Happy Monday!
What an insane whirlwind of a weekend. There’s simply too much going on. From the government shutdown to Catherine O’Hara’s death to Don Lemon and other journalists’ arrests, it’s been a firehose of (bad) news. To top it all off, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. Damn you, Phil! Hopefully, I can offer you a bit of respite with some silly thoughts about last night’s Grammys.
Some news: I went on Vox’s Today, Explained to discuss the 2016 nostalgia trend. You can listen to that here. Longtime Yappers know I’ve been talking about the culture’s 2010s fixation since last year. If you’re a new subscriber coming from the pod, welcome! Some of my musings on the previous decade can be found here.
Also in this newsletter, ID verification in ticket buying, wrestling speed dating, Mastercard’s latest Grammy ad, and more.
I was on Grammys duty last night at Entertainment Weekly. I forgot how fun it is to parse through awards show highs and lows (and everyone’s different tastes)! Some thoughts I had during the broadcast:
Trevor Noah got in some good jabs as host. Maybe too good, since Donald Trump threatened to sue him over his comment about Epstein’s Island.
The Best New Artist medley is the best update to the show in years. I was a fan last year and I’m glad they brought it back.
Am I the only one who liked Addison Rae’s performance?! Her final dance break solidified her as a pupil of Britney Spears. The transition from her act to Katseye was EXCELLENT. And of course, Katseye’s “Gnarly” dance break was fantastic. I love the girls!
What a triumphant night for Lola Young! It must feel so good to be received so warmly by your peers after such a difficult few months. (In case you missed it, she collapsed at Gov Ball last September and cancelled her upcoming tour dates to focus on her health.) To hear the cheers after her performance of “Messy” then see her win Best Pop Solo Performance, it was heartwarming!
I was cracking up at Sombr coming down like a disco ball after Olivia Dean’s performance. I appreciate that the guy is very clearly enjoying himself and the success he has had. I’ve grown fond of his celebrity. He’s goofy! I also love his song “12 to 12” and his love for Olivia Dean.
Billie Eilish’s win for Song of the Year… It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Tyler, the Creator had the best performance hands down. The set, costume change, and REGINA KING! The concept of killing your old era in front of the world stage to make room for the next one… Yeah, he’s taking it.
I was glad to see Lauryn Hill present. She looked and sounded amazing during her D’Angelo and Roberta Flack tribute in the In Memoriam section.
To echo Yap Year oomfie Nadira Goffe, who I watched the show with last night, they need to bring more R&B categories to the main ceremony.
Cher announcing Luther Vandross as the winner for Record of the Year was insane. I mean, the whole presentation for that award was bound to be kind of disastrous once she started to leave the stage before announcing a winner. But it’s Cher! You can’t be mad at her, and it doesn’t seem like Kendrick Lamar and SZA were. They took the mix-up so gracefully and turned it into an opportunity to praise the late, great Vandross. And they all had a big laugh. Gotta love live TV, as Trevor Noah said.
BAD BUNNY!!! That’s all. I cannot wait for next week’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Every Monday letter gets a playlist. Here’s an anti-Valentine’s Day mix for all my girlies seeking revenge.
In this week’s playlist:
Poppin’ Out (Mistakes) - Cherry
Girls Don’t Cheat - Jae Stephens
Get Yo Boy - Summer Walker ft. 21 Savage
Number One Rule - Megan Thee Stallion
Exes - Tate McRae
Damage - Genia
I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend - BANKS ft. Doechii
IWH2BMX [Unlocked] - FLO ft. Kehlani
Other things I want to share with you.
Pinkpantheress may not have won a Grammy last night, but she won hearts with this weird AP interview <3
I’ve actually enjoyed Mastercard’s mid-Grammys commercials over the past few years. I like that they sponsor and premiere an artist’s latest single and music video instead of, say, making them do product placement. I will say, after having SZA do “Saturn” in 2024 and Lady Gaga do “Abracadabra” in 2025, Noah Kahan debuting “The Great Divide” was underwhelming to me.
Speaking of Noah Kahan, it appears that some fans are being asked to complete ID verification to buy his tour tickets. Others were asked to do live selfies to verify they were real buyers. It seems like this is a way to combat scalpers and bots, but there are serious privacy concerns with this kind of process. There has to be better ways to get reasonable tickets into the hands of real fans.
RIP Catherine O’Hara </3 What a shocking loss! It felt like she had so much more to give.
Heidi Gardner recently confirmed that she was fired from Saturday Night Live.
If any of my New York City folks go to this wrestling speed dating event, please let me know. I’m too old for it, apparently! Bushwick is not like the rest of the world (obviously, lol) but this is a fun event to see at a time when young people are struggling with physical and emotional intimacy!
ManyVids, a platform known for adult creators similar to OnlyFans, has apparently pivoted to AI and its official account is full of weird slop.
These Heated Rivalry lookalike contests are super hit or miss.
Josh Richards is lowkey repping Yap Year in this. Thanks, Josh!