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    Netflix documentary to examine man behind college admissions scandal

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1144 Views
    This image released by Netflix shows key art for “Operation Varsity Blues,” a documentary about the college admissions scandal, premiering March 17. (Netflix via AP)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    A Netflix documentary will use actor recreations of FBI wiretaps to tell the story of Rick Singer, the man at the center of the college admissions scandal that sent actors Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and and several other prominent parents to prison.

    Netflix announced Monday that "Operation Varsity Blues" will be released on March 17.

    Named for the FBI operation that exposed the scandal, the documentary will focus not on the convicted celebrities like Huffman and Loughlin, but on how Singer persuaded them and many other wealthy clients to cheat to get their children into elite colleges. 

    Netflix said in its announcement that the documentary will use "an innovative combination of interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI's wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients." 

    The documentary is from filmmakers Chris Smith and Jon Karmen, whose previous credits include Netflix's Fyre festival documentary and "Tiger King."

    Actor Matthew Modine plays Singer, the admitted mastermind of the operation who flipped and started working with investigators, secretly recording his conversations with parents and coaches.

    More than 50 people were charged in the scandal that saw parents pay bribes to have someone cheat on their children's entrance exams or pretend their kids were star athletes for sports they didn't play.

    Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and several other charges, and is expected to testify at defendants' trials. He has not been sentenced.

    Tags:Chris SmithJon KamenMatthew ModineNetflixOperation Varsity Blues



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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