Pop Culture Mondays/3.27.23
The “I LOST A HALF DAY SKIING” Edition
Happy Monday my darling pop culture junkies. We made it through another crazy week. I am in LA where the sun is FINALLY shining and Spring feels right around the corner. And April IS right around the corner…this is the last PCM of March. WHAT is time? So, let me first say this is being written BY me and not by ChatGPT which is the new NFT, like for reals…every other fucking tweet is someone giving us an example of how they used chat AI in another setting and how brilliant it was. Congress should worry less about TikTok and more about regulating dumb tweets. Sorry, I am sure I am guilty of my fair share of dumb tweets and you know what? TICKET ME FOR THEM. And that is a ticket I will not contest. If Space Karen implemented a fine for dumb tweets/misinformed tweets/hateful tweets….we would have a better, safer place. Don't charge to use it, charge if you use it INCORRECTLY.
If you are not familiar with the meaning behind this week’s title, “I Lost a Half Day Skiing,” you will soon enough. Hint: It is Gwyneth-related. Let’s get to it. Grab some headphones and enjoy. Oh, and if you missed last week’s podcast with Britt Morgan-Saks and me talking about Austin and SXSW, Taylor Swift and her epic tour, here it is:
LET’S BREAK THIS DOWN:
There have been a million takes on what went down with Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, and Congress last week. Some feel he was a disaster (he was not) and some feel nothing will be done by Congress (of course they would agree to ban TikTok but not guns, OBVIOUSLY) and some believe a lot of this has nothing to do with security and privacy issues and everything to do with lobbyists working on behalf of Meta and really working overtime to get legislators to kill their competition. Yeah, Peter Thiel is SO concerned about the Chinese impact on America…PUHLEASE. This little diddy from an article last week in the Washington Post:
On Wednesday night, hours before the TikTok hearing, some of the most influential figures in the tech industry — including former Facebook board member Peter Thiel — will huddle with lawmakers at the Library of Congress for one of the group’s dinners, where they plan to warn lawmakers about a technological arms race with China and alleged national security risks of TikTok.
Yes, all the TikToks of Pedro Pascal being adorable or cats having kittens are a real security risk compared to the guy around the corner stockpiling ammo for his AR15 which he is going to go and massacre people with BUT OK Washington…you do you.
While I have no idea what will happen (or have faith in the legislative system at this point) one thing is for certain, TikTok fell in love with the CEO. Now sure, some cynics could say this is all part of the Chinese manipulation — and yeah the algorithm is freaking GOOD. But it is because the community responded so positively to how Chew calmly answered some of the MOST ridiculous questions. I mean had it been me…and anyone who knows me will tell you this is a fact…I would have been unable to NOT roll my eyes, sigh heavily, make crazy facial expressions (maybe I am Gywenth? More on that later…) and I probably in a VERY Brooke move, would have put my hands up and announced, “I’m out” and stormed out of the hearing. But Chew did not do that. Despite being mistaken for Chinese (he is Singaporean) and being asked absurd and at times BATSHIT questions, he was cool and calm and collected. But let’s see what some of the creators had to say:
I will say I LOVE BOOKTOK and have gotten amazing recommendations from this side of TikTok and glad to see him highlight this:
BUT the creators fell in love with him and turned him into thirst trap videos which are pretty funny tbh:
And honestly, this is the question that has really united all of us:
United us into having ZERO faith in the US Government.
But this was a great take:
Godspeed to the elected officials if they ban TikTok. I suspect you will get a lot of young people voting like they never intended to before.
THE WILD, WACKY LAWSUIT:
Let me preface this by saying, I actually believe this lawsuit is ridiculous and GP is right and the other guy is a fucking creep looking for fame and fortune. I also think GP has given us all a gift with her comments and facial expressions throughout this trial. And ultimately, this all proves my main belief and that is — SKIING IS DUMB. I mean how many of you have busted your knee or leg or wrist or shoulder on the ski slopes? YEAH, not me…I am an APRES SKI girl all the way. Safer, cheaper, chicer, etc. I digress. If you are not aware of this court case or are vaguely aware but not paying close attention, let me get you up to speed.
But first:
Back in 2016 which let’s be clear…is a LIFETIME ago. It’s pre-Panny which means it really was another reality…another life. We were so different then. And this was FEBRUARY 2016, like I was an entirely different person then but let’s break it down.
Back in February 2016 as I have already established, GP and her family were on a ski holiday in Deer Valley, Utah. On this fateful day, she was with her son and a ski instructor and this is where the stories diverge. According to the plaintiff, Terry Sanderson who is 76 NOW but then was 68ish I guess, claims that GP skied directly into him causing him multiple severe injuries including broken ribs AND brain damage. And he sued her for $3.1 MILLION. This has been amended now to $300K….quite the difference. He also claims that GP and ski instructor took off without getting him medical attention or giving him her contact information which APPARENTLY is a rule on the mountain. Now for GP, her story is vastly different and I have to say WAY MORE BELIEVABLE. She claims that Sanderson was UPHILL from her and plowed into HER at high speed. She claims he skied into her but not before making weird groaning sounds leading her to think she was being attacked. According to this article in The Cut:
….(Gwyneth) was making short turns on the trail when she heard a man groaning behind her. All of a sudden, she saw “two skis appear between her skis and a man comes up right behind her,” and — her attorney, Stephen W. Owens, said — briefly wondered if she was being assaulted before she went down, Sanderson supposedly falling with her. Her team reiterated that Sanderson apologized to Paltrow, allegedly explaining he hadn’t seen her. They also said Sanderson insisted he was okay and that he’d waved off help from the ski patrol.
Ew.
GP claims she did freak the fuck out which I would have done and screamed at him and cursed and then she did leave while her ski instructor stayed with him to exchange info. BTW, she is countersuing for $1.
BUT let me tell you this case has GONE NUTS like the plaintiff’s attorney trying to connect GP to T Swift for no reason other than the $1 was same amount T Swift was in a lawsuit for. And GP made the now ICONIC line about losing half a day of skiing which has become…a meme. But there are too many opportunities for memes so let me just SHOW vs tell:
At the beginning of the trial, days before GP took the stand, she seemed to not realize she had a camera pointed at her the entire time while sitting at the table with her attorney. She seemed to only think there was a camera only on her as she was leaving and the Internet all CRINGED:
Here we have some weird banter between GP and the plaintiff’s attorney:
Speaking of weird banter….WTF IS THIS??
It SEEMS like this is the connection and she is trying to make GP out to be a liar. I mean POOR Tay Tay…how on earth does she get dragged into this:
And this is where the lawyer lost me as she is chiding her for cursing but if she cursed at him then wouldn't that likely be due to him hitting her??
But then…this is what we will all remember tbh:
And it has naturally…become a thing:
The thing is, GP is not a person of the people and while this was something we absolutely celebrated in the ’90s and early aughts, arguably HER eras…it is not where we are in 2023.
This of all of the memes, was my fave:
A LITTLE THIS, A LITTLE THAT:
Let’s look at some highlights (and lowlights) of some OTHER pop culture-y things that have gone down this week. I cannot cover everything because there is a LOT — there is ALWAYS a lot, but here are some of my chosen ones. I know there is stuff I don’t get to, like popular content and other trends…IF ANY REQUESTS, PLEASE LMK!
Have you been watching Daisy Jones & the Six on Amazon Prime? So I sort of half-heartedly watched it and I didn't really pay attention and was sort of down on it I THINK because it brought me back to my rock n roll girlfriend days and while for me that was late ’90s and early aughts (same as Gwyenth!) it could have been the ’70s. Was there sex and drugs? Sure was. Were there tour buses and different hotels and parties each night? Yep. Was there cheating and drama? You bet. But there was also beauty and art and suede coats with fur trim and sitting in the studio watching beautiful music come to life. It was an incredible time in my life, and perhaps the nostalgia was hard for me to face. BUT…because some people I love and admire absolutely loved the series, I binged the entire thing this weekend along with the finale.
And you know who else did? ALL of TikTok. The premise is loosely based on the origin story and lifespan of Fleetwood Mac. The show is based on a book of the same name (and part of the universe of other books by same writer like “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and others which share a character or two. AT any rate, the star of the series is Elvis’ granddaughter, Riley Keough who is transcendent. AND the writer of the book herself compared the story to that of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, specifically the concert from 1997 where they play the song “Silver Springs” after not having played together for years and years. See, Stevie and and Lindsey were a couple before joining the band. Mick Fleetwood wanted Buckingham’s guitar sound in the band and Buckingham said not without my girl. And that is how legends are made. But there was drama and they broke up and Stevie ended up having an affair with Mick and I am sure everyone was banging everyone and then Buckingham left the band and ANWAY, here is the video everyone is NOW obsessed with on TikTok. I mean you can feel the regret, the anger, the passion, the nostalgia, the sadness, the love…all of it:
I mean the last minute of the song…the stare-down. It’s hot AF. And it is what comes across in Daisy Jones. Let’s see a few of the creators takes:
AND here is a little Daisy Joes for you:
- OK, I know I know you have been waiting for it. You are wondering WTF I am doing since the story broke…since we first saw the image of them dancing and kissing. YOU KNOW what I am talking about. And if you don’t well then hold on to your heart….It is Harry and Emrata…and it is a lot:
The reactions KILL me.
Lewis Capaldi getting in on the fun:
And now the fans have connected the fact that Harry started following Emily and only a few days later the breakup was announced:
YOU ARE CORRECT US GOVERNMENT. Social media is HARMING US ALL.
But faster than you can say ONE DIRECTION, news came out that MY particular fave member of that band, Zayn, is dating OUR girl Selena Gomez and let me tell you something…this gives us all joy if correct.
- Ugh, I hate talking about Kane here but here we must. Jonah Hill and his movie version of “21 Jumpstreet” apparently have made Kanye revert his antisemitism. I mean, you cannot make this shit up.
The creators had fun:
- NO, the Pope wasn’t wearing a puffer coat…but lots of people think he was.
Ladies and gents, welcome to the wonderful world of AI. I mean to be clear, the coat is FIRE…but these images are not real.
- A lot is happening in Israel and frankly, America is not paying THAT much attention…not as much as it should at any rate. According to THIS article in The Guardian:
What is the government proposing?
Among a raft of far-reaching proposals from Netanyahu’s government are plans to allow a simple majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset to override almost any supreme court rulings, and to allow politicians to appoint most of the justices to the bench.
And then Netanyahu’s Defense Minister who opposed this got fired. And protests have erupted in Israel and the US.
It was announced this morning that Netanyahu has delayed these changes…yeah because everyone fucking hates the man…for good reason:
- And you know…Paris is burning. But the French WILL not be interrupted.
- AND lastly, Succession is back. And there are memes! This is the last season and I am here for it. I am annoyed AF though that Kara Swisher is AGAIN in my face and this time with the companion POD which HBO is advertising all over the place. Next thing I know, I will have a cardboard cutout of Kara to bring everywhere.
And for those fans who know the show well, we say goodbye to Marcia, Logan’s last wife, who is “in Milan shopping forever”..
THAT IS IT, my darlings…
IT WAS A LOT!! What will this next week hold? I am READY for it. Be safe, be kind, have fun, see you next Monday.
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Xx,
Brooke
