THIS WEEK
Oh thank God: Netflix has taken pity on us and released Schitt's Creek Season 6 early. Megan Thee Stallion’s SNL performance was so (ahem) savage that she’s leading the polls! Why 1970s feminism is having such a moment. Sophia Chang launched Unlock Her Potential, a mentorship platform for women of color. What is coronalingus and do you have it? Monica Lewinsky on the forgotten F-word. A gallery of horrible 1980s sweaters and the fashion of ABBA. Dear Ina Garten, can we quarantine with you? Weight isn't the problem with COVID-19. How we talk about it is. In praise of going back to bed after taking a shower. Susan Orlean on the Friday drink you didn’t know you needed. When Biden spoke of his son’s struggles with addiction, he also spoke of my own. If you’ve ever screwed up at work, this Reddit thread will make you feel so much better. TueNighter Deesha Philyaw on the short list! Tweet of the week.
(Photo: TV Guide)
STORY: Taking Care of Mom: The Real Cost of Caregiving
By Courtney Colwell
“If I ask my mother what she wants to do on the weekend, she might answer anything from painting a border in the bathroom to planting flowers. The former might work if by ‘border’ you’d like a Rorschach-like mural on the wall; the latter would be fine if I didn’t expect to find her laid out in the dirt.”
(Psst: Want to write for us? Pitch us here!)
OBSESSED: Tattle Tales from Tanqueray
A one-time burlesque dancer from the days when 42nd Street was filled with porn theaters and dancing girls, Tanqueray of “Tattle Tales from Tanqueray” is the new It Girl. A series of interviews with Humans of New York founder Brandon Stanton, initially destined to be a podcast, turned into an obsession-worthy, nine-day microblog after COVID-19 scrapped their plans.
Stanton stumbled upon the septuagenarian on his way home from the gym. He complimented her full-length, tricked-out faux fur coat. She asked him a question on many a black woman’s mind: “Why is it always white boys who wear shorts in the winter?”
Within minutes she was telling him her story — a young girl comes to the big city and becomes a famous burlesque dancer while meeting a host of mobsters and celebrities along the way. He ran home and got his notebook.
“Tattle Tales from Tanqueray” has spawned a huge, devoted fanbase and a growing Go Fund Me campaign ($2.7 million to date), which was set up to provide 24-hour home care for Tanqueray (real name Stephanie Johnson) who recently suffered a debilitating fall that remanded her to a wheelchair. But she’s still going. Once you meet Tanqueray, you’ll be obsessed too.
— Heather Graham
TONIGHT: Get Out the MotherF&#@ing Vote!
TONIGHT at 8pm, join us for Get Out the Motherf@#&ing Vote. BYO cocktail and some postcards, and help make a difference as some of our favorite comedians provide the belly laughs.
Experts have determined that personal notes from real people at key moments really do make a huge difference, so LET’S DO THIS!
TueNight 10: Ayana Byrd
(Back when I lived in Brooklyn, sitting on rocks I don't think you're supposed to sit on.)
Age: 46
Basic bio: Ayana is a writer and new mom who just moved back to her hometown, Philly. She's gearing up for a lot of celebrating in 2021 because her first book, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, turns 20 in February.
Beyond the bio: I never had ideas about what life would be like when I reached certain ages, so I entered my 40s with zero expectations. Maybe that's why it has been my best decade by far. Richer friendships, a deeper belief in myself and it's not like I'm any less afraid to do some things, but I'm much more willing to dive into the fear and try anyway.
What makes you a grown-ass lady? In the middle of the craziest set of circumstances outside of my control (global pandemic with a 9-day-old), I took stock of our lives, made some tough choices and now my son is happy, healthy and thriving (as am I).
1. On the nightstand: A pacifier, homeopathic remedy for teething babies and crystals (rose quartz, lapis and carnelian).
2. Can't stop/won't stop: Snacking (I went from no sweet tooth to wanting all the cookies during Covid).
3. Jam of the minute: "California" by Joni Mitchell (I wouldn't call It a jam, but it's about home and homecoming and displacement and has been in rotation since lockdown).
4. Thing I miss: Outside.
5. ’80s crush: Prince. "Crush" is too light a word for the emotion I felt the first time I saw Purple Rain.
6. Current crush: Michael B. Jordan.
7. Latest fave find: I May Destroy You. I didn't know a show could be so perfectly written and performed.
8. Last thing I lost: Hair (postpartum hormones are a beast).
9. Best thing that happened recently: My son was born!!
10. Looking forward to: Outside opening fully and safely.