So you want to watch something...
Outside In-The Lockdown Special: Vir Das’ latest comedy special is out on Netflix, and Mashable India describes it as the ‘best 50 minutes you’ll spend’. The show focuses on one burning question, ‘What’s the first thing you are going to do after the lockdown ends?’ Making it even funnier: It's a WFH production and includes flushing toilets and noisy relatives.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: This adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play follows blues legend Ma Rainey and her band’s adventures on an eventful afternoon—which includes a battle for music rights with her white producer. Added bonus: it marks Chadwick Boseman’s final on-screen appearance. VanityFair and New Yorker offer rave reviews. It drops on Netflix today.
Bridgerton series: Since we won’t be publishing on Christmas Day, here’s an early heads up. This juicy binge-watch from Shonda Rhimes—of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Scandal’ fame—is going to drop on Netflix on December 25. The trailer is very Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl! FYI: If you’d like to prep in advance, the series is based on the enormously popular Julia Quinn novels.
A list of good reads
- Best weekend reading: FiftyTwo’s brilliant essay on Dr. Kamla Chowdhry who was the first faculty member of IIM Ahmedabad—and has since been reduced to a footnote by sexism and selective memory.
- Do you feel frisky at night or first thing in the morning? Mic dives into how gender and ‘chronotype’ determine when you are more likely to be in the mood for sex.
- The Conversation has a fascinating read on handmade pornography—the kind that people made for themselves—from carved sex toys to comic books.
- Mint Lounge lays out the latest trends in dating—and what to expect in 2021.
- New Republic has an excellent essay on bad restaurant reviews—and the critics’ addiction to negativity.
- Mel Magazine argues Tom Cruise’s big Covid safety rant says more about his ego than his virtue.
- Everyone is raving about Taylor Swift’s new album, but The Atlantic thinks she could use an editor.
- Yes, there is such a thing as “toxic positivity” and it is on the rise. Elle explains.
- For a lighter end to a dreary year: Check out Mashable's list of the 15 best comedy podcasts.
- We learned a lot from The Hustle’s piece on the phenomenal success of the world’s most popular board game Monopoly.
- ProPublica’s deep dive explains why Russia will dominate a world growing warmer due to climate change.
