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Entertainment

Season 4, Episode 10, “It Was All a Dream”

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LaKeith Stanfield as Darius
Photo: Guy D’Alema/FX

With this brilliant episode, Atlanta is over. I tried to go into this series finale with zero expectations, but of course I had some. I expected it to be non-traditional in that Atlanta way, which for me defaulted to chill. Even the trailer looked fairly calm, although it would obviously be a Darius adventure. And still, with my expectations to not expect anything, I nevertheless wan’t prepared for the absolute perfect mind-fuck of this quintessentially Atlanta episode, directed by Murai and written by Glover. Bravo, y’all.

The episode started in the chill mode that I initially thought, with Darius zoning out to Judge Judy as Earn and Al prepared to go out. Everything about this scene is so intentional yet subtle; it isn’t apparent until the second watch that the opening shot of Darius is framed to look like a tank, with that groovy soundtrack, Judge Judy, and the Popeyes commercial serving so much importance later. The conversation with our main trio of men is so natural, as Darius sets off on his own before they all go meet up with Van (though I wish they axed the Johnny Depp joke). Also, I appreciated that there were nods to the characters’ arcs in the prior few episodes, with Earn sharing Van’s wants and the “Old MacDonald” song about Al’s Safe Farm.

When Cree Summer (!!!!) popped up, I was hoping that Darius had found his perfect transcendental soulmate and they would finish the episode together, but I also appreciated the conversation as a lovely bit of exposition, since I didn’t know about sensory deprivation besides the Simpsons episode. Part of the brilliance of this episode is that Atlanta has two modes: the heightened reality and the grounded surrealism. When he runs into London, his wild former friend who can pass a sobriety test while cross-faded, it’s a segment that feels very much like the reality of Atlanta. She seems like a character who could’ve popped up in something like season one’s “The Club,” even up to stealing the cop’s gun. After she runs over the kid, and Darius drops the stolen gun, that wake-up moment as the gun fires and he awakes is a complete surprise, because everything was so thoroughly set up…except how it actually feels to be lost to the senses. So from here on out, I’m questioning everything that happens with him.

The “tea in the tea room” moment and the excessive laughter: Is Darius still in the tank, or are the excessively-laughing women? It really seems like it could be both, but then Darius gets kicked out. We then get this lovely, simple scene of Darius visiting his brother, the only time we’ve interacted with his personal history besides the Nigerian restaurant in “White Fashion.” It all feels so real, until he sees thick Judge Judy. Then there’s the moment of him awaking and waking up, and that final shot of him screaming in the tank with the door closed. Did he ever get out? Has he ever gotten out?

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Meanwhile, Earn, Al, and Van are in a completely different storyline where it’s heavily hinted that Darius is gonna show up late after the story’s over. Van’s friend (Candice?) has invested in Atlanta’s first Black-owned sushi restaurant, run by a chef who studied under sushi masters in Japan. It’s Black-sushi fusion, in a spot that used to be a Blockbuster and still has the candy on the racks. The towels aren’t all white, but a random assortment. The apparent sous chef calls out “Sup” instead of “Yes, chef.” Al (and I) are immediately skeptical, and he’s staring at a Popeyes right across the street. (Van is less antagonistic, but quickly decides the meal ain’t it.)

Zazie Beetz as Van and Donald Glover as Earn Marks
Photo: Guy D’Alema/FX

When the main meal comes out, the infamous potentially-poisonous blowfish (another bit of Simpsons knowledge), Al’s done, Van’s done, I’m done…and Earn still wants to support the culture. Then master chef DeMarcus shows up and serves a truth-telling monologue similar to Kirkwood Chocolate’s. (Based on a quick Google, sushi is traditionally served at room temperature to get the best flavor experience, and chefs do make the meal bare-handed.) The man has a point that the phrase “Black-owned sushi” shouldn’t automatically bring pause (though the Blockbuster of it all probably doesn’t help). It’s a very honest, hilarious speech that raises intra-cultural questions. But then Darius storms in and punches the mad chef in the face before he can force them to eat the blowfish. They all speed off in a stolen pink Maserati.

The final scene is some Inception-type shit in the best way, not a corny reproduction but a clever instance in which Glover takes the belief that the audience has suspended ever since the invisible car and shoves it back onto us all for a brief moment. Have the past four seasons of the show just been Darius’ tank dreams? The Teddy Perkinses, Thomas Washingtons, and the white Earnest Marks would have you believe so. But in the end, the episode leaves it up to the audience. We don’t see whether or not Judge Judy is thick. The contingent who think that “It Was All A Dream” is a brilliant subversion of the trope, and the others who will be mad that the trope was even a possibility can fight it out on Reddit. But you can’t deny that it’s such a great Atlanta ending.

I’m really glad that this is how the show left us. I assume there will be naysayers about the ending, because you can find a naysayer about literally anything. I’m focusing on the craft of storytelling, the way the episode tricked us along with Darius multiple times, fit another social-commentary monologue into the B-plot, and did it all pretty much flawlessly. Tomorrow I’ll be sad that such a show has ended, but tonight I’m leaning back with a smile on my face, happy that Glover and the Atlanta team got to make their weird, indescribable, creative, excellent show.

Stray observations

  • I’m writing this in a bit of a rush, but I’m super excited to find the two bookend tracks for this episode later.
  • Seriously, I will be making derivatives of the “Old MacDonald” song to roast my friends for the next few months.
  • I think this episode has the most hidden Atlanta logo yet, and I’m very happy about it. It’s like they’re going, “Bruh, you know what you’re watching. You know our style. We don’t have to say it.”
  • I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been Popeyes discourse on Atlanta yet. It’s a topic that would’ve felt extremely dated if they didn’t find a unique angle. (Glad they did.)
  • Sooooo many good jokes in this episode. Like Al about the Popeyes: “Smell like the manager mean as hell.”
  • I really do think that London would be just as wild if it wasn’t a tank dream. Maybe not steal a cop’s gun, but probably the weed, vodka, and beer bottle.
  • That shot of Darius looking at Al, Van, and Earn through the window was sweet. I’m gonna miss the four of them.
  • It was a pleasure to recap this for you all.

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Entertainment

Season 48, Episode 3, Megan Thee Stallion

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Photo: SNL

Few talents in recent memory have had the reach and impact of Megan Thee Stallion over the collective cultural landscape. It’s why she is one of the rare celebrities and personalities who can successfully serve as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Not to mention, she delivered a terrific album in August this year with Traumazine.

Talented with an infectious natural charm and charisma, she is the perfect host to bring eyes back to SNL. Her hosting duties already earned headlines when it was revealed that her LA home was robbed while she was preparing this week, and she’s already announced that she will take a much-deserved break from the spotlight following her hosting duties. Let’s get to the best (and most meh) of this week’s episode.

Best sketch of the night

Hot Girl Hospital – SNL

SNL is at its best when it understands the host and can create content suited to their skills and unique persona. That understanding was best captured in “Hot Girl Hospital,” combining Megan Thee Stallion’s nursing degree and her hot girl brand. Joined by Punkie Johnson and Ego Nwodim, Megan Thee Stallion’s hospital dedicated to “bad bitches” was a sketch that could only really be done with her as host. The New York Times quote, “Somehow empowering and regressive at the same time,” was the perfect summation of a tongue-in-cheek sketch.

Most relatable sketch

We Got Brought – SNL

“We Got Brought” was one of those universal SNL sketches that captures the anxieties of social gatherings. With Bowen Yang, Nwodim, and Megan Thee Stallion as the plus-ones of a trio of old friends, forced conversations and awkward silences created perfectly calibrated cringe comedy. Structuring the sketch as a music video was perfect for Megan Thee Stallion. The peak of the sketch was really her forceful exit line about going to the bathroom to escape those two strangers.

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Most emotional moment

Megan Thee Stallion: Anxiety (Live) – SNL

You don’t expect too many serious moments during SNL. However, during her performance of “Anxiety,” Megan Thee Stallion seemed overcome with emotion. The performance was simple with a strong point of view, but her visible emotion reflected the authenticity that she exudes that has earned her such a wide and devoted fanbase. It’s worth pressing play.

Worst technical direction

Workout Class – SNL

The premise of “Workout Class” is promising. Channeling Megan Thee Stallion’s uniquely confident “hottie” energy into an exercise instructor in contrast to Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman as assistant instructors focused on maintaining a flat butt works well in theory. It was strange technical decisions and hiccups that hindered the sketch. The awkward transitions between shots only seemed to highlight the odd blocking of the scene. There were three focal points throughout the scene that felt oddly siphoned off from one another. Both Megan and Yang seemed to be breaking during the scene, which can always be amusing on SNL, but the confusing geography of the scene created a disconnect.

MVP of the week

Classroom – SNL

While she has always been great on the show, Nwodim really got the chance to shine in this episode. She was great in everything and appeared in most sketches of the night. Her delivery of “they can” in “Girl Talk” was particularly hilarious, but it was “Classroom” that really showed off Nwodim’s unique talents. Riffing off films like Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers, Nwodim comes in as a substitute teacher with mistaken assumptions and expectations. The way that she attempts to save face as the fool in the sketch is precision comedy.

Stray observations

  • The cold open felt really stale. It would be great if they went wilder with the political comedy. It always feels like they are a little too tied to the reality of the situation.
  • Would have been great if Cecily Strong had been available for the Hocus Pocus mom segment. That feels like her wheelhouse.
  • The Dunder Mifflin sweatshirt was the highlight of “Women’s Charity.”
  • “Deer” was one of those SNL sketches that eventually wins you over with its stupidity.

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Entertainment

David Chase, Sopranos stars post their tributes to Tony “Paulie Walnuts” Sirico

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Tony Sirico, Steve Van Zandt, and Michael Imperioli in 2005
Photo: Evan Agostini (Getty Images)

Tony Sirico died yesterday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from fans and former co-workers alike—and especially from The Sopranos, where he played mobster Paulie Walnuts across all six seasons of the HBO show.

Said mourners today include series creator David Chase, who (per THR) issued a statement today recognizing what Sirico—who spent years in and out of prison before turning to the world of acting—brought to the part of the temperamental, frequently hilarious Paulie:

Tony was a jewel. The way Buddhists refer to a jewel—supernatural and a master. But certainly not a Zen master. He was so uproarious, so funny, so talented. I’m very happy for him that in his mid-50s and 60s he finally learned how talented and loved he was. I was just thinking about him yesterday, strangely enough, and was reminded that he was a main reason for the success of The Sopranos. I will miss him greatly, Gennaro. As will the world.

Meanwhile, Lorraine Braco—who also appeared alongside Sirico in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas—wrote on Twitter, “A stand up guy who always had my back and who loved my children and my parents. I have a lifetime of memories with Tony–starting with Goodfellas to The Sopranos and way beyond but my God, did we have fun doing the Bensonhurst Spelling Bee. I hope he’s in heaven cracking everybody up now. Love you, my pal.” And see also Steve Van Zandt, who wrote “RIP Tony Sirico. Legendary. Silvio’s best buddy “Paulie Walnuts” in The Sopranos, Frankie “The Fixer’s” older brother Antonino “Father Tony” Tagliano in Lilyhammer. A larger than life character on and off screen. Gonna miss you a lot my friend. Deepest condolences to the family.” These, in addition to a message yesterday from Sirico’s frequent Sopranos scene partner Michael Imperioli, who helped spread news of his death, and wrote about his own heartbreak. “I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony. I will miss him forever. He is truly irreplaceable.”

In addition to those who worked with him, fans have continued to make their own tributes as well, sharing their favorite Paulie Walnuts quotes, and repeating many of the colorful anecdotes that surrounded Sirico—including an-oft repeated story that his major condition for accepting the role of Paulie was that the show’s writers never make him a rat. And, of course, many people have reposted one of the sweetest, strangest moments of Sirico’s career: When he and Steve Schirripa appeared on Sesame Street, briefly taking over the roles of Bert and Ernie.

Sesame Street: The Bert and Ernie Christmas Special with Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa



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Entertainment

Gravity Falls creator shares Disney’s wild revision requests

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Gravity Falls
Screenshot: Disney/YouTube

Now this is how the sausage really gets made. Of course Disney, being a cautiously conservative mega-corporation that trades mostly in children’s media, is obnoxiously hands-on about the content they put out. But we rarely get to see behind the curtain of what goes into monitoring their creatives.

Thanks to Gravity Falls’ Alex Hirsch, we now have a better idea of what goes on behind the scenes, and it’s… pretty bonkers. Hirsch has been celebrating the Disney Channel cartoon’s 10-year anniversary, and he concluded the festivities with some of the messages he exchanged with the network’s Standards & Practices department during the series’ tenure.

“One last treat. Ever curious about the fights I had with the censors on Gravity Falls?” He wrote on Twitter. “I probably shouldn’t share this buttttt here are some REAL NOTES from DISNEY S&P and my REAL REPLIES. You are not prepared #10YearsOfGravityFalls”

The back-and-forth is as boggling as Hirsch promised, from warning that the word “‘chub’ has a sexual connotation” (“This is silly. It’s an image of a fat dog.”) to fretting that a line “about dressing as a giant teddy bear” might remind the audience of a “‘furry’ fetish.” (“Do I even have to respond to this?”) In one hilariously stuffy note, censors requested Hirsch revise a limerick about “a man from Kentucky” because “S&P is worried that unsavory rhymes could be gleaned from it.”

The S&P complaints even include a predictable whiff of homophobia regarding a moment where Blubs, a cop, puts his arm around his partner Durland. “As noted in previous concerns, their affectionate relationship should remain comical versus flirtatious,” read the censor note. “Nope. They’re… buddies. Chill out,” Hirsch replied. “The gesture is approved in this context,” the censors grudgingly conceded.

“I have literally *thousands* of these. Each one still haunts me,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet. To his credit, Hirsch valiantly pushed back on the mind-numbing censorship, from simply bemoaning “How is this my life” to heroically arguing, “Why should we be held hostage to whatever imaginary knee-jerk career complainers who would conceivably go out of their way to pretend to be offended by this?” (This earned him a, “Will review in context.”)

Seems like thwarting ridiculous S&P notes is a full-time job on its own. If you’ve ever thought Disney content felt incredibly sanitized, well, now you know why.



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Entertainment

Former TLC star Josh Duggar sentenced to more than 12 years in prison

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Josh Duggar at CPAC in 2015
Photo: Kris Connor (Getty Images)

A little more than a year after being arrested on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, former TLC reality star Josh Duggar has been sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison.

This is per BuzzFeed News, which notes that Duggar—who came to national prominence as one of the stars of the TLC reality series 19 Kids And Counting, as the eldest son of the massive Duggar family—was treated to a 29-page opinion from District Judge Timothy Brooks that laid out, in no uncertain terms, that “There is no merit to Mr. Duggar’s argument in favor of acquittal.”

(On a personal note: We try to be very diligent about our linking here at the Newswire desk, naming and directing our readers toward the source material for articles as best we can. That being said, we would like to pointedly not recommend clicking the above link to the Buzzfeed News article if you’re feeling any kind of bad about the human race already today, since it contains descriptions of the material Duggar has been convicted of viewing that genuinely fucked us up tonight. Just saying.)

Suffice it to say that Duggar was found guilty back in December; in the meantime, his lawyers have argued for a minimum sentence of five years, while prosecutors have been looking for the maximum of 20. He’d previously been accused, as a teenager, of sexual misconduct toward several younger girls, including several of his sisters, allegations that contributed to the ending of 19 Kids And Counting when they resurfaced in 2015.

Duggar’s attorney issued a plea for “mercy” to the court, asserting that “As he moves forward into the next chapter of his life, Duggar continues to have so much good to offer the world.” Judge Brooks does not appear to have been especially moved by this argument.

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Entertainment

Season 3, episodes 1 and 2

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Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry in season 3, episode 2 of Atlanta
Photo: Coco Olakunle/FX

At SXSW last week, Atlanta creator and star Donald Glover said he wanted season 3 to be a “Black fairytale.” That tracks with the show’s genre-skipping ethos, which has forayed into surrealism and horror, and the evolution of its characters, who may be about to taste the first mythical fruits of rap superstardom. The full extent of that remains to be seen, but the first two episodes of season three cement Atlanta’s reputation as a classic-in-progress and one of the most daring and imaginative shows on television, period.

It’s been nearly four years since the end of season two, so, here’s a refresher: Earn (Glover) manages his cousin, the rising rapper Al “Paper Boi” (Brian Tyree Henry), basically because they’re cousins. Laconic philosopher sidekick Darius (Oscar nominee Lakeith Stanfield) is along for the ride, as is Earn’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Van (Zazie Beetz). The first two seasons followed them from struggle to breakout to the cusp of major success, and season three was publicized as taking place on a European tour.

But that’s not where we are as the season premiere begins.

The show has gone Gothic before (particularly in last season’s exceptional “Teddy Perkins”) and has turned away from its main characters to do nearly anthology-style episodes. But not much can prepare you for “Three Slaps,” a retelling of the Devonte Hart story, about a while female couple who killed themselves and their six Black foster children in 2018.

The episode exactly replicates certain aspects of the real-life tale (Devonte’s fedora, his tearful clinch with a cop) while filling in the blanks with exceptional economy and tension. The script, by Stephen Glover, also includes the show’s trademark pitch-dark irony: When the Devonte-inspired character, Loquareeous (now nicknamed “Larry”), is standing at a farmer’s market wearing a sign that says “Free Hugs,” a white man asks him, “Is your dad Hugs?”

Things don’t end exactly like the true-life Hart story, and it’s unclear if the entire unfolding was happening in someone’s mind (Earn’s?) or in some parallel universe. But that doesn’t detract from its impact as an indictment of the foster system, the cruelty that can lie beneath well-meaning, and the obliviousness of onlookers. I haven’t been able to get this episode out of my mind for days. It haunts and reverberates, producing the same kind of prolonged hangover HBO Sunday night dramas once did.

Episode two finds the group in Amsterdam. Having picked up two fans who proceeded to trash his hotel room, Paper Boi sits in a very posh jail (which, in Amsterdam, apparently look like a slightly elevated Residence Inn, complete with room service menus provided by solicitous cops—an excellent sight gag).

LaKeith Stanfield in season 3, episode 2 of Atlanta
Photo: Coco Olakunle/FX

Meanwhile, Van shows up, adrift after a professional disappointment, and she and Darius trip around the city. A crumpled-up address found in a thrift-store coat leads them to sort of a deathbed cocktail party, as a man’s loved ones and his “death doula” have gathered to celebrate his final moments. There, Van receives existential counsel from the doula: “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

Once Earn bails out Paper Boi, the focus turns to the preparation for that night’s show, and Paper Boi wonders what’s up with all the Dutch people wandering around in blackface. Their driver explains that it’s a local holiday tradition to dress up as “Black Pete,” Sinterklaas’ assistant. “Sounds like Santa’s slave, but I respect the rebrand,” Paper Boi says, classically. (The script, by Janine Nabers, deserves a shout-out.) The Sinterklaas celebration complicates the gig that night and leads to a confrontation in the venue lobby that feels downright Kubrickian, one that only Atlanta would dare try.

Even beyond that, “Sinterklaas Is Coming To Town” includes one of the funniest and most darkly shocking moments in recent memory, and I won’t spoil it just in case you’re scanning this before watching. Coming at the close of the death-doula scene, it’s reminiscent of the best moments of Six Feet Under, only taken one step further. And that’s Atlanta: The show—like its characters—is really going places. It’s unclear where the twists of this fairytale will lead, but judging by these two episodes, they’re not to be missed.

Stray Observations

  • A low-key scene stealer in episode two: Darius’ coat.
  • Zazie Beetz makes a strong impression in episode two, turning in affecting work at the dying man’s bedside before The Big Twist.
  • Also excellent: Christopher Farrar as Loquareeous, the protagonist of “Three Slaps.”
  • The script for “Three Slaps” is award-worthy, but it’s hard to imagine it finding traction in comedy categories. A shame.
  • Donald Glover has announced that seasons three and four of Atlanta, which were shot concurrently, will be the last.

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Sports

NBC’s Winter Olympics ratings hit record low

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Norwegian Olympian Daniel Andre Tande
Photo: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images

The 2022 Winter Olympics are occurring at the moment—which you might need reminding of, given the ratings numbers NBC is apparently pulling for the event. Bloomberg reports tonight that the 2022 Games in Beijing are currently set to have the worst TV viewership in Olympics history, currently operating at roughly half of what the 2018 games in PyeongChang, South Korea four years ago.

To be fair to NBC, it clearly knew things weren’t going to be great this year going into the Games; the network, which paid $7.75 billion back in 2014 to secure broadcast rights to the Games through 2032, had already issued notices to advertisers before the Games even started to expect a lower-than-average return on investment for whatever big sacks of money they’d spent on ads. (Among other things, NBC skipped out on offering its usual expensive guarantees of certain viewership levels to major advertisers.)

There have been a few major factors that people are using to explain the dip. For one, there’s the whole political and diplomatic angle, with the United States declining to send official representatives to China for the Games, citing human rights abuses including the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur people living within its borders. On a more prosaic level, the time zone difference between the States and China means NBC has to pick between airing events in the middle of the night, or holding them back until primetime (as results propagate wildly online). That’s all compounded by the pandemic of it all; last year’s make-up Summer Games in Japan also plummeted in viewership, marking record lows.

A few caveats here, though. For one, “low ratings” doesn’t mean NBC didn’t kick seven kinds of hell out of every other offering in primetime this past week; fewer people might be watching them, but these are still the Olympics we’re talking about. And Bloomberg quotes NBCUniversal’s president of advertising as saying that, despite the loss of regular ratings, the company expects to make back plenty of its ad revenue by streaming the Games through Peacock and other platforms. Which might be the way forward, anyway: An emphasis on streaming gets around the time zone issue neatly, and also lines up with the ways a lot of people would rather experience the Games in the first place.

For now, the 2022 Games are set to cruise toward a record low; we’ll have to wait until 2024, in Paris, to see if this is a more permanent shift.

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Business

DirecTV Dumps OAN, Leaving It With No Major TV Distributor

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Photo: Chris Delmas / AFP (Getty Images)

Former president Donald Trump, known for his gluttonous diet of TV news, is going to have trouble finding one of his favorite far-right channels, One America News Network, in a few months.

Satellite TV provider DirecTV, OAN’s largest distributor, said it was dumping the news network on Friday, Bloomberg reported. DirecTV’s decision is a huge blow to OAN, which is not available on any other major U.S. TV provider, but it’s not exactly a shock. OAN basically sued its way onto DirecTV in 2017 and has come under increased scrutiny since then for spewing lies, promoting conspiracy theories, and fomenting violence.

DirecTV confirmed that it was dropping OAN, part of Herring Networks, in a statement to Gizmodo on Friday. In addition to OAN, Herring Networks also owns the lifestyle and entertainment channel A Wealth of Entertainment, or AWE, which is targeted to the ultra-rich.

“We informed Herring Networks that, following a routine internal review, we do not plan to enter into a new contract when our current agreement expires,” a DirecTV spokesperson said in an email.

Both channels will disappear from the provider’s offerings in early April when its contract ends, according to Bloomberg.

DirecTV’s announcement is the latest move in the strange and suspicious saga between AT&T and OAN. To start off, DirecTV is partly owned by AT&T, which purportedly gave Herring Networks buckets of money to create OAN. Moreover, a Reuters investigation from last October indicates that Herring Networks could be in serious financial trouble in light of DirecTV’s decision. The network’s lawyer said in 2020 that if OAN’s contract was not renewed by DirecTV, “the company would go out of business tomorrow.”

Gizmodo reached out to OAN on Saturday for comment on DirecTV’s decision but did not hear a response by the time of publication. We’ll update this article if someone gets back to us.

Once April comes along, OAN is going to be hard to find on TV. It was never picked up by the other three major providers in the U.S.: Comcast, Charter Communications, or Dish Network. On its website, OAN tells viewers they can watch on a KlowdTV for $4.99 or $9.99 per month, as well as on Verizon FiOS, CenturyLink PRISM, GCI, and Vidgo.

Besides Verizon FiOS, I have never heard of the other providers and would probably think they were spam or full of malware if I didn’t write this article. (If they are not spam or malware, my apologies).

Media Matters, a progressive U.S. media research and information center, told Gizmodo in a statement that DirecTV made the responsible decision in dropping OAN, calling the network “a cauldron of misinformation and extremism.”

“Now that OAN’s anchor distributor has dropped them, Verizon FiOS (OAN’s second major distributor) should follow suit,” Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said. “And certainly no other cable provider should pick them up.”

Gizmodo reached out to Verizon to ask about the future of OAN on Verizon FiOS but has not heard back yet.

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Entertainment

Jeff Garlin addresses accusations of inappropriate behavior on The Goldbergs

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Jeff Garlin
Photo: David Livingston (Getty Images)

Jeff Garlin broke standard PR protocol this week, granting an interview to Vanity Fair’s Maureen Ryan that directly addressed allegations of inappropriate behavior on the set of his ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. The resulting conversation is a fascinating read: a blend of candidness, defensiveness, and repeated attempts by the Curb Your Enthusiasm star to categorize behavior that other people have said made them feel uncomfortable as simply him being “silly” on the show’s set.

Garlin begins the interview by clarifying that he has not been fired from The Goldbergs, something Ryan was apparently having a difficult time getting a straight answer on from Sony, which produces the show. He then goes on to admit that he’s been investigated by HR on the series every year for the last three years of the show, all for behavior he refers to as, yes, “silliness,” which is a word you’re going to read a lot in this interview.

For what we can only assume are a variety of mostly legal-related reasons, Garlin never describes exactly what he means by “silly” behavior—beyond giving one example of saying “Oh, my vagina” in front of cast or crew. From context clues, it mostly seems to mean making a lot of jokes of various levels of inappropriateness that makes people on the set uncomfortable, who then go to HR because directly confronting the series lead about his jokes (or, apparently, frequent hugs) can be disastrous for their careers. Here he is when asked about what he’s been investigated by HR over:

I’m not going to go over it because I don’t want to, but basically a lot of things that I disagree with—that are silly. If I said something silly and offensive, and I’m working at an insurance company, I think it’s a different situation. If I, as the star of the show, demanded a gun range and on set, and I was firing guns every day and I was a little bit loose—to me, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. If I threatened people, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. None of that goes on ever with me. That’s not who I am. I am sorry to tell you that there really is no big story. Unless you want to do a story about political correctness.

For what it’s worth, Garlin seems receptive to some of the points Ryan makes with her questions—even as he notes that she has an “agenda”—most notably the repeated reminder that behavior that might seem harmless from his point of view as the lead on the series might seem more discomfort-inducing or harmful when viewed from those in positions of lesser power.

Here he is, for instance, when asked who decides what the difference between “silly” and harmful behavior might be:

I completely concur with you. It is a big bowl of “who determines?” It’s definitely gray, but we have to see it from the big picture, in terms of, that’s how I’m funny on camera. I’ve only had a negative experience with my behavior on The Goldbergs. I’ve never had it before or since—I’ve worked for Disney, I’ve worked for every studio in town.

It is, as we said, a very strange interview, as Ryan attempts to drill down with the actor and stand-up on the relevant issues, and Garlin varies between openly addressing them, assuring readers that he means no harm to anyone, and repeatedly characterizing the problems people have expressed with him as being blown out of proportion. He also makes it clear that he’s pretty done with The Goldbergs in any case; he makes it clear that he’s upset with how he’s been asked to curtail his behaviors on the show’s set, and expresses his belief that it’s unlikely that the long-running sitcom will be picked up for another season.

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Entertainment

Here’s everything we know about 2021 Emmy Awards

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From left: The Mandalorian, Ted Lasso, I May Destroy You
Photo: Disney; Apple; Natalie Seery/HBO

If you thought that the Academy Awards would be the standard-bearer for award shows in the future, you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. Well, maybe not that serious, but the Emmys will not be doing the old Steven Soderbergh route and setting the ceremony in a train station. We also assume the award for Best Actor won’t be the show’s finale, and you can pretty much guarantee Anthony Hopkins won’t be winning—unless he’s nominated for those delightful Instagram posts, which he isn’t.

This year, it sounds like the Emmys won’t doing the whole Zoom-based ceremony, so don’t expect to see Jason Sudekis in a hoodie like the Golden Globes. Instead, they’re moving the ceremony outside, keeping a tight lid on the guest list, and hoping to keep its star-studded presenters and hard-working crew that puts the show together safe from the ongoing pandemic.

Where can I watch it?

The Emmy awards are again changing networks. Last year, the show happened on ABC, the year before Fox. This year, CBS and everybody’s favorite streamer Paramount+ have the honors. The show will air on Sunday, September 19, at 8 PM EST. Viewers will have the option of watching the show live on CBS, streaming it on Paramount+, or both—we’d hate to deny anyone of a dual-screen experience.

Who’s Hosting?

Say goodbye to ABC golden boy Jimmy Kimmel. Instead, this year CBS is bringing in a company man: Cedric the Entertainer. The star of CBS’ The Neighborhood and one of The Original Kings Of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer is a first-time presenter but a long-time Emmy watcher. He said in a statement, “Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year’s Emmy Awards.”

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Where is the ceremony taking place?

Unlike last year, the ceremony will be in person, which saw Kimmel trapped in the Staples Center as celebrities imprisoned in Zoom screens like an E! channel version of the Phantom Zone. But it will be happening outside at the Event Deck at L.A. Live with a limited audience. The space will allow for “an opportunity to utilize an ‘indoor/outdoor’ setting and more socially distanced audience seating.” Per Variety, the Television Academy continues:

“Although invitations have just been mailed out, nominated teams of three or more will now be limited to no more than four tickets per nomination. Unfortunately, this means not all nominees will be able to attend this year’s awards. We recommend those on nominated teams coordinate between themselves and identify how they will allot their four tickets before they RSVP.”

Has the Television Academy announced this year’s roster of presenters and performers yet?

Not yet. We’ll keep you in the loop, though. In the meantime, maybe imagine an Emmy ceremony in which Jennifer Coolidge presents all the awards.

Who’s nominated?

We have a full list of the nominees right over here, which you can peruse at your leisure.

Watch along with The A.V. Club

You didn’t think we’d leave you to watch this thing alone, did you? The A.V. Club cordially invites you to join our staff for a live blog of the ceremony. But that’s not all. And on Emmy night, we’ll be talking winners and losers, writing up the breakout stories, and chronicling the big moments on Newswire and Twitter. We’re talking snubs, flubs, cheers, and jeers as only The A.V. Club can.

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