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"title": "What Should We Do With Old Racist Movies on Streaming Platforms?",
"headTitle": "What Should We Do With Old Racist Movies on Streaming Platforms? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Yesterday, HBO Max temporarily pulled \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> from its library. Announcing the decision, the channel’s statement read, “These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.” It pledged to bring the 1939 movie back at a later date, alongside “a discussion of its historical context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the newness of the channel (it launched May 27), HBO Max’s sudden desire to denounce \u003cem>Gone With the Wind’\u003c/em>s racism feels fairly flimsy. The promotional hype for the platform was very specific about how much effort had been put into creating a high quality collection. But somehow, still, a movie awash with Black stereotypes and confederate romanticism made the cut. Why? \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> might be a landmark in cinema, but great production values don’t undo racist content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> does return at a later date, HBO Max says it will do so alongside “a denouncement … but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13881522']That approach is one already being put into practice by Disney. Last November, Disney+ abandoned its initial plans to \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/23/disney-plus-streaming-site-will-not-offer-racist-song-of-the-south-film\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut racist scenes\u003c/a> from its films and instead added disclaimers. Now, before you are subjected to \u003cem>Dumbo’\u003c/em>s crows or \u003cem>Lady and the Tramp’\u003c/em>s Siamese cats, viewers are warned about it. “This program is presented as originally created,” the channel tells you. “It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no single standard that streaming channels adhere to when it comes to overtly racist content. And maybe there should be. Because \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Birth of a Nation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>—arguably one of the most racist films in history—is currently available to stream via Dish Network’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sling.com/movies/the-birth-of-a-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sling TV\u003c/a>. What’s more, the description on Sling’s website contains zero content warning—not for the glorification of the KKK, not for white actors in blackface, and not for its depiction of Black men as over-sexed savages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Sling describes the film thusly: “The friendship between two families is torn apart by the developing Civil War. Fighting for opposing armies, the consequences of war are shown in their lives through major historical developments such as Lincoln’s assassination and the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that the NAACP and \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-black-activist-who-fought-against-d-w-griffiths-the-birth-of-a-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">civil rights leaders protested\u003c/a> and boycotted the film’s release in 1915, it’s hard to fathom why any major channel would feel the need to carry it in 2020 at all—let alone without any kind of disclaimer. Before streaming, \u003cem>The Birth of a Nation\u003c/em> was relegated to college classrooms, where it was used not as entertainment, but to demonstrate a monstrous moment in history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Disney+ has drawn a line by \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2020/03/bob-iger-song-of-the-south-disney-disclaimer-1202879464/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">refusing to stream \u003c/a>\u003cem>Song of the South. \u003c/em>The 1946 movie, most famous for the Oscar-winning “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” has not been widely available in America since a 40th anniversary-related theatrical release in 1986. In the years since, Disney has refused to release it on DVD or Blu-ray. When Disney+ launched, and a Change.org petition was created to lobby for it to be on the channel, it failed to reach its goal of 7,500 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13881199']Disney boss \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/song-south-not-disney-plus-racist-streaming-1471186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bob Iger offered an explanation\u003c/a> for the company’s unwillingness to show or sell \u003cem>Song of the South\u003c/em> in 2011. “[It] wouldn’t necessarily sit right or feel right to a number of people today,” he said, and “it wouldn’t be in the best interest of our shareholders to bring it back, even though there would be some financial gain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why isn’t that logic applied more widely? The arguments usually touted for keeping these kinds of films around are rooted in general aversions to both censorship and the re-writing of history. But removing obviously racist content from streaming channels doesn’t erase it from our culture any more than taking down statues of slave traders wipes them from the history books. We all know these things existed, and we all know they represent a different time. So why should we still have to look at them uncritically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After HBO Max’s decision to temporarily remove \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em>, movie producer Stephanie Allain (\u003cem>Boyz n the Hood\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Hustle & Flow,\u003c/em> \u003cem>Dear White People\u003c/em>) \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP7KvyJTZ3w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told CNN\u003c/a>: “It’s part of our film history, it’s part of American history. I don’t think it can be tucked away and forgotten. I think we have to look at it. But I think it has to be looked at within the context of racism, slavery, the war and where we are today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allain is right. An outright ban is not the answer. (Because outright bans are almost never the answer.) And yes, we should study history to better understand the present. But these cinematic artifacts belong in classrooms and libraries, not on 2020’s most popular streaming channels. There is still a mountain of material on these platforms that does people of color a disservice, whether through a general lack of accurate representation, no representation at all or via tales that center on white saviors. (To wit, \u003cem>The Help\u003c/em> has been trending on Netflix all week.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13881761']In discussing \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> this week, BBC media editor \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52990714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amol Rajan noted\u003c/a>: “The issue at stake here isn’t about one film. It’s about a much broader issue of whether we judge history by modern standards, even while recognizing that what we consider to be modern standards are fluid, contested and will some day themselves be consigned to history. This might be the beginning of a new front in our culture wars, powered by digital media.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a very optimistic suggestion given the current half-hearted approach. If we can’t get these representations off our televisions at a time where channels are scrambling to reflect the moment (\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/10/873624536/cops-show-canceled-amid-worldwide-protests-against-police-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Cops\u003c/em> is canceled\u003c/a>; \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2020/06/netflix-creates-collection-of-film-tv-content-highlighting-the-black-experience-1202955269/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix has launched\u003c/a> a collection of “complex narratives about the Black experience”), when can we? When streaming platforms refuse to take decisive action, they don’t just leave us staring at a legacy we should have moved on from, they stall cultural strides forward.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Yesterday, HBO Max temporarily pulled \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> from its library. Announcing the decision, the channel’s statement read, “These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.” It pledged to bring the 1939 movie back at a later date, alongside “a discussion of its historical context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the newness of the channel (it launched May 27), HBO Max’s sudden desire to denounce \u003cem>Gone With the Wind’\u003c/em>s racism feels fairly flimsy. The promotional hype for the platform was very specific about how much effort had been put into creating a high quality collection. But somehow, still, a movie awash with Black stereotypes and confederate romanticism made the cut. Why? \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> might be a landmark in cinema, but great production values don’t undo racist content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> does return at a later date, HBO Max says it will do so alongside “a denouncement … but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That approach is one already being put into practice by Disney. Last November, Disney+ abandoned its initial plans to \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/23/disney-plus-streaming-site-will-not-offer-racist-song-of-the-south-film\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut racist scenes\u003c/a> from its films and instead added disclaimers. Now, before you are subjected to \u003cem>Dumbo’\u003c/em>s crows or \u003cem>Lady and the Tramp’\u003c/em>s Siamese cats, viewers are warned about it. “This program is presented as originally created,” the channel tells you. “It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no single standard that streaming channels adhere to when it comes to overtly racist content. And maybe there should be. Because \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Birth of a Nation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>—arguably one of the most racist films in history—is currently available to stream via Dish Network’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sling.com/movies/the-birth-of-a-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sling TV\u003c/a>. What’s more, the description on Sling’s website contains zero content warning—not for the glorification of the KKK, not for white actors in blackface, and not for its depiction of Black men as over-sexed savages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Sling describes the film thusly: “The friendship between two families is torn apart by the developing Civil War. Fighting for opposing armies, the consequences of war are shown in their lives through major historical developments such as Lincoln’s assassination and the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that the NAACP and \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-black-activist-who-fought-against-d-w-griffiths-the-birth-of-a-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">civil rights leaders protested\u003c/a> and boycotted the film’s release in 1915, it’s hard to fathom why any major channel would feel the need to carry it in 2020 at all—let alone without any kind of disclaimer. Before streaming, \u003cem>The Birth of a Nation\u003c/em> was relegated to college classrooms, where it was used not as entertainment, but to demonstrate a monstrous moment in history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Disney+ has drawn a line by \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2020/03/bob-iger-song-of-the-south-disney-disclaimer-1202879464/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">refusing to stream \u003c/a>\u003cem>Song of the South. \u003c/em>The 1946 movie, most famous for the Oscar-winning “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” has not been widely available in America since a 40th anniversary-related theatrical release in 1986. In the years since, Disney has refused to release it on DVD or Blu-ray. When Disney+ launched, and a Change.org petition was created to lobby for it to be on the channel, it failed to reach its goal of 7,500 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Disney boss \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/song-south-not-disney-plus-racist-streaming-1471186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bob Iger offered an explanation\u003c/a> for the company’s unwillingness to show or sell \u003cem>Song of the South\u003c/em> in 2011. “[It] wouldn’t necessarily sit right or feel right to a number of people today,” he said, and “it wouldn’t be in the best interest of our shareholders to bring it back, even though there would be some financial gain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why isn’t that logic applied more widely? The arguments usually touted for keeping these kinds of films around are rooted in general aversions to both censorship and the re-writing of history. But removing obviously racist content from streaming channels doesn’t erase it from our culture any more than taking down statues of slave traders wipes them from the history books. We all know these things existed, and we all know they represent a different time. So why should we still have to look at them uncritically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After HBO Max’s decision to temporarily remove \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em>, movie producer Stephanie Allain (\u003cem>Boyz n the Hood\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Hustle & Flow,\u003c/em> \u003cem>Dear White People\u003c/em>) \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP7KvyJTZ3w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told CNN\u003c/a>: “It’s part of our film history, it’s part of American history. I don’t think it can be tucked away and forgotten. I think we have to look at it. But I think it has to be looked at within the context of racism, slavery, the war and where we are today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allain is right. An outright ban is not the answer. (Because outright bans are almost never the answer.) And yes, we should study history to better understand the present. But these cinematic artifacts belong in classrooms and libraries, not on 2020’s most popular streaming channels. There is still a mountain of material on these platforms that does people of color a disservice, whether through a general lack of accurate representation, no representation at all or via tales that center on white saviors. (To wit, \u003cem>The Help\u003c/em> has been trending on Netflix all week.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In discussing \u003cem>Gone With the Wind\u003c/em> this week, BBC media editor \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52990714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amol Rajan noted\u003c/a>: “The issue at stake here isn’t about one film. It’s about a much broader issue of whether we judge history by modern standards, even while recognizing that what we consider to be modern standards are fluid, contested and will some day themselves be consigned to history. This might be the beginning of a new front in our culture wars, powered by digital media.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a very optimistic suggestion given the current half-hearted approach. If we can’t get these representations off our televisions at a time where channels are scrambling to reflect the moment (\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/10/873624536/cops-show-canceled-amid-worldwide-protests-against-police-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Cops\u003c/em> is canceled\u003c/a>; \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2020/06/netflix-creates-collection-of-film-tv-content-highlighting-the-black-experience-1202955269/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix has launched\u003c/a> a collection of “complex narratives about the Black experience”), when can we? When streaming platforms refuse to take decisive action, they don’t just leave us staring at a legacy we should have moved on from, they stall cultural strides forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "'I May Destroy You' is HBO's New Unforgettable, Unmissable Drama",
"headTitle": "‘I May Destroy You’ is HBO’s New Unforgettable, Unmissable Drama | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Note: This review discusses, and the show contains, scenes depicting, and stories about, sexual assault. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first episode of the HBO series \u003cem>I May Destroy You\u003c/em>, Arabella has other things going on before she’s sexually assaulted. She’s trying to meet a book deadline, and she’s worried she can’t, and in the great tradition of writers doing everything else when they can’t write, she steps out for a drink. When she next comes to, she realizes she was drugged and assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But before that, she has friends, she has family, she’s struggling with her path from social media breakout star to author, and she’s navigating a long-distance relationship with a man she met in Italy, where she meant to be writing but then didn’t, quite. Played by creator Michaela Coel, also the writer and star of \u003cem>Chewing Gum\u003c/em>, she’s not a character constructed to be traumatized; she’s a character, full stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>is about sexual violence and consent; those themes come up over and over in different stories that change characters in different ways. But it avoids the flatness that would come from drama as a didactic explainer. Arabella’s is a story that widens out to show how being assaulted affects her sex life, her relationships with her friends and her family, her career, her aspirations, and her health. It documents the police investigation without centering it. This is not a whodunit, even though Arabella’s drive to understand what happened propels some of the plot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coel doesn’t just star in the series. She wrote these 12 episodes herself. She co-directed much of the season with Sam Miller, who’s worked on \u003cem>Luther \u003c/em>and on episodes of everything from \u003cem>Luke Cage \u003c/em>to \u003cem>American Crime\u003c/em>. She’s a producer and the star. Her face is the series’ indelible image. And she based the story of Arabella’s assault on \u003ca href=\"https://www.essence.com/entertainment/michaela-coel-hbo-i-may-destroy-you/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a night in her own life\u003c/a>. It is, transparently, the most personal of projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You see that personal passion-project quality not only in the writing, but in the way Coel and Miller manage the visual language. The wardrobe and hair and knockabout style of filming conversations among friends are unobtrusive and casual in many stretches of the story, which build to those moments when they are emphatically not. This is not a twitchy, self-conscious style that draws attention to itself for no reason; it’s a reservation of visual emphasis for the places where it belongs. Arabella changes her hair, or she puts on a Halloween costume, and the air around her changes, too. It doesn’t look or sound like any other story. With that said, it also makes excellent use some of the best techniques that have emerged in recent television, including episodes that pause the narrative to pay attention to a different point of view, or a different point in time, to enrich the main story thread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early going, \u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>can feel disorienting, because its upending of conventional crime and trauma story structures is so thorough. If you went in not knowing it was a story about sexual assault, you could watch most of the first episode as a day-in-the-life pilot for a quirky half-hour about a wandering millennial, about the publishing industry, about dating apps, and about social media in general. But this is the wisdom of the writing, at its core: This is how you demonstrate that Arabella existed in full before she was assaulted. She \u003cem>already \u003c/em>had a story unfolding, and a life that a series about her could have followed. She wasn’t simply suspended in air, waiting for something narratively important to happen to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just as she had a story already, Arabella had a personality already, and Coel resolutely draws her as a woman who is both traumatized and flawed. The rounded character she would have been in that quirky half-hour about the millennial and the book contract, she still is. She can be insensitive and mean, and she can be just as unaware of other people’s experiences and needs as they are of hers. Arabella and her friends—best friend Terry (Weruche Opia), friends Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) and Simon (Ami Ameen), dreamy Italian boyfriend Biagio (Marouane Zotti)—exist in a web of connections in which they hurt and are hurt, sometimes right and sometimes not. They both buoy and disappoint each other, making \u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>an outstanding examination of friendship as much as anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sometimes helps, when encouraging people to try out an unconventionally structured show, to provide a hint that the overall shape of the story will satisfy. Let’s say only this: After 12 episodes, there is a gut-punch brilliance to how Arabella’s story is brought to a close that it would be wildly unfair to spoil. But know that Coel concludes in a way that’s both formally clever—that feels too slight, but it’s true—and dramatically satisfying. It is the holy grail of a certain kind of drama to find an ending that seems, in retrospect, both surprising and inevitable. And it’s very hard to get that right, but she got there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s significant that HBO (together with the BBC) has produced this show at all, particularly given its \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hbo-diversity_n_4899679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dismal record\u003c/a> when it comes to the diversity of voices that get to make the highly personal, idiosyncratic dramas that have built the brand. (And it’s worth emphasizing, perhaps, that despite being a half-hour show from a woman whose last big project was very funny, this is a drama series.) But it’s equally encouraging, if your eye is on what television networks are supporting, that the show is so particular, and that it comes from a voice that’s so fresh, and that it leads with a frankness that a lot of conventional “gritty” drama series cannot match.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And ultimately, this is a chance to watch a brilliant lead performance. It’s tricky to call an actor mesmerizing, for fear of making her power seem magical rather than the result of craft. But Coel here is magnetic and memorable, for sure, and you won’t be able to take your eyes off her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27I+May+Destroy+You%27+Is+HBO%27s+New+Unforgettable%2C+Unmissable+Drama&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Note: This review discusses, and the show contains, scenes depicting, and stories about, sexual assault. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first episode of the HBO series \u003cem>I May Destroy You\u003c/em>, Arabella has other things going on before she’s sexually assaulted. She’s trying to meet a book deadline, and she’s worried she can’t, and in the great tradition of writers doing everything else when they can’t write, she steps out for a drink. When she next comes to, she realizes she was drugged and assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But before that, she has friends, she has family, she’s struggling with her path from social media breakout star to author, and she’s navigating a long-distance relationship with a man she met in Italy, where she meant to be writing but then didn’t, quite. Played by creator Michaela Coel, also the writer and star of \u003cem>Chewing Gum\u003c/em>, she’s not a character constructed to be traumatized; she’s a character, full stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>is about sexual violence and consent; those themes come up over and over in different stories that change characters in different ways. But it avoids the flatness that would come from drama as a didactic explainer. Arabella’s is a story that widens out to show how being assaulted affects her sex life, her relationships with her friends and her family, her career, her aspirations, and her health. It documents the police investigation without centering it. This is not a whodunit, even though Arabella’s drive to understand what happened propels some of the plot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coel doesn’t just star in the series. She wrote these 12 episodes herself. She co-directed much of the season with Sam Miller, who’s worked on \u003cem>Luther \u003c/em>and on episodes of everything from \u003cem>Luke Cage \u003c/em>to \u003cem>American Crime\u003c/em>. She’s a producer and the star. Her face is the series’ indelible image. And she based the story of Arabella’s assault on \u003ca href=\"https://www.essence.com/entertainment/michaela-coel-hbo-i-may-destroy-you/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a night in her own life\u003c/a>. It is, transparently, the most personal of projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You see that personal passion-project quality not only in the writing, but in the way Coel and Miller manage the visual language. The wardrobe and hair and knockabout style of filming conversations among friends are unobtrusive and casual in many stretches of the story, which build to those moments when they are emphatically not. This is not a twitchy, self-conscious style that draws attention to itself for no reason; it’s a reservation of visual emphasis for the places where it belongs. Arabella changes her hair, or she puts on a Halloween costume, and the air around her changes, too. It doesn’t look or sound like any other story. With that said, it also makes excellent use some of the best techniques that have emerged in recent television, including episodes that pause the narrative to pay attention to a different point of view, or a different point in time, to enrich the main story thread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early going, \u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>can feel disorienting, because its upending of conventional crime and trauma story structures is so thorough. If you went in not knowing it was a story about sexual assault, you could watch most of the first episode as a day-in-the-life pilot for a quirky half-hour about a wandering millennial, about the publishing industry, about dating apps, and about social media in general. But this is the wisdom of the writing, at its core: This is how you demonstrate that Arabella existed in full before she was assaulted. She \u003cem>already \u003c/em>had a story unfolding, and a life that a series about her could have followed. She wasn’t simply suspended in air, waiting for something narratively important to happen to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just as she had a story already, Arabella had a personality already, and Coel resolutely draws her as a woman who is both traumatized and flawed. The rounded character she would have been in that quirky half-hour about the millennial and the book contract, she still is. She can be insensitive and mean, and she can be just as unaware of other people’s experiences and needs as they are of hers. Arabella and her friends—best friend Terry (Weruche Opia), friends Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) and Simon (Ami Ameen), dreamy Italian boyfriend Biagio (Marouane Zotti)—exist in a web of connections in which they hurt and are hurt, sometimes right and sometimes not. They both buoy and disappoint each other, making \u003cem>I May Destroy You \u003c/em>an outstanding examination of friendship as much as anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sometimes helps, when encouraging people to try out an unconventionally structured show, to provide a hint that the overall shape of the story will satisfy. Let’s say only this: After 12 episodes, there is a gut-punch brilliance to how Arabella’s story is brought to a close that it would be wildly unfair to spoil. But know that Coel concludes in a way that’s both formally clever—that feels too slight, but it’s true—and dramatically satisfying. It is the holy grail of a certain kind of drama to find an ending that seems, in retrospect, both surprising and inevitable. And it’s very hard to get that right, but she got there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s significant that HBO (together with the BBC) has produced this show at all, particularly given its \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hbo-diversity_n_4899679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dismal record\u003c/a> when it comes to the diversity of voices that get to make the highly personal, idiosyncratic dramas that have built the brand. (And it’s worth emphasizing, perhaps, that despite being a half-hour show from a woman whose last big project was very funny, this is a drama series.) But it’s equally encouraging, if your eye is on what television networks are supporting, that the show is so particular, and that it comes from a voice that’s so fresh, and that it leads with a frankness that a lot of conventional “gritty” drama series cannot match.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Kimmel and Colbert, Bee and Fallon et al., pay attention: Elmo did not come to play. For the inaugural episode of \u003cem>The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo\u003c/em>, made available Wednesday through HBO Max, Elmo brought some serious wattage, inviting both \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/718208340/lil-nas-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Nas X\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/174510165/kacey-musgraves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kacey Musgraves\u003c/a> to perform two signature songs from \u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No artist finds more creative and consistent ways to remix, reconfigure and reimagine the same song over and over again than Lil Nas X, so the country-rap star was a perfect choice for helping to put a new spin on the well-tread “Elmo’s Song.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the clip, Elmo introduces Nas, who comes out in a typically bright outfit and launches into a hip-hop-infused remix of the beloved puppet’s signature tune, supported by the show’s house band (composed entirely of other \u003cem>Sesame Street \u003c/em>puppets).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4BS8BXEB_k&feature=emb_logo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elmo knows Lil Nas X is for the children—his \u003cem>Not-Too-Late Show\u003c/em> appearance comes almost exactly a year after he \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/complex/status/1133796630942113793?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">transformed an elementary school gym\u003c/a> into the world’s rowdiest concert venue, with just the opening chorus of “Old Town Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musgraves, meanwhile, took a more straightforward, but no less endearing, approach. For her appearance, she went to the microphone with just her acoustic guitar and performed a joyful rendition of “Rubber Duckie” with the same level of earnestness that she brought to her \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/21/789753458/the-kacey-musgraves-christmas-show-revives-a-classic-holiday-tradition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent Christmas special\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=pJcZoYCEhG0&feature=emb_logo\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Watch+Lil+Nas+X+And+Kacey+Musgraves+Help+Elmo+Debut+A+New+Talk+Show&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Kimmel and Colbert, Bee and Fallon et al., pay attention: Elmo did not come to play. For the inaugural episode of \u003cem>The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo\u003c/em>, made available Wednesday through HBO Max, Elmo brought some serious wattage, inviting both \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/718208340/lil-nas-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Nas X\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/174510165/kacey-musgraves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kacey Musgraves\u003c/a> to perform two signature songs from \u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No artist finds more creative and consistent ways to remix, reconfigure and reimagine the same song over and over again than Lil Nas X, so the country-rap star was a perfect choice for helping to put a new spin on the well-tread “Elmo’s Song.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the clip, Elmo introduces Nas, who comes out in a typically bright outfit and launches into a hip-hop-infused remix of the beloved puppet’s signature tune, supported by the show’s house band (composed entirely of other \u003cem>Sesame Street \u003c/em>puppets).\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/J4BS8BXEB_k'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/J4BS8BXEB_k'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Elmo knows Lil Nas X is for the children—his \u003cem>Not-Too-Late Show\u003c/em> appearance comes almost exactly a year after he \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/complex/status/1133796630942113793?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">transformed an elementary school gym\u003c/a> into the world’s rowdiest concert venue, with just the opening chorus of “Old Town Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s new streaming service launching Wednesday, grants subscribers access to all HBO series and hundreds of movies, as well as some shows in the Warners stable that were originally broadcast on other networks—like \u003cem>The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Big Bang Theory\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service also launches with a handful of original series. We’ve got a quick preview of those that were made available to media early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Craftopia\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzRha-pKLw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A number of reality-show formats, including \u003cem>MasterChef \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Project Runway\u003c/em>, have created kid versions in recent years with varying degrees of success. It makes sense to try a crafting show where kids work under the watchful eyes of various YouTube and other crafting types. The drawback is the production style, which calls to mind a half-hour toy ad, where you constantly expect someone to pop out and say “Oh, boy!” But the kids are still really talented (it’s worth checking out the first episode just for the boy whose speed-crochet skills are very social-media-friendly), and it might be that with the eye of a kid rather than an adult, the relentlessly cheerful “Time For The Bedazzling Adventures Of Unicorn Planet!!” feel of it might be more appealing. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Legendary\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYepGZuRLhA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last, a televised ballroom competition without a single foxtrot, quickstep, Paso Doble or D-list celebrity in sight. That’s because this exuberant, compelling series is all about ballrooms as in \u003cem>Paris is Burning\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Pose\u003c/em>, wherein teams from eight Houses compete against each other in a series of nine themed Balls with routines that combine intricate choreography, joyous freestyle and precise vogueing. The show nails the mix of personal backstories and barn-burning performances, and the teams are insanely charismatic. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Looney Tunes Cartoons\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nalw1XRAiMI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each episode consists of a roughly 7-minute short, a 30-second interstitial gag, and a second 4-to-5-minute short. The cast is familiar—Bugs, Porky, Daffy, Elmer, Yosemite Sam—but viewers expecting the watered-down, conflict-averse, Won’t-Somebody-Think-Of-The-Children? ‘toons of the ’70s will be surprised. There’s a decided commitment to delivering old-school Looney Tunes action and gags—that means lots of slapstick violence, wisecracks, a reversion to character designs from the early 1940s, and good old-fashioned cross-dressing. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Love Life\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZp_g271jpo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to know what to make of this ten-part anthology series about the series of loves in the life (get it?) of one woman named Darby (Anna Kendrick). On the one hand, a lot of it is charming and extremely relatable to anyone who’s lost a lot of time to regrettable pursuits of unpromising relationships. It has a very fine supporting turn from Zoë Chao (who, happily, is all over the place right now, also delightfully playing a lighter take on the best friend in the film \u003cem>The High Note\u003c/em>), and Kendrick has a real gift for this kind of knockabout chatty comedy. Unfortunately, it seems like the whole thing is supposed to be heading toward a circular, lessons-learned ending that will be revealed in the two final episodes that weren’t given to press for early viewing. If it goes where it seems to be going, it might wrap up really well. If it goes in the other way that’s easy to imagine (sorry to be vague; it’s the best available option), it might be hugely frustrating. But the performances from Kendrick and Chao (and a mega-charming Jin Ha as practically the only decent dude in Darby’s life) make it a pretty pleasant eight episodes to watch. Those last two: Who knows? — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On The Record\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bgVmjX86bQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one wasn’t offered to press for review, but it’s a documentary tracing the claims of women who have accused music megaproducer Russell Simmons of sexual assault. It premiered at Sundance this year, and it comes from Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who also made \u003cem>The Hunting Ground \u003c/em>and \u003cem>The Invisible War\u003c/em>, both of which are also about sexual assault. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Search Party\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZQ8wJXPZvI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service launches with the first two seasons of the scabrously funny series \u003cem>Search Party\u003c/em> (late of TBS). The story of four self-involved New York millennials who take it upon themselves to investigate the disappearance of a young woman started off as a mystery in season one, and became a thriller in season two. The throughline: sharp dialogue; hilariously repellent characters; and standout performances from its leads, which include Alia Shawkat and John Early. Season three will premiere on Thursday, June 25. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpsiesXLp14\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We could talk about the idea of the \u003cem>Sesame Street \u003c/em>family sending up late-night talk shows, and I could point out that the 15-minute running time makes it a better choice for an actual settling-down routine for a small child than it would be if it were longer. I could point out that John Mulaney makes a better guest than Jimmy Fallon because Mulaney introduces an element of weirdness, of dry humor almost reminiscent of the Playhouse once owned by a certain Pee-wee. But in the end … it’s Elmo. Elmo is the cilantro of children’s television: either you are extremely in or you are extremely out. It’s unlikely that this relatively breezy little bauble will either turn you against Elmo, if you are among his fans, or turn you on to Elmo, if you are among his detractors. But the idea of Kacey Musgraves singing “Rubber Duckie” or Mulaney greeting sidekick Cookie Monster is not without its charms, even if it’s a little unsettling to look this much at Cookie Monster’s legs. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=HBO+Max%27s+Original+Series%3A+A+Guide+For+The+Perplexed&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s new streaming service launching Wednesday, grants subscribers access to all HBO series and hundreds of movies, as well as some shows in the Warners stable that were originally broadcast on other networks—like \u003cem>The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Big Bang Theory\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service also launches with a handful of original series. We’ve got a quick preview of those that were made available to media early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Craftopia\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/vXzRha-pKLw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/vXzRha-pKLw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>A number of reality-show formats, including \u003cem>MasterChef \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Project Runway\u003c/em>, have created kid versions in recent years with varying degrees of success. It makes sense to try a crafting show where kids work under the watchful eyes of various YouTube and other crafting types. The drawback is the production style, which calls to mind a half-hour toy ad, where you constantly expect someone to pop out and say “Oh, boy!” But the kids are still really talented (it’s worth checking out the first episode just for the boy whose speed-crochet skills are very social-media-friendly), and it might be that with the eye of a kid rather than an adult, the relentlessly cheerful “Time For The Bedazzling Adventures Of Unicorn Planet!!” feel of it might be more appealing. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Legendary\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/UYepGZuRLhA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/UYepGZuRLhA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>At last, a televised ballroom competition without a single foxtrot, quickstep, Paso Doble or D-list celebrity in sight. That’s because this exuberant, compelling series is all about ballrooms as in \u003cem>Paris is Burning\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Pose\u003c/em>, wherein teams from eight Houses compete against each other in a series of nine themed Balls with routines that combine intricate choreography, joyous freestyle and precise vogueing. The show nails the mix of personal backstories and barn-burning performances, and the teams are insanely charismatic. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Looney Tunes Cartoons\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/nalw1XRAiMI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/nalw1XRAiMI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Each episode consists of a roughly 7-minute short, a 30-second interstitial gag, and a second 4-to-5-minute short. The cast is familiar—Bugs, Porky, Daffy, Elmer, Yosemite Sam—but viewers expecting the watered-down, conflict-averse, Won’t-Somebody-Think-Of-The-Children? ‘toons of the ’70s will be surprised. There’s a decided commitment to delivering old-school Looney Tunes action and gags—that means lots of slapstick violence, wisecracks, a reversion to character designs from the early 1940s, and good old-fashioned cross-dressing. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Love Life\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/uZp_g271jpo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/uZp_g271jpo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s hard to know what to make of this ten-part anthology series about the series of loves in the life (get it?) of one woman named Darby (Anna Kendrick). On the one hand, a lot of it is charming and extremely relatable to anyone who’s lost a lot of time to regrettable pursuits of unpromising relationships. It has a very fine supporting turn from Zoë Chao (who, happily, is all over the place right now, also delightfully playing a lighter take on the best friend in the film \u003cem>The High Note\u003c/em>), and Kendrick has a real gift for this kind of knockabout chatty comedy. Unfortunately, it seems like the whole thing is supposed to be heading toward a circular, lessons-learned ending that will be revealed in the two final episodes that weren’t given to press for early viewing. If it goes where it seems to be going, it might wrap up really well. If it goes in the other way that’s easy to imagine (sorry to be vague; it’s the best available option), it might be hugely frustrating. But the performances from Kendrick and Chao (and a mega-charming Jin Ha as practically the only decent dude in Darby’s life) make it a pretty pleasant eight episodes to watch. Those last two: Who knows? — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On The Record\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/9bgVmjX86bQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/9bgVmjX86bQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>This one wasn’t offered to press for review, but it’s a documentary tracing the claims of women who have accused music megaproducer Russell Simmons of sexual assault. It premiered at Sundance this year, and it comes from Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who also made \u003cem>The Hunting Ground \u003c/em>and \u003cem>The Invisible War\u003c/em>, both of which are also about sexual assault. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Search Party\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/oZQ8wJXPZvI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/oZQ8wJXPZvI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The service launches with the first two seasons of the scabrously funny series \u003cem>Search Party\u003c/em> (late of TBS). The story of four self-involved New York millennials who take it upon themselves to investigate the disappearance of a young woman started off as a mystery in season one, and became a thriller in season two. The throughline: sharp dialogue; hilariously repellent characters; and standout performances from its leads, which include Alia Shawkat and John Early. Season three will premiere on Thursday, June 25. — \u003cem>GW\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/OpsiesXLp14'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/OpsiesXLp14'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We could talk about the idea of the \u003cem>Sesame Street \u003c/em>family sending up late-night talk shows, and I could point out that the 15-minute running time makes it a better choice for an actual settling-down routine for a small child than it would be if it were longer. I could point out that John Mulaney makes a better guest than Jimmy Fallon because Mulaney introduces an element of weirdness, of dry humor almost reminiscent of the Playhouse once owned by a certain Pee-wee. But in the end … it’s Elmo. Elmo is the cilantro of children’s television: either you are extremely in or you are extremely out. It’s unlikely that this relatively breezy little bauble will either turn you against Elmo, if you are among his fans, or turn you on to Elmo, if you are among his detractors. But the idea of Kacey Musgraves singing “Rubber Duckie” or Mulaney greeting sidekick Cookie Monster is not without its charms, even if it’s a little unsettling to look this much at Cookie Monster’s legs. — \u003cem>LH\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=HBO+Max%27s+Original+Series%3A+A+Guide+For+The+Perplexed&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Larry Kramer, Playwright and AIDS Activist, Dies at 84",
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"content": "\u003cp>Larry Kramer, the playwright whose angry voice and pen raised theatergoers’ consciousness about AIDS and roused thousands to militant protests in the early years of the epidemic, has died at 84.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Goldstein, a writer who was working on a biography of Kramer, confirmed the news to The Associated Press. Kramer’s husband, David Webster, told \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> that Kramer died Wednesday of pneumonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have lost a giant of a man who stood up for gay rights like a warrior. His anger was needed at a time when gay men’s deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government,” said Elton John in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer, who wrote \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em> and founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, lost his lover to acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1984 and was himself infected with the virus. He also suffered from hepatitis B and received a liver transplant in 2001 because the virus had caused liver failure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for \u003cem>Women in Love\u003c/em>, the 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s novel. It starred Glenda Jackson, who won her first Oscar for her performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also wrote the 1972 screenplay \u003cem>Lost Horizon\u003c/em>, a novel, \u003cem>Faggots\u003c/em>, and the plays \u003cem>Sissies’ Scrapbook, The Furniture of Home, Just Say No\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Destiny of Me\u003c/em>, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many years he was best known for his public fight to secure medical treatment, acceptance and civil rights for people with AIDS. He loudly told everyone that the gay community was grappling with a plague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tributes from the arts community flooded in Wednesday, with Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter saying “What an extraordinary writer, what a life.” Dan Savage wrote: “He ordered us to love ourselves and each other and to fight for our lives. He was a hero.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1981, when AIDS had not yet acquired its name and only a few dozen people had been diagnosed with it, Kramer and a group of his friends in New York City founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of the first groups in the country to address the epidemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tried to rouse the gay community with speeches and articles such as “1,112 and Counting,” published in gay newspapers in 1983.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake,” he wrote. “Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late journalist Randy Shilts, in his best selling account of the AIDS epidemic \u003cem>And the Band Played On\u003c/em>, called that article “inarguably one of the most influential works of advocacy journalism of the decade” and credited it with “crystallizing the epidemic into a political movement for the gay community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer lived to see gay marriage a reality — and married himself in 2013 — but never rested. “I’m married,” he told The AP. “But that’s only part of where we are. AIDS is still decimating us and we still don’t have protection under the law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer split with GMHC in 1983 after other board members decided to concentrate on providing support services to people with AIDS. It remains one of the largest AIDS-service groups in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After leaving GMHC, Kramer wrote \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em>, in which a furious young writer — not unlike Kramer himself — battles politicians, society, the media and other gay leaders to bring attention to the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play premiered at The Public Theater in April 1985. Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara called it an “angry but compelling indictment of a society as well as a subculture for failing to respond adequately to the tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A revival in 2011 was almost universally praised by critics and earned the best revival Tony. Two actors from it — Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey — also won Tonys. Joe Mantello played the main character of Ned Weeks, the alter ego of Kramer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m very moved that it moved so many people,” he said at the time. Kramer often stood outside the theater passing out fliers asking the world to take action against HIV/AIDS. “Please know that AIDS is a worldwide plague. Please know there is no cure,” it said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play was turned into a TV film for HBO in 2014 starring Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello and Julia Roberts. It won the Emmy for best movie. Kramer stood onstage in heavy winter clothing as the statuette was presented to director Ryan Murphy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1992 play \u003cem>The Destiny of Me\u003c/em> continues the story of Weeks from \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em>. Weeks, in the hospital for an experimental AIDS treatment, reflects on the past, particularly his relationship with his family. His parents and brother appear to act out what happened in the past, as does the young Ned, who confronts his older self.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1987, Kramer founded ACT UP, the group that became famous for staging civil disobedience at places like the Food and Drug Administration, the New York Stock Exchange and Burroughs-Wellcome Corp., the maker of the chief anti-AIDS drug, AZT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ACT UP’s protests helped persuade the FDA to speed the approval of new drugs and Burroughs-Wellcome to lower its price for AZT. He also battled — and later reconciled — with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has been leading the national response to the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer soon relinquished a leadership role in ACT UP, and as support for AIDS research increased, he found some common ground with health officials whom ACT UP had bitterly criticized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer never softened the urgency of his demands. In 2011, he helped the American Foundation for Equal Rights mount their play \u003cem>8\u003c/em> on Broadway about the legal battle over same-sex marriage in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The one nice thing that I seem to have acquired, accidentally, is this reputation of everyone afraid of my voice,” he told The AP in 2015. “So I get heard, whether it changes anything or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of his last projects was the massive two-volume \u003cem>The American People\u003c/em>, which chronicled the history of gay people in America and took decades to write.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just think it’s so important that we know our history — the history of how badly we’re treated and how hard we have to fight to get what we deserve, which is equality,” he told The AP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the 2013 Tonys, he was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award, given to a member of the theater community for philanthropic or civic efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few months later, Kramer married his longtime partner, architect David Webster, in the intensive care unit of NYU Langone Medical Center, where Kramer was recovering from surgery for a bowel obstruction.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Larry Kramer, the playwright whose angry voice and pen raised theatergoers’ consciousness about AIDS and roused thousands to militant protests in the early years of the epidemic, has died at 84.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Goldstein, a writer who was working on a biography of Kramer, confirmed the news to The Associated Press. Kramer’s husband, David Webster, told \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> that Kramer died Wednesday of pneumonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have lost a giant of a man who stood up for gay rights like a warrior. His anger was needed at a time when gay men’s deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government,” said Elton John in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer, who wrote \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em> and founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, lost his lover to acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1984 and was himself infected with the virus. He also suffered from hepatitis B and received a liver transplant in 2001 because the virus had caused liver failure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for \u003cem>Women in Love\u003c/em>, the 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s novel. It starred Glenda Jackson, who won her first Oscar for her performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also wrote the 1972 screenplay \u003cem>Lost Horizon\u003c/em>, a novel, \u003cem>Faggots\u003c/em>, and the plays \u003cem>Sissies’ Scrapbook, The Furniture of Home, Just Say No\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Destiny of Me\u003c/em>, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many years he was best known for his public fight to secure medical treatment, acceptance and civil rights for people with AIDS. He loudly told everyone that the gay community was grappling with a plague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tributes from the arts community flooded in Wednesday, with Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter saying “What an extraordinary writer, what a life.” Dan Savage wrote: “He ordered us to love ourselves and each other and to fight for our lives. He was a hero.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1981, when AIDS had not yet acquired its name and only a few dozen people had been diagnosed with it, Kramer and a group of his friends in New York City founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of the first groups in the country to address the epidemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tried to rouse the gay community with speeches and articles such as “1,112 and Counting,” published in gay newspapers in 1983.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake,” he wrote. “Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late journalist Randy Shilts, in his best selling account of the AIDS epidemic \u003cem>And the Band Played On\u003c/em>, called that article “inarguably one of the most influential works of advocacy journalism of the decade” and credited it with “crystallizing the epidemic into a political movement for the gay community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer lived to see gay marriage a reality — and married himself in 2013 — but never rested. “I’m married,” he told The AP. “But that’s only part of where we are. AIDS is still decimating us and we still don’t have protection under the law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer split with GMHC in 1983 after other board members decided to concentrate on providing support services to people with AIDS. It remains one of the largest AIDS-service groups in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After leaving GMHC, Kramer wrote \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em>, in which a furious young writer — not unlike Kramer himself — battles politicians, society, the media and other gay leaders to bring attention to the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play premiered at The Public Theater in April 1985. Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara called it an “angry but compelling indictment of a society as well as a subculture for failing to respond adequately to the tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A revival in 2011 was almost universally praised by critics and earned the best revival Tony. Two actors from it — Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey — also won Tonys. Joe Mantello played the main character of Ned Weeks, the alter ego of Kramer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m very moved that it moved so many people,” he said at the time. Kramer often stood outside the theater passing out fliers asking the world to take action against HIV/AIDS. “Please know that AIDS is a worldwide plague. Please know there is no cure,” it said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play was turned into a TV film for HBO in 2014 starring Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello and Julia Roberts. It won the Emmy for best movie. Kramer stood onstage in heavy winter clothing as the statuette was presented to director Ryan Murphy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1992 play \u003cem>The Destiny of Me\u003c/em> continues the story of Weeks from \u003cem>The Normal Heart\u003c/em>. Weeks, in the hospital for an experimental AIDS treatment, reflects on the past, particularly his relationship with his family. His parents and brother appear to act out what happened in the past, as does the young Ned, who confronts his older self.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1987, Kramer founded ACT UP, the group that became famous for staging civil disobedience at places like the Food and Drug Administration, the New York Stock Exchange and Burroughs-Wellcome Corp., the maker of the chief anti-AIDS drug, AZT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ACT UP’s protests helped persuade the FDA to speed the approval of new drugs and Burroughs-Wellcome to lower its price for AZT. He also battled — and later reconciled — with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has been leading the national response to the coronavirus pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer soon relinquished a leadership role in ACT UP, and as support for AIDS research increased, he found some common ground with health officials whom ACT UP had bitterly criticized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer never softened the urgency of his demands. In 2011, he helped the American Foundation for Equal Rights mount their play \u003cem>8\u003c/em> on Broadway about the legal battle over same-sex marriage in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The one nice thing that I seem to have acquired, accidentally, is this reputation of everyone afraid of my voice,” he told The AP in 2015. “So I get heard, whether it changes anything or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of his last projects was the massive two-volume \u003cem>The American People\u003c/em>, which chronicled the history of gay people in America and took decades to write.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just think it’s so important that we know our history — the history of how badly we’re treated and how hard we have to fight to get what we deserve, which is equality,” he told The AP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the 2013 Tonys, he was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award, given to a member of the theater community for philanthropic or civic efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Porochista Khakpour's ‘Brown Album’ Confronts a Troubling Duality in the Iranian American Diaspora",
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"content": "\u003cp>Porochista Khakpour was not trying to be a spokesperson for the Iranian American diaspora. The author tells me over the phone that she’s a fiction writer — a novelist with a love for “lush, maximalist or baroque” sentences that go against the style guides of many mainstream publications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that is hard for people to hear, that you have a book of personal essays out [but] that you don’t necessarily feel passionate about the form,” she says the week before her fourth book, \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em>, is set to be released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who have followed Khakpour’s many pieces on being Iranian in post-9/11 America over the past decade, this fact may come as a shock. From “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/opinion/09khakpour-barbie.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Islamic Revolution Barbie\u003c/a>,” published in 2009 at the New York Times, to “\u003ca href=\"https://catapult.co/stories/how-to-write-iranian-america\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How to Write Iranian-America, or The Last Essay\u003c/a>” in 2017 from Catapult, it seems impossible to separate the 42-year-old writer from texts about \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/arts/television/the-persian-ness-of-shahs-of-sunset-on-bravo.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Shahs of Sunset\u003c/a>\u003c/em> — a Ryan Seacrest-produced reality TV show that follows a group of young, wealthy Iranian Americans in Beverly Hills — or the alienation that comes from being a young brown immigrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880921\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-1020x1482.jpg\" alt=\"Porochista Khakpour.\" width=\"640\" height=\"930\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13880921\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-1020x1482.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-160x232.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-800x1162.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-768x1116.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Porochista Khakpour. \u003ccite>(Maria Nova)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525564713\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Brown Album\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t aim to dispel confusion, either. Released May 19, the book compiles Khakpour’s popular essays into one long-form contemplation on living in America as an Iranian. It also begins with a short passage in which the writer states: “[The essays in \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em>] are a testament to the greatest and worst experience of my life: being a spokesperson for my people, a role I never dreamed of and never asked for. This is my pigeonhole, and this is my legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what’s the reason for repeatedly finding herself in the middle of such discomfort?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think [the essays] had some sort of benefit for the larger audience — Iranian Americans in one sense, but also just largely immigrants,” Khakpour tells me over the phone. “And that audience really needed visibility. These essays were not necessarily revelations in their topics, but they were published in major mainstream venues. And so I think, for my audience, [it] was that visibility that really mattered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of Khakpour’s writings, one of the biggest forms of representation of Iranian American culture in American mainstream media is Bravo’s \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>, where stereotypes of the “Persian prince or princess” with their Mercedes-Benz cars and designer clothing flourish. But, as the writer notes throughout the book, such material excess is less about Iranians than it is about how immigrants assimilate to meet America’s values in money, materials and all things pro-capitalism. Khakpour instead hones in on what it means to be Iranian in America through the show and its stars’ use of “Persian” as an identifier instead of Iranian. (The country changed from Persia to Iran in the 1930s.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the book’s first essay “A New Persian Empire,” she recalls an interview with \u003cem>Shahs\u003c/em> cast member Reza Farahan, who Khakpour asked about the decision. The reality star replied: “Food is Persian, rugs are Persian, cats are Persian, people are Persian. It’s not because I’m ashamed or embarrassed. Mind you, I am very much more Cyrus and Darius than I am Islamic Republic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His reference to long-dismantled dynasties from the Persian Empire is a weighted one, especially considering Farahan was born just a handful of years before Khakpour in Tehran, and just six years before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Monarchies of a bygone era — of a time when the dying religion of Zoroastrianism reigned — color Farahan’s explanation, showcasing his perceived divide between Iran’s storied history and the country as it presently stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the TV star and writer were raised in Los Angeles in the years after Ayatollah Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran — an important similarity to note considering the different vision of Iranian America Khakpour writes in \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> than is seen in \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>. But rather than hiding behind Farahan and other wealthy “royalists” in “Tehrangeles,” Khakpour’s writings about Iranian America also indict her own state of mind as a budding teen on the outskirts of the more-wealthy Iranian American community. In the same essay where she quotes Farahan, she mentions hiding “inside the American costumes [she] wore — punk, cowgirl, starlet — and took on Persian only when [she] had to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though not entirely incorrect (Persian is, after all, one of many ethnicities in Iran), the confusion around her identity from those unable to find Persia on a map led Khakpour to anxiety. In the essay, she continues as her fractured, former self to those who may have asked “what is Persian”: “\u003cem>It’s the label for Islamic Republic-disliking Iranians! It’s what Iranians who used to be fancy prefer!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880919\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 778px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"778\" height=\"1200\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13880919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1.jpg 778w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1-160x247.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1-768x1185.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Brown Album.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here at the heart of the “Persian vs. Iranian” issue — and arguably \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> on the whole — is a chasm within many Iranians abroad: There remains a longing for a pre-Islamic Republic Iran, one that risks glorification of the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/politics-and-the-press-in-iran-under-the-pahlavis/2536/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">modernization\u003c/a>” efforts under the Pahlavi dynasty, and in turn, hosts a lot of internalized xenophobia and racism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You kind of have to do your own work,” Khakpour said. “I really had to discover Iran again for myself in many ways.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of that work for Khakpour was finding and understanding her place among the diaspora. She and her family lived outside of Beverly Hills in modest South Pasadena, more specifically in a condo she calls a “dingbat.” To explain the structure, she recalls a quote in the 1998 film \u003cem>Slums of Beverly Hills\u003c/em>, in which Natasha Lyonne’s character explains the term as “a two-story apartment [building] featuring cheap rents and fancy names. They promise the good life but never deliver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sitting outside of the community of Iranian Americans in Tehrangeles, Khakpour was neither accepted as a part of the wealthy diaspora, nor in her predominantly white town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All my first memories are from Iran,” she said. “Much of my formative experiences as a child were around the trauma of being new to America. So it’s really hard for me to feel American. Feeling Iranian is much more … me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Struggling to find her footing among her people throughout the early essays in the book, Khakpour’s “The King of Tehrangeles” showcases the divide between her family and the Iranian American diaspora. In the piece, she writes of a job she once had along the glitzy street of Beverly Hills’s famed Rodeo Drive, in a boutique that sold handbags that “cost well over the highest annual income [she] had made at that point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down the way and across the street was House of Bijan, a flagship store from the Iranian American designer known for being the man behind the most expensive shop in the world. Recalling the fashion mogul, Khakpour writes: “Bijan beat Americans at their own game … He embodied American overindulgence to the maximum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khakpour and her family members were “the anomaly of anomalies in L.A.: the poor Iranian[s].” Unpermitted into the appointment-only space, the writer recalls how her parents were both interested in Bijan as a cultural touchstone but horrified by his lavishness. Similarly, in another essay, she notes that while many Iranian Americans of Southern California boasted a level of inherent conservatism that comes with, as she tells me, being “an extreme capitalist,” her parents were wishy-washy in their relations to American politics. Her father, she writes, even bounced from “a love of Reagan to a love of Sanders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get, more than anything from Iranian American readers, when they’re like: ‘Thank you for speaking out about being a poor Iranian,’” she said. “There’s just no representation with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Khakpour “doesn’t feel connected to a lot of [Iranian American] people,” especially those that fit more closely to the \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em> narrative. But her book points out at least one common idea among Iranians in America, a thread that can be found despite differences in class and politics, in lifestyles and area codes. Between “A New Persian Empire” and Khakpour’s self-described “manifesto” or the title essay that closes out the book, \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> denounces a long-time fable, believed by the Iranian diaspora and those outside the community, that Iranians are the original Aryans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My father talked about that ugly myth occasionally with something like half pride, when he felt Americans were being racist,” Khakpour recalls in her essay, even remembering a time when he told her at the dinner table: “We’re Caucasian, face it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she also remembers him telling her at a young age to choose Asian on census reports, or saying: “We are gandom-gan … which means wheat-colored, the equivalent of brown in Farsi.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what’s the truth?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tale of Iranians as the original Aryans has roots that extend far beyond the Iranian Revolution, even before Persia was renamed Iran in the 1930s. According to Reza Zia-Ebrahimi in a piece for \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/08/post-2.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tehran Bureau via PBS’s \u003cem>Frontline\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the Islamophobia in Iran, rooted in a deep racism against Arabs, has followed Iranians for centuries. But it was around the 1860s when Iranian intellectuals began searching for a way to distance themselves from Islam, resulting in “self-Orientalization [which] involves an element of shame over traditional Iranian customs and features,” or a “dislocation, the attempt to dislodge Iran from its … Islamic reality and force it into a European one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Echoing the sentiment in a contemporary context, Khakpour said: “One of the issues I have with my parents is that even though they’re Muslim, they’re kind of ashamed of being Muslim, and they don’t really feel connected to Islam … I sort of challenge them on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This internalized xenophobia and racism rises above the Iranian diaspora, pulling Iranian Americans together in spite of the community’s classes, ethnicities and religions. Are Iranians brown or white? Are we Iranian or are we Persian? Unanimity around these complex questions does not exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what of the diaspora’s spokespeople, like Khakpour, who take up a stance in an effort to bring these difficult conversations to light? To do so is to further alienate oneself from the community. She writes at the start of the final piece: “This is the essay arising from the tweets that resulted in death threats … This is the essay many of my own people would tell me to go kill myself for because I deny the whiteness they claim.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understandably, herein lies the anxiety and discomfort that may come from being seen as a spokesperson for an underrepresented community: When you write your own story, you inherently alienate someone else in their own ideas and emotions tied to the homeland and the host country. At the end of the day, one must remember that \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> is a book of personal essays, emphasis on the personal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem we have with all these Iranian American memoirists — and I mean, they’re everywhere — but they’re all women of a certain privilege,” Khakpour said when asked about entering a canon of Iranian American memoirs. “I just got very sick of that one image, because I didn’t fit into it at all. And so, I don’t think there is total solidarity, but I don’t think there should be either. It’s fine to be diverse in that sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, maybe what it comes down to is not to see Khakpour — or \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>, or other Iranian American memoirists — as a spokesperson for the Iranian American diaspora, but rather, to see \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> as a pillar within the multitude of individual stories that showcase Iranian diasporic identities. Maybe it comes down to allowing more space in mainstream media for these stories to be told, in order to paint a broader picture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khakpour sums it up well: “What is authentic Iran? I mean, there is no such thing. If you feel like you’re caught between different cultures, I think that’s a very legitimate sentiment that you should feel free to express.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Brown Album’ is out May 19 and can be ordered \u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525564713\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>. More information about the author and the book \u003ca href=\"https://porochistakhakpour.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Porochista Khakpour was not trying to be a spokesperson for the Iranian American diaspora. The author tells me over the phone that she’s a fiction writer — a novelist with a love for “lush, maximalist or baroque” sentences that go against the style guides of many mainstream publications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that is hard for people to hear, that you have a book of personal essays out [but] that you don’t necessarily feel passionate about the form,” she says the week before her fourth book, \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em>, is set to be released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who have followed Khakpour’s many pieces on being Iranian in post-9/11 America over the past decade, this fact may come as a shock. From “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/opinion/09khakpour-barbie.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Islamic Revolution Barbie\u003c/a>,” published in 2009 at the New York Times, to “\u003ca href=\"https://catapult.co/stories/how-to-write-iranian-america\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How to Write Iranian-America, or The Last Essay\u003c/a>” in 2017 from Catapult, it seems impossible to separate the 42-year-old writer from texts about \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/arts/television/the-persian-ness-of-shahs-of-sunset-on-bravo.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Shahs of Sunset\u003c/a>\u003c/em> — a Ryan Seacrest-produced reality TV show that follows a group of young, wealthy Iranian Americans in Beverly Hills — or the alienation that comes from being a young brown immigrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880921\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-1020x1482.jpg\" alt=\"Porochista Khakpour.\" width=\"640\" height=\"930\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13880921\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-1020x1482.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-160x232.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-800x1162.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1-768x1116.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Porochista_Khakpour-2020-copy-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Porochista Khakpour. \u003ccite>(Maria Nova)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525564713\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Brown Album\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t aim to dispel confusion, either. Released May 19, the book compiles Khakpour’s popular essays into one long-form contemplation on living in America as an Iranian. It also begins with a short passage in which the writer states: “[The essays in \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em>] are a testament to the greatest and worst experience of my life: being a spokesperson for my people, a role I never dreamed of and never asked for. This is my pigeonhole, and this is my legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what’s the reason for repeatedly finding herself in the middle of such discomfort?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think [the essays] had some sort of benefit for the larger audience — Iranian Americans in one sense, but also just largely immigrants,” Khakpour tells me over the phone. “And that audience really needed visibility. These essays were not necessarily revelations in their topics, but they were published in major mainstream venues. And so I think, for my audience, [it] was that visibility that really mattered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of Khakpour’s writings, one of the biggest forms of representation of Iranian American culture in American mainstream media is Bravo’s \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>, where stereotypes of the “Persian prince or princess” with their Mercedes-Benz cars and designer clothing flourish. But, as the writer notes throughout the book, such material excess is less about Iranians than it is about how immigrants assimilate to meet America’s values in money, materials and all things pro-capitalism. Khakpour instead hones in on what it means to be Iranian in America through the show and its stars’ use of “Persian” as an identifier instead of Iranian. (The country changed from Persia to Iran in the 1930s.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the book’s first essay “A New Persian Empire,” she recalls an interview with \u003cem>Shahs\u003c/em> cast member Reza Farahan, who Khakpour asked about the decision. The reality star replied: “Food is Persian, rugs are Persian, cats are Persian, people are Persian. It’s not because I’m ashamed or embarrassed. Mind you, I am very much more Cyrus and Darius than I am Islamic Republic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His reference to long-dismantled dynasties from the Persian Empire is a weighted one, especially considering Farahan was born just a handful of years before Khakpour in Tehran, and just six years before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Monarchies of a bygone era — of a time when the dying religion of Zoroastrianism reigned — color Farahan’s explanation, showcasing his perceived divide between Iran’s storied history and the country as it presently stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the TV star and writer were raised in Los Angeles in the years after Ayatollah Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran — an important similarity to note considering the different vision of Iranian America Khakpour writes in \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> than is seen in \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>. But rather than hiding behind Farahan and other wealthy “royalists” in “Tehrangeles,” Khakpour’s writings about Iranian America also indict her own state of mind as a budding teen on the outskirts of the more-wealthy Iranian American community. In the same essay where she quotes Farahan, she mentions hiding “inside the American costumes [she] wore — punk, cowgirl, starlet — and took on Persian only when [she] had to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though not entirely incorrect (Persian is, after all, one of many ethnicities in Iran), the confusion around her identity from those unable to find Persia on a map led Khakpour to anxiety. In the essay, she continues as her fractured, former self to those who may have asked “what is Persian”: “\u003cem>It’s the label for Islamic Republic-disliking Iranians! It’s what Iranians who used to be fancy prefer!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880919\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 778px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"778\" height=\"1200\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13880919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1.jpg 778w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1-160x247.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/brownalbum-1-768x1185.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Brown Album.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here at the heart of the “Persian vs. Iranian” issue — and arguably \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> on the whole — is a chasm within many Iranians abroad: There remains a longing for a pre-Islamic Republic Iran, one that risks glorification of the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/politics-and-the-press-in-iran-under-the-pahlavis/2536/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">modernization\u003c/a>” efforts under the Pahlavi dynasty, and in turn, hosts a lot of internalized xenophobia and racism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You kind of have to do your own work,” Khakpour said. “I really had to discover Iran again for myself in many ways.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of that work for Khakpour was finding and understanding her place among the diaspora. She and her family lived outside of Beverly Hills in modest South Pasadena, more specifically in a condo she calls a “dingbat.” To explain the structure, she recalls a quote in the 1998 film \u003cem>Slums of Beverly Hills\u003c/em>, in which Natasha Lyonne’s character explains the term as “a two-story apartment [building] featuring cheap rents and fancy names. They promise the good life but never deliver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sitting outside of the community of Iranian Americans in Tehrangeles, Khakpour was neither accepted as a part of the wealthy diaspora, nor in her predominantly white town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All my first memories are from Iran,” she said. “Much of my formative experiences as a child were around the trauma of being new to America. So it’s really hard for me to feel American. Feeling Iranian is much more … me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Struggling to find her footing among her people throughout the early essays in the book, Khakpour’s “The King of Tehrangeles” showcases the divide between her family and the Iranian American diaspora. In the piece, she writes of a job she once had along the glitzy street of Beverly Hills’s famed Rodeo Drive, in a boutique that sold handbags that “cost well over the highest annual income [she] had made at that point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down the way and across the street was House of Bijan, a flagship store from the Iranian American designer known for being the man behind the most expensive shop in the world. Recalling the fashion mogul, Khakpour writes: “Bijan beat Americans at their own game … He embodied American overindulgence to the maximum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khakpour and her family members were “the anomaly of anomalies in L.A.: the poor Iranian[s].” Unpermitted into the appointment-only space, the writer recalls how her parents were both interested in Bijan as a cultural touchstone but horrified by his lavishness. Similarly, in another essay, she notes that while many Iranian Americans of Southern California boasted a level of inherent conservatism that comes with, as she tells me, being “an extreme capitalist,” her parents were wishy-washy in their relations to American politics. Her father, she writes, even bounced from “a love of Reagan to a love of Sanders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get, more than anything from Iranian American readers, when they’re like: ‘Thank you for speaking out about being a poor Iranian,’” she said. “There’s just no representation with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Khakpour “doesn’t feel connected to a lot of [Iranian American] people,” especially those that fit more closely to the \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em> narrative. But her book points out at least one common idea among Iranians in America, a thread that can be found despite differences in class and politics, in lifestyles and area codes. Between “A New Persian Empire” and Khakpour’s self-described “manifesto” or the title essay that closes out the book, \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> denounces a long-time fable, believed by the Iranian diaspora and those outside the community, that Iranians are the original Aryans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My father talked about that ugly myth occasionally with something like half pride, when he felt Americans were being racist,” Khakpour recalls in her essay, even remembering a time when he told her at the dinner table: “We’re Caucasian, face it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she also remembers him telling her at a young age to choose Asian on census reports, or saying: “We are gandom-gan … which means wheat-colored, the equivalent of brown in Farsi.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what’s the truth?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tale of Iranians as the original Aryans has roots that extend far beyond the Iranian Revolution, even before Persia was renamed Iran in the 1930s. According to Reza Zia-Ebrahimi in a piece for \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/08/post-2.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tehran Bureau via PBS’s \u003cem>Frontline\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the Islamophobia in Iran, rooted in a deep racism against Arabs, has followed Iranians for centuries. But it was around the 1860s when Iranian intellectuals began searching for a way to distance themselves from Islam, resulting in “self-Orientalization [which] involves an element of shame over traditional Iranian customs and features,” or a “dislocation, the attempt to dislodge Iran from its … Islamic reality and force it into a European one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Echoing the sentiment in a contemporary context, Khakpour said: “One of the issues I have with my parents is that even though they’re Muslim, they’re kind of ashamed of being Muslim, and they don’t really feel connected to Islam … I sort of challenge them on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This internalized xenophobia and racism rises above the Iranian diaspora, pulling Iranian Americans together in spite of the community’s classes, ethnicities and religions. Are Iranians brown or white? Are we Iranian or are we Persian? Unanimity around these complex questions does not exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what of the diaspora’s spokespeople, like Khakpour, who take up a stance in an effort to bring these difficult conversations to light? To do so is to further alienate oneself from the community. She writes at the start of the final piece: “This is the essay arising from the tweets that resulted in death threats … This is the essay many of my own people would tell me to go kill myself for because I deny the whiteness they claim.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understandably, herein lies the anxiety and discomfort that may come from being seen as a spokesperson for an underrepresented community: When you write your own story, you inherently alienate someone else in their own ideas and emotions tied to the homeland and the host country. At the end of the day, one must remember that \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> is a book of personal essays, emphasis on the personal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem we have with all these Iranian American memoirists — and I mean, they’re everywhere — but they’re all women of a certain privilege,” Khakpour said when asked about entering a canon of Iranian American memoirs. “I just got very sick of that one image, because I didn’t fit into it at all. And so, I don’t think there is total solidarity, but I don’t think there should be either. It’s fine to be diverse in that sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, maybe what it comes down to is not to see Khakpour — or \u003cem>Shahs of Sunset\u003c/em>, or other Iranian American memoirists — as a spokesperson for the Iranian American diaspora, but rather, to see \u003cem>Brown Album\u003c/em> as a pillar within the multitude of individual stories that showcase Iranian diasporic identities. Maybe it comes down to allowing more space in mainstream media for these stories to be told, in order to paint a broader picture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khakpour sums it up well: “What is authentic Iran? I mean, there is no such thing. If you feel like you’re caught between different cultures, I think that’s a very legitimate sentiment that you should feel free to express.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Brown Album’ is out May 19 and can be ordered \u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525564713\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>. More information about the author and the book \u003ca href=\"https://porochistakhakpour.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli To Plead Guilty In College Admissions Scandal",
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"content": "\u003cp>Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, have agreed to plead guilty in connection to the college admissions bribery scandal that federal investigators dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts made the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-couple-college-admissions-case-agrees-plead-guilty\">announcement Thursday\u003c/a>, saying Loughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her husband will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the recommendations of the plea agreement, Loughlin is facing two months in prison and a $150,000 fine. Her husband is facing five months in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ultimately, a federal judge will determine their sentences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both are scheduled to enter guilty pleas on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DMAnews1/status/1263459286065217536\">federal authorities said\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under the plea agreements filed today, these defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case,” Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions,” he added. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple originally \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/04/15/713524599/lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli-plead-not-guilty-in-college-cheating-scandal\">pleaded not guilty\u003c/a> in federal court in Boston in April 2019. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple was accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to secure their daughters’ admission to the University of Southern California as recruits for the university’s crew team. Neither of them had even practiced the sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loughlin is best known for playing the role of Aunt Becky on the long-running sitcom \u003cem>Full House\u003c/em>. Giannulli’s Mossimo brand was a core clothing label at Target \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-target-merona-mossimo-20170821-story.html\">until 2017\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors say the couple joins 22 other parents who pleaded guilty in the college admissions scandal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Lori+Loughlin%2C+Mossimo+Giannulli+To+Plead+Guilty+In+College+Admissions+Scandal&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, have agreed to plead guilty in connection to the college admissions bribery scandal that federal investigators dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts made the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-couple-college-admissions-case-agrees-plead-guilty\">announcement Thursday\u003c/a>, saying Loughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her husband will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the recommendations of the plea agreement, Loughlin is facing two months in prison and a $150,000 fine. Her husband is facing five months in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ultimately, a federal judge will determine their sentences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both are scheduled to enter guilty pleas on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DMAnews1/status/1263459286065217536\">federal authorities said\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under the plea agreements filed today, these defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case,” Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions,” he added. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple originally \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/04/15/713524599/lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli-plead-not-guilty-in-college-cheating-scandal\">pleaded not guilty\u003c/a> in federal court in Boston in April 2019. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple was accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to secure their daughters’ admission to the University of Southern California as recruits for the university’s crew team. Neither of them had even practiced the sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loughlin is best known for playing the role of Aunt Becky on the long-running sitcom \u003cem>Full House\u003c/em>. Giannulli’s Mossimo brand was a core clothing label at Target \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-target-merona-mossimo-20170821-story.html\">until 2017\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors say the couple joins 22 other parents who pleaded guilty in the college admissions scandal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Lori+Loughlin%2C+Mossimo+Giannulli+To+Plead+Guilty+In+College+Admissions+Scandal&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Greg Daniels Moves His Comedy Spotlight to the Afterlife in 'Upload'",
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"content": "\u003cp>For more than 30 years, Emmy Award-winning television writer, director and producer Greg Daniels has spun comedy from the threads of ordinary life, turning its frustrations and awkward moments into such hit shows as \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Parks And Recreation, \u003c/em>and\u003cem> King of the Hill\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now he’s reflecting on these notions again in \u003cem>Upload\u003c/em>, a futuristic comedy on Amazon Prime—but this time they play out in the afterlife too. He’s also behind the upcoming Netflix satire \u003cem>Space Force,\u003c/em> launching May 29\u003cem>,\u003c/em> starring Steve Carell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZfZj2bn_xg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Daniels’ humor has all the makings of the British comedies he reveres, including \u003cem>Fawlty Towers\u003c/em> and the original, British version of \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s something wonderful about the awkwardness of it and their kind of enjoyment of a pathetic situation that always appealed to me,” Daniels says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a little Greg Daniels trivia: He never expected to make an American version of \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em>. Back in 2003, while he was an executive producer on the show \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, he was dying to meet the series’ creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. He says he just wanted “to talk to them about it as a fan,” Daniels says. “But I couldn’t meet them as a fan without pretending I wanted to adapt the show. So I had to do that.” Turns out, Daniels, Gervais and Merchant hit it off. They were also fans of \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>. “Ricky’s favorite Simpsons episode was ‘Homer Badman,’ which I had written,” Daniels recounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That scheme of meeting these Brits he admired is pure Greg Daniels, says his friend and \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em> co-creator Mike Judge: “Yeah, he’ll do stuff like that. He gets it from his dad. You know the story about his dad and the Olympics, right?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We do now! In 1968, Greg Daniels’ father competed in the Olympics even though he was not a professional athlete. He worked in commercial radio in New York. When \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-10-24-OCR-Page-0085.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Daniels\u003c/a> learned the United States did not a have team to compete in the little-known racquet event fronton, he asked for time off, joined some fellow squash players, practiced like crazy, and ended up in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Daniels says he “owes a lot” to his father: “Definitely my dad is a very funny storyteller. He tells self-deprecating, involved, funny stories.” Daniels adapted one such story for an episode of Seinfeld called \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMQEBWo1aQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Parking Space\u003c/a>. In a moment that’s all too familiar to anyone who’s competed with another driver for that hard-to-find spot, George squares off with an equally feisty man. Daniels says this really happened to his dad. Daniels tells the story:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“He had a car when we grew up in New York City, but he didn’t have a garage. So he had to repark it every two nights and he would drive the car around for 40 minutes. One night he found an empty parking space. He started to back into it and the guy behind him tried to steal it and nose into it. And they just sat there for hours because none of them would give. And he saw a friend walk by and he had the friend call my mom. And my mom made him dinner and brought it to him at the parking space.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egsdc7tZ_xc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For characters to work in a comedy, Daniels says they need “some kind of foible or blindness.” In the case of Hank Hill, the protagonist in \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, Mike Judge says he and Daniels were on the same page: Hill is “just a guy” trying to “deal with the modern world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Greg had a line which I thought was pretty great,” Judge says. “Something like ‘Andy Griffith is back and he’s pissed off.'” Take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEOdqiylC0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">time\u003c/a> Hank tries to get help in one of those big box stores. Been there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, Mike Judge had huge success with \u003cem>Beavis and Butt-Head\u003c/em>, animation that he says didn’t originally have much of a story arc. Judge says it was Daniels who helped him learn to write stories for an episodic TV series with tips on how to “structure a story” and how “not to get hung up on a joke at the expense of a story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge says Daniels is also good at streamlining a story: “When you think it’s all so complicated, reducing it down to very simply what the problem is and how to resolve it and do it in a funny way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problems in Daniels’ upcoming Netflix show \u003cem>Space Force\u003c/em> include a military leader who doesn’t listen to the scientists around him. His new sci-fi comedy \u003cem>Upload\u003c/em> explores the inequalities—and inhumanity—that emerges as advanced, expensive, digital technologies hit the market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These technologies are introduced and they all seem great. And then, you know, the law of unintended consequences kicks in and they are kind of flawed or sometimes outright evil when they’re actually executed,” Daniels says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Upload\u003c/em>, only the wealthy get to experience an idyllic afterlife in the expensive, leafy resort called “Lakeview.” Even the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVN4LhFmVQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commercial\u003c/a> for Lakeview feels eerily familiar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world of this comedy is strange and unsettling, not unlike the world we’re living in now. Daniels admits he’s just as preoccupied with the pandemic as everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very weird to be out trying to get people to watch comedy shows now. So I guess the hope is that it’s a helpful distraction,” he reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io6Mqho-asM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People have been finding comfort in Greg Daniels’ past “distractions.” \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em> is one of Netflix’s most popular shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nina Gregory edited this piece for radio; Meghan Sullivan edited for the web. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Greg+Daniels+Moves+His+Comedic+Spotlight+To+Absurdity+In+The+Afterlife&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a little Greg Daniels trivia: He never expected to make an American version of \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em>. Back in 2003, while he was an executive producer on the show \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, he was dying to meet the series’ creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. He says he just wanted “to talk to them about it as a fan,” Daniels says. “But I couldn’t meet them as a fan without pretending I wanted to adapt the show. So I had to do that.” Turns out, Daniels, Gervais and Merchant hit it off. They were also fans of \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>. “Ricky’s favorite Simpsons episode was ‘Homer Badman,’ which I had written,” Daniels recounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That scheme of meeting these Brits he admired is pure Greg Daniels, says his friend and \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em> co-creator Mike Judge: “Yeah, he’ll do stuff like that. He gets it from his dad. You know the story about his dad and the Olympics, right?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We do now! In 1968, Greg Daniels’ father competed in the Olympics even though he was not a professional athlete. He worked in commercial radio in New York. When \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-10-24-OCR-Page-0085.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Daniels\u003c/a> learned the United States did not a have team to compete in the little-known racquet event fronton, he asked for time off, joined some fellow squash players, practiced like crazy, and ended up in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Daniels says he “owes a lot” to his father: “Definitely my dad is a very funny storyteller. He tells self-deprecating, involved, funny stories.” Daniels adapted one such story for an episode of Seinfeld called \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMQEBWo1aQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Parking Space\u003c/a>. In a moment that’s all too familiar to anyone who’s competed with another driver for that hard-to-find spot, George squares off with an equally feisty man. Daniels says this really happened to his dad. Daniels tells the story:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“He had a car when we grew up in New York City, but he didn’t have a garage. So he had to repark it every two nights and he would drive the car around for 40 minutes. One night he found an empty parking space. He started to back into it and the guy behind him tried to steal it and nose into it. And they just sat there for hours because none of them would give. And he saw a friend walk by and he had the friend call my mom. And my mom made him dinner and brought it to him at the parking space.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/egsdc7tZ_xc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/egsdc7tZ_xc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>For characters to work in a comedy, Daniels says they need “some kind of foible or blindness.” In the case of Hank Hill, the protagonist in \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, Mike Judge says he and Daniels were on the same page: Hill is “just a guy” trying to “deal with the modern world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Greg had a line which I thought was pretty great,” Judge says. “Something like ‘Andy Griffith is back and he’s pissed off.'” Take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEOdqiylC0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">time\u003c/a> Hank tries to get help in one of those big box stores. Been there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before \u003cem>King of the Hill\u003c/em>, Mike Judge had huge success with \u003cem>Beavis and Butt-Head\u003c/em>, animation that he says didn’t originally have much of a story arc. Judge says it was Daniels who helped him learn to write stories for an episodic TV series with tips on how to “structure a story” and how “not to get hung up on a joke at the expense of a story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge says Daniels is also good at streamlining a story: “When you think it’s all so complicated, reducing it down to very simply what the problem is and how to resolve it and do it in a funny way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problems in Daniels’ upcoming Netflix show \u003cem>Space Force\u003c/em> include a military leader who doesn’t listen to the scientists around him. His new sci-fi comedy \u003cem>Upload\u003c/em> explores the inequalities—and inhumanity—that emerges as advanced, expensive, digital technologies hit the market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These technologies are introduced and they all seem great. And then, you know, the law of unintended consequences kicks in and they are kind of flawed or sometimes outright evil when they’re actually executed,” Daniels says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Upload\u003c/em>, only the wealthy get to experience an idyllic afterlife in the expensive, leafy resort called “Lakeview.” Even the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVN4LhFmVQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commercial\u003c/a> for Lakeview feels eerily familiar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world of this comedy is strange and unsettling, not unlike the world we’re living in now. Daniels admits he’s just as preoccupied with the pandemic as everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very weird to be out trying to get people to watch comedy shows now. So I guess the hope is that it’s a helpful distraction,” he reasons.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/io6Mqho-asM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/io6Mqho-asM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>People have been finding comfort in Greg Daniels’ past “distractions.” \u003cem>The Office\u003c/em> is one of Netflix’s most popular shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nina Gregory edited this piece for radio; Meghan Sullivan edited for the web. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Greg+Daniels+Moves+His+Comedic+Spotlight+To+Absurdity+In+The+Afterlife&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "its-still-raining-game-in-northern-california",
"title": "It's Still Raining Game in Northern California",
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"headTitle": "It’s Still Raining Game in Northern California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>f there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past two months, it’s that a worldwide pandemic can’t stifle the artists of Northern California. Which makes sense—it’s one of the most innovative places on the planet. Creativity is in our cellular membranes and the culture pulses through our veins. Plus, the rent is too damn high to quit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the well-known names. This past weekend, Oakland’s own \u003cstrong>Kehlani\u003c/strong> hit No. 1 on the Apple Music charts with her latest album, \u003cem>It Was Good Until It Wasn’t\u003c/em>. As the project took off, Kehlani made videos in quarantine and took to Twitter sharing intimate details of her experience to promote the album. It was something she had to do—otherwise, citing the coronavirus, \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/kehlani-it-was-good-until-it-wasnt-album-cover-interview/?mbid=social_facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=p4k&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_brand=p4k&mbid=social_twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">her label would’ve postponed the release of her album\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few days before that, Sacramento’s \u003cstrong>Mozzy\u003c/strong> dropped \u003cem>Beyond Bulletproof.\u003c/em> He’d recently broadcasted a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVuUtxc5fg&feature=emb_title\">public therapy sessions\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880011/mozzys-new-album-processes-trauma-incarceration-by-documenting-his-healing\">initially dropped the album through JPay\u003c/a>—a service for incarcerated folks—a week before the album’s general release. On top of that, he did an interview with Rap Radar’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_xsftpHAQn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Elliott Wilson\u003c/a>. Active on the internet, in the streets and behind bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay’s even getting active in television. Check the soundtrack for this season of \u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>, which features previously released music from \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LilSnickerfoot/status/1252642870319702016?s=20\">\u003cstrong>Michael Sneed\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> in one episode and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kamaiyah/status/1259701062908252160?s=20\">\u003cstrong>Kamaiyah\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> in another. And, of course, the Bay’s own \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B_x8IAsJaGc/\">\u003cstrong>Nijla Mu’min\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> directed \u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>‘s fourth episode from this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pReD5WRO3vI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for getting active in Hollywood, check Netflix’s \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/all-day-and-a-night-review-ashton-sanders-1234593865/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>All Day and A Night\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The story of an aspiring rapper from Oakland, the film has star power from Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Yahya Abdul-Mateen II\u003c/strong> and a bunch of cameos from Northern California folks, including members of the dance crew \u003cstrong>Turf Fiendz\u003c/strong> and Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Rolanda D. Bell\u003c/strong>. The film was written by San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Joe Robert Cole\u003c/strong>, was filmed in Oakland and Alameda, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL09XmXSlwDoreuB74JlQD-a4KfsTVvxie\">its soundtrack\u003c/a> features \u003cstrong>Tia Nomore, SOBxRBE, Paris,\u003c/strong> the \u003cstrong>Conscious Daughters, P-Lo, Mac Dre\u003c/strong> and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s \u003cstrong>Kool John\u003c/strong>, who’s also featured on the aforementioned soundtrack. The Richmond artist was recently shot six times during a robbery, recovered, and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/K00LJ0HN/status/1257490570995331073?s=20\">hopped on Twitter to remix a Tupac quote to fit to his situation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further evidence that despite catastrophic circumstances, we don’t know how to stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880487\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13880487\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Nappy Nina's 30 Bag album cover\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nappy Nina’s ’30 Bag’ album cover. \u003ccite>(Nappy Nina)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">F\u003c/span>or artists in the Northern California, being creative is damn near synonymous with breathing. Even when we leave our region, we carry it with us. Ask Oakland’s own \u003cstrong>Nappy Nina\u003c/strong>, who’s currently living in New York and bringing heat to all the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Nappy_Nina/status/1259252529814265860?s=20\">MENcees\u003c/a> out there. Nappy Nina’s latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://nappynina.lnk.to/30Bag\">30 Bag\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, full of quality vibes and strategic wordplay, dropped on her 30th birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880374\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 238px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-13880374\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw.jpg\" alt=\"Drew Banga by Stoni\" width=\"238\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw.jpg 621w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw-160x232.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Banga by Stoni. \u003ccite>(Stoni)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Need that more twang in your tunes? On Texas rapper \u003cstrong>Siddiq\u003c/strong>’s latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://li.sten.to/SlideMusic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Slide Music\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, his southern delivery pairs well with the production of Oakland’s \u003cstrong>1-O.A.K.\u003c/strong>, Alameda’s \u003cstrong>Trackademicks\u003c/strong> and the rest of the HNRL crew—\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2020/05/11/853575718/heat-check-shook-up-shook-down-shook-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">even NPR thinks so\u003c/a>. The track that caught my ear is “Wantanabe,” produced by Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Drew Banga\u003c/strong>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13859615/rightnowish-rap-producer-drew-banga-on-music-and-fatherhood\">talked to Banga\u003c/a> on a few occasions, I can assure you he’s a really bright guy. But I’m thoroughly convinced the term “take a break” isn’t in his lexicon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banga just released a song and dance, “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DrewwwBanga/status/1258847454583091201?s=20\">G-Step\u003c/a>,” with San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Jordan “Stunnaman02” Gomes\u003c/strong>. Banga then turned around and announced he’s got an upcoming project with Oakland lyricist \u003cstrong>Stoni\u003c/strong> called \u003cem>Ferrari Fawcet\u003c/em>, set to drop in July. Evidently, Stoni isn’t familiar with slowing down either, as she’s been occupying her time by \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CallHerStoni/status/1251240115227123714?s=20\">drawing folks\u003c/a> on commission—she’s done over 20 pieces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pReD5WRO3vI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">O\u003c/span>ne of the silver linings of this downtime is the ability to get familiar with artists I should’ve been listening to. For example, San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Troy LLF\u003c/strong>, who just released \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/troyllf\">\u003cem>Til Death Do Us Part II\u003c/em>. \u003c/a>Troy LLF’s mature lyrical approach is a great counterbalance to the party music our region’s often associated with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another artist who’s newly on my radar is Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Mahawam\u003c/strong>. I couldn’t help but notice Mahawam’s recent video for, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pReD5WRO3vI\">HOPING NO ONE NOTICE\u003c/a>.” And if you like that trippy-hop vibe, I’d suggest checking out the work of \u003cstrong>MH the Verb\u003c/strong>, who calls Oakland home now but is originally from New York by way of Philly. The new 420-friendly video for his song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_NbXTSFLPN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Birthstones\u003c/a>” is a great introduction to his lyrical space odyssey of an album, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ffm.to/spaceninja\">Afronaut\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Need more vibes? Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.ashiakarana.com/\">\u003cstrong>Ashia Karana\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>—she grew up between New Jersey and Atlanta, but came to the Bay to study sound healing. The people she met influenced her so much that the cover art for her new project, \u003cem>Trust\u003c/em>, is done by Bay Area singer, songwriter and graphic designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stoneycreation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Stoney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>. (No relation to the aforementioned Stoni.) I listened to Ashia’s project twice last weekend, and ended up on the floor of my apartment holding a staring contest with the ceiling. I won.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/e1U-t277yXE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another mention along those vibe lines: Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jadaimani510/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Jada Imani\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> dropped a new atmospheric single while sheltering in place, called “\u003ca href=\"https://jadaimani.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-that-i-am\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I Think That I Am\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Need more of that romantic R&B feel in your life? The new single from Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/larrenwong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>LarrenWong\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/larrenwong/status/1253575585583861760?s=20\">Out My Way\u003c/a>,” almost made me text an ex. But then the pure vocals from Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Dom Jones\u003c/strong>, on her latest single “\u003ca href=\"https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/domjones/crazytown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Crazy Town\u003c/a>,” reminded me to put my phone down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Soon after that, I was told to remain focused on my craft by an elder statesman, Vallejo’s \u003cstrong>E-40\u003c/strong>. He just dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/E40/status/1259646488428212224?s=20\">The Curb Commentator\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the first of a four-part EP series scheduled to drop throughout the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I repeat: E-40’s releasing a \u003cem>four-part project\u003c/em> this year, and he’s 52 years old. What’s your excuse?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880470\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13880470\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b.jpg\" alt=\"Cruise USA, Larry June and Cardo's latest project\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cruise USA, Larry June and Cardo’s latest project. \u003ccite>(Larry June)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">S\u003c/span>omeone with a similar consistency and penchant for putting real-spill over dope beats is San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Larry June\u003c/strong>. I honestly didn’t know he even dropped a project last week until I started writing this article. I checked his Twitter, just because dude drops a new project every time the fog comes in over the Golden Gate, and sure enough, his latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LarryJuneTFM/status/1258943562248421378?s=20\">Cruise USA\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is on all platforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A good example of an “I’m not letting COVID stop my artistic flow,” is Allen “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/LooveMoore2020/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Loove Moore\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>” Moore. He’s from West Oakland—specifically, Acorn–and he’s a musician, multimedia maker and a self-proclaimed introvert who’s found solace in creating a safe place for others to be themselves. That space was a weekly talent showcase called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/LooveAtTheLake/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Loove at the Lake\u003c/a>.” Last year, in its first year of operation, it was featured in the \u003ca href=\"https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2019/visuals/lake-merritt-backyard/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now that people aren’t (supposed to be) gathering en masse, he’s spending his time shooting and editing videos for the music he’s continually making. How’s he staying inspired?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I march to my own understanding of life,” Loove Moore told me during a phone call, sitting outside of a studio working on a podcast. “I feel like self-expression is needed, so I don’t explode.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says it’s not just the resilient mentality that comes with being raised in West Oakland, but “the spirit” from the black church that has pushed his artistic endeavors. And now, he creates something new, constantly. When asked what the key to it all is, he simply says: “I just participate in life, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s as simple as that for some of us. Creating is just how we participate in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880517\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13880517\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"LoveMoore.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Loove Moore. \u003ccite>(Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">H\u003c/span>ats off to the artists from this region who haven’t stopped creating. To those who’ve been sitting on work and finally dropped it, as well as those who’ve used this time in isolation to get creative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m looking forward to the work of Class of 2020 high school graduate (and future NYU student) \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/official.jwalt/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>J.Walt\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, who’s dropping a project called \u003cem>Yours Truly\u003c/em> this weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keeping an eye as well on East Bay lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAIso0bggWP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Ruby Ibarra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, who just dropped a new video this week and is guaranteed to be working on more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s \u003cstrong>Caleborate\u003c/strong> also dropped a five-track project called “\u003ca href=\"http://ffm.to/sparksinthestudio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sparks In The Studio\u003c/a>,” just this week. I’ve yet to listen to it, but given what I know of the guy’s work, it’ll be worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fellow Berkeleyite \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RexxLifeRaj/status/1260401866661232640?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Rexx Life Raj\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> announced a new video coming Friday. I’ll watch that in tandem with \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kamaiyah/status/1260646823082905600?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kamaiyah’s latest song\u003c/a>, as she’s just announced that she’s dropping new music every Friday, starting this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a consumer and fan, I want to thank y’all for your art. It’s needed all the time, and especially right now.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "It's Still Raining Game in Northern California | KQED",
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"headline": "It's Still Raining Game in Northern California",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>f there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past two months, it’s that a worldwide pandemic can’t stifle the artists of Northern California. Which makes sense—it’s one of the most innovative places on the planet. Creativity is in our cellular membranes and the culture pulses through our veins. Plus, the rent is too damn high to quit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the well-known names. This past weekend, Oakland’s own \u003cstrong>Kehlani\u003c/strong> hit No. 1 on the Apple Music charts with her latest album, \u003cem>It Was Good Until It Wasn’t\u003c/em>. As the project took off, Kehlani made videos in quarantine and took to Twitter sharing intimate details of her experience to promote the album. It was something she had to do—otherwise, citing the coronavirus, \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/kehlani-it-was-good-until-it-wasnt-album-cover-interview/?mbid=social_facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=p4k&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_brand=p4k&mbid=social_twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">her label would’ve postponed the release of her album\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few days before that, Sacramento’s \u003cstrong>Mozzy\u003c/strong> dropped \u003cem>Beyond Bulletproof.\u003c/em> He’d recently broadcasted a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVuUtxc5fg&feature=emb_title\">public therapy sessions\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880011/mozzys-new-album-processes-trauma-incarceration-by-documenting-his-healing\">initially dropped the album through JPay\u003c/a>—a service for incarcerated folks—a week before the album’s general release. On top of that, he did an interview with Rap Radar’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_xsftpHAQn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Elliott Wilson\u003c/a>. Active on the internet, in the streets and behind bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay’s even getting active in television. Check the soundtrack for this season of \u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>, which features previously released music from \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LilSnickerfoot/status/1252642870319702016?s=20\">\u003cstrong>Michael Sneed\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> in one episode and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kamaiyah/status/1259701062908252160?s=20\">\u003cstrong>Kamaiyah\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> in another. And, of course, the Bay’s own \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B_x8IAsJaGc/\">\u003cstrong>Nijla Mu’min\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> directed \u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>‘s fourth episode from this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pReD5WRO3vI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pReD5WRO3vI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>As for getting active in Hollywood, check Netflix’s \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/all-day-and-a-night-review-ashton-sanders-1234593865/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>All Day and A Night\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The story of an aspiring rapper from Oakland, the film has star power from Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Yahya Abdul-Mateen II\u003c/strong> and a bunch of cameos from Northern California folks, including members of the dance crew \u003cstrong>Turf Fiendz\u003c/strong> and Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Rolanda D. Bell\u003c/strong>. The film was written by San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Joe Robert Cole\u003c/strong>, was filmed in Oakland and Alameda, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL09XmXSlwDoreuB74JlQD-a4KfsTVvxie\">its soundtrack\u003c/a> features \u003cstrong>Tia Nomore, SOBxRBE, Paris,\u003c/strong> the \u003cstrong>Conscious Daughters, P-Lo, Mac Dre\u003c/strong> and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s \u003cstrong>Kool John\u003c/strong>, who’s also featured on the aforementioned soundtrack. The Richmond artist was recently shot six times during a robbery, recovered, and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/K00LJ0HN/status/1257490570995331073?s=20\">hopped on Twitter to remix a Tupac quote to fit to his situation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further evidence that despite catastrophic circumstances, we don’t know how to stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880487\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13880487\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Nappy Nina's 30 Bag album cover\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EXMN6okXgAIjAZs.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nappy Nina’s ’30 Bag’ album cover. \u003ccite>(Nappy Nina)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">F\u003c/span>or artists in the Northern California, being creative is damn near synonymous with breathing. Even when we leave our region, we carry it with us. Ask Oakland’s own \u003cstrong>Nappy Nina\u003c/strong>, who’s currently living in New York and bringing heat to all the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Nappy_Nina/status/1259252529814265860?s=20\">MENcees\u003c/a> out there. Nappy Nina’s latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://nappynina.lnk.to/30Bag\">30 Bag\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, full of quality vibes and strategic wordplay, dropped on her 30th birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880374\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 238px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-13880374\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw.jpg\" alt=\"Drew Banga by Stoni\" width=\"238\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw.jpg 621w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EWzRrqCUEAAO1Cw-160x232.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Banga by Stoni. \u003ccite>(Stoni)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Need that more twang in your tunes? On Texas rapper \u003cstrong>Siddiq\u003c/strong>’s latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://li.sten.to/SlideMusic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Slide Music\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, his southern delivery pairs well with the production of Oakland’s \u003cstrong>1-O.A.K.\u003c/strong>, Alameda’s \u003cstrong>Trackademicks\u003c/strong> and the rest of the HNRL crew—\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2020/05/11/853575718/heat-check-shook-up-shook-down-shook-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">even NPR thinks so\u003c/a>. The track that caught my ear is “Wantanabe,” produced by Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Drew Banga\u003c/strong>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13859615/rightnowish-rap-producer-drew-banga-on-music-and-fatherhood\">talked to Banga\u003c/a> on a few occasions, I can assure you he’s a really bright guy. But I’m thoroughly convinced the term “take a break” isn’t in his lexicon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banga just released a song and dance, “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DrewwwBanga/status/1258847454583091201?s=20\">G-Step\u003c/a>,” with San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Jordan “Stunnaman02” Gomes\u003c/strong>. Banga then turned around and announced he’s got an upcoming project with Oakland lyricist \u003cstrong>Stoni\u003c/strong> called \u003cem>Ferrari Fawcet\u003c/em>, set to drop in July. Evidently, Stoni isn’t familiar with slowing down either, as she’s been occupying her time by \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CallHerStoni/status/1251240115227123714?s=20\">drawing folks\u003c/a> on commission—she’s done over 20 pieces.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pReD5WRO3vI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pReD5WRO3vI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">O\u003c/span>ne of the silver linings of this downtime is the ability to get familiar with artists I should’ve been listening to. For example, San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Troy LLF\u003c/strong>, who just released \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/troyllf\">\u003cem>Til Death Do Us Part II\u003c/em>. \u003c/a>Troy LLF’s mature lyrical approach is a great counterbalance to the party music our region’s often associated with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another artist who’s newly on my radar is Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Mahawam\u003c/strong>. I couldn’t help but notice Mahawam’s recent video for, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pReD5WRO3vI\">HOPING NO ONE NOTICE\u003c/a>.” And if you like that trippy-hop vibe, I’d suggest checking out the work of \u003cstrong>MH the Verb\u003c/strong>, who calls Oakland home now but is originally from New York by way of Philly. The new 420-friendly video for his song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_NbXTSFLPN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Birthstones\u003c/a>” is a great introduction to his lyrical space odyssey of an album, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ffm.to/spaceninja\">Afronaut\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Need more vibes? Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.ashiakarana.com/\">\u003cstrong>Ashia Karana\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>—she grew up between New Jersey and Atlanta, but came to the Bay to study sound healing. The people she met influenced her so much that the cover art for her new project, \u003cem>Trust\u003c/em>, is done by Bay Area singer, songwriter and graphic designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stoneycreation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Stoney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>. (No relation to the aforementioned Stoni.) I listened to Ashia’s project twice last weekend, and ended up on the floor of my apartment holding a staring contest with the ceiling. I won.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/e1U-t277yXE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/e1U-t277yXE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Another mention along those vibe lines: Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jadaimani510/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Jada Imani\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> dropped a new atmospheric single while sheltering in place, called “\u003ca href=\"https://jadaimani.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-that-i-am\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I Think That I Am\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Need more of that romantic R&B feel in your life? The new single from Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/larrenwong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>LarrenWong\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/larrenwong/status/1253575585583861760?s=20\">Out My Way\u003c/a>,” almost made me text an ex. But then the pure vocals from Oakland’s \u003cstrong>Dom Jones\u003c/strong>, on her latest single “\u003ca href=\"https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/domjones/crazytown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Crazy Town\u003c/a>,” reminded me to put my phone down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Soon after that, I was told to remain focused on my craft by an elder statesman, Vallejo’s \u003cstrong>E-40\u003c/strong>. He just dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/E40/status/1259646488428212224?s=20\">The Curb Commentator\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the first of a four-part EP series scheduled to drop throughout the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I repeat: E-40’s releasing a \u003cem>four-part project\u003c/em> this year, and he’s 52 years old. What’s your excuse?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880470\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13880470\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b.jpg\" alt=\"Cruise USA, Larry June and Cardo's latest project\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1589057767_2ddb8bc5b3da89215a12aefd69d36f6b-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cruise USA, Larry June and Cardo’s latest project. \u003ccite>(Larry June)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">S\u003c/span>omeone with a similar consistency and penchant for putting real-spill over dope beats is San Francisco’s \u003cstrong>Larry June\u003c/strong>. I honestly didn’t know he even dropped a project last week until I started writing this article. I checked his Twitter, just because dude drops a new project every time the fog comes in over the Golden Gate, and sure enough, his latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LarryJuneTFM/status/1258943562248421378?s=20\">Cruise USA\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is on all platforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A good example of an “I’m not letting COVID stop my artistic flow,” is Allen “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/LooveMoore2020/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Loove Moore\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>” Moore. He’s from West Oakland—specifically, Acorn–and he’s a musician, multimedia maker and a self-proclaimed introvert who’s found solace in creating a safe place for others to be themselves. That space was a weekly talent showcase called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/LooveAtTheLake/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Loove at the Lake\u003c/a>.” Last year, in its first year of operation, it was featured in the \u003ca href=\"https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2019/visuals/lake-merritt-backyard/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now that people aren’t (supposed to be) gathering en masse, he’s spending his time shooting and editing videos for the music he’s continually making. How’s he staying inspired?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I march to my own understanding of life,” Loove Moore told me during a phone call, sitting outside of a studio working on a podcast. “I feel like self-expression is needed, so I don’t explode.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says it’s not just the resilient mentality that comes with being raised in West Oakland, but “the spirit” from the black church that has pushed his artistic endeavors. And now, he creates something new, constantly. When asked what the key to it all is, he simply says: “I just participate in life, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s as simple as that for some of us. Creating is just how we participate in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13880517\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13880517\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"LoveMoore.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/LoveMoore.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Loove Moore. \u003ccite>(Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">H\u003c/span>ats off to the artists from this region who haven’t stopped creating. To those who’ve been sitting on work and finally dropped it, as well as those who’ve used this time in isolation to get creative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m looking forward to the work of Class of 2020 high school graduate (and future NYU student) \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/official.jwalt/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>J.Walt\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, who’s dropping a project called \u003cem>Yours Truly\u003c/em> this weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keeping an eye as well on East Bay lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAIso0bggWP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Ruby Ibarra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, who just dropped a new video this week and is guaranteed to be working on more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s \u003cstrong>Caleborate\u003c/strong> also dropped a five-track project called “\u003ca href=\"http://ffm.to/sparksinthestudio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sparks In The Studio\u003c/a>,” just this week. I’ve yet to listen to it, but given what I know of the guy’s work, it’ll be worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fellow Berkeleyite \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RexxLifeRaj/status/1260401866661232640?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Rexx Life Raj\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> announced a new video coming Friday. I’ll watch that in tandem with \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kamaiyah/status/1260646823082905600?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kamaiyah’s latest song\u003c/a>, as she’s just announced that she’s dropping new music every Friday, starting this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a consumer and fan, I want to thank y’all for your art. It’s needed all the time, and especially right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Hollywood Works From Home: Stay Tuned as TV Shows Get Creative",
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"content": "\u003cp>During the pandemic lockdown, what’s left of Hollywood production has gone virtual. Late-night TV hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/15753/get-to-know-your-new-daily-show-host-south-african-comedian-trevor-noah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Noah, \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/11/02/500303201/late-show-host-stephen-colbert-says-hes-finally-found-his-post-report-voice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Colbert \u003c/a>and the Jimmys—\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/10/12/557331357/jimmy-fallon-on-the-school-of-snl-and-his-tendency-to-smile-too-much\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fallon \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/01/783722818/jimmy-kimmel-writes-a-picture-book-says-kids-are-always-ready-to-laugh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kimmel\u003c/a>—record monologues \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/831174892/late-night-hosts-are-also-working-from-home-with-varying-results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">from their homes.\u003c/a> \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>, which had its finale over the weekend, had its cast mates and guest stars tape themselves, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/04/30/848506248/from-parks-and-recreation-a-brief-but-delightful-return-to-pawnee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">special reunion episode\u003c/a> of \u003cem>Parks and Recreation\u003c/em> that aired recently was also written, shot, directed and edited remotely. Showrunner Mike Schur says he and the director, script supervisor and editors worked from their homes, watching on Zoom as the actors did their own camerawork.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwYth4JZP3s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t actually fully know what anything looked like until we got the footage back. It was always a little bit of a surprise,” Schur says. “There were things that were recorded at the wrong frame rate, the little lights that were attached to the mini-rigs that we sent out kept malfunctioning in the middle of takes. It was a struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Schur says the episode worked as a one-off since the series always had a “let’s put on a show” sensibility. But Schur, who created \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/105436/what-the-good-place-has-taught-us-about-philosophy-and-life-so-far\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Good Place\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/103753/saving-brooklyn-nine-nine-was-business-but-the-love-of-it-is-real\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brooklyn Nine-Nine\u003c/a> \u003c/em>and the upcoming series \u003cem>Rutherford Falls\u003c/em>, says the do-it-yourself method isn’t a long-term solution because making a comedy is a team sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be everyone in his or her own house acting as his or her own hair, makeup, DP [director of photography], rigger, gaffer, grip,” Schur says. “It was really fun to do, but it’s not a blueprint for anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casting director Jennifer Euston can no longer safely audition actors in person at her small New York City office. And she can’t scout for talent at the theater, like she did for\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/6932/5-reasons-to-start-watching-orange-is-the-new-black-right-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Orange is the New Black. \u003c/a>\u003c/em>But she’s got a plan for casting the upcoming Netflix series \u003cem>Social Distance\u003c/em>, a scripted show set during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have to hire actors that are quarantining together as families, as husband and wife, as brother and sister, any combination of people—and it’s not just straight couples,” she says, adding that her goal is to add as much diversity to the show as possible. Not just racial and ethnic diversity, but “all shapes, and sizes, and faces, and looks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>One Day at a Time\u003c/em> executive producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/06/29/737328745/after-new-season-pick-up-one-day-at-a-time-showrunner-looks-ahead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gloria Calderon Kellett \u003c/a>found an alternative to taping her show on a crowded set in front of a live audience. After her rebooted sitcom had to shut down midseason, she had an idea: “My husband’s a cartoonist, so animation is around me all the time. And I just thought maybe we can animate this particular episode.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kellett says the storyline of this particular episode, set to air in June, has her TV family dealing with the upcoming presidential election. She says it’s filled with fantasy sequences, making it easy to animate, but future episodes won’t necessarily be cartoons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Animation is one of the few forms of entertainment still in production. For the series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/111678/8-ways-bobs-burgers-is-pure-bay-area\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Bob’s Burgers\u003c/em>, \u003c/a>animators in South Korea continue to work. And from their homes in Los Angeles, writers and sisters Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux work in the show’s virtual writers’ room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ru6bo3CHO4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You lose a little bit of the fun and the magic of having everybody in the room together and seeing each other,” Lizzie Molyneux says. “But it’s good to remember that we’re all fortunate to be working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Molyneux sisters are also co-executive producers of an upcoming animated sitcom, \u003cem>The Great North\u003c/em>. The cast, which features the voices of Megan Mullally and Will Forte, recently tested out lines during an online table read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Normally you get the big laughs from the room, but we had everyone other than our actors muted so there wouldn’t be a lot of noise,” Wendy Molyneux says. “But the actors were nice enough to laugh at the jokes themselves as it went along. So that helped it have the feeling of: We’re not saying jokes into an absolute vacuum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TV writers are now wrestling with how future storylines can deal with the coronavirus pandemic and an unknown future. Schur says his showrunner wife, J.J. Philbin, is waiting to see if her sitcom, \u003cem>Single Parents,\u003c/em> gets picked up for another season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her daily question is: ‘When we come back, are these people living in this world?’ Do you ignore it, or do you run right at it?” he says. “It’s hard to know what people will want from TV, whether they’ll want pure escapism or whether they’ll want a sort of reflection of their own reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audiences may already be tired of watching actors in their living rooms or in mock Zoom meetings. Is it time to innovate new special effects or bring back canned laugh tracks? Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nina Gregory edited this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+Hollywood+Works+From+Home%3A+Stay+Tuned+As+TV+Shows+Get+Creative&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>During the pandemic lockdown, what’s left of Hollywood production has gone virtual. Late-night TV hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/15753/get-to-know-your-new-daily-show-host-south-african-comedian-trevor-noah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Noah, \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/11/02/500303201/late-show-host-stephen-colbert-says-hes-finally-found-his-post-report-voice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Colbert \u003c/a>and the Jimmys—\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/10/12/557331357/jimmy-fallon-on-the-school-of-snl-and-his-tendency-to-smile-too-much\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fallon \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/01/783722818/jimmy-kimmel-writes-a-picture-book-says-kids-are-always-ready-to-laugh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kimmel\u003c/a>—record monologues \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/831174892/late-night-hosts-are-also-working-from-home-with-varying-results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">from their homes.\u003c/a> \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>, which had its finale over the weekend, had its cast mates and guest stars tape themselves, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/04/30/848506248/from-parks-and-recreation-a-brief-but-delightful-return-to-pawnee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">special reunion episode\u003c/a> of \u003cem>Parks and Recreation\u003c/em> that aired recently was also written, shot, directed and edited remotely. Showrunner Mike Schur says he and the director, script supervisor and editors worked from their homes, watching on Zoom as the actors did their own camerawork.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/bwYth4JZP3s'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/bwYth4JZP3s'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“We didn’t actually fully know what anything looked like until we got the footage back. It was always a little bit of a surprise,” Schur says. “There were things that were recorded at the wrong frame rate, the little lights that were attached to the mini-rigs that we sent out kept malfunctioning in the middle of takes. It was a struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Schur says the episode worked as a one-off since the series always had a “let’s put on a show” sensibility. But Schur, who created \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/105436/what-the-good-place-has-taught-us-about-philosophy-and-life-so-far\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Good Place\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/103753/saving-brooklyn-nine-nine-was-business-but-the-love-of-it-is-real\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brooklyn Nine-Nine\u003c/a> \u003c/em>and the upcoming series \u003cem>Rutherford Falls\u003c/em>, says the do-it-yourself method isn’t a long-term solution because making a comedy is a team sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be everyone in his or her own house acting as his or her own hair, makeup, DP [director of photography], rigger, gaffer, grip,” Schur says. “It was really fun to do, but it’s not a blueprint for anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casting director Jennifer Euston can no longer safely audition actors in person at her small New York City office. And she can’t scout for talent at the theater, like she did for\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/6932/5-reasons-to-start-watching-orange-is-the-new-black-right-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Orange is the New Black. \u003c/a>\u003c/em>But she’s got a plan for casting the upcoming Netflix series \u003cem>Social Distance\u003c/em>, a scripted show set during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have to hire actors that are quarantining together as families, as husband and wife, as brother and sister, any combination of people—and it’s not just straight couples,” she says, adding that her goal is to add as much diversity to the show as possible. Not just racial and ethnic diversity, but “all shapes, and sizes, and faces, and looks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>One Day at a Time\u003c/em> executive producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/06/29/737328745/after-new-season-pick-up-one-day-at-a-time-showrunner-looks-ahead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gloria Calderon Kellett \u003c/a>found an alternative to taping her show on a crowded set in front of a live audience. After her rebooted sitcom had to shut down midseason, she had an idea: “My husband’s a cartoonist, so animation is around me all the time. And I just thought maybe we can animate this particular episode.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kellett says the storyline of this particular episode, set to air in June, has her TV family dealing with the upcoming presidential election. She says it’s filled with fantasy sequences, making it easy to animate, but future episodes won’t necessarily be cartoons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Animation is one of the few forms of entertainment still in production. For the series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/111678/8-ways-bobs-burgers-is-pure-bay-area\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Bob’s Burgers\u003c/em>, \u003c/a>animators in South Korea continue to work. And from their homes in Los Angeles, writers and sisters Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux work in the show’s virtual writers’ room.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/7Ru6bo3CHO4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7Ru6bo3CHO4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“You lose a little bit of the fun and the magic of having everybody in the room together and seeing each other,” Lizzie Molyneux says. “But it’s good to remember that we’re all fortunate to be working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Molyneux sisters are also co-executive producers of an upcoming animated sitcom, \u003cem>The Great North\u003c/em>. The cast, which features the voices of Megan Mullally and Will Forte, recently tested out lines during an online table read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Normally you get the big laughs from the room, but we had everyone other than our actors muted so there wouldn’t be a lot of noise,” Wendy Molyneux says. “But the actors were nice enough to laugh at the jokes themselves as it went along. So that helped it have the feeling of: We’re not saying jokes into an absolute vacuum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TV writers are now wrestling with how future storylines can deal with the coronavirus pandemic and an unknown future. Schur says his showrunner wife, J.J. Philbin, is waiting to see if her sitcom, \u003cem>Single Parents,\u003c/em> gets picked up for another season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her daily question is: ‘When we come back, are these people living in this world?’ Do you ignore it, or do you run right at it?” he says. “It’s hard to know what people will want from TV, whether they’ll want pure escapism or whether they’ll want a sort of reflection of their own reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audiences may already be tired of watching actors in their living rooms or in mock Zoom meetings. Is it time to innovate new special effects or bring back canned laugh tracks? Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nina Gregory edited this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+Hollywood+Works+From+Home%3A+Stay+Tuned+As+TV+Shows+Get+Creative&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "snl-just-wrapped-its-45th-season-its-time-to-cruelly-rank-its-musical-guests",
"title": "'SNL' Just Wrapped its 45th Season: It's Time to Cruelly Rank its Musical Guests",
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"headTitle": "‘SNL’ Just Wrapped its 45th Season: It’s Time to Cruelly Rank its Musical Guests | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>We’re roughly two months into a collective crisis that’s kept us sheltered in place, cut off from friends and fearful for the future of our health, our families and our economic well-being. Our emotions frequently form a thick slurry of anxiety, worry, boredom, rage and desperate desire for threads of normalcy; for moments of mundanity; for the calming comfort of the familiar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is why, in the interest of national unity—of shared struggle, of resilience, of all-in-this-togetherness, of \u003cem>patriotism\u003c/em>—it is \u003cem>vital\u003c/em> that we reflect on the most recent season of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em> and mean-spiritedly rank the quality of its musical guests. We did this \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/724884348/snl-musical-guests-ranked-from-no-1-to-greta-van-fleet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">last year\u003c/a> (with apologies to Greta Van Fleet) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/05/21/612911877/this-season-s-snl-musical-guests-cruelly-ranked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the year before\u003c/a> (with apologies to James Bay, whose performance almost definitely happened, though we can’t be 100 percent certain). So now, friends, that tradition continues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few quick notes about \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>‘s 45th season, which ended Saturday: Due to COVID-19, what was intended to be a 21-episode season was shortened to 18 shows, only 15 of which took place before a live audience. The last three, nicknamed \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>, were cobbled together from performers’ residences—including those of the musical guests. \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>‘s Studio 8H stage isn’t always kind to musicians, but it’s bound to present advantages over a setting that provides no audience feedback. We’ll attempt to take that into consideration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, maybe it was the smaller sample size, but no one in this year’s lineup toppled headlong into a grisly train wreck the way certain acts (\u003cem>cough\u003c/em> Kanye West \u003cem>cough\u003c/em> DJ Khaled \u003cem>cough\u003c/em> Greta Van Fleet) did last season. So last place in Season 45 should be read as more “meh” than… you know, traumatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, let’s do this! \u003cem>(Oh, and we’ve linked to every performance that’s still officially available on YouTube.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>18. The Weeknd, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17GxpgE-Fwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Blinding Lights\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nm9RZqBaBM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Scared to Live\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nm9RZqBaBM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, so let’s start with the weirdly busted-up face: As with The Weeknd’s other appearances in support of his new album \u003cem>After Hours\u003c/em>, the singer performed on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> wearing makeup designed to make it look as if he’d just broken his nose. (The album chronicles a rough night out on the town, after all.) So, you know: red suit jacket, nice shoes, blood streaming down his cheek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To liven up the actual performances, it’s best to imagine a backstage scenario in which, say, Cecily Strong was like, “Hey, The Weeknd! Your 2016 song ‘I Feel It Coming (feat. Daft Punk),” while catchy, is nakedly derivative of Michael Jackson! [*bomp*]”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We certainly wouldn’t wish actual violence upon the singer, nor would anyone accuse Cecily Strong of such impudence. It’s just that a little bit of fiction livens up the fact that this performance of “Scared to Live” was \u003cem>so, so, so boring\u003c/em>. On the album, the song is a moody tone-setter; on the \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stage, it was a bathroom break in song form. With the singer standing gamely alongside bright panels of mirrors, “Blinding Lights” put a bit more pep in its step, but The Weeknd still seemed to have expended most of his energy and dynamism in the makeup chair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>17. Luke Combs, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38JvahZxlc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Lovin’ on You\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A_CIU4mU60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Beer Never Broke My Heart\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38JvahZxlc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unfair to Luke Combs to rank him on a scale that rewards onstage spectacle: The singer is one of the biggest stars in country music, at least in part \u003cem>because\u003c/em> his most muscular, rowdily beer-forward songs are so straight-ahead and lyrically unadorned. It’s not a putdown to say that Combs’ \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> renditions of “Lovin’ on You” and “Beer Never Broke My Heart” are indistinguishable from performances he and his band would give in a bar. (Not that they’ve played bars in years; Combs was selling out arenas pre-COVID.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue here is that the songs themselves just aren’t \u003cem>interesting\u003c/em>. “Lovin’ on You” is one of those here-is-a-list-of-things country songs that could have been written by an app, while “Beer Never Broke My Heart” sounds like… well, it could have been written by an app that makes beer commercials. With his bushy red beard and acrylic baseball cap, Combs is as approachable a superstar as you’ll find. But on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>, he stuck to his most boilerplate material, leaving softer stunners like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kqqmr2HWI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Even Though I’m Leaving\u003c/a>” for another day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>16. Niall Horan, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRA-h44Nn98\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Nice to Meet Ya\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iboimrLFE8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Put a Little Love on Me\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iboimrLFE8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a truncated \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> season, fully one-ninth of the headlining musical guests were former members of One Direction: That’d be Harry Styles (see below) and Niall Horan, who put out a fine solo album back in March, just as the world was beginning to crumble around us. Horan previewed that record on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> by performing a pair of its singles: the chugging “Nice to Meet Ya” and the tender piano ballad “Put a Little Love on Me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each song is sturdy enough—and catnip for Horan’s zillions of fans—but both felt a little drab on the \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stage. “Nice to Meet Ya” reverberated gamely with the reincarnated spirit of Rick Astley (who, it must be noted, is not dead), but little else about the performance would be remembered by morning. And while Horan gave “Put a Little Love on Me” his all vocally, the piano-bar arrangement generated scarcely enough energy to warm up a teacup full of skim milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, we got Harry Styles and Niall Horan, but no Zayn Malik? Bring us Zayn, you ghouls! #justiceforzayn #nozaynnopeace\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>15. Camila Cabello, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLorxdRxRg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Cry for Me\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syzcvdm1hq4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Easy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syzcvdm1hq4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Camila Cabello has spent years on the pop-star treadmill—first in Fifth Harmony and then as the chart-topping singer of songs like “Havana” and “Señorita”—without establishing a terribly distinct public persona. The Cuban-American’s songs often evoke a sense of place to match their sultriness, but Cabello herself remains somewhat unknowable; no matter how thoughtfully \u003ca href=\"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/camila-cabello-anxiety-nervous-singing-public-shawn-mendes-senorita-a9015041.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she’s opened up to the public\u003c/a>, her candor rarely seems to seep into the songs she sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That didn’t change with the skillful-but-bloodless singles she performed in her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut, although “Cry for Me” at least got a grandly choreographed theatrical staging, complete with Marie Antoinette get-up and dancers twirling around in vintage attire. By comparison, “Easy” felt a bit stilted and pageant-y, as Cabello performed the song while standing in a white silk gown, her feet planted to the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>14. Boyz II Men with Babyface, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLXlbaF9cE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>A Song for Mama\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLXlbaF9cE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The final episode of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>—and of the show’s 45th season—happened to take place on the eve of Mother’s Day. So the show opted for a brief, good-natured, low-key tribute courtesy of Babyface and Boyz II Men, whose members performed their 1997 chart-topper “A Song for Mama” from the confines of their respective domiciles. (\u003cem>SNL’\u003c/em>s home editions have provided peeks into many performers’ home lives. In this case, we learned that Babyface and Boyz II Men live among many, many framed gold and platinum records.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for “A Song for Mama,” the moment was sweet—and rendered that much more sentimental via the screening of archival photos of \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> cast members with their moms. But with each performer appearing remotely, the finished product felt a little… well, remote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, now that Mother’s Day is over, may we recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sasPmpBhR10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a far livelier COVID performance\u003c/a> by Boyz II Men, in which the singing sensations appear from their homes along with New Kids on the Block, Naughty by Nature, Big Freedia (!!!), Jordin Sparks and an assortment of bonkers cameos? Because it is ridiculous, and it is fun, and it’s a reminder that staying home doesn’t mean you can \u003cem>only\u003c/em> listen to songs about what a low-key bummer it is to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>13. Justin Bieber, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DBJsXtays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Yummy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJmC_kqXJ8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Intentions\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> feat. Quavo”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DBJsXtays\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news: Justin Bieber tore through two new songs from \u003cem>Changes\u003c/em> with considerable energy, backed by starkly lit dancers, attention-grabbing sets and, late in “Intentions,” a welcome appearance by Migos rapper Quavo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The less-good news: Bieber’s vocals were pretty wobbly and… yeah, “Yummy” is \u003cem>at least\u003c/em> as insipid as its title suggests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which is to say: This was the latest mixed bag in a career that’s produced some A+ pop bangers, some forgettable trifles, a lavish assortment of embarrassing growing pains and one ugly-ass mustache.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>12. Halsey, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGYo1bmqn40\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>You Should Be Sad\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFcIBSgk9dQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Finally // Beautiful Stranger\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGYo1bmqn40\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Halsey grew up in New Jersey, which places her not terribly far from 30 Rockefeller Plaza. So, while we’re not suggesting that Halsey currently lives in a supply closet at 30 Rock so that she can be available to perform on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> at a moment’s notice, we’re also not \u003cem>not\u003c/em> suggesting that Halsey currently lives in a supply closet at 30 Rock so that she can be available to perform on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> at a moment’s notice. Halsey is on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> a \u003cem>lot\u003c/em>. From the beginning of 2018 through January of this year, the show featured women as headlining musical guests 16 out of a possible 44 times. Halsey has claimed \u003cem>three\u003c/em> of those spots, and that’s not even counting the time the singer popped up during Lil Wayne’s set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest iteration of Halsey on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> felt oddly low-energy—which is kind of a feat when you consider that 1.) she performed the midtempo “You Should Be Sad” while glued into a Frederick’s of Hollywood castoff; and 2.) she opened her set astride a mechanical bull and later got hoisted aloft by scantily clad dancers. “Finally // Beautiful Stranger” was less eventful (by design) and slower still: a vocal showcase that demonstrated both Halsey’s range and her tendency to embellish her vocals with what can only be described as “simulated AutoTune.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>11. King Princess, “1950” and “Hit the Back”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>King Princess (a.k.a. Mikaela Straus) has only released an album and an EP, but she’s already working from a toolkit that encompasses and transcends multiple blended genres. For her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut, the young shapeshifter showed off her affinity for two of them: the slick, wiry, slow-burning, guitar-wielding rock of “1950” and the coyly suggestive, alternately seething and propulsive dance-pop of “Hit the Back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken as a whole, the performance felt more like an introduction than a coronation: King Princess waited to really cut loose until late in “Hit the Back,” when a series of body-rolls gave way to full-blown thrashing. Norm-busting icons generally aren’t made overnight, but she’s well on her way; this relatively contained \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stop felt like Step 1 on a long journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>10. Chris Martin, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdzFWMhNPc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Shelter From The Storm\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdzFWMhNPc0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once COVID-19 made it impossible to put together a traditional episode of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em>—and forced the cancellation of a planned show with musical guest Dua Lipa—producers did what they could to assemble an episode cobbled together from material recorded at performers’ homes. Casualties of this arrangement included the live audience, the live laughter, the live applause, the 30 Rock soundstage, much of the interpersonal chemistry, the musical guest’s second song and an unwritten rule that prevents singers from headlining more than one episode in a single season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Martin’s band Coldplay was the musical guest back in November—see below—but he returned in April to perform a cover of Bob Dylan’s situationally appropriate 1975 classic “Shelter From the Storm.” Shot in dusky, grayish black-and-white (presumably to pay tribute to the film \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061589/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Dont Look Back\u003c/em>\u003c/a>), the set-up felt bare-bones in a cable-access sort of way, as Martin wisely skipped embellishments that might have watered down the original. Hardly a Technicolor showstopper, but right for the moment at hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>9. Harry Styles, “Lights Up” and “Watermelon Sugar”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a wonder that Harry Styles found the time to put together grabby stage presentations of “Lights Up” and “Watermelon Sugar,” given his to-do list for the night: The former One Direction star (and current \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/814424330/2-green-bay-packers-fans-chat-behind-the-tiny-desk-and-one-of-them-is-harry-styl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers fan\u003c/a>) was also serving as \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> \u003cem>host\u003c/em>, acting in a bunch of sketches and, at one point, appearing in a prerecorded video as the human embodiment of Aidy Bryant’s dog. The live songs, performed in the run-up to Styles’ recent album \u003cem>Fine Line\u003c/em>, could’ve easily registered as an afterthought, and they thankfully didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opening with the more subdued “Lights Up,” Styles appeared with a stately band and a solemn choir. As such, the performance felt a little uneventful—though it should be noted that Styles brought his wardrobe A-game in a way other men seriously ought to emulate. (That sparkly jumpsuit is \u003cem>killer\u003c/em>.) “Watermelon Sugar” brings another great outfit and a nice jolt of fervent energy, as Styles danced and strutted about while surrounded by a crack band that included a four-piece horn section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>8. Taylor Swift, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmipFjOtMA8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Lover\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjD3LoXp-Pw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>False God\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmipFjOtMA8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was hardly Taylor Swift’s first \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> rodeo, given that she’s been a host, made a few cameos and served as a headlining musical guest more than once. And Swift has spent countless promotional cycles serving up lavish, uneven, often high-concept performances at awards shows and on late-night TV. So it was actually refreshing to see her so dialed-down and at-ease in these stripped-down performances of highlights from her latest album, \u003cem>Lover\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That record’s wedding-ready title track got an especially raw treatment on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>, as her solo-piano rendition highlighted the song’s conversational emotionalism and a hook so subtle, you hardly notice it burrowing into your brain for eternity. Less emotionally rich but more visually eventful was “False God,” in which Swift glided through the song amid soft, floating coils of light and the prominent saxophone solos of \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> bandleader (and former Tower of Power player) Lenny Pickett.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Miley Cyrus, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYo8xQf4PY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Wish You Were Here\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYo8xQf4PY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first week of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em> made a valiant attempt to re-create an episode of the show while juggling technological limitations, a dark national mood and the fact that virtually no one could be in the same room together. The second week ran far more smoothly: Funnier and slicker, it also benefited from the fact that its musical guest, Miley Cyrus, didn’t look as if she was starring in a hostage video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bathed in red light while sitting aside a fire pit at night, Cyrus belted out Pink Floyd’s 1975 lighter-waver “Wish You Were Here” with the socially distanced accompaniment of guitarist Andrew Watt. (The choice of Watt—a bestselling pop producer, guitarist and songwriter who’s working with Cyrus on her next album—felt notable, in part because Watt \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/music/news/music-producer-andrew-watt-coronavirus-pneumonia-1203537066/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has written publicly\u003c/a> about his recent battle with COVID-19.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a simple set-up recorded under difficult circumstances, Cyrus’ performance did a pretty ingenious job of turning back-porch busking into the stuff of late-night sound stages. It had visual drama: smoke, flames, distinct lighting, moody accompaniment, lavish fashion. But it also served up the umpteenth reminder that Miley Cyrus is a marvelous singer, with vocal—and emotional—range to spare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Coldplay, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxsb0Zpe8w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Orphans\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “Everyday Life”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxsb0Zpe8w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bash Coldplay all you want, but this performance of “Orphans” showed exactly how to liven up a typical spot as a late-night musical guest: Chris Martin opened the song from a supply closet in the back of the room before making his way into the audience to perform with clusters of cast members, musicians and randos. He eventually ran to the stage, at which point he finished the song while backed by members of his band, a colorful animated video on a giant screen and an enormous throng of dancers. It was an immensely buoyant, memorable performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By comparison, “Everyday Life” couldn’t help but fizzle earnestly, though the song’s melancholy notes of tentatively uplifting empathy resonate more now than they did all the way back in November 2019. But let’s not neglect the \u003cem>real\u003c/em> takeaway here: Sure, Chris Martin’s distressed tee probably cost $1,400 or something, but he looked like he just got done insulating his attic. Could you imagine Halsey getting to perform in that grubby rag? We will never achieve gender equality until male performers dress better (see: Harry Styles) or female performers dress worse—preferably both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. DaBaby, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffEyeWn_fA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Bop\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbGLwe53-LI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Suge\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffEyeWn_fA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DaBaby understands that you can perform a couple of songs on TV, or you can put on a show of your own. Backed by a few musicians, a giant throng of dancers and a woman who periodically twerked from a full handstand, DaBaby served as both rapper and ringmaster. Unafraid to dive into the choreography, he felt fully integrated into the mayhem—which featured not only the hip-hop dance crew Jabbawockeez, but also a whole bunch of stage fighting. (Why stage fighting? Hey, why did the other 17 entries on this list \u003cem>not\u003c/em> include stage fighting? Lookin’ your way, Niall Horan.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, all that ludicrous theatrical chaos wouldn’t have mattered much without tight, hooky songs to back it up, and DaBaby came to work there, too. Performing with a showman’s charisma, the young star seemed to be having a blast. That can be more than half the battle, right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Billie Eilish, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1Uwsg3eRQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>bad guy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6AdQLB_19g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>I Love You\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> (feat. Finneas O’Connell)”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1Uwsg3eRQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Billie Eilish was basically bulletproof in 2019: Her debut album spawned a string of huge hits, and “bad guy” was the only juggernaut omnipresent enough to knock “Old Town Road” off its perch at the top of the pop charts. She kicked off 2020 by sweeping every major category at the Grammys—the youngest artist ever to do so. And, along the path to domination, she provided one of the biggest “wow” moments in recent \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a concept liberally borrowed from the 1951 film \u003cem>Royal Wedding\u003c/em>—the one in which Fred Astaire climbs the walls before dancing on the ceiling—Eilish’s pajama- and walking-boot-clad \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> performance of “bad guy” duplicated the gravity-defying effect to perfection, thanks to a boxy miniaturized set (and a camera) that rotated like a hamster wheel. Before viewers could finish Googling “How did Billie Eilish do that \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>,” the show panned out to reveal the trick, which somehow made the whole thing seem even more impressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After so much razzle-dazzle, Eilish hardly needed to return for a second song. But she took a decent-sized swing anyway, showcasing her balladeering softer side—still a new look for her back in September—in a whispery take on “I Love You.” Joined on guitar by her similarly Grammy-festooned brother Finneas O’Connell, Eilish more than held her own. But it was somewhat drowsy as a set-closer, especially after the sugar high she’d just pulled off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Chance The Rapper, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnlUnGj54hM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Zanies and Fools\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX2IpcmN_w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Handsome\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX2IpcmN_w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was Chance the Rapper’s second stint as a musical guest, his second stint as an enormously funny and good-natured \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> host, and his first time pulling double duty. Hell, he even introduced himself at the top of “Zanies and Fools,” letting a clip of his adorable daughter fill the time between his introduction (“Ladies and gentlemen, Chance the Rapper”) and the performance itself. The guy does it all, and does it extraordinarily well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chance also knows how to share—and lavishly fill—a stage, and for “Zanies and Fools,” the rapper found himself surrounded by a swirl of dancers, not to mention a small army of percussionists and string players. The choreography unfurled around him without really involving him, but he compensated by unleashing a rapid-fire vocal that kept the viewer’s attention center stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In “Handsome,” Chance’s collaborators crowded into the background, which gave him the opportunity to move around a bit before ceding the spotlight to the most formidable presence imaginable: Megan Thee Stallion. Meg kept her intensity in second gear to match her stage partner—and found a way to give herself a network-television-friendly edit in real time—but her star power was beyond unmistakable. Next season, she’d be well suited to follow in Chance’s footsteps and try her hand as a host.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. David Byrne, “Once in a Lifetime” and “Toe Jam”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em> usually makes room for a rock or pop legend here and there, including Paul Simon last year and U2 the year before. This year, the chosen veteran was David Byrne, to coincide with the Broadway staging of his \u003cem>American Utopia\u003c/em> concerts. Crucially, he brought his robust, gray-suited cast to join him in filling the stage with movement, sound and all-around effervescence. Deploying between three and six percussionists at any given moment, these performances radiated good cheer and spiky humor, propelled by a Broadway production’s mandate to thrill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, really, “thrilling” just about sums it up. Most \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> guests are promoting new material, so catalog hits aren’t the norm. Here, we got Talking Heads’ unimpeachable classic “Once in a Lifetime” and the terrific “Toe Jam,” which Byrne co-wrote for the U.K. electro-pop band The Brighton Port Authority back in 2008. Byrne happened to appear on perhaps the season’s most widely beloved \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> episode—the one hosted by the marvelous John Mulaney—but you couldn’t have blamed the show had it just turned the whole thing over to Byrne & Co.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Lizzo, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7oze-nu38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Truth Hurts\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj83ri3lSe0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Good As Hell\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj83ri3lSe0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took Lizzo years of hustle and grind to rise all the way to pop superstardom, so there was no way she’d make her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut and not crush it. Marrying lavishly choreographed dance routines to undeniable musicianship and unfettered joy, she and her dancers twerked, spun and frolicked through Lizzo’s two greatest hits to date: “Truth Hurts” (backed by an airtight band, populated exclusively by black women) and “Good As Hell” (performed on a Christmas-themed set in which dancers twirled on poles striped like candy canes).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em>‘s Studio 8H stage can be sterile and unforgiving: It’s a nondescript space with an iffy sound mix, and the crowds are largely there to watch comedy. So it’s a special kind of joy to watch Lizzo douse that canvas with vibrancy, color, movement and good cheer—not to mention transcendent vocal talent—in a set perfectly tailored to elevate the space, the show and the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27SNL%27+Just+Wrapped+Its+45th+Season%3A+It%27s+Time+To+Cruelly+Rank+Its+Musical+Guests&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We’re roughly two months into a collective crisis that’s kept us sheltered in place, cut off from friends and fearful for the future of our health, our families and our economic well-being. Our emotions frequently form a thick slurry of anxiety, worry, boredom, rage and desperate desire for threads of normalcy; for moments of mundanity; for the calming comfort of the familiar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is why, in the interest of national unity—of shared struggle, of resilience, of all-in-this-togetherness, of \u003cem>patriotism\u003c/em>—it is \u003cem>vital\u003c/em> that we reflect on the most recent season of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em> and mean-spiritedly rank the quality of its musical guests. We did this \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/724884348/snl-musical-guests-ranked-from-no-1-to-greta-van-fleet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">last year\u003c/a> (with apologies to Greta Van Fleet) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/05/21/612911877/this-season-s-snl-musical-guests-cruelly-ranked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the year before\u003c/a> (with apologies to James Bay, whose performance almost definitely happened, though we can’t be 100 percent certain). So now, friends, that tradition continues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few quick notes about \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>‘s 45th season, which ended Saturday: Due to COVID-19, what was intended to be a 21-episode season was shortened to 18 shows, only 15 of which took place before a live audience. The last three, nicknamed \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>, were cobbled together from performers’ residences—including those of the musical guests. \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>‘s Studio 8H stage isn’t always kind to musicians, but it’s bound to present advantages over a setting that provides no audience feedback. We’ll attempt to take that into consideration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, maybe it was the smaller sample size, but no one in this year’s lineup toppled headlong into a grisly train wreck the way certain acts (\u003cem>cough\u003c/em> Kanye West \u003cem>cough\u003c/em> DJ Khaled \u003cem>cough\u003c/em> Greta Van Fleet) did last season. So last place in Season 45 should be read as more “meh” than… you know, traumatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, let’s do this! \u003cem>(Oh, and we’ve linked to every performance that’s still officially available on YouTube.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>18. The Weeknd, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17GxpgE-Fwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Blinding Lights\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nm9RZqBaBM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Scared to Live\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/6Nm9RZqBaBM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/6Nm9RZqBaBM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Okay, so let’s start with the weirdly busted-up face: As with The Weeknd’s other appearances in support of his new album \u003cem>After Hours\u003c/em>, the singer performed on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> wearing makeup designed to make it look as if he’d just broken his nose. (The album chronicles a rough night out on the town, after all.) So, you know: red suit jacket, nice shoes, blood streaming down his cheek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To liven up the actual performances, it’s best to imagine a backstage scenario in which, say, Cecily Strong was like, “Hey, The Weeknd! Your 2016 song ‘I Feel It Coming (feat. Daft Punk),” while catchy, is nakedly derivative of Michael Jackson! [*bomp*]”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We certainly wouldn’t wish actual violence upon the singer, nor would anyone accuse Cecily Strong of such impudence. It’s just that a little bit of fiction livens up the fact that this performance of “Scared to Live” was \u003cem>so, so, so boring\u003c/em>. On the album, the song is a moody tone-setter; on the \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stage, it was a bathroom break in song form. With the singer standing gamely alongside bright panels of mirrors, “Blinding Lights” put a bit more pep in its step, but The Weeknd still seemed to have expended most of his energy and dynamism in the makeup chair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>17. Luke Combs, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38JvahZxlc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Lovin’ on You\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A_CIU4mU60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Beer Never Broke My Heart\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/B38JvahZxlc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/B38JvahZxlc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s unfair to Luke Combs to rank him on a scale that rewards onstage spectacle: The singer is one of the biggest stars in country music, at least in part \u003cem>because\u003c/em> his most muscular, rowdily beer-forward songs are so straight-ahead and lyrically unadorned. It’s not a putdown to say that Combs’ \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> renditions of “Lovin’ on You” and “Beer Never Broke My Heart” are indistinguishable from performances he and his band would give in a bar. (Not that they’ve played bars in years; Combs was selling out arenas pre-COVID.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue here is that the songs themselves just aren’t \u003cem>interesting\u003c/em>. “Lovin’ on You” is one of those here-is-a-list-of-things country songs that could have been written by an app, while “Beer Never Broke My Heart” sounds like… well, it could have been written by an app that makes beer commercials. With his bushy red beard and acrylic baseball cap, Combs is as approachable a superstar as you’ll find. But on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>, he stuck to his most boilerplate material, leaving softer stunners like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kqqmr2HWI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Even Though I’m Leaving\u003c/a>” for another day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>16. Niall Horan, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRA-h44Nn98\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Nice to Meet Ya\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iboimrLFE8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Put a Little Love on Me\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/5iboimrLFE8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/5iboimrLFE8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In a truncated \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> season, fully one-ninth of the headlining musical guests were former members of One Direction: That’d be Harry Styles (see below) and Niall Horan, who put out a fine solo album back in March, just as the world was beginning to crumble around us. Horan previewed that record on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> by performing a pair of its singles: the chugging “Nice to Meet Ya” and the tender piano ballad “Put a Little Love on Me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each song is sturdy enough—and catnip for Horan’s zillions of fans—but both felt a little drab on the \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stage. “Nice to Meet Ya” reverberated gamely with the reincarnated spirit of Rick Astley (who, it must be noted, is not dead), but little else about the performance would be remembered by morning. And while Horan gave “Put a Little Love on Me” his all vocally, the piano-bar arrangement generated scarcely enough energy to warm up a teacup full of skim milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, we got Harry Styles and Niall Horan, but no Zayn Malik? Bring us Zayn, you ghouls! #justiceforzayn #nozaynnopeace\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>15. Camila Cabello, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLorxdRxRg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Cry for Me\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syzcvdm1hq4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Easy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Syzcvdm1hq4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Syzcvdm1hq4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Camila Cabello has spent years on the pop-star treadmill—first in Fifth Harmony and then as the chart-topping singer of songs like “Havana” and “Señorita”—without establishing a terribly distinct public persona. The Cuban-American’s songs often evoke a sense of place to match their sultriness, but Cabello herself remains somewhat unknowable; no matter how thoughtfully \u003ca href=\"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/camila-cabello-anxiety-nervous-singing-public-shawn-mendes-senorita-a9015041.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she’s opened up to the public\u003c/a>, her candor rarely seems to seep into the songs she sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That didn’t change with the skillful-but-bloodless singles she performed in her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut, although “Cry for Me” at least got a grandly choreographed theatrical staging, complete with Marie Antoinette get-up and dancers twirling around in vintage attire. By comparison, “Easy” felt a bit stilted and pageant-y, as Cabello performed the song while standing in a white silk gown, her feet planted to the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>14. Boyz II Men with Babyface, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLXlbaF9cE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>A Song for Mama\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pLLXlbaF9cE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pLLXlbaF9cE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The final episode of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>—and of the show’s 45th season—happened to take place on the eve of Mother’s Day. So the show opted for a brief, good-natured, low-key tribute courtesy of Babyface and Boyz II Men, whose members performed their 1997 chart-topper “A Song for Mama” from the confines of their respective domiciles. (\u003cem>SNL’\u003c/em>s home editions have provided peeks into many performers’ home lives. In this case, we learned that Babyface and Boyz II Men live among many, many framed gold and platinum records.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for “A Song for Mama,” the moment was sweet—and rendered that much more sentimental via the screening of archival photos of \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> cast members with their moms. But with each performer appearing remotely, the finished product felt a little… well, remote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, now that Mother’s Day is over, may we recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sasPmpBhR10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a far livelier COVID performance\u003c/a> by Boyz II Men, in which the singing sensations appear from their homes along with New Kids on the Block, Naughty by Nature, Big Freedia (!!!), Jordin Sparks and an assortment of bonkers cameos? Because it is ridiculous, and it is fun, and it’s a reminder that staying home doesn’t mean you can \u003cem>only\u003c/em> listen to songs about what a low-key bummer it is to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>13. Justin Bieber, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DBJsXtays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Yummy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJmC_kqXJ8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Intentions\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> feat. Quavo”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/b9DBJsXtays'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/b9DBJsXtays'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The good news: Justin Bieber tore through two new songs from \u003cem>Changes\u003c/em> with considerable energy, backed by starkly lit dancers, attention-grabbing sets and, late in “Intentions,” a welcome appearance by Migos rapper Quavo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The less-good news: Bieber’s vocals were pretty wobbly and… yeah, “Yummy” is \u003cem>at least\u003c/em> as insipid as its title suggests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which is to say: This was the latest mixed bag in a career that’s produced some A+ pop bangers, some forgettable trifles, a lavish assortment of embarrassing growing pains and one ugly-ass mustache.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>12. Halsey, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGYo1bmqn40\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>You Should Be Sad\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFcIBSgk9dQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Finally // Beautiful Stranger\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/jGYo1bmqn40'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/jGYo1bmqn40'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Halsey grew up in New Jersey, which places her not terribly far from 30 Rockefeller Plaza. So, while we’re not suggesting that Halsey currently lives in a supply closet at 30 Rock so that she can be available to perform on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> at a moment’s notice, we’re also not \u003cem>not\u003c/em> suggesting that Halsey currently lives in a supply closet at 30 Rock so that she can be available to perform on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> at a moment’s notice. Halsey is on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> a \u003cem>lot\u003c/em>. From the beginning of 2018 through January of this year, the show featured women as headlining musical guests 16 out of a possible 44 times. Halsey has claimed \u003cem>three\u003c/em> of those spots, and that’s not even counting the time the singer popped up during Lil Wayne’s set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest iteration of Halsey on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> felt oddly low-energy—which is kind of a feat when you consider that 1.) she performed the midtempo “You Should Be Sad” while glued into a Frederick’s of Hollywood castoff; and 2.) she opened her set astride a mechanical bull and later got hoisted aloft by scantily clad dancers. “Finally // Beautiful Stranger” was less eventful (by design) and slower still: a vocal showcase that demonstrated both Halsey’s range and her tendency to embellish her vocals with what can only be described as “simulated AutoTune.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>11. King Princess, “1950” and “Hit the Back”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>King Princess (a.k.a. Mikaela Straus) has only released an album and an EP, but she’s already working from a toolkit that encompasses and transcends multiple blended genres. For her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut, the young shapeshifter showed off her affinity for two of them: the slick, wiry, slow-burning, guitar-wielding rock of “1950” and the coyly suggestive, alternately seething and propulsive dance-pop of “Hit the Back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken as a whole, the performance felt more like an introduction than a coronation: King Princess waited to really cut loose until late in “Hit the Back,” when a series of body-rolls gave way to full-blown thrashing. Norm-busting icons generally aren’t made overnight, but she’s well on her way; this relatively contained \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> stop felt like Step 1 on a long journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>10. Chris Martin, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdzFWMhNPc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Shelter From The Storm\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/MdzFWMhNPc0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/MdzFWMhNPc0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Once COVID-19 made it impossible to put together a traditional episode of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em>—and forced the cancellation of a planned show with musical guest Dua Lipa—producers did what they could to assemble an episode cobbled together from material recorded at performers’ homes. Casualties of this arrangement included the live audience, the live laughter, the live applause, the 30 Rock soundstage, much of the interpersonal chemistry, the musical guest’s second song and an unwritten rule that prevents singers from headlining more than one episode in a single season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Martin’s band Coldplay was the musical guest back in November—see below—but he returned in April to perform a cover of Bob Dylan’s situationally appropriate 1975 classic “Shelter From the Storm.” Shot in dusky, grayish black-and-white (presumably to pay tribute to the film \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061589/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Dont Look Back\u003c/em>\u003c/a>), the set-up felt bare-bones in a cable-access sort of way, as Martin wisely skipped embellishments that might have watered down the original. Hardly a Technicolor showstopper, but right for the moment at hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>9. Harry Styles, “Lights Up” and “Watermelon Sugar”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a wonder that Harry Styles found the time to put together grabby stage presentations of “Lights Up” and “Watermelon Sugar,” given his to-do list for the night: The former One Direction star (and current \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/814424330/2-green-bay-packers-fans-chat-behind-the-tiny-desk-and-one-of-them-is-harry-styl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers fan\u003c/a>) was also serving as \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> \u003cem>host\u003c/em>, acting in a bunch of sketches and, at one point, appearing in a prerecorded video as the human embodiment of Aidy Bryant’s dog. The live songs, performed in the run-up to Styles’ recent album \u003cem>Fine Line\u003c/em>, could’ve easily registered as an afterthought, and they thankfully didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opening with the more subdued “Lights Up,” Styles appeared with a stately band and a solemn choir. As such, the performance felt a little uneventful—though it should be noted that Styles brought his wardrobe A-game in a way other men seriously ought to emulate. (That sparkly jumpsuit is \u003cem>killer\u003c/em>.) “Watermelon Sugar” brings another great outfit and a nice jolt of fervent energy, as Styles danced and strutted about while surrounded by a crack band that included a four-piece horn section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>8. Taylor Swift, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmipFjOtMA8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Lover\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjD3LoXp-Pw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>False God\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/dmipFjOtMA8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/dmipFjOtMA8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>This was hardly Taylor Swift’s first \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> rodeo, given that she’s been a host, made a few cameos and served as a headlining musical guest more than once. And Swift has spent countless promotional cycles serving up lavish, uneven, often high-concept performances at awards shows and on late-night TV. So it was actually refreshing to see her so dialed-down and at-ease in these stripped-down performances of highlights from her latest album, \u003cem>Lover\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That record’s wedding-ready title track got an especially raw treatment on \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>, as her solo-piano rendition highlighted the song’s conversational emotionalism and a hook so subtle, you hardly notice it burrowing into your brain for eternity. Less emotionally rich but more visually eventful was “False God,” in which Swift glided through the song amid soft, floating coils of light and the prominent saxophone solos of \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> bandleader (and former Tower of Power player) Lenny Pickett.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Miley Cyrus, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYo8xQf4PY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Wish You Were Here\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” (from \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/zUYo8xQf4PY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/zUYo8xQf4PY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The first week of \u003cem>Saturday Night Live at Home\u003c/em> made a valiant attempt to re-create an episode of the show while juggling technological limitations, a dark national mood and the fact that virtually no one could be in the same room together. The second week ran far more smoothly: Funnier and slicker, it also benefited from the fact that its musical guest, Miley Cyrus, didn’t look as if she was starring in a hostage video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bathed in red light while sitting aside a fire pit at night, Cyrus belted out Pink Floyd’s 1975 lighter-waver “Wish You Were Here” with the socially distanced accompaniment of guitarist Andrew Watt. (The choice of Watt—a bestselling pop producer, guitarist and songwriter who’s working with Cyrus on her next album—felt notable, in part because Watt \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/music/news/music-producer-andrew-watt-coronavirus-pneumonia-1203537066/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has written publicly\u003c/a> about his recent battle with COVID-19.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a simple set-up recorded under difficult circumstances, Cyrus’ performance did a pretty ingenious job of turning back-porch busking into the stuff of late-night sound stages. It had visual drama: smoke, flames, distinct lighting, moody accompaniment, lavish fashion. But it also served up the umpteenth reminder that Miley Cyrus is a marvelous singer, with vocal—and emotional—range to spare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Coldplay, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxsb0Zpe8w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Orphans\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “Everyday Life”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/EUxsb0Zpe8w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EUxsb0Zpe8w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Bash Coldplay all you want, but this performance of “Orphans” showed exactly how to liven up a typical spot as a late-night musical guest: Chris Martin opened the song from a supply closet in the back of the room before making his way into the audience to perform with clusters of cast members, musicians and randos. He eventually ran to the stage, at which point he finished the song while backed by members of his band, a colorful animated video on a giant screen and an enormous throng of dancers. It was an immensely buoyant, memorable performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By comparison, “Everyday Life” couldn’t help but fizzle earnestly, though the song’s melancholy notes of tentatively uplifting empathy resonate more now than they did all the way back in November 2019. But let’s not neglect the \u003cem>real\u003c/em> takeaway here: Sure, Chris Martin’s distressed tee probably cost $1,400 or something, but he looked like he just got done insulating his attic. Could you imagine Halsey getting to perform in that grubby rag? We will never achieve gender equality until male performers dress better (see: Harry Styles) or female performers dress worse—preferably both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. DaBaby, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffEyeWn_fA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Bop\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbGLwe53-LI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Suge\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/YffEyeWn_fA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YffEyeWn_fA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>DaBaby understands that you can perform a couple of songs on TV, or you can put on a show of your own. Backed by a few musicians, a giant throng of dancers and a woman who periodically twerked from a full handstand, DaBaby served as both rapper and ringmaster. Unafraid to dive into the choreography, he felt fully integrated into the mayhem—which featured not only the hip-hop dance crew Jabbawockeez, but also a whole bunch of stage fighting. (Why stage fighting? Hey, why did the other 17 entries on this list \u003cem>not\u003c/em> include stage fighting? Lookin’ your way, Niall Horan.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, all that ludicrous theatrical chaos wouldn’t have mattered much without tight, hooky songs to back it up, and DaBaby came to work there, too. Performing with a showman’s charisma, the young star seemed to be having a blast. That can be more than half the battle, right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. Billie Eilish, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1Uwsg3eRQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>bad guy\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6AdQLB_19g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>I Love You\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> (feat. Finneas O’Connell)”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Jn1Uwsg3eRQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Jn1Uwsg3eRQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Billie Eilish was basically bulletproof in 2019: Her debut album spawned a string of huge hits, and “bad guy” was the only juggernaut omnipresent enough to knock “Old Town Road” off its perch at the top of the pop charts. She kicked off 2020 by sweeping every major category at the Grammys—the youngest artist ever to do so. And, along the path to domination, she provided one of the biggest “wow” moments in recent \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a concept liberally borrowed from the 1951 film \u003cem>Royal Wedding\u003c/em>—the one in which Fred Astaire climbs the walls before dancing on the ceiling—Eilish’s pajama- and walking-boot-clad \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> performance of “bad guy” duplicated the gravity-defying effect to perfection, thanks to a boxy miniaturized set (and a camera) that rotated like a hamster wheel. Before viewers could finish Googling “How did Billie Eilish do that \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em>,” the show panned out to reveal the trick, which somehow made the whole thing seem even more impressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After so much razzle-dazzle, Eilish hardly needed to return for a second song. But she took a decent-sized swing anyway, showcasing her balladeering softer side—still a new look for her back in September—in a whispery take on “I Love You.” Joined on guitar by her similarly Grammy-festooned brother Finneas O’Connell, Eilish more than held her own. But it was somewhat drowsy as a set-closer, especially after the sugar high she’d just pulled off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Chance The Rapper, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnlUnGj54hM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Zanies and Fools\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX2IpcmN_w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Handsome\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/RwX2IpcmN_w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/RwX2IpcmN_w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>This was Chance the Rapper’s second stint as a musical guest, his second stint as an enormously funny and good-natured \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> host, and his first time pulling double duty. Hell, he even introduced himself at the top of “Zanies and Fools,” letting a clip of his adorable daughter fill the time between his introduction (“Ladies and gentlemen, Chance the Rapper”) and the performance itself. The guy does it all, and does it extraordinarily well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chance also knows how to share—and lavishly fill—a stage, and for “Zanies and Fools,” the rapper found himself surrounded by a swirl of dancers, not to mention a small army of percussionists and string players. The choreography unfurled around him without really involving him, but he compensated by unleashing a rapid-fire vocal that kept the viewer’s attention center stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In “Handsome,” Chance’s collaborators crowded into the background, which gave him the opportunity to move around a bit before ceding the spotlight to the most formidable presence imaginable: Megan Thee Stallion. Meg kept her intensity in second gear to match her stage partner—and found a way to give herself a network-television-friendly edit in real time—but her star power was beyond unmistakable. Next season, she’d be well suited to follow in Chance’s footsteps and try her hand as a host.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. David Byrne, “Once in a Lifetime” and “Toe Jam”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em> usually makes room for a rock or pop legend here and there, including Paul Simon last year and U2 the year before. This year, the chosen veteran was David Byrne, to coincide with the Broadway staging of his \u003cem>American Utopia\u003c/em> concerts. Crucially, he brought his robust, gray-suited cast to join him in filling the stage with movement, sound and all-around effervescence. Deploying between three and six percussionists at any given moment, these performances radiated good cheer and spiky humor, propelled by a Broadway production’s mandate to thrill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, really, “thrilling” just about sums it up. Most \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> guests are promoting new material, so catalog hits aren’t the norm. Here, we got Talking Heads’ unimpeachable classic “Once in a Lifetime” and the terrific “Toe Jam,” which Byrne co-wrote for the U.K. electro-pop band The Brighton Port Authority back in 2008. Byrne happened to appear on perhaps the season’s most widely beloved \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> episode—the one hosted by the marvelous John Mulaney—but you couldn’t have blamed the show had it just turned the whole thing over to Byrne & Co.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Lizzo, “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7oze-nu38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Truth Hurts\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>” and “\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj83ri3lSe0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cstrong>Good As Hell\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Aj83ri3lSe0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Aj83ri3lSe0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>It took Lizzo years of hustle and grind to rise all the way to pop superstardom, so there was no way she’d make her \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> debut and not crush it. Marrying lavishly choreographed dance routines to undeniable musicianship and unfettered joy, she and her dancers twerked, spun and frolicked through Lizzo’s two greatest hits to date: “Truth Hurts” (backed by an airtight band, populated exclusively by black women) and “Good As Hell” (performed on a Christmas-themed set in which dancers twirled on poles striped like candy canes).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday Night Live\u003c/em>‘s Studio 8H stage can be sterile and unforgiving: It’s a nondescript space with an iffy sound mix, and the crowds are largely there to watch comedy. So it’s a special kind of joy to watch Lizzo douse that canvas with vibrancy, color, movement and good cheer—not to mention transcendent vocal talent—in a set perfectly tailored to elevate the space, the show and the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27SNL%27+Just+Wrapped+Its+45th+Season%3A+It%27s+Time+To+Cruelly+Rank+Its+Musical+Guests&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Jerry Stiller, Who Played Hot-Headed Dad On 'Seinfeld,' Dies At 92",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Jerry Stiller told his father he wanted to become an actor, his father offered an alternate plan. He said, “Why don’t you be a stagehand — that’s like being on the stage — at least you’ll be working every night,” Stiller told \u003cem>Fresh Air\u003c/em> in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller did not heed his father’s advice and went on to have a long career in show business. He performed comedy on stage and screen, and, in later years, made a name for himself playing George Costanza’s hot-headed father on \u003cem>Seinfeld. \u003c/em>Stiller died of natural causes, his son Ben Stiller \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RedHourBen/status/1259759084309446657?s=20\">tweeted\u003c/a> Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller was born in Brooklyn in 1927. After serving in World War II, he teamed up with his wife, Anne Meara, to form the Stiller and Meara comedy duo — a practical move motivated by love. “We wanted to keep the marriage together,” he joked — she was tall and Catholic, he was short and Jewish — and until they partnered up, “we never got jobs together,” Stiller told the Archive of American Television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller and Meara enjoyed success as a duo for many years but eventually decided to pursue careers on their own. Looking back in 1993, Stiller told \u003cem>Fresh Air\u003c/em> he and Meara were young parents juggling a show business schedule — and trying “to figure out a way to do everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Here were a husband and wife working together and suddenly you’re being asked to play Las Vegas,” he recalled. “What do you do, pick up the two children and the nanny and go to Vegas and get ready to do the nightclub act?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After stints on Broadway and on several TV shows in the 1970s, Stiller’s most notable role came in the early ’90s, when he joined the cast of \u003cem>Seinfeld.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller said producer Larry David was looking for an actor who would “play it down” — and he did at first — but felt the approach wasn’t working. So, in a final dress rehearsal in front of a live audience, Stiller played Costanza’s temperament up — way up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a now-famous episode, the frequently furious Costanza is encouraged to recite the mantra “serenity now” every time he gets riled up. Stiller went on to earn an Emmy nomination for his work on\u003cem> Seinfeld\u003c/em>. Years later, he played another angry dad on the show \u003cem>King of Queens.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller was also a father in real life, but not one fueled by anger. His son, actor Ben Stiller, told NPR that his dad was always supportive — and hilarious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He just can’t help but be funny because he’s so committed to being who he is,” Stiller said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The father and son appeared together in Ben’s \u003cem>Zoolander \u003c/em>movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Meara died in 2015, she and Stiller had been married for more than 60 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Stiller said his mother’s humor tended to be dark, but his father’s was always intended to bring joy, and perhaps a bit of “serenity now,” to others. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Comedian+Jerry+Stiller%2C+Who+Played+Hot-Headed+Dad+On+%27Seinfeld%2C%27+Dies+At+92&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Jerry Stiller told his father he wanted to become an actor, his father offered an alternate plan. He said, “Why don’t you be a stagehand — that’s like being on the stage — at least you’ll be working every night,” Stiller told \u003cem>Fresh Air\u003c/em> in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller did not heed his father’s advice and went on to have a long career in show business. He performed comedy on stage and screen, and, in later years, made a name for himself playing George Costanza’s hot-headed father on \u003cem>Seinfeld. \u003c/em>Stiller died of natural causes, his son Ben Stiller \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RedHourBen/status/1259759084309446657?s=20\">tweeted\u003c/a> Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller was born in Brooklyn in 1927. After serving in World War II, he teamed up with his wife, Anne Meara, to form the Stiller and Meara comedy duo — a practical move motivated by love. “We wanted to keep the marriage together,” he joked — she was tall and Catholic, he was short and Jewish — and until they partnered up, “we never got jobs together,” Stiller told the Archive of American Television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller and Meara enjoyed success as a duo for many years but eventually decided to pursue careers on their own. Looking back in 1993, Stiller told \u003cem>Fresh Air\u003c/em> he and Meara were young parents juggling a show business schedule — and trying “to figure out a way to do everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Here were a husband and wife working together and suddenly you’re being asked to play Las Vegas,” he recalled. “What do you do, pick up the two children and the nanny and go to Vegas and get ready to do the nightclub act?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After stints on Broadway and on several TV shows in the 1970s, Stiller’s most notable role came in the early ’90s, when he joined the cast of \u003cem>Seinfeld.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller said producer Larry David was looking for an actor who would “play it down” — and he did at first — but felt the approach wasn’t working. So, in a final dress rehearsal in front of a live audience, Stiller played Costanza’s temperament up — way up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a now-famous episode, the frequently furious Costanza is encouraged to recite the mantra “serenity now” every time he gets riled up. Stiller went on to earn an Emmy nomination for his work on\u003cem> Seinfeld\u003c/em>. Years later, he played another angry dad on the show \u003cem>King of Queens.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stiller was also a father in real life, but not one fueled by anger. His son, actor Ben Stiller, told NPR that his dad was always supportive — and hilarious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He just can’t help but be funny because he’s so committed to being who he is,” Stiller said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The father and son appeared together in Ben’s \u003cem>Zoolander \u003c/em>movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Meara died in 2015, she and Stiller had been married for more than 60 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Stiller said his mother’s humor tended to be dark, but his father’s was always intended to bring joy, and perhaps a bit of “serenity now,” to others. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Comedian+Jerry+Stiller%2C+Who+Played+Hot-Headed+Dad+On+%27Seinfeld%2C%27+Dies+At+92&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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