11/06/20

This week: Patience, misinformation, and so much counting.

TRENDS THIS WEEK

☞ YouTube:  Maluma & The Weeknd - Hawái
☞ Letterboxd: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
☞ TikTok: #homeoffice
☞ Spotify: Positions: Ariana Grande
☞ Netflix:  The Queen’s Gambit
☞ Twitter: Biden - 264

LIFE & CULTURE

As I type this, votes are continuing to be tallied, lawsuits are being filed, recounts are being promised, and the presidential race is still too close to call. Some positive takeaways from the election that we already know for sure? Voters in Mississippi voted to remove the Confederate flag from their state flag. Florida raised its minimum wage to $15. The first transgender state senator was elected in Delaware. New Jersey banned businesses from handing out single-use plastic. More people exercised their right to vote than ever before. Voters under 30 made up for 17% of all voters this go-round, and they overwhelmingly voted for Joe Biden—especially young people of color. 88% of young Black voters, 83% of young Asian voters, and 75% of young Latinx voters voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this election. 

Another bright spot: Social media companies have been forced to put their money where their mouths are in this close election, implementing new policies to flag misinformation and prevent its spread. Both Facebook and Twitter have been taking action on false allegations. In the days since voting closed, President Trump, notorious for tweeting false claims, has seen twelve of his tweets flagged for misinformation. I have noticed more hidden tweets due to misinformation on my timeline than ever before. While these new policies can’t stop people from forming and sharing their own opinions, it’s reassuring that the platforms are making an effort to ensure we’re sharing facts instead of falsehoods, when it comes to something as important as well, the future of our democracy. 

It’s been a stressful week, and for me it’s been a much more emotional week than I anticipated. Sharing a few Toks that brought me joy this week, because I think we could all use some of that. This cute grandad is absolutely killing the newest dance trend. This man was able to accurately depict my feelings every time we turn the clocks back. And this mom caught on camera simply attempting to pull her car out of her driveway gave me a deep laugh when I needed it most.

—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant


FILM

This past weekend I found myself needing an escape ahead of the looming election (and I didn’t know back then what I know now). On Sunday night I ended up retreating to a guilty pleasure of mine, mumblecore. Cooper Raiff's SHITHOUSE won the jury prize at SXSW this year and I've been eagerly waiting for it to drop. It didn't disappoint. Raiff wrote, directed and acted in this film which is an autobiographical portrait of his first days in college. He falls for his RA (an incredible Dylan Gelula) and they spend one night together, which has an outsized impact on where and how he finds his place at school. This movie is undeniably charming—so much so that for at least a few seconds, I forgot about the election and was completely transported into its world. Check it out on PVOD.

—Bennett Levine, Executive Assistant

TV

I’ve stuck with Luca Guadagnino’s WE ARE WHO WE ARE over the past eight weeks and while I was lukewarm on the first few episodes, I was completely enthralled by how the season turned out. For fans of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed. You will get Italian landscapes, you will get queer romances and you will definitely get angsty teenagers. Luca is the master of mood and this show does not disappoint in that department. Also, look out for Jordan Kristine Seamón because she totally steals the show and is destined to be a star. All episodes are available on HBO and HBO MAX.

—Bennett Levine, Executive Assistant
 

THEATRE

If you’re looking to spend a couple hours away from the election news cycle, I present to you: CIRCLE JERK by Michael Breslin and Patrick Kelly. There aren’t enough adjectives to properly describe this piece of digital theater, but I can tell you that it is a WILD ride unlike anything I’ve seen on stage or screen. It has white gay supremacist internet trolls (eager to purge the world of everyone but white gay men), evil Amazon Alexas, classic scenes from The Hills and The O.C., and a “Meme Ballet.” The live performances happened last week, but you can stream the piece through Saturday 11/7, so get on it! 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Exec

BOOK

Becky Cooper’s WE KEEP THE DEAD CLOSE is the latest book in my favorite genre of nonfiction-that-reads-like-fiction. It’s an incredibly detailed, nail-biting account of the murder of a Harvard grad student in 1969. After hearing the campus folklore around the murder while she was a Harvard undergraduate, Cooper became obsessed with the tale: An archaeology grad student was bludgeoned to death by the professor she was having an affair with. He decorated her corpse with red powder and jewelry, mimicking an ancient burial rite. But as Cooper began to dive into the mystery headfirst, she discovered that nothing from the urban legend was quite as it seemed… and that the most guilty party may actually have been the university itself. Even for readers who don’t love true crime, this is a fantastic exploration of how institutions suppress their darkest secrets. 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Exec
 

PRODUCTION

A second spike of COVID cases—and new lockdowns in Europe—have not stopped film and TV production abroad. Shoots in France, Italy, Germany and the UK are carrying on thanks to their COVID protocols keeping casts & crews in quarantine bubbles. Some notable projects continuing production are MATRIX 4 in Germany and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 7 in Italy. Read more on what’s going on here.

—Graham Lawyer, Physical Production Coordinator

Be kind, stay healthy, and as always, stay creative. ツ

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