-Friends giving you shit about Dry January.
-This fucking polar vortex.
Those are just a few things we'll (hopefully) no longer have to contend with once the clock strikes midnight tonight, and we enter the shortest month of the year: February.
Of equal importance: here are 19 cultural thingamajigs to look forward to over the next 28 days, from the Oscars, to Valentine's Day movies, to a particularly intriguing Jordan Peele-produced docu-series...
Stay warm out (in) there.
February 1st
Russian Doll
Here's a new series we failed to mention in our monthly Netflix Report Card (err, sorry). Created by Amy Poehler and starring Natasha Lyonne—a scene-stealer in everything from American Pie to Orange Is the New Black—it's about a woman living through a Groundhog Day-esque loop on her 36th birthday. The best part? It's only eight episodes long, and each episode clocks in at about 30 minutes, so you can knock this thing out before the Super Bowl (if you wanted to).
February 3rd
Super Bowl LIII
The New England Patriots vs. the Los Angeles Rams. You vs. a lot of food and beer. It should be a party. But not, like, an actual party...
February 5th
Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts
Former executive editor of The New York Times Jill Abramson has already come under fire for her portrayal of Buzzfeed and Vice—two of the four news organizations she examines in her urgent new book. But it's worth reading, particularly if you're interested, you know, in the fate of the news (and the truth) in the Trump-verse.
The Spirit of Science Fiction
A posthumous novel from the brilliant Chilean writer and poet, Roberto Bolano. Written in 1984, it may be considered, in content and theme, the precursor to Bolano's masterwork, The Savage Detectives—a globetrotting epic about two poets on a quixotic search for a mysterious poet, and a lyrical ode to the enduring power of literature.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf
This is the first installment of a planned trilogy from Marlon James, the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings. Think: the world-building scope of Game of Thrones infused with African mythology and James's high-minded brand of literary bravura.
February 8th
High Flying Bird
We can't wait for Steven Soderbergh's sleek study of a hypothetical NBA lockout, working with a script from Tarrel Alvin, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Moonlight.
PEN15
This middle-school comedy series, exec-produced by The Lonely Island crew and set in the aughts, has already generated some steady buzz for Hulu.
thank u, next
Yes, Ariana Grande's full 12-track LP comes out next month. No, we're not ashamed in the slightest to say we're excited.
Electric Lady Sessions
This here's a new album from James Murphy and the rest of LCD Soundsystem, recorded live in Electric Lady Studios in NYC.
February 10
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards
Does anyone actually care about the Grammy Awards? (No.) Will we be tuning in or checking YouTube the next day for the live performances? (Ugh, probably.)
February 12
The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches and Meditations
Toni Morrison's latest collection features a meditation on Martin Luther King, Jr., a eulogy for James Baldwin and perceptive commentaries on her own novels. Plus, some other mind-expanding stuff. Naturally.
February 13
Happy Death Day 2U
We loved the original Happy Death Day—a delicious, slasher-y take on Groundhog Day (which at least one of us believe improves on Groundhog Day). We're not sure if the sequel will hold up, but we're willing to give it a shot.
Isn't It Romantic?
We can't think of a more 2019 Valentine's Day movie than a satirical rom-com about a woman stuck in a rom-com.
February 14th
Valentine's Day
Keep an eye out on UrbanDaddy in the coming weeks for some piping hot Valentine's Day #content.
February 15th
Lorena
A four-part, Jordan Peele-produced docu-series that reexamines the sensational Lorena Bobbitt case through a contemporary—and for lack of a better phrase, #MeToo—lens. (For those who don't know, Bobbitt, after persistent abuse, famously cut off her husband's penis.)
February 19
A Weekend in New York
A good old fashioned literary page-turner, in the vein of John Updike, about a middling tennis pro and his familial tensions on the Upper West Side.
February 21
Desus and Mero
The loquacious podcast duo take their keen insights and distinct wit to Showtime for a new late-night talk show.
February 22
Better Oblivion Community Center
The self-titled folk-rock record from Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) and Phoebe Bridges (of...Phoebe Bridges) is full of melancholic earworms. The pair's voices complement each other on both the whispery verses and rousing choruses. It's already streaming—we recommend starting with "Dylan Thomas."
February 24
The 91st Academy Awards
As of this writing, the Academy Awards still has no host (and has no apparent plans to hire one). They've also decided to give out some technical awards—including cinematography—during the commercial breaks, and only feature two Best Original Song performances. It could very well be a mess. But it's also one of the most wide-open Best Picture races in recent years. Whatever happens, you'll probably want to tune in (and/or follow along with the commentariat on Twitter).
