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Hey, everyone!
Today at the top is forward Angela Addison, who joined the club in 2018.
Ramble of the Day
In a continuation of things I did during the play stoppage because of the pandemic, I got into Parks and Recreation. My sisters and I went through it at a pretty speedy pace, though we still haven’t watched the reunion special because the football came back, and more or less all at once. I found it difficult to get into the first season, but I truly enjoyed it from there. I rotated through a number of favorite characters, but as I watched the finale, I saw one character and said out loud that I’m going to miss him. That character is Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, though it’s hard to mention him without his twin sister, Mona-Lisa.
They both possess a genuine disinterest in work, and the ability to take some words and turn them into song at any given point. They’re horribly incompetent and have terrible ideas, instead mooching off of anyone who’ll let them (mostly their father). They’re original and creative, but channel their energy and abilities in ways that almost always ruin things for everyone around them.
I don’t think I truly appreciated Jean-Ralphio, though, until Mona-Lisa showed up later in the series. There were so many specifics that went into creating these characters in a uniquely cringeworthy way — they’re so far past unhelpful to the point where doing what they want is actually a detriment to everyone around them, but the specific choices Ben Schwartz, Jenny Slate, and the writers made were terrific. Slate’s way of delivering lines like “Money please!” is terrific that it’s become something I’ve tried to imitate, and the two singing together is pretty fantastic. The details from others are also amazing — Jean-Ralphio’s hair is always an event, and Mona-Lisa wears some of the most tacky clothes seen on television.
They’re just well-crafted characters, and I really, really enjoy chaos with such specificity that results in funny end product. It’s the result of work well done from multiple people.
tl;dr: I find Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa Saperstein from Parks and Recreation pretty funny.
Stay informed, read this: Rosy Cordero on the lack of Latinx talent nominated for Emmys this year for Entertainment Weekly
Links of the Day
Real Madrid’s Mariano Díaz tested positive for COVID-19.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport released its ruling that overturned Manchester City’s European ban.
David Squires covers the end that finally came for an unusually long season in his latest cartoon.
A longer read: Suzanne Wrack interviews West Ham’s new 18 year old forward Nor Mustafa on the obstacles she faced as a girl of color playing football in Sweden and her aspirations for The Guardian