The end of an era. Mourning the loss of the Washington Post book section. "Saturday’s event was the rare funeral with a question-and-answer session at the end." Bezos definitely didn't need to do this.

They really did hang it in the Louvre! Activist group Everyone Hates Elon hangs photo of Andrew slouching in the backseat after his arrest. The information card reads "He's Sweating Now, 2026." Also, just learned that Andrew was arrested on his birthday.

Andor creator Tony Gilroy: "You get out your Fascism For Dummies book for the 15 things you do, and we tried to include as many of them as we could in the most artful way possible. How were we supposed to know that this clown car in Washington was going to basically use the same book that we used?”

Alysa Liu with possibly the best reaction to an Olympic skate.

Today I learned there's a Microsoft Excel world championship. -It's held in Vegas in an esports arena with a live audience -ESPN broadcasts it live -The contestants walk down a glowing "hype tunnel" -In addition to prize money, the winner gets a wrestling-style belt

Rebecca Shaw: I loved Prue, but Nigella joining Bake Off feels like the good news I need www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Virginia Oliver worked on her lobster boat till she was 103. A fellow lobsterman said, "She was a hard worker, a lovely lady, but you definitely didn’t mess around with her. She had a mouth like a sailor. A lot of things she said you couldn’t print in a newspaper."

Some of my favorite photos of Catherine O'Hara are when she's cracking up with someone. Seems like she was always making people laugh.

Today I learned that Hank Azaria leads a Bruce Springsteen cover band and Michael Shannon leads an REM cover band. And they both take it very seriously.

Chloé Zhao being nominated for Best Director for Hamnet reminded me of the great way Paul Mescal described working with her. He said it was like being "under the tutelage of one of the great witches of our day."

Great oral history of the Sundance Film Festival. Especially loved this photo from 2000 of Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan throwing snowballs. Now when I see them together, I think of The Lowdown.

This is great photo of Wunmi Mosaku. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ja...

Love this photo from Jenny Lewis's 50th birthday party

Emmylou Harris says one of her fav collaborations is Trio, the 1987 album she made with Dolly Parton & Linda Ronstadt. "[T]hey’re two of the most intelligent & funny people to be around. There was a lot of laughing going on." I love when something really was as wonderful as I had imagined it to be.

Shit day in a shit year (and it's only January 7!), but I'll gladly take little gems of happiness where I can. The Lowdown being renewed for a second season is one such gem.

Lol, I love these two. Paul Downs and Megan Stalter from Hacks at the Critics Choice Awards, wearing the same matching outfits that Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner previously wore at the Marty Supreme premiere. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Some fun facts I learned from end-of-the-year tributes to those who died in 2025: After David Lynch made The Elephant Man, George Lucas asked him to direct Return of the Jedi. "Had he accepted the invitation, the Star Wars saga might have ended there and then in a miasma of weirdness."

Lucy Dacus performing "Bread and Roses" at Zohran Mamdani's inauguration

A tour inside Martha Plimpton's house. I love seeing the sentimental objects people own. Friends frequently stay in one of the guestrooms, so "I call it 'The Martha Plimpton House for Wayward Women and Divorcées.'"

Nothing could have prepared me for the emotional tour de force that was Jenny Slate's performance in the show Dying For Sex. I absolutely loved her character Nikki.

Great essay by Zadie Smith on the importance of Tracy Chapman and her music. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...

Rhea Seehorn: "I know eventually there’s going to be a comment that’s just like, ‘She is an ugly idiot who should never be on screen again,’ and then I’m just going to want to go do Lego sets for a week.” I love that her happy place to go decompress is building Lego sets.

They're back! "Go to bed, bitch!" I wish Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang paired up for more stuff.

Manohla Dargis on Rob Reiner: "I think that’s one reason that his death has hit so hard: We cherish the people who make us laugh and help transport us out of the difficulties and the darkness of life, especially those who make you feel you’re in on the joke."

I learned from Rob Reiner's obituary that he started dating his future wife Michele during the making of When Harry Met Sally, and the relationship inspired him to change the ending of the movie. In an earlier version, the movie ends with Harry and Sally walking away from each other.

Renate Reinsve discusses partying with costars Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård until 3 AM: “Yeah, there was some dancing, and me and Stellan, we always get a little tipsy, and then we declare our love for each other. That always happens now.” I love that for them.

Halle Berry: “At this stage in my life, I have zero fucks left to give.”

Today's mini book in my McSweeney's Advent Calendar takes on a new meaning with recent news events... www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/don...

Margaret Atwood had her first book signing in the sock and underwear section of an Edmonton department store. She sold two copies.

Tina Fey as Kristi Noem! Here's her ad for ICE recruitment.

Amy, Tina, and Seth back at the Weekend Update desk!

Love this photo of Jane Goodall. She died today at age 91.

Julie Andrews turns 90 today. I just learned that she drove around with a “Mary Poppins Was a Junkie” bumper sticker on her car.

Today I learned (from Bake Off) that Brits pronounce "capsule" with an h sound, like "capshule."

The Great North always has such great original songs. This montage of Beef missing his best friend is adorable. Anyone know who sings this song from season 5 episode 15 ("MIB: Men in Belts Adventure")?

In this article on Emmy snubs (Bridget Everett for Somebody Somewhere, Diego Luna for Andor, Lola Petticrew for Say Nothing, etc), there's a perfect description of how uniquely great Walton Goggins is on The Righteous Gemstones.

Steve Parkin's reaction to Wrexham being promoted (back-to-back-to-back) is perfection.

Cedar waxwings are quite possibly the most punk rock looking bird. Someone had to say it.

Tonight's episode of Severance ("Chikhai Bardo") was stunningly gorgeous, captivating, and absolutely heartbreaking.

Whoa: According to the producer of the play "The Runners", at least one person has fainted at every performance in London despite a warning to ticketholders.

Just saw the chonkiest quail

Oh dang, I almost didn't recognize Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman). www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/a...

This might be my favorite part of the review for Fucking Adelaide by Margaret Lyons: "I know what you’re thinking: Is there a gender-nonconforming tween magician in this show? And the answer is, You know it, baby."

After reading Neko Case's memoir The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, her song "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" breaks my heart *even more* now that I know she had a similar relationship with her own mother.

Just learned about the "Three Marias." In 1972 they wrote “Novas Cartas Portuguesas” (New Portuguese Letters), a collection of letters they wrote to each other about their problems as women in Portugal. It angered the country’s dictatorship & the women were arrested. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/w...

Wow, NYT, this is particularly bad. He isn't "committing illegal acts", he's merely opening the throttle on blowing through apparent legal limits, often with no clear public explanation for how their actions could be consistent with the rule of law. Not "breaking the law", merely defying statutes.

So looking forward to Amber Ruffin doing the White House Correspondents Dinner. Not that Trump is going to show up, but Amber is going to absolutely tear him up. He's going to hate a black woman roasting him... and I can't wait!

Wow, I completely missed this story. I loved “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and thought Adele Haenel was great in it. I like her even more now. variety.com/2025/film/gl...

I love these photos. This Zambian woman in her 80s is dressed up by her stylist granddaughter and became a fashion icon on social media. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Now the Spanish Football Federation and Saudi Arabia want the women's Supercopa to be held in Saudi Arabia too. FC Barcelona player Patri Guijarro, who is never shy about speaking out, said "Taking the Supercopa outside of Spain and to a country that doesn’t respect women? I don’t see it."