Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Many of you are basking in the afterglow of the end of tax season, with tax day (not to be confused with taxing day—which is seemingly every day) passing us by on April 15. Others (most likely none of whom are reading this, but hit me up if I’m wrong!) may be basking in the afterglow of having gone to Space and back on the day prior. Of course, I’m speaking of the celebrity-studded Blue Origin flight NS-31 that made history for commercial spaceflight as the first all-women mission. Right or wrong, the mission, which counted singer-songwriter Katy Perry and broadcaster Gayle King amongst the crew, has come under scrutiny for what some view as falsely virtuous optics that gloss over some of the more pressing issues of our day on our home planet. As for me, I’m here to offer a different criticism: Perry reportedly sang a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” while viewing the planet from space. Now, as my colleagues know, that is my go-to karaoke song. By contrast, Perry has a catalogue of her own songs she could have sang. “Extraterrestrial” would have been a fine choice. “Firework” might have worked too, though its lyrics could have caused unnecessary anxiety amongst the crew (singing about an explosive projectile while traveling in a rocket 66 miles above the Earth’s surface will do that). All of that is to say: stay in your lane, Katy!

• • Former New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony launches his cannabis brand STAY ME7O, following in the footsteps of fellow retired athlete Mike Tyson in the industry and following in the footsteps of the Spotlight with clever wordplay. 
     
  • As if you needed another reason to love the 90s, the Alicia Silverstone film “Clueless” is in development for a new Peacock series. My guess is that it will involve a new generation, perhaps Silverstone cast as a mother, and Paul Rudd still somehow convincingly playing a high school student. 
     
  • The reboot of the ill-fated music festival Fyre Fest has been postponed and moved to a different location. Ticketholders can now either take this as an opportunity to roll the dice and take this news as evidence that the organizers have learned lessons from the past or embrace this as a sign that it’s still not too late to change their plans.

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn.