04/30/21

THIS WEEK: BIG PODCAST NEWS, A HISTORICAL FIRST, PLUS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR THE SCI-FI-BOOK-DEVOURING TEEN IN YOU.

TRENDS THIS WEEK
 

☞ Youtube Billie Eilish - Your Power

☞ Letterboxd THE FATHER

☞ TikTok Don’t Be Surprised… 

☞ Spotify Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)

☞ Netflix SHADOW AND BONE

☞ Twitter Aaron Rogers

PS WEEKLY ツ

LIFE & CULTURE

Remember last week, when I told you about Apple’s big plans to launch paid subscription podcasts? Well, this week, Spotify pulled the ultimate tech-company move and said: “We’ll copy that, thanks.” Creators using Spotify can now make episodes “subscriber-only” and release them on the platform. This will be completely free to creators for the next two years, and then in spring 2023, Spotify will start taking a 5% cut—which is much lower than the 30% of podcast subscription fees Apple will be collecting in subscribers’ first years. I guess there’s a strategic benefit to going second...

How much would you pay for a meme? Nothing? Hm, okay. What if it’s a really famous OG meme? Well, an NFT of the now-classic photo of a toddler looking knowingly at a camera as a house is engulfed in flames just sold for $430,000. The subject of the meme, Zoe Roth, is now a senior in college, and it’s safe to say she won’t be struggling under the load of student loan debt, after she graduates. After someone floated the idea of creating an NFT to her, she did a little research and spoke with a few other OG meme subjects (who you might know as Overly Attached Girlfriend and Bad Luck Brian) and ultimately decided to hold a 24-hour auction. Along with a whole lot of cash, Zoe says that auctioning the NFT gave her back “some sort of control, some sort of agency in the whole process.” Which is a pretty cool outcome, when you think about the fact that we’ve all just been freely using her face to make our jokes for two decades now, without her consent. 

If you didn’t watch the Oscars last Sunday, you’re not alone. At all. The telecast, which saw 10.4 million viewers, fell 55% from last year’s viewership–which was already a record-low. And somehow, this new low was still ABC’s “strongest primetime telecast of the year.”

This week, my TikToks recs are actually centered around static photos. Check out this video, which takes us through a handful of the most gripping photographs taken in history. And then, if anyone can explain how google maps managed to catch this super-bunny flexing for the camera, please let me know. 

Also, I take my job as your resident Gen Z whisperer very seriously—and that includes sharing the latest in jargon with you. Behold, “cheugy.” The next time you want to describe a chevron-print “Live, Laugh, Love” pillow or anything you’d find on the bottom shelf at Homegoods that you might have previously called "basic," well, take this bit of slang for a test drive. And if you’d like a little more insight on the etymology of Gen Z’s newest contribution to the English language, Taylor Lorenz documented it on Thursday for the New York Times, here.

—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist

TV

Calling all fantasy lovers! Did anyone else have a phase where you couldn’t get your hands on enough young-adult fantasy/dystopian/science-fiction book series? Well, the best-selling Girsha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, both written by Leigh Bardugo, is now a series: SHADOW AND BONE on Netflix! This 8-episode series combines the storylines of both best-selling book series. In this magical world, we follow a young woman, Alina, as she discovers her power to summon light and hopefully save her war-torn country. Meanwhile, we also follow a group of mismatched but uniquely skilled young thieves as they attempt to pull off an impossible heist. These storylines ultimately intertwine and, my oh my, I am loving it. 16-year-old me who picked up SHADOW AND BONE on a whim would be screaming! This series is a load of fun—and honestly, who couldn’t use a little more magic, angst, and romance in their lives right about now? 

—Erin Harris, Development Assistant

THEATER

One of my favorite original musicals of the past few years is a small chamber piece called MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET. Following the romance of a cabaret singer and his songwriting partner (both men) in the 1960s, the play watches the two write a new hit cabaret act while hiding their illicit affair—tricky when all of the songs are about each other. The show’s writer and composer, Mark Sonnenblick, has crafted songs that feel straight out of the Great American Songbook. But don’t let that fool you. Sonnenblick is one of the most versatile and exciting young composers working today. I almost forgot: The reason I’m writing all this is because the Signature Theatre in Virginia is putting on a streaming version of the show over the next two months. Buy your tickets here! 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive 
 

BOOK

I am eagerly awaiting next week’s release of SECOND PLACE, the latest novel by Rachel Cusk. Cusk is best known for her OUTLINE trilogy, a series of autofictional novels in which an observant and biting narrator travels through European cities and comments on the people she encounters. I realize that pitch makes the books sound kind of boring but I promise they’re excellent. Anyway, I’m excited for Cusk’s latest novel because, unlike the OUTLINE trilogy, it stays put. The book is said to follow a family whose lives are upended by the arrival of a guest artist and his girlfriend, who have come to stay in their guest cabin (the titular Second Place). I’ve avoided reading any spoilers beyond that simple logline but hopefully it’s enough to whet your appetite! 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive

SHORT FILM

If you haven’t already, you should check out the live-action short Oscar winner TWO DISTANT STRANGERS, streaming on Netflix. Written and co-directed by Travon Free, the short manipulates tropes of both the time-loop genre and the racism-being-solved-by-friendship genre in a story of a young Black man (Joey Bada$$), who is trapped in a loop in which he is killed by police every day. Go watch. Also, fun fact: As an EP on the movie, Kevin Durant now has an Academy Award in addition to his MVP and Larry O’Brien trophies. 

I also need to recommend a documentary short that didn’t win on Sunday: DO NOT SPLIT. Available to stream on Vimeo here, the short captures protests in Hong Kong in fall 2019 with footage directly from the streets amidst clashes between police and protesters. Interviews set against the backdrop of tear gas and Molotov cocktails convey the protestors’ ideals and political goals. You can find it where all of the nominees are streaming here.

—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant

MUSIC

I’m super biased when it comes to all things Doja Cat but it’s undeniable that the “Moo” star has come a long way since her viral hit. Her latest single, “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, showcases both performers’ talent, front and center. Sonically, the song is a lot like her hit “Say So”, very disco and light, but the video is what really sets it apart.

“Kiss Me More” is a literal out-of-this world production, taking place in a video game where Doja and SZA are giants on an all-women planet and Alex Landi plays the part of an Earthling astronaut discovering their world. Everything is pretty, soft, pink, and stereotypically female, but there’s a twist in the imagery—it’s actually a nod to Homer’s Odyssey and the two women are really sirens. The video ends with SZA and Doja Cat on their couch making fun of Landi’s character, saying “What’s the name of the planet? E-A-R-T-H?” 

I, like so many other fans, am feeling well fed after this song and video, but I also can’t wait for this summer when Doja Cat’s much anticipated album, “Planet Her” finally drops. 

— Eden Bekele, Digital Associate 

HISTORICAL HIGHS & LOWS

This week we witnessed a moment that deserves a step back. On Wednesday night, at the State of the Union address, we watched as the Vice President and the Speaker of the House—both women—met behind the dais on the house floor to hear Biden's speech to congress.

This was the first time in our almost 255-year history that the image wasn't a familiar one. It was the first time in our history that there were more women than men on that dais. 

When I marched in Washington in January of 2016, I saw a woman holding a sign that said "How are we still having to protest this shit?"  She was easily in her 60s.  The repetitive nature of any resistance movement is meant to exhaust the revolutionary. Turning over thousands of years of patriarchy isn't going to happen overnight or over a generation.  So, I don't look at that podium this week with rose-colored glasses. I still ask myself: How could it have possibly taken us this long to get here? And, how many years might pass before it happens again?  

But first, we celebrate and cherish the win.  And then, in the words of Beyoncé, we get in formation.  

Because if you ask me when there will be enough women on the podium? Well, to paraphrase the Notorious RBG: When it's all women.  

—Shayne Fiske Goldner, EVP Physical Production

On Monday, India broke the world record for daily coronavirus infections for the fifth day in a row, reporting almost 353,000 new cases. It’s the worst surge in the world and comes after India successfully kept the virus at bay in the first year of the pandemic. What makes things even more bleak is that while India is one of the world’s top producers of the vaccine, less than ten percent of its population are vaccinated. If you can contribute financially, Give India and Alapio are great places to start, to donate oxygen, food, and medical care to impacted families.

—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist