08/20/21
It all begins with an idea.
TRENDS THIS WEEK
☞ Youtube ETERNALS (final trailer)
☞ Letterboxd THE SUICIDE SQUAD
☞ TikTok #Smiling
☞ Spotify STAY - The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber
☞ Netflix OUTER BANKS
☞ Twitter Only Fans
Life & Culture
Question of the week: does Uber charge more if your phone isn’t charged? Internet discourse suggests, maybe. A Twitter user shared that her Uber pricing (which is typically $25-$30) went up to $81 when her phone was at 18%, and prices then dropped down once her phone was charged to 25%. And, while there’s not concrete proof that Uber is purposely capitalizing on user’s desperation when their phone battery is waning, according to Forbes, the app can track what user’s phone battery percentage is, and through research, the company has found that users are willing to pay more if their phone is dying. Which makes sense! With all of that being said, though, Uber has denied that battery level plays a factor in pricing. And, as someone whose phone is genuinely always under 15%, I really hope there’s no truth to the speculations.
Thanks to the success of Moderna’s and Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna is starting trials for an mRNA-based HIV vaccine this week. Exciting! The shots will use some of the same technology that Moderna used to craft the COVID-19 vaccines and, as this Twitter user pointed out, it’s a full circle moment, as research for HIV vaccines actually helped further the research that made the COVID-19 vaccine a reality.
And finally, I’m giving you three TikTok videos this week, because there’s this trend where people simply share videos that make them smile and of course I would like to share that with you. A few of my favorite versions of the trend so far are this playful elephant, this cute old man dancing with a younger version of himself, and this tennis player who shares his professional athlete perks with a ball boy when it starts to rain.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
Today, I’d like to flash back with a vintage rec of a film that has stayed with me over the years. One of those movies that I think about...a lot. I’m talking about LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (trailer here). A family of six of the most different individuals goes on a road-trip mission to help seven-year-old Olive live out her dream of competing in a “little miss” pageant. The film is beautiful, uncomfortable and simultaneously heart-warming and heartbreaking. The genius dialogue is what really takes it to the next level. The monologue about suffering trumping happiness—I think about it quite literally every other day. Plus, the film features stellar performances by Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin.
Check this one out if you want to see a great performance by Steve Carell before everyone realized he could be a “serious” actor. You’ll love it if you also liked FORREST GUMP or MATILDA. You can watch it for free on Tubi!
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
TV
WHAT IF..? (trailer here) is the new animated anthology series from Marvel that answers that exact question, based on the beloved comic started in the late ‘70s . What if Peggy Carter had become Captain America? What if T’Challa had become Star Lord? What if there was a slight change to titular moments in the timelines of our iconic heroes? Each half hour episode crams a film's worth of action and it’s a lot of fun to watch. Plus, most of the characters are voiced by the actors who played them in the live action films. The bottom line: Don’t start your Marvel journey here, if you’re not already a fan. But if you are a fan, it’s got all the elements you’re probably looking for, to get you from here to November’s premiere of ETERNALS.
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant
Comedy
Last weekend, I went to a comedy show that began at 10:30 PM. Going in, I was genuinely afraid I’d fall asleep before the show started, but fortunately a hilarious set from Carmen Christopher kept me wide awake. I hadn’t heard of the stand-up comedian before, so I looked up his work and found his half-hour STREET SPECIAL (trailer here), released earlier this year. In the special, Christopher drags a speaker around New York City, performing stand-up for anyone within earshot. The results are…mixed. Many “audience members” recoil at his intentionally mediocre material, frequently berating him and asking him to leave. Christopher perseveres through the rejection, determined to find a laugh. Stream the special on Peacock to see if Christopher ever manages to bring joy to the streets of New York. And, if you’re in LA, he has another live show on Monday as well, because surely I’ve convinced you to go check him out by now.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
Theater
It’s been a minute since I plugged The Old Vic’s In Camera series, one of my favorite pandemic theater innovations. The latest installment is a theatrical adaptation of the 1987 film BAGDAD CAFÉ (yes, I recognize the irony of filming a play that was based on a movie). Emma Rice and the Wise Children Company have created a magic-and-music-filled interpretation of the story of two women who meet at a truck-stop diner, finding solace in each other’s friendship as they both struggle with toxic marriages. It’s a feel-good tale that will definitely leave you smiling at your computer/TV screen!
—Julia Hammer, Director of Production
Book
When I first learned that my favorite sci-fi novel, THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Liu Cixin (the first installment in the REMEMBRANCE OF THE EARTH’S PAST trilogy) is being adapted into a Netflix series, I felt excited but also conflicted. Excited because the series hails from GAME OF THRONES alumni David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, but conflicted because what mortal can do this epic sci-fi trilogy justice? The story is rooted in Chinese history, spans the globe, and is steeped in grandeur—it basically defies adaptation. But then! Yesterday, it was announced that Netflix has tapped Oscar-nominated Hong Kong director Derek Tsang (BETTER DAYS) for this task, and I breathed easy. Because he’s exactly the right filmmaker to tell this complex story.
With that gripping backstory in mind, let me give you the actual rec here. THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM became the first Asian novel ever to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the Nebula Award. It navigates between China’s Cultural Revolution and a near-future where an alien civilization on the brink of destruction plans to invade Earth. Facing down a much more advanced civilization, different camps start to form on Earth, with some worshiping the superior beings, and some desperately trying to fight… and the question remains: What is our place in the Universe? Here’s the thing though. That logline doesn’t do the trilogy justice, but I don’t have nearly enough words here, and also, spoilers. So, just trust me/David Benioff and D.B. Weiss/Netflix on this one. Oh, and Obama too—he’s a fan of the book as well! ;)
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Video Game
At the beginning of the summer one of the most recognizable names in gaming teamed up with one of Ibiza's most celebrated party institutions to…launch a record label? Not what I expected when I heard Grand Theft Auto's Rockstar Games and CircoLoco had teamed up, but it does seem like a natural next step in the music and gaming industries' growing convergence. It’s also no secret that GTA has had an interest in electronic music, as just last year it launched a virtual underground club in the game, featuring an incredible roster of DJs as residents. Additionally, the GTA team announced that it will be soundtracking the Los Santos Tuners update with music entirely from its record label, with world-class DJs like Moodymann, Channel Tres, and Gangsta Boo releasing new music through the label. Personally, I love how these music integrations are seamlessly embedded in the game and its storylines. For example, Moodymann is now a GTA character named Kenny who offers players guidance—and is also a music fan with a mix, which is where all this exclusive content from the new label will live. Can’t wait to see where this collaboration goes next...
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Music
I found the album you'll be listening to during these last, delicious weeks of summer. Rainbow Child by Lion Babe, the soul funk duo, is 23 minutes of perfection. I want my whole life to be narrated in the falsetto that starts the first track, "Rainbows," featuring none other than Ghostface Killah. Listen to "Frida Kahlo" while getting ready for a pool party — I guarantee instant fun. Body roll into "Get Up" featuring Trinidad James and you'll find that nothing and no one will be killing your vibes this August. In Lion Babe’s own words, this album "explores all of the depths that we experience when we have changed but reminds us to always embrace it all. The pain, beauty, fear and love. Acceptance of life in its totality brings true radiance inside and out." With so much uncertainty in the world and such a difficult couple years behind us (and perhaps ahead of us as well), may we all look inside to feel a little brighter.
—C.Taj, Head of Business & Legal Affairs, Esq./Certified Baddie
It’s been a big week of discussion for posthumous music releases, a topic that leaves many music fans divided. Sure, the idea of getting to hear new music from your favorite late artist is sick, but on the other hand it feels wrong to be listening to songs that they didn’t intend to share. One of my favorite late artists of this decade, Pop Smoke, has been on the top 10 Billboard charts almost every month of this year. And while it's amazing that a legacy of his music is being built posthumously, there are many ethical questions floating around, like who retains creative control of his music, and whether his estate has the artist's best interests in mind. Amidst all of this discussion, a lot of artists are becoming more explicit in banning posthumous music release in their wills, and some artists like Anderson Paak are even taking it a step further. The singer/songwriter recently posted an image on instagram of his new tattoo that reads “please don’t release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached. those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public.”
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate