Appreciation: John Casey (1939-2025)
In the first English class meeting of the school year, the only book we wanted to talk about was 'Spartina.' How could we not? For starters, there were the main characters' names: Dick Pierce and Elsie Buttrick. Ponder those names as if you were 17. But once Mrs. Archibald waited out our tittering and steered us toward the text, we agreed this maritime thriller was special. The story follows middle-aged Yankee Dick Pierce as he negotiates the class politics of his coastal Rhode Island community, works odd jobs for the summer vacationers, and slowly builds the boat that will give him financial freedom as an independent fisherman.
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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Veteran trader turns heads with Netflix earnings review
Back in the Seventies, the question was, "Is it live, or is it Memorex?" This was the tagline of an ad campaign featuring Ella Fitzgerald, where Memorex said their cassette recordings of the legendary singer's voice were so clear that they could shatter a glass – just as her live singing could. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Today, TV viewers may want to know is it real or is it artificial intelligence, given that Netflix (NFLX) used generative AI in one of its TV shows for the first time. "We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's co-chief executive told analysts. "There are AI-powered creator tools. So, this is real people doing real work with better tools." AI was used to create a scene of a building collapsing in the Argentine science fiction show, The Eternaut. "So the creators were thrilled with the result," he said during the company's second-quarter earnings call. "We were thrilled with the result. And more importantly, the audience was thrilled with the result." Bloomberg/Getty Images Netflix, home to such popular shows as Squid Games, Stranger Things and Ozark, beat Wall Street's earnings expectations for the quarter, and boosted its full-year revenue forecast to a range of $44.8 billion and $45.2 billion, up from an earlier call for $43.5 billion to $44.5 billion. This was the second quarter that Netflix did not release quarterly updates on subscription data. More Streaming: Walt Disney offers new perks for Disney+ membersBank of America sends strong message on NetflixNetflix has a genius plan to find its next hit show "Our higher forecast primarily reflects the weakening of the US dollar vs. most other currencies, plus healthy member growth and ad sales," Netflix said in a letter to shareholders. The company rolled out its proprietary Netflix Ads Suite in April, and co-CEO Greg Peters said, "We see good performance metrics across all countries, and the early results are in line with our expectations." "The most immediate benefit from this rollout is just making it easier for advertisers to buy on Netflix, Inc.," he said. "We hear that benefit, that ease, from direct feedback talking to advertisers. They tell us that it is easier." Several investment firms issued research reports following the earnings release, including Bank of America Securities, which reiterating its buy rating and its $1,490 price target. "In our view, Netflix shares will be fueled by continued positive subscriber and earnings momentum in addition to evolving advertising and live opportunities," BofA said. "Supported by its world-class brand, leading global subscriber scale, position as an innovator and increased visibility in growth drivers, we believe that Netflix will continue to outperform," the firm added. Wedbush analysts raised their price target on Netflix shares to $1,500 from $1,400 and reiterated their outperform rating, saying the company "continues to produce phenomenal results with ever more growth in its sights." "Even as investor expectations were high heading into the print, and shares reflected some disappointment in the size of the beat and raise, the quality of the beat and raise keeps us positive as we assess the ongoing expansion of Netflix's free cash flow," the firm said. Netflix shares are up 36% this year and the stock has surged 88% from this time in 2024. However, shares were falling on July 18, and The StreetPro's Stephen Guilfoyle wanted to know what was going on. Related: Netflix makes a bold move to find the next 'Squid Game' "It is apparent that the markets are not impressed in these Netflix earnings nor in the guidance," the veteran trader said in his recent column. Looking over Netflix's price chart, Guilfoyle, whose career dates back to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in the 1980s, said that shares broke out from a double-bottom reversal this spring and into a June 30 high. "I think investors should be on the alert at this point, even if the stock rallied from here, that the shares have already created two thirds of a head-and-shoulders pattern of bearish reversal," he said. "This is not a healthy-looking chart." The daily moving average convergence divergence, which helps traders spot potential buy and sell signals, is now pretty bearish looking as well, he said. In addition, the stock is now trading below its 50-day simple moving average, which calculates the average price during a specified period of time, smoothing out price fluctuations to reveal overall trends. "There is a very good chance that if it does not look like the shares can retake that line before going into the weekend on Friday night that portfolio managers will be forced to reduce long side exposure by their respective risk managers," Guilfoyle said. "This, in my opinion, is not a dip to be bought, unless that line is retaken and held," he added. Related: Fund-management veteran skips emotion in investment strategy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Exploring Class And Character In Costumes For Prime's ‘We Were Liars'
The Liars on the beach during Summer 16. Jessie Redmond Amazon Prime's We Were Liars is a very good show. But please know, though it may feel like the streaming equivalent of a beach read, this story is ancient and close to universal. Cadence, Cady if you prefer, our main character in We Were Liars , has an awful lot of overlap with Cordelia, the doomed favorite daughter in William Shakespeare's King Lear . It's the same way in the novel this show is based on. I cannot promise that E. Lockhart, author of the 2014 novel on which this series is based, wrote it as a modern take on King Lear, but I very much suspect that it was. I also suspect that Lockhart is familiar with the work of Marian Roalfe Cox, but that is far too much to get into. The stories that people tell each other, the ones we cherish most, have not changed very much over the centuries. The details have, absolutely, but the broad strokes are the same and they are what allow us to find and leave Easter Eggs. Storytelling is about connections and stories remind us that we are all connected. As We Were Liars opens and we meet our cast of characters, it was immediately obvious that time and effort had been invested in making certain that it would be impossible to confuse any of these blonde ladies. It's all very Ralph-Lauren-American-Aristocracy, but the five women are distinct, even if their collective costumes all ascribe to a (very) particular aesthetic. When I met with the costume designer for the series, Amanda Riley, I explained that the process of working it all out fascinated me, that I very much wanted to know how it had been accomplished. The younger generation of Sinclair's play croquet outside Clairmount house on Beechwood island, off Martha's Vineyard. Jessie Redmond 'Each of the individual characters felt so different as people,' Riley explained. 'So, it didn't feel like work as much as it was effortless. Once an actor steps into the fitting room, you start to realize this is truly the embodiment of this character. Caitlin FitzGerald, she was Penny Sinclair, all of the things that we gravitated towards in the fitting room had these long lines and elegant colors. Her palette was extremely clean and very refined, a lot of it was architectural, but didn't feel too stuffy. Bess Sinclair, Candice King,' the designer continued, 'her clothing was harder to source than one would think because how she dresses, it's not who she really is on the inside. She ends up being this woman that's just somehow thought that she was doing the right thing. But her clothes, what I loved is it felt like it embodied somebody else, like its just this idea that she's sweet, that's not really who she is. And then Carrie Sinclair, Mamie Gummer, as a designer, pulling all this stuff together, it does take a while to be able to find the exact fabric, but then you find it, you finally see it. And when the actor looks at the rack and says, 'oh, this is exactly that person.' Carrie had all this vintage YSL, all of these really great pieces. And her jewelry was made by a friend of mine, CKD Design Studio, we had made that jewelry from scratch for her.' I was very impressed by the cast, perhaps especially Emily Alyn Lind who portrays Cadence "Cady" Sinclair Eastman. This young woman did an excellent job. All the young actors on this series did very good work. Cadence "Cady" Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind) with dark hair in Summer 17. Jessie Redmond 'This was a challenging shoot,' Riley told me, 'because of where we were located. Nova Scotia is far out, there are great white sharks right in the water right there. I mean, locations were really far out. Sometimes you're driving with no reception for an hour and a half, but wow, the heart and soul that people gave to it. I feel like that's what filmmaking is all about. Being able to tell the story in that way where everyone's coming together to make it. I mean, that's why I love the industry. This was a project where, for me, all of the actors became people that I respected as such wonderful, wonderful human beings. And that really helped when we were in a situation where it's not as warm as you're hoping it would be. People were cold out there, and the showrunners and executive producers could feel that these people were in it. Everybody was into the story, into the project and from behind the camera and what you see in front of the camera, everybody gave it a hundred percent. And I think you see that.' There is a lot that this show does well, after all, shows don't become number 1 hits for no reason. Transitions between timelines, differentiation between characters then and now, keeping what happened when straight is a place where even the best work can falter. We Were Liars never does, to Riley's immense credit, because the costumes she designed will not allow it. Before and After are distinct and the transitions between the two extremes are easy to follow. I asked the designer about maintaining the integrity of the story when it was divided between past and present. Cadence "Cady" Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind) tries to piece together what happened last summer. Jessie Redmond 'We start in Summer 17 and it's really intense,' she explained, 'but as Cady starts to feel a little bit more into what could have happened, her new relationship and what changes with the Liars; there is an evolution of Cadence's look. So, we start to see some of the dresses return. And in the later episodes, she's got boots on, some of the little floral dresses and cardigans are returning, she's got some jewelry. She wants to feel attractive in front of Gat. And part of her essence, who she always has been, especially in Summer 16, is starting to come back. So the colors are a little bit different and there's a lot more subtlety. But she's starting to wake up and you can see it in her clothing subtly. That first outfit that she wears in Summer 17, when she sees the Liars for the first time, it is really representative of how she is at that moment, how cloudy and dark she is. Even the shirt she's wearing is this blue, it almost has a cloudy nature to it. The shirt speaks to where she is most emotionally.' There are subtle transitions in this narrative, carefully plotted points of reference which keep the story from ever feeling disjointed or abrupt. This is a place where costumes do a lot of heavy lifting, and Cady is a great example, her wardrobe shows us what is happening to her inside. 'She's coming back to herself,' Riley explained. 'When she's on the dock with Gat and wearing this beautiful floral dress, it's the first time that she dresses up for Gat because they're going on a date. Carina Adly MacKenzie, our amazing showrunner and executive producer, along with Julie Plec, are so involved in the story and the costumes. We worked together. And one of the things we discussed was how we manage that change. Because one of the style points that we used for Cady was the fact that she wears these high tops, which are so cute and flirty, but still show that she's a teenage girl. We decided to use that same element, but something that's a little bit edgier because Cadence is really questioning all that's going on around her subconsciously. I believe she knows when she's out with Gat that something is off. She just can't figure out what it is. To show the rebellion she's got these boots on, even though she's wearing the dress.' Harris Sinclair (David Morse) and his wife Tipper Taft Sinclair (Wendy Crewson). Jessie Redmond 'Harris,' Riley said with a laugh, 'with his idea of his Sinclair women, they're well-dressed and tanned and put together. And we never see what's happening on the inside.' Harris Sinclair (David Morse), Grandfather to the Liars, who gives off creepy vibes immediately, has very specific ideas regarding the women in his family. 'Love, and be silent' is not much of a stretch. There's a whole underlying theme related to the difference between material wealth and honest emotional connection, between perception and reality, that all feels very timely, given the state of, well, everything in 2025. 'For the Sinclairs,' Riley told me, 'it was important for me to be able to have a handful of really key pieces. But I believe that the people like Sinclairs, they're not throwing their money away. Even if she's buying a pair of $5,000 pants, those $5,000 pants, they're going to probably last, that's one piece she'll wear throughout the entire summer because they understand the value of investing in these things. The Sinclair Sisters; Bess (Candice King), Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald), and Carrie (Mamie Gummer). Jessie Redmond 'As a costume designer,' she continued, 'knowing that every single thing that we touch on the planet as humans, as people, as living beings, affects other people. Being able to work on a show like this that I think is the content itself feels really important to share. I think we're seeing a lot of change, especially in fashion, because something has to happen about the world of fast fashion. I believe that designers need to start speaking up, we need to start. And this was a huge goal of mine too, like, how can I find things that are beautifully made, designer, but don't necessarily come right off the rack of a department store. How can we use things that are secondhand or gently used or designer consignment? Especially here in Europe, it's amazing the stuff you can find, and why pay that much money for clothes?' I asked the designer if she had seen the finished episodes, what she thought about the show as a whole. 'Every time I watch any of the episodes I cry, ' Riley told me. 'I'm savoring a few of them because I wanted to watch with a couple of other people, but the last scene where she's running in that dress, I mean, that's Cady, she's becoming herself. Even though she's tanned and bronzed as Harris would like her, the woman that has gone through this incredible tragedy, the person that she has always been inside, looking for answers, she knows that this life that she's born into is something to be questioned and where does she fall in it? Where are her values? How can she make a difference? It is a fairy book story, and even though the ending is tragic, there is something so beautiful about remembering that, and using that as a guidepost.' The Liars: Cady (Emily Alyn Lind), Mirren (Esther McGregor), Johnny (Joseph Zada), and Gat (Shubham Maheshwari). Jessie Redmond/Prime The ending to this story is sad, but it is also powerful and deserves to be seen. This is not Nahum Tate and we are not in the 19th century convinced we can 'fix' Shakespeare's work so that a tragedy becomes a happy ending. Today's audiences, even our youngest adults, want the devastating emotional assault. Perhaps all of us should think about why that is a little more. As with many enormous ideas, it's summed up rather perfectly in a line by Shakespeare, one he gave to Cordelia aptly enough Bard: 'We are not the first Who, with best meaning, have incurred the worst.' All episodes of 'We Were Liars,' with gorgeous costumes designed by Amanda Riley, are now available to stream on Amazon Prime. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes All Hail Qveen Herby: A Conversation About Costume Versus Clothing By Rachel Elspeth Gross Forbes Creating Costumes For Teen True Love In Netflix's 'Forever' By Rachel Elspeth Gross Forbes 'Dressed To Kill': PBS' 'Human Footprint' Examines Apparel And Evolution By Rachel Elspeth Gross
Miami Herald
17-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Burger King menu brings unexpected international collaboration to US
American fast-food chains often seem to save the most exciting limited-time menu items for their international markets - often launching exotic desserts, crazy burgers, and unexpected partnerships in other countries. While factors out of their control may lead them to make these choices, it's hard not to wonder if U.S. consumers are being left out of all the fun releases on purpose. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Fast-food giants like McDonald's (MCD) , Burger King, and Starbucks (SBUX) frequently find themselves at the center of these speculations, which can lead to backlash from their own customers. Related: McDonald's puts popular Pokemon promotion back on the menu When Starbucks Japan gets a cool new seasonal Frappuccino, McDonald's Singapore unveils a new Crispy Mac 'N Cheesy Wrap, and Burger King releases an exciting collaboration anywhere but in the U.S., jealousy can get the best of anyone, prompting some of us to make one or two nasty comments on social media. Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King partnered with Naruto, the iconic manga series, to debut a limited-time menu collaboration in Brazil last December. This launch featured a King Jr. Meal with Naruto-themed toys, food, and packaging. It also consisted of four new items on the regular menu, including a shake, fries with toppings, a crispy chicken burger, and a new Whopper. The collaboration was so successful in the Brazilian market that Burger King released it in France only a month later. More Food News: This popular fast-food burger chain just turned into a hot dog standPopular chicken chain is begging customers to give it another chanceChick-fil-A offers free food to game-playing fans This second launch also featured a King Jr. Meal with Naruto-themed toys, food, and packaging. Additionally, Burger King x Naruto merchandise was released to make it unique for the French market. The partnership gained traction worldwide, especially across the U.S., with fans asking for the Naruto collaboration to be brought nationally. However, months flew by without updates, leaving American fans with little hope of its U.S. debut - until now. Burger King has unveiled that it will finally bring its Naruto collaboration to the U.S. on July 21, but it's being more cautious. This new national launch will be a King Jr. Meal with unique toys featuring the show's most iconic characters, including Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Gaara. However, this latest release is entirely different from its international launches because, as exciting as this is, no Naruto-themed food or beverage will be included. Related: Burger King menu goes big with new Whopper-style double burger Malaysia will simultaneously get its own Naruto King Jr. Meal, but Naruto-themed food and drinks will be included for this launch, as will new immersive fan experiences at select locations. Burger King has not revealed why the U.S. won't get Naruto-themed food or beverages, but there seems to be a pattern tied to this decision. Although Naruto has a global following, its biggest fan base is in Asia, which is fitting given its Japanese origins. The series is also very popular in Brazil and France and ranks as the top kids' show. The manga series has a solid U.S. following, as it has been translated into English to meet fans' demand. Still, its American fandom is much smaller than its Asian, European, and South American counterparts. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
