
It's hard to believe that it's already March, and and even harder to believe that this is the 10th edition of Friday Five! Apparently, with spring getting closer, things are *happening* again, because we've got a whole bunch of new stuff in the Five this week. Check out some of the music, TV, and pop culture moments that really made a splash this week - both for us, and the Internet at large.
Jackson Breit - "Straight Shooter"
"Straight Shooter" already has an inside track for a top spot on our Spotify Year-In-Review, and it isn’t entirely intentional. We have accidentally left this song playing on a loop on multiple occasions since this song dropped last Friday, and I’m sure it’s going to keep happening. Straight Shooter sounds like it is made of pure vibes. Between the acoustic guitar, the snaps, the extra trop-house production flairs, and Breit’s soothing voice, the song drops you immediately into the zone. It’s trancy, and it’s very easy to let it run through four or five times before you realize it’s just playing on repeat. If you’re looking to get into a good headspace, whether it’s for work or to unwind, Straight Shooter needs a spot on your playlist.
Jason Sudeikis at the Golden Globes
There was a lot wrong with the Golden Globes this year (and every year?), but the award show did provide us with at least one gift: Jason Sudeikis’s acceptance speech. The comedian brought big-time weekend energy to his Zoom appearance, and the Internet took notice. Sudeikis is in the middle of filming the next season of Ted Lasso, the delightful show for which he won his Best Acting award, so it was the middle of the night where he was in London. But between his tie-dye sweatshirt, big mustache, and rambling speech, he was also giving off a familiar vibe that had some people questioning his sobriety. Whatever was going on, Sudeikis made us laugh and sent us scrambling to do some online shopping for a new hoodie, so it feels like a win in our books.
Beeple NFT
Why would someone pay more than $6 million for a 10-second internet video? That is the question that a lot of people are asking (and answering) this week after an NFT from the visual artist Beeple sold for a ridiculously high price. In recent weeks, the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) market has absolutely blown up. In simple terms, it is kind of like cryptocurrency for digital artists, where you can create and sell totally unique digital files that other people can buy. It is like an internet version of buying and selling trading cards, and it is giving digital artists a new way to cash in on their talents. Typically, artists will sell the original file for cheap, and then collect a percentage on the resale market. Beeple (AKA Mike Winkleman), who is known in part for posting new art every day for the last 14 years, got in on the NFT game early, and he has another piece that is being auctioned at Christie’s. As the excitement builds around NFTs in arts and sports, we find ourselves going down the rabbit hole to figure out how it all works. Who knows, maybe a King Penguin NFT is coming soon?
WandaVision
Whether you have been watching WandaVision or not, it’s going to be unavoidable if you are on Twitter this weekend. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first streaming series dropped its finale this morning, and people are already buzzing. WandaVision has stood out in the MCU landscape for being bold, quirky, and at some points just plain weird. Each week, the series has taken on the look of a different era of television, spanning from old school, black and white sitcoms to 21st Century-style mockumentaries. The finale promises to be essentially a mini Marvel movie, and the stars of the show have been teasing a huge cameo, which heightens the stakes even more. Throw in standout performances by Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn, and WandaVision has provided an excellent week-to-week television experience that doesn’t happen very often anymore. It scratches an itch for general TV lovers, ardent MCU fans, and people who just want to plop down in front of a screen and forget about the world for 25 minutes. You might need some Marvel background before you start, but hey, if you just want to try it out and keep Wikipedia open, who is going to stop you?

Another Round
Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were just constantly buzzed? Well, in the Danish film Another Round, four teachers approaching middle-age decide to conduct a psychology experiment by keeping their BAC at .05% all through the workday. That’s about all you need to know before kicking off this rollercoaster dramedy, and honestly, the less information the better. Mads Mikkelsen, better known in the US for playing the villain in Casino Royale, leads a very funny cast on their descent into casual alcoholism. There are stellar needle drops, a few entertaining drunken dance sequences, and some surprisingly dark emotional moments. There’s a reason this is on the shortlist for Best International Film at this year’s Oscars. If you’re looking for a weekend movie rec, may we suggest that you pour yourself a beverage and fire up Another Round (but drink in moderation: you will have to read subtitles for this one!).

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