Latest news with #Dropout
Express Tribune
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Brennan Lee Mulligan exits Dropout to pursue doll shoe craft: 'I'm better at making shoes than you are at anything.'
Brennan Lee Mulligan has announced his 'exit' from Dropout, stating he will dedicate himself to making custom shoes for American Girl dolls, in what appears to be a comedic sketch shared on Game Changer Shorts. The long-time Dimension 20 gamemaster and Dropout creator said in the video, 'Effective immediately, I will no longer be with adding, 'There is no bad blood between us. There's no drama.' Mulligan explained his decision, saying he wanted to focus on the 'craft and profession of making custom shoes for American Girl dolls,' referencing characters like Kit and Melody while criticising the dolls' current footwear for historical inaccuracy. In the announcement, Mulligan joked about following Daniel Day-Lewis's path, saying, 'Daniel D. Lewis left Hollywood to make shoes… I'm going to make smaller shoes and I'm better than him.' The video prompted Dropout to launch a website, using the tagline: 'I'm better at making shoes than you are at anything.' The sketch led to questions among fans about whether Mulligan's departure was genuine, but the comedic tone was consistent with Dropout's style. Mulligan has been a leading figure on Dropout since 2018, serving as executive producer and gamemaster for Dimension 20 and appearing on Game Changer and Make Some Noise.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Devil Works Fast, but ‘Game Changer' Social Videos Are Working Even Faster in the Dropout Series' Latest Episode
It's not often that 'Game Changer' host Sam Reich is the person on the show's colorful set made to look anxious. But the latest episode of the Dropout series begins with not just a push-in but some vignetting on Reich as he stares down the barrel of the endless wheel of content creation, coming up with 'Game Changer' ideas one after the other, 'backing myself further and further into a corner where it's harder and harder to be original.' It's real Season 7 problems. Enter players Mike Trapp, Rekha Shankar, and Jordan Myrick, whom Reich deputized to produce the latest episode of 'Game Changer' — or really, to produce the things that keep 'Game Changer' inside of a virtuous cycle for online comedy series. The show's segments get broken out into social clips, and those that perform well drive viewers who discover 'Game Changer,' 'Make Some Noise,' or 'Dimension 20,' back to Dropout and the sweet, sweet, $7/month subscription fee that powers the platform. More from IndieWire 'Very Important People' Uses All the Tricks of TV To Unleash Great Improv How 'Worlds Beyond Number' Broke Battlefields, Hearts, and Also Pro Tools This episode would address that cycle head-on, offering the players/producers the opportunity to 'greenlight' potential viral videos pitched by other Dropout cast members and compete with each other for which videos will perform the best on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms. The conceit means that this is the first 'Game Changer' episode that will require an update, in about a month's time, to see who actually has won the game. Even for a show that delights in interrogating its own nature, it feels like an exciting escalation for 'Game Changer' to tackle its own social media shadow so explicitly. Cast members pitching ideas grapple with who among the Dropout team tends to go viral doing what — Myrick's deadpan 'Any clip with Brennan [Lee Mulligan] will go viral, so it kind of doesn't matter what you do,' is a highlight of the 'Shark Tank' style commentary the players provide as they debate ideas. But on the other hand, the Dropout team does put a lot of thought and care into crafting clips of 'Game Changer' episodes so they play well on social platforms. IndieWire reached out to Andrew Bridgman, Chief Digital Officer at Dropout, to ask about the team's approach to social videos and the challenges of 'Fool's Gold' specifically. Some of the effort is just the work of reframing, 'making decisions as to whether certain segments should be fullscreen vertical or letterboxed to show more of the original composition in a 9:16 frame,' Bridgman told IndieWire. Dropout also has a standardized style for captions, usually a manual process vs. automated CapCut-style captions, so they can better maintain accuracy (and occasionally slip in a joke about feudal shrieking). For 'Fool's Gold' specifically, the team had the challenge of creating ideal versions of the videos to play within the episode itself and to exist out in the wilds of the Internet. That meant making more editorial judgments about cutting, especially with the in-studio segments that had some time lag to them, like Paul Robalino's Operation Snake Skin or Erika Ishii's offer of side-shave real estate. 'There will be some small differences between some of the videos as we see them in the episode and the versions that live on across our social accounts,' Bridgman said. 'We sought some input from Grant [O'Brien], Izzy [Roland], Erika, and Lily [Du] in particular. There were some cases, like with Katie [Marovitch], Vic [Michaelis], Johnny [Stanton], and Anna [Garcia] (most of the outside the studio ones), where the finished product was so airtight there was no question of how it had to be presented.' All of the videos, however, went through multiple rounds of revision with the 'Game Changer' creative team, including Reich and Robalino, so that the timing on them is exactly right, the captions pop, and the pacing evokes the cheerful chaos of the show proper. Bridgman told IndieWire that adjustment is no hardship, however. 'If the original content is good enough, marketing doesn't have a lot of work to do to make it sing on social platforms,' Bridgman said. The success is already evident — Tumblr is, of course, already shipping characters from Marovitch's 'Dimension 20: On A Bus' video and demanding a full season, although it may require additional funding to secure Matthew 'Mark' Mercer's appearance fee for that one. But Bridgman refuses to pick a favorite among the 'Fool's Gold' clips. 'All of our social videos are perfect angels, whom we subject to the cold, merciless judgment of The Algorithm to establish value and worthiness of love,' Bridgman said. 'Game Changer' is available to stream on Dropout. Best of IndieWire The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in July, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal' The Best Lesbian Movies Ever Made, from 'D.E.B.S.' and 'Carol' to 'Bound' and 'Pariah' All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme'
Vox
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Vox
A court ordered Trump's team to free an activist. They refused.
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is defying a federal judge's order that it free a pro-Palestinian activist, attacking both the rule of law and the Constitution's guarantee of free speech. Catch me up? In March, the Trump administration arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student, and designated him for deportation over his participation in campus protests. Mahmoud was a legal permanent US resident, but the administration argued it has the right to revoke Khalil's green card on the grounds that his presence constitutes a threat to US foreign policy. Khalil sued to stop the deportation, and the two sides have been in court ever since. So what happened this week? On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the administration to free Khalil. But today, the administration said it would not free him, arguing unconvincingly that it's still detaining Khalil for a different violation. (The judge's ruling to free Khalil explicitly anticipated this strategy and described it as legally unsound.) What's next? The administration says that it will appeal the order to a higher court — and keep Khalil detained in the meantime. What's the big picture? If Khalil had conducted all the same protest actions on behalf of a cause favored by the administration, he'd still be free. That means that, under Donald Trump, immigrants are facing consequences for expressing political opinions that the administration objects to — a clear violation of the First Amendment. And with that, it's time to log off… I'm in desperate need of a long walk with my dog and a podcast, so I'm excited about the new episode of Today, Explained. The episode is focused on Dropout, a streaming platform whose fans are so dedicated that some of them are actually asking to pay more for the service. (You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.) I hope everyone has a safe and fulfilling weekend, and I'll see you back here Monday.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Phil Robertson, ‘Duck Dynasty' Patriarch, Dies at 79
Phil Robertson, the patriarch of TV's 'Duck Dynasty' reality show, has died. He was 79. In December, Robertson's family said on the 'Unashamed With the Robertson Family' that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. More from Variety 'Duck Dynasty' Revival Lands at A&E With 20 Episode, Two-Season Order 'Duck Dynasty' Producers Reach Settlement With ITV Studios ITV Vs. 'Duck Dynasty' Producers: Judge Cites 'Ambush' But ITV Wins Management Rights Appeal His daughter-in-law Korie Robertson posted the news to Facebook Sunday, writing, 'We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord. He reminded us often of the words of Paul, 'you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.' Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus. We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again. We know so many of you love him and have been impacted by his life. We're having a private service for now, but we'll share details soon about a public celebration of his life.' 'Duck Dynasty' aired on A&E from 2012 to 2017. more to come… Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chris Brown Released From British Jail on £5 Million Bail Agreement
Singer Chris Brown was released from a British jail Wednesday on a £5 milion bond after being charged with inflicting an 'unprovoked attack' on a man in a London nightclub in 2023, according to the BBC. As part of his bail conditions, Brown, 36, who had not been asked to enter a plea at the time of this article's publication, can now launch his world tour next month. 'From the cage to the stage!' he wrote on Instagram after Wednesday's bail hearing. More from Variety Chris Brown Arrested in Manchester Over Alleged Bottle Attack on Music Producer Chris Brown Sues Warner Bros. for $500 Million Over Sexual Assault Allegations in Docuseries Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Marshmello Allegedly Misused Pandemic Grants to Pay Themselves or Throw Lavish Parties The singer was not present at Southwark Crown Court, where the judge said he must pay a £5 million security fee to the court; a security fee is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court. Brown could be asked to forfeit the money if he breaks the bail agreement. His tour is scheduled to start in Amsterdam on June 8. Brown was arrested on May 15 in Manchester, England, over an alleged bottle attack that occurred in 2023. He was accused of an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw at London's Tape Nightclub in Feb. 2023, when he allegedly struck him with a tequila bottle several times and punched and kicked him while he was on the floor. Most recently, Brown, who has a long history of violence-related arrests, was sued for $50 million after allegedly assaulting four concertgoers backstage in Texas. The suit, filed in July 2024, alleges that Brown and his crew severely beat the plaintiffs following the singer's performance in Ft. Worth, Texas. After one of the accusers approached him backstage to congratulate him on the show, a member of his entourage reminded Brown that they had issues. The suit states that Brown and seven to 10 members of his team proceeded to assault the victim as well as others in proximity. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
