action, while other locals have not been as welcoming; Upset about how street closures have disrupted their day-to-day, a few petitions have even circulated around social media groups, including a call to have the production company “give back” for causing inconvenience. Though, as the filming wrapped up Friday evening, the community seemed in good spirits. ABC6 caught Sandler taking the time to greet fans, and everyone is excited to see their Canal Neighborhood be featured on Netflix.

Friday morning, a cop at the intersection of Main Street & Shurs Lane reveled to me that he had been hearing rumors that state: “It’s not actually gonna be Manyunk. It’s supposed to be like ‘North-North’ Philly, but they’re just using parts of here that look more beat up”

“North-North” referring to areas such as Kensington or Northern Liberties. When I asked him why he thought they would make that decision, the cop said, “I think was just easier for them to do it here.” This notion remains completely alleged, the only evidence being anecdotal. However, it is not out of the realm of possibility; pretending some locations are others is a regular procedure in film. Though if true, it raises questions the money Manayunk received for hosting Happy Madison Productions, and if it should have been allocated to Kensington or NL. Furthermore, its sure to cause disappointment among the Manayunk locals who where excited to see their town in a Movie. Until further information is realized about the film, we’ll just have to wait until Hustle drops on Netflix later in 2021.

Twitch Sues Users Over Allegations of Harassment

On By emmaspaethIn Censorship, Ethical Issue(s), Gaming, LGBTQ+, Streaming, Video GameLeave a comment

Twitch files lawsuit against two users responsible for targeting and harassing Black and LGBTQIA+ streamers 

Photo Via MIKKELWILLIAM/GETTY IMAGES on Wired.com

On Thursday, September 9th, Twitch filed a lawsuit in US District Court for the Northern District of California against two users for violations of terms of services. The users CruzzControl and Creatine Overdose are accused of spamming the chats and comments of black and LGBTQIA+ streamers with racist and homophobic hate speech. Thousands of streamers have been targeting in these ‘hate raids’.

The two accounts are believed to have used bot software to spam channels with hundreds of hate comments within minutes, forcing some users to suspend streaming. Twitch alleges the account CruzzControl operated nearly 3,000 bots in recent hate raids. The two accounts were initially suspended after complaints filed against them before permanently banning their accounts.

The lawsuit follows one week after Twitch users initiated a boycott on the streaming platform over hate speech, using the hashtags #ADayOffTwitch and #DoBetterTwitch. Thousands of users banded together for a one day boycott of Twitch to pressure the streaming platform to take action against recent hate raids. In response, Twitch banned thousands of accounts using hate speech and created new chat filters to block slurs and racist, homophobic and bigoted language from entering chats and comments.

‘Black Lives Matter Protest Outside of Fashion’s Biggest Night’

On By troypittman13In Censorship, Diversity, LGBTQ+, Social Issue(s)Leave a comment
‘ All the pretty dresses made the news, but… what about this?”

The theme of this year’s Met Gala was ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ as it honored the 75th anniversary of the Costume Institute Metropolitan Museum. This high profile event is held in New York City as it is often the kick-off city for fashion week. Here major fashion brands are showcased and are worn by celebrities (Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Russell Westbrook, etc) and highly favored people in the media. The growth of social networks has enabled us viewers to get a virtual seat at the Met Gala. The theme gives designers and celebrities the opportunity to show their creativity and their interpretation of the theme. Many were praised on this special night of September 13th. Dresses addressing the tax issues of the rich and LGBTQ history were some of the biggest highlights of the night.

What didn’t generate the same momentum of attention were the peaceful #BlackLivesMatter protests occurring just outside of reach of the rich and famous. The crowd of protestors were heard chanting the names of those who lost their lives from police brutality. Names as known as ‘George Floyd’ and locally known like ‘Mike Rosado’, a Bronx man who recently died at the hands of the police.

Peaceful protestors arrested by NYPD just feet away from Met Gala 2021.

Media sources say protestors chose this years Met Gala to protest because of the many eyes that would be there. It was an attempt to get the attention of those in power. While being physically carried away protestors chant the reasons for their protest. They were also heard saying their names, ages, and social media handles for by-standards to help keep them safe.

Upcoming Marvel movies is set to follow Disney’s “Theater Priority” plan.

On By rfire911In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Following the release of Disney’s latest addition, Shang-Chi, the company announced that five, out of their next 6, upcoming films will follow the, minimum, 45-day window allocated for theaters. The announcement came to domestic theaters on Friday with headlines following shortly afterwards.

Five of their next six titles, including Marvel’s “Eternals,” all of which are set to open during the rest of 2021, will not reach Disney+ or Hulu until  at least 45 days after their theatrical release."Eternals"

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/shang-chi-disney-gives-robust-theatrical-window-to-eternals-1234663776/

Due to the popularity and performance of Disney’s “Shang-chi”, the company believes that the following movies should follow a similar pattern if they are to hit box office numbers similar to that of Shang-Chi. Over premiere weekend Shang-Chi hit over 241 million dollars world wide. There is no set release date for when the film is supposed to debut on the popular streaming service. Some are speculating that it might get delayed and subscribers to the service are going to be disappointed, however, if this 45 day window hold true then the critically acclaimed film will be available October 18th, 2021.

The news isn’t just for Marvel movies, Disney also announced that the film Encanto will also follow a pattern of appearing in theaters and then premiering later on Disney+. Fans will not have to wait as long, as Disney has stated that the wait would only be 30 days instead of 45 days.

Disney Releases Magical and Musical Encanto Teaser

This is important because this all stems from when Black Widow premiered both in theaters, and on Disney+ on launch day and the movie did not preform as Disney was expecting. With streaming services getting more and more popular, fans are enthusiastic when they have the ability to watch new release movies from the comfort of their own home. Also with the COVID-19 pandemic still going on, a large group of people still feel that they would rather stay home and wait rather than go to the theater and risk being compromised. While this 45 day deal may increase box office numbers, there is still going to be a big chunk of people who will wait for it to be stream-able.

Brueggemann, T. (2021, September 10). The ‘Shang-Chi’ EFFECT: ‘Eternals’ and 4 Other Disney films will have Minimum 45-DAY Window, ‘Encanto’ with 30. IndieWire. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/shang-chi-disney-gives-robust-theatrical-window-to-eternals-1234663776/.

Mama Mia! Here we go again 40 years later…

On By aliceherrickIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

ABBA brings back their iconic sound in a brand new album released this month

Long-time fans of the iconic Swedish pop group were on the edge of their seats earlier this month, when ABBA unveiled the name of their new secret project, Voyage. 24 hours later an official album by the same name was released. The super troupers dashed to their choice of audio streaming service to find an album with two songs, “I Still Have Faith in You” & “Don’t Shut Me Down”. These two bops are hard to describe in any words other than “Yeah, it sounds like ABBA”; It’s authentic in its signature style, a true testament to what come of bringing back together the original talent of 18 consecutive Top Ten singles and a total of nine number one hits. Accompanying the songs was a music video for “I Still Have Faith in You”. The emotional ballad was set to footage of the band’s evolution through the years on tour; silk rompers and blue eyeshadow, synchronized dancing and large crowds having a blast in the past. It evokes a nostalgic feeling in a disco decade that feels so far away, and makes their renewal very exciting and in comparison.

This revival of ABBA poses many questions about what could be on the horizon: A tour? Well, ABBA confirmed on twitter that there would be a digital concert on May 27th 2022. Though we can assume in the short term that it will be the extent of their live experience, as they’ve been open on social media about wishing to remaining cautious in the COVID 19 era. But who knows what the future could bring?  In a statement acquired by Rolling Stone, the band described the release of Voyage as “truly sailing in uncharted waters.” So far, the seas have been kind to their journey. Critical reception has been majority positive, and ABBA’s hit have had an increase in listening across all music platforms since the album drop. We can take an important note as media scholars: this type of revival is rare, and the excitement from the pop community is a feeling we could use more of. Someone pass the message along to Paul Simon- please and thank you.  If ABBA were to continue releasing music, it would be interesting to see how their sound plays in the 2020s. Their current legacy is nothing short of iconic, so 40 years later, would these legends have potential to climb the charts and live up to their reputation?

The ‘Little Mermaid’ Starring Halle Bailey Finally Has It’s Release Date

On By troypittman13In UncategorizedLeave a comment

“A process that took almost three years from my first audition to my final day on set”

– Halle Bailey

It’s been two years since the world first learned that Halle Bailey, from the sister duo Chloe x Halle, would be portraying this generation’s role of Disney’s Ariel. This live action remake of The Little Mermaid finally has a release date, after it’s uproar of both negative and celebratory reactions to it’s announcement. This highly anticipated live-action film revealed it’s release date to be May 6 2023. So we won’t be seeing the underwater world of Atlantica just yet.

Prior to this exciting new role, Halle was most known for singing alongside her sister Chloe. The duo were discovered in 2013 after uploading a cover to Beyonce’s “Pretty Hurts”. Reaching 8 million views, Beyonce signed them to her label Parkwood Entertainment. Halle is also famously known for her role as Sky on Freeform’s show Grown–ish. Bailey has also performed live for various Award Shows and music platforms, such as Tiny Desk, and the MTV VMA’s .

Alongside Bailey as the protagonist Ariel, is Melissa McCarthy playing Ursula. Playing this film’s Prince Eric is British actor Jonah Hauer-King, and the voice acting of Flounder & Sebastian will be played by Jacob Tremblay and Daveed Diggs.

Although this announcement put smiles on the faces of many Disney fans, it also inspired some nasty online backlash. Historically, The Little Mermaid is a story about a mythical mermaid with bright red hair, lighter skin, and a mermaid tail. Within the last few years Disney’s launch of Disney+ made it inevitable for fans to see live-action remakes of their favorite classics. The online backlash featured many white Disney fans stating that the mythical character Ariel should stay white for the re-make.

Social networking platforms did what they do best, falling into the uproar of this announcement. Outraged fans created unattractive and beastly edits (similar to black-face) of what they believe Ariel will look like if Disney follows through with Halle Bailey playing her. Bailey was criticized for her locs and her skin tone, and fans went as far as recording themselves burning away Disney merchandise if she’s casted.

Well, jokes on them! Halle Bailey will be the new The Little Mermaid which will debut in May 2023. Get your popcorn & lets get lost in the sea!

I don’t pay attention to the negativity.

– Halle Bailey

Tucker Carlsen Picks Up Obviously Bogus Story Created by YA Novelist Known for Submitting Fake Questions to Advice Columns

On By oscarthalerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Bennett Madison, a successful author for young adults, developed a hobby in which he would pen hilarious narratives asking for advice from “Dear Prudence”: the long running advice column in Slate. Some of his headlines includes: Help! My Sister Is Convinced She’s an Unrecognized Genius, and It’s Tearing My Family Apart!, and My Mother Is Trying To Convince the Guests At My Gay Wedding To Come Dressed As Disney Characters. While extremely funny, these submissions largely stayed local within Brooklyn, and went mostly unnoticed. Most people probably thought that although wacky, that they were actually written by a real person.

However, when Madison wrote the infamous piece entitled Help! My Husband Won’t Remove His Mask, Even For Sex!, it started gaining traction on Twitter. So much so, that Fox host Tucker Carlson shared the story on his show as if it was genuine. Carlson either legitimately believed it was real, which as a journalist makes him disturbingly naive, or simply cherry picked the most outrageous and questionable story on purpose, which makes him a propogandist.

Either way, it serves as an fascinating look into how misinformation no matter how outlandish can seep it’s way into mainstream media and infect discourse.

Food Network Picks Up ‘No Recipe Road Trip With the Try Guys’ as a Series

On By alanapotIn Cable, Media Covergence, YouTubeLeave a comment
(Image from The Try Guys / https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/try-guys-no-recipe-road-trip-series-pickup-food-network-1235059984/)

Last week, Variety announced in an exclusive article that Discovery’s Food Network had picked up “No Recipe Road Trip With the Try Guys” for an additional five-episode order. An initial one-episode special was agreed upon back in February but has been expanded upon in this new agreement. The initial special and these five additional episodes will air as Season 1 with no official release date yet, but will most likely air on both the Food Network channel and the Discovery+ streaming service.

The show will follow The Try Guys, Zach Kornfeld, Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang, and Ned Fulmer, as these best friends and content creators travel across the U.S., taste new foods, and try to recreate them, modeling their popular youtube series, “Without a Recipe”. 

The Try Guys are a Youtube group that gained popularity at Buzzfeed in the mid-2010s, when the group of four co-workers began to create videos together, trying new things, for the internet media outlet. With a social media following of more than 13 million followers across social media platforms and racking up over 3 billion video views, the quartet decided to leave the company in June 2018 to start their own production company, 2nd Try. 

This deal between the traditional medium of television to feature an idea from a group that’s fame originally came from the Internet is a great example of media convergence. Fans of The Try Guys, who normally watch the creators on Youtube, now have the chance to watch the group on cable television. While this deal is exciting for the smaller production company, it also shows that larger, more established, traditional companies need help appealing to a younger audience and are partnering with several influencers who have come to fame through the Internet.

Spangler, Todd. “The Try Guys ‘NO Recipe Road Trip’ Picked up to Series at Food NETWORK (EXCLUSIVE).” Variety, Variety, 9 Sept. 2021, variety.com/2021/digital/news/try-guys-no-recipe-road-trip-series-pickup-food-network-1235059984/.

HBO Max is coming to Europe!

On By Marlene TurreyIn StreamingLeave a comment
Image Via Apple Insider

Warner Media confirmed on Wednesday that HBO Max will launch in Europe on October 26. The first six launch markets are going to be Andorra, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. 14 more European countries will receive the streaming service in 2022, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. More details on pricing and content offering will be announced in a virtual launch event in October.

The streaming service will include content from Warmer Bros. HBO, DC, Max Originals, and Cartoon Networks. HBO Max’s European arm is focusing on television shows and plans to broaden the scope of its content beyond programming typically offered in the U.S. Christina Sulebakk, general manager for HBO Max EMEA, explains that the brand is trying to create an unique identity in the highly competitive market, where Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are increasingly dominant rivals.

“Our brand with HBO Max is much broader than our legacy HBO brand. It’s much more energetic and diverse in terms of content and scope. There’s a lot of love in the brand, and energy and inclusion and playfulness.”

Christina Sulebakk, general manager for HBO Max EMEA

While HBO Max announced plans to continue launching in European countries outside of the 20 countries listed above, streaming fans in Germany and the U.K. have to wait a little longer. Because of existing deals with other companies in these countries, HBO Max wouldn’t be lucrative at this time. Sulebakk stated: “We are evaluating market by market in terms of commercial strength in programming, [and whether] it’s the right portfolio that we can bring to market — not only the HBO slate but WarnerMedia in general.”

For me, as a European, that is very interesting because so far HBO Max hasn’t played a role in streaming in Europe. I am curious how this will change streaming habits and if HBO Max will be able to compete with Netflix and Amazon as they are already well established. I think in the first months it is most important for HBO Max to have a unique and outstanding advertisement strategy to draw attention to their streaming service. 

https://variety.com/2021/streaming/global/hbo-max-europe-launch-date-1235057976/