And it seems that when it comes to watching TV, 80 per cent of Thais find pets to be the best binge partner and 87 per cent of Thais have watched Netflix with their pets!

Watching a show with someone else can sometimes have its downsides, like being told what’s going to happen or incessant chatter, Not only do pets not hog the remote or judge your entertainment tastes (well, maybe), they make the perfect partners for the company. The cuddles are most prominent, with 47 per cent of Thai viewers turning to their furry friends for comfort during a sad or scary scene, making Thailand is the top country globally to cuddle with their pet.

Though you should be warned that pet bingeing can also be ruff. Thirty per cent of Thai members said they have moved seats so their pet would be more comfortable. Thirty two per cent have bribed them with treats to watch longer, and some (11 per cent) have even gone so far as turning off a show because their pet didn’t appear to like it. The snuggle is real.

So what are the shows everyone is barking, meowing and chirping about? Thai pet owners are more likely to choose a mix of sci-fi series like “Star Trek Discovery” and a little action like “The Last Kingdom” or even go for a teen drama like “13 Reasons Why”. Dark comedies like “Santa Clarita Diet” and “Big Mouth” made the top 5 as well.

Top Netflix & Woof Shows in Thailand

1.  Star Trek Discovery

2.  The Last Kingdom

3.  13 Reasons Why

4.  Santa Clarita Diet

5.  Big Mouth

6.  Stranger Things

7.  Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

8.  Love

9.  Club de Cuervos

10.Fuller House

The survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey from January 9-25, 2018 and based on more than 50,000 responses. The sample is representative of an adult online population who watch Netflix with their pets in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, USA, UK.

Taviani and his brother Paolo formed one of Italian cinema’s most famous duos and together they made more than 15 films.

One of their best-known was the gritty biopic “Padre Padrone”, set in Sardinia, which won the top Palme d’Or prize at Cannes in 1977.

Born in San Miniato, Tuscany, on September 20, 1929, Taviani died in Rome after suffering from a long-term illness.

Another of the brothers’ critically acclaimed films is 2012’s “Caesar Must Die”, for which they won the Golden Bear prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The pair’s father was an anti-fascist lawyer and they had an early interest in social issues, which they later translated onto the screen.

Speaking to the industry magazine Variety, Ted Sarandos said the festival — whose selection will be made public Thursday — had instituted a new rule prohibiting any film without a theatrical distribution in France from competing for main prizes.

“We want our films to be on fair ground with every other filmmaker,” Sarandos said. “There’s a risk in us going in this way and having our films and filmmakers treated disrespectfully at the festival.”

“They’ve set the tone. I don’t think it would be good for us to be there.”

Netflix showed two films at the prestigious film festival last year — but triggered scandal over its refusal to show “Okja” in French cinemas before distributing it for streaming to its subscribers.

The streaming giant also showed the film “The Meyerowitz Stories” by Noah Baumbach at the festival.

French law stipulates movies cannot be available for home streaming until three years after a cinematic premiere.

The timeline is considered largely obsolete due to a spike in piracy and streaming platforms in the United States like Netflix and Amazon.

Netflix has voiced willingness to taking films to French theaters — but refuses to wait three years to make it available on its platform.

“I can confirm our office received a case” involving Spacey, said Greg Risling, a spokesman for Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey told AFP.

But according to celebrity news site TMZ, the case will likely be rejected because it involves an allegation from the 1990s and is outside the statute of limitations.

The 58-year-old is also being investigated over similar allegations in London and Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

Two-time Oscar winner Spacey has disappeared from public life. Considered one of the pre-eminent actors of his generation, he was dropped from Ridley Scott’s “All The Money In The World” and expunged from the Netflix hit show “House of Cards.”

Case files on Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer whose downfall sparked the #MeToo movement against powerful male harassers, and martial arts star Steven Seagal “remain under review,” said Risling.

“A Quiet Place” is built around a simple but chilling premise: flesh-eating creatures have invaded Earth, but they are blind and can track their prey only by sound.

So actor/director John Krasinski, his wife (in the film and in real life) Emily Blunt and their children must adapt — through sign language and ingenious adaptations — or die.

The film has drawn rave reviews, with a 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” — a futuristic tribute to 1980s films — came in second at $24.6 million from Friday to Sunday, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The Warner Bros. film tells the story of a teenage gamer (Wade Watts) who finds himself inside an addictive virtual reality world. It’s earned $96.5 million in two weeks.

In third was another new release, Universal’s “Blockers,” at $20.6 million. A raunchy comedy starring John Cena and Leslie Mann, the movie drew considerable buzz at the South by Southwest film festival.

Still flourishing in its eighth week out, “Black Panther” netted $8.7 million for fourth spot.

Already the highest-grossing superhero film in US history, its cumulative total in the US and Canada now exceeds $665.6 million. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o.

That number takes the film past “Titanic,” which had collected $659 million in North America. “Black Panther” is now third in movie ticket sales of all time on the continent.

“Avatar” (2009) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) are still ahead, with $760 million and $936.7 million in ticket sales respectively.

In terms of global sales, “Avatar” leads with $2.8 billion, followed by “Titanic” ($2.2 billion), both directed by James Cameron. “Black Panther” is only 10th worldwide.

In North America, the weekend’s fifth spot went to psychological thriller “Tyler Perry’s Acrimony” with $8.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“I Can Only Imagine” ($7.8 million)

“Chappaquiddick” ($5.8 million)

“Sherlock Gnomes” ($5.4 million)

“Pacific Rim: Uprising” ($4.8 million)

“Isle of Dogs” ($4.6 million)

Developed by HBO Asia and created by award-winning Singaporean film maker, Eric Khoo, all six episodes of “Foklore” will take place across multiple Asian countries including Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand and each episode will be based on each country’s deeply-rooted superstitions and myths.

For Thailand, Pen-ek Ratanaruang will make his TV debut and his project is the remake of the classic horror comedy franchise “Baan Phee Pob”.

Helmed by different directors from various countries in Asia, each episode will seek to modernise or update Asian horror, exploring societal dysfunctions in a manner that is specific to the country but possessing themes that will resonate across the continent. The other five directors involved in “Folkore” are Joko Anwar (Indonesia), Takumi Saitoh (Japan), Lee Sang-Woo (Korea), Ho Yuhang (Malaysia) and Khoo himself.

“Folklore” will be filmed in the local language of the country that the episode is based in, with English and local language subtitles (where available).

“Folklore” was created to embrace the rich culture and history that Asia has to offer. We’re looking forward to telling these treasured myths and stories from Asia to audiences in the region and the rest of the world,” said Jonathan Spink, HBO Asia’s chief executive.

Starring in the lead role for the episode based in Japan and directed by Saitoh (“Blank 13”, “Ramen Teh”) will be Japanese actor, Kazuki Kitamura. Kitamura has acted in a number of Hollywood and Japanese films. Internationally, he is best known for his roles in “Godzilla: Final Wars”, “Kill Bill: Vol 1” and “Kill Bill: Vol 2”. In Japan, Kitamura has won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Yokohama Film Festival for his works in three films – “Kyohansha”, “Minazuki” and “Kanzen-naru Shiiku”.

The episode based in Malaysia will be directed by Ho Yuhang (“Rain Dogs”, “Mrs K”) with Malaysian actor Bront Palarae in the lead role. Palarae is a familiar name in the Asian television circuit having starred in a variety of drama and comedy series in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. His film credits include a Malaysian comedy series “Sejoli”, both seasons of HBO Asia’s Original fantasy drama series “Halfworlds” and most recently, “Satan’s Slave”, the biggest Indonesian horror hit movie of 2017. He has also been awarded the Best Actor awards at the 23rd Malaysia Film Festival Awards, Astro Warna Award 2014 and the ASEAN International Film Festival Awards in 2015.

Production for “Folklore” kicked off with Anwar’s episode based and shot in Jakarta, followed by Khoo’s episode based in Singapore and shot in Batam, and Ho Yuhang’s episode shot in Malaysia. The remaining three episodes are currently in production.

“Folklore” is produced in partnership with the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) as part of a two-and-a-half-year collaboration to develop the drama production capabilities of Singapore’s media industry and talent. Under this partnership, HBO Asia will conduct training and development work with local talent and companies.

The now frail and isolated 80-year-old could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted of drugging and molesting former university employee Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

The pioneering black entertainer’s first trial ended in a hung jury on June 17, with a sequestered panel hopelessly deadlocked after six days of testimony and 52 hours of deliberations.

The case forever tarnished the legacy of an actor once adored by millions as “America’s Dad” for his seminal role as a lovable father and obstetrician on hit 1984-92 television series “The Cosby Show.”

In recent years, some 60 women have accused the Emmy winner, who today claims to be legally blind, of being a serial predator, alleging that he drugged and assaulted them over a span of 40 years.

Yet three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand, who now lives in Canada, are the only criminal charges to stick, with most of the alleged abuse having occurred too long ago to prosecute.

But the second trial is likely to be dramatically different from the first when opening statements begin at the courthouse in the Philadelphia suburb of Norristown.

Judge Steven O’Neill has agreed to let five other Cosby accusers testify, compared to just one the last time, handing a major victory to prosecutors, who will seek to paint Cosby as a serial predator.

– Michael Jackson’s lawyer –

“This is the most significant difference between the two trials and is a substantial problem for the defense,” said Melissa Gomez, a Philadelphia-based jury expert.

The most well-known of the five is 63-year-old model Janice Dickinson, who says Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1982.

“More accusers creates a consensus,” Gomez told AFP. “It is much easier to attack the credibility of one person than it is six.”

The defense team has also changed, now headed by Los Angeles celebrity import Tom Mesereau, with his distinctive mane of thick white hair, known for getting Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation.

Last time, Cosby did not testify and the defense spent just minutes presenting their case, arguing that there was no evidence to convict.

This time, O’Neill has warned the trial may last a month. He also handed a win to the defense in allowing testimony from a former co-worker who alleges that Constand schemed against Cosby.

Lawyers may also be able to make public the amount of money that Cosby paid Constand in a civil suit to settle her claim in 2006, which could strengthen efforts to portray her as a scheming money-grabber.

Mesereau’s hardball tactics have already been in evidence in a failed attempt to get the judge booted off the case for alleged bias because his wife works with sexual assault victims.

The defense has also moved to strike one juror from the trial for being allegedly overheard saying: “I just think he’s guilty, so we can all be done and get out of here.”

#MeToo fog

Permeating the entire case is the #MeToo movement, which erupted in October and has seen the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey shamed and stripped of their positions for alleged sexual misconduct.

Experts say the cultural watershed may make jurors more inclined to believe victims.

“It’s like a fog,” said William Brennan, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer who has followed the trial.

At the time of the alleged assault, Constand was the director of women’s basketball at Temple University, where the actor sat on the board of trustees. She will take the stand again second time around.

In a 2005 deposition, Cosby said he gave Constand an over-the-counter antihistamine to relieve stress and that they had consensual relations, but admitted obtaining sedatives with a view to having sex.

The case boils down to he-said, she-said. There is no physical evidence, and many still remember Cosby as a beloved entertainer.

Twelve jurors — five women and seven men, 10 white and two black — together with six alternates, are to be sequestered.

Cosby, who was lauded as a hero by African Americans and revered by whites for smashing through racial barriers, is best remembered for his role as Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.”

One of the most popular television series in history, it propelled the son of a maid and a US Navy cook into a life of fame and wealth.

Solo: A Star Wars Story will grace the festival’s red carpet ahead of its release in France and the US.

“Presented out of competition, the latest film of the Star Wars galaxy (directed) by Ron Howard brings together Han Solo, his faithful Chewbacca, the crooked Lando Calrissian, the Millenium Falcon and of course the droids,” the festival said on its website.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was the last in the franchise to air at Cannes in 2005.

The latest instalment takes the audience back to the youth of the famous smuggler and pilot Han Solo, played by US actor Alden Ehrenreich.

It is the second spin-off derived from the famous science fiction series, after Rogue One was released in December 2016 which made more than $1 billion at the box office.

The Cannes International Film Festival will run from May 8 to 19.

Citing unnamed sources related to him, public broadcaster NHK said he had died at a Tokyo hospital after a recent bout of ill health. The information could not be immediately confirmed.

Takahata’s latest film, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” earned him an Academy nomination in 2014 for best animated feature.

It was also selected for a slot in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar to the main competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

However, most consider the 1988 film “Grave of the Fireflies”, a moving tale of two orphans during World War II, to be his best work.

Born in Mie prefecture in central Japan, Takahata started his career in animation at the Toei studio in 1959, where he met long-term collaborator and rival Hayao Miyazaki.

With Miyazaki, he co-founded in 1985 the Japanese animation studio Ghibli, which went on to produce several blockbusters.

The pair are often described by media as friends and rivals at the same time.

Over a long and distinguished career, he produced around 20 films, including “Only Yesterday” (1991) and “Pom Poko” (1994).

He also produced the Miyazaki-directed 1984 film “Kaze no Tani no Naushika” (“The Valley of the Wind”), a science fantasy adventure that describes the relationship between nature and human beings.

He is also well-known for animation series “Alps no Shojo Heidi” (“Heidi, Girl of the Alps”) and “Lupin Sansei” (“Lupin the Third”).

Takahata also dabbled in politics, co-signing with around 250 other film celebrities, a petition against a controversial state secrets law in 2013.