1. The Melodores made the headlines again with Good Morning America 

School may be out, but The Melodores are still in. In a novel use of Zoom, the group created a truly stunning rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Pusher Love Girl,” which they had expected to perform during their spring concert series. Their Facebook post has already garnered almost 70,000 views and paved their way to nomination as finalists for Yes Theory’s “Living Room’s Got Talent.” If they win, the group promised to donate half of their $10,000 earnings to a Nashville food bank. But seriously, watch the video. I got chills. 

2. Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vandyland

Country star Dolly Parton announced on her Instagram that she would participate in efforts to bring us closer to the coronavirus vaccine by donating $1 million to Vanderbilt towards the endeavors of her longtime friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad. As of late, a number of celebrities have been criticized for supporting #StayAtHome when for them, at home usually means in a luxurious estate. However, the number of celebrities, like Dolly Parton, that have been using their resources and wealth to contribute where they can towards current efforts largely go without applause. Dolly, you’re the hero we all need.

3. Jim from “The Office” made a news channel

When John Krasinski uploaded his first video on his YouTube channel, SomeGoodNews, it was probably the best 15 minutes and 45 seconds I’ve ever spent on anything in my life. Not only does it bear remarkably similar motives to the Hustler’s 7 Best Things series, it features Michael Scott  Steve Carrell in a nostalgic throwback to some of their best moments on “The Office.” It also features an emotional FaceTime call with Krasinski’s “newest hero” Coco, a 15-year-old girl who had a heartwarming quarantine-friendly welcome party after finishing her last chemotherapy treatment. I don’t wanna say he one-upped us on delivering good news, but he might have. But here’s the real question—can Pam come on the next episode?

4. “The Real Housewives of New York” aired its season 12 premiere

If you don’t watch any branches of The Real Housewives franchise, shame on you. You’ve probably spared a couple of brain cells, but I’ll be the first to tell you that losing them was totally worth it. RHONY happens to be my favorite group of the franchise, and these Manhattan socialites know just how to distract me from my moderately depressing suburban surroundings. Their season 12 premiere debuted April 2 and brings a host of changes to the scene, notably the absence of my favorite Housewife, Bethenny Frankel, who left an emotional message on her Instagram to say goodbye. The franchise sought out a new HBIC, Leah McSweeney, to (unsuccessfully) replace her this season, so we’re left to see how this 30-something handles herself with the big guns of NY.  If you need to catch up on seasons, check out Hulu for easy streaming of seasons 1-11. 

5. A Brooklyn landlord became the new Mr. Rogers

The COVID-19 pandemic has thousands of people across America panicking about how to make ends meet, and in the notoriously costly city of New York, there is no exception. However, Mario Salerno, a landlord of 18 apartments across Brooklyn, made the decision to prioritize health over profit. He waived his tenants’ rent for the month of April, encouraging them to stay safe and make sure everyone has “food on the table” during this time of need. Salerno alleviated a huge amount of stress for his tenants and reminded us all of where our priorities should lie in quarantine. As students at Vanderbilt, it can feel overwhelming to worry about the fate of your summer classes or whether or not your internship will be cancelled. I think we can all take a lesson from Mr. Salerno and, in the words of Mr. Rogers himself: focus on making these next couple months a “beautiful day in the neighborhood” instead. 

6. We had spirited debate (I’m looking at you, Reuters)

If you are in any GroupMe or Slack channel for an on-campus org, you have definitely heard about the recently released Reuters article that basically “boom, roasted” Vanderbilt. Could our university have handled the coronavirus situation differently? Probably. Would we have thrown St. Fratty’s day parties anyway? Also probably. We did ourselves dirty, it seems, but at least we can sit back and entertain ourselves with the chaos of GroupMe arguments about The Commodore Trail of COVID-19.

7. Tay-Tay is keeping a record store alive in Nashville

It’s no secret that the panic surrounding coronavirus is having a severe impact on small businesses around the country, particularly in the service industry. Nashville is not immune to those setbacks, and Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, an independent music shop in East Nashville, has faced the same fate. That is, until this week when Taylor Swift (a Nashville native) sent the store a letter with an offer to pay staff salaries and healthcare for the next three months. While this may barely be a dent in the singer’s pocket, it is a gamechanger for the success of an independent business suddenly struck by a lack of customers. If and when we get back to Vanderbilt, I think we owe ourselves a visit to Grimey’s to see just what Taylor’s raving about.