Good Bones is an HGTV mother-daughter fixer-upper show filmed in Indianapolis. Mina (daughter) and Karen (mom) are capable, strong, smart, and funny. They buy dilapidated houses, rip them down to the studs, and build them back up into something beautiful. During these last tumultuous weeks, escaping into their world where everything becomes beautiful in less than an hour has been a gift. My only criticisms — and they're real — is that the show is very white, very heteronormative, and on the bougie side. However, that's also a problem with the entire network. That aside, it's solid, constructive, positive-feeling reality TV where people are kind to each other, and I love it. 

We recently-ish got a Hulu account, mostly so I could watch FX's What We Do in the Shadows. I am a huge fan of the creator, Taika Waititi, and loved the original movie version. Similar to the film, the series follows a small group of out-of-touch-with-modern-times vampires who live together and deal with modern life, this time set on Staten Island. Its absurdist humor is just my style, and I am completely in love with the opening credits, which are lush and layered but also set up the show in a short 30 seconds. I can't decide which character I like best, but my favorite reaction shots are always whatever face Nadja is making. ALSO, the show has great and unexpected cameos. Season 2 just started on April 16th, so now there's even more to love.

Hair Love, an Oscar-winning animated short, packs an emotional wallop into its 7 minutes. I'm always a softie for daddy-daughter stories, and this one is a heart warmer. Also, in a year in which the Oscars was stupidly short on representation of anyone other than white men, this film is a powerful reminder that all kids should — and need — to see themselves in the art and culture around them. I also found it fascinating to discover that the filmmaker, Matthew Cherry, is a former NFL football player who moved into entertainment after retirement to become a director and producer. 

After seeing Little Women, all I could think about afterwards was the costume design (by Jacqueline Durran) and production design (by Jess Gonchor). It's an absolutely luscious movie to watch. All of the details felt real — like I could reach through the screen and touch the beautiful fabrics — and the rich colors of the interiors were a gorgeous backdrop for the costumes. Afterwards, I read that each character had her own color palette, which I wish I had been astute enough to notice while I was watching! 

Tiffany Haddish promised her fellow comedians that when she found fame, she'd help shine the spotlight on them too, and that's exactly what this series does. Each comedian's episode is about 15 or so minutes and is intercut with scenes of the women reconnecting backstage and short interviews with them individually. Although, I didn't plan on a binge, I downed the whole series in one sitting. Some of the comedians are stronger than others — Flame Monroe and Aida Rodriguez are stand-outs — but their collective story is full of grit and determination and women supporting women.

My main takeaway from this talk is that I need to just DO the things I think & dream about. Bridget Watson Payne is an editor at Chronicle Books here in SF; she is also an author, a mom, an artist, and a retail store owner. Although she begins and ends her talk speaking about the impact of her mother's death and how that has compromised her ability to get as much done, Bridget is a force of creativity! I had missed the live version of this talk and am so glad that CreativeMornings shared the video — I was incredibly inspired by how Bridget simply goes and does and makes and creates. ⭐️

I first became aware of Mark Ronson with the sudden and stunning appearance of Amy Winehouse on the music scene. After that, I followed his solo career as a producer and have generally enjoyed his music. However, things I learned in this doc that I didn't know: he was a NY hip hop kid, he was engaged to Rashida Jones in the early 2000s, and he is a genuine behind-the-scenes music star who seemingly has worked with both old-school greats along with whoever's up-and-coming now.