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Taylor Swift dominated 2020 by releasing not one, but two surprise albums. Just when the dust was settling from her pivot to indie on July’s Folklore, right before Christmas she announced another record, Evermore was coming. And even though it was released in mid-December, Evermore‘s impact is lingering into the new year. This week, the album returns to the top of the Billboard charts for a third week.

After spending the first two weeks at No. 1, Taylor was briefly unseated by Playboi Carti and his sophomore release, Whole Lotta Red. Though the Die Lit follow-up was hotly anticipated, it wasn’t quite the return to form fans were hoping for, a little too chaotic and inconsistent to be a classic record for the young rapper. After Carti’s No. 1, Evermore dropped to No. 2, but has climbed back up to the top for its fourth week on the chart. This marks 51 weeks in her career where Taylor has had the No. 1 album in the country, tying her with Michael Jackson.

Only three artists have more than 51 weeks total — Garth Brooks with 52, Elvis Presley with 56 weeks, and The Beatles with 132 weeks. Please note: Taylor is the only woman in these conversations. Critics have written about how the pair of albums helped Taylor reinvent herself, but fans seem to like the new Taylor just as much as the old one — if not more.

While most of America is still reeling from a violent, Pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this week, Lana Del Rey is busy sharing the tracklist and cover art for her new album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club. There’s nothing inherently bad about a pop star promoting their work, of course, but just as she took a moment last year to center herself and complain about struggles in the music industry while critiquing mostly women of color, Lana chose to bring thoughts about the recent events at the Capitol into her post about her soon-to-be-released album.

In a comment on her own Instagram post of the artwork, Lana wrote that some of her best friends are rappers, among other comments that came off as tone deaf to many. Here’s her comment in full:

I also want to say that with everything going on this year! And no this was not intended-these are my best friends, since you are asking today. And damn! As it happens when it comes to my amazing friends and this cover yes there are people of color on this records picture and that’s all I’ll say about that but thank you. My beautiful friend Valerie from Del Rio Mexico, my dearest friend Alex and my gorgeous friend Dakota Rain as well as my sweetheart Tatiana. these are my friends this is my life. We are all a beautiful mix of everything- some more than others which is visible and celebrated in everything I do. In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to. My best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers. My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I’m not the one storming the capital, I’m literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there on the table 24 seven. Respect it.

The comment has since been deleted but Stereogum preserved a screenshot:

Just like last year when Lana refused to recognize her own privilege or apologize for comments about race that were insensitive and similarly tone deaf, fans are voicing frustrations that she would cite the “some of my best friends are Black” trope, a well-known deflection from self-examination. Here’s hoping she begins to understand why her recent comments keep inciting this kind of backlash.

A few thoughts from fed up fans:

I’ve never been a gardener. I love the idea, but my history of killing plants isn’t terribly inspiring. However, this year is different. I am doggedly determined to grow all the things because I will not allow 2020 to defeat me.

Is there a better symbol of hope than a garden? Planting a seed means you believe the future is imminent. Watching a sprout emerge from the soil and grow into a flourishing plant means life goes on. In addition, reaping the fruits and veggies of your efforts and giving thanks for the bounty that nature provides is perhaps the most basic, fundamental human act I can think of.

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During World War I, Americans were encouraged to plant “victory gardens” to provide food during the war—and they undoubtedly came in handy during the pandemic that overlapped with the end of the war. (Side note: Holy cow, those people were tough.) While our food supply has held up so far in this pandemic, we don’t know what will happen in the coming year or so before a vaccine becomes available. Growing some extra food seems as prudent as it is poetic.

Not only that, but gardening is good for you. Research from Princeton University has found that gardening at home had a powerful impact on a person’s emotional well-being—just like biking, walking or dining out. The benefits crossed racial demographics as well as urban and rural locations. And vegetable gardening in particular had a stronger benefit than ornamental gardening, which provides mainly aesthetic value.

But what if you’re not a natural gardener? What if you don’t know where to start? What if you don’t have any space to garden?

Even if you’re short on land and experience, you can still plant your own little victory garden. If you have a patio or balcony, or any bit of outdoor space, you can use containers instead of outdoor garden beds. My family has space in our yard, but decided to use containers anyway because it’s a lot easier than tilling the ground, preparing the soil, etc.

The previous owners of our house had left a few plastic planters, but to supplement them we bought a pack of these grow bags. They’re basically fabric pots—they almost feel like felted wool—and they’re more affordable than plastic or ceramic containers. They also designed for healthy aeration of the soil, which sounds like something fancy gardeners say. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds important.

Amazon

You can even choose different sizes of grow bags to accommodate your space and what you want to plant.

One nice thing about container gardening is that you don’t have to have a lot of tools. A simple set of small shoveling tools and some gardening glove will suffice. I learned quickly that digging your hands in the dirt without gloves might sound rustic and romantic, but it dries your hands and nails out something fierce.

And yet another advantage of container gardening is that you don’t have to figure out how to get your ground soil ready for planting. According to my gardener-by-nature friends, everyone’s soil is different, so there’s different things you have to add to it and mix into it to get the right balance of minerals— blah blah blah. No thank you. I want to be able to put my seeds or my plant into the dirt and go. With container gardening, you just buy a bag of potting soil (available at any garden center—we got ours at Walmart), dump it in the pot and voila! Ready-to-plant garden.

Lastly, you have to decide what to plant. If you’ve not gardened before, start with things that are easy and quick to grow, like peas and beans. Look at my beans and peas! I’m doing it! I’m doing it!

Annie Reneau

You also might consider starting with small plants instead of the seeds. They can take a while to germinate, depending on what you’re growing and If you don’t get an early start indoors, you might find growing from seed frustrating. That also depends on where you live. I live in the north, where we have a limited growing season.

Apparently, beginning gardening books are flying off the virtual shelves as more and more people are using social distancing time to plant a victory garden. But if video is more your speed, I highly recommend the YouTube channel Epic Gardening. Kevin Espiritu used to be like me—a know-nothing, wannabe gardener—and now he helps people learn how to grow stuff. He’s delightful and so helpful:

Epic Gardening Channel Trailer

www.youtube.com

If nothing else, a garden gives you a way to help life flourish (hopefully) and a place to see progress when it seems like the world is slipping backwards. Good luck, novice gardeners!

Every musician had a first time they picked up the guitar, bass, keyboard, etc. And as a professional musician, I can tell you that there is nothing more satisfying than creating music in your own home. Whether it is just picking up an acoustic guitar or producing your own original ideas, this list should help you get budding musicians of all ages well on their way.

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1. Fender FA-115 Dreadnought

An acoustic guitar is an instrument you can bring anywhere. This Fender FA-115 Dreadnought comes complete with everything you need including a soft guitar case (gig bag), tuner, strap, string and guitar picks. Fender has been around forever, and for around $200, this is bundle is everything you need to get started.

$199.99 on Amazon

2. ChromaCast Upright Guitar Stand

One item the Fender bundle does not have is a guitar stand, and the ChromaCast Upright Guitar Stand is solid inexpensive option. Not only is it easier than taking the guitar in and out of the case, but there is no motivation like an instrument sitting on a stand staring back at you, wondering why you aren’t practicing. The easy access coupled with the security of keeping your guitar upright is well worth the the $10. Leaning your guitar up agains the wall tells everyone, most importantly yourself, that you aren’t taking it seriously. Especially when you hear that clang after it falls over.

$10.98 on Amazon

3. Ibanez bass guitar

Bassists and drummers are always the most sought after components to a band. And unless you have a big house with sound proof rooms and lot of patience, the bass is the obvious gift. This Ibanez is a perfect first bass. Ibanez basses and guitars sound great and are underrated, in my opinion. I have a bass and guitar from Ibanez, and have never had the need for anything else.

$179.99 on Amazon

4. Ampeg BA-108v2 20-watt Bass Combo Amplifier

If you decide to gift a bass, you will want to include a bass amp. Ampeg is one of the top bass amp manufacturers in the industry, and the Ampeg BA-108v2 20-watt Bass Combo Amplifier is a fantastic choice to start out with. It has a great tone for the money and won’t shatter the windows in the process.

$149.99 on Amazon

5. YUWAKAYI 10 foot guitar cable

Unless otherwise specified, your guitar does not come with an instrument cable. There is no need to break the bank for a beginner, as some cables can be in excess of $60. The YUWAKAYI 10 foot guitar cable is $9 and is more than sufficient for those just starting out. When you start gigging and recording, you might want to look into upgrading, but for now it does the job just fine.

$8.99 on Amazon

6. Fender Squire Package

If you ask any guitarist what their first guitar was, they will most likely tell you it was a Fender Squire. This package comes with a guitar, amp, strings, tuner, chord, strap, picks and gig bag. For $370, you will be hard pressed to find a better deal than this.

$299.99 on Amazon

7. VOX AP2AC amPlug 2 AC30 Guitar/Bass Headphone Amplifier

If noise is an issue, VOX AP2AC amPlug 2 AC30 Guitar/Bass Headphone Amplifier is a beautiful thing. Vox makes great amps, and this little guy has a surprising sound for its size and price. Plug it into your guitar or bass and then plug headphones into the Vox. Then rock out without disturbing the neighbors, or anyone in your own house for that matter. It takes two AAA batteries that should give you anywhere from 7-11 hours of life.

$40.77 on Amazon

8. The Midiplus, 32-Key Midi Controller

If you have a Mac, then you have Garage Band, and The Midiplus, 32-Key Midi Controller is an inexpensive way to access sounds from Apple’s free recoding software. Garage Band has tons of software instruments from drums to cello, bass to guitar and way too much more to mention. Just plug the midi controller into the USB port on your Mac, and when you select an instrument in Garage Band each keystroke mimics the chosen sound. After a short learning curve, you can be producing full compositions in no time. Don’t get suckered in to buying keyboards with a lot of useless buttons. Midi controllers like this one are simple and easy to use, especially since everything you need is in the Garage Band program on your Mac. Not all iPads have USB ports, so be sure your computer has one.

$34.39 on Amazon

9. Shure SM58

Eventually, you will want a condenser mic to record vocals, but they are fragile and can stop working after they hit the floor even once. The Shure SM58 is the most trusted microphone out there, and has been used to record a bunch of hit records. It is widely used as live performance mic, but it does just fine in the studio, as well. Not to mention, you can run it over with a truck and it will still work. I have had the same one for as long as I can remember, and it has endured more than you can imagine. If “They don’t make ’em like they used to” the SM 58 is the exception to the rule.

$90.99 on Amazon

10. Tripod Boom Microphone Stand

You will need a mic stand. Whether you are recording, rehearsing or playing live, there are very few situations that don’t call for one. And besides, you can’t truly achieve proper rock stance without it. No need for anything fancy here. For $25 the AmazonBasics Tripod Boom Microphone Stand will do the trick.

$17.54 on Amazon

11. M-Audio Midi Interface Recording Software

Finally, if you want to record guitar, bass or vocals into Garage Band or any other recording software, you will need an interface to plug into. An interface is a small box where you plug in an instrument or mic cable, and then in turn plugs into your computer. Once plugged in, you can access what ever guitar/bass sounds your software offers, along with effects like delay, reverb and compression to put on your vocals and instruments. M-Audio is my pick for an interface that you won’t outgrow for some time, and is just over $100.

$149.00 on Amazon

These are just some of the gift options for those people in your life curious about trying the music thing out. If it takes, then you can upgrade as they grow as musicians. These are just a few ways to get them started with decent gear that won’t drain your bank account. If you can afford a little more, there are certainly a bevy of other options. If finances are tight, this is a good list to go on.

If you didn’t catch Sunday’s matchup between the Bears and Saints on Nickelodeon then you missed out on one of the most fun broadcasts of the year. Nickelodeon pulled out everything to make the entire broadcast feel like something that both kids and adults can enjoy. There wasn’t a single aspect of the entire game they didn’t think about and that includes the halftime show.

Your usual halftime show includes highlights and some analysis from a few experts that used to play football. The Nickelodeon halftime show did feature highlights, but not the kind you’re used to. These highlights were all block graphic style and something that felt very similar to the video game that has taken over the world, Minecraft.

Adorable. Cute. Inspired. These are a few of the words that come to mind when you watch block figure Michael Thomas breaking through the endzone for a touchdown or Javon Wims drop a touchdown pass. Of course, it would have been one thing if they had just shown some highlights as block figures and called it there, but they went the extra mile and added some much needed personality. Michael Thomas tap dancing in the endzone and dust appearing behind Wims as he sprints behind the defense were both nice details that made this feel special.

Minecraft first released all the way back in 2009 and what it has become is a media phenomenon that can only be matched by something like Fortnite. Back when it first came out it got compared a lot to Legos for its world being something that you could build or destroy completely at your own leisure. Now, whenever you see this kind of art style, you immediately think of Minecraft instead. It’s crazy to think that such a small game turned into something Nickelodeon is using for inspiration in their unique Bears-Saints broadcast.

The Atlanta Hawks were among the league’s most active teams this offseason, making some of the biggest moves in free agency of any team by signing the likes of Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Early on, after a 4-1 start including a win over a full-strength Nets team in Brooklyn, it looked like they had positioned themselves well to be a factor in the East.

Unfortunately, injury luck has not gone the Hawks way in the last week as all three of those players now find themselves sidelined as the Hawks ride an active four-game losing streak and reports of locker room discontent between young stars like Trae Young and John Collins have emerged. Bogdanovic is the most recent injury concern for Atlanta after he left Saturday night’s game with a knee injury, and on Sunday the team offered an update on his status following an MRI that showed an avulsion fracture and inflammation in his knee.

Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered a right knee injury during the second quarter of last night’s game at Charlotte and didn’t return to the contest. Following an MRI earlier today at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, he has been diagnosed with an avulsion fracture in his right knee with associated soft tissue inflammation and a bone bruise. His treatment plan is being reviewed and will be updated later this week.

It’s a big blow for the Hawks, who lose a key piece of wing depth and shooting with Bogdanovic’s absence for however long he is out. For a team that has been trying to find its new identity, being without a key player makes that effort all the more difficult. From a rotation perspective, it likely means more minutes for Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish, who they’ll turn to to fill the scoring void.

After lots of delays, it looks like Lana Del Rey’s next album Chemtrails Over The Country Club is finally on track for release. Though one of the most recent updates the singer shared was that she broke her arm while skating — and not to read into her cast as symbolism — today she’s shared both the artwork and the tracklist for the forthcoming record.

Initially, the album title was introduced back in May, and was to come out in September before she let fans know it would be delayed. One of the first songs for the album, “Let Me Love You Like A Woman,” came out in October but there’s been a delay in new material since then. She’s been teasing a video for the title track of the record for a while now, and that song is finally coming out tomorrow.

On Instagram today she gave fans even more of an indication of what the album would be like by sharing a casual, black and white photograph that is the artwork, and another two images with the tracklist.

1. “White Dress”
2. “Chemtrails Over The Country Club”
3. “Tulsa Jesus Freak”
4. “Let Me Love You Like A Woman”
5. “Wild At Heart”
6. “Dark But Just A Game”
7. “Not All Who Wander Are Lost”
8. “Yosemite”
9. “Breaking Up Slowly”
10. “Dance Till We Die”
11. “For Free”

Tune in tomorrow for the title track, which looks like it has a 1920s theme according to a final Instagram post:

Parler came into serious trouble this weekend after news broke that both Google and Apple decided to kick the MAGA-friendly social media network out of its app stores, citing their failure to moderate hate speech and threats of violence. Over the weekend, Amazon added itself to the list, announcing that it would no longer host Parler’s servers. That meant the company is looking for a new online home.

Despite the company initially saying they would find a home elsewhere, it seems as though no one’s coming to the rescue. Matthew Keys caught video of Parler CEO John Matze on Fox News claiming that Google, Apple and Amazon are out for them.

“They’ve made an attempt to not only kill the app but to actually destroy the entire company,” Matze said. “And it’s not only these three companies, every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers ditched us on the same day.”

It’s important to note that initially Matze said there were “many competing for our business.” But apparently that competition has since evaporated.

“We’re going to try our best, you know, to get back online as possible but we’re having a lot of trouble because every vendor we talk to says they won’t work with us,” he said. “Because if Apple doesn’t approve and Amazon doesn’t approve, we won’t.”

Later in the interview, Matze complained that the timeframe Amazon gave Parler to find new servers was an “impossible” situation, which would effectively take the social network down for what he estimated would be at least a few days while they search for new cloud storage. But that won’t be easy.

“Where are you going to find 300 to 500 servers in 24 hours?” he asked. “It’s an impossible feat. We’re going to handle it as best as we can… but there are just some things that are basically impossible.”

The NFL had its first ever broadcast on Nickelodeon for the Bears and Saints Wild Card game on Sunday, and it actually was a pretty fun and entertaining broadcast, which was helpful in the first half of a 7-3 game that was anything but entertaining on its own.

Nate Burleson stole the show as the CBS studio analyst moved seamlessly into the booth with Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Noah Eagle, offering up explanations of what was happening at the most basic of levels and also regaling the viewers with stories from his days — he equated getting tackled to “falling down wooden stairs” and explained what happens when you have a bathroom emergency during a game. However, one thing no one in the booth was ready to explain happened right at the end of the first half when the NFL brought Nickelodeon its first hot-mic f-bomb moment maybe ever as the referee explained two flags on a punt and Cordarrelle Patterson, uh, disagreed.

I have no idea if an f-bomb has ever slipped into one of the Nick’s live action shows like All That or something, but I have to imagine this is one of the first ones in the network’s history. I’m not sure that’s what Viacom and the NFL had in mind, but it’s also rather stunning that they didn’t put the broadcast on a longer delay to try and cover up these potential issues — also, my goodness, that’s the most crystal clear referee microphone sound quality in history at the worst possible time.

They wanted to introduce a younger audience to football in full and, well, this kind of language will happen at football games. Noah Eagle’s “alriiiight” is the perfect response as he simply tried to keep it moving, but I’m sure the good folks at Nick will be getting plenty of calls and emails tonight about this one.

Over the past month, legendary singer Dionne Warwick has become one of the most loved people on Twitter. Some of her best moments have come through interactions with fellow musicians, as well as through her attempt to improve her present-day music knowledge. Thanks to help from her niece Brittani, Warwick has slowly become more informed of some of today’s artists, including one of today’s most popular acts. “After today, I can confidently add ‘Cardi B’ to the list of people my niece has opened my eyes to. More on this tomorrow,” Warwick said on Twitter Saturday night. “Cardi B is authentically herself. I have only seen video clips. No music yet.”

On Sunday Warwick returned, saying that while she still hasn’t listened to Cardi’s music, she did watch some more videos, including one where “she dances with the very effervescent @msdebbieallen!” The clip in question comes from an episode of the rapper’s Facebook series Cardi Tries, where she attempts ballet with help from actress and choreographer Debbie Allen. That led her to ask about another aspect of modern culture.

“What does Offset mean?” Warwick asked. “Is there also an Onset walking around somewhere?”

It’s almost certain that the singer’s fans will help her answer that question, but just like her tweets about Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, and Billie Eilish, surely her education will continue to be entertaining.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.