What’s Your “Spirit Tunnel” Song?

PRESENTED BY MASTERWORKS

Happy Friday, Future Party. Looks like Tatooine (from Star Wars, for all you non-geeks) isn’t the only planet with two suns. Astronomers from the University of Birmingham discovered a planet called “2M1510” (needs a better name) — located 120 lightyears away — that orbits twin stars and exhibits a host of other strange gravitational features that make it utterly unique. Just goes to show there’s always something new to discover.

DAILY TOP TRENDS

The “Spirit Tunnel” Takes Over TikTok

Daytime talk show The Jennifer Hudson Show has become a social-media darling thanks to the popularity of the pre-show “spirit tunnel” — custom songs made for each guest and sung by the staff as they make their way to the stage.

The Big Picture: The virality of the spirit tunnel means it’s capturing the attention of the most sought-after audience in television — young people. For a daytime talk show, that’s a big win… and it could inspire other talk shows to come up with clever yet authentic moments that highlight the personalities of its guests beyond the interview.

Between the Staff: Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big impact.

• The “spirit tunnel” videos have amassed over three billion views in under 18 months.

• According to NYT, things really took off in October 2024 when Gwen Stefani was surprised by a custom rendition of her hit “Hollaback Girl.” It was the first one they actually filmed.

• Other popular entrances include actor Aaron Pierre dancing to a song about him being Mufasa, Usher rollerskating to the millennial homecoming dance classic “Yeah!”, and even Michelle Obama joining the fun.

• The Jennifer Hudson Show hasn’t been a rating juggernaut during its three seasons so far, but it did score its best ratings weeks in February and was renewed for a fourth season.

Closing Verse: The spirit tunnel took form during the first season in 2022 when the show’s staff decided to cheer Hudson on before every taping to get her energy up. Hudson appreciated the boost from the crew and thought that the guests would like it, too. So, producer Angie Green and associate producer Alexis Powell took on the role of writing and choreographing songs for each guest — a job that now begins in a 15-person group text to brainstorm personalized angles.

The lesson: the best ideas can come from anyone on your team.

Together with Masterworks

What Happens If Markets Crash? Here’s One Place Billionaires Diversify Their Money

Retail investors are sitting on the most cash since 2020, and the Fed recently declined to cut rates. Some are probably wondering: are we on the verge of another financial downturn?

The ultra-wealthy don’t wait to find out. By next year, they’ve been projected to be investing in alternative assets more than ever — including fine art and collectibles, which Deloitte predicts could make up 11% of UHNW portfolios.

As an asset class, it’s outpaced the S&P 500 by 32% overall since 1995, according to Masterworks data.

Masterworks has opened access to this historically exclusive market, allowing everyday investors to invest in shares of blue-chip art offerings featuring legends like Picasso and Banksy, with 450+ offerings already in the Masterworks collection.

Their track record? Each of their 23 exits has turned a profit, with returns like 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5% annualized.

See why investors diversify with art — skip the waitlist today.

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Aurora Hits The Road… Without A Driver

Autonomous trucking startup Aurora Innovation will officially roll out fully driverless commercial big rigs on public Texas highways starting next week.

Why It Hits: While robotaxis have already started taking over city streets, high-speed freighter trucks on the freeway is a big (and maybe scary) step up for the autonomous-vehicle industry. But, if successful, the vehicles could revolutionize the long-haul trucking industry, which is plagued by high turnover (it’s a tough job).

Between the Lanes: Get ready to look over at a passing semi-truck and not see a human in the driver’s seat.

• Aurora will start with one driverless truck on a 200-mile stretch of highway between Dallas and Houston as soon as its final safety report comes in.

• It’ll expand the fleet over time (we assume at a commiserate rate with the decline in 911 calls about runaway trucks).

Last Mile: At least 10 startups are working on driverless tech for trucks, with all of them testing on roads in Texas, which is an ideal state for its minimal regulations and favorable topography. Axios reports that most expect to “pull the driver” out of vehicles by next year, meaning we could have a lot of autonomous trucks crisscrossing the country soon.

That’ll have a major economic impact. Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, says the federal government is putting pressure on the industry to move 50% more freight by 2050. That’s hard when the industry is shedding drivers. Autonomous trucks could plug that hole while lowering costs by 42%, according to McKinsey, which also expects AV trucks to comprise 13% of all trucks on American roads by 2035.

But here’s the most pressing question: will passersby still be able to motion for a honk? If not, we revolt.

Together with InsideHook

InsideHook Interviews Trendsetters Before They Hit It Big

Want to know what the future holds? Then you need to meet the people building it.

In their new Who’s Next series, InsideHook — the lifestyle site with a collection of free newsletters — is profiling the rising stars of culture, tech, wellness, and beyond.

Like who, you ask?

• Johnny Ward: the “Irish Anthony Bourdain,” who’s got a buzzy new travel show.

• Kyle Allen: an up-and-coming actor who’s worked with Steven Spielberg, Kenneth Branagh, and Kathryn Bigelow.

• Wyna Liu: the mastermind behind a game you probably play every single day.

Subscribe to InsideHook’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Who’s Next.

DEEP DIVES

• Watch: WSJ charts how Live Nation became the most powerful company in the live performance business by building out its flywheel.

• Listen: Decoder chats with former DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter about why breaking up Google is the best thing for the internet.

• Explore: NYT looks at how some prominent X users — especially far-right commentators — saw their engagement plummet after they criticized Elon Musk in posts.

73.1% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you think more TV shows should make the leap from screen to stage?

“Playwriting and screenwriting are completely different modes of storytelling. Most shows would not translate to the stage, and the IP would have to be pretty massive to actually draw an audience.”

“I was a huge fan of the SpongeBob musical on Broadway before it was shut down. It’s possible to make the leap, but it needs to be done carefully.”

“It shouldn’t be a necessary experience, but it’s nice when things cross over to more serious media like theatre or novels. I like to think we can experience pop culture in different lights. Also, there’s a certain sophistication to theatre that elevates instead of diminishes.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

QUICK HITS

→ Entertainment / Media

🎟️ StubHub will become the official ticket-resale partner for several Broadway shows through a partnership with ATG Entertainment.

📺 Netflix is getting a subtitle option that will only include dialogue.

🎵 Spotify is debuting AI playlists in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland.

→ Technology

🤖 Anthropic is launching a team to focus on making sure that AI is treated well if the tech gains “consciousness.”

🚗 Tesla is testing its robotaxi service with employees in Austin and San Francisco.

🖋️ Adobe is introducing a “created without generative AI” tag in Adobe Fresco to give human artists a leg up.

→ Fashion / E-commerce

👕 Authentic Brands Group is exploring making a bid for Guess to counter WHP Global’s takeover offer.

🏈 Lil Wayne is teaming up with the NFL and Mitchell & Ness on an apparel line to coincide with the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

📖 LA label Online Ceramics is collabing with Penguin Random House on a capsule collection that encourages people to read works caught up in recent book bans.