Pop Culture Mondays/2.8.21
The “GOAT” Edition
Happy Monday my darling pop culture junkies! I am nursing a SLIGHT post-Super Bowl hangover so if I wander off in even weirder tangents than normal then blame the champagne I drank last night and NOT me as it was really not my fault. But look here is the deal…I am going to ever so briefly highlight my fave parts (not the game, don’t be crazy) and I mean there was a streaker and other things but we all saw it. And I am sorry if you hate Tom Brady but he is incredible and I say to hell with Miami, let’s all move to Tampa/St. Pete which BTW is lovely! BUT, below is a brief look before we dig into the rest of the week’s stuff…but we are going to focus this week on a few crazy trends that popped up. But before we get there here is my Super Bowl LV (NOT LIV but come on that LOGO made it look like LIV so I am just saying that was bad branding for 55…)
OK a round-up:
The Toyota ad made me cry.
This Cadillac ad with Winona and her son Albert Scissorhands aka our boyfriend Timothee Chalamet makes me want to SEE THAT MOVIE happen.
I am PROUD to own a Jeep though I think it was a BIT overwrought.
The Oatley ad was a troll I admit it…I got in the game of tweeting how stupid it was but then everyone did and is talking about it and there you have it but just TRY to find Oatley because it is HARD to find but GOD bless the Swedes.
The Coach for Kansas City. I cannot stop thinking about this:
And I am going to say it sorry because I like nothing more than driving around on a pretty day listening to the sweet sound of some ’80s style music from The Weeknd but it was meh and I mean GAGA FLEW and JLO sang with her daughter and BEYONCE well…BEYONCE…so to me this…it was meh. But we now have this meme as a result so there you go:
But look…seeing what was the closest thing to a live music gig was pretty awesome so I was just holding onto that like it was life. THOUGH I do wish The Weeknd incorporated the viral TikTok dance into his performance:
OK, so now we can dig into the fun stuff. To my new subscribers, welcome welcome. I used to have to set the stage and explain we are a TRUMP-FREE zone but now we do not even need to clarify that so this is PROGRESS. Anyway, please find the rest of this newsletter for your amusement and just a warning you may be a few braincells dumber after you read it. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
FREE BRITNEY:
SO…I have spoken here before about the whole Free Britney movement and I will say I was slightly amused by it and thought the people really into this are people who might have too much time on their hands. ALSO I felt like NO chance this type of thing was really possible in this day and age and clearly things are in place for a reason. BUT THEN I WATCHED THIS and omg. Basically…well, I BELIEVE THE #FREEBRITNEY narrative now. Frankly, the best commentary on this documentary thus far was this from none other than Yashar Ali:
This is a hell of a documentary that will make you realize just how far we have come as a society because the SHIT that we did and allowed to happen to Britney when she was a child is astonishing. Personalities like Diane Sawyer and Jay Leno who called her a whore and asked about her virginity or gave oxygen to death threats from politician’s wives because of HOW SHE DRESSED. It is really astonishing and you understand how this incredibly hard working and talented and driven and thoughtful and strong woman was broken down. It just is so eye opening to hear the words coming out of these people’s mouths. I mean ED MCMAHON on Star Search asked a CHILD Britney if she had a boyfriend and if HE could be her boyfriend. So what I used to think was a group of crazy fans who are making podcasts and T-shirts about Freeing Britney actually may be right. And it has taken a big turn:
It is a heartbreaker.
WE ARE SHEEP (SHEEP’S MILK FETA):
If you are the parent of a tween or teen then you most likely know what this image is. Maybe even if you’re NOT a parent but spend a lot of time on the TikTok or socials, then you know what this is. Or MAYBE you keep hearing about the TikTok pasta but you have no idea what everyone is talking about. So consider this the ultimate down and dirty guide on this blasphemous dish.
I fell for it. The set-up looked fun and easy and everyone showing the final result of this pasta made it seem like it was LITERAL heaven on earth. SO, I ran to the market and got all the ingredients which are like 6 things. Cherry tomatoes, a block of sheep’s milk feta, garlic, olive oil and some seasonings and of course, pasta. EVERYONE was posting their videos of this feta monstrosity:
The minute I posted I was making it on my Insta, I started feeling the heat as some of the most brilliant minds I know started DMING me things like “NO!!” or “STOP SAVE YOUR FOOD!” but I went ahead and did it…so YOU DO NOT HAVE TO if it’s not too late. Also, there is now a FETA shortage in some places because of this ridiculous pasta. Now look, if your pasta experience thus far involved a box of macaroni and powdered cheese then SURE this is a step up from that….but I urge you to forgo this soulless recipe for some of my absolute FAVORITE pasta recipes in the world:
Mario Batali’s Cacio E Pepe:
Jon & Vinny’s Vodka Penne:
L’Artusi’s garlic pasta:
YOU ARE WELCOME. But save the feta, save yourselves! AVOID this trend which came to life from a Finnish food blogger and while I appreciate it’s ease and fun to make, I just don’t think it is very good like at all.
A ROUND-UP OF SORTS:
There were just so many the past few weeks and rather doing individual posts on all of them, I will just give a brief snapshot and top line explainer in case you missed it or are confused or want to know more or want to know less…here it IS.
SKINNY JEANS AND SIDE PARTS and 😂 :
Gen Z has gone after us olds in a big big way. SIDE parts?? OLD. and OUT., Skinny Jeans? SEE YA OLD LADY (this one I am actually totally ok with). But this has become a generational thing and has launched a million memes and by the way they are calling MILLENNIALS old…so forget about us kids born in the 60s or 70s…we might as well go off to sea on a raft and call it a day. AND OH but wait…if you use THIS EMOJI 😂 then you ARE DEFINITELY OLD. You might as well have BOOMER tattooed on your arm. GUYS…it is the equivalent of being on Facebook at this point or even texting (texting is for the olds too now fyi). NO no no…if you want to be hip with your kids it is either 💀 or 🤡 but you might as well banish the other emoji from your roster of emojis IMMEDIATELY. Trust me.
SEA SHANTIES:
OK so, I am late on this one and it was just something I tried weaving into the last few newsletters but I failed. Again, if you have a teen then most likely you have heard THIS:
It sure is catchy and another reason I love the TikTok. SEA SHANTIES!! WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK. SHANTYTOK is now a thing…well it has been a thing so it’s a LITTLE old now aka a month but for all things Sea Shanty…here you go:
THIS SONG/DANCE:
This girl and this T-shirt and this dance is everywhere on the TikTok which was originated by a KPOP group called EZUZ.
THE GORILLA GLUE DRAMA:
This woman did a TikTok explaining she had run out of a hair spray so she used Gorilla Glue adhesive spray instead and what happened next was a fiasco which led her to go to the ER after enough people on TikTok told her to and GORILLA GLUE had to issue a statement not to use their products on your HAIR. Needless to say GORILLAGLUEGIRL has become a thing and here’s hoping your crazy kids don’t turn this into a challenge!
Zillow on SNL (ADMIT IT, you feel SEEN):
Thought I am in my late 40s so I wish they could have included US in this!
AND last but not least, THIS SONG. If you have a kid, you know it…but it is only growing and growing as it breaks records and all over the socials and maybe the perfect pop song. Olivia Rodrigo is like 17 I think and a Disney Channel actress and now a bonafide superstar.
Well, that is it my darlings. A bit of a hodge podge this week. And we did not EVEN get into the Golden Globes and the ridiculousness of that whole shit show that nominated Emily in Paris (meant to be pronounced PA-REE so it RHYMES) and totally snubbed I May Destroy You arguably one of the best shows of 2020 but you know, theHollywood Foreign Press just obviously has ISSUES which you know what they are because IT IS OBVIOUS. EVEN a writer on the Emily in Paris show was like yeah NOPE.
So I just sadly immediately discount anything the Golden Globes put out now and that’s a drag as I know a lot of talented people were nominated but this was SUCH a disgrace I cannot get over it.
BUT alas there were more trends and moments but this is all I have left to give this week…have a wonderful week you guys. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay smart, stay perfect.
If you aren’t already a subscriber (PLEASE PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!!!) and SHARE with all your friends…and IF want this in your inbox please send an email to:
subscribe@popculturemondays.com
Or CLICK SUBSCRIBE below!
