I was on vacation trying out Peloton for the second time when I got scared by a lyric from the 1975's new song I heard the day before:"I don't like going outside, so bring me everything here."As I virtually locked eyes with an image of my real instructor, the feeling of satisfaction and intimacy, and the realization that I could really see myself never needing anything or anyone else in the world if I owned one of these machines, scared the shit out of me. It made me think of that song. And that scared the shit out of me.I Peloton a streaming service. And after witnessing the courtship period of Disney+, I know I'm just as at risk of falling in love with a streaming service as the rest of us are. People actually waited in line to be the first to pay for Disney+, the company's upcoming streaming service. Last week, as thousands of people gathered for the D23 expo of Disney hype, Times reporter Brooks Barnes snapped these photos of people willing to wait just to get locked into a three-year contract for a streaming service that anyone can pay for when the service eventually launches in November.
Disney needed 24 stations taking credit cards non-stop to handle all the people dying to be Disney+ subscribers. Those people would save $23 per year on a three-year subscription to the service. These are superfans of a streaming service. One that doesn't even exist yet. The Journal even found one who "plans to cancel her Netflix subscription" once it does arrive. Other superfans of the service are even stanning for Disney+ on Twitter in a way we're more used to seeing people stick up for Beyoncé or Taylor or Nicki. Memes went around last week that seemed to prove their authors were rooting for the Disney streaming service over Netflix. These are two of the biggest companies on Earth and they have non-shareholders rooting for them. When there's a war between the D Hive and the Flixsties, which team will you be on? Anyway, here are some key facts about Disney+ that were unveiled, via WSJ's Erich Schwartzel:
"$6.99 a month without any discount.""Marquee shows include a 'High School Musical' series and 'The Mandalorian,' a new Star Wars story.""A slate of nonfiction, documentary-style shows, including one about working at Disney, will be on the service, as well as reality shows such as a cooking competition called 'Be Our Chef' and 'Encore!,' which follows groups of adults as they restage the high-school musicals of their youth."
The shorter stuff
Gwyneth Paltrow's book curator has the only appropriate name for someone who is Gwyneth Paltrow's book curator: Thatcher Wine. (Town & Country)
Ryan Murphy's first show for Netflix will be called The Politician. If Netflix shows weren't so wildly unpredictable, it would look like a hit to me. and it looks like it could be a hit. (THR)
William Gibson is suddenly cool in fashion circles? One of my favorite authors. (Garage)
This story of facial recognition at summer camps, alerting parents via app when they're children are not smiling, is one of the scariest and bleakest things I've read this week. (WaPo)
Flyers for the Hong Kong protests have beautiful graphic design. (Twitter).
This piece on the Equinox hotel at Hudson Yards is a must-👀: "Guests have full run of those facilities — but not necessarily the inner sanctum: a private gym-within-a-gym, the E Training Studio, that will be limited to 70 members and require a retinal scan for access. Membership comes with a $1,500 initiation fee, and buys the wizardry of Equinox’s top trainers, led by Hicham Haouzi, a former Thai boxer who is 50 but looks, unnervingly, as if he is going on 30. Stephen Ross, Related’s 79-year-old overlord, tightens his glutes here." (FT)
You can now see what songs are being Shazammed the most on an Apple Music chart. (TechCrunch)
You didn't actually think Lena Dunham was going anywhere after Camping flopped? (Variety)
Scorsese has been pushing for a robust national theatrical release for The Irishman, but Netflix and theaters are beefing. (NYT)
Think we may have run out of biopic subjects: Eva Longoria is directing a biopic about the founder of Cheetos called Flamin' Hot. (Deadline)
Enough already! Remake of Mr. Mom to be Walmart's first-ever original for Vudu. (Deadline)