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NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend after an extended hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but without the use of the studio, things were a little bit … different. "Live from Zoom, it's sometime between March and August!" announced Kate McKinnon at the end of the show's opening sketch. Fittingly, the made-from-home episode was hosted by COVID-19 survivor Tom Hanks who, in his monologue, joked that since he was diagnosed he's been "more like America's dad than ever before" because "no one wants to be around me very long and I make people uncomfortable." Hanks and the rest of show's cast and celebrity guests put together the whole episode from their respective quarantines using video calls; you can watch the results here.
2. Sad boy Timothée Chalamet gorgeously mopes in first still from Dune
Professional brooder Timothée Chalamet is set to star in the forthcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, but you don't have to wait for the movie's release in December to see what he looks like as protagonist Paul Atreides. Vanity Fair has the first still of Chalamet from the movie — which is directed by Blade Runner 2049 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve — and you'll be relieved to see that in it, Timmy is doing what he does best: looking gorgeous and moping. Fans immediately drew parallels to the emo Star Wars villain Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, although others were a little more creative with their comparisons. "Totally digging Timothée's Madonna-tour-dancer-about-to-do-a-reveal look," raved critic Boyd van Hoeij.
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3. Liam Hemsworth blames kidney stone on eating too much spinach
Eating vegan has been tied to lots of positive health benefits, but Liam Hemsworth blames his plant-based diet for the kidney stone he got last year. "It was one of the most painful weeks of my life," the actor told Men's Health. He explained that his particular kidney stone came from "having too much oxalate" and that "oxalates are really high in a lot of vegetables, specifically spinach, almonds, beetroot, potatoes." Hemsworth said that "every morning, I was having five handfuls of spinach and then almond milk, almond butter, and also some vegan protein in a smoothie … so I had to completely rethink what I was putting in my body." That's an extremely elaborate justification for eating a ton of White Castle, but okay!
4. Diddy forced to clarify 'you're allowed to twerk on Easter' after interrupting Lizzo's dance
The "world's biggest dance-a-thon" took an awkward Sunday when Diddy shut down Lizzo's twerking. Diddy was hosting the Instagram Live event in order to raise money for healthcare workers, but interrupted Lizzo's dance by shouting "it's Easter Sunday, let's play something a little more family friendly!" Lizzo apologized, but later when model Draya Michele twerked, Diddy praised it as "one of the top performances." Lizzo's fans were furious over the "unfair" treatment, prompting Diddy to clarify he didn't stop Lizzo because of her moves. "She's one of the best twerkers in the world" he said, confirming "you're allowed to twerk on Easter" but "there was a lot of cursing in the [the song Lizzo was dancing to] … so that's why I stopped the record."
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5. Pitbull threatens to beat up the coronavirus in new song
Eeeeyyyooooo! While you were sleeping, Pitbull released a pandemic anthem in which he vows to beat up the coronavirus, thus proving that every metaphor indeed has its limits. "You know what spreads faster than any virus is fear," Pitbull says on the track, going on to warn COVID-19, "take a swing at us, you better hit hard, 'cause when we swing back, it's like oh god." Arguably COVID-19 has hit hard and does not need to be encouraged, but Mr. 305 clearly aims to be inspiring — the song is titled "I Believe That We Will Win." Still, it's unclear what it means to "knuckle up" against something that is roughly the size of a smoke particle. Listen here.
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
