This week marked the Lunar New Year as we enter the year of the wood snake. As a snake myself, I know that according to the Chinese zodiac, this animal’s traits are intelligence and being good with money (as good a reason to believe in astrology as any).
Whether your time is marked in minutes these days or 12-year cycles, as is the Chinese zodiac, here are a few recommendations for you, based on time, all of them in the spirit of the snake – mysterious, charming and smart.
If you have
13 seconds: Lion and dragon dancing on TikTok
Let’s start with mysterious – what exactly does it look like inside a Chinese lion or dragon dance costume? I bet you’ve never wondered. Get your fill on TikTok with Vancouver’s Chau Luen Athletics, a club that trains young dancers in the tradition. They bring that Gen Z energy to their TikTok content, like this video on what the dancers do to make that lion shimmy.
48 seconds: The Jennifer Hudson Show spirit tunnels
I need more charming content in my life. These spirit tunnel videos from The Jennifer Hudson Show hit the high note every time. When staffers line the backstage hall to chant bespoke songs for each guest, the celebrities are sometimes caught off-guard, sometimes revealing real delight and swagger. Occasionally, it swings the other way, with awkwardness, which I would argue can be adorable, too (and at the very least, it feels real). Recent highlights include a Korean-language chant for Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae (he was clearly delighted) while my all-time fave is Michelle Obama, effortlessly chic and iconic.
Keira Belle Cooper in North of North.Jasper Savage/Courtesy APTN/CBC/Netflix
26 minutes and 46 seconds, North of North, ‘Top of the World,’ on CBC Gem and APTN
There are many reasons to recommend the premiere episode of this new sitcom but I’m putting its smarts at the top of the list. Based on universal themes including motherhood and community, it showcases a world that most Canadians have never experienced (small-town Inuit life in Nunavut). This show is fresh, stylish and, as the executive producer told The Globe and Mail, “there’s nothing else out there like it.” It isn’t every day that we get a new Canadian gem, one that unabashedly digs deep into culture and an authentic sense of place. Watch it for the sheer joy of comedy and escape. The show premiered on CBC Gem and APTN last month and will soon stream on Netflix, as all three broadcasters came together to produce the series. Once it’s available on a global streamer, time will tell whether North of North will connect with audiences around the world but it definitely has the ingredients – it’s relatable but at the same time, new and unique.
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