What’s streaming…
Celebrate a Mardi Gras like no other on SBS not this Saturday night but the next on the 6th March. Courtney Act, Joel Creasey, Narelda Jacobs and Zoë Coombs Marr return to host this year’s history-making global event live on SBS and NITV.
Proving nothing – not even a pandemic – is going to rain on this parade, Mardi Gras has found a temporary new home in 2021 – the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground to ensure the safety of participants, spectators and the community at large.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the world’s largest and most loved LGBTIQ+ celebrations. This year the festival is themed RISE, a call to action saying now is the time to rise again through love, compassion, respect and understanding, and to work to make the world a better place for all.
The theme is a poignant message following the challenge and hardship of 2020. SBS is streaming the event live to audiences across Australia and all around the world, from 6pm AEDT on SBS On Demand. The geo-block has been removed for international viewers so they can watch and tune in for the full parade on SBS and NITV at 7:30pm.
This year, the event is rising to new heights with the fab four – drag icon Courtney Act, comedy superstar Joel Creasey, Network 10 Presenter Narelda Jacobs and stand-up genius Zoë Coombs Marr – returning to host this year’s coverage. Mardi Gras will light up with some glittering performances and interviews.
Bringing the world together each year in a celebration of diversity and inclusion, this event is also an opportunity to reflect on the history of activism and protest which started the movement back in 1978.
Joel Creasey said: “I can’t wait to be back with my Mardi Gras besties Narelda, Courtney and Zoë to be hosting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for my fifth time!… And, after the year we’ve had, we truly need the love, light and bio-degradable glitter that is Mardi Gras. I’ve never been to a cricket ground before so I hope my Uber driver knows where to drop me. I cannot wait!”
Zoë Coombs Marr said: “The event has a special kind of energy that can only be rivalled by a sugar-free kid at a birthday party who’s just had red cordial for the first time. Magic!”
Narelda Jacobs: “Rise and shine! The world’s biggest party since last Mardi Gras is on March 6 and we’re asking Australia to rise to the occasion. We’re spreading our wings and love from the SCG into lounge rooms, pubs and clubs around the country. Together, the queer community has supported each other through the pandemic, now let’s rise like a phoenix to celebrate Mardi Gras 2021.”
SBS will celebrate Mardi Gras by streaming a slate of special programming. In the leadup, SBS will celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community with the thought-provoking documentaries Killing Patient Zero, Leitis in Waiting and The Stars Will Do along with an encore screening of Faboriginal Monday March 1 to Thursday March 4 at 7:30pm.
From Monday March 1 at 9:30pm, SBS World Movies will showcase the best of LGBTIQ+ films from around the world with Mardi Gras Week. Titles include Goodbye Mother, Tu Me Manques, A Fantastic Woman, Carol, Call Me By Your Name and The Kids Are Alright.
The 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras streams live on Saturday 6th March at 6pm AEDT on SBS On Demand, or catch the full parade at 7:30pm on SBS and NITV.
The broadcast is being streamed live and free via SBS On Demand with the geo-block removed, making it available to watch around the world…
Yesterday, Disney dropped Star along with all of its content on our screens
We’ve mentioned this before on Women Love Tech but when you look at the amount of movies and shows dropped in one go from Disney’s new platform – Star – it’s mind boggling. The new streaming platform which integrates with Disney+, dropped 450 movies and 155 television shows on our screens in Europe, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand yesterday.
So far there’s only four original Star productions but there’ll be over 35 first-run series set to premiere by the end of the first year. In the meantime, hey we’re going to be busy watching the movies – including Deadpool and Deadpool 2 – and the television series including Prison Break and Grey’s Anatomy. So if you got through Netflix over the holidays then you’ve got your work cut out for you on Star. Take a look at the full title list here.
In Europe, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, Star has its own brand page which comes up alongside your other pages on Disney+.
Robust parent controls
As part of today’s launch, Disney+ has added new parental controls which give parents the ability to set limits on access to content for specific profiles based on content ratings and the ability to add a PIN to lock profiles with access to mature content.
The new pricing for Disney+ including Star is an extra $3 per month but if you have an existing Disney+ subscription prior to February 23, Disney will honour this price for 6 months and the new price hike only takes effect after that.
So start watching – you have 6 months to see if you want the extra streaming on Disney Star.
You can start streaming Disney+ right here…
The show everyone’s been talking about – I May Destroy You on Binge
Everyone’s been raving about this show so if you’ve missed it, better try and catch up. The Guardian gave it 5 Stars and Lucy Mangan wrote: Could this be the best drama of the year? Michaela Coel’s new series is an extraordinary, breathtaking exploration of consent, race and millennial life that works on every level.
Coel not only stars in the show, she wrote it, created it and directed it! And she’s done an excellent job. In fact, when the Golden Globe awards nominations were announced for television, many people were questioning why this show was not on the list.
In I May Destroy You, Coel plays a woman who is dealing with the fallout from a sexual assault. Playing Arabella, she takes you on her journey as she reassesses everything in her life, including friends, family and career – in light of what happened to her.
This is must-watch television which is challenging, realistic, funny and serious all at the same time.
I May Destroy You is streaming now on Binge…
Superman & Lois is streaming now on Binge
DC does know how to make a good TV show and Superman & Lois looks set to be a classy series. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprise their Supergirl roles as Superman and Lois Lane. They’re now grown up and grappling with raising a pair of teenage boys back in Smallville.
This is a Greg Berlanti’s Arrowverse series and one of his trademarks is the fact he brings the DC heroes down to earth and shows us what their life would be like. So we see Clark and Lois as parents who are worrying about their kids and how to be better parents.
As well, they’re dealing with all sorts of normal stuff – the decline of print journalism, house foreclosures and teenagers on anxiety meds. And to top all of this off, they know that one of the twins has new powers but they don’t know which one yet.
There’s still the usual Superman action but it’s nice to see Superman dealing with a normal life the way we all have to. We’re happy to go along with this fresh angle and it makes watching each episode more interesting.
Superman & Lois is streaming on Thursdays at 8.30pm on Binge…
Update – Framing Britney Spears – the documentary about her life – will stream in Australia on Channel 9 on March 2nd.
And don’t forget the Golden GlobeAwards will be streamed live on Foxtel at 12pm this coming Monday March 1st and then again at 7.30pm…
For those who don’t have Foxtel, Binge will also be home to the Golden Globe awards on March 1, 2021. The platform will have the full ceremony and E!’s Red Carpet special but we’re not sure whether these will be streamed live or will be available after the show has finished airing. So stay tuned…
