Quarantine
England to Allow Indoor Concerts Beginning Next Month
Earlier this week, veteran talent agent and Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger predicted that concerts likely won’t return in the US until 2022 — a much bleaker timeline than the one previously provided by health experts. Meanwhile, our friends across the Atlantic will allow indoor concerts to take place beginning August 1st, 2020. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the news on Friday, July 17th, as part of a larger discussion about the UK entering stage 4 of their five-stage reopening plan. While live indoor events will be allowed to return, there will be a strict set of guidelines in place, including social distancing measures, reduced capacity for venues, required online ticketing, frequent sanitization of sites, and staggered performance schedules. “The UK’s performing arts...
Supermarket Sweep is Now on Netflix
It’s time to go wild in the grocery aisles. Starting today, a handful of episodes from the 1993 season of Supermarket Sweep are now available to stream on Netflix. A few hours ago, the streaming giant broke the news via social media. “I don’t know who needs to hear this,” the company tweeted, “but 15 episodes of the iconic Supermarket Sweep are now on Netflix in The US.” Supermarket Sweep originally aired on ABC from 1965 to 1967. It was then picked back up on Lifetime from 1990 to 1995, and again for PAX TV from 2000 to 2003. There’s perhaps no better time to watch strangers run through a grocery store grabbing armfuls of produce and snacks than now, during the coronavirus pandemic, when picking up food for the week feels chaotic and thrilling in a very different way. Editors’ Picks...
BBNaija new housemates in isolation ahead of show’s premier
Organisers of the reality show, Big Brother Naija, say all new members of the show are currently in isolation ahead of the July 19, 2020 premier of Season 5. MultiChoice, which broadcasts the show, said in a virtual press briefing that organisers are collaborating with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to guarantee the highest form of precaution and safety control for the housemates and the production crew. “They will be monitored whilst in quarantine until they are deemed fit health-wise. Anyone that shows signs of ill health, will as expected not be a part of the show.” The broadcaster said the Big Brother House has been disinfected and won’t be available to anyone until the housemates arrive. Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, also emphasized that even before...
2020 MTV VMAs to Take Place in NYC with “Limited or No Audience” Due to Coronavirus
Despite the country’s recent surge in coronavirus cases, the 2020 MTV VMAs is officially a go. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York made the announcement on Monday, revealing that this year’s ceremony will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on August 30th. The news came during a larger press conference regarding Phase III of NYC’s reopening process, which begins July 6th and includes eased restrictions on things like indoor dining. Social distancing will still be required during this phase, and as such, the 2020 VMAs will include “limited or no audience” allowed in the Barclays arena. Under normal circumstances, the multi-purpose venue can seat up to 19,000 people for concert events. Last year’s VMAs happened at a packed Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was highlighted by mem...
James Blake Covers Nirvana Classic “Come As You Are” from Quarantine: Watch
James Blake fans have been treated to a number of special covers during this quarantine season. Over the course of just the last few months, the UK crooner has tackled originals by Radiohead, Billie Eilish, Frank Ocean, and Joni Mitchell. For his newest reimagining, Blake ambitiously rolled out his take on the Nirvana classic “Come As You Are”. The performance was part of an hour-long “piano improv concert” streamed on Instagram Live on Saturday. As requested by a fan, Blake’s rendition of the Nevermind single was “soft” in tone. However, though it was without the angst and volume of the 1992 original, Blake’s cover was still urgent in its own fragile, ivory-tinged way. Watch video of the Nirvana cover below, followed by the full concert (come for the tunes, stay for a glimpse of Blake’s a...
The Bachelorette Returns to Capture All the Quarantine Horniness
Isolation can be lonely, but the fantasy romances of The Bachelorette are returning to comfort us with roses, bottles of wine, and long kisses angled just so for the cameras. According to Variety, The Bachelorette is the first major series to resume production after industry-wide coronavirus lockdowns. Now, producers are sprinting to get a new crop of hot people into quarantine. The idea is to take a few dozen strapping hunks, cut them off from human contact, check their temperatures, and dump them at the feet of one lucky gal (Clare Crawley). Tastefully-edited horniness ensues. The whole cast and crew will quarantine together on location. Everyone will be tested before they enter, and as filming progress they’ll be subjected to regular thermometer probes and nasal swabs. It...
Virgin Atlantic resumes Lagos-London flights August 24
Virgin Atlantic has announced its intention to resume flights from Lagos to London Heathrow from August 24, 2020 saying the international flight will be operated on its new A350-1000 aircraft and will provide connections to a range of US destinations. The Chief Commercial Officer of Virgin Atlantic, Juha Jarvinen, made this known as the airline promised to resume flying to 16 additional destinations around the world. “As countries around the world begin to relax travel restrictions, we look forward to welcoming our customers back onboard and flying them safely to many destinations across our network. “From 20th July we will resume services to New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong; then from 1st August onwards, we will resume passenger flying to 17 additional destinations around the world inc...
DMC Joins Anthrax, Volbeat, Suicidal Tendencies Members for Run-DMC Quarantine Medley: Watch
Rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels celebrated his legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC with a quarantine performance featuring members of Anthrax, Volbeat, and Suicidal Tendencies. Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has arranged a number of socially distant performances during the pandemic. For this one, he was joined by his former Anthrax bandmate and current Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz, as they back McDaniels on a medley of Run-DMC classics. “I always wanted to do a medley of Run-DMC songs, so back in March I decided to put an arrangement together and asked these amazing people to be a part of it,” explained Benante in the YouTube description. “How can you do a Run-DMC medley without the King of Rock — Darryl McDaniels DMC.” The drummer added, “I have been a...
Chromeo Release Cheeky EP for the Pandemic Era, Quarantine Casanova: Stream
Chromeo have just delivered the funkiest release of the coronavirus era so far. Stream the cheeky 10-track Quarantine Casanova EP below. The collection began somewhat haphazardly during the early days of the pandemic lockdown. Chromeo’s Dave 1 and P-Thugg kicked off quarantine by freestyling a song called “Clorox Wipe”, simply to bring some playfulness to folks who were suddenly thrust into such uncertainty. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with fans begging for more. Chromeo obliged, and eventually the Quarantine Casanova EP was born. Tracks take on love in the time of social distancing (“6 Feet Away”), embrace ennui (“Stay in Bed (And Do Nothing)”), and namedrop Dr. Anthony Fauci (“‘Roni Got Me Stressed Out”). There are five new songs in total, coupled with the in...
Justin Chancellor Writing “Interesting” New Tool Riffs, Collaborating with Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy
Tool bassist Justin Chancellor has been keeping busy with multiple projects during the pandemic, one of which is writing “interesting riffs” for his main band. Among his other ventures is “bouncing some ideas around” with Bauhaus legend Peter Murphy. While checking in from lockdown with Bass Magazine, Chancellor offered up a glimpse of what his day-to-day life has been like since the COVID-19 pandemic forced Tool off the road. The bassist disclosed that he’s been cleaning up his house and gardening, as well as restoring a 15-foot Statue of Liberty head movie prop that he “purchased years ago on a tipsy impulse.” When asked about his current and upcoming projects, Chancellor responded, “I’m working on tracks for a second MTVoid album/EP with Peter Mohamed, who is in Poland. It looks like it...
PTF decries continued refusal by hospitals to treat patients for fear of coronavirus
The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) has decried the continued refusal by medical institutions including federal tertiary institutions to receive and treat patients for fear COVID-19. PTF lamented that this development has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities. Meanwhile, the PTF will conclude its assessment on the impact of the measures put in place and further recommendations would be submitted to the President for a decision within the next seventy hours. Chairman of PTF and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who disclosed this at the daily Press Briefing in Abuja, noted that Nigeria is having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID 19 adding that the reason for the greater emphasis on COVID 19 is ...
Martin Scorsese Made a New Short Film in Isolation
Hollywood may be largely shut down, but director Martin Scorsese still found a way to make a new short film. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed filmmaker’s film about life in isolation will air on the BBC tomorrow, May 28th, as the finale of the series Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard. Shot by Scorsese himself, the short reportedly involves a kind of dialogue with the past. Scorsese interprets the lockdown through beloved films like Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man, testing us to look at the classic works and our current situation through a new lens. Talking about his experience in isolation, the Hollywood icon said, “What I look forward to in the future is carrying with me what I have been forced to learn in these circumstances. It is the essential. The people you love. Being able t...
