Hey all! Welcome to a weekly roundup of everything you maybe missed this week in News, pop-culture, sports and local things.
ICYMI
President Barack Obama took the stage Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention where he fired shots at current president Donald Trump. And telling from Trumps twitter account, Obama got under his skin.
“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job, because he can’t,” Obama said. “And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone.”
President Obama reminded the country how immature Trump still is for failing to the take the presidency seriously. He also put the thousands of covid deaths and the economic fall directly at Trumps doing. The 19 minute speech rallied the democrats and shows how powerful Obama still is. You can watch the speech here.
Billie Eilish, the megastar singer, took the stage Wednesday night to perform her brand new single “My Future”. At age 18, already the voice of Generation Z, Eilish made it clear to her young and politically savvy fan base that she will be voting for Biden, urging her fans to follow her.
“You don’t need me to tell you things are a mess. Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about”
The courageous speech can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueFwTNbVQCk.
In other news, the shocking photo of thousands of people celebrating at a water park music festival in Wuhan, China has been the focal point of the news cycle this week. As the rest of the world still looks to recover from covid-19, Wuhan where the virus originated seems to be mocking the rest of the world. While China’s media is calling the group of partiers “sour grapes” the rest of the world is outraged, and rightly so. More than 21 million people have been infected across the globe, with tens of thousands of new cases reported every day in the United States, Brazil and India.
Via: STR/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
While the somewhat controversial song “WAP” continues to make the rounds in our speakers, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are promoting the new single by giving away $1 million via twitter and Cash App. Women who tweet with the #WAPParty and their $Cashtag will have a chance at winning some of that money. The announcement reads. “To celebrate and honor the inspirational conversation that’s been happening in response to the song, Meg and Cardi will be giving back to women in a big way.”
As the dog days of summer continue on, you may find your weekend calendars emptier than usual. Add covid into the mix and you possibly may have a plan-less weekend. But don’t worry! The ChicpeaJC team has your weekend plans for August 21st covered…
For everyone who is avoiding going to public places, don’t worry! There still are plenty of fun things to do inside your home.
TV Series to Watch:
Lovecraft Country- Produced by award winner Jordan Peele, this series will be an adventure. I have not watched episode 1 which dropped Sunday August 16th on HBO but after viewing the trailer I can already tell this will be must watch TV. You can check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvamPJp17Ds
Perry Mason- While some may be familiar with Perry Mason, this is not a remake of the 1960 TV drama. HBO took some of the characters / loose plot idea and turned it into a masterpiece. During this 8 episode season you follow the journey of Perry Mason starting as a legal clerk grinding his way to head lawyer. I wont spoil too much but crime, the church, missing children, and dirty cops. What more could you ask for?
I May Destroy You- While this series is not for everyone, I HIGHLY recommend it. Taking place in London the series follows the life of a young women who was sexually assaulted in a nightclub. This series takes a brave look into the reality of how sexual assaults impacts many peoples lives in different ways. Brave is the perfect word to describe this HBO series. Don’t worry you’ll also laugh your ass off throughout the series.
Via HBO
Weekend Sports:
MLB:
Due to covid-19, this season will only be 60 games and to be completely honest it’s been hard to get excited for baseball. But, luckily for us this weekend we have the SUBWAY SERIES. Starting Friday the first place Yankees travel to queens to face the last place Mets. Regardless of your fandom, the subway series is always fun for all. A perfect event to host around!
* update (8/21) – A player and a coach in the Mets organization have tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, the weekend subway series vs the Yankees is now canceled. The Mets join the Cardinals and Marlins as the only teams in baseball to test positive for covid-19. Check the blog for further updates!
Soccer:
The most competitive tournament in the soccer world, the Champions League (UCL) semi finals began Tuesday with RB Leipzig (Germany) facing Paris SG (Paris). With Paris SG as the heavy favorites, stars Neymar and world cup darling Kylian Mbappe lead Paris SG to a 3-0 victory. On the other side of the bracket, Lyon (France) faced UCL favorites Bayern Munich (Germany) on Wednesday. This match was never close as Bayern Munich were the massive favorites, coming off an 8-2 dismantling of Leo Messi’s Barcelona squad last Friday. Bayern won 3-0. The finals will be played Sunday 3pm, Bayern Munich vs Paris SG, which will be one hell of a final. Fun fact: there has never been 2 French and 2 German teams in the UCL semifinals, like ever.
At Home Weekend Activities:
Start a new book. Starting a new book can be daunting but after a few chapters you’ll be glad you did. Putting your phone down and decompressing is necessary during these crazy times. I highly recommend Kings County by David Goodwille. A relatively new novel that takes place in Williamsburg Brooklyn, follows the lives of a young group of friends. The decade long story dives deep into friendship and the basics of humanity. This novel will touch your heart and play with your emotions, in a good way!
Did you know yoga is the most commonly used complementary health approach in the US? There are so many health benefits from doing yoga and with the growing popularity there are infinite ways to get involved. I recommend “Do Yoga With Me”. This popular site offers everything you need when it comes to yoga. Full classes to basic tutorials, you will always find something for you. Yoga is a great activity for people all ages and is something the whole family can enjoy.
Growing up I always enjoyed spending time with family in the kitchen, no not only eating together but also cooking! With indoor seating still off limits, cooking is the perfect family activity for a weekend night! I recommend choosing a themed dinner- Mexican, Asian, Pizza, Italian, etc.. This theme will make it fun for all to participate. Find some recipes online or even follow along a YouTube chef cook gourmet meals. I love using https://www.allrecipes.com/ to find my next recipe. Cooking is a skillset that many people lack. This weekend is the perfect weekend to give cooking a try!
For everyone who is brave enough to venture outside, there are plenty of activities still taking place with social distancing rules in effect.
Outdoor Activities:
Need a good laugh during these tough times? Hop on the NJ transit or make the 40 minute drive to New Brunswick and visit the famous Stress Factory. Since all the NY comedy clubs are closed during covid, high end comedians are performing at the outdoor venue the Stress Factory has set up. With over 1 million followers on Instagram and his recent viral IG video commentary series on political issues Andrew Schultz performs this weekend, August 22nd-23rd! Get your tickets here: https://newbrunswick.stressfactory.com/.
Via https://www.instagram.com/andrewschulz/?hl=en
One of my favorite activities to do is visit a farmers market. The fresh local food, handcrafted goods, and great people create a wonderful environment for a weekend afternoon. Great idea: do your grocery shopping for your recipe at the farmers market! Supporting local food is always a great way to contribute locally. Get all the Hoboken farmers market info here: https://www.hobokennj.gov/news/two-hoboken-farmers-markets-to-open-for-2020-season.
In need of vitamin D? How about jet ski the Hudson river! If jet skiing isn’t your forte kayaks and other water sports is a wonderful option for some fun in the sun! Plenty of companies offer this down by pier 13 in Hoboken.
Whether you’re looking to stay inside and away from people or outdoor socially distant actives, there are plenty of things to do this weekend. Be sure to follow the blog on social for any updates.
Have a great weekend!
