Billy ray cyrus

Tuesday

Juan P. Villasmil

Trump’s inauguration ball was a night to remember

From our US edition

After a packed first day in office, starting with an indoors swearing-in ceremony followed by a celebration at Capitol One Arena — where Trump signed executive orders to the cheers of thousands — the most involved in MAGA world tidied up for a first dance. With the doors of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center opening at 5:30 p.m., ecstatic supporters of the president filled the surrounding icy sidewalks in their fanciest attire. At around 4:30 p.m., after I delivered a tux to a friend stuck at the Marriott Marquis, I witnessed a parade of trucks playing “Macho Man” followed by a moped-riding man in a full Elmo costume. It was shaping up to be a memorable night.

Friday

Ross Anderson

Lil Nas X is getting boring

From our US edition

After a long break, Lil Nas X announced he would be releasing a new single. As usual, the song would get hyped, the publicity would be multifaceted and designed to cause controversy — and it would climax with a hit music video that would turn the song platinum. It worked before, with the devil lap dance video for "Call Me By Your Name," and for "Industry Baby" and its prison video (tied to Nike’s legal action against his collaborative Mschf shoes). Why shouldn’t it now? His new single is titled "J Christ" — and the music video has over a million views on YouTube in under twenty-four hours. And yet, it feels empty. The music video is exactly what you’d think it would be, showing Lil Nas X dressing up as various Christian figures, from Moses to Jesus.

lil nas x

Thursday

Michael Hann

Felt longer than the lockdown itself: BBC1’s One World – Together At Home reviewed

You have to admire the spirit of the organisers of last weekend’s One World: Together at Home concert. To put on an event that seemed to last longer than lockdown itself is the sort of can-do attitude we love to see. The main event — the really star-studded portion that was shown live on Saturday night on the big three US networks, and then adapted for the UK and shown on BBC1 on Sunday — began only after six whole hours of preamble from slightly lesser turns. Six hours. That’s an awful lot of watching people sit with an acoustic guitar in front of their webcam. Or sometimes not even sit with an acoustic guitar — Jessie J appeared to be doing karaoke with her own CDs and singing over the top of them.