The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 10.13 Guess Who Stole A School Bus & Led Police On a Chase, HUGE Disney Shakeup, & More

Episode Date: October 13, 2020

Lower your phone bill and get a $25 Ting credit at https://phil.ting.com WATCH my podcast with Jon Cozart: https://youtu.be/ibHoyBkB-pY Follow me off of Youtube: https://linktr.ee/PhilipDeFranco -- Voting Resources:  http://Vote.org https://www.axios.com/how-to-vote-by-state-2020-307c3d17-ee57-4a1b-8bad-182ca1cdb752.html https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/how-to-vote-2020/ https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/  -- 00:00 - 11-Year-Old Allegedly Steals School Bus 00:52 - Disney Moves To Prioritize Streaming 06:01 - TIA 07:41 - Georgia Voters Face Huge Lines and Technical Problems -- WATCH Full “A Convo With” Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/ACW  LISTEN On The Podcast Platform Of Your Choice: http://LinksHole.com WATCH the ACW Clips channel!: https://youtube.com/ACWClips ✩ SUPPORT THE SHOW ✩ ✭ BUY our GEAR, Support the Show!: http://ShopDeFranco.com ✭ Lemme Touch Your Hair: http://BeautifulBastard.com ✭ Paid Subscription: http://DeFrancoElite.com  ✩ TODAY IN AWESOME ✩ ✭ MTV Cribs Is Coming Back This Month: https://www.unilad.co.uk/film-and-tv/mtv-cribs-is-coming-back-this-month/ ✭ The Crown Season 4 | Official Teaser: https://youtu.be/_hJ5CwsphdQ ✭ Dolly Parton Breaks Down 11 Looks From 1975 to Now: https://youtu.be/ohvN75BaY1I ✭ Shawn Mendes Documentary ‘In Wonder’ Coming to Netflix:  https://variety.com/2020/music/news/shawn-mendes-doc-in-wonder-netflix-1234802060/ ✭ 10 Things Desus and Mero Can't Live Without: https://youtu.be/deaQIXsY51U ✭ Secret Link: https://youtu.be/JZ3ZD46zbRQ ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩  11-year-old Louisiana Boy Arrested for Stealing Bus: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/11-year-old-boy-hijacks-crashes-school-bus-after-police-n1243018 Disney Prioritizes Streaming as Theater Industry Falls Further Behind: https://roguerocket.com/2020/10/13/disney-prioritizes-streaming/ Experts Call Georgia’s Long Election Lines Evidence of Voter Enthusiasm https://roguerocket.com/2020/10/13/georgia-lines/ ✩ STORIES NOT IN TODAY’S SHOW ✩ Facebook Expands Hate Speech Rules, Reversing Previous Policy: https://roguerocket.com/2020/10/13/facebook-bans/ BTS Faces Backlash in China Over RM’s Korean War Comment: https://roguerocket.com/2020/10/13/bts-china/  ——————————     Edited by: James Girardier, Julie Goldberg, Maxx Enright Produced by: Amanda Morones Art Director: Brian Borst  Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Cory Ray, Neena Pesqueda, Brian Espinoza Production Team: Zack Taylor, Luke Manning  ———————————— #DeFranco #Disney #Election Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It looks like somebody that stole a school bus. So apparently that was an 11 year old who, according to headlines, allegedly stole a school bus. One, I understand why we say allegedly, but how else would he have gotten it? Two, yes, I'm sharing this because it is newsworthy, but also three, and this is the primary reason so I can send this video to my mom so she can realize what a good situation she had with me. I was such a good kid.

I didn't even drink until I went to college. He had no frame of reference of what a normal punishment should be. There was one time that I went to play laser tag when I wasn't supposed to, and I got grounded for three months. And if you're like, Phil, that was 20 years ago, let it go, no.

My anger about my childhood is still about a quarter of my personality. Anyway, I got a show to make. Sup, you beautiful bastards. Hope you had a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. Buckle up, hit that like button and let's just jump into it. And the first thing that we're gonna talk about today

is a story that gives us a glimpse into the future of entertainment. And where this story starts is with Disney, who just announced what they called a strategic reorganization of their media and entertainment businesses. And this is designed to prioritize creating and releasing content for streaming.

Right, major restructuring, and under this new structure, they're forming a new media and entertainment distribution organization, which will be responsible for distribution and ad sales, as well as overseeing the company's streaming service. And then on the content creation side, that will fall into three divisions at Disney. The first being studios,

which will focus on branded theatrical and episodic content based on franchises for theatrical exhibition and streaming services like Disney Plus. The second is general entertainment, which will focus on episodic and original long form content for streaming cable and broadcast. And the third is sports, which will focus on live sports and other sports related content. With cable and broadcast. And the third is sports, which will focus on live sports

and other sports related content. With the CEO of Disney saying in a press release, managing content creation distinct from distribution will allow us to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it. Right, and that last part is key there because Disney, I mean, they're one of, if not the biggest box office giant

and you have them effectively saying streaming is number one and movie theaters are going to have to fall behind. Now, obviously we're in the midst of a pandemic. And one of the things that we've seen over the course of the past several months is that movie theaters have taken a massive hit, having to shut down and portions of the country trying to come back, but in limited capacity.

And so with that, understandably, you might think, you know, maybe this is Disney just being reactionary to the pandemic. Yesterday, you had the CEO of Disney on CNBC saying, "'This is much bigger than that.'" Right, talking about consumers saying that this decision is actually just in line with the way consumers are taking in content.

Right now, they're voting with their pocketbooks and they're voting very heavily towards Disney+. But this is even more than reactionary. This is really progressive. This is looking out with a vision towards where we see the world going and how we see that consumers are interacting with Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu,

and where it's gonna go in the future. I'm also going on to say that this new group at the company allows them to make more objective decisions when it comes to distribution, as opposed to seeing content as predetermined to either land in theaters or on a network. It should also be noted, they are not the first major studio to do this.

Back in August, WarnerM Media announced a huge management shakeup in the departure of some top executives, all in their effort to prioritize their streaming service, HBO Max. And you know, once again, while we are in the midst of pandemic, I mean, it looks like Disney has faith in this and they're leaning into this system.

Right, one of the movies, set to be one of their huge theatrical releases, you had their new Pixar film, Soul. So there's Jamie Foxx, Davi Diggs, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey, more, and now it's just gonna be released on Disney+. And under that, Mulan, you have to be a Disney Plus subscriber and then pay $30.

It's just gonna be available to anyone who has Disney+. And with Disney announcing this, there was a sizable amount of backlash from the theater world, with the International Union of Cinemas releasing a statement saying, "'The decision on Soul is doubly frustrating "'for operators who were counting on the release

"'after the film was previewed at a number of key European film festivals. Decisions to postpone titles, to bypass cinemas, and the value they create are extremely disappointing and concerning, and will only delay the day that the whole industry is able to put this crisis behind it. Also going on to say it is not only cinemas and audiences who are missing out.

This situation must surely also be deeply frustrating for the creators and talents who want to see their films on the big screen. Though I will say regarding that last part, I'm sure the reactions there will be mixed. There are gonna be some actors, writers, directors, whoever that are like, yes, the big screen experience. But also I'm sure there are just a huge number of people

that just care about more people seeing the thing that they made. When you see the numbers released with some of these streaming services about how many people are consuming a movie or a show, it's mind-blowing. Yes, obviously bad news for the theater world especially. I mean, just this morning we're seeing headlines like, AMC, the world's largest theater chain, warns it could run out of cash by the end of this year without new movie releases.

With AMC citing the fact that theater going is down 85% compared to this time last year. Which isn't that surprising because in addition to the shutdown, you see things like a variety poll suggesting that as of October, only just over 20% of adults in the United States feel very or somewhat comfortable going to the movies. Which yes, is up from April, but is nowhere near enough. You know, that is where we are right now. And I mean, as far as my opinion here,

even as someone who loves going to the movie theater, either just so I could be alone in the darkness watching something or, you know, feed off the crowd energy watching something awesome. I am very much in favor of a focus on the digital push. I feel like convenience is king and I'm all for the everything everywhere mentality. Granted, some of the feelings and opinions I have on this

have been molded by the pandemic, but I also think how people live their personal lives and also business structures are going to evolve based off of what we've witnessed over the past several months. Right, with Disney, it's the heavy lean in into digital subscription services. For me personally, I'm never going to say no

to an invitation to do something outside of my home ever again once things calm down. Or you know, for a lot of businesses, I think a lot more people are gonna start working from home and a lot of businesses are gonna realize they don't actually need the spaces that they're leasing. Granted, not all, but I think we are going to witness major shifts,

especially over the next one to three years. But with all that said, actually two questions for you. One, what are your thoughts regarding Disney refocusing in this way? And two, whether it be personal or work business, are you already witnessing what's gonna be a major change for you moving forward, in addition to of course, people getting laid off.

And then let's talk about huge election news. And there are a few things here. First up, we got an update regarding that story coming out of Texas where you had governor Greg Abbott issuing that proclamation which notably limited the number of absentee ballot drop box locations for early voting to just one per county.

With some including US District Judge Robert Pittman saying the order created confusion among voters and disproportionately affected elderly voters, voters with disabilities and voters in populous counties. That judge also overturned the proclamation on Friday, but then on Saturday, an appeals court judge issued a temporary stay on Pittman's decision, right? Meaning that Abbott's proclamation

was essentially in effect again, at least until the appeals court made a decision in this case. And the reason we're updating this story is because late last night, that court sided with Abbott, writing, leaving the governor's October 1st proclamation in place still gives Texas absentee voters many ways to cast their ballots in the November 3rd election.

These methods for remote voting outstrip what Texas law previously permitted in a pre-COVID world. The October 1st proclamation abridges no one's right to vote. Though we saw a number of people critical of this appeals court, especially since all three judges were appointed by Donald Trump.

But ultimately where this story ends is essentially taking what I recommended yesterday and saying, well, now you kind of have to do it if you're gonna go this way. If you're an absentee voter and you want to hand deliver your ballot, you have to do so at the single location in your county now. But our main story around elections and voting

involves Georgia, where we saw absolutely massive lines of people waiting to vote. In fact, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, some people waited more than eight hours in line, with other outlets reporting that people were still waiting in line past 10 p.m. in some places. Hell, I mean, lines were so long, we even saw people bringing their own lawn chairs

like they were outside of a Best Buy waiting for a Black Friday door buster. One video tweeted by former Senator Claire McCaskill even showing people lined up more than a street away at one voting center. McCaskill saying, this is a picture of voter suppression. Why do Americans have to wait in lines this long? And for some context here, yesterday was the first day of early voting in the state

So you had a ton of people wanting to cast their votes as soon as possible and to that point We saw one woman who had waited in line for five hours telling a local reporter on the ground It doesn't matter how long it takes we will stand in line to vote So I think that's the most important part we're voting like our life depends on it We've been seeing people with that mentality people. We're voting like our life depends on it. And we've been seeing people with that mentality. People saying we're voting like our life depends on it. But I want to go back to what McCaskill said for a moment. This is a form of voter suppression.

Because she was far from the only person saying that. With people tweeting things like, "'What's happening in Georgia should upset us all. "'There is no reason people should wait hours in line "'to vote. Pure voter suppression.'" And actually with that, we also saw a lot of people saying they weren't able to vote because the lines were so long.

With stories and examples popping up, like a woman saying she had to leave after an hour and a half of standing in line because she had an appointment to go to. They're saying voting should not be this difficult, calling this disheartening. But at the same time, while you had people calling this voter suppression,

we also saw reports like Georgia breaks record for first day of early voting, with the Georgia Secretary of State estimating that nearly 127,000 Georgians voted yesterday up from the previous record of 90,000, which is why you had some people tweeting things like, "'So much voter suppression happened in Georgia yesterday "'that almost 37,000 more people voted

"'than any other early voting day. "'Someone should be arrested for this travesty of justice.'" Others pointing to the fact that Georgia is one of the states which allows any registered voter to request an absentee ballot. Alongside that, we also saw a number of experts questioning if this really was a form of voter suppression. Including David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, who said, I'd be concerned if I didn't see long lines. We're 22 days away from the election. Anyone who sees a long line and does not have the time to wait can come back tomorrow.

With Becker then going on to say that the long lines for early voting are a sign of voter enthusiasm. Noting that every person who votes early is one less person who could be stuck in line on election night. However, you also had people like Kristen Clark, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under law saying on Twitter, "'Some of this is voter enthusiasm,

"'but this is just not acceptable in a modern day democracy. "'We need restoration of the Voting Rights Act "'and officials who will provide more voting opportunities "'during a pandemic.'" Right, essentially the argument of, yes, there was a record breaking turnout, but if people are still finding themselves in situations where they're having to wait hours on end just to vote, with some people having to leave before they can even cast their vote, then there is still an underlying fundamental problem that needs to be addressed. How many people get discouraged and don't go back? How many people leave and only come back on election day?

And that day is just a nightmare. And while experts agree that they will likely see a dip in these lines over the next few weeks, they also expect stories like this to come back again, closer to the election. And with saying that, do not worry, I will stop being a broken record soon, vote as early as possible.

You do not wanna wait until election day and then boom, what kind of unexpected trouble could happen? Which I mean, on that note, part of the reason that lines were so long in some places yesterday, wasn't just because of the sheer number of people. There were also reports of technical glitches that delayed voting.

For example, in Atlanta at the State Farm Arena, lines came to a stop when check-in tablets started giving voters error messages. And instead of issuing emergency paper ballots, poll workers and tech support staff held up lines to fix the tablets. Also on that note, yesterday, literally the same day as that, a federal judge in Georgia rejected an effort

to require higher numbers of emergency paper ballots at Georgia polling places. But in addition to glitches and questions about the role of paper ballots, lines were also held up yesterday by people who had originally requested mail-in ballots. With them now showing up to vote in person instead, some saying they were concerned about voting by mail because of potential delays

and President Trump's attacks on mail-in voting. And with that, you had a county elections director saying, that slows things down because they have to cancel that one in order to vote in person, so there's more steps. The thing is, we should not expect this to just be a day one problem or even just a Georgia issue. I mean, there are gonna be no shortage of these stories in the coming days.

Hell, this morning, just as I was starting today's show, we started seeing reports that an accidentally cut cable crashed Virginia's entire voter registration system. And there, some saying accidentally, others saying accidentally, right? Because notably there, today just happens to be the last day for people in the state to register to vote. Yeah, those are the stories we're seeing right now.

Of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on any and all of it. But ultimately, that is where I'm going to end today's show. As always, thank you for being a part of my daily dives in the news. Also, if you're new here, you wanna join the family, hit that subscribe button and hey, maybe text me at 813-213-4423.

But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.