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Netflix flips switch on for 130 more countries, shares new original shows
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Netflix CEO and founder Reed Hastings speaks onstage during a keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday morning. - photo by Natalie Crofts
LAS VEGAS Netflix flipped its switch on in 130 new countries during a keynote speech at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday morning.

The announcement means the online entertainment giant is now active in every country except China, North Korea, Crimea and Syria, according to Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings. He said the company hopes to gain permission from Chinas government to operate in that country as well, but the process could take time.

Before Wednesday, Netflix was available in 60 countries.

The Internet is a beautiful thing because it is naturally global, Hastings said in a question-and-answer session for media after the keynote.

In addition to opening more countries to its streaming services, Netflix increased the number of languages it supports. The new languages it will facilitate on top of the 17 languages it already includes are Arabic, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Netflix also plans to introduce more than 30 original shows in 2016. With movies, documentaries and other original content factored in, the company will be producing 600 hours of content, according to Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

He said Netflixs unique structure allows the entertainment company to take more risks.

Linear TV only scores with home runs, Sarandos said. We score with home runs too, but we also score with singles and doubles and triples.

Several of Netflixs upcoming shows were introduced on the CES keynote stage, including The Crown and The Get Down. The Crown is set in 1953 England and follows Queen Elizabeth II as she begins her reign, while The Get Down addresses the issues faced by a growing New York City in the disco era.

Chelsea Handler, star of Netflixs upcoming documentary series Chelsea Does, interviewed actors Will Arnett of Arrested Development, Krysten Ritter of Jessica Jones and Wagner Moura of Narcos on stage. She repeatedly described working for Netflix as the best job in the world.

Arnett in particular has a long history of being involved with Netflixs original content projects. His next show, a comedy called Flaked, is being released in 2016.

Now, everything that you do is immediately avoidable in all these countries around the world, he said.

There was more than 42.5 billion hours of streaming on Netflix in 2015, according to Hastings. That number will presumably increase dramatically with the expansion of Netflixs network.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Street musician killing it on clarinet

She must have lungs of iron! Its inspiring hearing the upper registers being played so well.

Posted by Clarinet Life on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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