Month: May 2022

As talk of an apparently impending overturn of Roe v. Wade spreads, people are using their influence to take action. Now, a bunch of musicians have come together to do just that, by attaching their names to a new full-page New York Times ad from Bans Off Our Bodies and Planned Parenthood.

The ad reads, “The Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to abortion. Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. We are Artists. Creators. Storytellers. We are the new generation stepping into our power. Now we are being robbed of our power. WE WILL NOT GO BACK — AND WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN.”

Below that are the names of 160 young artists who signed the ad. Some of the musicians who appear include Angel Olsen, Ariana Grande, Ashe, Ashnikko, Bethany Cosentino, Billie Eilish, Blu DeTiger, Camila Cabello, Cautious Clay, Clairo, Dave Burd (Lil Dicky), Demi Lovato, Dorian Electra, Finneas, Gayle, Grandson, Halsey, Hayley Kiyoko, Holly Humberstone, Karlie Kloss, Kelsey Lu, King Princess, Lauren Jauregui, Lauv, Lykke Li, Madison Beer, Megan Thee Stallion, Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus, Mitski, Noah Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, Pink Sweats, Pom Pom Squad, Princess Nokia, Rebecca Black, The Regrettes, Rina Sawayama, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Sunflower Bean, Tate McRae, Tinashe, Weyes Blood, and X Ambassadors.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation Of America, also offered a statement, saying, “Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most. So many of us — who grew up with the understanding that Roe was settled law — could have never imagined that our own children would have fewer rights and less freedom over their own bodies and futures. What we see in young people from all walks of life is that they aren’t backing down — not today, not ever. Like the artists who signed on to this ad, their resolve to keep bans off their bodies is a source of hope during a dark time, and we are determined to keep fighting alongside them, for them.”

Check out the ad below.

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

Big Thief might be the best band in the world right now.

If that seems hyperbolic, let’s look at their resume. They just released an instant classic that levels up their previous four great albums (not to mention a strong solo catalog from the band’s individual members) to an echelon not previously considered likely, with February’s Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You. They are using their mixture of full-band and solo recordings to build something of a mythos, an extended Big Thief universe that feels particularly rooted in the present time and place, where many of the current commercial reaches of their peers are sidelined in favor art that’s as indebted to classic rock tropes as it is to contemporary indie sensibilities. And through their live show, they are incorporating both the malleability of jam bands and the confidence of arena behemoths, making for sets that are unpredictable and intimate, even as the rooms swell in size.

Sure, maybe The War On Drugs currently has a tighter grip on the crown with tighter live performances and bigger sonic statements. But that could easily be countered by the POV of Adrianne Lenker, whose complexity and fluidity feel in tune with present-day youth culture in ways that the biggest rock bands of recent decades never have. Regardless, this isn’t meant to put Big Thief in competition with anyone. Big Thief simply have no current peers, forging a path that’s exciting because no band has ever quite attempted what they’ve been doing, both on record and as a live entity. They are one-of-one, as essential as they come.

On Wednesday night at the Wiltern, that specialness wasn’t exactly underscored from the jump. Big Thief began their performance pretty tamely, starting the same way their current album does, with the spare, gorgeous “Change.” The show let that laid-back vibe simmer for several songs, including a miniature suite of new tunes “Wanted You To Stay” and “Sadness Is A Gift” (another rule of being the best band in the world: you are always looking forward, much like Animal Collective in the aughts or The National in the 2010s). The night felt like a slow-moving escalator, with Meek and Lenker’s considered harmonies playing off each other perfectly in a theater that could pick up on their nuances.

And then, with Dragon‘s biggest semi-hit, “Certainty,” the show opened up on itself. The cut found increased tension and release than its album counterpart, turning the acoustic arrangement into the most rocking moment of the night, at least at that point. At its conclusion, Lenker switched from her trusty acoustic to an electric guitar (and even went through a bit of a wardrobe change to complement the instrument change-up), signaling a second act full of boldness and intensity. Songs like Capacity‘s “Black Diamonds” and Dragon‘s title track were transformed into robust statements that could sit comfortably next to the expansive “Not,” their best song, and probably the best song by anyone in the past decade.

This hits on yet another aspect of Big Thief that makes them so great: their live show manages to transform the songs you know into something not just different, but often better. Heck, the band even found the space to morph a couple of Lenker solo tunes into Big Thief statements on Wednesday night. If anything, the band’s gentle soul and unassuming nature might be holding it back a tad. They concluded the concert with receding energy, allowing the audience to drift back into the night, rather than leaving with the exhilarated feeling of the show’s middle act.

For all they’ve accomplished over the past few years, from Grammy nominations to what’s likely to be a year-end-list topping 2022 release, it’s exciting to think that there is still room for growth and improvement. Some bands might add visual components or backing instruments to the fold, but there’s also the sense that Big Thief might lose something if they went down this road, messing with a perfect formula. But knowing the option is there, that Big Thief could only be scraping the surface, just shows how much they are operating on another level right now.

The Office probably should have ended after Steve Carell departed the show in season seven. But it lasted for two more seasons — and if NBC had its way, there would have been two more after that. The contracts for much of the cast were up, though, and there would have been a distracting turnover (writers Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak, among others, had already departed for other projects).

In their upcoming book, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office From Two Best Friends Who Were There, co-stars (and podcast buddies) Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey discuss the decision that led to the show ending after season nine.

“I obviously can’t speak for [producer Greg Daniels], but I know… [there] was a very thoughtful decision of, well, what is the show without possibly the core cast?” Kinsey told Entertainment Weekly. Fischer added, “I think it really points to the collaborative bond and trust that we all had as a creative collective, that Greg even made us a part of this conversation the way he did. And that we had the kind of trust between us that we could all talk about this really openly and come to a decision that we all felt really good about.”

The idea of continuing The Office without, say, Jim or Dwight would have “felt sad and wrong,” Fischer said. (The final season could have used way less Andy and Nellie, however.) Kinsey agreed. “It felt wrong. It felt wrong and like it would just ruin [The Office] world to slowly make up excuses of why people are leaving. One of the things I loved and we all got excited about was being able to know what the end was.”

Fortunately, while seasons eight and nine aren’t up to the standard of previous The Office seasons, the finale is pretty good. Although if you want to stop watching after “Goodbye, Michael,” that works, too.

(Via EW)

It’s easy to see how “Pasoori” has gained its popularity. The visuals are rich and colorful and very eye-popping—the very essence of old-school Bollywood. Plus the song itself is quite the catchy, dynamic earworm with its blend of traditional music and driving, percussive reggaeton beat. That’s a lot of boxes to tick, stylistically speaking.

The song begins with the words “set fire to your worries.” It’s a verse that came to songwriter Ali Sethi after seeing a similar phrase painted across the back of a truck while driving through Punjab. That expression, coupled with the fear that entering India as a Pakistani artist might result in extremists burning down whatever studio he worked in, inspired him to channel the experience into his music, he told The New Yorker.

“I did what desi bards have done for ages. I might not have been able to travel to India, but I knew my music could,” he said.

Translated, “Pasoori” can mean “difficulty,” “conflict” or “difficult mess.” At first glance, the song appears to be a classic tale of star-crossed lovers, with lyrics like “If your love is poison, I will drink it in a flurry.” However, the way it expertly weaves Indian and Pakistani art styles together suggests a larger message. Can two countries see beyond their conflict to celebrate the natural harmonies of their cultures? Sethi seems to be ultimately posing this profound question, all while delivering a bona fide banger.

If “Passori”’s global success is any indicator, the answer appears to be yes. It’s garnered more than 100 million views on YouTube and is getting praise from both Pakistani and Indian stars. According to The New Yorker, “Pasoori” now “sits firmly” at No. 1 on the charts in India.

It already has a viral cover, for cryin’ out loud.

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Congrats to all the creators of “Pasoori” for transcending boundaries and winning hearts. This is the magic of music.

Gerda Cole received the most special gift she could have asked for on her 98th birthday: a chance to reunite with her daughter for the first time in 80 years.

As a young Jewish refugee, Cole fled her home of Austria in 1939 for England at the start of World War II.

Several years later, Cole became a mother at the age of 18. But limited education and economic hardship left her with virtually no choice but to give her newborn daughter up for adoption.

Though she was never allowed to make contact with her child again, Cole went off to live a full life. She moved to Canada, earned multiple degrees and got to travel the world.

Meanwhile: Cole’s daughter, Sonya Grist, knew little about her birth mother, and believed her to be dead. As Grist’s son Stephen found out, that was most certainly not the case. He told The Toronto Sun:

“I discover that Gerda, my mother’s birth mother, has a stepson and I contact the stepson on Facebook and I say, ‘I’m missing one last piece of information. I just need Gerda’s death certificate …can you help me with that?’ And he said, ‘You’re not going to find her death certificate because she’s still alive and living in a nursing home in Canada.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God! My mother’s mother is still alive and is 97 turning 98 (Saturday)!”

Stephen and Sonya quickly whisked away from England to the long-term care home in Toronto where Cole resided. A video from CBC News shows the two sharing their long overdue hug:

A Toronto woman reunites with her daughter after 80 years apart. #TheMoment pic.twitter.com/2vGiRjM6R5

— CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) May 9, 2022

They squealed, laughed, smiled, danced and ate cake. It really was a remarkable birthday full of moments to be cherished. Also on Mother’s Day weekend, no less.

Eighty years might have passed, but the bond between this mother and daughter was still strong. Grist recalled to CTV News that in their first email correspondence, Cole wrote “you have to understand this computer doesn’t like me.”

“It was exactly something I would say,” Grist joked. She might be tech challenged, but at least she comes by it honestly.

As for motherly advice, Cole did have some wisdom to bestow upon her daughter.

“Don’t wait until tomorrow before it is too late, if you want to live, live now, not tomorrow or the day after.”

In this case, it certainly wasn’t too late for a mother and daughter to share their love.

Can you remember how old you are? As we get older, remembering our actual age can get harder, especially when it begins to take longer and longer to scroll and find your birth year. Now imagine having to keep track of two different ages. For many South Koreans, this is the reality. That’s right, based on a tradition that dates back so far no one really knows when it started, most South Koreans are two different ages. But their new president is looking to change the tradition, to make life easier for everyone.

Currently, South Koreans have their “Korean age” and their international age. The “Korean age” is the thing that President Yoon Suk-yeol is looking to change. The way it works is that a person is considered a year old at birth, adding a year every January 1. So if you have a baby born on December 30, on January 1, they’re 2 years old, even though they’ve only been alive two days. The Korean age is mostly used in social situations, while the international age (where you turn 1 on your first birthday) is used for legal purposes.

“If I try to fill out a form at a government office or a foreign embassy, I’m not sure what to put for my age,” Lee Jae-hye, a video producer in Seoul, told The New York Times.

It’s worth mentioning there’s a third, less common way of defining age: “year age,” which is kind of a hybrid of the two other practices. A newborn is considered 0 at birth, but they add the first year on January 1. So again, a December 30 baby would be 2 days old and also 1 year old. This is only used for military service and elementary education. No wonder it’s confusing for the citizens.

Lee Yong-ho, chief of the president-elect’s transition committee, acknowledged the stress these different ages puts on citizens.

“Due to the different calculations of legal and social age, we have experienced unnecessary social and economic costs from persistent confusion and disputes over calculating age when receiving social, welfare and other administrative services or signing or interpreting various contracts,” he said in a press briefing.

For many South Koreans, keeping track of up to three ages is just too much of a pain. Having to remember the right birth certificate because you use one for the doctor’s office but another one for the DMV sounds like a nightmare. While the average person understands what paperwork they need for where, the need alone is a major source of frustration. That’s why so many adults are in favor of the president’s decision to make the change by the end of the year.

A survey taken this past January shows that 40% of adults believe making the change will “ease conflicts within the country’s social hierarchy.” As a hierarchical society, the focus on age and having multiple ages can cause confusion and unnecessary conflict. If you search “Korean age system,” you’ll discover multiple calculators in case you forget or don’t know. Some historians and scholars worry that the change will be a detriment to society, but there’s a better chance that younger generations will embrace the universal change to international age.

Teens of today live in a totally different world than the one their parents grew up in. Not only do young people have access to technologies that previous generations barely dreamed of, but they’re also constantly bombarded with information from the news and media.

Today’s youth are also living through a pandemic that has created an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging age—and it has taken a toll on their mental health.

According to Mental Health America, nearly 14% of youths ages 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. In a September 2020 survey of high schoolers by Active Minds, nearly 75% of respondents reported an increase in stress, anxiety, sadness and isolation during the first six months of the pandemic. And in a Pearson and Connections Academy survey of US parents, 66% said their child felt anxious or depressed during the pandemic.

However, the pandemic has only exacerbated youth mental health issues that were already happening before COVID-19.

“Many people associate our current mental health crisis with the pandemic,” says Morgan Champion, the head of counseling services for Connections Academy Schools. “In fact, the youth mental health crisis was alarming and on the rise before the pandemic. Today, the alarm continues.”

Mental Health America reports that most people who take the organization’s online mental health screening test are under 18. According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 50% of cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and the tendency to develop depression and bipolar disorder nearly doubles from age 13 to age 18.

Such statistics demand attention and action, which is why experts say destigmatizing mental health and talking about it is so important.

“Today we see more people talking about mental health openly—in a way that is more akin to physical health,” says Champion. She adds that mental health support for young people is being more widely promoted, and kids and teens have greater access to resources, from their school counselors to support organizations.

Parents are encouraging this support too. More than two-thirds of American parents believe children should be introduced to wellness and mental health awareness in primary or middle school, according to a new Global Learner Survey from Pearson. Since early intervention is key to helping young people manage their mental health, these changes are positive developments.

In addition, more and more people in the public eye are sharing their personal mental health experiences as well, which can help inspire young people to open up and seek out the help they need.

“Many celebrities and influencers have come forward with their mental health stories, which can normalize the conversation, and is helpful for younger generations to understand that they are not alone,” says Champion.

That’s one reason Connections Academy is hosting a series of virtual Emotional Fitness talks with Olympic athletes who are alums of the virtual school during Mental Health Awareness Month. These talks are free, open to the public and include relatable topics such as success and failure, leadership, empowerment and authenticity. For instance, on May 18, Olympic women’s ice hockey player Lyndsey Fry will speak on finding your own style of confidence, and on May 25, Olympic figure skater Karen Chen will share advice for keeping calm under pressure.

Family support plays a huge role as well. While the pandemic has been challenging in and of itself, it has actually helped families identify mental health struggles as they’ve spent more time together.

“Parents gained greater insight into their child’s behavior and moods, how they interact with peers and teachers,” says Champion. “For many parents this was eye-opening and revealed the need to focus on mental health.”

It’s not always easy to tell if a teen is dealing with normal emotional ups and downs or if they need extra help, but there are some warning signs caregivers can watch for.

“Being attuned to your child’s mood, affect, school performance, and relationships with friends or significant others can help you gauge whether you are dealing with teenage normalcy or something bigger,” Champion says. Depending on a child’s age, parents should be looking for the following signs, which may be co-occurring:

• Perpetual depressed mood
• Rocky friend relationships
• Spending a lot of time alone and refusing to participate in daily activities
• Too much or not enough sleep
• Not eating a regular diet
• Intense fear or anxiety
• Drug or alcohol use
• Suicidal ideation (talking about being a burden or giving away possessions) or plans

“You know your child best. If you are unsure if your child is having a rough time or if there is something more serious going on, it is best to reach out to a counselor or doctor to be sure,” says Champion. “Always err on the side of caution.”

If it appears a student does need help, what next? Talking to a school counselor can be a good first step, since they are easily accessible and free to visit.

“Just getting students to talk about their struggles with a trusted adult is huge,” says Champion. “When I meet with students and/or their families, I work with them to help identify the issues they are facing. I listen and recommend next steps, such as referring families to mental health resources in their local areas.”

Just as parents would take their child to a doctor for a sprained ankle, they shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help if a child is struggling mentally or emotionally. Parents also need to realize that they may not be able to help them on their own, no matter how much love and support they have to offer.

“That is a hard concept to accept when parents can feel solely responsible for their child’s welfare and well-being,” says Champion. “The adage still stands—it takes a village to raise a child. Be sure you are surrounding yourself and your child with a great support system to help tackle life’s many challenges.”

That village can include everyone from close family to local community members to public figures. Helping young people learn to manage their mental health is a gift we can all contribute to, one that will serve them for a lifetime.

Join athletes, Connections Academy and Upworthy for candid discussions on mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn more and find resources here.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are an integral part of many people’s lives. In some cultures, caring for your elderly relative within the home is expected but it’s not always feasible or even desirable for some families. Some elderly people want to maintain as much of their independence as possible and facilities can help them feel less alone and more active, especially as there are usually activities scheduled. Even with the activities and companionship of other residents, some older people can feel a bit lonely and disconnected without family nearby. That’s why in Australia, an intergenerational playgroup is changing lives.

Chandani Ramasundara, who immigrated from Sri Lanka to Australia 10 years ago, came up with the idea of intergenerational playgroups. Ramasundara told ABC Australia, “People over here really loved their independent living, whereas in Sri Lanka we grew up in a multigenerational family environment so I thought these intergenerational playgroups would be a great idea to ease their isolation, get together, interact together, and play together.”

Every Monday, parents bring their children to play with the residents. The babies and toddlers have a special bond with their elderly friends. One of the moms in the group said she immigrated from Scotland and brings her baby to play with the residents as she doesn’t have her own family close by. Ramasundara hopes that the playgroup helps teach the kids to respect the elderly and that it helps the parents see the residents in a new light.

The residents of the home have their favorite children they interact with every Monday. One family that relocated makes sure to video chat for every playgroup to maintain the bond they built with one of the residents. This program is such a wonderful way to give the older people in the playgroup something to look forward to. In fact, one of the residents who rarely used to come out of his room now never misses a playgroup. Hopefully this idea catches on and other residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities get a chance to extend their family in such a wholesome way.

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but his week’s list is somewhat dog-heavy.

It’s a bit odd, because I’m really more of a cat person. I’ve had more than a dozen cats in my lifetime and not a single dog. I do love other people’s dogs, though, and there’s no shortage of awesome stories about dogs that occasionally make me question my loyalty to cats.

Animals in general are joy-bringers, though. Along with the dogs, we’ve got bears and an otter this week that I think will bring a smile to even the most hardened of hearts.

And there are awesome humans, too. Sometimes it’s easy to become dismayed with our fellow humans, especially when most of what we see are headlines about bad behavior. It’s good to be reminded that there are so many people doing so many great things in the world.

If you need a boost of faith in humanity or just a little mood boost with some endorphin-pushing animal videos, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 things that made us smile this week:

The dramatics of this husky are entirely extra and it’s hilarious. (Sound up.)

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“You went and got groceries WITHOUT me? Waaaaaaah!” And how he just escalated with the foot tap. Such a drama king.

Then there are these guys with the cutest doggo photo shoot ever. 

We all have that friend when you try to take a picture.. pic.twitter.com/LNRC6J4aPE

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1652120810

How do you train dogs to do this? Or do they just do it on their own?

Chef José Andrés inspires with his words about utilizing our talents to change the world.

“Longer tables, not higher walls.” Chef José is an international treasure. Read the full story here.

Ths mama bear wrangling her toddlers across the street is every mom.

Anyone whou2019s gone somewhere with a toddler can relate to this nnOn a serious note – a big shout out to all those people who stopped their cars and patiently waited! nnin/crazyforcouturepic.twitter.com/Sm39VJZkMH

— Jess ud83cudf3b (@Jess ud83cudf3b)
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Been there, mama. Totally feel you.

Girls ask their stepmom to adopt them after 12 years and the joy is palpable.

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Speaking of mamas, oof, this one hits right in the feels. Stepparents can be a gift, and this family clearly has no shortage of love.

As if sea otters needed to get any cuter…

Sea otters will often cover their eyes with their paws to help them sleep during the day.pic.twitter.com/16l99GTBxy

— Wonder of Science (@Wonder of Science)
1652361498

It’s not even doing anything and I think I might die from the cuteness.

The delightful anger management skills of this young one. 

@larobenz

BRO I CANNOT WITH HER 😭😂😂😂😂 @emmali. #TheSuicideSquadMovie #stitch #fyp #foryou #viral #blowthisup #kids #emmali #kidstiktok #funny #comedy

That grin, though. He may want to sleep with one eye open, but that girl has got charm times a hundred.

Couple celebrating their 67th anniversary get a tear-jerking surprise from their kids.

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Well, shoot. That one required a tissue warning. So sweet. Read the full story here.

On a personal note, the teens are all right.

My teen daughter and her friend went to Dairy Queen and were helped by a woman who was just a ray of sunshine. She was juggling lots of different things, but was warm and cheerful and kind with everyone, from co-workers to customers. My daughter and her friend noticed.

She took their order for two mini Blizzards, but then handed them two smalls (the next size up) instead. They told her they’d ordered minis, and she smiled and said, “I know. It’s all right. Enjoy.” They were delighted.

They didn’t see a tip jar but wanted to do something to show their appreciation. So they went to the grocery store down the road, bought a small bouquet of flowers, and went back.

When they handed her the flowers and explained how they saw and appreciated her excellent service, she was shocked and thrilled.

“You guys! I’m gonna cry!” she said. “Oh you’ve just made it all worth it! Can I give you a hug?”

And she did. And it was all just pure joy. And my daughter came home beaming about the whole experience.

The teens are all right.

Let’s pounce into the weekend like this dog pounces into the ocean for the first time.

guess which dog has never seen the oceanpic.twitter.com/Mm15BomgBK

— Puppies ud83dudc36 (@Puppies ud83dudc36)
1652323913

Bounding with joy. Let’s do it.

Hope that brought a smile or six to your face! Come back next week for another roundup of joy and delight.

“This is a love story.”

That’s how Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs describes the rollercoaster relationship of the show’s other comedic duo, talent agent Jimmy LuSaque and his laughably incompetent assistant, Kayla (Meg Stalter). The pair might play supporting characters to Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s odd-couple odyssey – one that sees a stand-up legend trying to hit the refresh button on her career with the help of a privileged millennial screenwriter – but after the show’s first season, their mismatched one-sided love affair became a huge hook for fans.

Downs, who’s put in work on shows like Broad City, plays the beleaguered, out-to-prove-himself manager trying to revive one client’s once-rising star appeal and save another’s from crashing before it’s even had the chance to get off the ground. Stalter, a fresh voice on the comedy scene who gained an impressive following on social media during lockdown a couple of years ago, serves as his over-confident airheaded assistant, a nepo-baby with no sense of boundaries spouting off a slew of inappropriate one-liners.

Their “love story” in season one included skipping work for “adult ballet recitals,” hip-pocketing clients, and booking the honeymoon suite for work trips. In season two, their unconventional boss-employee dynamic is the butt of even more jokes when HR gets called in and the pair’s work relationship descends to new lows.

Uproxx chatted with Downs and Stalter about their real-life friendship, improv-ing season two storylines, and sharing more screentime with Jean Smart.

We’ve made it to season two. Are you both sick of each other by now?

Meg Stalter: Never. I love Paul more than Kayla loves Jimmy.

Paul, watch out.

Paul W. Downs: Wow. I know. Well, I love Meg way more than Jimmy loves Kayla.

I think we all felt the kind of like, ‘will they won’t they’ of season one and yet when we get to season two, Barb from HR has been brought in. What’s up with that?

PD: Well, they’ve got to deal with the fallout from Vegas. What happens does not stay in Vegas when it comes to that shared hotel room. But it’s so funny that you say that about the ‘will they won’t they,’ because that’s absolutely what Kayla feels. She’s like, ‘The office is talking about it. It’s not just me.’ I’m like, ‘You’re feeling frustration, not sexual tension. I’m frustrated because you forgot my lunch.’

Or Jimmy’s frustrated because he can’t face his true feelings for her.

MS: You’ve been hired by Kayla to say this.

Kayla is this delusionally confident character. Meg, are you like that at all?

MS: I think I am. I’m not as delusional as Kayla. My love is pure. My friendships are normal. But I definitely think that … I was just telling Paul, ‘Don’t you think you have to be a little bit delusional to make it in Hollywood?’ Even an acting job, I feel like you have to be your number one fan to even go on an audition. You have to be like, ‘Yes, I believe in myself.’ I think a little bit of delusion is good and then a lot of delusion will ruin you.

PD: Meg has the perfect amount. Kayla has a little too much.

The season one finale used Kayla and Jimmy to flip the script a bit on #MeToo and what sexual harassment looks like in the office. Are we still expanding on that this season?

PD: Yeah, we never want to do anything in the show that’s just sort of a one-off that doesn’t have implications. Because we want the show to feel grounded and real, we always want to pay things off and follow things. In the same way that the email Ava sends in the end of season one wasn’t something we were just like, ‘Oh, this is just a cliff hanger.’ We were like, ‘No, there’s going to have real repercussions.’ And not only do those repercussions get explored at the beginning of the season –without spoiling things, they also continue to reverberate through the very last episode.

We have so much fun together. Meg and I love getting to play these characters and we’ve been so lucky that people have responded to this duo in the show that we just wanted to have more of them. Even though we knew we wanted to explore what happened in the hotel room and maybe use it as a means for Jimmy to potentially change the dynamic in the office, our feeling about the storyline had a lot to do with what Meg improvised. When [Jimmy says] ‘I’m emailing Barbara from HR’ and Meg in the bathroom of that hotel says, ‘Not Barbara!’ And so we were like, ‘Okay, Barbara needs to be somebody that kind of scares Kayla but at the same time is really funny,’ which is how we ended up with Martha Kelly. Martha Kelly felt like the person that Kayla was saying, ‘No! Not Barbara!’ to. That was Meg-improvised and we just followed it.

Meg, you’ve said you pitched an idea for more male models in Kayla’s scenes. I’ve yet to see one. Are there any other ideas you had for this season that haven’t happened that you’d like to confront Paul over now?

PD: Oh, god.

MS: [laughs] My two wishes are that number one, she has a lot of male model boyfriends and girlfriends coming in and out of the office. The other thing that I pitched before, which is too crazy, is that I come in one day and I have extensions down to my ankles. There’s not a storyline with it, I just think she has really long hair and she’s acting like it’s her own hair. Like, ‘What? Any questions?’

How are these characters going to grow this season? How will things change for them?

MS: I think that you definitely see a softer side [to Kayla]. I think that Jimmy and Kayla have some really sweet moments this season where you see that they really do care about each other. And it was some of the most fun stuff. I think that every time we watched a scene where we had a sweet moment, we were like, ‘Oh my God precious.’

PD: It’s like Deborah and Ava in this strange, twisted love affair. This is also a love story. Meg is so funny in the show, but there’s also these poignant moments. I mean, she’s such a good actor. It’s going to be fun for the audience to see her spread her wings and show off her range because she’s a genius. I’ll say it.

So Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder need to watch out?

PD: We’re throwing down the competition. Good luck girls. You aren’t the only power couple on the show.

Will there be any interaction between the two duos this season?

PD: You do see Jimmy and Kayla with Deborah and Ava in the final two episodes. Quite a bit.

MS: You’re going to be happy.

A big problem this season is Ava’s email and Jimmy spends a lot of time trying to fix the mistake she made in sending it. Have either of you ever had to get your agent to bail you out of a jam like that?

MS: I think that there’s been some begging about schedule stuff. But no, pretty much normal on my part.

PS: I know, the worst thing is maybe like CCing people instead of BCCing people. I’ve done some email faux pas in the past. I’ve never done anything like Ava though.

If you’re pulling any inspiration for season three from your own life you’ll need to get on that soon.

PD: I have to have a wild summer.

A hot boy summer, perhaps.

PD: Watch out world. Paul W. Downs is having a hot boy summer!