Monday, November 28
· Headlines – Anti-lockdown protests in China, Trump dines with Ye and Nick Fuentes
o I loved Trevor’s reaction to this opening blurb of the CDC changing “monkeypox” to “Mpox,” purportedly to avoid racial stigmas – “I don’t know who this is for. This sounds like they were trying so hard not to be racist, that they ended up being racist. Some guy was like, ‘We can’t use “monkey.” That immediately makes me think of, you know. Right? Come on. We’re all thinking it, right? Am I the only one?’”
o In another opening blurb, we learned that DoD can’t account for over 60% of its $3.5 trillion assets – “I don’t even know how it’s possible to lose track of that much money. Like, what, are they waterboarding people with Cristal? What are they doing there?”
o Great line, about what a big deal the protests in China are – “Remember, China is not one of those chill countries, where you just can talk trash about the government, or storm the Capitol, or plot to kidnap a governor.”
o Loved this – “Almost three years into this pandemic, it is still crazy to see the range of responses from different countries around the world, right? China shuts down an entire city if one person coughs. Meanwhile, Americans are like, ‘Hey, guys, I tested positive for COVID, so I’m just going to play the first few rounds of Spin the Bottle tonight, okay? Let’s be responsible.’”
o This was a great point – “Why do journalists still act surprised when Donald Trump does Donald Trump stuff? ‘Even for Donald Trump, this is—’ What do mean, even for Donald Trump? It’s Donald Trump doing Donald Trump. Trump having dinner with Nazis is not outrageous. If he had dinner with vegetables, that would be outrageous. That would be crazy.”
o Awesome line – “I love how Trump tries to immunize himself by saying Kanye ‘expressed no anti-Semitism’ at the dinner. And then, what? I’m also sure he didn’t rap at the dinner, but you still know that he’s a rapper.”
o I liked Trevor’s explanation for this segment – “Because I’m from the world, I love the World Cup.”
o Valid – “That’s right. The captains of seven European teams planned to show their support of the LGBTQ community by wearing rainbow armbands. But then, when FIFA threatened them with yellow cards, they scrapped the idea, which, in my opinion, shows that you’re not the ally you claim to be, right? You’re just like, ‘Hey, I support your right to live free from persecution, unless I get a warning in a game where I kick a ball. Then I’m out. You gays are on your own.’”
o Fun bit about Japanese fans picking up trash in the stadium after their team beat Germany – “You see this every World Cup. It’ll be Japan. It’ll be South Korea. And I think it’s a valuable lesson to all of us. If you are throwing a party, make sure you invite Japanese fans to your house. Because then you don’t have to clean up.”
o Trevor thought this was a “flex” by the Japanese fans, saying, “What is a more baller move than beating somebody, and then cleaning up after them?” – His impression of the fans was great too, especially, “No, no, we’ll clean up. You guys can go and figure out how to play soccer.”
· Interview – Actor Will Smith
o Smith was there to talk about his new film Emancipation – “American slavery was one of the most brutal aspects of human history. You know. It was something that was so incomprehensible, you know. It was just so—it’s hard to understand the level of human cruelty.”
o This was a lovely distinction – “My daughter asked me, she’s like, ‘Daddy, do we really need another slave movie?’ when I was thinking about it. And I was like, I said, ‘Baby, I promise you I wouldn’t make a slave movie. This is a freedom movie.’”
o The discussion shifted to “the Slap” from the Oscars, and Smith thoughtfully talked through what was happening with him that night – “I guess I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through. In the audience right now, you’re sitting next to strangers, you know. And somebody’s mother died last week, you know. Somebody’s child is sick, you know. Somebody just lost their job. Somebody just found out their spouse cheated, you know. It’s like there’s all these things and there’s strangers, and you just don’t know what’s going on with people. And I was going through something that night, you know. Not that that justifies my behavior at all. I would just say, you’re asking what did I learn, and it’s that we just got to be nice to each other, man, you know. Like, it’s hard. And I guess the thing that was most painful for me is I took my hard and made it hard for other people, you know.”
o Over the course off the conversation, Smith started tearing up – He asked Trevor, “Why are you trying to Oprah me?”
o Trevor offered some of his perspective on the incident as well – “Obviously, people were hurt, because we love you and we love what you do. People were shocked, because it’s Will Smith, it’s Chris Rock, you know. So Oscars, all these things. But I also think I speak for people when I say, like, I don’t want that to define you. I don’t think it should define you, you know what I mean?”
Tuesday, November 29
· Headlines – GOP reactions to Trump dining with Ye and Nick Fuentes, looming rail union strike, Elon Musk feuds with Apple
o In an opening blurb, Trevor celebrated the U.S. beating Iran in their World Cup match – “Yes, it’s such an amazing win for them. It means that they go to the next round, and they now get to say ‘I-ran’ instead of ‘Ee-ran.’”
o This was a good line, about Trump’s dinner with anti-Semites and white supremacists – “Now, we don’t know exactly what happened at that dinner, except that nobody ordered latkes.”
o Loved Trevor’s impression of Mitch McConnell explaining that there was “no room” for anti-Semitism and white supremacy in the GOP – “That’s right. There’s no room at all because we’re already full. Yeah. I mean, we do have room for someone who hates Dothrakis, but that would be a new one.”
o Nice observation – “Here’s the thing. I’m willing to believe—I’m willing to believe that Trump didn’t know who Nick Fuentes was when he came to dinner, as Trump says. I’m willing to believe that. But you’ve got to admit, it says a lot about him that he enjoyed this man’s company and everything that he had to say. Right? Like, if your friend brings Darth Vader to your house for dinner, that’s not your fault. But 15 minutes in, any decent person would be like, ‘I’m not comfortable with how much this guy talks about blowing up planets.’”
o Trevor admitted that it’s bizarre to think that a rail workers’ strike could devastate the economy, given that the railroad seems so “old-timey” – “It’s like finding out you’re losing your job because the Whale Hunter’s Union went on strike. You’re like, ‘But I work on computers!’ ‘Yeah, well, actually, the internet runs on whale oil. What are you gonna do?’”
o Trevor explained why Biden is stepping in to prevent the workers from striking – “He can’t have the economy take a hit on his watch. His administration has enough problems—high interest rates, war in Europe, they can’t find a sitter for Pete Buttigieg. Times are hard.”
o Elon Musk has been raging against Apple on Twitter, claiming that they’re “against free speech” if they pull their ads or decide to remove Twitter from the App Store – “Really, Elon? Tyranny? You can’t give the Braveheart speech about everything. Everything? This dude is walking around Twitter headquarters like, ‘This threatens the very existence of democracy and mankind.’ Then the janitor is like, ‘Okay, jeez, I’ll refill the paper towels. Stop shouting.’”
o Loved this bit – “Maybe it’s just me, but, like, do you also find it funny how ‘free speech’ and ‘giving Elon Musk money’ always seem to be perfectly aligned? Right? Elon is like, ‘Oh, so the world’s most perfectly protected brand doesn’t want ads showing up next to Nazi memes. I guess you believe in censorship, huh?’”
o Ronny was the headline correspondent, giving us the latest on social media – In reference to the latest “parents lie to their kids for likes” challenge, he said, “Putin, if you’re watching this, please, just nuke us right now and end it, okay?”
o Great line – “Of course Elon is upset at Apple’s policy, okay? Elon barely read his own contract to buy Twitter. You think he read Apple’s terms and conditions?”
o Ronny sold this bit perfectly – “Elon grew up in South Africa under apartheid, Trevor. Do you have any idea how hard that was for him? That’s something none of us in this room could ever understand.”
· Correspondent Piece (Michael) – Haunted dolls
o Michael was surprised to discover that one industry that’s been doing well in this economy is the selling of haunted dolls – Speaking to one seller, he noted, “You are literally in the business of ghosting people.”
o The seller explained some of the ins and outs of the business, such as, “You have to have a disclaimer if a ghost caused you to murder your wife” – Michael replied, “Isn’t capitalism fascinating?”
o Michael also interviewed a consumer who purchased a haunted doll (it was Stormy Daniels!) – As she described everywhere she brings the doll, Michael asked, “Would you say she’s living her best afterlife?”
· Interview – Actress Pam Grier
o Grier was promoting a TMC podcast documentary about her life called Here Comes Pam – This mostly meant telling incredible stories about some of the wild experiences she’s had and the different people she’s rubbed elbows with, even as a poor girl from Colorado just trying to get to film school.
o These were some nice remarks from Trevor – “I feel like every story in your life is like this. Like you said, you grew up in a world where you’re poor. You didn’t have much. You come into this world. You’re trying to do something. You start creating the something. You’re singing with people. You’re going out with legends and icons. You’re becoming friends with them. You’re working with them and you’re creating. And you become the legend and the icon.”
o In one of her most outrageous stories, she once loaded Richard Prior’s injured horse into her Jaguar to bring it to an emergency vet!
o This was a beautiful reflection from Grier on her life and experiences surrounding herself with brilliant artists – “I found my pain is deep, but my joy is infinite. And I find such joy in watching these geniuses escape their genius. It’s scary. You can’t repeat that. Who’s going to play Miles Davis again, Bitches Brew on a chart? Who’s gonna do that? Nobody.”
Wednesday, November 30
· Headlines – Georgia senate runoff, Twitter stops moderating COVID misinformation, San Francisco to use armed police robots
o Opening blurb on Spotify Wrapped – “The day that Spotify looks at our music and reminds us we’re all a basic bitch.”
o Great line from another blurb – “Experts say the United States is now facing a shortage of bomb-sniffing dogs. Yeah, which probably explains how Morbius made it into theaters.”
o I loved this bit, after Trevor introed a story about the midterms – “I know what you’re saying right now. You’re like, ‘But Trevor, the midterms are over. I killed them. I watched them die.’ Well, you thought you did. But you never took a headshot. And after you left, the midterms busted out of the dirt. And now they’re back.”
o Trevor’s reaction to a rambling clip of Herschel Walker at a campaign rally was fantastic – “I’m sorry, what? Did this man just win an argument with himself?”
o This was good, marrying 1) Walker’s speech likening a border wall to a wall around your house and 2) the fact that Walker apparently doesn’t even live in Georgia – “Personally, I don’t think he needs a wall because the hardest part about breaking into Herschel Walker’s house is figuring out which state it’s in.”
o This made me laugh out loud – “Okay, look, maybe this is my vaccine microchip talking, but I don’t think it’s responsible for Twitter to bring back the people who are spreading COVID misinformation. But on the other hand, it is 2022. Like, how can you still be misinformed about COVID? You know? Were you just running around like, ‘I heard the vaccine turns you into a lizard!’ Motherf**ker, it’s been three years. Do you see any lizards? Do you see any lizards here?”
o San Francisco is introducing robot cops authorized to use deadly force, and it’s been announced that they’ll be armed with explosives rather than guns – “Who came up with that PR statement? ‘Don’t worry, people. The robots aren’t going to have guns. They’re just gonna be suicide bombers, okay? Calm down.’”
o Good line – “Now, to be clear, just so we’re on the same page, the robots will not actually be deciding when to use deadly force. All right? There will still be trained human police officers on the remote control trigger. So don’t worry. It’s still going to be mostly Black people that get killed.”
o The headline correspondent, Roy, had a different view on robot cops – “No, I’m not scared of no robot cop, man. Half of these robots don’t even recognize Black people. I can’t get the sink faucet to turn on.”
· Interview – Filmmaker Ondi Timoner
o Timoner was promoting her film Last Flight Home, about her father choosing to die under California’s End of Life Option Act.
o Her father was 92, and I respect the choice he made, but I’m not sure how I’d feel about the documentary. Some of Timoner’s remarks about her father, who was paralyzed for 40 years as the result of a stroke, seemed to come from a fairly ableist perspective – “He suffered with such grace, you know. So when he said he needed to die at the end, it was something we all had to get behind.”
o Trevor asked how everyone in Timoner’s family was able to come on board with her father’s decision – She replied, “It was Dad’s spirit that was just so uplifted by finally having agency and power to make a determination over his own body and what would happen with his own life. It was just an incredible shift that happened. And we all saw it.”
o One thing I liked was Timoner’s explanation that a big motivation for making the film was as a means of helping her mother face what was coming – And now that her father has passed, Timoner said, “[My mom] watched the film every day for a year, the first year he was gone.”
· Interview – Actress Gabrielle Union
o When Union came out, the first thing they had to do was discuss her recent trip to Africa – Trevor asked, “Is that Africa I smell on you?” and burst into the opening notes of “Circle of Life.”
o Union was there to talk about The Inspection, a film based on the writer/director’s life. Union plays his mother, who rejected him for being gay – When she was approached about playing the role, she struggled with it, explaining, “I tend you, you know, when I come across people who behave and speak like this, I tend to read them for filth. I tend to not be inspired to want to play them in a film.”
o This was really lovely – “I come to find out that him and his mom had been estranged for about 18 years. And he knew that I was one of his mom’s favorites. And he knew that if I played her, she couldn’t deny him, and she would reconnect.”
o Union also had reservations because the role was so far outside anything she’d done before – “[The director said], ‘We know that you can do this.’ […] ‘You know the Black community has known that you’ve had the range to do this.’ And I had to admit to myself that I had put myself in a cage, in a box, and decided what I could do and couldn’t do.”
o Trevor asked how Union was able to get into the headspace of a woman she represents something so antithetical to her – She said, “The more I talk to parents who struggle in the way that she struggles, they—none of them deny that they love their children deeply. And a lot of them truly believe that by rejecting their child, or denying their identity, which unfortunately denies their humanity, is the way to love them properly, is the way to protect them, is the way to save them, which sounds very backwards, right. But that’s—firmly in their hearts, they believe that.”
o Ultimately, then, her mission was this – “How do I put the love in this space, but still show that this is the most unhealthy way of showing your love for your child?”
Thursday, December 1
· Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That – Hakeem Jeffries selected as House Minority Leader, Elon Musk touts Nueralink brain chips, William and Kate’s U.S. visit, Lady Susan Hussey dismissed from Buckingham Palace after racist remarks
o Valid – “That’s right. After 250 years, America finally has a minority Minority Leader, which is amazing. Although, you will notice the Democrats only gave it to a Black guy after they lost the House. It’s kind of like someone crashing their car, and then being like, ‘Hey, Hakeem, I know you’ve always wanted a BMW. No need to say thank you. Also, the cops want to talk to you. Bye!’”
o During a speech about Neuralink brain chips, Elon Musk noted that he could have one himself and no one would know – “Yeah, Elon, if you told us you were a part robot, all of us would be totally surprised. We’d be like, ‘I never saw that coming.’”
o Loved this – “If I get a chip in my head, I don’t know if I want Elon Musk to be in charge of it, you know? Like, a year ago, I would have been like, ‘The Tesla guy? Maybe. Maybe.’ But now, I’m like, ‘The Twitter guy? Mm—I’ll pay him $8 to stay away.’”
o This was a great line, on the heels of a list of Musk’s overly ambitious timelines promising various innovations that still haven’t come to pass – “Basically, this dude is a guy in a strip club, making it rain with IOUs.”
o Trevor called BS on Prince William’s claim to be “delighted” about visiting Boston, including taking in a basketball game – “You think these people are impressed by courtside seats? The man’s regular seat is a throne. This man has never sat on a folding chair in his life. He’s probably like, ‘Look at this thing. This chair has a mouth or something, Kate!’”
o At a palace event, Lady Susan Hussey repeatedly asked charity organizer Ngozi Fulani where she was really from – “People, how many times do we have to go through this? There is only one socially acceptable way to find out someone’s heritage. You swab their DNA while they’re asleep. Okay? It’s the polite thing to do.”
o I liked this bit – “This is like the first thing they teach you in Avoidable Racism 101. It is just never say the word ‘from.’ That’s it. A lot of racism includes the word ‘from.’ So just avoid it altogether. Where are you really from? Go back to where you came from. You see this clip from Tucker Carlson? ‘From’—stay away from it.”
· Correspondent Piece (Desi) – Harassment of election officials
o Desi hoped that her previous pieces on election infrastructure had saved democracy, but Tammy from the Democracy Fund pointed out that the U.S. is still having major issues – “God dammit, Tammy.”
o This is a sobering statistic – “One in four of election officials in this country have experienced threats of harassment and abuse.”
o Desi spoke with an election official from Philadelphia who’d experienced just that – “Well, the threats were pretty general in nature leading up to Election Day. But in the days that followed, especially after the former president targeted me by name on Twitter, that’s when the threats became much more specific and much more graphic, and were largely targeting my family.”
· Interview – Governor-Elect Wes Moore
o Moore acknowledged that no one would’ve expected a Black Democrat to be elected the governor of Maryland – “When we first started this race, we started at 1%. I say that ‘I’m not voting’ was polling higher than where I was polling at. Like, people were not feeling me at first. But I think what we did was, we continued to show people we were going to meet people where they were.”
o Speaking as a veteran, Moore took issue with people who call the January 6th insurrectionists patriots – “I refuse to be lectured, nor should anybody allow anybody to try to bastardize that term of patriotism, because we come from a place where I understand what it means to love your country even when your country doesn’t love it back. But you still love it.”
o He also talked about how his own experiences inform how he wants to use his position to improve things – “My life has been consistently the consequence of broken policies and how it leaves people, how it leaves people behind.”
o While Moore prioritized reducing crime, he also wanted to focus on police reform – “We have to be very clear on this too: you’re not going to arrest your way out of this. And you’re not going to militarize your way out of this.”
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