Month: March 2021

Last week, Lady Gaga found herself in the middle of a dangerous and unfortunate situation: Thieves shot her dog walker and stole two of her three French bulldogs. Fortunately for everybody involved, the dogs have since been safely returned home after having been brought to a police station by a woman who seemed “uninvolved and unassociated” with the initial attack. It wasn’t clear how that person came in possession of the dogs, but now we reportedly know how that happened.

Over the weekend, TMZ reported that according to “law enforcement sources,” the woman happened upon the dogs tied up to a pole in an alley and recognized them due to the media coverage of the dog-napping. She then contacted the email Gaga’s team made to help facilitate the return of the dogs and was told to bring them to LAPD’s Olympic Community Police Station. Police do not believe the woman has any involvement with the shooting or theft.

When Gaga first publicly addressed the theft, she wrote on Twitter, “My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return.” TMZ notes that sources say Gaga will “gladly” give the woman the promised reward.

After an agonizing wait between Episodes 15 and 16 of the tenth season of The Walking Dead and another agonizing wait between Episodes 16 and 17, the series finally returned this week with an episode appropriately titled, “Home Sweet Home.” It was appropriate because (after watching so many episodes of Fear the Walking Dead and The World Beyond) watching the parent series felt like home again. It was also appropriate because the episode represented a huge homecoming for Maggie Greene, who returned to Alexandria for the first time in eight years.

The episode introduced a new antagonist — The Reapers — and featured a very awkward interaction between Maggie and Negan. We also got to meet two of Maggie’s new friends, Cole and Elijah. Easily the highlight of the episode, however, was the first appearance of Hershel Rhee, the son of Maggie and the late Glenn Rhee.

Hershel spent most of the episode away from the action, after having purportedly been kidnapped by The Reapers, or at least the super soldier representing The Reapers. As it turns out, however, Hershel was very successful at hiding, and so Maggie finally came upon her son late in the episode chilling in a tree.

It was the big, crowd-pleasing moment the episode needed, and Twitter exploded.

That’s the kind of big, heartwarming moment we love about The Walking Dead. It’s good to have it back. The series, and Hershel Rhee, will return next Sunday.

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of February below.

The National — The National, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, and Cherry Tree EP (Reissue)

It’s been 20 years since The National started their career with their self-titled debut album in 2001, then followed it with Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers and the Cherry Tree EP. Now, all three of those releases have gotten fresh remasters, and limited colored editions are available just for members of the band’s Cherry Tree fan club. For everybody else, the black vinyl editions still look pretty slick.

Get it here.

Sleepless In Seattle Original Soundtrack (Reissue)

Sleepless In Seattle was an iconic romantic comedy of its era, but aside from that, it had a killer soundtrack as well (which actually tore up the charts). It features songs from Céline Dion, Carly Simon, Tammy Wynette, Louis Armstrong, Nat “King” Cole, and others, and appropriately, this edition (limited to 1,500 copies) was released on red vinyl for Valentine’s Day.

Get it here.

Julien Baker — Little Oblivions

Baker recently explained to Uproxx how her new album feels like a boundary-breaking one for her, even if it isn’t: “It’s actually not that extreme, it just feels extreme for me. I’m like, ‘Drum machines, wow.’ I’m slow to change, I’m slow to changing who I am as a person. It takes me a while to adjust to stuff. So, I thought of this as a weird record.”

Get it here.

PJ Harvey — Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea — Demos (Reissues)

PJ Harvey has been a staple of this monthly round-up lately, as she is in the midst of a series of rereleases from throughout her career. This month saw a new edition of 2000’s Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, one of the most commercially successful albums of her career. Like previous reissues, this one also comes with a collection of previously unreleased demos.

Get Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea here. Get Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea — Demos here.

J Dilla — Welcome 2 Detroit — The 20th Anniversary Edition

J Dilla is one of the most beloved producers in hip-hop history, and now the release that started it all, Welcome 2 Detroit, is the subject of a new limited edition 20th anniversary box set. Aside from the album itself, the release also features previously unreleased outtakes, liner notes, interviews, and previously unpublished photos, making it a definitive edition of a classic.

Get it here.

John Coltrane — Lush Life (Reissue)

This new edition of John Coltrane’s legendary 1961 album Lush Life — which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year — was carefully remastered from the original analog tapes. Additionally, this is the first release in Craft Recordings’ new “Small Batch” series, each item in which will be individually numbered and come in “a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork,” as well as “a reproduction of the original album jacket, complete with tip-on jacket, and protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve.”

Get it here.

The Strokes — Room On Fire (Reissue)

The Strokes’ stunning debut album Is This It was a tough act to follow, but they did just fine with Room On Fire, which also earned the group critical acclaim. Now the album has gotten a shiny new Vinyl Me, Please reissue, for which the album was remastered and presented with an exclusive art print.

Get it here.

The Band — Stage Fright (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)

Capitol and UMe are going all out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stage Fright, the third album from The Band. They’re reissuing it in multiple formats, the most expansive of which is the Super Deluxe Edition, which includes two CDs, a Blu-ray, an LP, and a 7-inch vinyl. Spread across those products are unreleased recordings, a 5.1 surround mix of the album, a photo booklet, and much more.

Get it here.

Danny L Harle — Harlecore

Danny L Harle went full concept on his new album, Harlecore, which presents a futuristic vision of a club (a club feeling like something that’s definitely futuristic at the moment). Digging through the album’s credits will reveal that it features contributions from Caroline Polachek, Hudson Mohawke, Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry and Martin Doherty, Eyelar, and Hannah Diamond.

Get it here.

Foo Fighters — Medicine At Midnight

Of how it felt to finally release the new Foo Fighters album, Taylor Hawkins said, “[It feels] like taking a big huge sh*t. My stomach’s been hurting for a long time. Finally! A collective sigh of relief. We’ve finally got over our constipation.” What’s not sh*tty is the limited edition purple smoke vinyl edition of the album. While that is unfortunately sold out, there’s nothing wrong with the classic black vinyl edition that is still available.

Get it here.

Johnny Cash — At Folsom Prison (Reissue)

Vinyl Me, Please has historically let members choose between three categories for their monthly album: classics, essentials, and hip-hop. Now, starting in March, they’ve added a new vertical: country. They got a heck of a release to kick things off, too, as their first VMP Country Record Of The Month is Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. The vinyl proved to be popular, as it’s currently sold out, although there is the option to get on a standby list and get the chance to secure a copy in the future. The lesson: Get on board early because VMP is really bringing it with their new country offerings.

Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Monday was quite the day on the J.J. Watt free agency front, as a number of outlets were trolled by a fake J.J. Watt Peloton account listing his “top 3” destinations like he is a high school recruit. That list featured the Packers, Browns, and Bills, but Watt quickly shut down those rumors by insisting he does not own a bike.

While the NFL world was reeling from being duped and Peloton users were reeling from the realization that they had been following and riding against a fake J.J. Watt, the former All-Pro defensive lineman decided to break the news of his free agent destination himself, posting a photo of him lifting in an Arizona Cardinals shirt.

Watt’s deal is a reported two-year, $31 million contract with $23 million guaranteed.

It’s a huge get for the Cardinals, as Watt will join forces once again with former teammate DeAndre Hopkins, who surely gave him the strong pitch on why he should come to the desert. Watt didn’t produce sacks last year like he once did as his peak, but was very effective and stayed on the field for all 16 games a year ago for the Texans, totaling 52 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. As he’s moved inside more, he’s seen the sack totals go down, and Arizona likely won’t ever see a 16 sack season out of Watt — although, I guess it’s possible — as he plays 3-4 defensive end, but he will bring them another high level defensive presence, which Arizona very much needs to compete in the NFC West next season.

Jack Harlow is about to be all over America’s televisions in the month of March. Not only will he be participating in the NBA’s All-Star Weekend coverage, playing in a 2×2 with 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, and Quavo, but he’s also ending the month with a performance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, March 27. The episode will be hosted by none other than SNL alum, Maya Rudolph, who currently voices the hilarious hormone monster Connie on Big Mouth, as well as Betty Hart on Fox’s Bless The Harts.

Harlow posted a heartfelt message to Twitter with a screenshot of his post-it from the announcement wall, sharing exactly what it meant to him to perform on the show. “I grew up watching SNL with my family every weekend,” he recalled. “I vividly remember seeing Kanye perform ‘Love Lockdown’ and ‘Heartless’ in 2008. Thank you for making this happen. Another dream come true.”

Harlow’s been enjoying a significant increase in limelight received since releasing his 2020 single “What’s Poppin,” leading to a No. 2 chart position, placement on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class, a whole slew of television appearances including the MTV VMAs and the BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher, and his enjoyable debut album, That’s What They All Say.

You can read Uproxx’s interview with Harlow about his upcoming game here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

During her Golden Globes acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday night, Jodie Foster gave a seemingly random shout out to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which left people wondering what the heck that was all about. Turns out, the two have been having a little bit of a cheeky back and forth. In early February, Rodgers was the first to shout out Foster during his MVP acceptance speech and called the actress part of his “team off the field.” In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Foster revealed that Rodgers know she’s his “biggest fan” and vowed to pay him back if she won at the Golden Globes later this month. Well, she did, and true to her word, Foster included Rodgers in her acceptance speech.

The dueling shout outs almost immediately kicked kicked up rumors that Foster set up Rodgers with her The Mauritanian co-star Shailene Woodley (the two are already engaged), but Foster quickly put that theory to bed following the Golden Globes. However, it sure seems like Woodley might be the reason for Rodgers randomly thanking Foster during his MVP acceptance speech, which got this whole thing started.

“I did not set up Shailene and Aaron, I have never met Aaron Rodgers” Foster told Yahoo. “But it is possible that I do like to talk about how much I love the Green Bay Packers. And sometimes I can talk a little too much about that. So of course Shailene was very aware of my enthusiasm for the team.”

(Via Yahoo)

Last summer, I wrote a piece about rappers who moonlight as amateur basketball players based on their Instagram posts showcasing their workouts. When I interview Louisville, Kentucky upstart Jack Harlow about his upcoming B/R Open Run showdown with fellow rap ballers 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, and Quavo, I blame Jack’s absence from that list on the dearth of hoops-related content on his Instagram page.

Save for a post promoting the song celebrating his fellow cultural outsider, “Tyler Herro,” Jack doesn’t like to advertise his roundball prowess, despite hailing from one of the sport’s legendary basketball loci. In fact, one of the few posts depicting Harlow actually playing basketball is the oldest one on his page, a grainy photo from spring 2014 of Jack defending a brawny player in what looks to be a local gym. Despite his opponent’s choice of athletic apparel — it looks very much like he’s playing basketball in jeans — Jack is the one who looks out of place, with his curly hair, baggy gym clothes, glasses, and yes, because of that glaringly obvious difference between the two men. It’s one Jack isn’t shy about pointing out, either in his music or his interviews — again, see “Tyler Herro.”

He tells me the story behind the photo as we discuss his next upcoming hoops project. The Bleacher Report event will take place during TNT’s NBA All-Star pregame coverage airing Sunday, March 7 at 5 pm ET. Harlow and fellow rap-hooper Quavo will play a game of 2-on-2 against 2 Chainz and Lil Baby — first to 21 wins. The winners will choose an HBCU to receive a donation, while the broadcast will be hosted by Taylor Rooks and DJed by LVRN DJ Kitty Cash.

During our interview, Harlow accuses me of being biased for the other team, but like everyone watching Sunday, I’m just rooting for a good game. I also find out he’s never seen White Men Can’t Jump, what he brings to the court, and whether he and Quavo have a strategy for beating the 6’7 2 Chainz.

How did this partnership come about? Why did you want to participate in this two-on-two with Quavo, 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, and Bleacher Report?

You know I’m a basketball guy, so anything involving basketball I at least keep an ear open to, and I heard there was some money involved and I like money. So there’s a few incentives.

As far as how the teams are broken up, what made you want Quavo as opposed to one of the other guys?

Well, I didn’t choose my teammate, but I got to say, I’m very happy with who I got [Ed. note: Quavo has been NBA Celebrity Game MVP]. Out of the three other players, that would be my number one choice because he brings something to the game, based on everything I’ve seen on YouTube, that I don’t bring to the game. He’s a shooter, he seemed like a ball handler. I like his confidence on the court and I think I’m going to be complimenting him perfectly with my game and some of my grit. And I’m going to let him cut.

What would you say you bring to the team?

Grit, determination, anger, passion.

I feel like these are all euphemisms for you’re going to play hard and try to D-Up. Is that what’s happening?

They’re euphemisms for we’re going to win.

I don’t know if you’re an Uproxx reader, but last summer I did a listicle about rappers who play ball, but I based them off entirely on Instagram.

I noticed I was left out of that.

When I was researching, I kicked myself because I was like, “Oh Jack Harlow’s not on here.” Then I realized you don’t have anything on your Instagram about hoops, except for one thing. I scrolled all the way back to the very beginning, the very first picture is you and some guy, he’s playing in jeans. I need to know this story. I feel like the world needs to know this story.

That’s a classic image. Yeah, I think that might be my first picture on my IG. I used to go up to this community center where I’m from called Douglas Community Center. It’s in the highlands of Louisville, Kentucky. And it was kind of a place where everyone would meet after school, people from all over the city. It was just a good place to play because it was a gym that was open every day. You can’t get that everywhere. And this dude that was in the picture with me, started showing up and I think he had six, seven, eight years on all of us; we were all in high school, sophomores, juniors. And he would just come and destroy high schoolers, myself included. But he made me better because of it. I can’t even remember his name, but he was dominant.

He played in jeans, he had to be. You are not necessarily the typical person that you would look and be like, “Oh, he plays ball and he raps,” which is obviously something you reference on “Tyler Herro.” How often do you get called Billy Hoyle?

Literally not one time in my life.

Never?

I’d never heard that name.

I am so upset. I get called every light-skinned basketball player in the world, and you don’t get Billy Hoyle. Have you seen White Men Can’t Jump?

No. That’s one of the movies that the entire culture grills me for not having seen. And I’m doing my best man, I’ve seen Boyz N The Hood, I’ve watched all these movies, man. I can’t see them all.

You can, we’re in a pandemic. You have nothing better to do.

I need to see White Men Can’t Jump, just for the title alone.

Is that the name of the white guy in the movie?

His name is Billy Hoyle. It was Woody Harrelson. He’s actually a killer. He’s a sharpshooter from beyond the line. I think he might actually be part of where that “white boys are shooters” stereotype comes from. Have you ever played with any of these guys before?

The four we’re playing with? No, I’ve just studied their game.

Do you have a strategy?

I’ve watched the film. You strike me as a 2 Chainz fan, man.

I strike you as a 2 Chainz fan?

Yeah. You don’t have to tell me, brother. I just tried to figure out why you’re going for 2 Chainz and Lil Baby.

I’m not going for 2 Chainz and Lil Baby. I’m asking you if you have a strategy. I got to do my journalistic due diligence. What would you say is the most surprising thing about the leap that you’ve made over that period of time from Confetti to That’s What They All Say?

I haven’t been surprised yet.

Okay, I like that. That’s confidence right there.

I wish I could give you an answer, bro. I wish I could give you an answer.

What’s next for you, man? You’ve got your all-star thing. You’re doing basketball. What’s next on the music front?

I’m about to take over this whole sh*t, man. I got a lot of good music in the can, but I’m going to let my album cook for awhile. We got some videos to drop. We just going to keep doing this. The next time we talk, there’s going to be great things that have happened.

The next time we talk I’m going to ask you one question. It’s going to be, “Have you seen it yet?” And I better hear a yes.

Next time we talk, what you need to do is ask me how that million felt.

Watch B/R Open Run on Sunday, March 7 at 5 pm ET on TNT.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Joakim Noah was once one of the NBA’s best defenders and a linchpin for the Bulls teams of the early 2010s thanks to the energy he provided and the stability he gave them in the paint. The two-time All-Star and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year struggled with injuries in recent years, playing sparingly with the Knicks and Clippers, with a quality stint in Memphis in between.

On Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that after trying to continue his 13-year career, Noah will finally hang them up and retire, hoping to do so as a Chicago Bull.

Noah’s career averages of 8.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game don’t do justice to the caliber of player he was at his peak. He was, truly, one of the most disruptive defensive forces of the early 2010s and while his peak was cut short due to various injuries, to understand his value to those Chicago teams, all you have to do is ask Bulls fans how they feel about Noah and you’ll get your answer very quickly. One would assume he will sign a one-day contract with the Bulls and retire, officially, in Chicago at some point this season, as one of the NBA’s most unique characters and players will move on to the next chapter of his life.

The Golden Globes are my favorite award show, typically. It’s not because the ceremony is, like, good, or an accurate representation of artistic excellence in any way. I like the Golden Globes because the whole thing is a mess. Awards are given out almost willy-nilly, people are often quite drunk, and there’s a cloud of corruption and grift hanging over the whole affair. All award shows are silly, but the Globes is the one that makes no attempt to hide it, which I appreciate on some level. My general stance on award shows is as follows: “there’s no good reason to do any of this, but if we’re committed to doing it, we might as well try to do it right.” There’s a flip side to that coin though, and it goes like this: “if we’re not going to do it right, let’s at least try to be hilarious about it.” That’s why I usually enjoy the Globes. Because I love chaos and anarchy.

It’s also why I was secretly kind of excited about this year’s ceremony. I figured this would all be like the Chaos Emmys from 2020 but more and bigger and messier and I could delight in the glow of the raging flames. I am sad to report this did not happen. I did not enjoy any of it. Well, almost any of it. We’ll get into it shortly. Now, actually. No need to drag this out any further.

Presenting the Winners and Losers from the 2021 Golden Globes.

WINNER — England, generally

Really just a fantastic night for England. The show started out with two consecutive wins by British actors — Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega — and continued apace throughout the night. The Crown and its stars won a slew of awards, Anya Taylor-Joy won, Sacha Baron Cohen won for Borat, Rosamund Pike won, etc. Just a tremendous showing throughout the evening for the Queen’s subjects. Heck, even when Jason Sudeikis won for Ted Lasso, he was Zooming into the ceremony live from across the pond — in a hoodie, at like 2:15 AM local time — because he was over there working on season two.

Say what you will about the bi-coastal ceremony, with Tina Fey helming the New York half and Amy Poehler filming the Los Angeles half, but they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by just doing everything live from London. They could have let Paddington host and hand out CGI trophies to the winners. Animated bears cannot catch or spread viruses to the best of my knowledge. This idea keeps getting better the more I type about it. Lord in heaven knows I do not want to do another Pandemic Awards Show next year, but if we absolutely have to, this is an option.

LOSER — The human spirit

Maybe this was just me and the filter through which I was viewing it all, but I got a very distinct whiff of “I don’t really want to be doing this again” from many of the people involved. Not that they didn’t try. Bless their souls, they did try. Everyone is doing the best they can. But there was a weariness about it all, a feeling that, like, we’re still doing this, that I couldn’t escape. It didn’t help that the show was littered with technical difficulties — Laura Dern had to put her damn glasses on and apologize for a glitch during the first presentation — even though there should, in theory, be an agreed-upon way to handle things by now.

What I’m saying is that it was a messy and chaotic affair, but not in the good and fun way I was hoping for. I wanted to see more “Jennifer Aniston putting out a stubborn trash can blaze with a fire extinguisher” and less “uh, somebody forgot to put the lights on Tiffany Haddish.” We’re all exhausted. I think that’s the takeaway from all of it.

WINNER — Nomadland

During a night filled with weak apologies and half-hearted promises to do better in the area of inclusion (the nice thing here is that it’s tough to do worse!), it was kind of cool to see the Best Director Award go to Chloé Zhao for Nomadland.

To be clear, I do not say that to imply she was in any way undeserving or that they gave her the award to atone for other sins. Nomadland has white-hot buzz because everyone who has seen it has been kind of blown away by it, and it’s one of the favorites for the upcoming Oscars for a whole bunch of very good reasons. All I mean by any of this is that it was cool to see the award go to someone who does not look exactly like Aaron Sorkin, including Aaron Sorkin, on a night when the whole point was that the entire Hollywood Foreign Press Association needs to work harder to not look like a collection of Aaron Sorkins. And she gave a pretty dope speech about compassion. I dig all of it.

LOSER — Whichever intergalactic hero Ryan Murphy has imprisoned in the space prison he apparently Zoomed in from

The most interesting part of the night for me, more so than any of the winners or speeches or jokes, was looking at people’s webcam backgrounds. Some people went minimalist, which I appreciated and will discuss in a moment, and some people went way, way all-out. Regina King and Anya Taylor-Joy got red carpet ready in their living rooms. Daniel Levy grabbed every yellow piece of clothing he owns. The woman who won Best Song accepted from in front of a grand piano, which I appreciated for how straightforward it was.

My favorite of the people who went big was Ryan Murphy, though. He looks like he called in from the control deck of a space prison. He looks like a guy who took Baby Yoda hostage and is about to get a visit from The Mandalorian. He looks like a guy who has a laser pointed at Mount Rushmore and wants $1 billion to turn it off. He looks like a guy in a Mission: Impossible movie who calls Ethan Hunt “Mr. Hunt” and is about to get fooled with the old realistic mask ruse. He looks kind of like what you pictured when you heard that Ryan Murphy would be calling in via Zoom from his home.

I don’t know. I respect it. Good for him.

WINNER — People giving the appropriate amount of effort

But also, good for the people who went the other way. There is no way you could get me to put on a tuxedo and sit in front of my laptop in my home, so I have great admiration for the people who said “Ehhhh I’ll just leave on what I wore to the grocery store earlier.” Sudeikis, pictured above, appeared in a hoodie and a layer of stubble to accept his award, although, again, it was well after midnight London-time for him, so there would be some leeway given anyway. Not so much for some of the other nominees.

Jeff Daniels looked like he was in his guest bedroom when he was on, just radiating with “dad Zooming with his college sophomore daughter while he has popcorn cooking in the microwave downstairs” energy. I would bet an entire closet full of Izod golf shirts that he closed his laptop the instant his category was over and called it a night. I assume most people at in-person award shows want to go home after their categories anyway so, I guess, this all worked out pretty well for them. And speaking of people who absolutely did not finish watching the ceremony…

… here’s Bill Murray, outside, in a Hawaiian shirt, with a martini in hand, looking almost exactly like you picture Bill Murray looking most days. He might not have even known he was dialing into the Globes. There’s a non-zero chance he and Jeff Daniels thought they were just going to chat with each other about notable events on the PGA Tour.

To be clear, I respect this, too.

LOSER — Bits

I love Kenan Thompson and Maya Rudolph. I love Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. I love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. But none of the bits and jokes worked very well, something I attribute to a combination of a) a much smaller audience not providing the raucous in-house laughter and making it sound like everything was bombing in the room, and b) the aforementioned COVID fatigue, where even the more decent bits — the one with celebrities talking to doctors was okay! — just made me long for the day when we can do all of this without addressing the giant mask-wearing elephant in the room.

Again, everyone is doing the best they can. I credit them with the effort and the attempt to sell a tricky bit in a difficult situation. I’m just very tired.

WINNER — Speeches given from couches in people’s homes

All of that said, this is one thing I still find charming. People are so much more relaxed when they’re in their living rooms, and there’s a little less of the pretentiousness that can make these shows feel like self-important charades. Andra Day started crying right away and ripped her printed speech out of someone’s hand so she could read it through her tears. Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted his posthumous trophy and gave an emotional speech that was probably the highlight of the night. Al Pacino looked like he rushed home in a convertible with the top down and didn’t have time to look in a mirror before his category came up.

I know Pacino didn’t win. It doesn’t make sense to include him in the section about acceptance speeches. I just really wanted to mention his hair and I’m almost at the end of this recap. Had to squeeze it in somewhere. I stand by it.

LOSER — Better Call Saul

Between Rhea Seehorn getting snubbed yet again — I’M FINE, AWARDS DON’T MATTER, NO YOU’RE UPSET — and Bob Odenkirk losing in the Best Actor category, the closest Better Call Saul came to winning anything this year was when Tracy Morgan accidentally pronounced Soul as “Sal” when he was giving out the Best Animated Movie award. This will not do. Except for the thing about Tracy Morgan getting a live microphone. That should happen more often. Let him be a sideline reporter for the next Super Bowl.

WINNER — Dogs and children

The other nice thing about people appearing via technology from their homes was the notable increase in children and dogs running into the frame. The best example of this was during the preshow when Regina King’s dog — whose name is Cornbread and is a very good boy — mosied into the shot behind her and plopped down in his bed. This should be the one tradition we keep from this disaster. From now on, nominees can bring their dogs to the ceremony. Would it make the whole thing better and more enjoyable? I don’t know. Probably. But it sure as hell couldn’t make it worse.

Let’s not do any of this next year, please. Except for the dogs.

This may come as a surprise, but Seth Rogen? A bit of a marijuana enthusiast. I’m also shocked that the star of Pineapple Express, who hangs out with Snoop Dogg and has smoked a “truly ungodly” amount of pot during quarantine, enjoys weed, but it’s true. In 2019, he and his writing partner Evan Goldberg launched a cannabis company, Houseplant, that was initially only available in Canada, but on Monday, Rogen announced that his brand is coming to America. He has never looked happier.

“Almost ten years I go, I envisioned having my own weed company. And today I can say that my company Houseplant’s weed will be available in California next week! Also, Houseplant is making lovely Housegoods like ashtrays, lighters, and YES, even ceramics,” the pot and pottery pro tweeted, along with photos of the retro-looking goods.

The Houseplant website is currently down due to a traffic surge (it’s been a looooong pandemic), but Rogen told Fast Company that “our strategy has always been the same, and that is to treat cannabis like the product that it is, which is the best product. In a world where things like headphones get incredible attention to detail, in terms of how they’re designed, presented, and marketed, we think weed is a thousand times better than headphones. Why is weed not getting that amount of attention?”

Rogen, who also has a book coming out, called launching Houseplant “exciting but always a little scary. Especially with products that genuinely feel new. I don’t know if many people have been manufacturing table lighters in the last six decades or so. It’s something I know I personally would want more than anything, as someone who loses more lighters than anyone I’ve ever met. We just have to hope that our tastes, and the things we want as people who smoke weed, that others agree with that.” Houseplant is the real “apex of the vortex of joint engineering” (but only for California residents), and as he points out in this video, he’s “never been more excited about anything.”

(Via Fast Company)