iWorld
Netflix announces the worldwide debut of Julie’s Greenroom
MUMBAI – Netflix announced today that award-winning actress will star in Julie’s Greenroom, a new preschool show from The Jim Henson Company that features an all-new puppet cast of kids learning about the performing arts. The series will be available exclusively to Netflix members globally in early 2017.
Andrews, who created the series with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton and Judy Rothman-Rofė, will executive produce and star as Ms. Julie – the director of the Wellspring Center for the Performing Arts in which she teaches performing arts workshops in the theatre and its “Greenroom.”
Ms. Julie and her devoted assistant Gus (Giullian Yao Gioiello) bring the performing arts to a new generation of kids known as the “Greenies,” played by original puppet characters built by the renowned Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The Greenies are a diverse group of kids who are mesmerized by all that the arts and creativity has to offer. Over the course of the season, with Ms. Julie’s guidance and inspiration from the visiting guest artists, the kids create an entirely original new show, that is a mashup of all the performing arts including mime, music, dance, improv, circus arts, voice and more.
Most episodes will feature an original song and every episode will feature a guest star who engages the kids in a specific area of the performing arts. The incredible array of confirmed guest stars will include Alec Baldwin, Sara Bareilles, Joshua Bell, Tituss Burgess, Carol Burnett, Chris Colfer, Robert Fairchild, Josh Groban, David Hyde Pierce, Bill Erwin, Ellie Kemper, Idina Menzel, Tiler Peck, and Stomp.
Ms. Andrews commented that “this project represents the fulfilment of a long held dream to educate children about the wonder of the arts. I am thrilled to be partnering with my daughter and long time coauthor, Emma, to bring this show to life along with our co-creator, Judy Rothman-Rofė. We could not be more honored to be working with the extraordinary Jim Henson Company. We are equally delighted to be premiering as a Netflix original production.”
“It’s been an incredible treat to work with Julie on this project,” said Andy Yeatman, Director of Global Kids Content at Netflix. “This show is all about awakening children’s interest in the performing arts while introducing a new era of puppets to the viewers.”
“The best of the best have joined together to bring Julie’s Greenroom to Netflix,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. “Our award-winning director, Tony-nominated puppeteers, Broadway composer, and accomplished guest artists, led by the incomparable Julie Andrews, together will inspire kids to explore, appreciate and celebrate all forms of performing arts.”
Julie’s Greenroom began shooting this May in Long Island, New York. The thirteen 30-minute episodes will premiere globally on Netflix in early 2017. Julie’s Greenroom is a Netflix Original produced by The Jim Henson Company and is executive produced by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton and Steve Sauer, and Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford for the The Jim Henson Company. Emmy Award®winning actor and writer Joey Mazzarino is co-producer and director, Tom Keniston is producer, and Emmy Award®winner Bill Sherman joins the series as composer.
iWorld
What SMS letters G, T, S and P mean and how they help spot scams
Small alphabet tags on messages reveal whether texts are government or ads.
MUMBAI: Sometimes the smallest letter in a message can be the biggest clue. In an age where smartphone users receive dozens of alerts every day, the tiny alphabet appearing at the end of many SMS messages can reveal whether a text is official, transactional, service related or simply promotional. Understanding these tags can help users quickly identify legitimate messages and stay alert to potential scams.
Under telecom regulations in India, SMS senders are required to categorise messages based on their purpose. As a result, many texts end with a single letter that indicates the type of communication being sent.
If an SMS ends with the letter G, it typically means the message has been sent by a government authority. These alerts may include information about public services, government schemes, safety advisories or emergency notifications such as natural disaster warnings.
A message ending with the letter T signals a transactional SMS. These are usually sent by banks, financial institutions or digital services to confirm activities such as payments, account updates or one time passwords (OTPs).
The letter S represents a service related message. These notifications commonly come from companies and online platforms providing updates about services or orders. For instance, e commerce platforms like Amazon or Flipkart often send delivery updates and order confirmations that end with the letter S.
Meanwhile, SMS messages ending with the letter P are promotional in nature. These texts are typically marketing communications sent by businesses advertising products, offers or services such as education programmes, fashion sales or loan schemes.
Understanding these simple tags can also help users stay cautious about fraudulent messages. Cybersecurity experts note that scam messages often do not follow these regulated formats and may arrive without any category letter at the end.
While the absence of a tag does not automatically mean a message is fraudulent, it can serve as an early warning sign encouraging users to verify the source before clicking links or sharing personal information.
For those who wish to reduce marketing texts altogether, telecom operators also provide Do Not Disturb (DND) options.
Users of Jio can activate DND through the MyJio app by navigating to the menu, selecting settings and enabling the DND option with preferred filters.
Similarly, subscribers of Airtel and Vi can enable the same feature through their respective mobile apps to block promotional messages.
In a digital world flooded with alerts and notifications, recognising what a single letter means could make the difference between a harmless update and a potential scam.
