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Daily Dose: 11/28/17
The 2018 Grammy nominations are out
1:11 PMAll right, kiddos, Tuesday’s another radio day. I’ll be filling in for Bomani Jones on #TheRightTime on ESPN Radio from 4-7 p.m. EST. You can tune in here.
Introducing the official #WorldCup poster for 🇷🇺Russia 2018! pic.twitter.com/91OTD6SYOq
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) November 28, 2017
The Grammys are going back to New York. They’ll be hosted by James Corden again, which at this point feels like a job he’s just going to be doing for the rest of time. The controversy over nominees is always a big one, but there’s really only one thing that matters to me at this point. Cardi B is a Grammy-nominated artist. For me, it doesn’t even particularly matter if she wins at this point. What matters is that she’ll be there and I hope she’ll perform, and it’ll be a huge bonus if she wins. I am so actively excited about this.
Are you familiar with Cyntoia Brown? The hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown has been circulating on the internet quite a bit lately in an effort to call attention to her case. She’s been serving a life sentence since she was 16 years old for killing a man who had paid to have sex with her. She’d been trafficked as a child after running away from home and was put in prison because lawyers argued that her motive was robbery in the killing. Obviously, that’s foul. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities have come to her side, so we’ll see what comes of it.
Our level for the “wow” bar keeps getting higher. Just when you think the president can’t surprise us anymore, he manages to find a way. Monday was no different. At an event honoring Navajo code talkers, President Donald Trump couldn’t help but to make a very bigoted remark about Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He called her “Pocahontas,” a term that is absolutely an insult at best and definitely a racial slur at worst. The White House doesn’t seem to think so on that front. Unreal.
A year ago, the soccer world experienced an unthinkable tragedy. On their way to one of the biggest matches of their lives, the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense’s plane crashed, killing all but six of the 77 people on board. Nearly the entire team died. The team was eventually awarded the trophy for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final at the request of its opponent. But that community, never mind the franchise itself, is clearly still recovering from the devastation. This story is from earlier this year but has been resurfaced for this day.
Free Food
Coffee Break: If you missed the 2017 Miss Universe pageant, then you missed Miss Jamaica. While pageants, as a matter of course, aren’t exactly the most progressive of events, it doesn’t mean they can’t have culturally noteworthy moments. Davina Bennett’s rocking an Afro on that stage was definitely one of them.
Snack Time: I’ve never been to Japan, but I hope to make it soon. There are a decent number of black folks there, and not just those from the United States. Check out this short documentary on what it’s like to be black in Tokyo.
Dessert: I enjoy Christmas music, so here are some new offerings from D.R.A.M. and, wait for it, Dru Hill. I know.