The Nose looks at ‘Abbott Elementary,’ Apple’s Will Smith problem, and more

This week’s Nose uses the rug as its plan B.

Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary sitcom that airs on ABC, created by and starring Quinta Brunson. Think The Office, but set in a Philadelphia elementary school. It won two Primetime Emmy Awards last week, and its second season premiered this week.

And: Apple made a movie, Emancipation, that it expects will be worthy Oscar fodder. The only catch: It stars Will Smith, who is, ya know, banned from the Oscars and things. So now what?

Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take:

• 24 Reactions To The “NyQuil Chicken Challenge” That Give Me A Spoonful Of Hope For HumanityFrom the same internet that brought you greatest hits like the “Tide pod” and “snorting condom” challenges comes a new, dangerously dumb trend that you must not attempt at all costs.
• Adam Levine’s (Alleged) Sexts Are Amazingly Bad Famous people have never had to beg for a morsel of attention; it makes sense that their sexts might suck.
• The moment you’ve all been waiting for: The Space Force has unveiled its official song
• Gen Z Never Learned to Read Cursive How will they interpret the past?
• How Student Debt Killed the Plot Fictional characters, too, are saddled with college loans, and struggling to keep the story of their lives moving forward.
• The Enduring Wisdom of ‘Goodnight Moon’ It’s the first book many babies receive as a gift, and one of the few that parents will keep when their child is grown. Why does this 75-year-old story have such staying power?
• An Ode to Being Read To Bedtime stories aren’t just for children.
• Drew Barrymore challenges Andrew Garfield’s six-month celibacy with, “Yeah, so?” The Under The Banner Of Heaven star recently divulged details of his method acting processes
• MI6 Is Looking for a New Bond. I’ve Got Some Suggestions.
• Warner Bros. Discovery Has Bigger Problems Than Its DC Search The film studio’s hunt for its own Kevin Feige may be complicated by key questions about what’s next for the heavily indebted company — and whether another major deal is on the horizon.
• Chess Is Just Poker Now A cheating controversy involving two grandmasters shows how computers have transformed the game.
• Every Marilyn Monroe Movie, Ranked
• Woody Allen Walks Back Claims, Says He Has ‘No Intention of Retiring’
• Mariah Carey says we should finally hear her secret 1995 grunge album
• Life on Screen: A Reality Television Reading List
• A Gnarly New Theory About Saturn’s Rings The story of a long-lost moon
• This Is Neptune? The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a mesmerizing view of the planet.
• The ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Leak Is Enormous News That May Not Matter A massive leak of footage from the next big Rockstar Games release recently shook the video game industry. What does it mean for ‘GTA,’ fans of the franchise, and the way games get made?
• Separating Sports by Sex Doesn’t Make Sense Though school sports are typically sex-segregated, a new generation of kids isn’t content to compete within traditional structures.
• Wait, Is Taylor Swift Just Giving Us Straight Answers?
• Preview the Art Show Entirely Inspired by Nicolas Cage and His Cat

GUESTS:

• Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn
• Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance
• Gene Seymour: A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek”

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Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

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