It’s not the same thing as watching Jurassic Park with the man himself, but it’s closest you, not-Jeff Goldblum, will get: director Steven Spielberg has launched a digital “movie club” with the American Film Institute. The daily virtual gathering is designed to “leverage our collective love of film on behalf of optimism,” according to AFI, and “[create] a communal viewing experience during these unprecedented times of social distancing.”
And with the first pick in the AFI Movie Club, Steven Spielberg has selected… The Wizard of Oz. “I know you think you’ve seen it, but please think again, because right now at this moment in our history what better message is there then, there’s no place like home?” he explained. I guess E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would have been too obvious.
Other special guests will announce select AFI Movies of the Day in short videos posted on AFI.com and social media platforms. To watch the films, audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub. While audiences watch, the daily film selections will be supported by fun facts, family discussion points, and exclusive material.
AFI hasn’t announced the next featured guest, but whoever it is, I hope they pick Freddy Got Fingered, a true movie classic (“Daddy, Would You Like Some Sausage?” > “Over the Rainbow”). For more information on the Movie Club, click here.
The big reason that people around the planet are social distancing is to slow the spread of COVID-19 so that fewer people need to seek treatment and hospitals are not overrun. Epidemiologists call this practice “flattening the curve.”
In Italy, the curve wasn’t flattened fast enough and hospitals became overloaded with patients fighting the deadly virus. So patients went without having ICU beds and hospitals suffered from a lack of basic supplies.
Italy has seen the most COVID-19 deaths in the world with over 11,500.
Italy’s healthcare workers have paid a tremendous price for their bravery during the crisis. Sixty-three have died because of the virus and there has been an average of 600 new infections among these workers every day.
However, there is good news coming out of Italy. On Monday, the Italian Civil Protection Department announced a clear slowdown in the number of infected people. The number has only grown 2% to reach 75,528.
“We are witnessing a slowdown [of the outbreak],” Fabrizio Pregliasco, a virologist from the University of Milan, said according to Newsweek. “It is not plateau yet, but it is a good sign.”
The total number of those who have recovered from the virus had a sharp increase, reaching 14,620.
Although the outbreak hasn’t peaked, Italian experts believe it’s near.
The disease’s progress may be slowing, but Italy is looking to extend its lockdown which was scheduled to lift on April 3. Reports show that it may be extended at least another two weeks.
“The measures expiring on April 3 will inevitably be extended,” regional affairs minister, Francesco Boccia, said according to Newsweek.
“I think that, at the moment, talking about re-opening is inappropriate and irresponsible,” he added.
Italy appears to have the highest death rate on the planet from the disease. China had a similar number of infections but only a third of the deaths of Italy.
A big reason is that only the most severe cases are being treated because Italy’s medical system has been completely overrun by the pandemic.
“We have a national healthcare system that works very well, especially in Lombardy — but even our system has been hit by this,” Dr. Massimo Galli, head of the infectious disease unit at Sacco Hospital in Milan, said according to CNN.
“Miracles have been done in multiplying the numbers of beds in hospitals,” he continued. But medicine “has been lacking — and this is a big problem that will be felt by other countries.”
Another major factor is that Italy has the second oldest population on the planet behind Japan. The average age for Italians who have died after testing positive for the virus is 78.
Becky Vieira says she felt helpless when she found out parents at her son’s preschool who are doctors and nurses were in need of personal protective equipment (PPE). Though she helped to spread the word, asking friends and family to donate any masks or other equipment they might have, it didn’t feel like enough.
As a mom blogger with a social media following and connections with other bloggers, Vieira says she decided to reach out beyond her local community.
“I turned to Instagram where I could leverage the platform I’ve built, and also connect with my network of other mom bloggers. I started by asking if we could all source and share PPE requests from family and friends, and the response was so great that I created a separate Instagram account dedicated to the cause. Within a day I had someone offer to build us a website, and by day four we were receiving international requests, had nine engineers working on it, designers, a digital marketing agency and a PR team join the cause. All pro bono. And we’re not done yet — we have an updated website in the works that will launch soon.”
The initiative is called Masks for Heroes. Through the website, hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities can submit requests for PPE with delivery/drop-off instructions. Volunteers and donors can then go to the website to see what’s needed and help fill those needs.
“Donors can see exactly who needs PPE and choose where to send it, such as a local hospital in their area,” says Vieira. “They know exactly where their donation is going. We help requesters and donors meet and collaborate.”
Vieira says every PPE request is verified before it is listed on the website. Currently there are more than 200 requests from medical facilities listed, with 50 more awaiting verification. There’s even an interactive map to make it easy to find the needs of facilities in a specific area.
“We do not accept monetary donations and we are not involved in any monetary transactions,” Vieira adds, saying that there are scammers out there trying to profit off of the pandemic. This initiative is simply matches up the specific needs of medical professionals with people willing to provide those specific needs.
Since most of us don’t have PPE lying around our homes, that often means making and donating homemade masks. Not an ideal solution, but better than nothing in most cases.
Individuals and companies have quickly stepped up to help. Adrienn Braun, a fashion designer and owner of Adrienn Braun Bridal In Hoboken, New Jersey and her team are sewing approximately 100-150 masks a day. They’ve already shipped out 550 masks and have plans to make 2000 more.
A clothing manufacturer in Virginia, Kurdistan Godani, has sewn 300 masks so far. She’s delivered around 100 of those already and plans to make “hundreds more.” She says since she can’t sell clothes right now, she’ll use her fabric to sew masks.
Free People (from Urban Outfitters) is also taking part in the fulfillment, sewing masks for facilities requesting them.
“I am still in shock at how far we’ve come, and that we’re being supported like this,” says Vieira. “I’m so proud of the women I know who helped raise the initial awareness that led us to where we are today. Never doubt the power of moms.”
Anyone who has a little time to spare can get involved:
“We encourage anyone with N95 masks or other PPE supplies—gowns, surgical masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, etc.—to donate. Check your garage, look in your attic, search your house for any masks you may have forgotten you have. Ask your neighbors, friends and family to do the same. Call local construction companies! Many facilities are accepting hand sewn masks, and we have patterns and tutorials on our website, masksforheroes.com.
If someone doesn’t have masks and can’t sew (like me!), they can help us raise awareness of this situation. Follow us on social media, share posts, tag their friends. Share local requests to your social media pages and community groups. Anything helps.”
Vieira points out that there is some misinformation out there about homemade masks and their effectiveness during this pandemic. “People are saying it’s not worth making them as they don’t protect against the virus,” she says. “But these masks are often used for non-vital patients to free up PPE for others or to cover masks that healthcare workers are having to refuse—because many are being asked to wear single use masks for an entire week. At least they can wash the hand sewn masks between uses.”
“And yes, in other cases they actually are being used as the only protection,” she adds. “They are a last resort for many health care workers, and people need to realize that’s where we are: at the last resort.”
Check out the list of PPE needs in your area on the Masks for Heroes website and find out how you can help. Instructions for making masks can also be found on the site.
The NBA 2K League is in the midst of a tournament that looks to give fans a way to enjoy basketball during the NBA’s ongoing suspension due to COVID-19. The NBA 2K League Three for All Showdown, which was announced earlier this month, just finished up the fan portion of the festivities, and now, it’s moving into its second leg, which pits fans against a whole host of folks, from 2K League players to those who suit up in the NBA, WNBA, and NFL, among others.
Included in all of this is a trio of players from our very own website. Our social media ace, Tony Xypteras, our do-everything writer/editor, Ryan Nagelhout, and myself will fire up our Xboxes and compete as the 16-seed in the X Bracket. Our first-round matchup is against 17-seed Watch Us Work, which consists of three WNBA players: Alexis Jones, Allisha Gray, and Aerial Powers.
In classic 16-seed fashion (non-UMBC division), we are not optimistic about our chances, but if you would like to watch, there are a few avenues to do this. The festivities begin tonight at 8 p.m. EST, and our games — first to 21 wins, best two out of three, the finals are best three out of five — will begin around 10 p.m. We have our own Twitch channel (which, if you’d be so kind, subscribe!), and we’ll be streaming our game there, but you can follow along with all the action on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
I speak for all three of us when I say that our goal, first and foremost, is to have fun. From there, we hope to not lose by a ton of points and if we get extremely lucky, pick up a win or two. In the event we go on any sort of run, well, that would be nothing short of a miracle. Here are the brackets (XBox and PS4) and schedules for the entire tournament, and here’s the roster list for all of the teams in the field. Ryan, Tony, and myself would like to wish the best of luck to all of the other teams in the field, and to Watch Us Work, please don’t run up the score on us.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of March below.
Bon Iver — Blood Bank (Rerelease)
Jagjaguwar
As Uproxx’s Steven Hyden notes, Blood Bank was a pivotal Bon Iver release, and now it has received an expanded reissue. Vernon said of the EP back in 2009, “It just didn’t seem to fit the story and lineage [of For Emma, Forever Ago], I guess. So I just sort of surrounded ‘Blood Bank’ with three other songs that were very different from one other, and they all kind of came together as a palette cleanser for the last record. And I’m really excited about it.”
Country music legend Kenny Rogers sadly passed away this month. Coincidentally, the 1990 Rogers compilation album Greatest Country Hits was re-released just weeks before his passing, making it a great way to honor one of the all-time greats.
Cocteau Twins — Garlands and Victorialand (Rereleases)
4AD4AD
Two key records from dream pop pioneers Cocteau Twins are back in print thanks to the new vinyl rereleases of Garlands and Victorialand. Both albums are pressed on 140g black vinyl and feature audio that was remastered from the original analog tapes, as well as art that is faithful to their original designs.
Spice Girls — The Greatest Hits and Spiceworld (Rereleases)
UMe/Virgin EMI
People who weren’t around when it was happening might not realize how huge The Spice Girls truly were. Now fans (and fans-to-be) can dive into the world of Spice with fresh rereleases of two prime records: Their sophomore album Spiceworld and the compilation album The Greatest Hits. Whichever one you pick (if not both), now is a great time to get spicy, especially since the group has been more active in recent years.
The last album Jimi Hendrix released during his lifetime is back on vinyl, and this rerelease comes almost exactly 50 years after the record originally came out. Pressed on 180-gram audiophile black vinyl, this new analog edition of the album has been mastered from the original tapes by engineer Eddie Kramer, a name that Hendrix fans know well.
Paris Hilton spends a lot of her time as a DJ these days, but that wasn’t her first musical endeavor. Back in 2006, she released her debut and so far only album, Paris, which yielded the successful single “Stars Are Blind.” Now, the record is available as a limited edition maroon and blonde marbled vinyl for its first-ever vinyl reissue, making this a fascinating piece of pop music history.
It’s been two decades since Kelis, then 17 years old, released her boundary-pushing album Kaleidoscope, and now it’s back as a limited translucent orange 2-LP deluxe (180 gram) vinyl reissue. It has all the Neptunes production and Kelis vision you remember, now in one of the most aesthetically pleasing and best-sounding packages it has ever received.
2Pac — Me Against The World (25th Anniversary Rerelease)
Interscope
Tupac landed his first No. 1 album with his third effort, Me Against The World, and now the star-making album has received a 180-gram 2-LP vinyl rerelease. The record’s lead single, “Dear Mama,” was his first top-ten hit, and the album as a whole foreshadowed the superstardom that Tupac was quickly headed towards.
Vinyl Me, Please is sharing a piece of obscure music history with their new 8-LP box set, which tells the story of the music of Zambia’s independence. Described as sounding “something like Jimi Hendrix meets James Brown with some Black Sabbath and Rolling Stones thrown in for good measure,” the set includes eight rare albums pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, as well as liner notes and a five-episode podcast series, to help convey the historical and aesthetic significance of what you’ll be hearing.
It’s been five years since Rae Sremmurd burst onto the scene with their debut album Sremmlife, and now the duo is marking the release with a new translucent red, 180-gram, double-vinyl rerelease. The album spawned hits like “Black Beatles,” and there’s more to discover and revisit in this visually striking release.
Local Natives — Gorilla Manor (Vinyl Me, Please Rerelease)
Vinyl Me, Please
Local Natives recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of their debut album, Gorilla Manor, and now it has received an exclusive reissue from Vinyl Me, Please. The album has been newly remastered, and it is pressed on gorgeous 180-gram ultra clear/black smoke vinyl.
Katie Crutchfield told Uproxx of her new Waxahatchee album, “I wanted to take a sharp turn and not make another rock album. I had really no idea what I did want to make.” What she did end up making is her most personal and engaging album yet.
Tiger King has been the talk of the internet since the documentary series first hit Netflix earlier this month. The show’s subject, Joe Exotic, is an eclectic character and a controversial figure. That’s true for a number of reasons, and now a new one can be added to the list: Old footage of him has resurfaced, in which he complains about not being able to say the “N-word.”
In the video, which TMZ notes is from 2015, Exotic is speaking to the camera and he says, “What’s going on in here, in this country? It’s absolutely pathetic. I can’t say the N-word, but you can get on YouTube and watch any Black man’s rap video, and they’re calling each other the N-word. What the hell, is this discrimination? I’m white, I can’t say the N-word and they can?”
Since the clip emerged, Exotic has not gotten much sympathy online for his views. One of his detractors is Bun B, who shared the video and added a simple message: “No Joe. You’re pathetic. Later for this clown.”
The NFL’s teams officially expanded the playoffs for the upcoming 2020 season to 14 games on Tuesday, completing the final step of the measure that was put in place by the new CBA.
As such, 14 teams (seven from each conference) will now make the playoffs and the Wild Card Round will expand from four to six games, with only the top seed in each conference earning a bye. The games will now be played in a triple-header on both Saturday and Sunday, which means more football for CBS and NBC, who pick up those two additional games in January. CBS will take the extra game on Sunday, but they won’t be the only network carrying the broadcast.
The NFL announced they would be adding a kids-focused broadcast that would simulcast the game on Nickelodeon in an effort to draw in a younger audience to football, in an announcement that caused many to double check that this was still March 31 and not April Fool’s Day.
The additional @NFL Wild Card game on Sunday, January 10 will be simulcasted on @Nickelodeon in a broadcast tailored to younger fans.
Tucked within the NFL announcement of two additional playoff games is that one of those games will be broadcast on CBS but also on Nickelodeon, with a separately produced telecast geared toward a younger audience.
The details on the Nickelodeon broadcast are scarce, but we can only hope they lean into it and have, like, a guy in a Spongebob costume handling sideline interviews and some Nickelodeon star in the booth — my first inclination was to say put Keenan and Kel in the booth and then I remembered I am old and that wouldn’t be a draw to young kids but instead people in their late-20s and 30s. Maybe the losing coach gets slimed, too. The possibilities here are endless.
In any case, it’ll be fascinating to see what a kids football broadcast looks like — one would assume it will be more discussion and explanation of the basics of what’s going on — and if the NFL sees success, one would think they’ll push for more cross-platform broadcasts.
The COVID-19 pandemic is different from many crises in that it has affected all of us regardless of politics, economics, religion, age or nationality. This virus is a good reminder that humanity is vulnerable to what nature throws at us, and that we are all in this together.
I am an academic psychiatrist specializing in research and treatment of anxiety and stress. Believe me, you are not alone if you feel like complaining.
COVID-19 has affected us if not infected us
This pandemic has profoundly changed our way of living. Overnight, dining out, exercising at the gym or seeing friends in person became impossible for millions of Americans. Remote working, reduced work hours and income, and uncertainty are indeed stressful. Most of us are having to make important adjustments and quickly learn new skills, such as how to do virtual meetings or be motivated to work from home. Given we are creatures of habit, these adjustments can be hard.
We are also stressed by continuous exposure to sad news, often contradictory predictions and recommendations coming from different sources. The constantly changing and evolving nature of this situation is very frustrating.
We humans hate the unknown and limited sense of control over life. Worse, our fear system is designed for fending off dangers, not for modern life crises where we do not need to fight or escape a predator. Hence, we need to find creative ways of responding to crisis, some adaptive and some not.
This angry mom’s rant about homeschooling children while in quarantine goes viral
Humans are a social species, which means sharing one’s thoughts, feelings and experiences. Successful social connection involves the ability to share both positive and negative emotions. During crisis, we can get comfort in sharing our fears and receiving calming and objective feedback from others.
The question is: How much can I complain without being the person everybody avoids? We don’t want to be an Eeyore.
To answer this question, consider what we and others get out of such communication. Is the end result for us feeling less worried or sad, and others feeling supportive? Or are both parties emotionally exhausted and feeling worse?
Benefits of venting
Venting our fears and concerns can be beneficial. Sharing feelings with others, just the act of verbalizing those feelings will reduce their intensity.
Others may provide support and care, and soothe the negative feelings. And we can do the same for them. We learn that we are not alone in this, when we hear others are also having those feelings.
And, we may learn from others, how they cope with their frustration or fear, and that can help us adopt those methods in our life.
When to know the limits
Venting should not become a habit, though. At the end of the day, it won’t fix the problem. Here are suggestions on when to stop sharing negative emotions:
When venting becomes the main coping style, and importantly, when it delays adaptive necessary action. Venting about homeschooling children will not take care of their education.
When sharing with others stresses them. It is unfair to make myself feel better at the expense of others’ sanity. When people start avoiding you in response to your venting, it means you are stressing them out.
When venting does not achieve the goal of feeling better, and one or both of us feel worse. Do not vent just for the purpose of complaining. Your mind is like your stomach: If you feed it good food, you will be healthy and happy. If you keep feeding it garbage, you will feel sick.
Young children are not there to listen to our problems, and their job is not to soothe us. Being parents’ therapist can have negative long-term effects on children, the least of which is that they may learn that complaining as a main coping style.
When you experience signs of clinical depression (depressed mood, low energy, poor or increased appetite, insomnia, poor concentration, among others), talk to your doctor to see if you need professional care beyond just a listening ear.
Here are a few tips on how to cope with the stress of these days:
Get your facts from medical experts, and websites such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities, not from rumors or random social media posts. By knowing the facts, you get an objective estimate of the risks. Knowing legitimate ways of protecting yourself and your loved ones provides a sense of control and reduces anxiety. Just know enough to protect yourself and your family.
Do not get obsessed with the news, and do not keep checking for hours and hours. Make sure to give yourself hourslong breaks from the news. Don’t worry – the network anchors will always be there for you to come back to them.
Give yourself a chance to be distracted from bad news. Watch movies or TV series, documentaries (animals are awesome), or comedies if you want to watch something.
Remember all the activities you always wanted to do but did not have time. This does not have to always be errands or housework. It could, and should, include fun activities and hobbies.
Keep your routines. Go to bed and leave bed at the same times you did before, and eat your normal meals. Now you can spend more time cooking and eating healthy.
If you are a social person, stay connected via phone, video chat or other technology. Physical isolation should not lead to social isolation. Connect, especially now that you have free time.
Stay physically active. Regular exercise, especially moderate cardio, not only improves physical health and immune system but also helps with depression and anxiety. Trainers are offering free home exercise training these days online. You can also use exercise as a means for bonding with your loved ones.
Meditate and use mindfulness techniques.
Work on your yard or gardening projects. You will be safe, active and productive.
Finally, know that this too shall pass. Medicine will ultimately control the pandemic. We are a very resilient species and have been around for millions of years. We can survive this with wisdom.
Arash Javanbakht is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University
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