The Emmys
If you happened to be busy on the night of the 73rd Primetime Emmy award show on Sept. 19, here’s what you missed:
Host Cedric the Entertainer started off the show with a musical number parody of the Biz Markie hit “Just a Friend” in honor of tributing the rapper who passed away on July 16 at the age of 57. Celebrities such as Rita Wilson, Lil Dicky and LL Cool J passed around the mic and rapped verses of the song.
The Emmy award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series went to the Last Week Tonight writers making this the sixth year in a row for taking home the gold. During their speech, they dedicated the award to Adam Driver, saying “he knows what he did, and we know what we’d like him to do,” continuing a long-running joke about the “Marriage Story” actor.
If you, like many, fell in love with the Canadian television sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” created by father and son Eugene and Dan Levy in 2015, you will be happy to know that the Rose family returned after sweeping the comedy category in 2020.
Many fans were pleased with the outcome of the show but many noticed the loss of diversity. According to an article by Mashable, “the Emmys awarded a damning amount of white talent in nearly every category and completely overlooked incredible shows like ‘Pose’ and ‘The Underground Railroad.’” This is not the first time that the Emmys, or other shows such as the Oscars, have been called out for not crediting and rewarding actors of color. Now, hashtags are circling around the internet.
COVID-19 Update
In Wood County, since Sept. 20, there have been 247 new cases reported with a total of just over 15,500. On average, there are 57 new cases reported per day.
New deaths have risen to 238, with two recent. A total of 729 have been hospitalized with five currently admitted.
As of Sept. 16, Wood County has been experiencing high community transmission of COVID-19 and the Delta variant, which is mirrored across the state. The WCHD is reminding residents to step up and prevent sickness by wearing their mask, moving gatherings outside, staying home if they feel sick, regularly washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes. They also said vaccines remain highly effective at preventing serious illness.
Currently, fewer than two dozen hospital beds remain open in Franklin County. According to The Columbus Dispatch on Sept. 16, there are only 21 beds open in the Columbus area as hospitals are getting overrun by COVID-19 patients. The Ohio Department of Health is urging individuals who have mild routine healthcare concerns to stay away from hospitals and evaluate their symptoms and call their healthcare providers.
Time ‘100 Most Influential People of 2021’ – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
On Jan. 8, 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped out of the spotlight from the royal family after Harry reported that the British press was “destroying” his mental health and he needed to do what was best for him and his family.
This year, Time magazine has given the couple one of the seven covers of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Included in this list are singers Billie Eilish, Britney Spears and four-time gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles.
The couple was selected as “icons” and were honored by their friend Chef José Andrés for their activism and philanthropy over the past year.
Johnson & Johnson two-dose shot
On Sept. 21, Johnson and Johnson released information about a two-dose version of the vaccine, which now is said to be 94% effective to protect against symptomatic infections.
Previously only being a one-dose shot, the Johnson & Johnson is now comparable to the two-dose regimen of Moderna and Pfizer. After clinical trials, the vaccine efficiency is now up 74% conferred with a single shot.
As of now, Johnson & Johnson has given out about 14.8 million vaccines to Americans according to the CDC. This new booster shot has shown effectiveness against hospitalization at 86% for participants younger than 60 years and 78% for those 60 years and older.
