THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY AUGUST 22 2013
TELEVISION
PAGE 3C
Netflix cranks out noteworthy original programming
Netflix has started an ongoing war with itself. In the beginning, when Netflix announced that it would be doing original programming, there were definitely some mixed feelings. However, "House of Cards" proved all of the doubters wrong; it was the perfect mix of drama, good acting and storytelling. Suddenly everyone was talking about how Netflix could do no wrong. Then came the disaster called "Hemlock Grove." With a show that no one place in a specific category, with actors that were not really up to par with Kevin Spacey, and just downright stupid plot lines, audiences had their doubts reinstated and were frustrated as to why Netflix couldn't just leave the programming to other companies.
Now, with the introduction of the newest original series "Orange is the new Black." Netflix has been able to prove itself once again. The show is smart, creative and just incredibly funny. Not to mention the acting, especially from Danielle Brooks and Natasha Lyonne is spot on. However, the one item that makes the show is the chemistry between all the characters. They are able to play off each other perfectly, despite this being the first season of the show.
However, it really isn't the acting, the story line, or even the writing that makes the show. Rather, it is how the show doesn't make light of issues dealing with race or class. Instead, the characters and the story face them head on and talk about them in an open fashion. It not only makes the show more realistic, but it also makes it more
interesting because questions and problems that audience members would be dealing with if they were in a similar situation are being answered. I don't know if it is because it is loosely based off a true story, or it's just the creator's brilliant mind, but whatever it is, it's working.
The next step for all of these Netflix shows? A second season. Please. I understand that there is one on the way, taping has officially began, but things need to speed up. This is my personal plea to Netflix to start building off these wonderful storylines and let me waste more time in front of my computer. I understand that this may be a strange request, but I would really love to be able to see what happens to these characters, especially Poussey. You have made a name for yourself Netflix, now prove that you are in it for the long haul.
Edited by Lauren Armendariz
"Orange is the New Black" / NETFLIX
WHO'S YOUR DADDY?
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Actor Jason Patric, urged lawmakers to approve a bill that would allow him another chance to seek paternity rights for his 3-year-old son, while appearing before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in Sacramento, Calif.
California paternity bill stalled
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Patric says he hasn't seen the
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A bill sparked by a custody dispute involving "The Lost Boys" actor Jason Patric that would allow certain sperm donors to seek paternity rights in court is on hold after failing to clear a legislative panel Tuesday.
Patric testified before state lawmakers about his court battle to gain custody of his now 3-year-old son, Gus.
A judge deemed him a sperm donor — rather than a parent — during a custody dispute over the boy.
He and his ex-girlfriend, Danielle Schreiber, conceived the child through artificial insemination. Patric and Schreiber, who never married, disagree on the role Patric was to play in the child's life.
child in months and asked lawmakers to think about "a child sitting daily and wondering what happened."
As a result of that case and others brought to his attention, state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, put forward legislation that would allow a man whose sperm was used to conceive a child through artificial insemination to seek parental rights if he can show a certain level of involvement in the child's life.
Hill says his bill, SB115, is an attempt to clarify a 2011 statute, which said unmarried men who provided sperm to a doctor or sperm bank do not have parental rights unless otherwise agreed to in writing prior to conception.
The measure sailed through the Senate without opposition but recently has generated aggressive lobbying from representatives for Patric, Schreiber and organizations involved in child custody and women's rights.
Among the bill's supporters are Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which say the bill strikes the right balance by requiring a donor seeking parental rights to have lived with the child and presented the child as his own.
Opponents — including the state's chapter of the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, and the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers — say the measure is too broad and could unintentionally affect the rights of single mothers or same-sex couples who use sperm donors.
In emotional but measured testimony Tuesday, Patric told the Assembly Judiciary Committee that he went to "great lengths," including surgery, to become a father.