04/01/22
This week: What are you in the mood for? Romance? The multiverse? A lesson in commodities trading? We’ve got it all…
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Fans React to Chris Rock Show
Letterboxd THE BATMAN
TikTok #Vlog
Spotify Heat Waves - Glass Animals
Netflix BRIDGERTON
Twitter April Fools
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
Okay, I promise I’m not here to give you my take on Will Smith hitting Chris Rock. But I am here to talk about the ratings. Nielsen reported that 16.6 million people watched, which is up 58 percent from last year—but almost 30 percent down from 2020’s 23.6 million viewers, and still the second lowest viewership on record. Unsurprisingly, social posts on the show were way up this year. ABC reported 22.7 million interactions on social media, which is 139 percent higher than last year’s engagement. But let’s be honest, that’s probably not a playbook for success anyone wants to replicate.
In more innovative news, we might be on the cusp of having a new way to access currency: I’m talking about the digital dollar here. U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill that would “virtually eliminate funds transfer waiting periods, cut fees and enable those without bank accounts to move money across borders.” This comes after Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for more research on coming up with a national digital currency earlier this month. People would be able to use the digital cash like typical dollars and the money won't need ro go through a bank or credit card company to be used—which is huge news for the more than 7 million Americans who are unbanked.
The NFL is reportedly coming out with a new mobile streaming service called NFL Plus. The NFL previously had deals with Verizon and Yahoo to show some games on mobile devices that have since ended. Teams were made aware of the development at the annual NFL owners’ meetings this week. According to The Athletic, included in the briefs was a hypothetical $5-a-month price point.
And finally, I must share with you this video, which embodies all my hopes and dreams for all of your weekends. I also loved this one of a woman who’s wildly good at guessing where people are from, and this one that documents 54 Ukrainian orphans' safe voyage to the U.K.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
Would you rather watch your favorite movie alone or with friends?
Film
It’s only April but I’m pretty sure I already found my favorite movie of 2022: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (trailer here). Directed by the Daniels (the duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) in their sophomore feature, and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis; this dazzling and kaleidoscopic film is at once over-the-top but also grounded. It’s laugh-your-pants-off hilarious but also deeply emotional.
It follows Evelyn, an exhausted Chinese-American woman who’s dealing with a lot—an elderly father who’s hard to please, a daughter who’s angry because Evelyn won’t publicly acknowledge her girlfriend, and a sweet husband who is hurt by their strained relationship—all the while as she prepares to be audited by the IRS for not filing taxes correctly. But Evelyn’s life is about to take another path, because as when she walks into the IRS building, her husband suddenly “transforms” into her husband from another reality, telling her that this current version of her belongs to a countless collection of Evelyns across the vast multiverse. And even wilder? She must tap into the emotions and skills of all the Evelyns from the other realities to save herself and defeat a looming dark force that is now onto her.
The film offers so much beyond the subversive high-concept that explores the multiverse—at the core of it all, this is a touching story exploring family, generational love, and finding your voice at any age. It’s also filled with stunning action sequences that pays homage to video-game aesthetics, classic Kung Fu films, and OG multiverse stories like THE MATRIX—all with a touch of the Daniels' signature absurdism. And I would be remiss not to bring up the masterful and iconic performance of Michelle Yeoh, who brings so much grace, grit, and humor to her role.
Just go watch it. Now.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
TV
’Tis the season for period romance! Raise your hands if you’re in the mood for prolonged eye contact, steamy dialogue, and a messy web of love triangles that, let’s face it, is usually completely avoidable. I’m of course talking about the second season of BRIDGERTON (trailer here). This go-round is missing the gorgeous Duke (love you, Regé-Jean Page) and a lot of the steamy, sexy stuff of Season 1, but there is absolutely no shortage of wildly attractive people falling in love. Shoutout to all my fellow Bollywood fans for the ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ rendition that overlays the haldi ceremony. In fact, the whole premise of Season 2 is swimming in Bollywood tropes—from the eldest son feeling the pressure to uphold his own perceived notions of dutiful obligations, including marrying someone worthy of his title (like sir, calm down), to the eldest sister being called a spinster at the mere age of six and twenty. We even have progressive auntie Whistledown reporting on the key societal players’ every move, and the queen attempting a grand reveal of her identity to take her down. This season is a win for representation, and the slow-burn romance is made believable by the incredibly talented Simone Ashley, who proves to the world that South Asian women are worthy, and deserving, of being leading ladies.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
Theater
For our LA-based readers, THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is now being staged downtown at the Ahmanson Theater, and I highly recommend finding the time to see it. Simon Russell Beale and Adam Godley, who have been with the play since its English-language debut in London, are now joined by Howard W. Overshown as the third lead, and all three put on remarkably propulsive performances. A history of the financial firm, Lehman Brothers, from its founding in the 1840s through its 2008 collapse, the play excels at dramatizing the development of the U.S. financial system and showing how the personalities of the people at the helm of Lehman directly shaped that system. Plus, think of how impressed people will be when they learn that you went to the theater AND learned about commodities trading all in one night.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
FROM THE VAULT
Podcast
I know there are some rom-com lovers out there and I am, of course, here for it! Taking the classic workplace romance international, SHOWMANCE is a fun and entertaining audio romp through London. Our heroine heads abroad when a dream job comes calling, and meets not one but two very sexy British bachelors along the way. Not only will SHOWMANCE make your commute more charming and adorable, but I also want to shout out the fantastic sound design with the audio effects providing just as many “punchlines” as the dialogue does. Fair warning: Have a snack on hand as the series is heavy on audio food porn. And yes, that is a thing.
—Emmanuelle Stahler, VP, Audio