The studio behind Oscar-winning movies like “Green Book,” “Spotlight” and “An Inconvenient Truth” has gone the way of the fax machine and pager.
Netflix is also getting out of the auteur business. 
 
Harper’s Magazine declared it’s not a matter of if, <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2024/05/the-life-and-death-of-hollywood-daniel-bessner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but when Hollywood ceases to exist</a>, at least in its current form.
Yes, Tinsel Town is in panic mode, and understandably so. And that doesn’t include the fallout from last year’s dueling strikes, the rise of AI and audiences rejecting some of the industry’s once-bulletproof franchises (“Indiana Jones,” “The Matrix,” “The Marvels”)
Let’s start with Participant, formed in 2004 by progressive eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll to create socially aware films. That mandate seemed like a recipe for failure, but the studio walked the line between message and merriment.
It earned plenty of critical love, too, but when a scare documentary on climate change grosses a gaudy $24 million stateside you’re doing something right.
Until now, apparently.
<div id="attachment_725697" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725697" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725697" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 27: (L-R) Former Vice President Al Gore, Moderator Maria Shriver and Producers Richard Berge and Jeff Skoll attend a special screening Q&amp;A of 'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power' at The Cinerama Dome on July 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures</div>
Previous Participant projects like “Truth,” “RGB,” and “When They See Us” certainly had a liberal-leaning approach, and some genuinely impacted the culture. That Skoll opted to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/business/media/participant-jeff-skoll.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shutter the company</a> now says something.
Progressive stories will still be made, of course, but they lost a powerful ally in Participant.
Prestige filmmakers have struggled to get their visions made in the 21st century. Even a highly regarded filmmaker like John Sayles (“Matewan,” “Eight Men Out”) <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/global/lone-star-john-sayles-trump-wall-urination-matthew-mcconaughey-1235923660/">can no longer be guaranteed studio space</a> for future projects.
That allowed Netflix to gain a toehold in the cinematic space. The streaming giant gifted gargantuan budgets to filmmakers like Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”) to make their movies, their way while Hollywood studios flinched.
The studio previously produced movies with the Coen brothers, Scorsese, Jane Campion, and more.
Not anymore.
<div id="attachment_725757" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725757" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725757" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-866x576.jpg" alt="(From L) US actor Ray Romano, Canadian-New Zealand actress Anna Pacquin and US actor Harvey Keitel present a clip of &quot;The Irishman&quot; during the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 19, 2020. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Netflix announced it will focus more on populist original films and skip the auteur-driven projects of yore. Moving forward, the platform will focus on films that <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/4/15/aurora">gain more eyeballs</a>, like the “Knives Out” franchise.
That means celebrated filmmakers like David Lynch and Katherine Bigelow can’t crack the Netflix code.
Apple paid handsomely to fund Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” epic. Will they follow suit? &#8220;Napoleon&#8221; earned just $217 million worldwide compared to its reported $200 million budget. (Studios split revenue with movie theaters and must fork over additional costs for marketing, etc.)
The aforementioned Harper’s Magazine piece is littered with doom and gloom, along with the receipts to back it up:
<blockquote>The industry as a whole is now facing a broad contraction. Between August 2022 and the end of last year, employment fell by 26 percent—more than one job gone in every four. Layoffs hit Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Paramount Global, Roku, and others in 2022. In 2023, firings swept through the representation giants United Talent Agency and Creative Artists Agency; Netflix, Paramount Global, and Roku again; plus Hulu, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate. In early 2024, it was announced that Amazon was cutting hundreds of jobs from its Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios divisions. In February, Paramount Global laid off roughly eight hundred people. It’s unclear which streamers will survive. </blockquote>
Hollywood is still deathly afraid of how AI technology will impact its workforce. We’ve already seen stars lose out on voiceover work thanks to AI.
That could be the tip of a digital iceberg the likes of which Hollywood has never seen before.
Panic. And it’s understandable.
That explains reviving stone-cold dead franchises like “<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blair-witch-project-original-team-reacts-reboot-movie-1235874500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Blair Witch Project</a>” and the <a href="https://people.com/new-scary-movie-sequel-in-the-works-cinemacon-2024-8630189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Scary Movie” series</a>. We’ll also see another live-action “<a href="https://screenrant.com/popeye-the-sailor-man-movie-live-action-development/#:~:text=A%20new%20live%2Daction%20Popeye,Robin%20Williams%20version%20in%201980." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Popeye</a>” film as well as a movie based on the board game “Monopoly.”
Can Hollywood be saved? Perhaps, but it won’t be by any of the above film projects.
It begins with innovation, acknowledging audience expectations, and producing less ideological content.
The assembled stars should be less dismissive of their dwindling fan bases, too. Liberal actor Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation” fame set that tone by telling the press his new movie “Civil War” would <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/civil-war-president-not-donald-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lose audiences members if it chose a political side</a>.
That’s smart. What’s less than smart?
Actor Alan Ritchson teeing off on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/04/15/reacher-star-alan-ritchson-faces-backlash-after-trump-comments/?sh=49e04e1c50c3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Donald Trump</a>, the <a href="https://bleedingcool.com/tv/reacher-alan-ritchson-calls-out-police-union-pushes-back-on-insults/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">police</a>, and Christians while “promoting” his latest project, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”
It might take real risk-taking, which is anathema to an industry known for playing it safe. Consider what Kevin Costner has in store for us later this year as the ultimate risk.
<div id="attachment_725721" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725721" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725721" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-777x576.jpg" alt="LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 09: Kevin Costner speaks onstage during Warner Bros. Pictures' &quot;The Big Picture,&quot; a special presentation of its upcoming slate during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, at Caesars Palace on April 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon)" width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-777x576.jpg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon</div>
His “Horizon” film saga is an old-fashioned western, at least on paper, that could span as many as four feature films. The first two installments will be released on June 28 and August 16, respectively.
The film legend broke the old Hollywood saw about <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/yellowstone-star-kevin-costner-gambles-next-monster-hit-with-his-own-money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using your own money</a> to invest in the series.
Will it pay off?
Costner <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/kevin-costners-12-hour-horizon-binge-plan-pt-barnum-like-showmanship-big-winner-expert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summed up</a> the all-American saga during his appearance at this month’s CinemaCon gathering:
<blockquote>When I think about the promise of America, there was a promise out here, if you could go. If you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, you could take what you wanted in America.</blockquote>
 The same could be true of Hollywood moving forward. Or else.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Audience enjoying movie at the cinema

Post-Strike Hollywood Goes Into Panic Mode (And Rightly So)

Amazon Prime

Apple

Entertainment

Hollywood

Kevin Costner

Movies

Netflix

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celine-dion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celine Dion</a> documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” will give fans a firsthand look at the superstar’s life after being diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS) in December 2022.
Amazon and MGM Studios <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C50sCLSLR87/?igsh=MTBlZjE4YzMxOA%3D%3D">announced</a> on Tuesday that the documentary about the 56-year-old Canadian singer’s legendary career and her battle with the rare neurological disease will hit the streaming site globally on June 25.
“Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I AM: CELINE DION gives us a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness,” the post shared on Instagram by Amazon, Dion, and the studio read.
“Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit,” the post added.
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<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C50sCLSLR87/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)</a>
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Dion previously released a statement about the upcoming documentary, calling it an opportunity to “document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis,” <a href="https://people.com/celine-dion-documentary-premiere-date-announced-first-look-image-8634160">People magazine</a> noted.
&#8220;This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” the singer said.
&#8220;As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans,” she added.
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In 2022, the “All By Myself” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/celine-dion-reveals-heartbreaking-news-about-her-health">singer</a> and mother of three revealed her diagnosis after canceling several of her concerts.
“Hello, everyone,” Dion said. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I’m ready now.”
“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through,” she added.
“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome which affects one in a million people.”
SPS has been described as a progressive disease that leaves its victims as “human statues” who cannot walk or talk, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11516313/Celine-Dion-diagnosed-incurable-neurological-disease-Stiff-Person-Syndrome.html">Daily Mail</a> noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-giving-up-celine-dion-cancels-entire-world-tour-amid-disorder-battle">&#8216;I&#8217;m Not Giving Up&#8217;: Celine Dion Cancels Entire World Tour Amid Disorder Battle</a>

Celine Dion-1

Celine Dion Documentary Will Give Fans A Look At Singer’s Life-Altering Illness

Celine Dion Documentary Will Give Fans A Look At Singer's Life-Altering Illness

Celebrities

Celine Dion

U.S.

&#8220;Reacher&#8221; star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alan Ritchson</a> said he was sexually assaulted as a model, and after the alleged attack occurred, he quit the business for good and &#8220;acting&#8221; found him.
In a lengthy <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/alan-ritchson-interview-reacher-faith-stardom-mental-health-1235864260/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> for The Hollywood Reporter, the 41-year-old actor talked about the early days of his career as a model, comparing the industry to nothing but &#8220;legalized sex trafficking.&#8221;
&#8220;The industry is not regulated, and it&#8217;s a widely known secret that if you&#8217;re hired on a job, you&#8217;re basically being passed off to a photographer to be trafficked,&#8221; Ritchson said.
&#8220;The number of times and situations where I was put in horrific environments where sexual abuse was the goal and the paycheck that you were desperate for in order to survive was the carrot, I can&#8217;t count on two hands,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It was quite often.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Reacher?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Reacher</a> made Alan Ritchson a star, but it was no overnight success story. The 41-year-old actor (and onetime <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericanIdol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmericanIdol</a> hopeful), has been knocking at stardom’s door for nearly 20 years. He opens up about the high highs and low lows along the way: <a href="https://t.co/LgUXS4HA4F">https://t.co/LgUXS4HA4F</a> <a href="https://t.co/euDw7vIcry">pic.twitter.com/euDw7vIcry</a>
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1775530482203255083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
The &#8220;Fast X&#8221; star said his final modeling gig was after he agreed to do a nude shoot with a &#8220;very famous photographer&#8221; for a &#8220;lucrative campaign.”
&#8220;I was sent into a hotel room to do nudes with the promise that if I did the shoot, he would offer me a very lucrative campaign for a magazine and a clothing line,&#8221; the actor said. &#8220;I was sexually assaulted by this guy.&#8221;
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&#8220;I left and drove straight to the agency that I was at in L.A,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I stormed in and said, &#8216;F*** you for sending me there. You knew what was going to happen, and you did it anyway.'&#8221;
&#8220;I told them to never call me again,” the actor continued. &#8220;I quit the industry and it was the last photo shoot I&#8217;ve ever had. Those pictures were never seen or published. That was it. I swore it off and thank God acting found me at the exact same time so I was able to make a switch to a new career, but it left some scars.&#8221;
After the abuse he said he endured and the demise of a business partnership, he experienced &#8220;an existential crisis&#8221; that he said lead to a suicide attempt in 2019.
&#8220;I hung myself. It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there,&#8221; Ritchson said, adding that it was the vision of his three children as grown adults that saved him. &#8220;They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives.&#8221;
The Amazon Prime star said he then pulled himself up off the rafters before he blacked out. &#8220;I was diagnosed as bipolar right after,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Deep down, I was comforted to know, &#8216;OK, there’s a name for this.'&#8221;
&#8220;I came out of that whole thing asking myself, &#8216;OK, if I am going to choose to be alive here &#8212; a decision we all make, some to a greater degree than others &#8212; what am I doing?” Ritchson continued. “Why am I here?&#8217; What I kept falling back on was the meaning and purpose of life as someone who believes that there is a creator and we are created beings, our purpose in life is, without qualification, to make the world a better place and serve others. That is what life is all about.&#8221;

Alan Ritchson-1

‘Reacher’ Star Says He Was Sexually Assaulted As A Model, Ended Suicide Attempt After A Vision Of His Kids

'Reacher’ Star Says He Was Sexually Assaulted As A Model, Ended Suicide Attempt After A Vision Of His Kids

modeling

Sexual Abuse

NFL star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/travis-kelce">Travis Kelce</a> is in talks to host a reboot of the popular television <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">game show</a>, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” according to a report from <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/travis-kelce-are-you-smarter-than-a-fifth-grader-reboot-1235945977/">Variety</a>.
The new “Fifth Grader” would debut on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/amazon-prime">Amazon Prime</a>.
The 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been involved in entertainment projects throughout his career, but this potential hosting gig would represent the biggest commitment so far. Sources told Variety that Kelce is still committed to playing professional football and would have a tight schedule, which could result in negotiations falling apart.
Kelce has already made his entertainment debut. He has hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” and appeared in the reality series “Catching Kelce.” He also co-hosts a podcast alongside his brother, Jason Kelce, who recently announced his retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelce also guest starred in the short-lived 2020 Showtime comedy, &#8220;Moonbase 8,&#8221; featuring Fred Armisen.
The original “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?,” produced by British “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett, premiered on Fox in 2007. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy hosted the first iteration of the popular quiz game show. After four seasons on Fox, it was moved to syndication, then rebooted and aired on Nickelodeon with John Cena as host beginning in 2019.
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The new Amazon Prime reboot will differ from the original in that it will feature celebrity guests competing against children rather than non-famous contestants. 
Kelce has become even more famous thanks to his romantic relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. The NFL saw a massive boost in viewership as her fans started tuning in for games last season.
Other athletes have hosted game shows in the past, including Michael Strahan, who took on the reboot of “The $100,000 Pyramid” on ABC, and Peyton Manning, who hosted “College Bowl” for NBC and Peacock.

Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce In Talks To Host ‘Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?’ Reboot: Report

Travis Kelce In Talks To Host 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?' Reboot: Report

Television

A new cartoon from Amazon Prime called &#8220;Hazbin Hotel&#8221; contains an episode that shows a character being &#8220;gang raped&#8221; and other characters wearing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/balenciaga-apologizes-for-advertisement-showcasing-minors-holding-bdsm-teddy-bear-purses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BDSM</a> attire.
Started as a pilot on YouTube in 2019, the new rated 18+ animated musical series launched on Friday on the streaming site. Following the pilot&#8217;s massive success, Independent studio A24 produced an 8-part series, four episodes of which hit the streaming site on Friday,  <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/elise-ehrhard/2024/01/22/lucifer-loving-cartoon-hazbin-hotel-shocks-porn-star-scene">Newsbusters.org</a> reported.
The series is set in hell, with Heaven described as heartless and cruel. Satan is not evil but is just a &#8220;rebellious dreamer&#8221; but &#8220;troublemaker&#8221; who&#8217;s been &#8220;cast out of&#8221; Heaven because he just wanted &#8220;to give human beings free will,&#8221; the outlet noted.
The introduction to the show included an explanation that in order for Hell, growing in numbers, to never create an army to defeat and take over Heaven, once a year, Heaven sends an army to keep Hell&#8217;s number&#8217;s down.
The NSFW <a href="https://twitter.com/HazbinHotel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clip</a> promoting the series can be viewed via X.
<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hazbin-hotel-review-vivid-stylish-130000437.html">Yahoo.com</a> broke down Season 1, laying out the characters like Lucifer and Lilith&#8217;s daughter Charlie who opens a hotel &#8220;as a sort of moral rehab for sinners to cleanse their souls and escape Heaven&#8217;s wrath.&#8221;
The LGBTQ series features Charlie and her girlfriend named &#8220;vaggie&#8221; along with other characters like gay porn stars, a sadistic maid, and more. The show is laced with NSFW cuss words like &#8220;c**t,&#8221; &#8220;f**k,&#8221;  Newsbusters noted.  
In the fourth episode, titled &#8220;Masquerade,&#8221; porn star Angel Dust&#8217;s BDSM relationship is front and center along with a musical number titled &#8220;Poison,&#8221; Newsbusters noted. In the show, Angel looks up in fear as he is about to be &#8220;gang raped&#8221; by multiple creatures and is also shown going down a stripper pole, being &#8220;chained and choked.&#8221;
While the show is rated for adults, the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=600539231&amp;q=hazbin+hotel+merchandise&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=lnms&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwir54WdhfKDAxXqkmoFHSRsDzQQ0pQJegQICxAB&amp;cshid=1705962444973880&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=653&amp;dpr=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">merchandise</a> from the show is geared towards teens and a younger audience, like &#8220;South Park,&#8221; a show which inspired the series creator Vivienne Medrano.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been really, really influenced by adult comedy,&#8221; Medrano told <a href="https://gizmodo.com/vivienne-medrano-hazbin-hotel-interview-prime-video-1851171109">Gizmodo</a>. I saw &#8216;South Park&#8217; at very young age and I was like, &#8216;Oh my gosh, swearing is so fun.&#8217; It really just changed the entire trajectory of my career.&#8221;
&#8220;So making an adult animated comedy was always kind of in the cards for me, but I&#8217;m also a huge musical theater fan,&#8221; she added. &#8220;So to combine that into this raunchy musical that&#8217;s animated and looks so fluid and appealing was all the things I love, and that really resonated with people.&#8221;
A second season has already been ordered, the outlet noted.

Hazbin Hotel

Amazon Prime Cartoon ‘Hazbin Hotel’ Contains Gang-Rape And BDSM Episode

BDSM

cartoons

Rape

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-aint-ready-chris-pratt-teases-next-installment-in-the-terminal-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Pratt</a> definitely got everyone&#8217;s attention on Thursday when he dropped news that production will soon get underway for a prequel to &#8220;The Terminal List,&#8221; titled &#8220;The Terminal List: Dark Wolf.&#8221;
In a post on Instagram, the 44-year-old actor shared a poster revealing the title for the prequel to the 2022 Amazon Prime hit series. It will once again star Pratt along with actor Taylor Kitsch from the original show.
&#8220;From the Producers of<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/theterminallist/"> [TheTerminalList</a>] and NYT Bestselling author<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa/"> [Jackcarrusa</a>]–introducing THE TERMINAL LIST: DARK WOLF, a prequel series featuring Ben Edwards and James Reece,&#8221; the post read. &#8220;Production begins early this year.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
From the Producers of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheTerminalList?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheTerminalList</a> and NYT Bestselling author <a href="https://twitter.com/JackCarrUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackCarrUSA</a>-introducing THE TERMINAL LIST: DARK WOLF, a prequel series featuring Ben Edwards and James Reece. Production begins early this year. <a href="https://t.co/i5lbMaVWXn">pic.twitter.com/i5lbMaVWXn</a>
— The Terminal List (@TerminalListPV) <a href="https://twitter.com/TerminalListPV/status/1748027691503333520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
In the first season, Pratt&#8217;s character, former Navy SEAL officer James Reece, must investigate &#8220;why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission,&#8221; a description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11743610/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">IMDb</a> reads.
Kitsch, who plays Ben Edwards, also shared the post and wrote &#8220;swear I had nada to do with the &#8216;Dark Wolf’ part&#8221; and he included a smiley face, along with the hashtag &#8220;getting the band back together.&#8221;
The universe of &#8220;The Terminal List&#8221; continues to grow after series author Jack Carr and Pratt confirmed last <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-drops-huge-news-about-the-terminal-list">February</a> that Amazon had given the green light for a second season — titled &#8220;The Terminal List: True Believer&#8221; — following the first season&#8217;s success.
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The second season will pull from Carr&#8217;s book of the same name, picking up where the series left off with Reece as a wanted fugitive, &#8220;who gets pulled back into government service after a series of terrorist attacks,&#8221; <a href="https://screenrant.com/terminal-list-season-2-news-updates-renewal/">ScreenRant.com</a> noted.
Showrunner <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-terminal-list-season-2-cast-story-details-and-everything-we-know/ar-AA18grrs?ocid=ML136G%2CML136G">David DiGilio</a> (Black Sails) said the second season is an &#8220;epic blueprint for an epic season.&#8221; 
The first season was a huge hit for the streaming site, scoring the No. 2 spot on Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 streaming ratings chart, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/02/chris-pratt-the-terminal-season-2-prequel-s-taylor-kitsch-prime-video-1235246705/">Deadline</a> noted. 
In July, the &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy&#8221; star reminded fans the second season was still in the works.
&#8220;One year ago today, we brought James Reece to your living room!&#8221; Pratt captioned his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuKbzbdpSN1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=f450fbd4-da28-4a7f-a2ef-5cf335fc3735">post</a>. &#8220;The amount of love you all have for this show is overwhelming. Nothing brings me greater joy than sharing these thrilling stories with you. You ain&#8217;t ready for what we have in store for you! [The Terminal List].&#8221;
The Carr series was a massive hit with audiences, despite critics trying to slam it as &#8220;anti-woke&#8221; and more, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/critics-media-trash-chris-pratts-anti-woke-terminal-list-audiences-love-it">reported</a>. It hit the streaming site on July 1, 2022.
The author previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-didnt-make-it-for-the-critics-author-of-the-terminal-list-responds-to-triggered-critics-trashing-chris-pratt-series">reacted</a> to &#8220;triggered critics&#8221; who have trashed the series and said it wasn&#8217;t made for them.
&#8220;We didn&#8217;t make it for the critics,&#8221; Carr shared. &#8220;We made it for those in the arena. We made it for the soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine that went downrange to Iraq and Afghanistan, so they could sit on the couch and say, &#8216;Hey, these guys put in the work. They put in the effort to make something special and make a show that speaks to them.'&#8221;

Cinema Vanguard Award – 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Chris Pratt Drops Exciting News For Fans About ‘The Terminal List’ Prequel

Chris Pratt

Partially redacted portions of the Federal Trade Commission&#8217;s (FTC) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ftc-launches-antitrust-suit-against-amazon-over-illegal-monopoly-officials-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">antitrust lawsuit</a> against Amazon allege the company used an internal algorithmic pricing tool described as an &#8220;unfair method of competition&#8221; to test how much it could raise prices so competitors would follow.
FTC officials and 17 state attorneys general sued Amazon last week for allegedly using &#8220;interlocking and anticompetitive and unfair&#8221; strategies to maintain its monopolistic power over current and future rivals.
The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/1910129AmazoneCommerceComplaintPublic.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">172-page lawsuit</a> details a number of examples accusing the American multinational company of raising consumer prices across retail, including a system called &#8220;Project Nessie,&#8221; which Amazon allegedly stopped using in 2019 for unknown reasons.
Sources familiar with the complaint <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/amazon-used-secret-project-nessie-algorithm-to-raise-prices-6c593706?mod=hp_lead_pos2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Wall Street Journal that the algorithm allegedly &#8220;helped Amazon improve its profit on items across shopping categories, and because of the power the company has in e-commerce, led competitors to raise their prices and charge customers more,&#8221; as the outlet reported.
The Journal reported that the algorithm would return the item to its standard price point if competitors didn&#8217;t match Amazon&#8217;s prices.
&#8220;In a competitive world, Amazon&#8217;s decision to raise prices and degrade services would create an opening for rivals and potential rivals to attract business, gain momentum, and grow,&#8221; the lawsuit reads. &#8220;But Amazon has engaged in an unlawful monopolistic strategy to close off that possibility.&#8221;
According to the lawsuit, the FTC estimated a redacted amount had been &#8220;extracted from American households&#8221; by the system, but one source told the Journal that Amazon made over $1 billion in revenue using Project Nessie.
FTC spokesman Douglas Farrar declined to comment on the redacted portions in the complaint but called on Amazon to remove the blocked information.
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&#8220;We once again call on Amazon to move swiftly to remove the redactions and allow the American public to see the full scope of what we allege are their illegal monopolistic practices,&#8221; Farrar told the Journal.
Tim Doyle, a spokesperson for Amazon, told The Daily Wire in an emailed statement that the FTC’s allegations &#8220;grossly mischaracterize&#8221; Project Nessie.
&#8220;Project Nessie was a project with a simple purpose—to try to stop our price matching from resulting in unusual outcomes where prices became so low that they were unsustainable,&#8221; Doyle said. &#8220;The project ran for a few years on a subset of products, but didn’t work as intended, so we scrapped it several years ago.”
Federal officials announced the major federal lawsuit — led by FTC Chair Lina Khan — after the agency voted 3-0 to move forward with the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
&#8220;The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them,&#8221; Khan said in a news release.
Khan, a Democrat appointed by President Joe Biden, reportedly garnered attention as a law student at Yale University when she published an influential antitrust and competition law essay targeting Amazon&#8217;s business practices. But rumors of the FTC going after the online retail giant have been circulating since the Trump administration.
David Zapolsky, senior vice president of Amazon&#8217;s global public policy and general counsel, responded to the complaint last week, saying the federal agency &#8220;is wrong on the facts and the law&#8221; and has &#8220;radically departed&#8221; from its original purpose to enforce federal consumer protection laws and antitrust laws.
&#8220;The FTC has it backwards and if they were successful in this lawsuit, the result would be anticompetitive and anti-consumer because we&#8217;d have to stop many of the things we do to offer and highlight low prices—a perverse result that would be directly opposed to the goals of antitrust law,&#8221; Zapolsky <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-ftc-antitrust-lawsuit-full-response" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.

FTC Sues Amazon in Landmark Antitrust Case Over Marketplace

FTC Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon Alleges Company Used Internal Algorithm To Raise Prices

FTC Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon Alleges Company Used Secret Algorithm To Raise Prices

Amazon

Antitrust

Biden Administration

Federal Government

Lawsuit

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorneys general sued Amazon on Tuesday for allegedly using &#8220;interlocking and anticompetitive and unfair&#8221; strategies to maintain its monopolistic power over current and future rivals.
&#8220;Amazon&#8217;s actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon,&#8221; the agency and its state partners said in a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>.
The complaint alleges that Amazon&#8217;s &#8220;far-reaching schemes&#8221; impact hundreds of billion dollars in retail sales yearly for businesses by stifling competition on price, product selection, and quality while simultaneously preventing rival companies from gaining shoppers and sellers on a massive scale. According to the agency, Amazon&#8217;s &#8220;anticompetitive&#8221; conduct occurs in two markets — the online superstore market that serves shoppers and the market for online marketplace services purchased by sellers.
John Newman, deputy director of the FTC’s bureau of competition, said the case could potentially &#8220;do so much good for so many people.”
Federal officials announced the major federal lawsuit — led by FTC Chair Lina Khan — after the agency voted 3-0 to move forward with the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Khan, a Democrat appointed by President Joe Biden, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/26/ftc-amazon-monopoly-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> garnered attention as a law student at Yale University when she published an influential antitrust and competition law essay targeting Amazon&#8217;s business practices. But rumors of the FTC going after the online retail giant have been circulating since the Trump administration.
&#8220;The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them,&#8221; Khan said in a news release.
If successful, the American multinational technology company faces restructuring fundamental business operations that would &#8220;pry loose its monopolistic control to restore competition,&#8221; according to the FTC.
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David Zapolsky, senior vice president of Amazon&#8217;s global public policy and general counsel, <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-response-to-ftc-antitrust-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the suit on Tuesday, saying the federal agency &#8220;is wrong on the facts and the law&#8221; and has &#8220;radically departed&#8221; from its original purpose to enforce federal consumer protection laws and antitrust laws.
&#8220;The practices the FTC is challenging have helped to spur competition and innovation across the retail industry, and have produced greater selection, lower prices, and faster delivery speeds for Amazon customers and greater opportunity for the many businesses that sell in Amazon&#8217;s store,&#8221; Zapolsky said. &#8220;If the FTC gets its way, the result would be fewer products to choose from, higher prices, slower deliveries for consumers, and reduced options for small businesses—the opposite of what antitrust law is designed to do.&#8221;

Amazon Sued By Five Women Alleging Discrimination

FTC Launches Antitrust Suit Against Amazon Over Illegal Monopoly, Officials Say

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-sends-message-to-guardian-of-the-galaxy-fans-after-third-film-hits-number-one-at-box-office-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Pratt</a> got everyone&#8217;s attention on Sunday when he teased details about the second season of &#8220;The Terminal List,&#8221; telling fans, &#8220;You ain&#8217;t ready&#8221; for what is coming.
On <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuKbzbdpSN1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>, the 44-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/god-bless-you-chris-pratt-and-terminal-list-cast-honor-military-on-veterans-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actor</a> shared a handful of pictures of his character, Navy SEAL James Reece, from the first season of the hit Amazon Prime show.
&#8220;One year ago today, we brought James Reece to your living room!&#8221; Pratt wrote. &#8220;The amount of love you all have for this show is overwhelming.&#8221;
&#8220;Nothing brings me greater joy than sharing these thrilling stories with you,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You ain&#8217;t ready for what we have in store for you! [terminallistpv].&#8221;
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Former Navy SEAL and &#8220;The Terminal List&#8221; author Jack Carr commented on the post, writing, &#8220;Thank you exceeding all expectations and CRUSHING IT!&#8221;
In February, the &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-drops-huge-news-about-the-terminal-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">star</a> shared the exciting news about the hit show&#8217;s second season when he posted a clip of his character sailing away to a new destination.
In the video, Reece is on board the same boat from the end of the first season — hinting at a new mission after his character barely survived his last one, which started with the murder of members of his SEAL team and his family.
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At one point, the camera tilts down to a map, making a reference to where he&#8217;s headed. Pratt&#8217;s character holds down the map with one hand, and the camera focuses on the location &#8220;Mozambique&#8221; and &#8220;NIASSA.&#8221; The clip ends with him turning the boat&#8217;s wheel as the shot fades out.
The eight-episode first season was a huge hit for Amazon, scoring the No. 2 spot on Nielsen&#8217;s weekly Top 10 streaming ratings chart, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/02/chris-pratt-the-terminal-season-2-prequel-s-taylor-kitsch-prime-video-1235246705/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> noted. The show is about &#8220;a former Navy SEAL officer&#8221; who “investigates why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission,&#8221; a description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11743610/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMDb</a> reads.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-sends-message-to-fans-and-amazon-after-the-terminal-list-soars-to-number-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Pratt Sends Message To Fans And Amazon After &#8216;The Terminal List&#8217; Soars To Number 1</a>

“The Terminal List” Los Angeles Premiere – Arrivals

‘You Ain’t Ready’: Chris Pratt Teases Next Installment In ‘The Terminal List’

Chris Pratt Teases Next Installment In ‘The Terminal List’

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing Amazon for allegedly &#8220;tricking and trapping&#8221; customers into signing up for Amazon Prime and making it hard to cancel subscriptions.
The FTC filed a federal <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/amazon-rosca-public-redacted-complaint-to_be_filed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> Wednesday alleging that Amazon &#8220;knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime.&#8221;
The behemoth e-commerce company used &#8220;manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs&#8221; to trick consumers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions, and then made the cancellation process unnecessarily long and complicated, the consumer protection agency alleged in its complaint.
&#8220;Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,&#8221; FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said in a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-takes-action-against-amazon-enrolling-consumers-amazon-prime-without-consent-sabotaging-their" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington, accuses Amazon of violating both the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers&#8217; Confidence Act.
Amazon responded with a flat denial of wrongdoing, saying customers &#8220;love&#8221; their Prime subscriptions.
&#8220;The FTC’s claims are false on the facts and the law,&#8221; Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/ftc-lawsuit-amazon-prime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;The truth is that customers love Prime, and by design we make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for or cancel their Prime membership.&#8221;
&#8220;As with all our products and services, we continually listen to customer feedback and look for ways to improve the customer experience, and we look forward to the facts becoming clear as this case plays out,&#8221; Doyle said.
In one colorful detail, the FTC said Amazon named the Prime cancellation process the &#8220;Iliad,&#8221; referring to &#8220;Homer’s epic about the long, arduous Trojan War.&#8221;
&#8220;Amazon designed the Iliad cancellation process (&#8216;Iliad Flow&#8217;) to be labyrinthine,&#8221; the FTC&#8217;s complaint said.
Meanwhile, Amazon&#8217;s leadership slowed or rejected user experience changes that would have simplified the cancellation process for Prime customers because the changes would have affected Amazon&#8217;s bottom line, the complaint claims.
Prime was launched in 2005 and now has more than 200 million members worldwide. During the pandemic, Prime subscriptions <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/amazon-prime-has-200-million-members-142910961.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKSoMSrcCJNwDxBqlbdAd4K8O3iTn_dBMLSx0zKw_9o8hHXnhnV5IcSPRUCmNQEyWdDeJSSNmRTFgkVuGRa4sKV8vsWy5hMnSjhjkNzoat0D5L1vj_oR9YDC9SZYbpMT9nTz2l6lJWtoPT4dg_TSBQjsZWUwo7vW-il3HoGPw6Ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jumped</a> by 50 million in about a year.
A Prime subscription offers Amazon customers perks, including one or two-day delivery, free delivery and returns, the Prime Video streaming service, and certain e-books, video games, and grocery shopping services. Prime subscriptions cost $139 a year or $14.99 a month.
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Amazon <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-prime-subscriptions-consent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that it made $9.6 billion from Prime subscriptions in just the first three months of this year, a 17% increase over that period last year.
The complaint also accuses Amazon of repeatedly trying to delay the FTC&#8217;s investigation by &#8220;bad faith&#8221; responses to requests for documents.
The FTC&#8217;s investigation into Amazon Prime began in March 2021.
This is not the first time the FTC has targeted Amazon.
Last month, Amazon <a href="https://abc7ny.com/federal-trade-commision-sues-amazon-prime-ftc-dark-patterns/13410559/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settled</a> with the FTC for $25 million after allegations it saved recordings of children&#8217;s voices and their location data through its voice assistant Alexa. Also in May, Amazon agreed to pay another $5.8 million in customer refunds after the FTC accused the company of privacy violations involving its Ring doorbell cameras.
The scrutiny comes as Amazon works to expand into new markets, including <a href="https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2023/amazon-fulfillment-service-woos-grocery-sellers-away-walmart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">groceries</a> and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/17/how-amazons-continued-expansion-into-healthcare-could-buoy-the-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health care</a>.

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FTC Sues Amazon For ‘Tricking And Trapping’ People Into Prime

FTC Sues Amazon For 'Tricking And Trapping' People Into Prime

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Nate Bargatze latest comedy special titled &#8220;Hello World&#8221; on Amazon Prime dives into his life as a Christian, the dynamics of his childhood, family, his marriage and so much more.
The 43-year-old&#8217;s stand-up Christian comedian <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/comedian-nate-bargatze-clean-christian-comic-over-20-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently celebrated</a> the fact that he&#8217;s offered a clean, family show for the last 20 years and his recent one, holds to that fact. His latest comedy special, taped in Phoenix, AZ, is free of cuss words, crude material, or sexual references.
He&#8217;s explained that the reason for his family-friendly show is mainly because he never felt he could tell a dirty joke in front of his parents. Bargatze is <a href="https://geniuscelebs.com/nate-bargatze-siblings-derek-and-abigail-bargatze/">the son</a> of Stephen Bargatze, a clown who later became an award-winning magician and international motivational speaker, and Carole Bargatze.
&#8220;I think I still feel I will get in trouble,&#8221; Bargatze told Fox News. &#8220;I&#8217;ll get in trouble and I will disappoint them. I don&#8217;t want to disappoint my parents.&#8221;
&#8220;I just can&#8217;t imagine cursing in front of your parents,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Still, even now, I&#8217;m 43-years-old and I still just couldn&#8217;t do that. So that&#8217;s how I write. I think I write my comedy to — a lot of it is to make my parents laugh. I want them to be proud and be like, &#8216;Oh, come watch my son do comedy,’ and not be offended by it. I just don&#8217;t have that in me to want to offend someone or make someone feel bad.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Presale to <a href="https://twitter.com/natebargatze?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NateBargatze</a>&#39;s ‘Be Funny’ tour is now on! 🎟️ Tickets → <a href="https://t.co/cSc8gmSsvZ">https://t.co/cSc8gmSsvZ</a>
Nate was featured as one of Esquire‘s “Best New Comedians” by Jim Gaffigan, one of Marc Maron’s “Comedians to Watch” in Rolling Stone, and one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch”. <a href="https://t.co/zmcFhEsISq">pic.twitter.com/zmcFhEsISq</a>
&mdash; Bohm Presents (@Bohmpresents) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bohmpresents/status/1638692033106698240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In his new hour-long special, there&#8217;s only one time where he gets even close to using a harsh word and that&#8217;s during a bit about how he will use the word &#8220;sucks&#8221; in the show as in the saying &#8220;this sucks&#8221; because he said it used to be a bad word in the 80s. &#8220;This is supposed to be a clean show. I&#8217;m bringing this filth into it,&#8221; he cracked.
The comedian jokes about being raised in a strict family home and said it&#8217;s why his comedy is something he would&#8217;ve watched growing up.
&#8220;I grew up that way,&#8221; Bargatze told Fox. &#8220;I come from a Christian family and Southern Christian, so I wasn&#8217;t allowed to watch anything, which I talk about in the special. And so growing up and only watching clean comedians, it was just how I was going to be. And it would feel forced if I was not.&#8221;
At one point in the Amazon special he joked, &#8220;I think Jesus had more fun than I did&#8221; as he explained his &#8220;parents became Christian when I was born. &#8221;
&#8220;And everyone&#8217;s still Christian,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But I got them when they were the most Christian. I had 80s and 90s Christian parents. Well, that&#8217;s the most Christian you can ever get of the Christian.&#8221;
In &#8220;Hello World,&#8221; he recalled being 12-years-old and being at a friend&#8217;s house for a sleepover when the parents put on the R-rated movie &#8220;Friday the 13th,&#8221; a rating he wasn&#8217;t allowed to watch.
&#8220;The (host’s) mom came over — She was just trying to save me the embarrassment — and said, &#8216;Maybe just don&#8217;t tell your parents about it,'&#8221; Bargatze told the audience, joking that, by that point, he&#8217;d already called his parents and said &#8220;they are on their way.&#8221;
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know we could lie to these people,&#8221; he added in the show. &#8220;This is the first I&#8217;m hearing that&#8217;s an option.&#8221;
Bargatze was <a href="https://celebily.com/who-is-nate-bargatze-his-wife-parents-and-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">born</a> to a Southern Baptist Christian family in Old Hickory, Tennessee. After graduation, he eventually moved to Chicago where he started his career as a stand-up comedian.  He would tour the country and perform at comedy festivals for the next decade. And in 2012 he finally got his big break when he was doing a show at a comedy club in New York and caught the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://geniuscelebs.com/nate-bargatze-siblings-derek-and-abigail-bargatze/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1681338853703000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3TGvOFR-eklKFbqeiuAbUR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attention</a> of Jimmy Fallon and later Conan O&#8217;Brien.
Months later, Fallon brought him on his late-night talk show &#8220;The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon&#8221; which gave him national attention. Since then, he&#8217;s released two successful Netflix comedy specials, one in 2019 called &#8220;The Tennessee Kid&#8221; and another in 2021 &#8220;The Great Average American,&#8221; which he&#8217;s said <a href="https://drnancyberk.com/talking-comedy-and-influencers-with-nate-bargatze-and-real-world-tips-from-stand-up-episode-477/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changed my life</a>.
<div id="attachment_527555" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-527555" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-527555" src="https://dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-865x576.jpg" alt="The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with comedian Nate Bargatze" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/04/GettyImages-1246515700-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images</div>
In addition, he&#8217;s had success with his two comedy albums, &#8220;Yelled at by a Clown&#8221; and &#8220;Full Time Magic.&#8221; The former peaked in 2014 at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 10 Comedy Charts and the latter reached No. 1 in 2015, ABQ Journal <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2532204/nate-bargatze-bringing-his-relatable-comedy-to-abq.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. On top of that, he hosts the &#8220;Nateland&#8221; <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-nateland-podcast/id1521693509" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a>.
Reading through reviews on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nate_bargatze_hello_world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rotten Tomatoes,</a> audience critics loved the new special, with fans giving it a 98% audience score.
&#8220;Nate&#8217;s comedy makes you laugh at yourself, his stories, the world, and the madness of the human condition,&#8221; one person wrote. &#8220;There&#8217;s a current of warmth under it all that makes you feel good having spent an hour with him. Life and loss are hard enough — if we must be mortal, let us at least laugh, and laugh like this.&#8221;
Another added, &#8220;Was crying laughing and it&#8217;s something that can be enjoyed with the whole family! Love it!&#8221;
While another person wrote, &#8220;He&#8217;s so funny, without ever swearing or being a dirt ball. He&#8217;s just hilarious. Although I don&#8217;t think he is dumb and wish he&#8217;d stop making that a focus of his humor. Other than that, he&#8217;s super consistent — always laugh-out-loud funny — Hello World is no exception.&#8221;
Reflecting on the new special, Bargatze admitted, this time around, he was a lot more personal than in the past, Fox News noted. In his comedy, Bargatze likes to joke about his wife, Laura Baines-Bargatze too and their marriage. The couple married in 2007 and welcomed their daughter in 2012, <a href="https://celebily.com/who-is-nate-bargatze-his-wife-parents-and-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celebily</a> noted.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a lot more about me and how I grew up,&#8221; the comedian said. &#8220;The stories are a little bit longer and just as I&#8217;ve gotten older as a comic.&#8221;
&#8220;I was very happy about this hour because this hour is built off of the back end of COVID,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So I was home a lot, and I was able to gather a lot of material.&#8221;

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Season 6

‘Jesus Had More Fun Than I Did’: Nate Bargatze Jokes About His Religion, Family And More In New Comedy Special

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Activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/like-driving-a-gas-guzzler-peta-is-mad-at-elon-musk-for-liking-chocolate-milk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PETA</a>) has released a statement condemning the producers of Amazon Prime Video series &#8220;<a id="auto-tag_the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power" href="https://variety.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/" data-tag="the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power">The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power</a>&#8221; after a horse died on set.
The horse reportedly died on March 21st while being exercised on the U.K. set prior to rehearsals and filming — and a necropsy confirmed that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
&#8220;We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse died on 21st March,&#8221; an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement released on Sunday morning. &#8220;The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had yet to commence. Both a veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure.&#8221;
According to a <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/rings-of-power-horse-death-lord-of-the-rings-peta-1235564884/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from entertainment site Variety, there were some 30 horses being used for the second season of &#8220;The Rings of Power&#8221; — and 20 were on the set at the time of the incident, along with a veterinarian and an American Humane Association representative.
The horse in question was <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/03/horse-dies-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-1235310287/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supplied</a> by The Devil&#8217;s Horsemen — a Buckinghamshire-based company that has provided horses for &#8220;Wonder Woman,&#8221; &#8220;Justice League,&#8221; &#8220;Transformers: The Last Knight,&#8221; &#8220;Game Of Thrones,&#8221; and &#8220;The Crown.&#8221; This is the first known horse fatality in the company&#8217;s five-decade history.
&#8220;It seems that living underground with the orcs is par for the course for the producers of &#8216;The Rings of Power,&#8217; because they have the option to use CGI, mechanical rigs and other humane methods that wouldn’t run vulnerable horses to death on set,&#8221; PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange said in a statement.
&#8220;PETA is calling on the show’s creators — and all other producers — to take on a new quest without using any real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a spinoff for TV with torment as the theme,&#8221; she concluded.
The activist organization has repeatedly called for an end to using real horses — and other animals — in film, arguing that filmmakers should rely entirely on CGI instead. Barring that, PETA has said that an animal behaviorist should be on set at all times in an effort to prevent any potential mistreatment.

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PETA Accuses ‘Rings Of Power’ Team Of ‘Living Underground With The Orcs’ After Horse Dies On Set

PETA Accuses 'Rings Of Power' Team Of 'Living Underground With The Orcs' After Horse Dies On Set

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