Samuel L Jackson plays with us
It’s Samuel L Jackson in a new Verizon ad! Nope, wait that’s a video game version of Samuel L Jackson surrounded by other digital characters in a skewed version of Fortnite. An interesting direction for the cellphone company with a fun Deep Blue Sea-inspired twist.
Uber Eats does a Wayne’s World spoof
Uber, the rideshare disruptor of local transport economies, urges viewers to “eat local” with their Wayne’s World spoof that reunites Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in a winking riff on shameless marketing ploys such as celeb cameos (Cardi B, signature trill intact), trends (TikTok dance), and stunts (lookalike babies).
And he’s out! It felt brief but that’s perhaps just a huge compliment to The Weeknd who managed to change genre and tempo with ease, mixing up settings effortlessly and managing to create an electric energy without the huge crowd he usually would have been surrounded by. Video footage and a full review on the way.
Knowing that the singer reportedly spent an extra $7m of his own money to ensure the show was everything he wanted explains just who it’s even more extravagant than usual. There’s also the issue of space, more to play with than usual. He’s on the pitch now with his creepy lookalikes, changing tempo yet again. It’s time for his biggest hit to date Blinding Lights, performed ambitiously with choreographed chaos surrounding him.
One of the benefits of the plastic surgery masks worn by his many many many dancers is that at least they’re being safe but in a way that’s also part of the performance. Kind of genius really.
A segue into I Feel It Coming, more fireworks and the impressive Broadway stage style setting keeps on transforming into something slightly different. A quick burst of Save Your Tears then some more restrained strings leading into Earned It, the 50 Shades song. There’s something both old-fashioned about the crooner style performance but also contemporary with the effects that surround him. Impressive thus far.
The choir have removed their creepy helmets and a change of lighting has transformed the stage. He’s going full-energy without a dance routine (there is plenty of dancing behind him).
He’s headed to a hall of mirrors style set now. One of the plusses of the lack of genuine audience is that he’s allowed to play with his surroundings more. He’s going way back with Can’t Feel My Face joined by surgery-masked lookalikes, playing into his recent plastic face escapades. It’s a lot but it’s a good lot!
The Weeknd is here to save the weekend
No more reds vs whites (?) for a bit as the main event finally comes into play. After being shunned by the Grammys – no noms despite being one of the year’s biggest artists – The Weeknd is here to show them what an embarrassing mistake they’ve made (he’s called them corrupt since).
And wow what a stage, a neon city (with a Pepsi logo), quite possibly the most ambitious one we’ve seen for years during a half-time show. The Weeknd arrives with a an eerie choir heralding him. First song is Starboy. Fireworks already – both figuratively and actually.
Adam Levine set up Blake and Gwen
What Gwen Stefani, dating again, tells The Voice co-host Adam Levine she’s looking for: “from another country, and someone cultured and sensitive and not threatened by a strong confident woman.” Over his spotty network, Levine hears “country,” “uncultured,” and “threatened by a strong confident woman” — and comes up with Stefani’s real-life boyfriend, country singer Blake Shelton, playing up his stereotype in boots and spurs in this smart T-Mobile riff on celeb gossip.
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Amy Schumer is the Fairy Godmayo
Amy Schumer sweeps into a guy’s half-stocked fridge with a jar of Hellman’s mayo, that bland yet indispensable condiment, to whip up some dips (and a chocolate cake?) As a Midwesterner raised on mayo I can confirm it goes into more than you might think.