• Former President Barack Obama is in advanced negotiations with Netflix to produce a series of high-profile shows that will provide him a global platform, according to people familiar with the discussions. Under terms of a proposed deal, which is not yet final, Netflix would pay Obama and his wife, Michelle, for exclusive content that would be available only on the streaming service, which has nearly 118 million subscribers around the world. The number of episodes and the formats for the shows have not been decided. Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz, in a statement, said the Obamas believe in the power of storytelling to inspire. Schultz said the Obamas continue to explore new ways to help others share their stories. In one possible show idea, Obama could moderate conversations on topics that dominated his presidency -- health care, voting rights, immigration, foreign policy, climate change -- and that have continued to divide a polarized American electorate during President Donald Trump's time in office. The New York Times reported that Obama doesn't intend to use his Netflix shows to respond directly to Trump or conservative critics. Netflix did not immediately respond for a request for comment.
• Toy-maker Mattel is in a dispute with a distant relative of the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo over rights to a Frida Barbie doll released as part of the company's Inspiring Women series. Kahlo's great-niece Mara de Anda Romeo said Mattel doesn't have the rights to use Kahlo's image. Pablo Sangri, a lawyer for de Anda Romeo, said his client doesn't seek money but wants Mattel to talk about redesigning the doll, saying it "should have to match what the artist really was." Critics complain the doll doesn't reflect Kahlo's heavy, nearly conjoined eyebrows, and that its costume doesn't accurately portray the elaborate Tehuana-style dresses the artist wore, making it more Barbie-like than Frida-like. While Barbie is an American icon that has often been criticized as promoting an unrealistic body image and consumerist lifestyle, Kahlo was a life-long communist who died in 1954 before the doll was introduced. Mattel said in a statement that it worked with the Panama-based Frida Kahlo Corp., "which owns all the rights." "The Frida Kahlo Corporation actively participated in the process of designing the doll, Mattel has its permission and a legal contract that grants it the rights to make a doll of the great Frida Kahlo," the company's statement said. The corporation said it got the rights through Kahlo's niece, Isolda Pinedo Kahlo, more than a decade ago. The doll is part of Mattel's Inspiring Women series, which includes dolls in the image of pilot Amelia Earhart and mathematician Katherine Johnson.
A Section on 03/10/2018