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David Lee/NetflixThis is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beastâs Obsessed, written by senior entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here.This Week:Cher and her lonely elephant is all of us.Why arenât you dummies watching the Oscar nominees?Nothing on TV is better than Top Chef.A TV moment Iâll never stop thinking about.Whoopi Goldberg, now presiding over my conscience.Why Are You Still Not Watching the Oscar Nominees? Sometimes, even a Pavlovian response can make you sound like an idiot.This year, like every year, it has been brought up in conversations with many people I know, people who follow me on social media, and just people in general that the Oscars are coming upâthis Sunday, in fact. Itâs a big deal! Itâs the Oscars! Even now!And this year, like every year, these people have proudlyâsmugly even, like itâs something to brag aboutâinterjected something along the lines of âWho cares? I havenât seen any of the movies anyway.âSometimes this in protest of the idea that the nominated films are too niche and donât appeal to a mainstream moviegoer. That has historically been a fair criticism. Often, theyâre either limited-release films or still only in theaters in the lead-up to Oscar night, and itâs not possible for the average movie fan to see them.But thatâs just not true this year. Because you can. For the first time in my lifetime, you can see pretty much every nominee right now before the Oscarsâand have been able to for weeks, in some cases for months.If availability and accessibility have always been your gripe, why are you still not watching them?Nomadland, which is likely to win everything? Itâs on Hulu, and so is Andra Dayâs Best Actress-nominated performance in The United States vs. Billie Holiday and the sensational Best International Feature and Best Director nominee Another Round.The Trial of the Chicago 7, Mank, Ma Raineyâs Black Bottom, Hillbilly Elegy, and Pieces of a Woman, all up for a slew of Best Picture and acting prizes, are all on Netflix. But instead youâre all watching (pulls up Netflixâs current Top 10 list), a film I have never heard of called Synchronic and Melissa McCarthyâs least funny movie in years, Thunder Force.If you have Prime Video, free with your Amazon Prime account, you can watch multi-nominees Sound of Metal, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and One Night in Miami.And whereas some late-qualifying theatrical indie releases used to be impossible to see unless you lived in New York or Los Angeles, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father, Minari, and Promising Young Woman are available to rent on Video on Demand from your own home. Sure, some people may not want to pay $19.99 to watch Anthony Hopkins in the throes of dementia, but the option is actually there! Handout I say this because, anecdotally, the same people who seem curious about this yearâs Oscar nominees have still been reverting to the old scoff, âWell, I havenât seen themâŚâ Itâs one thing to not be interested in watching these filmsâa totally fine and separate issueâand Iâm not arguing one way or another on whether the Oscars still matter. (Though it certainly makes the case for the latter when the average American movie fan can watch every nominated movie from their home and still wonât do it.)This is the crankiest âWell, actuallyâŚâ rant Iâve ever done about something I donât really care that much about. But to all those who keep telling me you havenât âbeen ableâ to watch this yearâs Oscar nominees: âWell, actually,â you can.Itâs a little disappointing, too. It could have been fun for, at least once, the majority of people to have seen the films and be invested in the races, instead of just watching one actress from a movie youâll never see beat another. That said, you still have time! Stream some contenders. Just not Mank. Please God, never watch Mank.I Would Die for Everyone on Top ChefAn unfortunate emotional consequence of my inexplicable instinct to watch every single cooking competition series on TV is the surprising (or, letâs face it, not) frequency with which I end up crying.A restaurant owner on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives sharing a particularly moving saga about their journey to America as they demonstrate how they make their locally famous pierogies? Tears. A child on Kids Baking Championship canât control their feelings because theyâre so upset they overbaked their cake? Devastated. After an episode of Chopped featuring cafeteria ladies from rural schools, I had to take a long, moody walk along the river, listening to Joni Mitchell as I stared off and contemplated humanity. via Twitter This is all to say there is a low bar, yet Iâm still shocked by how poignant and fun the new season of Top Chef has been.In its 18th season, the series is still the gold standardâand most excitingâculinary competition on TV. Thatâs no small feat considering how reliably other veteran reality shows (from American Idol to Dancing With the Stars) have belly-flopped into the deep end in desperate attempts to maintain relevancy and buzz.Top Chef has locked away the bells and whistles reality TV has been flailing to grab in recent years. Instead, it has enriched each new season with more culture and connections between emotion and food, and leaning into its own legacy as the genreâs classiest show.The most recent, Portland-set season spotlights the plight of chefs and restaurant workers during COVID. Their devastation and anxiety, but also their relief and joy to be able to prove themselves and cook again, pulses through every episode.Chefs are candid about how hard the shutdown hit their psyches, several talking openly about the alcohol dependencies they developed. But theyâre also cooking with more passion than Iâve ever seen in the series; itâs clear just how high the stakes are. The season is a sharp reminder of all thatâs been lost, but also how much we have to return to when this is over.The biggest compliment to the kind of show that Top Chef has built over the years is how naturally these conversations fit into it. And not just COVID. There are conversations about Black Lives Matterâat the time of filming, protests are happening just outside the setâand how overdue American food culture is to embrace the African diasporaâs influence, the wonderful theme of last weekâs episode. At a time when reality TV seems more content than ever to being background noise, Top Chef demands that you pay attention.Thatâs in stark contrast to the other reality series Iâm hooked on right now: Bravoâs Below Deck franchise. The best part of these shows is how absolutely, truly, very little you have to pay attention to anything thatâs going on and still reap enjoyment from them. I caught up on Below Deck: Sailing Yacht this week, and every single time someone mentioned a character's name, I had no idea who they were talking about. Yet I had just happily watched three consecutive episodes.All of this is to say, Iâve thoroughly enjoyed and been moved by this Top Chef season thus far. Itâs still only a few episodes in, but Iâm already sad for when itâs going to be time to pack up our knives and go.I Will Be Telling My Grandkids About This Bernadette Peters MomentIf you donât watch Zoeyâs Extraordinary Playlist on NBC, you are missing a gem of a series. It is one of the most bizarre things on TV at the moment in every glorious way, as it careens through shattering heartbreak and broad comedy, all while singing and dancing to popular songs. Handout The most recent episode featured Bernadette Peters drunkenly singing and dancing to Siaâs âCheap Thrills.â The Broadway veteran, spritely as ever, tipsily skips through the kitchen like Thumbelina threw back a shot of Titoâs and then decided to prance across some lily pads, pausing at one point to guzzle more red wine. Bernadette Peters belting âI ainât got cash, I ainât got cash, but I got you baby...â Iâve never been more delighted.It is an iconic moment of television and I will not rest until every human being alive is talking about it. (Watch it here.)Whoopi, ForeverSome decorating news: I have decided to have this photo of Whoopi Goldberg from her recent Variety cover storyâin which, based on that regal facial expression, I imagine she is wordlessly saying, âKevin, think about your choices...ââwallpapered across my wall. I need the reminder. Handout What to watch this week:A Black Lady Sketch Show: A serotonin blast of comedy when we could really use it. (Friday on HBO)The Big Shot With Bethenny Frankel: That I will follow Bethenny to the ends of the earth is my own personal cross to bear. (Sunday on HBO Max)Romeo and Juliet: Sexy Prince Charles from The Crown (Josh OâConnor) stars in a shortened, present-day take on the Shakespeare play, a Mad Libs that is most pleasing to me. (Friday on PBS)What to skip this week:Mortal Kombat: My mom wouldnât let me play the videogames because they were too violent, so I have no attachment to this. (Friday in theaters and HBO Max)Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.