Beyoncé, the Emmys, and 'Indian Matchmaking'

by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when misconduct allegations rocked [another popular television show](. It was the week when [Beyoncé dropped Black Is King](. And it was the week when the Emmy nominations [made some steps forward, but not enough](. Let's get to it. Opening Argument: Virtual Events And The Longing for Crowds We had originally really hoped that this summer, we'd be able to have a big live event to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show. As I talked about last week in this space, we're very grateful and glad for everything, yada yada yada. This much, you've heard. But having done the remote happy hour on Thursday night, I do want to speak a bit on behalf of the virtual event. When the pandemic first started, I found it very hard to participate in live events conducted virtually, because the technology was still getting on its feet at this scale, and because I wasn't used to looking at myself on camera while I was trying to talk to people, and because not being able to see and hear an audience in person made it seem like the whole thing wasn't really happening. Slowly but surely, though, I'm becoming a convert. Not to the point where I won't be happy to see people in person again, but there's pretty good tech for these things now (ours felt quite seamless to me), and we know how to approximate a video and audio experience (sorry, but it's the best word I have!) that feels as little as possible like we're broadcasting from inside a metal dumpster. (I've never gathered so many of my blankets in one place as I did when I started hanging them on racks in my home office to baffle the sound.) I cannot tell a lie: I'll be so glad to see you again. Who knew that I, a moderately claustrophobic person, who often shrinks from large crowds whether I'm at the center of them or not, would miss them? I do miss looking out and seeing people, feeling the energy from them, and -- let's not be precious here -- hearing them laugh. If you've ever heard people laugh in person at anything you say or do (in a good way), you know the intoxication of it. It's hard to replace. But what makes a community a community, in the end, is the showing up. Even when you cannot be together with people, you can see later that they were there, that they cared enough to take the time to give you their attention, and that they watched with friends or dogs or cats (shout-out to pets who watch video content!). And you showed up for us on Thursday night, and you've been showing up for book events and other things I've been a part of in the last few months, and I'm learning how to feel a certain energy in those moments, too. Let's all try not to lose heart. One day, we're all going to sweat in each other's presence again. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- We Recommend If you enjoy Indian Matchmaking, I must remind you that there are also two seasons of the Netflix series Dating Around that, while they don't at all deal with the same system, provide some of the "You hate ketchup? Wait, I also hate ketchup!" chemistry. The Emmy nominations for Watchmen, Succession, Cheer and other programs are a good reminder that there's never been a summer better suited to the practice of the binge catch-up session. There's a very good HBO documentary called The Weight Of Gold that focuses on the mental health challenges that can face elite athletes in general and Olympic athletes in particular. It's interesting to contemplate what it would have felt like to see it come out in a summer when the Olympics actually happened, it's still an excellent piece (if, as some reviews have noted, only an overview of a huge topic). Priya Krishna, a guest on Friday's show for Indian Matchmaking, [has written about]( her parents' marriage before -- check out the piece for more of her thoughts. Want more of Priya talking about food? She also talked about [recipe development this week]( and the whitewashing thereof. What We Did This Week [Matchmaker Simi Taparia]( Yash Ruparelia/Netflix Our biggest event of the week was our tenth anniversary virtual happy hour on Thursday night, where we were joined by our friends Sam Sanders and Kumail Nanjiani. [The whole thing is available on YouTube]( for anyone who wasn't able to be there live. [On our Wednesday show]( Stephen sat down with Ann Powers and Lyndsey McKenna to talk about Taylor Swift's new album, Folklore. [On our Friday show]( I talked to Bilal Qureshi and food writer and general fun person Priya Krishna about Indian Matchmaking. Glen wrote about two things this week: [the film]( She Dies Tomorrow and [the documentary]( The Go-Go's. And I wrote about [some takeaways]( from the Emmy nominations. What's Making Us Happy This Week (and other show notes) Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: - Bilal: [The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers]( - Priya: Jerelle Guy’s recipe for [Strawberry Spoon Cake]( via NY Times Cooking - Linda: [Bingeing 90s thrillers]( like The Firm, The Pelican Brief and The Fugitive. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [pchh@npr.org](mailto:pchh@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? 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