Happy Leap Day!
Well, we did it. We made it to another February 29th, a little bonus midwinter day that we get as a treat. This morning, I did some googling on why February refuses to stick around for a normal amount of time and I discovered that Julius Caesar is to blame (isn't he always?). We got today because of the Romans trying to keep pace with the Egyptians. The grass is always greener on somebody else's calendar. That's what I always say. And people always say back, "I don't think you have the phrase correct."
Upcoming Events
AUSTIN, TX
Sunday, March 15th at 5:30 pm. I'll be at SXSW for a special live taping of You're the Expert. Free and open to the public! Link
LOS ANGELES, CA
Wednesday, March 25th at 7 pm at the Lyric-Hyperion Theatre. Matt Porter and I are hosting another edition of Powerful Points, where comedians give presentations. Link
DETROIT, MI
Tuesday, March 31. I'll be performing one of my Pop-Up Magazine stories at the Local News Summit. Details TBA.
This week’s list
GREAT:
Emma Carmichael is one of my favorite writers and people. This week she's got the cover story for Rolling Stone, a profile of SZA. An incredible musician who "transformed R&B with her honesty and warmth," SZA hasn't released an album of her own for years. Emma answers the questions all of SZA's fans are wondering about but also gets deep into SZA's process and psyche. In her trademark style, Emma uncovers very relatable and human moments while also keeping an eye out for the utterly bizarre. We've got everything from marine biology to musical bowls to a fan tweet so hilarious it made me do an honest-to-God spit take. The Rebirth of SZA
FUNNY:
Ziwe Fumudoh writes for Desus & Mero on Showtime, does standup, and even puts out original songs and music videos. One of my favorite of Ziwe's many projects is her talk show, Baited, where she "makes her white coworkers feel uncomfortable talking about race." This latest episode with Josh Gondelman is so fun. Josh is such a good, nice person. There is nothing funnier than watching Ziwe try her hardest to trick him into saying something horrible. White Bosses with Ziwe, Josh Gondelman and Heben Nigatu
INTERESTING:
Coronavirus is scary and we're getting a lot of alarming news stories, especially when the reports are coming from China. But this illustrated story by Krish Raghav is not only a new perspective from inside the country, it's even heartwarming. What do you do for food and companionship when your city is under quarantine? For many people in China, the answer is turn to social media recipe sharing apps. Krish is a very cool comic book artist and illustrator living in Beijing who's at work on a graphic novel about underground music in China. And this article is a good example of the kind of warmth and humanity that comes through more powerfully with graphic illustrations than could with words alone. Quarantine Cooking
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See you in 2024,
Chris