I try to keep abreast of the various movies that are nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, even though there hasn&#8217;t been a solid winner in the Oscars for years at this point. 
This year, the frontrunner is a movie titled “Emilia Pérez,” which was nominated for 10 Golden Globes. It won four.
It is one of the worst movies ever made. It is horrible in every way possible for it to be horrible.
I’m going to break down this review into a few categories. First, we&#8217;re going to go through the actual movie plot, the performances, and the music. Then, we&#8217;ll get to the blowback.
The premise of this unbelievably stupid, insulting, and morally vacuous film involves a gangland drug leader, played by Karla Sofía Gascón, who is a trans woman, which is to say, a man. In real life, Gascón identified as a male until his mid-forties. In 2018, at the age of 46, Gascón decided that he was, in fact, a she and decided to go through all of the various surgeries to make him look more like a her. 
I would say rather unsuccessfully.
In this particular story, Gascón plays a Mexican drug lord, the head of a deadly drug cartel who decides he does not just want to disappear, but also wants to become a woman. He&#8217;s apparently always wanted to be a woman. The lawyer he ropes into this game is Rita Mora Castro, played by Zoe Saldana, who will help the newly-named Emilia Pérez become a woman.
The basic premise of the film is reliant on one essential idea about life. If you don&#8217;t buy into this idea, the entire movie is actually quite evil. That idea is: If you cut off your genitals, this makes you a better person. The basic premise of the film is: If a genocidal, murderous drug lord wants to feel like a woman, undergoes many surgeries and hormone treatments, that person is to be treated as a feminist saint after emerging on the other side.
Without that crazy perspective, none of the movie works and the whole tale becomes rather sinister.
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Now, you may be saying to yourself, this sounds like a comedy. If you watch the film as a comedy, it is uproariously funny, since none of it follows. It makes no sense. All the things that are supposed to be serious are hilarious. It is one of the most ridiculous movies ever filmed.
This drug lord is married to a character played by Selena Gomez, legitimately one of the worst actresses alive. Inanimate objects have more affect than Gomez.
The transgender woman&#8217;s lover, played by Adriana Paz, is a person named Epifania.
The drug lord’s wife and two children move to Switzerland with the drug lord’s money. Four years later, the drug lord, now a transgender woman, approaches the lawyer and says, basically, “I would like to get in touch with my kids again, so I&#8217;m going to pretend to be my cousin living in Mexico. I&#8217;m going to pay my ex-wife and the kids” — the wife thinks he&#8217;s dead at this point —  “to come live with me in Mexico.” Complications ensue because it turns out the wife has a lover. And not only that, but so does Emilia Pérez. At this point, he falls in love with a woman. 
All of this comes as the lawyer and Pérez decide that not only is it time for Pérez to return to Mexico as a woman, but it is also time for Pérez to become an extraordinarily high-scale public figure who uncovers all of the bodies of people murdered by drug cartels. At no point, by the way, does this drug cartel leader actually apologize to anyone for having murdered humans.
Instead, this person just traipses around explaining that it&#8217;s very bad to kill people and bury their bodies in unnamed places and so on. By the end of the film, the drug cartel leader and his ex-wife have died in a car crash and the children now belong to the lawyer.
If you followed all of that, congratulations; either you have a screw loose, or you are great at following nonsensical plots.
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All of this is accompanied by some of the worst music and performances in a film. In a musical, the music should be good, but in this musical, the music is just absolute sheer, unmitigated horror. It was written by Camille, a French singer, and Clément Ducol, a French film composer. It&#8217;s absolutely, horrifyingly bad. The lighting is terrible. The choreography is terrible.
At one point, Pérez goes into the bedroom of one of his children and lies down next to his child. They can&#8217;t fall asleep. And the kid tells him he smells like his father.
Well, yes; you&#8217;ve f***ed up that kid&#8217;s life beyond all recognition. First of all, you&#8217;re a drug lord. Second of all, you deprived that kid of a father so that you could play dress up.
And we&#8217;re supposed to be sympathetic to this person for some reason?
The lyrics are terrible in this scene. The dude smells like “mountains, leather coffee, spicy food, sugar, lamb on the fire, the engine, Diet Coke with lemon, ice, and sweat.” He also smells of “little stones warmed by the sun, mint, Mezcal, guacamole, dogs on car rides, cigarettes.”
Who wrote this? This whole musical was written by a person being hit in the head with a brick.
The end of the film is a parade with a statue looking like the Virgin Mary of this trans-woman, drug-cartel leader who engaged in mass murder, was never prosecuted for it, and betrayed his wife and children. But this person is a saint now, because that&#8217;s how the politics work here.
The whole musical turns on one fundamental moral supposition: If you are a person with gender dysphoria and cut off your genitals or have hormone surgery, this means all sins — past, present, and future — are wiped away. All of them. You can do anything to anyone at any time, and you are fully justified in doing so because you have found your identity.
This will be the worst Best Picture winner since “The Shape of Water,” although that’s a brutal decision, the &#8220;Sophie&#8217;s Choice&#8221; of bad movies decisions. Which do you pick? You&#8217;re on a desert island, and you only can watch one of these two movies for the rest of time. Which one?
The third option is to drown yourself.
Which may be preferable.

82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards – Press Room

‘Emilia Pérez’: It’s Better To Drown Yourself Than See It

'Emilia Pérez': It’s Better To Drown Yourself Than See It

Awards

Ben Shapiro

Drug Cartels

Entertainment

Film Reviews

Golden Globes

Movies

Netflix

Opinion

Transgender

Like so many others on social media, commentator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meghan-mccain">Meghan McCain</a> is weighing in on the recently released trailer for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meghan-markle">Meghan Markle</a>’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> series, “With Love, Meghan.”
The series is being mocked as inauthentic and overproduced, two factors McCain pointed out as well. She said its release is “tone deaf” in light of recent world events and people continuing to suffer the effects of inflation. 
“I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter, I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing. Like the rest of the world my opinion changed when she disrespected the royal family,” McCain, 40, shared on X.
“Now that she wants to be American again instead of British aristocracy what she seems to forget is Americans want real, raw, uncensored. All of this even in the trailer is highly curated, produced and out of touch,” she went on.
“There have been 2 terror attacks in 2 days, major wars raging and Americans can’t pay for groceries. We are a country in rage, uncertainty and intensity right now. This concept is ill advised. I would have told her to do a show helping bring fresh food to food deserts in low income neighborhoods. Do something to help people instead of your ego.”
“This is why the world doesn’t like you, nothing else,” McCain concluded. “Just completely and utterly tone deaf to the moment.”
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I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter, I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing. 
Like the rest of the world my opinion changed when she disrespected the royal family. Now that she wants to be American again instead of British aristocracy what she seems to forget is… <a href="https://t.co/EexXfqm28P">https://t.co/EexXfqm28P</a>
&mdash; Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/1874951878108455131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Markle posted a clip about her series on Thursday, and it quickly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meghan-markle-lifestyle-series-coming-to-netflix-and-people-have-thoughts">became a hot topic</a> of conversation online.
The teaser shows the Duchess of Sussex cooking in a kitchen with a rotating cast of guest stars as she shares “some of her favorite tips and tricks for cooking, gardening, crafting, and more” and “reveals how even the most minute details can help add beauty to our lives and, most importantly, help bring people together…” per a synopsis from Netflix.
Markle wrote in the post caption, “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it. Wishing you all a fantastic new year! Thanks to our amazing crew and the team @netflix. Beyond grateful for the support – and fun! As ever, Meghan.”
“She has ZERO talent and nobody likes her,” one person wrote in response to the clip.
“The never ending narcissism of Meghan Markle,” another commenter agreed.
“With Love, Meghan” is scheduled to premiere on January 15 on Netflix.

Markle McCain

Meghan McCain Blasts Meghan Markle’s Netflix Series: ‘Americans Can’t Pay For Groceries’

Meghan McCain Blasts Meghan Markle's Netflix Series: 'Americans Can’t Pay For Groceries'

Celebrities

Meghan Markle

Meghan McCain

Royal Family

Television

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meghan-markle">Meghan Markle</a> kicked off 2025 with a new <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEVSsNfymUD/">Instagram account</a> and promoted her upcoming lifestyle series on Netflix &#8212; and people had some strong thoughts about her latest attempt to return to the spotlight.
In a post on Thursday on her account titled simply @meghan, the Duchess of Sussex posted a clip about her series, titled “With Love, Meghan,&#8221; that debuts on the streaming platform on January 15.
It shows her cooking in her kitchen with fellow actors as she shares “some of her favorite tips and tricks for cooking, gardening, crafting, and more&#8221; and &#8220;reveals how even the most minute details can help add beauty to our lives and, most importantly, help bring people together…” a synopsis from Netflix reads, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14244567/Meghan-Markle-introduces-new-Netflix-series-brand-new-Instagram-account.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Daily Mail</a> noted.
She captioned her post, “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it. Wishing you all a fantastic new year! Thanks to our amazing crew and the team @netflix. Beyond grateful for the support &#8211; and fun! As ever, Meghan.”
While the wife of Prince Harry cut off the ability for people to make comments, there were plenty of thoughts on X about the new series.
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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/reel/DEVSsNfymUD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (@meghan)</a>
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“SUPREME CRINGE! Meghan Markle&#8217;s Netflix show is called ‘With Love, Meghan,’” <a href="https://x.com/RNN_RoyalNews/status/1874865205764866327?mx=2">one account</a> read. “Trailer just dropped on her Instagram and it looks horrific! So fake, contrived, pretentious and just absolutely awful. And the name is just so, so AWFUL and narcissistic.”
Another person <a href="https://x.com/StephanieSidley/status/1874869380380872977">wrote</a>, “Now we know for sure WME &amp; Netflix forced Meghan Markle to start promoting her cooking show on Instagram! All Meghan’s minions are making appearances, the kids + Doria! This is going to be the biggest fail yet! The music, the sets, the lying, the fake laughs!”
It comes one day after she relaunched her social media outreach on a new <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DESeJO5vFSN/">Instagram account</a> with a video of her running on the beach and writing the numbers “2025” in the sand. However, even that clip is blocked for comments, with watchers of the clip noticing that it, too, is staged with the duchess running past what appeared to be earlier attempts to write out “2025” in the sand, the <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/1874830839151817072">New York Post</a> noted.
<a href="https://x.com/catturd2/status/1874814376663974064">One account</a> pointed out that Markle’s latest attempt to revive her public image won’t work. “Not happening. She has ZERO talent and nobody likes her.”
Another <a href="https://x.com/TheFabBookLover/status/1874539873446793372">added</a>, “The never ending narcissism of Meghan Markle.” 
And a third person <a href="https://x.com/hrrysgreysuit/status/1874680725334810843">wrote</a>, “Meghan Markle criticized for turning comments off first Instagram post. She&#8217;s so thin-skinned she can&#8217;t handle criticism of any kind &#8211; Most bullies can&#8217;t. So brave, So strong Meg (wink wink).”
The announcement also comes nearly a year after the former “Suits” actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meghan-markle-appears-to-launch-surprise-lifestyle-brand-on-instagram-after-spotify-failure">first promoted</a> her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard. It follows the end of her contract with Spotify in 2023 for her “Archetypes” podcast, which had mixed reviews and wasn’t renewed for a second season, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meghan-markle-appears-to-launch-surprise-lifestyle-brand-on-instagram-after-spotify-failure">reported</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prince-harry-says-he-wont-take-meghan-markle-back-to-u-k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prince Harry Says He Won’t Take Meghan Markle Back To U.K.</a>

Meghan Markle Lifestyle Series Coming To Netflix — And People Have Thoughts

Meghan Markle Lifestyle Series Coming To Netflix -- And People Have Thoughts

Hollywood

Instagram

Prince Harry

World

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> documentary “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/documentary">Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever</a>” about a tech millionaire obsessed with extending his life is getting a lot of reactions online.
Bryan Johnson, 47, first started getting mainstream attention last January thanks to a Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-25/anti-aging-techniques-taken-to-extreme-by-bryan-johnson">article </a>detailing his $2 million per year health regimen, which he claims is helping to slow the aging process. The L.A.-based entrepreneur takes 130 pills daily, eats dinner at 11 a.m., goes to bed at 8:30 p.m., and does a 90-minute workout every day. He also has weekly MRIs, skin care treatments, plasma exchanges, and Follistatin gene therapy, which is not approved by the FDA, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/dont-die-netflix-documentary-bryan-johnson-anti-aging-1236262153/">Variety</a>.
For these efforts, Johnson <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryanrjohnson_my-new-record-064-pace-of-aging-my-birthday-activity-7206375978141405185-Osp3">claims</a> he only ages at a rate of 0.64, meaning he believes to be aging 7.6 months for every 12 months. He spent a total of $4 million developing a life-extension system called Blueprint, which he has been using for himself to promote longevity.
Documentary filmmaker Chris Smith followed Johnson around for a year, documenting his regimen and the family relationships the entrepreneur has with his father and his son, who at one point all swapped plasma.
“We do a good job of showing that some people think that what Bryan is doing has a lot of value and some people don’t,” Smith told Variety in an interview. “One of my hopes is that people take away from the movie that a large amount of health benefits can be achieved through sleep, diet, and exercise. That is something that is attainable by anyone.”
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Some social media users expressed their skepticism about the documentary and the claims Johnson is making, while others thought he gave good advice.
“Here’s the truth: my secret plan is for ‘Don’t Die’ to become the world’s most influential ideology by 2027. Our existence depends upon it,” Johnson wrote in an X post on New Year’s Day.
“For 2,500 years, human history has been shaped by ideologies: Capitalism, Democracy, Socialism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. But none of these systems are built for this moment. The question we face—what do humans do when giving birth to superintelligence?—is the most important one in this part of the galaxy. And no one, no country, no ideology, no company has an answer.”
“Your hubris is immeasurable,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/0xPuff/status/1874651213419213159">wrote</a>.
“Your ‘Don’t Die’ ideology is very limited and flawed, because it’s missing the spiritual aspect of longevity &amp; immortality,” another person <a href="https://x.com/pakzadroya/status/1874533272463818949">wrote</a>.
“This sounds more like a marketing pitch than a serious ideology,” another response says. “Survival is a basic instinct, not a cohesive framework for managing the complexities of life, society, or technology. Humans don’t just live to ‘not die’, we live for meaning, growth, connection, and purpose.”
Other reactions said that Johnson’s advice was basic at its core. “My critical summary of ‘Don’t Die’ on Netflix: &#8211; Man leaves Mormonism; Middle-aged man gets fat, sick, and rich; Middle-aged man discovers exercise and vegetables,” a fourth person <a href="https://x.com/B_Holmer/status/1874447516340748308">wrote</a> of the documentary.
Plenty of other commenters were excited about Johnson’s approach and implored him to change the name from “don’t die” to something less controversial that focused on longevity rather than mortality.

Bryan Johnson

‘Hubris Is Immeasurable’: Reactions To Netflix Doc ‘Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants To Live Forever’

'Hubris Is Immeasurable': Reactions To Netflix Doc 'Don't Die: The Man Who Wants To Live Forever'

Death

Documentaries

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/comedian">Comedian</a> Michelle Buteau went after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dave-chappelle">Dave Chappelle</a> for daring to joke about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a> people. 
The 47-year-old New Jersey native, who has appeared in Hollywood films and reality TV shows, made the remarks during her new Netflix comedy special, &#8220;Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall.&#8221;
Buteau’s set included a graphic joke about her &#8220;beautiful, black, lesbian friend,” which she submitted as an example of how comedians should joke about people who fall under the LGBT acronym.
&#8220;What I’m saying is it can be done. It can be done. We can tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community,&#8221; Buteau said, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/01/entertainment/michelle-buteau-dave-chappelle/index.html">CNN</a>. &#8220;We can do that, we can make it funny. You just have to work at it, right? So if you guys ever run into Dave Chappelle, can you let him know that sh**?”
Buteau said she doesn’t think she will ever run into Chappelle “because he is the GOAT.”
“And he is the GOAT, if that means going off about trans people. Dave, it’s not funny. It’s dangerous,” the comedian went on. “I can’t believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe. That is so wild to me.”
Buteau said she wants “to make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard, and entertained.”
Chappelle was ripped in 2021 for making jokes that the mainstream media and others deemed “transphobic” in his Netflix comedy special “The Closer.” 
Leftists were so enraged that one transgender employee reportedly organized a walkout in protest. That person was later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dave-chappelle-wins-grammy-award-for-netflix-special-that-enraged-trans-people">fired</a> for “sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company.”
In his Netflix special, Chappelle claimed to be “team TERF,” an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. He defended J.K. Rowling’s stance that biological sex that men cannot be women.
Chappelle went on to win a Grammy Award for “The Closer.”

Michelle Buteau

Comedian Says It’s ‘Dangerous’ For Dave Chappelle To Joke About Trans People

Comedian Says It's 'Dangerous' For Dave Chappelle To Joke About Trans People

comedian

Comedy

Dave Chappelle

Social Issues

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/travis-kelce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Travis Kelce</a> definitely got everyone’s attention when he dropped a teaser trailer for Adam Sandler’s highly-anticipated &#8220;Happy Gilmore 2.&#8221;
In a clip Kelce posted to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEP410wIt46/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA%3D%3D">Instagram</a> on Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs star made a brief appearance in the trailer for the new Netflix movie, telling Sandler’s character, &#8220;It’s great to see you back, Mr. Gilmore!”
He captioned the post, “It’s great to see you back in 2025, Mr. Gilmore! Wishing everyone a HAPPY New Year with HAPPY GILMORE 2, coming to<a href="https://www.instagram.com/netflix/"> @netflix</a> in the new year.”
There were several reactions to the clip, including one message from fellow Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes, who wrote, “Let’s Go,” along with a fire emoji.
One comment from the official account for the Kelce brothers&#8217; “New Heights Show” podcast read, “Uh oh, Travvy learned how to putt,” along with a crying laughing face emoji.
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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/reel/DEP410wIt46/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Travis Kelce (@killatrav)</a>
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Kelce’s involvement in the film comes after the Chiefs tight end made it clear on a past episode of his podcast that he was a Happy Gilmore fan, and if there were a sequel in the works, he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae1J82fM23Q">would love to be part of it</a>. 
Sandler later appeared on the Kelce brothers&#8217; podcast and hinted at the role the Chiefs star player would have in the movie.
&#8220;Travis we&#8217;re gonna have fun because the scene you&#8217;re doing is with so many great golfers it&#8217;s going to be amazing. You&#8217;re going to be funny as hell,&#8221; the famed actor said, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/adam-sandler-travis-kelce-talk-athletes-happy-gilmore/story?id=113221086">ABC News</a> noted.
It will mark the first time the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-spotted-at-us-open-and-double-date-with-patrick-and-brittany-mahomes-following-maga-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL star</a> appears in a movie after taking part in several TV projects like “Moonbase 8” and “Grotesquerie.&#8221;
Fans have been waiting a long time for a sequel to Sandler’s hilarious 1996 golf comedy, in which he played hockey player turned golfer to save his grandmother’s home. Based on the trailer, several original movie stars are returning for the sequel, including Christopher McDonald as rival golfer Shooter McGavin and Julie Bowen, who plays Gilmore&#8217;s love interest.
It’s fair to say the movie helped launch Sandler&#8217;s movie career, turning him from supporting roles to the leading man in such hits as “The Wedding Singer,” “The Waterboy,” “Anger Management,” and “50 First Dates.”
“Happy Gilmore 2”  is expected to debut sometime in 2025.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/travis-kelce-shuts-down-taylor-swift-breakup-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Travis Kelce Shuts Down Taylor Swift Breakup Rumors</a>

Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce Appears In Trailer for Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ Sequel

Adam Sandler

Kansas City Chiefs

Sports

Taylor Swift

The NFL&#8217;s Christmas Day games on Netflix set a record as the most streamed games in NFL history with around 24 million people tuning in for each game, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/26/netflix-nfl-ratings-beyonce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The NFL&#8217;s Christmas doubleheader kicked off with the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, which drew 24.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. A Netflix spokesman told Axios that around one-third of the streaming service&#8217;s global concurrent viewers were watching the game at one point, which made the Chiefs-Steelers game the most-watched concurrent stream of the past four years for Netflix.
Later in the day on Wednesday, the game between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens had an average audience of 24.3 million viewers. According to Nielsen figures dating back to 2001, the Texans-Ravens game was the most-watched Christmas Day game for the coveted 18-34-year-old demographic. The game&#8217;s viewership peaked at 27 million when Beyonce took the stage to perform at halftime.
Both Christmas Day games drew more viewers than the 2023 AFC wild card matchup between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins, which streamed on Peacock. Combined, both NFL Christmas Day games — along with pre-game shows and Beyonce&#8217;s halftime performance — drew in around 65 million people, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-nfl-christmas-b59bd2a3cc1bf94d351d8db6fbe030c8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The successful NFL streams on Netflix came a month after the streaming giant was criticized during the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight when many viewers complained about the stream freezing and buffering.
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The NBA, which has scheduled games on Christmas Day for decades, saw a bump in viewership on Wednesday, but its numbers came nowhere close to the NFL&#8217;s. The NBA, which broadcasted its games on ABC and ESPN, averaged around 5 million viewers for its five-game Christmas Day slate. This year&#8217;s Christmas Day NBA games saw an 84% rise in viewership compared to last year.
Following the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, LeBron James quipped, &#8220;I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.&#8221;
NFL Media Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder responded to James&#8217; comment, saying, “The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own view, and I’m sure more people will look at that because of this.&#8221;
&#8220;But, you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re thrilled with the results this year with the Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build that over the next couple of years,&#8221; Schroeder added.

NFL/Netflix

NFL Breaks Streaming Record With Christmas Day Games On Netflix

Christmas

If you never watched &#8220;Squid Game,&#8221; it was a runaway success for Netflix a few <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/popular-netflix-series-squid-game-is-making-life-miserable-for-one-real-life-south-korean-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">years ago</a>. The basic idea was that 456 people with desperate financial problems are invited to a contest at an undisclosed location, where they all participate in a bunch of children&#8217;s games like &#8220;Red Light, Green Light.&#8221; The winner gets $40 million. Then, when they get there, they realize that if they don&#8217;t win the games, they get murdered.
The show&#8217;s popularity didn&#8217;t come down to its plot, or any kind of deeper meaning. There wasn&#8217;t much to it. You could spin it as a metaphor against capitalism just as easily as you could spin it as a metaphor against communism. It was basically just well-executed torture porn. You had to enjoy watching these characters fight for their lives in these bizarre, occasionally creative deathtraps — kind of like the &#8220;Saw&#8221; films, with a little more variety. And apparently a lot of people did get some mileage out of that conceit.
It&#8217;s now very obvious, though, that a lot of fans won&#8217;t be enjoying &#8220;Squid Game&#8221; season 2, the obligatory follow-up that will be released the day after Christmas. This is the season that will jump the shark for a lot of people, on all sides of the political spectrum. We know that because Netflix has now revealed the characters for the second &#8220;Squid Game.&#8221; And one of these characters is a male former special forces soldier who identifies as transgender — and who&#8217;s competing in this game to raise money for sex-change surgery.
Before we go any further, it&#8217;s important to establish right off the bat that Netflix does, indeed, appear to be serious about this. The creators of this show, and the actor who plays this male character, genuinely seem to believe that this is a brave, intelligent casting decision. 
Here&#8217;s part of the video where the actor introduces this new character. Obviously, he&#8217;s not speaking English, so you only need to see a small portion of it. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Squid Game: Season 2 | Meet the Cast | Netflix" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ReM6Msbts3w?start=335&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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In case you couldn&#8217;t keep up with the subtitles, he says that this character is a &#8220;former special forces soldier and transgender woman&#8221; who joins the Squid Game because, &#8220;she&#8217;s short on money for her gender-affirming surgery.&#8221; This character &#8220;faces prejudice and tough situations,&#8221; but demonstrates &#8220;incredible strength and decisiveness,&#8221; and &#8220;breaks down stereotypes&#8221; on his journey to securing the cash to mutilate his own genitals.
We&#8217;ll give this character the benefit of the doubt for a second, and assume that this aspiring transgender character didn&#8217;t realize the Squid Game was a death-match when he decided to join. We&#8217;ll assume that, like many of the other contestants, he was tricked into participating, because he was so blinded by his desire for this trans surgery after getting out of the special forces — like so many special forces soldiers have been, throughout history.
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But even with that in mind, this is still coming off like some kind of very unsubtle Right-wing parody of trans ideology. Here you have someone who is clearly so reckless, and so consumed by his desire to disfigure his own body, that he somehow inadvertently joins a game where he has a 455 out of 456 chance of dying a horrible, excruciating death. That&#8217;s greater than a 99% chance of dropping off a bridge, or being shot by a machine gun, or being impaled or something like that. And he&#8217;s facing that fate because he was &#8220;short on money&#8221; for a sex change, and decided he&#8217;d do anything to get it. 
That is the premise that would probably be too on-the-nose if you were trying to mock the idea of transgender surgeries, and the trans cult in general. It serves no purpose but to highlight, as dramatically as possible, how deranged these people are — and how willing they are to engage in highly self-destructive acts in order to affirm their delusions. 
But apparently, we&#8217;re meant to feel sympathy for this character.  We&#8217;re also supposed to observe that, although he&#8217;s willing to do anything to get his genitals cut off, he&#8217;s also extremely brave and fearless under fire. He keeps his composure in life-threatening situations. He has &#8220;incredible strength.&#8221; He&#8217;s exceptionally stable, mentally speaking. Presumably that&#8217;s the &#8220;stereotype&#8221; that&#8217;s being &#8220;broken down&#8221; here.
Imagine being in the writers&#8217; room when they decided that this would be one of their prominent characters for their new season. It&#8217;s just stock, cliche&#8217;d pandering that everyone&#8217;s seen a million times by now. And incredibly, this isn&#8217;t even why a lot of people are outraged about the new season. Conservatives, for the most part, either don&#8217;t really care about this show, or they&#8217;re used to this kind of rote virtue signaling. Instead, all of the outrage is coming from the Left.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
But of course, they&#8217;re not upset that this character is completely ridiculous. They&#8217;re on board with the whole &#8220;trans surgery&#8221; plotline. Their objection is that the character playing this &#8220;trans woman&#8221; character, in real life, is a man. They apparently wanted Netflix to find a self-identifying &#8220;trans woman&#8221; to play the part. And they&#8217;re upset that, instead, the actor — whose name is Park Sung-hoo — is in fact a male who does not identify as &#8220;transgender.&#8221;
As Breitbart <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2024/12/07/squid-game-season-2-sparks-backlash-after-normal-man-cast-as-transgender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summarized</a> the controversy, in one of the better headlines of the year: 
<blockquote>‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Sparks Backlash After Normal Man Cast as Transgender.</blockquote>
The article contains several distinct arguments by trans activists as to why, exactly, this casting decision is an outrage. And every single one of these arguments is completely and unequivocally terrible. It&#8217;s as if these people are incapable of generating a coherent, rational argument about anything. So let&#8217;s go in order here.
The first argument comes from someone using the name Dawn. And Dawn makes the argument that actors can&#8217;t play people who are unlike themselves — which is to say that actors can&#8217;t engage in acting. Here&#8217;s Dawn&#8217;s specific <a href="https://x.com/dawnmoer/status/1864457966948139257" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a>: 
<blockquote>This is not how you give representation&#8230; a cis man pretending to be part of a minority group just doesn&#8217;t sit right with me, especially when they could&#8217;ve hired an actual trans actress.</blockquote>
Then someone makes the obvious point that it&#8217;s the job of actors to &#8220;pretend&#8221; to be things they&#8217;re not. For example, an actor might pretend to be a police officer, when in real life, he&#8217;s just an actor. It&#8217;s a little trick that actors play all the time. That&#8217;s kind of the whole idea of acting. 
And then Dawn <a href="https://x.com/dawnmoer/status/1864487241977901410" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responds</a> with this: 
<blockquote>Yes but acting or pretending to be a police officer, burglar, villain, etc is a lot more different than pretending to be transgender, neurodivergent, and POC.</blockquote>
Dawn never says exactly what&#8217;s &#8220;a lot more different&#8221; about pretending to identify as transgender, as opposed to pretending to be a &#8220;police officer.&#8221; But apparently it&#8217;s a &#8220;lot more different.&#8221; Unfortunately for those of us seeking to &#8220;do the work&#8221; and educate ourselves on this particular issue, Dawn didn&#8217;t elaborate.
So in search of specifics on that point, I kept scrolling through the complaints from trans activists. Then I came across <a href="https://x.com/twittwitbb1/status/1864592867903328534" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this response</a>: 
<blockquote>I’m crying. Instead of a transfem actor they decided to slap a wig on Park Sung-hoon and call it a day.</blockquote>
Someone else followed up that response with <a href="https://x.com/babysealfan/status/1864904731321041012" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this post</a>, which belongs in a museum somewhere: 
<blockquote>Men playing trans women reinforces the harmful notion that trans women are just men in dresses.</blockquote>
So the claim is now that a male should not put on a dress and pretend to be trans on TV. But that&#8217;s exactly what being trans is. If anything, Park Sung-hoon is doing some serious method acting here. He&#8217;s taking his commitment to the craft to the next level. And he&#8217;s doing it in a country where gay marriage isn&#8217;t even legal at the national level. He&#8217;s really breaking barriers.
I guess if you try to understand their non-existent logic, the idea is that it&#8217;s okay for a man to put on a dress and pretend to be a woman, but a man can&#8217;t put on a dress and pretend to pretend to be a woman. That&#8217;s one level of pretending too far. 
And it&#8217;s not an exaggeration to say that it appears to be driving some of these people even more insane than they already are. 
As one angry fan <a href="https://x.com/arianaunext/status/1864456453035307202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put it</a>: 
<blockquote>Could they not cast an actual transgender woman… this gonna piss me off.</blockquote>
Putting aside the fact that the phrase &#8220;actual transgender woman&#8221; is an oxymoron, the phrasing there does raise an interesting question — maybe the most important question of this whole debacle. And that question is: Shouldn&#8217;t these people be demanding that a female actor play the &#8220;trans woman&#8221;? They claim that trans women are women. They say there&#8217;s no distinction between an &#8220;actual transgender woman&#8221; and an &#8220;actual woman.&#8221; So wouldn&#8217;t the most &#8220;validating&#8221; option be a woman playing the trans woman — that is, a woman playing a man pretending to be a woman?
I scrolled through a lot of these angry comments, and I never found a clear answer to that question. As always, trans activists are screaming nonsense into the void. They&#8217;re not sure what they want, or why they want it. They&#8217;re just sure that they&#8217;re deeply unhappy and profoundly confused, which of course, is their natural state. They&#8217;re so angry, in fact, that even when Netflix tries to pander to them, they still find a way to lose their minds. 
Once again, in the process, they reveal that they have no coherent ideology, and are totally incapable of making rational arguments that withstand any scrutiny whatsoever. 
And that is why I, along with Team Sanity, won&#8217;t be watching &#8220;Squid Game&#8221; season 2.

MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-02-25-PM-4161

Why I Won’t Be Watching ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 On Netflix

Why I Won't Be Watching 'Squid Game' Season 2 On Netflix

Matt Walsh

Mary, did you know one day you’d be reimagined?
Before you hit play, you have to read what those behind the new Netflix film “Mary” — billed as a “survival thriller” — are saying to understand the direction Hollywood is going with the movie.
Released earlier this month, screenwriter Timothy Michael Hayes <a href="https://whitmanhansonexpress.com/whitmans-timothy-michael-hayes-pens-netflix-film-script/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, “One challenge was that they wanted (the) film to appeal to all denominations and all dogmas.”
The first hint at a modern-day inclusive Mary.
After all, they consulted Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders when writing the screenplay. Yes, Muslim leaders. Show of hands if you think Hollywood would consult Christians on a film about Mohammed. Me neither.
Bible-believing Christians are naturally upset about the liberties taken to recreate Mary. Director of &#8220;Mary,&#8221; D.J. Caruso, said he wanted to give the world a portrayal of the real, human Mary even though the Bible doesn&#8217;t have much to say about her.
And the anti-Israel crowd is coming in hot because an Israeli Jewish woman, Noa Cohen, was cast as Mary, the Jewish mother of Jesus. The calls for boycotts quickly went out on social media.
Let’s just be real: If you are in the habit of spewing anti-Semitism online, then you are probably never going to watch a movie about the mother of Jesus.
Cohen, clearly has no idea who Mary was, <a href="https://thedirect.com/article/mother-mary-netflix-noa-cohen-bible-story-movie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, 
<blockquote>Mary’s being portrayed in a whole new light in my opinion. It&#8217;s giving her her voice back. She&#8217;s not just a vessel for something greater than herself.</blockquote>
Actually, that’s exactly who the mother of Jesus was. Saying she’s “not just a vessel” is an ignorant statement — as if it’s not enough to be chosen by God as a key instrument in His perfect plan to bring His son to earth so that He may be the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation, as Christians believe. This production brings an obvious feminist twist and an attempt to modernize Mary with an actress who doesn’t understand her story or purpose.
<div id="attachment_848557" style="width: 471px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-848557" class="wp-image-848557 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074-461x576.jpg" alt="&quot;Mary.&quot; Netflix. Aloe Entertainment. Creativity Media. IMDB." width="461" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074-461x576.jpg 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-10-50-AM-4074.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" />&#8220;Mary.&#8221; Netflix. Aloe Entertainment. Creativity Media. IMDB.</div>
With some exceptions, faith-based movies often ping-pong between being cringe-worthy or missing the biblical mark. A mark they likely never intended to hit.
When I heard that prosperity gospel megachurch pastor Joel Osteen was an executive producer of Mary, I was fairly confident this movie would plant itself in the second camp, landing short of the biblical target. Gaining health and wealth is at the center of the prosperity gospel, and generally absent of sound biblical theology.
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On X, Osteen <a href="https://x.com/JoelOsteen/status/1865074051921641658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teased</a> the movie, saying, “See Mary like you’ve never seen her before.” Tell me you’re not going to stick to the Bible without telling me.
If you hit play, right out of the gate, Mary opens the film with, “You may think you know my story. Trust me, you don’t.”
Trust me, Netflix, we do — for the Bible tells us so.
Friendly PSA: If you’re letting Hollywood teach you theology, you’re doing it wrong.
It’s bad enough Disney is tragically “reimagining” their classics — one painful reboot at a time. Their <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/soniathompson/2024/08/22/did-disney-make-the-right-decision-about-the-dwarfs-for-snow-white-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second attempt</a> at reimagining “Snow White” comes out next year, and includes seven computer-generated “magical creatures” instead of dwarfs and a Latina Snow White who publicly trashed the original “Snow White.” In spite of the politically correct ring kissing having no floor or ceiling — you can never bend the woke knee enough, even for magical creatures — everyone understands animated fairytales are fiction. That doesn’t change the fact that liberties taken with Dopey and Sneezy are still dumb. For a majority of Americans, however, the Bible is not fiction. Adherence to its original context without ad libbing an agenda is something many of us take very seriously. 
Director of “Mary,” D.J. Caruso, <a href="https://religionnews.com/2024/12/06/new-netflix-film-wants-to-make-mary-accessible-to-all/">said</a>, 
<blockquote>The world needs to see Mary, and they need to see her in a new light. My goal was to see if I could present Mary in a beautiful way, in a way that a younger audience could see her and relate to her as not just this beautiful, iconic holy mother, but as a young girl who had to make sacrifices and struggle and deal with things that a lot of the contemporary youth are dealing with today.</blockquote>
While, no doubt, young girls today have serious struggles and make sacrifices, none will ever be able to relate to being chosen to carry the Savior of the world through an immaculate conception and the potential earthly consequences she may have faced. The most they can do is respect her faithfulness.
A bright light has been shining on Mary for more than 2,000 years. Her story and her obedience to God are just as beautiful and relevant today as it was back then.
If God wanted us to have a different take on Mary, He would have provided one and not waited more than 2,000 years for Netflix to offer its take.
In “Mary,” her cousin Elizabeth <a href="https://stmarkministries.com/2024/12/should-you-watch-the-mary-movie-on-netflix/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tells her</a>, “Trust the strength inside of you.” It sounds eerily like the gospel of self-actualization trending in today’s “me” centered culture. It also sounds like something you’d hear straight from Joel Osteen.
Hollywood doesn’t need to give the mother of Jesus a reboot in order to reach large audiences and reap the financial rewards. On the rare occasion it does produce a film that&#8217;s faithful to Scripture, such as “The Passion of the Christ,” audiences turn out in droves — to the tune of over $600 million at the box office.
Hollywood is great at making Hallmark movies, but not so much with theologically accurate narratives.
Caruso <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mary-noa-cohen-comments-bible-113606680.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wants us to believe</a> that Mary is &#8220;sort of a superhero without powers.” The film wraps with Mary — the superhero — announcing that “Love will save the world.”
Nice bumper sticker, but if you’re a Christian, you know that it’s God’s Son who came to save the world, and He’s the only superhero in this story.
* * *
Lauren DeBellis Appell, a former lobbyist and communications aide on Capitol Hill, is a writer based in Fairfax, Virginia. Follow her on X <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ldappell-3Flang-3Den&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=kaAUPcZhpO1MvBc6jwa0VBiGZWXka6ART1tFuyQjLfc&amp;m=vTKo4FePDMyKVWSuxLCuaaDL3sLK4GEfxQYz1yppw20&amp;s=SGybKxJyqU1J2FWxExk5C2vqBiQeF6THIyErZ--DZHc&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@LDAppell</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-23-Dec-2024-11-00-AM-8948

Netflix’s ‘Mary’ Is Quite Contrary To Reality

Netflix’s 'Mary' Is Quite Contrary To Reality

Bible

Jesus Christ

Woke Culture

A new animated Christmas movie “That’s Christmas,” which is geared towards families with kids, jokes about abortion as it mocks the nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ.
In the Netflix movie — from the Hollywood director of 2003’s “Love Actually,” Richard Curtis — a group of school kids decide to put on a Christmas play complete with three wise women instead of three wise men, and instead of animals, the shepherds herd vegetables, <a href="https://cbn.com/news/entertainment/animated-netflix-christmas-movie-kids-mocks-nativity-jokes-about-aborting-baby">CBN reported</a>.
The production opens with one of the kids explaining that the story won’t be “boring,” like Christmas stories they’ve seen in the past.
“He [Jesus] wouldn’t have wanted us to do the same boring Christmas story year and year, right parents?” the child asked. “He’d want a strictly vegetarian, multi-cultural fun fest with lots of pop songs and stuff about climate change.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Wildest Christmas Play EVER! 🌟 That Christmas | Netflix After School" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d2z2zgl5R9I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
However, the scene that is getting the most attention involves the child playing the role of Mary, Jesus’ mother, who carries a watermelon with a face on it that is supposed to be baby Jesus. 
The character Mary sings a solo rendition of Madonna’s 1986 song, “Papa Don’t Preach.” In the song, the pop star is singing about the choice of a teen girl to not abort her child after becoming pregnant.
At the end of the song, the child holds up the watermelon, which is then accidentally knocked to the floor by another child, and the insides of the watermelon squirt out all over the audience.
After the performance, the parents are asked to share their thoughts, and one says, “I don’t think Jesus and jokes go together, dear.”
The movie is <a href="https://cbn.com/news/entertainment/animated-netflix-christmas-movie-kids-mocks-nativity-jokes-about-aborting-baby">described</a> as “an unforgettable Christmas” for the people of Wellington-on-Sea, a fictional seaside British town, where “the worst snowstorm in history alters everyone’s plans — including Santa’s,” the outlet noted.
The reviews on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/that_christmas/reviews?type=user">Rotten Tomatoes</a> seemed to be mixed, with many who watched it saying it wasn&#8217;t for kids.
“This movie uses the same concept as Cocomelon,” one person wrote. You&#8217;ll never see a shot longer than 6 seconds. Don&#8217;t watch with kids.”
Another person wrote, “Really poor. It was just a box ticking exercise, we got Santa in there, naughty kid who really is nice, bumbling idiot dads, trunchbull who is nice really, kids left to fend for themselves, etc I think there wasn’t enough made of the main characters of Danny &amp; Sam it seemed a little strained for flow. Certainly my kids weren’t overly impressed. I don’t think it will be one we watch again next year.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-worst-woke-kids-content-that-came-out-since-last-thanksgiving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Worst Woke Kids Content That Came Out Since Last Thanksgiving</a>

Baby Jesus.

Netflix Animated Christmas Movie Jokes About Abortion With Nativity Scene Mockery

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Kansas City Chiefs star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/patrick-mahomes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Mahomes</a> called out the NFL over his team’s upcoming three-game stretch over the Christmas holiday.
Speaking to members of the press, the Super Bowl-winning QB admitted he’s worried about the wear and tear on his body after the league scheduled three games over an 11-day period, starting with a road trip on Sunday, December 15 against the Cleveland Browns.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not a good feeling,&#8221; Mahomes said, per <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-patrick-mahomes-251a297450b4837f4fbd514fa5162a77">The Associated Press</a>. &#8220;You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time.”
“It&#8217;s not great for your body,” he added. “But at the end of the day it&#8217;s your job, your profession, you have to come to work and do it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Patrick Mahomes: Three games in 11 days &#8220;not a good feeling.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/goHdk2447r">https://t.co/goHdk2447r</a>
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1866979284893450674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
“All you can do is focus on the game,” Mahomes continued. “The practice you have that day. I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That&#8217;s tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and prepare, and the coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice as hard as anybody, but they know how to dial it back when needed.&#8221;
After the Browns game, the Chiefs play against the Texans in a home game on December 21, and then on Christmas Day, they travel to Pennsylvania to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a stretch of 4 days between the games, compared to the usual 6 or 7 days to recover.
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The Chiefs aren’t the only team with the crazy, three games over an 11-day schedule ending on Christmas Day &#8212; the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers, and Houston Texans will also have to endure the short turnaround.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he’s taking a measured approach to getting his team ready for the 11-day stretch, the AP noted.
“It’s a unique situation. You just have to manage it,” Reid said. “It is what it is. You make the best of it. The main thing is you get guys ready for the game. Give them a chance to get ready for the game. They&#8217;re going to do whatever you present to them. You try to help them out with that. Right now we have a normal week right here. We have to take care of business here.&#8221;
The Christmas Day games are part of Netflix&#8217;s doubleheader as the streaming platform dives into live sporting events.
The games will be star-studded, with the queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, kicking things off on December 25 for the Chiefs vs Steelers game. Carey will deliver a taped performance of her all-time number one hit holiday song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” during a game opening performance, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/12/12/mariah-carey-sing-nfl-christmas-game-beyonce/">TMZ reported</a>.
Beyonce will perform songs for the halftime game in Houston from her country album “Cowboy Carter,&#8221; when the Texans host the Ravens later that day, <a href="https://x.com/CBSMornings/status/1867204972095426679">CBS Morning noted</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-challenged-us-to-make-us-better-patrick-mahomes-credits-god-for-super-bowl-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘He Challenged Us To Make Us Better’: Patrick Mahomes Credits God For Super Bowl Win</a>

Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes Calls Out League For 3-Game Stretch Over Christmas Holiday

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The second season of the popular <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> series “Squid Game” has some <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq">LGBT</a> activists up in arms because a “cis man” was cast to play the part of a transgender-identified character.
The series, which became a massive hit in 2021, is a dystopian survival thriller about broke contestants vying to win a cash prize on a game show. To be victorious, they have to participate in a series of children’s games such as Red Light/Green Light and Marbles, but losing a game is a death sentence.
Actor Park Sung-hoo was cast in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-korea">Korea</a><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-korea">n</a>-language show’s second season to play the role of Hyun-Ju, a transgender woman. But activists wish an actual trans-identifying star had been cast instead.
“This is not how you give representation&#8230; a cis man pretending to be part of a minority group just doesn’t sit right with me, especially when they could’ve hired an actual trans actress,” one person <a href="https://x.com/dawnmoer/status/1864457966948139257">wrote</a> on X.
“Could they not cast an actual transgender woman… this gonna piss me off,” a second commenter <a href="https://x.com/arianaunext/status/1864456453035307202">wrote</a>.
There were plenty of people in the comments pointing out the flaw in the argument that an actor couldn’t pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
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“People mad they cast a man to play a man,” one person <a href="https://x.com/DPGBehler/status/1864720287423443265">wrote</a>.
“An actor pretending to be someone pretending. Wokeception!” another <a href="https://x.com/The_VA_Ginge/status/1864692372048683322">joked</a>.
Park said during a “Meet the Cast” interview that the character Hyun-Ju is a former special forces soldier who is working to raise money for gender reassignment surgery.
“Even though she faces prejudices and tough situations, she shows incredible strength, decisiveness, and natural leadership. Through her resilience, she breaks down stereotypes and shines as an inspiring character,” the actor said.
The second season of “Squid Game” premieres on December 26. 
This issue has come up before on the topic of straight actors playing gay roles in Hollywood. 
“There’s no part I’ve ever played where I wasn’t playing something I’m not. It’s part of the gig,” actor Eric McCormack, who played Will on the sitcom “Will &amp; Grace,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-grace-star-weighs-in-on-straight-actors-playing-gay-characters">said</a> on the topic earlier this year.
The actor continued, “If gay actors weren’t allowed to play straight actors, Broadway would be over. So this is what we do.”
Meanwhile, Tom Hanks believes the opposite is true.
“Could a straight man do what I did in ‘Philadelphia’ now? No, and rightly so,” he told The New York Times in a 2022 interview.
“The whole point of ‘Philadelphia’ was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man,” he added. “We’re beyond that now. I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy. It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity.”

Squid Game

LGBT Activists Complain That ‘Squid Game 2’ Trans Character Is ‘A Cis Man Pretending’

LGBT Activists Complain That 'Squid Game 2' Trans Character Is 'A Cis Man Pretending'

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