The story of ‘Past Lives,’ from personal story, to script, to award circuit darling

Writer-director Celine Song and producer Christine Vachon discuss Past Lives and Song’s foray into filmmaking of a deeply personal story on The Business.

Song shares how she used her script as a “seduction technique” to attract funding for her debut feature and their partnership. Vachon talks about the joys of supporting Past Lives, collaborating with Todd Haynes on his film May December, and their journey together on the awards circuit.

More films

• On The Treatment, actor and producer David Oyelowo discusses getting physical to portray lawman Bass Reeves in Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
• And, director Brian Helgeland talks about his family drama Finestkind.

Netflix reveals viewing data for the first time. What now?

In a surprising move, Netflix released a trove of data last week. The numbers include viewing patterns between January and June 2023. This is a first for the streaming service. Now, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos says the streamer plans to share new reports every six months.

Why does it matter? Because Netflix has never made this data public before. “This was an issue in the recent strikes, [and] Ted Sarandos, in announcing this, said that the lack of transparency was creating an atmosphere of mistrust with their creative partners,” explains Kim Masters.

What does the data reveal? Netflix subscribers like to watch new things. “[The data] tells you that originals are very popular on Netflix,” says Matt Belloni. “It was about 45% originals on the list, compared to 55% licensed content and movies and TV shows.”

That also means there are literally thousands of things that nobody seems to be watching. But that’s not exactly shocking when you consider, as Masters puts it,  “the amount of spaghetti that Netflix throws against the wall.”

Why is Netflix doing this now? Because it’s a nice flex — if you’ve got nothing to hide. “It’s a way for Netflix to say ‘Okay, we kind of won the streaming wars, it’s us and everyone else, and we’re just gonna lay it all out there,’” Belloni explains. “And now they’re encouraging others to do the same.”

What are the implications for the industry? Your move, Hollywood. Belloni, for his part, thinks it’s a “fascinating experiment” in terms of how it might impact negotiations and how creators will react.

“We now have Netflix willing to lay it all out there. If your show is a hit, everyone’s gonna know it’s a hit,” he says. “The other side of the argument is, some creators may not like that… So maybe Netflix might lose some projects because of that.”

In other entertainment news, Hollywood’s year of WGA and SAG strikes, streaming struggles, and big-budget flops is raising questions about how the industry will adjust. On Press Play, Lucas Shaw, managing editor of media and entertainment at Bloomberg, analyzes the year-end bottom line for Hollywood after dual strikes.

KCRW explores how music has inspired creatives

• Graphic artist-illustrator David Edward Byrd designed some of the most iconic psychedelic concert posters during the 1960s and ‘70s. On Greater LA, he examines a new book, Poster Child, which looks at his personal journey and his work in the music industry.
• Pulitzer Prize winner Hua Hsu goes into his discovery of jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders’ music in his 20s, on The Treatment.
• On Press Play, multi-Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz explores writing the music of acceptance and unity behind Rustin, a biopic about the openly gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
• And, Tony Bravo, arts and culture writer for The San Francisco Chronicle, looks into songs that celebrate Norman Lear’s career.

Owls: What they know and what humans believe

When it comes to birds, the owl is an enigma. They span over 200 species — from the great gray and horned owl, to the snowy white and barn owl — and live on every continent except Antarctica.

Carl Safina, ecologist and founding president of The Safina Center at Stony Brook University, has raised many different kinds of birds, including owls, and used to be a falconer. When a friend found a baby screech owl — no more than 10 days old — Safina planned to release her in their backyard. But, he says, “the plan had a flight delay because she didn’t really grow her wing feathers in properly, and I couldn’t turn her out because she couldn’t fly.”

Safina named the baby owl Alfie and spent the winter trying to teach her how to hunt while they waited for her adult plumage to come in so she could fly.

Safina has chronicled his joyful experience with Alfie in his book Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe. He shares on Life Examined that what he imagined would be a straightforward process of preparing an owl to return to the wild turned into a more deep and meaningful experience, raising broader questions about philosophy, spirituality, and our ability to coexist with the natural world.

Where to experience a white Christmas in LA

Los Angeles’ climate is moderate year-round, and December temperatures in the 60s and 70s may feel odd when other regions are experiencing a white Christmas.

However, Angelenos don’t rely on the weather to indicate the holiday season, says retired SoCal weatherman and comedian Fritz Coleman.

“You have to get your signals from somewhere else. There are no seasonal changes to put you in the mood, so the only way you know it’s Christmas is … [when] the Christmas trees at Bloomingdale’s go up,” says Coleman.

Greater LA takes you to several places to experience a white Christmas around Los Angeles this holiday season.

More ways to experience the Holidays

• Also on Greater LA, musician Arturo Sandoval explains what makes a Christmas song “swing.”
• Plus, Press Play’s staff picks their favorite holiday music and film critic Alonso Duralde reviews his Christmas film picks, from Love, Actually to Fanny and Alexander.
• And, digital news and culture editor Amy Ta and digital news producer Danielle Chiriguayo compile a list of places to watch holiday movie screenings in LA this year.