Welcome back to The High Low!
I have a confession this week: I have been on TikTok way too much. Just in the past week or two, there have been so many cute, weird, and funny videos. From people doing the bouncy Bridgerton dance with their dogs, to the “why you so obsessed with me?” trend, to Zooey Deschanel giving a super honest review of Crumbl cookies, it’s all been top-tier low-brow content. But none of it is actually in this week’s newsletter 😅 It’s Oscars week! Plus some other stuff…
✨Read to the end for a sassy prairie dog in a “suit of shame.”
Highlights of the Oscars
So much happened at the 98th Academy Awards that it’s hard to spotlight any one moment. This wasn’t an Oscars with one major moment like “the slap” or the La La Land team erroneously thinking they won Best Picture. Instead, this year’s ceremony was one that had some big wins and some little mishaps throughout. And in a refreshing twist, there wasn’t one film that swept all the awards. So let’s jump into it…
The show started off strong. First, there was host Conan O’Brien’s cold open with him all dolled up like Aunt Gladys from Weapons and running from a horde of children chasing him through the worlds of all the Best Picture nominees. (If you haven’t seen Weapons, this whole chase sequence was a *chef’s kiss* homage to the final scene of the film.) This was followed by Conan’s monologue which offered a perfect balance of comedy that poked a little fun at the celebrities without being cruel. Personally, I loved his Ted Sarandos bit.
Another fun moment for comedy fans was the mini Bridesmaids reunion that happened during the ceremony. Melissa McCarthy, Rose Bryne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Ellie Kemper were all there, but Wendy McLendon-Covey was not. Don’t worry though. She shared a post on Instagram assuring everyone that she isn’t on the outs with the other women; she just had a neck lift and is still recovering.
Other highs from “Hollywood’s biggest night” were Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor win for his incredible dual role in Sinners, Javier Bardem using his onstage time to say “no to war” and “free Palestine” to a roar of applause, Joachim Trier paraphrasing James Baldwin in his Best International Feature winning speech and reminding everyone to not vote for politicians who don’t protect children, and the Oscar for Best Cinematography finally going to a woman for the first time in its 98-year history. The much-deserved recipient of said Oscar was Autumn Durald Arkapaw for her work on Sinners.
One unfortunate moment during the ceremony was when the Oscars played off the KPop Demon Hunters team during their Best Original Song win. They were able to finish saying who they wanted to thank backstage in the press room, but the abrupt onstage cutoff was rightfully met with boos from the audience.
Something that had the whole audience on its feet and cheering, though, was the Best Original Song performance of “I Lied To You” from the film Sinners. It was a big party on the Academy stage, celebrating Black excellence. Even Misty Copeland showed up, stepping out of retirement, to close out the incredible performance.
And, finally, Conan’s closing, post-Oscars bit was a perfect comedic end that recycled a concluding scene from One Battle After Another.
@corporatenatalie Oop! Right over here!
🎨 It looks like Banksy may no longer be anonymous. Reuters released an investigative article tracing the elusive street artist’s oeuvre and his movements across the globe. They found that Banksy was arrested in NYC in 2000 for defacing a billboard, and his name is… Robin Gunningham.
🧛🏻 The Buffy reboot is dead. There were plans for the beloved vampire slayer to slay once more on Hulu with Sarah Michelle Gellar back on board and Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Hamnet) attached to the project. It’s not fully clear what caused this sudden drop, but Deadline has some insider info that points to a back-and-forth with execs, including one who repeatedly pointed out he’s never seen the original. Grr… arghh…
🐥 Psyduck is the best Pokémon (don’t argue with me!) and now it could be the best furniture. Move over Snorlax bed, there’s now a Psyduck Chair! And it could be yours for ¥28,400 (about $180).
🎤 Everyone’s least-liked AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood has dropped a new music video. Funny enough, the video begins with a disclaimer saying it was made by 18 humans. Suuuuure it was… Just like robots are designed to not hurt humans, but then how do you explain THIS?!
🍿 Drag queens Trixie and Katya watched and reacted to the ANTM documentary on Netflix. It was honestly worth the watch just to feel validated for how the docuseries made me feel. Going into it, as an elder millennial who loved ANTM back in the day and was looking forward to a doc about how ridiculous and outlandish the show was, I was quickly struck by how horrid things were behind the scenes. Much like Trixie and Katya (who actually get quite emotional!), I was shocked/heartbroken by some revelations made in the doc.
🚢 There’s a new dating reality competition series coming to Hulu called Love Overboard, and it’s just the latest in a long list of bonkers premises. On Love Island, people are kicked off the island. In this show, people are on a luxury yacht (either as guests or workers) where they could walk the plank… and be dumped into the ocean?? This sounds like a parody show from 30 Rock that’s been turned into a real show! (It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened though. I mean, the show MILF Manor is basically MILF Island.)
🤖 A new study “measuring US workers’ capacity to adapt to AI-driven job displacement” finds that most workers who are at risk of being displaced due to AI intervention have enough skills to pivot and adapt to a new job. However, “6.1 million workers, primarily in clerical and administrative roles” are not part of that majority. AI is already disrupting the workforce and has led to countless layoffs in multiple sectors. Things are bound to get worse unless policymakers step in to help those most vulnerable and possibly put limitations on the ultra-wealthy looking to skimp on paying real humans.
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✨ Thank you for reading to the end. As promised, here is a sassy prairie dog in a “suit of shame.”
See you next time! 🖤🩷
