May 14, 2025

Trump's Middle East Money Tour, Netflix's Giant Leap & Disney Goes Desert

Show Notes
Transcript

Netflix announces their biggest homepage overhaul in 12 years with AI-powered search and TikTok-style features. Disney reveals plans for their tech-forward Abu Dhabi theme park, their first new resort since Shanghai 2016. And the Golden Globes make history by adding podcast categories - could Joe Rogan win the same award as Meryl Streep?

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:10.640
Callaroga Shark Media from Washington, DC, where you can Netflix

2
00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.439
or you can chill, but you can't do both because

3
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:17.160
your wife lives in New York. This is ballot, that's right,

4
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:19.640
but the West wing is bingeable. If you want to

5
00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:25.640
rethink your domestic agenda, let's hit this. Hi. I'm Patrick Gutfield,

6
00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.920
and Netflix is planning a huge overhaul of their TV homepage,

7
00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:31.120
which is pretty exciting news if you're the kind of

8
00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:34.560
person who gets excited about menu layouts. They're calling it

9
00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.039
a giant leap forward, which is what I call it

10
00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.640
when I finally decide to throw away takeout containers that

11
00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:42.880
have been in my fridge for two weeks. Their chief

12
00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:47.159
product officer, Eunice Kim announced they've been constantly improving their

13
00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:51.479
homepage for twelve years, mostly behind the scenes, you know,

14
00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:54.439
just like how I've been constantly improving my abs for

15
00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:58.320
twelve years, also behind the scenes. Nobody can see them,

16
00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:01.719
but trust me, the work is happy. The new design

17
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:04.599
will be more clean and modern, with visual elements that

18
00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.599
highlight popularity and awards, because what we all need is

19
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.840
another reminder that Squid Game won more trophies than whatever

20
00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:15.920
you're currently watching. They're also revamping their recommendation engine to

21
00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:21.000
be more responsive to your moods. Finally, a technology that

22
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.079
can detect when I've given up on finding a new

23
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.920
documentary and am ready to watch the Office for the

24
00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.840
thirty seventh time. Netflix is even adding a vertical video

25
00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.599
feed that works like TikTok, featuring clips and trailers, because

26
00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:37.280
apparently eight hours of binge watching isn't enough. They want

27
00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:40.040
you scrolling through Netflix content while waiting in line at

28
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.200
the grocery store too. Elizabeth Stone promises you'll be able

29
00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:47.560
to search using phrases like I want something scary but

30
00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:50.239
not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny,

31
00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.280
but not like haha funny. I've had relationships that were

32
00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:58.920
less complicated than that search query what's next? Show me

33
00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:01.760
something with a strong female lead who reminds me of

34
00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:04.680
my third grade teacher, but only if there's also a

35
00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.920
dog that doesn't die at the end. This is all

36
00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.759
part of Netflix's master plan to become your entire entertainment existence.

37
00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:16.639
First they replace DVDs, then cable TV. Now they're coming

38
00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:20.080
for TikTok, video games, and apparently your therapist who helps

39
00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:24.479
you articulate your complicated feelings about horror comedies. Disney has

40
00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.039
announced they're building a brand new theme park in Abu Dhabi.

41
00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.960
That's right, Mickey Mouse is packing his sunscreen and heading

42
00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.159
to the Middle East, where the temperature makes Florida look

43
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:38.800
like Alaska. This will be Disney's seventh global resort, which

44
00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:44.080
Bob Iger is calling authentically Disney and distinctly Emmiadi. I'm

45
00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.039
not entirely sure what that means, but I assume it's

46
00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:48.520
going to be a place where you can buy a

47
00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:52.840
forty dollars truro while wearing traditional Middle Eastern attire. Disney

48
00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:55.639
Experiences chairman Josh diamorro says this will be their most

49
00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:59.479
tech forward park yet. The rendering shows a crystal castle

50
00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.719
that looks like what would happen if Elsa from Frozen

51
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:06.280
had an architecture degree and access to unlimited diamonds. D'amorro said,

52
00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:08.560
we'll be able to pull water in and play with

53
00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:12.599
it in a completely new and unique way, because apparently

54
00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:15.800
the twenty seven splash mountains they already have just weren't

55
00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:21.199
splashy enough. Why Abu Dhabi, Well, d'amorrow explained that a

56
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:24.080
third of the world's population is within a four hour flight.

57
00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:28.439
That's one hundred and twenty million passengers coming through Abu

58
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.560
Dhabi in Dubai airports annually, So basically, they chose a

59
00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:35.639
location with the highest possible number of people who might

60
00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:38.039
want to spend eight thousand dollars on a family vacation.

61
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:41.680
Disney hasn't opened a new theme park since Shanghai Disney

62
00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:45.280
in twenty sixteen, making this a big deal. They've committed

63
00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.840
sixty billion dollars to theme park expansion over the next decade.

64
00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:55.000
Sixty billion. For context, that's approximately six million annual passes

65
00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:58.039
to Disney World, or roughly twenty family trips after you

66
00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.080
factor in hotel food and those light up toys your

67
00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:03.400
kids will break before you even get to the parking lot.

68
00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.719
The chairman of me Ral described the project as a

69
00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:10.360
whole new world of imagination, which I'm pretty sure is

70
00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:14.159
copyrighted Disney language. But I guess they're partners now, so

71
00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:18.480
it's fine. Just don't try saying that in your YouTube video,

72
00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:21.920
or Disney's lawyers will find you faster than you can say.

73
00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:33.160
Bibbity bobbity boo. I never got to tell you about

74
00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.160
big Balls from doge a nineteen year old computer whiz

75
00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.879
who goes by the professional nickname Big Balls, because nothing

76
00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.399
says we're here to fix the government quite like a

77
00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.199
teenager with a LinkedIn username that sounds like a rejected

78
00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:50.839
Wu Tang clan member. Edward Chorstein made his public debut

79
00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.839
on Fox News, explaining the origin of his sophisticated moniker.

80
00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:59.040
I just said it as my LinkedIn username. People on

81
00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.839
LinkedIn take them so elves, like super seriously and are

82
00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:04.680
pretty averse to risk, and I was like, I want

83
00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.839
to be neither of those things. Ah. Yes, nothing demonstrates

84
00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:13.000
maturity and readiness to reform federal agencies like flaunting genital

85
00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.519
based terminology on a professional networking site. Christine works in

86
00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:21.639
the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, working on computer stuff.

87
00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.600
That's the kind of specific expertise we need in government reform.

88
00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.600
When asked what his job entails, he offered this crystal

89
00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:33.920
clear explanation. You look at a specific line item twenty

90
00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:36.680
million dollars, Okay, what is it going to for the

91
00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.439
majority of payment systems, It's like, we don't really know. Well,

92
00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:44.360
that clears everything up, and great news for me. The

93
00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:49.000
Golden Globes are expanding their categories to include podcasts. That's right,

94
00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:51.759
the awards show that celebrates movies and TV is now

95
00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:54.879
recognizing people who talk into microphones for three hours about

96
00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:59.040
DMT and ELK meat. According to the announcement, they'll be

97
00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.680
selecting from the twenty most listen to podcasts that have

98
00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.639
made a significant impact. So get ready for Joe Rogan

99
00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:09.879
to potentially win a Golden Globe. The same Joe Rogan

100
00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:13.800
who once convinced me that Bigfoot might be interdimensional. Now

101
00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:16.600
he might get the same award they gave to Meryl Streep.

102
00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.600
Alex Cooper from Call Her Daddy could be nominated too.

103
00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:24.199
I don't know what's happening in Hollywood, but apparently discussing

104
00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.720
bedroom activities in explicit detail now puts you in the

105
00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:31.639
same category as Martin Scorsese. What a time to be alive.

106
00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.839
And Megan Kelly might attend the ceremony. I can already

107
00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.319
picture her at the after party with Timothay Shalomy comparing

108
00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:43.319
notes on interviewing controversial political figures versus playing a singing

109
00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:47.160
chocolate factory owner. The awards will air on January eleventh,

110
00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:51.360
twenty twenty six. Hosted by comedian Nicky Glazer. The president

111
00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:53.800
of the Golden Globes, Helen Hoynt, said they want to

112
00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:57.199
make room for new voices and formats because if there's

113
00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:00.399
one thing Hollywood loves, it's letting new people into their

114
00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:05.839
exclusive club that always goes smoothly. Portions of today's program

115
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.639
were made with the help of Netflix, Disney sand and

116
00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:09.120
AI