The Weeknd can live without the Grammys

But he’s now seized the conversation

The New York Times @nytimes

The Weeknd, who was snubbed in Grammy nominations, says he will boycott the awards going forward. “Because of the secret committees,” the singer said, “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

nyti.msGrammys Ready Pandemic Show, as the Weeknd Boycotts Future Awards​The event on Sunday will address the challenges of a music industry hit hard by the pandemic. The Weeknd, who was snubbed, says he will boycott the awards going forward, in a sign of continuing friction with artists.

Having already called the Grammy Awards corrupt when his After Hours album was snubbed for shortlisting, the Weeknd now intends to avoid being considered for future nominations. But he appears to have no issues with the Juno Awards, which became notably shaded by Drake. Neither of them are hurting for current commercial success.

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The shot heard at Queen’s Park

Sol Mamakwa MPP @solmamakwa

On March 1, 2021, I was invited by Sandy Lake First Nation to receive my 2nd dose of Moderna vaccine. I was there to promote vaccine uptake in fly-in First Nations. Meegwetch to Dr. Suzanne Shoush for the shot.

Ontario NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa promoting an inoculation in his northwest riding of Kiiwetinoong drew a condemnation of queue-jumping from Doug Ford, even though Mamakwa was invited by Indigenous leaders to fight community hesitancy. The premier claimed to have heard from “a few chiefs who were pretty upset about that.”

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Canada is currently pondering a vaccination passport. Justin Trudeau was expressing some uncertainty over such documents, although travelling outside the country may become impossible without them. For now, there’s the spectacle of different lockdown rules applying across the street from Toronto’s northern border.

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The meaning of “OK see you”

Kim’s Convenience being closed by its co-creators after five seasons, even though it was slated for a sixth, has led to fans rallying for its return in order to ensure no storyline remains untied. But here’s a different perspective on the show by Bloomberg columnist Noah Smith, who saw lessons for America in its depiction of multiculturalism:

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

Kim's Convenience was a very special TV show. I tried to explain why.

noahpinion.substack.comKim’s Convenience: The end of the dreamWhat a Canadian sitcom meant to me.

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BuzzFeed’s future will probably be packed in an SPAC. HuffPost Canada’s abrupt closure appears linked to talks to link up with a special purchase acquisition company, 890 Fifth Avenue Partners. The U.K. edition of HuffPost is also being downsized, as the venture funders behind an era of digital media darlings get peckish.

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Finally, live in a Corona Theatre

Dinosaur Jr. is the first American act to get headlines for scheduling a tour amidst the vaccination optimism, because all three of the proto-grunge band members have been jabbed. Their first scheduled September destinations are the Corona Theatre in Montreal and Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall, bijoux that weren’t built for social distancing: