Watching the Super Bowl on TV last night, it didn’t look like we were in the middle of a pandemic. Actually, though, the stadium wasn’t as full of people as it looked, since about 30,000 of the “attendees” were actually cardboard cutouts. So, through that very indirect way, some music stars got to “attend” the big game.
Spotted at the game in cutout form were folks like Eminem, Billie Eilish, Bernie Sanders, DJ Khaled, YG, DaBaby, Tyga, and others.
Ahead of the game, Peter O’Reilly, an NFL executive vice president, told CNN, “So when you turn on the TV, you’ll look around. It won’t be a full capacity stadium. 65,000 seats will have about twenty five thousand people in here, about 30,000 fan cutouts honoring some incredible people, some veterans and military personnel, health care workers as well, cancer survivors, youth and high school football players. So it’ll actually look full when you turn on the TV,” O’Reilly said.
Tampa Bay ABC affiliate WFTS-TV also noted that it cost $100 to get a cutout in a seat and that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Feeding Tampa Bay.
In The Fate of the Furious, Michelle Rodriguez harpoons Vin Diesel’s car (the movies are even better if you imagine they’re all documentaries and Rodriguez and Diesel are playing themselves) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stops a torpedo launched by Charlize Theron from a submarine with his bare hands. How can F9 possibly top that?
By spending eight months on a four-second scene, that’s how.
Before Sunday’s “The Big Game,” as it’s called for legal reasons, Universal Pictures released a new promo for the ninth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. There’s a backyard picnic attended by not-dead Han; a voiceover about family, because of course there is; John Cena looking angry; and Helen Mirren finally, FINALLY, getting to drive a car. It’s all great, but the promo saves the best for last:
UNIVERSAL
F9 director Justin Lin hopes you enjoyed that (I did), because it took a hundred people eight minutes to perfect it. “One 4 second shot in #F9. 8 months of prep. 4 days of production. 3 cars destroyed. Work from over a hundred of the most dedicated and talented crew,” he tweeted, along with a behind-the-scenes video. “Best job in the world!”
U.S. News & World Reportranks “physician assistant” as the best job of 2021, followed by “software developer” and “nurse practitioner,” but I disagree. “F9 director who gets paid lots of money to play with cars and make them explode” is the best job of 2021.
One 4 second shot in #F9. 8 months of prep. 4 days of production. 3 cars destroyed. Work from over a hundred of the most dedicated and talented crew. Best job in the world! pic.twitter.com/QK4wNYvAhE
The MySpace era feels like such an innocent time. Little did we know back then that social media would come to dominate the way just about everyone on the planet interacts.
Back then, social media was just about the joy of human interaction.
Over 100 million people logged on to Myspace per month from 2005 to 2008. It was a place where people blogged, shared their favorite music, gave brief status updates, and followed Tom and Tia Tequila.
It also was a place for self-expression. You could update your page with CSS and HTML to add cool pictures and artwork as a backdrop to your profile. This focus on self-expression made it especially popular with young people in the emo scene.
However, eventually, Facebook would come to dominate and overtake MySpace in 2008. Facebook was easier to operate and had more of an emphasis on real-time interaction with friends.
Now, Facebook has become an environment that many see as toxic. It’s a place rife with political bickering and questionable news stories. It’s also a heavily manipulated environment, ruled by an algorithm that chooses what you get to see and sells your information for top dollar.
This has led many to long for the days when the biggest problem on MySpace was who you chose for your top eight. As opposed to today when logging onto Facebook is an anxiety-inducing trip to the platform where you get to watch your friends, coworkers, and relatives slowly devolve into conspiracy theorists and political extremists.
So An, an 18-year-old student from Germany, has replicated the old-school MySpace experience into a new social media platform called SpaceHey. if you join the site you will immediately become friends with An, much like you did with Tom back in 2006.
via spacehey
“I was only a few years old when Myspace was popular,” An told Vice. “I never came to use Myspace. However, thanks to older friends and the internet, I heard a lot about it. I came to the conclusion that you can’t find something like this nowadays, where everyone can be this creative.”
An studied internet archive pictures of MySpace and watched videos of the “old internet” to perfectly recreate the site’s user interface and look. The site doesn’t have any algorithms, news feed, or like buttons. So that means you get to see everything as it happens in real-time and there’s no need to worry about how many likes your bulletin received. The site is also highly concerned with privacy and careful about the information it shares with third-parties.
Most importantly, you won’t have to see your uncle’s daily posts about Ben Shapiro.
It’s almost like we got the Internet right the first time.
Over 57,000 people have signed up for SpaceHey not only for the cozy nostalgia of the early millennium but because it’s a safer place for people to interact.
“Most social media platforms these days are incredibly toxic,” a user named Kelly says. “In the three weeks I’ve been on spacehey I’ve experienced more love and support from people than I have in the last five years on all of my social media platforms combined. It’s definitely refreshing.”
While it’ll take a big push to make the MySpace redux a viable alternative to Facebook, its relative popularity shows there is a hunger out there for social media spaces that are less toxic. SpaceHey is proof that there’s a big audience of people who want social media to be a “place for friends” again. And, that’s a good thing.
It was only two short weeks ago that Warner Bros. and HBO Max dropped the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong and shifted the entire world off its axis a little. Perhaps you think this description is a touch dramatic. Perhaps you think I am engaging in a bit of hyperbole to make a point. That’s understandable. I have long histories of both being dramatic and engaging in hyperbole. But I think I am being fair here. This is a trailer that features Rebecca Hall literally saying “It’s Godzilla” moments after a beast that is very clearly Godzilla bursts out of the sea. This is a trailer that features Alexander Skarsgard as a Vest And Sunglasses Scientist who announces with all the gravitas he can muster that “We need Kong.” It is a trailer that features Rebecca Hall saying “the myths are real” moments before it depicts Kong swinging a pterodactyl like a baseball bat to mash another pterodactyl out of the sky. It might be the best trailer I’ve ever seen. I’m so happy for Rebecca Hall.
But most importantly, for me, the trailer featured King Kong reaching back and walloping Godzilla with a haymaker to his scaly jaw. I cannot possibly express to you how much I loved this, and still love it. He just punched Godzilla straight in the mouth. I did not even know that was a thing you could do. Although I guess “you” can’t, unless you are King Kong. Are… are you King Kong? If so, I have a lot of questions about how you are reading this on a tiny computer or cell phone, but mostly I’d just like to congratulate you on throwing this bomb.
hbo max
And that was that. BLAMMO. A good trailer, one that teed up the film and got me all jazzed about its late-March release date, simple and straightforward, Kong punches Godzilla, bing bang boom. Everything appeared in order. But then…
A twist.
This past weekend, the Japanese trailer for the film debuted. I will post it below and you should watch it very closely because, while most of it is identical to the American trailer, there is one notable change.
Did you see it?
Did you catch the additional footage, the shot that is nowhere to be seen in the American version but is right there smack in the middle of the Japanese version?
Did you see it?
DID YOU SEE GODZILLA PUNCH KONG?
hbo max
At the risk of you accusing me of being dramatic and engaging in hyperbole again, this changes everything. In the American trailer, Godzilla destroys stuff and Kong whomps on him, giving the appearance that Kong is some unbeatable fighting machine. In this version, Godzilla takes Kong’s punch and then delivers a counter-haymaker that damn near knocks Kong right off that ocean liner and into the sea. This means at least two things:
The balance of power has shifted, as, in addition to the punch, Godzilla generally seems to fare better in this trailer than the American one, which raises the possibility that someone in the Warner Bros. marketing department has research that shows that audiences in Japan are more pro-Godzilla than audiences in America, kind of like how the Fast & Furious movies are called Wild Speed there, which is objectively better, especially because Fast Five is called, I swear this is true, Wild Speed MEGA MAX, capitalization theirs
It also raises the possibility that this fistfight is much longer than we originally thought, which would rule, and yes I would be perfectly happy if it lasted 15 full minutes, just two massive beasts knocking the slobber out of each other’s mouths with their fists and/or claws while the Rocky music plays and the bells kick in just as its getting good
With quarantine stretching on and folks drinking with a post-Prohibition level of fervor, home cocktail culture is booming. That’s why you need some solid bitters on your bar cart — a mix of classics and newcomers to aid you in your drink mixing. Clever ways to up your game and straightforward additions to bar stalwarts like the Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
For the uninformed, bitters are a common cocktail ingredient, drawing their flavor from various botanicals and spices. They are highly concentrated and usually centered around subtly bitter or bittersweet notes (hence the name). And while the whole bitters scene is rapidly growing more eclectic and craft-focused, one name absolutely dominates the conversation.
“The best bitters, as far as I’m concerned, are the iconic Angostura bitters,” says Trevor Schneider, Reyka Vodka Brand Ambassador. “These bitters are great at delivering the perfect balance to a cocktail as well as providing great amounts of flavor.”
While having Angostura is a must, picking other types of bitters for your home bar requires some thought as to what you’ll be mixing up and which flavors you enjoy. To help get the conversation started, we still asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us their go-to picks.
Scrappy’s Bitters – Lavender. Whether you want to get crazy and experiment with your cocktails or just brighten up a Vodka-soda or Gin and Tonic these lavender bitters add an herbal note that is more savory than sweet or floral.
Different brands have a flagship mix so having a collection of the best from a few different manufacturers — including some local craft entries — is your best bet. Ask them which is the best, which mix stands out the most.
Angostura Bitters. Period. It has a unique flavor. The cinnamon, cardamom, clove are some of the flavors you taste. Angostura for a bartender is like salt for a chef — can’t do a damn thing without salt.
Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters. It was created to compliment Tiki drinks and does it beautifully. The cinnamon and allspice go amazing with Sailor Jerry spiced rum.
There are so many, but I think that some of the emerging bitters brands like Hella out of NYC and 18:21 out of Atlanta are doing some really amazing things. Certain brands will always be staples, but Hella and 18:21 are innovating and trying collaborations in certain instances, which are really smart initiatives.
Amanda Swanson, bar manager at Fine & Rare in New York City
The Bitter Truth has a line of Non-Alcoholic bitters that I think are going to start becoming really popular with the current rising trend/lifestyle change that many people are making in eliminating or reducing their alcohol consumption.
Fee Brothers are a locally made bitters company from Rochester, NY (my hometown!) and have a vast array of flavors. One of my favorites is their Black Walnut Bitters.
They also make a Fee Foaming bitters that is a great egg white replacement and vegan alternative for cocktails.
Peychaud’s Aromatic Bitters. They’re a New Orleans staple. From the balance to its beautiful red hue. If you’re about to make a Sazerac and you don’t have a few dashes of these, you’re about to make a mistake.
We love a good Manhattan and we enjoy it topped off with the fresh flavor of orange. You can do this by rubbing an organic orange peel across the rim (or twisting it and putting it in your glass) or by using a few drops of Bittercube Orange Bitters for a little more bitter-meets-citrus flavor.
If you enjoy brandy, then you already know about Copper & Kings. If not, it’s time to get on the bandwagon. You can start by buying a bottle of their award-winning brandy and a bottle of their Red Alembic Bitters to give your favorite drink subtle anise and herbal flavor notes.
Welcome to Streamer Smackdown, the unofficial arena where two streaming platforms will compete for subscriber glory, but only one will come out on top. (We’re just streaming experts who watch a worrisome amount of TV on the daily. What do we know?)
We’ll look at everything from content to pricing to how easy it is to find that one obscure ’90s sitcom (that you saw two episodes of when you were a kid) and name a winner. It’s not as fun as cage matches and steel chairs but then again, what is?
Round two sees Netflix face-off against another young rookie, Disney+. Don’t let Baby Yoda’s cuteness fool you, this streamer fights dirty.
Disney+ / Giphy
The Case For Netflix
Netflix is definitely the old-timer in this fight, but when it comes to streaming, that’s a good thing. It means the platform carries a seemingly limitless amount of content, from original series and movies to international offerings, anime, and blockbuster classics.
It’s got a three-tier pricing plan, which means it’s slightly more affordable depending on what you’re looking for. The most you’ll pay is $15.99 a month, and that guarantees you four simultaneous streams, 4K viewing, unlimited downloads of certain shows and films, and the ability to watch from pretty much anywhere on any device.
And because what you’re watching is more important than how you’re watching, we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t marvel at the quantity and quality of original content the streamer’s given us over the years. There are beloved favorites like Orange Is the New Black and Bloodline. There are newcomers like Bridgerton and The Witcher. There are trippy comedies like Russian Doll and period dramas like The Queen’s Gambit. And then there are the Academy Award-winning movies that have disrupted the awards season circuit over the past few years. It’s enough content to have any competition, even Disney, shaking in their boots.
Pros: A huge library of originals and some old-school favorites, a cheap pricing plan, and easy navigation.
Cons: There’s still so much content people are missing out on, some of the originals are hit and miss, and we’ve already seen a lot of what it has to offer.
The Case For Disney+
In no way should you feel bad for Disney. The company has managed to cement its place atop the peak of pop culture by buying out other studios and grouping some of the biggest franchises and comic book IP under its very large umbrella. It makes sense then that Disney+, its fairly new streaming platform, would rival a behemoth like Netflix within just a year of its launch. Right now, a subscription will set you back $6.99 a month, though that price will inch up to $7.99 per month in March of this year.
But still, compared to what you’re shelling out for other streaming platforms, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with Disney+. Nearly every movie in the Marvel catalog is now housed on the streamer — in case you want to relive those pre-snap glory days — and spinoffs like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki are also finding a home there. So, if you’re an MCU fan, you almost can’t live without Disney+ at this point.
Another draw for the streamer is the nostalgic appeal of the mythic Disney vault — you know, that completely nonexistent content prison Disney shoved its most beloved titles into so you’d give them all your money when they dangled those “remastered” editions of childhood favorites in front of our joyless shells of adulthood. Disney+ guessed that we’d all want to tap into our youth by rewatching Beauty & The Beast or The Emperor’s New Groove, and they were right. Now that the studio is churning out live-action remakes of these classics, there’s even more demand for the originals (truly, a vicious cycle).
But if animated fairytales and superhero team-ups aren’t your thing, Disney+ has a place for you too because they’ve also acquired Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox (and all of the films that come with both). Yes, that means the entire Star Wars collection, and the X-Men universe, and Deadpool, and all of the Fantastic Fours, and Baby Yoda, and… you get it, right?
Pros: A massive library of animated classics, superhero sagas, and sci-fi space operas.
Cons: As of now, WandaVision and The Mandalorian are the only original series worth your time.
The Verdict: Netflix Wins, But We’re Not Happy About It
Look, if we’re going by stats, Netflix has more original content that’s actually good. When Disney+ got in the game, they banked on The Mandalorian to attract subscribers that maybe wouldn’t care about a digitally restored copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. They also couldn’t decide if they wanted to market to kids, parents of kids, or everyone in between. That meant it took a year for fans to see the payoff from its extensive IP library. WandaVision is terrific, and it had us excited for what comes next within the MCU, but once you finish the handful of episodes there and the dozen or so more from Jon Favreau’s Mandalorian adventure, you’re left with a bunch of films you’ve likely seen before.
So yes, Netflix wins, but honestly, we’re more excited to see where Disney+ goes this year, so we’re begrudgingly bestowing this title belt.
The Kansas City Chiefs efforts to run it back came to a screeching halt in the Super Bowl as the Buccaneers played a masterful game on both sides of the ball, exploiting the Chiefs’ weaknesses and rolling to a 31-9 win and a second title in franchise history.
To not allow a touchdown to this Chiefs offense is an immense accomplishment, but one that doesn’t happen without a little help. Tampa schemed up a terrific gameplan to attack Kansas City’s shorthanded offensive line and put pressure on Patrick Mahomes all night. However, as Brian Baldinger of NFL Network showed on his latest terrific #BaldyBreakdowns on Twitter, the game may have looked different if the Chiefs’ playmakers had helped Mahomes out and made plays that they so often do.
@Chiefs receivers had many opportunities to make Big Plays. The QB made some amazing throws with heroic effort. All you can ask for are opportunities. I expect them to be knocking on the doorstep in 2021 of another title. @Buccaneers#BaldysBreakdownspic.twitter.com/dojybHMsE6
It’s a really interesting look at some incompletions that were moments of that Mahomes Magic that has become his trademark as he makes plays after the pocket breaks down, they just didn’t get the ending they deserved as receivers had drops in key spots. The three that really stood out were the Hill drop in traffic at the goal line, the Kelce drop on 3rd-and-8 deep in their own end, and, of course, the unbelievable diving throw Mahomes made that hit Darrel Williams in the face. All of them were contested, difficult plays, but in the Super Bowl against an elite defense, those are the plays you have to make — and they’re the plays Kansas City has been making for the last two years. This time, they didn’t just drop a few but seemingly all of the big plays they needed, and coupled with a sensational effort from Tampa, that yielded the lopsided final score.
Despite the fact that it might feel like you see a Promoted Post every time you log onto Twitter, Donald Trump’s former social media platform of choice is actually not doing too hot when it comes to targeted ad buys. In fact, Twitter only brings in less than one percent of the global digital advertisement market, which is why the company is turning to a new revenue strategy: Subscription pricing. The company is reportedly considering various revenue plans to get users to pay a price for either premium content or more advanced features coming down the line. Via Bloomberg:
A number of Twitter teams are researching subscription offerings, including one using the code name “Rogue One,” according to people familiar with the effort. At least one idea being considered is related to “tipping,” or the ability for users to pay the people they follow for exclusive content, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are internal. Other possible ways to generate recurring revenue include charging for the use of services like Tweetdeck or advanced user features like “undo send” or profile-customization options.
This isn’t the first time that Twitter has mulled charging for TweetDeck, which is a favorite for power users of the social media platform. Back in 2017, the company surveyed TweetDeck users to see what features they’d be willing to pay for, but nothing ever came of the initiative after fielding the responses. It’s unclear whether Twitter will move ahead with that plan again, or whether it will pursue other options like charging for an ad-free experience or the ability to upload higher quality video.
Bloomberg also reports that the company is considering charging for Verified accounts, which could quickly become a hot button issue if you’ve ever seen one of the numerous daily fights over “Blue Checks” weighing in on a topic.
At this point, there’s no stopping Olivia Rodrigo and “Drivers License.” The biggest song in the country is everywhere, from countless TikTok videos to The Tonight Show to the Grammy Museum. The tune has fared well on the charts and its run of success isn’t coming to an end yet: On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated February 13, “Drivers License” is once again No. 1 for the fourth week.
The longer the song stays on the charts, the more history it makes, as not a lot of songs that debut at No. 1 stay there for a long time. Rodrigo is making it happen, though: Of the 48 songs to ever debut at No. 1, “Drivers License” is just the 12th ever to remain in that spot for at least its first four weeks.
Of the 48 songs to ever debut at No. 1 on the #Hot100, @Olivia_Rodrigo‘s “Drivers License” is the 12th to hold at No. 1 in its first four weeks.
Rodrigo previously said of the song, “When I came up with ‘Drivers License,’ I was going through a heartbreak that was so confusing to me, so multifaceted. Putting all those feelings into a song made everything seem so much simpler and clearer — and at the end of the day, I think that’s really the whole purpose of songwriting. There’s nothing like sitting at the piano in my bedroom and writing a really sad song. It’s truly my favorite thing in the world.”
Evan Rachel Wood came forward last week to name ex-partner Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser and groomer (after years of her advocacy and testimony in front of lawmakers to help pass survivor-geared laws). In the immediate aftermath of Wood’s statement, four other women lodged allegations of abuse agains Manson. Phoebe Bridgers then followed with a sickening story while former Manson collaborator Trent Reznor issued his own statement of condemnation. and Wood has made more revelations about threats that she received (apparently from parties associated with Manson) that prompted her to come forward.
Now, 1980s teen idol Corey Feldman is giving his own account in an Instagram post, in which he accuses Manson of emotionally abusing him for decades. Feldman’s claims include grooming and being kissed without consent, and he makes reference to passages that Manson wrote about him in his 1998 memoir, Long Road Out Of Hell as evidence that Manson is “obsessed” with Feldman.
“Manson has been obsessed w me 4 over 2 decades!” wrote Feldman in part. “Dont #BELIEVE me? Just LOOK @ THE PUBLISHED FACTS! He 1st wrote several passages about me in his book #LONGROADOUTOFHELL as we had met a few months prior 2 that @ a Premier 4 #HOWARDSTERNSPRIVATEPARTS IN NY where the #GROOMING process began. He grabbed my face in front of the crowd and kissed me w his Black Lip Stick that I couldn’t rub off all night. He proceeded 2 gush over me telling me what a ‘Huge fan’ of mine he was.wrote Feldman in part.”
While speaking in 1999 to the Dallas Observer of Feldman, Manson stated that he feels “genuinely excited” about meeting former child stars that he’s “always genuinely respected and admired,” but “I think Corey Feldman got a little bitter because of my sense of humor. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who are you gonna laugh at? Especially when you’re Corey Feldman. You’ve got nothing else to do but laugh at yourself.”
The allegations against Manson made by Wood have, thus far, led his his agency (CAA) and his record label (Loma Vista Recordings) to drop him from their rosters. Two TV shows (AMC’s Creepshow anthology series and Starz’s ongoing American Gods) that filmed appearances by Manson also followed suit, and a California State Senator has asked the FBI to investigate the “alleged cases” against the singer.
For his part, Manson followed Wood’s initial statement with a statement of his own to deny any wrongdoing. “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he wrote. “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”
Billie Eilish has arrived at the #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/GsdZQP7Jx5
via spacehey
