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John Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live on Halloween of this year, just a few days before the presidential election—an event he (correctly) referred to as an “elderly man contest.”
“There’s two elderly men and you’re supposed to choose your favorite of the two elderly men,” he said in his opening monologue. “You can put it in the mail or you can go and write down which elderly man you like and then we’ll add ’em all up and then we might have the same elderly man or we might have a new elderly man.”
This election between two elderly white men came after the most diverse Democratic primary race in history, so Mulaney isn’t wrong in reducing it to its most basic components. It’s funny in an endlessly depressing sort of way.
But Mulaney didn’t stop there. “Just rest assured,” he continued, “no matter what happens, nothing much will change in the United States.” The rich will get richer, he explained, families will be upended by mental illness and drug addiction, Jane Lynch will continue to book projects, little girls will still get bullied at sleepovers, etc., etc.
The reaction to that joke was … mixed. On the one hand, it is true that we don’t often get to see the sort of change we want just because our preferred political party is in power. Police killings of BIPOC people, hate crimes, opioid and other drug epidemics, destructive immigration policies—all of these existed under Barack Obama too, just as they have under every president.
The flip side of that is that it’s very easy for a wealthy white cis man like Mulaney to say that nothing in the daily lives of Americans will change under a new president. A lot of people have seen a whole lot of things change under our soon-to-be-gone president. A lot of people have seen their rights stripped away, a lot of people live in fear because of his actions, a lot of people have lost their jobs or their health insurance or other basic necessities. And, of course, a lot of people have died because of his inaction on COVID-19.
Also, three days before an election is not the time to be telling millions of people that their vote doesn’t matter.
I adore John Mulaney so I was really glad to see him address this joke on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week and to know that he agrees: the joke was not great.
“I should have said ‘I very much want one to win over the other and there will be improvements if one wins.’ I deserve the backlash,” he told Kimmel.
He also said that his wife and everyone who knows him was confused by the underbaked joke because he solidly identifies as a Democrat, saying “I like people and I’m generally happy and not deeply angry, so I’m a Democrat.”
The ultimate problem with then? “I forgot to make the joke good.”
Mulaney says he just didn’t work through the joke. He thought the funny bit was the Jane Lynch part, so he didn’t really think through the set-up. That happens to comedians all the time. (Usually, they have an opportunity to work through these issues before taking their set on television but with COVID, Mulaney says he just didn’t have anywhere to workshop the material.) But Mulaney gets it and he’s taking the L without getting defensive. That’s pretty refreshing.
By the way, Mulaney also says in the same interview that after he hosted SNL earlier this year (yes, twice in one year!), he had an even bigger reaction to a joke he made tangentially comparing Trump to Julius Caesar who, you know, just happened to get assassinated by the Senate. In addition to getting attacked by right-wing media outlets on Twitter, it turned out the Secret Service wasn’t a huge fan of that joke.
“I guess they opened a file on me because of the joke, and I have to say, am I stoked there’s a file open on me? Absolutely. Did I enjoy it in the moment? Not so much.”
(via Vulture, image: YouTube)
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The post John Mulaney Gets Why People Were Mad About His Both-Sidesy Election Joke on SNL first appeared on The Mary Sue.
By Kimberly Wilson ·December 2, 2020December 2, 2020
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the holiday season — the time when Netflix releases their drop of everything new coming for the month.
In December, we’ll finally see the debut of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Chadwick Boseman’s final screen appearance starring opposite Viola Davis as the legendary blues singer. The story takes place in 1927 on one hot summer afternoon in Chicago, where Ma Rainey and her band are recording several songs, including the one that gives the film its title.
In addition to new releases, classics such as You Got Served, Why Did I Get Married, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler will appear on the streaming platform just in time for holiday gatherings and family movie time. There will be plenty to tune into this month, but here’s just a taste of the new releases that we’re excited to see.
01The Prom – 12/11Theaters may be dark because of the pandemic, but the neon lights of Broadway shine bright in this adaptation of The Prom. The musical tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school that’s has cancelled its prom because the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) doesn’t approve of a female student attending with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose).
Netflix 02Giving Voice – 12/11Giving Voice closely follows the lives of six vibrant students as they meticulously develop their individual performances with the hopes of embodying August Wilson’s legacy, in a riveting, high-stakes competition on Broadway. It’s executive produced by Julius Tennon and Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions along with John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. 
03Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – 12/18In quite possibly one of the most anticipated films of the year, Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Viola Davis plays the legendary 1920s blues singer in Netflix’s adaptation of the August Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The story takes place in 1927 on one hot summer afternoon in Chicago, where Ma and her band are recording several songs, including the one that gives the film its title. Directed by George C. Wolfe and produced by Denzel Washington, the film features the final performance of Chadwick Boseman on screen. 
04London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck – 12/22Haven’t heard of comedian London Hughes? While the British comedian may not be all that well known to American audiences currently, that could soon change once you watch her upcoming comedy special, To Catch a D*ck. The special will be executive produced by Kevin Hart, and directed by Kristian Mercado, who previously directed Sam Jay’s debut Netflix special. 
05Cops and Robbers – 12/28This animated short film is based on a spoken word poetry video created in response to the May 5, 2020, murder of Ahmaud Arbery. 
TOPICS: NetflixThe post Here’s What New, Black and On Netflix This Month appeared first on Essence.
Soul is the latest project from Pixar Animation Studio. The BGN family is all very excited about the film, not only for the story but also for the fact that it features the first Black character to lead a Pixar film.
The film follows Joe, played by Jamie Foxx, a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz, and he’s really good. In a freak accident, Joe finds himself no longer among the living, but in a realm of souls who will one day make it to Earth. Desperate to get back to his body, Joe finds an infant soul. The only way to help himself is to help her understand what it means to be alive. The cornerstone of the story is a soul who doesn’t want to live and looks down on Earth with skepticism meeting a soul who doesn’t want to die.
The filmmakers behind Soul spent four and a half years working on this film. The film is co-directed and co-written by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. In an early presentation of the film, the filmmakers expressed how they loved the idea and were ready to go, but the first problem they encountered was what does a soul look like? The team did a lot of research looking into teachings, the many philosophies, and traditions around the world.
“What we found most was that people described the soul as vapor, nonphysical, formless, breath, air. All very interesting, but not very helpful because, how do you draw air?” said Docter at a recent press conference with the members of the team.
After more research, the team found a material called Aerogel, which is the lightest solid material on Earth. While it’s used by the aerospace industry, the Pixar team made it work to their benefit.
“It seemed to suggest the nonphysical stuff our research would talk about, but in a way, we could put on screen,” said producer Dana Murray.
A lot of artists tried their best to create something cool and fresh, but it wasn’t until Docter made something with a little more “humanity,” that they found what they were looking for.
“The eyes and faces and the expressions made them more appealing, and we were able to see what they were thinking, which is, of course, crucial for animation,” said Docter. It was then they added color to the soul. “We developed a whole new technique we had never done before. We created these lines around the edges that could define all the articulation that might otherwise be too fuzzy to see,” said Murray. After months and months, they finally found their characters.
The other half of the Soul story was the main character Joe. The team needed Joe’s life on Earth to be the center of the film if he was going to have any luck convincing a young soul how great Earth is.
“Almost by fate, we found this video from an online master class by jazz legend Herbie Hancock. We thought jazz is the perfect representation. So, we thought Joe has to be a jazz musician,” stated Docter.
Jazz was the perfect metaphor. The team partnered with talents like Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. It was a perfect match for the film. One of the Pixar consultants on the film referred to jazz as “Black improvisational music,” and that’s when they knew the main character needed to be Black. Cue Kemp Powers, the acclaimed screenwriter, and playwright.
Powers came onto the project when the film was still in the rough stages. “Joe was a character who needed a lot of fleshing out,” said Powers. “Thankfully, Joe, as we envisioned him, the character, and I had a lot in common. I realized that in many ways Joe was me.” Powers was able to use a lot of his own experience to create the character.
There were lots of discussions and meetings about Joe. Conversations centered on where he grew up, important people in his life, his ticks, his dreams, etc. The research took the team into barbershops, New York City, public schools, and jazz clubs.
“The research and my personal experience definitely helped develop Joe in the story,” said Powers. To make sure that people understood that he wasn’t meant to represent every single Black person’s experience, the Pixar team reached out and partnered with several consultants throughout the entire process. “This wasn’t a rubber-stamping situation,” said Powers. “They were part of the development the entire time.”
To make sure their representation was as genuine as possible, the team turned to tons of experts outside of Pixar as well. Other consultants included music teachers, working jazz musicians from New York City and Emeryville, and well-known cultural consultants, such as Dr. Johnetta Cole, Bradford Young, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and Daveed Diggs. With their help, Joe was born.
This reviewer is always amazed by the amount of research that takes part in an animated film — even more so for Pixar’s first Black male lead character. The soul and the life of a Black man in New York are the centerpieces of Soul and were seemingly the hardest to figure out. Pixar is known for its great storytelling and dedication to their films, so what was shared in this press briefing was probably only the tip of the iceberg. The detail, care, and patience that goes into every part of the story are what makes Pixar films so special.
Soul will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting December 25th.
By Jasmine Grant ·December 1, 2020December 1, 2020
Looks like our girl Rihanna has found herself a quarantine bae to close out the year with. The lucky guy is reportedly rapper A$AP Rocky, with whom she’s had a longstanding friendship.
According to a source that reached out to People, the two musicians are enjoying each other’s company, having gone from friends to romantic partners. The confirmation of their relationship comes just after onlookers spotted the new couple show up for dinner at a New York City restaurant.
A$AP Rocky (whose real name is Rakim Mayers) recently modeled in the campaign for Rihanna’s newly released Fenty Skin line. In videos filmed for both Vogue and GQ, the alleged couple interviewed each other (and blushed the whole way through) about beauty, skincare, and what physical attributes they first notice about a person. You could definitely feel their chemistry through the screen!
Rihanna has been single since the top of the year when it was reported that she and Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel broke up. In the past, A$AP Rocky had previously dated model Chanel Iman and Kendall Jenner.
While Rihanna has historically been sparing with the details about her dating life, she has been open her desire to become a mother in the near future. When asked by Sarah Paulson for Interview Magazine if she wants to be a mother, the beauty boss responded with “more than anything in life.”
One thing’s for sure – if the rumors are true, this is one beautiful couple!
TOPICS: asap rocky black couples RihannaThe post Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Are Reportedly Dating appeared first on Essence.