Pop Culture Mondays/2.26.24
The BURN BOOK Edition
Happy Monday, my darling pop culture junkies. I am BACK from Jamaica physically, but MENTALLY, I am still very much there, sipping on a sweet dark rum cocktail and chowing down on jerk chicken. The only thing breaking that spell that Jamaica has over me is the fact that THIS IS THE WEEK “BURN BOOK: A Tech Love Story” by Kara Swisher comes out! This is MY newsletter, so I can make it about anything I want to, and THIS week, I am dedicating PCM to my darling friend’s memoir.
I have had the great privilege of reading this book, and even though I was in the room when a couple of the stories she writes about happened, it felt brand new and unbelievable as I read it through her lens. I did wonder how it would impact someone like me who lives and breathes the tech world, but it was a book I could not put down. Also, as a reporter, she kept such incredible notes, and her recall is insane. Even though some of the stories were from decades ago, she makes them fresh and exciting, and you cannot wait to learn more.
There were some kerfuffles online this weekend over some of the reviews. One in particular, which I will not link to, was written by a tech reporter I have known and liked for a long, long time. Someone who has known and been friends with Kara for a long, long time. He gave a meh review. I mean, it was fine, but he seemingly missed the entire point that it is a MEMOIR. His belief that she wrote this book for the Silicon Valley community as more of a business book, as most journalists write, was misguided at best. But it is a memoir about her life and the big moments like her kids and her stroke and her family.
I do want to point out that I am, in fact, NOT in this book. And while I think that was a GRAVE error on her end, I can overlook this ONE misstep because it is SO good.
So, go buy this book. And bring it with you when you travel because people will come up to you and start talking to you about her and how much they love her, and you will meet new people. It’s annoying AF she has this impact, but alas….she does! 🩷
I am just so proud. And moved. It is a really beautiful book. AND funny. And important.
Ok, let’s move on to some other pop culture news that took over this past week. Grab some headphones and some snacks….and enjoy.
Xx,
Brooke
We have a lot of things to cover, so rather than focusing on one or two big things this week, I just decided to summarize a bunch of the things for the sake of time…and sanity.
RIP FLACO:
This one hurt. But at the same time, this majestic Eagle Owl lived a full year of freedom, roaming through Gotham, eating rodents, and flying high.
Sadly, not high enough. (Sorry, I couldn't help it.)
But Flaco, after a year of freedom, flew into a building on the Upper West Side and came crashing down to his demise. A heartbreaker. In case you missed the whole Flaco drama, he was a citizen of the Central Park Zoo for 13 years since he was a baby until vandals cut through the steel of his habitat last February, and he escaped. He was living his best NYC single dude life before it came crashing down (sorry sorry). I use humor to cover up my sadness, and this made me SAD. Like Flaco just wanted to go home, maybe, but didn't know how? I can’t. Let’s see how the Internet responded:
I am sobbing.
I will say, however, that the news of Flaco’s death has had more coverage than some actual important news stories, which shows you that clicks are worth more than actual news sometimes. Here is his obit in the New York Times, a gifted article for you:
I LOVE A RESTAURANT DRAMA:
We really do come together as a nation when there is a restaurant drama that makes national headlines. Why do we do this? We love restaurants. We NEED restaurants. We missed restaurants during the panny. BUT YET…we thrive on the drama when it unfolds. I mean, remember HORSES in LA and the whole cat drama?? In case you forgot, click here (sorry again.)
But now, it’s Boston’s turn.
In a nutshell, a man had booked a table at the Boston restaurant TABLE using RESY, the reservations app now owned by Amex, for when he was visiting Boston to see MADONNA. He held the reservation with a credit card, and in this case, the restaurant has a cancellation fee of $250 if you don't show up or cancel without enough notice. I mean, is that a normal fee? I am not that bougie, so I don't go to fancy places all that often, but it does seem extreme to me. But ok, I get it. Small business and all that.
HOWEVER….things happen that are out of one’s control. And in this case, the person who booked the table, Trevor, had to cancel his trip due to being hospitalized, he says. A legit reason to cancel. Apparently, he tried to do it through the restaurant, which told him they would charge the cancellation fee, so he alerted his credit card company for which the reservation was held and had travel insurance, and they got out of the fee along with the hotel booking and train booking. Or something along those lines.
Well, the restaurant owner decided to hunt this person down and find his social media account and sent him this DM on Instagram:
Yeah, maybe not the SMARTEST move. Emotions run high. But like this was deliberate and thought out…the time it took to track him down and all the while having NO idea what might have happened. ZERO empathy.
So…the drama begins. Trevor posted this AND his response on Twitter:
The owner doubled down and posted his post ON her socials…I mean come on:
And it went on and on, and Trevor was like, wtf is wrong with you:
It goes on:
And then this:
The backlash was huge. I mean, to be fair, the backlash was directed at them both, depending on what side you were on. But this guy summarizes it perfectly:
Now, my opinion is this has all gotten out of hand. The next step will be to hire a PI to see if he really is even in the hospital. (In my fantasy that is.) OH THE DRAMA.
The restaurant has taken its socials down and marked itself as permanently closed to avoid the negative reviews being posted as they were flooding in:
22:
Another week, another post on Tay Tay. As you know, because I covered it last week and because you cannot escape it on the socials, Taylor has been Down Under on her Eras tour. Last week, we talked about the adorable New Zealand Harry Styles look-alike fan who documented his getting the 22 hat due to all his videos about being a Swiftie. But as a reminder:
Taylor wears a black hat while performing her song, 22, and each show, someone is pulled from the audience and brought to the top of the stage where Taylor and the dancers approach them, and then Taylor bends down and gives that special someone the hat. They exchange a few words (if the fan can actually speak, which I am sure some are too stunned to), and she puts the hat on them and then goes on with the show. I wish I knew the process for how they find the people, contact them, and get them to the front, and I am sure it is somewhere online, so if you know, TELL ME. One fan has written this in the comments which may be true:
Taylor and her team are so freaking savvy that it is amazing. They watch all the videos and see who is popping up on socials.
Well, the Sydney shows have been real tear-jerkers.
First, we have 9-year-old Scarlett Oliver, who has incurable and aggressive brain cancer. Her stepmom had been posting videos about Scarlett and hoping for the hat, and Taylor’s team obviously saw them.
And from Scarlett’s perspective:
Sobbing.
But some other kids were also given this amazing gift at other shows and I am fascinated with how Taylor’s team works. I mean, they are the best in the world.
Australia has its biggest little Taylor Swift fan in a little girl named Lily. TikTok has been following her and her mom for years as they showcase Lily’s adoration. Like this from 2022:
Or from 2021 even:
And yes….LILY GETS THE HAT!!
And the community celebrates:
Comments to videos like this have been just like this universally:
Just listen to the screams when the crowd saw it was Lily…the whole country has been following this girl’s Taylor fandom for years:
And ONE more….a little boy being celebrated for being who he is and his family allowing him to be who he is at this young age. SOBBING.
This is really a PCM that is making me cry at every turn.
AND one more little piece of Taylor news…
A new Taylor song was leaked last week…or so some creators made people think with THIS trend. I am not sure if this was an AI song, but it is terrifying and funny AF at the same time. The song sounds like Taylor and is in the style of Taylor, but listen to the lyrics:
Real Swifties knew this was NOT real. I mean…
“So happy that my Travvy made it to the big game / One step closer to Kelce being my last name…”
We are doomed.
SPEAKING OF BEING DOOMED:
This is not fake. The SUNDAY NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE cover story was on TOM SANDOVAL, aka SCANDOVAL, of Bravo’s show, “Vanderpump Rules.”
I cannot.
Did I read the article?
I sure did.
Do I have fewer brain cells as a result?
Affirmative.
My first question is directed at The New York Times.
Are you ok, sweetie?
I have no idea if he knew it was going to be a cover or if it started out as a cover, but when he said this in reference to the attention his scandal got, it was a forgone conclusion it would be a cover:
“I’m not a pop-culture historian really,” Sandoval said. “But I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”
Or this…
“I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson.” “And he’s a convicted rapist.”
This story did something I really don't agree with, and that is it made the poor young publicist accompanying him during this interview a part of the story. Now, why on earth her boss wasn’t the one sitting with him during this interview I have NO idea. You do not send a young PR person into this sort of situation and I feel for her. And the fact she did not end the interview right there shows you what an unfair thing it was to put her in that setting. But also uncool of the reporter to make the publicist a star of this story.
IN my opinion.
Here is the article, for free for you. Eat a gummy before you read it, though.
He got the SNL treatment, which was WILD as it is in the context of Alabam’s absurd/tragic/shocking/disgusting/horrible ruling on embryos:
Ok, let’s move on before we kill more brain cells.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MISS LEWINSKY:
A big week for my friends. Kara’s book launches, and Monica is the FACE of one of my favorite brands, Reformation.
BRILLIANT.
For those unfamiliar with Reformation, its tagline is:
Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. We’re #2.
The brand’s mission is to bring sustainable fashion to everyone.
I have so many pieces from them, and honest to god, I will buy this entire collection featuring Monica, who they partnered with to get everyone out there to VOTE.
So proud. Check out the entire collection here:
DAVE PORTNOY & MISS PEACHES:
Dave Portnoy is the controversial founder of Barstool Sports. He is controversial as he says whatever he wants, regardless of social norms. He has said many many misogynistic things. Many homophobic things. He has been accused of sexual assault, though not convicted of any crime. He is a personality, for sure. He has made a name for himself that way. He also has a very popular media company as a result. He also has a series on tasting pizza all around the country that is quite good, annoyingly, and funny AF. While he seems aligned with the FOX News mentality, he is also an unabashed SWIFTIE.
Yeah, we are all confused.
But he might also be a genius.
He personally is someone who makes my skin crawl. Everything I hate about that mindset of a brutish frat boy.
But then he rescued a dog. Miss Peaches. And has taken us on this journey as he baby talks this dog, and I am telling you… calculated or NOT, it is fucking genius.
I cannot get enough. No one can.
How it started:
How it’s going:
I mean. I CANNOT TAKE IT.
Miss Peaches has her own TikTok, and it has over 200k followers already:
Again…genius.
OSCARS:
The Oscars are coming up, and some clever media has happened this year that is signaling it might be a very good Oscars. I forgot to include this last week as I had talked so much about it on the pod a couple of weeks ago; I don't think I had it in the newsletter, though. And that is the Oscars VERY genius approach to handling the Barbie snub controversy…in a promo starring Jimmy Kimmel, the upcoming host, and some of the Barbie cast.
Again…GENIUS.
Watch the whole thing:
And the Vanity Fair Hollywood issue came out, and their video was also brilliant:
Well done everyone. Well done.
ALL THAT WORK, WHAT DID IT GET ME?
This is why I love TikTok. The kids, whether they know it or not, are being introduced to the beloved musical GYPSY. Due to this trending sound that is being used by bajillions of clever creators:
It actually is from the song being performed on the musical TV show, GLEE back in the day:
Some more examples:
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
I am skipping over some stuff. Like, you remember last week we discussed the TikTok “series,” WHO TF DID I MARRY, which captivated everyone? This is actually an amazing write-up on the whole thing you might want to check out:
Because I cannot write more about it tbh. It’s all in this article.
And yeah, Machine Gun Kelly — bless his heart — tattooed his body black. Because….OY.
And our little Timothée Chalamet was getting a lot of heat for apparently gaining 10 lbs, which I think he needed, but like I don't understand any of it:
And this mind-bender went viral, and she is 1000 percent correct:
OK, really…that’s it, that’s it!! I am skipping over Wendy Williams and the drama around her doc due to her dementia diagnosis because the whole thing gives me the ick. So that’s that.
AND…If you aren’t already a subscriber and you want this in your inbox, please send an email to:
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Have an amazing week.
Xx,
Brooke
