03/11/22
This week: Well, we found the perfect driving song. Plus, the crème de la crème of startup scammer stories, a worthy return to live performances, and our first-ever PS Weekly reader rec!
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
☞YYoutube OBI-WAN KENOBI
☞YLetterboxd THE BATMAN
☞YTikTok #WomenInGaming
☞YSpotify Heat Waves - Glass Animals
☞YNetflix PIECES OF HER
☞YTwitter Wordle
☞YShopify We made some cool PS merch!
Life & Culture
To state the obvious: Wow, gas prices are high. And it looks like they’ll stay that way for a while: CNN is saying things will stay this way through Labor Day. The whole situation is a stark reminder of our collective reliance on fossil fuels. Tesla is reportedly already seeing a surge in orders this week, compared to last. But just in case a new/expensive car with a wait list isn’t in the cards for you, here are a few hacks to help you use a little less gas when you do have to drive.
This past Tuesday was International Women’s Day, and as typical of these mostly marketing holidays, a lot of companies took the opportunity to tweet about it. This year, someone created a Twitter bot to see if these companies put their money where their tweets are, sharing the gender wage gap for every company that tweets about IWD. While it only tracks UK-based companies, the findings are pretty interesting. The bot quotes each tweet with the facts comparing men and women’s pay, using the government’s service that makes this data public.
I think we at this company have made our stance on ABBOTT ELEMENTARY clear (we love it), and today I am giving you one more reason to watch. The show is partnering with Scholastic (who we also love) to give underfunded schools free book fairs. The events are taking place next week, with each kid getting two free books and each teacher getting 10. No viral TikTok required.
Disney Plus announced that it will be introducing a cheaper ad-supported subscription option later this year. This comes as the company is only about halfway to its goal of reaching 230 to 260 million subscribers by 2024. Hulu, HBOMax, and Peacock all currently offer various ad-supported plans. So, we have to ask:
Are you willing to watch a few (or more) ads to get content for free—or cheap?
-Yep, these streamer subscriptions are adding up
-No, I can’t sacrifice my ad-free binge-watching
And finally, this week, I was fortunate enough to stumble across this powerful reading of poet Brenda Shaughnessy’s I HAVE A TIME MACHINE. I also loved this video explaining Agnes Denes’ amazing public art piece in the middle of NYC in 1982, and this (very cinematic) video of a snail that feels like a whole movie in a few seconds.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
I’m admittedly a little late to the game here, but I finally watched CODA (trailer here) last night and was so glad that I did. The movie follows Ruby, the only hearing person in her deaf family, who has spent most of her life helping her family with their fishing business. When she belatedly leans into her long-time dream of singing by joining her high school’s choir, Ruby is forced to choose between pursuing her passions and supporting her parents and brother. The characters are what make this movie, and while they all feel unique and real, I particularly loved Troy Kotsur’s depiction of Ruby’s father. He brought the perfect amount of levity and passion to the character, and gave the story depth. It’s up for three Academy Awards this month, including Best Picture. Watch it when you’re in the mood for something light, sweet, and heartwarming.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
TV
We are truly living in the heyday of rise-and-fall-of-the-scammer stories. Some might even say there are too many options available in this space. But Hulu's new limited series THE DROPOUT (trailer here) is already a standout thanks to its central figure and darkly comedic tone. Amanda Seyfried nails her portrayal of fraudulent entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, alternating between quirky levity and a Machiavelllian wickedness. Seyfried's take on Elizabeth Holmes elevates the series by rooting the story in a fascinating antihero. Within the ups and downs of Theranos is a tale about a misguided entrepreneur who attempts to assert herself as a young female leader but quickly finds herself in immoral and illegal territory when she can't meet the expectations she set for herself. The series sets up an intriguing journey for Elizabeth without trying to convince you to root for her. The more you watch, the more you'll be asking “How did she get this far?” and “How far can this go?” I'm excited to keep watching for these answers!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Book
I recently revisited one of my favorite books from 2021—Mayukh Sen’s TASTE MAKERS: SEVEN IMMIGRANT WOMEN WHO REVOLUTIONIZED FOOD IN AMERICA, and I would be remiss not to pass it on to all of you here. Sen, in his authorial debut, honors a group of seven extraordinary women in biographical accounts that are compassionate, smart, and cinematic— I truly felt as though I was watching a short film, reading his words—particularly as he detailed each woman’s journey navigating the unforgiving American culinary world that deprived them of the honor and recognition they deserved. As a prolific food writer and journalist, Sen pays deep attention to the public and private challenges these women faced in trying to express their love and passion for food—and in doing so, he does the most radical thing of all: He allows their lives to speak for themselves. Sen does’t try to rework their lives into a digestible form for American audiences but rather provides a raw and respectful account of each woman's life. As someone who was not born in the United States, I found it so refreshing to read a book that celebrates the lives of immigrant women who are frequently misunderstood and disregarded by American media.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
READER RECOMMENDATION
Podcast
CHAMELEON: WILD BOYS is an audio anthology series, with each season centering on a story in which people are more than they seem. The most recent season follows two boys who mysteriously show up in a small Canadian town and turn into a national news story. Sam Mullins, the host and writer, is from this town and shares his own memory of these boys and their impact on his community, which adds so much more color and nuance to the story. The storytelling is well done, including first-hand interviews with police officers, politicians and community members—and excellent, high-quality production. Each episode engulfs you in the tension of these mysterious "Wild Boys," pacing it just carefully enough to keep you guessing, but not torturing the listener with unnecessary cliffhangers that don’t serve the story. And just when you think you understand what really happened, Sam Mullins takes you on another ride! I highly recommend this podcast to any fan of SERIAL or any other long-form investigative podcast.
—Levi Brown, PS Weekly Subscriber
Music
My favorite music find of this week is undoubtedly GLITCH PRINCESS by yeule. Coming out of a global pandemic, I think we’re all surveying some of the carnage left in its wake while also marveling at the technological oases created out of collective isolation. We seem to exist in a state of in-between as we sink into virtual escapism on an even deeper scale. This is where Singapore-raised artist yuele emerges. Born Nat Ćmiel, they have created an album that holds a mirror to the internal v. external definition of “apocalypse." Beautifully explained by Colin Lodewick in Pitchfork, yuele creates a sensual example of personal transmutation through societal crisis. This album contains elements of extreme juxtaposition between the real and the artificial, alternating between pause and chaos. Tracks like FRAGMENTS emulate brain noise, a busy mind with a pulsing synth track that you could almost imagine as a heartbeat. PERFECT BLUE ft. Tohji is heavily melodic in nature, romantic and nostalgic—the perfect song to drive home to. BITES ON MY NECK echos old electronic dance music, with its high bpm and sections of poetic rubato. Overall, this album is a rollercoaster of emotions and I’m just here for the ride.
—Sara Marquis, Office Coordinator
Comedy
This week, I had the bizarre pleasure of seeing Mitra Jouhari’s HORNY LITTLE SHOW at The Elysian Theater. In a dark room, seated at a table with a white binder as her guide—and the PowerPoint projected behind her as ours—Jouhari takes the audience on a tour through her psyche. The journey begins with her fundamental hatred for the city of Los Angeles, followed by her undying love for the REAL HOUSEWIVES franchise, and ending with her ultimate sexual fantasy—which is not what you might expect. This show will make you laugh. A lot. But it might also make you grapple with your deepest insecurities and your relationship with mortality. Because in the end, according to Mitra, orgasms are great, but love, acceptance, and mere validation in life are…at least just as good.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
