Pop Culture Mondays/8.3.20
The “New Icon” Edition
Happy Monday my pop culture junkies. So for you regular readers, you notice a BIG change. Where is Baby Yoda? Baby Yoda is PCM’s OG mascot and I may go back to him as he was really the inspo for this newsletter. It all started back in the winter of 2019 when I was getting questions from various friends asking me WTF is this Baby Yoda. Who is Baby Yoda, what is the Mandalorian, what is Disney+…it just was an ongoing dialogue and I found myself copying and pasting one text to a friend and sending it to another. It was EXHAUSTING and also I was getting loads of anxiety as I was waiting for my friends to realize I was just pasting texts to them which, you know…is not the best way to communicate with pals. So PCM was born. And every week I find a Baby Yoda that sort of fits for that week. And it is HARD WORK scouring the Interwebs day and night. And I was fully prepared to do the same this week but then THIS PHOTO happened and I will say more than anything else recently this pic was sent to me by dozens of people. Generally with no comment or with some inappropriate emoji which I will refrain from using. But it stopped a lot of hearts for a moment in time and so therefore — also thank you Scarlett Curtis for being in my brain — we are replacing Baby Yoda for the moment with THIS ICONIC DUO, LENNY KRAVITZ and JASON MOMOA. Yes both are talented men who act and play music but they also are the most EPIC BFFS — Jason is married to Lenny’s ex-wife, the incredible Lisa Bonet. I cannot imagine any of my ex-boyfriends being able to even be in the same room as one another so there’s that. I think it’s like when you love an animal video of animals that are supposed to be mortal enemies but they are BESTIES…like a cat and mouse cuddling, or a lion mothering a baby impala . THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FRIENDS BUT THEY ARE AND IT MAKES US FEEL WARM AND SAFE and that my friends is WHY PCM MASCOTS for the moment are Lenny and Jason and I may also have printed this photo and put it in a frame and put up on my mantle but I digress….
It was a WEEK you guys. Just another one we managed to get thru in this Matrix of a world we live in. We are here: whether you’re in the “I’m never leaving my house and still wipe down my groceries and leave packages for days outside before opening them” camp OR the “I just got back from a vacation where we were partying it up in the ocean and I don’t feel great now” camp OR the “What virus?” camp…I welcome you all. But if you’re in the “Trump is doing a great job” camp then I suggest you find somewhere else because we are TRUMP-FREE! Well as much as possible. As we face the reality that we live in a country that can move forward on shutting down a social media app where teenagers make cool dances to Taylor Swift songs BUT NOT BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS which kill gazillions of people a year…I say, let’s take a break for a minute. So, welcome to my brain…
YOU CAN’T STOP US:
If you have not seen the following ad…then you are definitely in the minority. And after watching this ad, if you don’t have goose bumps (or goose pimples for those of you who call goose bumps goose pimples, when they are clearly BUMPS, but you be you..) after watching it, or the little hairs on the back of your neck stand don’t up then maybe watch it again? Or you’re just one of those people who can watch a movie with a dog in it and NOT cry. At any rate, this was SOME ad. I am actually surprised the current administration led by HE WHO WE SHALL NOT NAME didn’t try to close Nike as a result. You laugh but WE ARE NOT FAR from this. The ad is spectacular. Like if you could have a perfect ad maybe this is it. The editing is…I cannot even imagine how much work went into the editing but the result is masterful, beautiful, emotional, and like I said…spectacular. Narrated by Megan Rapinoe….here you go:
OK, have you pulled yourselves together yet? Also, I love that they included my sport — Drunk jumping into a swimming pool playing pool basketball with friends. But the point is, we are all in this together. Regardless of sport, sex, color, sexual orientation, religion, country, disability, etc. But then they go there with showing Colin Kaepernick and many others taking a knee and taking a stand and it is all just captivating. And the fact that I am waxing poetic about an ad for a sports brand shows you HOW MUCH we all need to feel united and lifted up and this ad has done for us what others SHOULD have done but have chosen not to. So with that I say bravo Nike 👏 👏 👏 , and all the people behind making that ad, and for all athletes and for community and for celebration and for unity.
AND then there is King James. Again, LeBron James is another incredible role model and person bringing this country together in ways not happening elsewhere and it is powerful and important. I personally found this post-game interview he gave this past week important and so did many many many people so I encourage you to watch it:
BLACK IS KING:
Sooooooo…I have to admit I have not yet watched this which I fully intended to but I actually spent the weekend OFF the screen as much as I could which is a massive achievement for me. I even put a bra on, blow-dried my hair and put actual make-up on my face and went out to a place that I could order drinks off a menu and it was glorious and surreal and fun and NECESSARY. BUT I did watch the music video and frankly my socials were way more filled with a pic of ADELE showing her support for Beyoncé and Black is King than Black is King itself which was annoying. BUT it’s because the pic doesn’t look at all like Adele — like WHO are you now and that sucks but also not surprising that more people are talking about what Adele looks like than the film but that’s what I am here to tell you. So we can get this out of the way, here is the pic that got everyone talking:
This is Adele now. And let me first say how much I really love the natural curls because as a girl with curls and as someone who has spent a good chunk of her life straightening and trying to tame said curls, seeing curls normalized brings me JOY. So this is the new Adele, as in not just weight loss but no one can figure out who this is if they are not aware it is in fact Adele. And she is wearing the half-moon body suit that Beyoncé is wearing in the video so it is her HOMAGE if you will. But let’s get back on track to what the point of this post is, Queen B and her beauty and passion and storytelling and visual eye.
Here is her video that dropped at the same time her film came out on Disney+:
Black is King is a visual album inspired by The Lion King which Beyoncé starred in and sang for in the most recent version which full disclosure — I DID NOT LOVE and it pains me to say that as it had everything I love but the crazy special effects that are meant to be so lifelike maybe were too much so I was so distracted. ANYWAY, Beyoncé is not immune to criticism which there is of course (that’s why we have critics!) but I will watch this film this week on Disney+ and also I have lots of stuff on PEACOCK to watch FYI which is awesome too. SO MANY STREAMING SERVICES!!
THE MICHELLE OBAMA PODCAST:
Look, I hear you that you don’t listen to podcasts as much as PRE-COVID because you don’t have that commute anymore, but STOP YOUR EXCUSES. Go for a walk and listen. Sit in the bath and listen. Take the time to listen to podcasts and especially this new one from Spotify. And YES Spotify was in the socials this past week for some other stuff but I have WAY WAY too many friends on both sides of that coin so I will totally and completely avoid THAT conversation because I love all my friends. But I will say I love podcasts whether they are true crime (obviously I like true crime because I am one thousand percent the demo) or The Daily (again obviously) or business podcasts that involve storytelling (HELLO HOW I BUILT THIS!) or now my new fave, Michelle Obama’s Podcast.
I mean in my book Michelle Obama can do no wrong. From her storytelling in her book, to her fashion and style, to her warmth and grace and humor and total recall for her life which is super baffling to me and her transparency and well, all of that makes for the perfect podcast. And she kicks off her first episode with her husband. OF COURSE. And I will tell you as I closed my eyes and lounged on the sofa and had their voices coming out of my AirPods and filling my brain I felt safe and anxiety free. It is also just a fascinating conversation but — at least this is how I imagine it — it is probably a bit nerve racking launching your first podcast where you are in the driver’s seat and the President helped put her at ease. And I loved every minute of it.
Oh and speaking of the President (hi Barack Obama) or as he refers to himself in his Medium bio: Dad, husband, President, citizen: this is one of those times where you are reminded what true leadership is, with his eulogy of John Lewis. Where you are reminded what grace looks like, what it FEELS like. What compassion, intelligence, conviction, integrity, class and empathy LOOKS like and FEELS like and if you have not watched this in its entirety then here you go and I urge you to (after you listen to the podcast though which is here:
ELLEN SPIRAL:
So look, I debated writing about this at all because there are a lot of complexities here and I have a few different even conflicting opinions about all of it but the fact is, this is a story dominating the socials and the news and has been trending for days. So let me say this as someone who has never ever met Ellen, but I had heard for a long time she was not nice. Like really not nice. But I had heard this same thing about Oprah (stop I can’t imagine this), Martha (this is in fact true), Dave Letterman (we are more forgiving to men am I right?) and many others..usually women. See women are BITCHES and men are BOSSES. EYEROLL EYEROLL EYEROLL. OK, so while there is a GREAT unfairness to this, it doesn’t mean that there are not actually awful women. So this underlying rumor, which has persisted for a long time now, that Ellen IS NOT AS SHE SEEMS hit a crescendo this week, and lots of her own doing TBH.
Let’s back up. We had seen the signs before. Did you ever see THAT Dakota Johnson interview where she calls her out on her bullshit? This is where the wheels started coming off the bus. Here you go and it is spectacular:
Awkward. Also, I cannot imagine what it was like after that show if all we are now reading is true about how Ellen treated her staff. AT any rate, there was a lot of rumors for some time, but then things took a turn and there were accusations of abuse and sexual misconduct by the higher-ups on the show including the producer. For which Ellen finally made a statement, an email to her staff which leaked OBVIOUSLY — and in the long history of CRINGEWORTHY statements, this is at the top of the list. Because instead of ACTUALLY taking responsibility, she casts blame…which then was the MATCH that lit the fire for everyone who ever had a grievance with her be like OH HELL NO. Here it is from The Hollywood Reporter:
Hey everybody — it’s Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.
I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.
I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop. As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or — worse — disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.
It’s been way too long, but we’re finally having conversations about fairness and justice. We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I’m glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention. I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It’s important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so.
I am so proud of the work we do and the fun and joy we all help put out in the world. I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience. If not for COVID, I’d have done this in person, and I can’t wait to be back on our stage and see you all then.
Stay safe and healthy.
Love,
Ellen
After this, then a lot of people came out saying that everyone has known Ellen is mean. MEAN. I mean I feel like we are all back in grade school or when I came home crying about how a teacher was mean to me and my mom asked if she hit me and I said NO and she asked if she made fun of me in front of people and I said no and she said then DEAL with it…but I think mean here means more than just not being nice and in fact a LOT more than not being nice and it is also now a moment in time where we are demanding REALNESS from people and transparency and the old ways of being one way publicly like Ellen is, and another way behind the scenes, is entirely is not acceptable. And weirdly, other than a male music manager known for buying Taylor Swift’s music out from under her, not a lot of people have come to her defense publicly. So here we are.
AND THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS….
Well, August…here you are. I am not sure how I feel about you at the moment but I do hope we can find a little peace and joy and hope this month. Let’s try to savor the last of our days of summer before heading into the unknown that is the FALL. At any rate, there were a few fave things this week that captivated me and my socials. Enjoy!
- A true MINDFUCK that is actually a few years old but made its way to TikTok and having a renaissance if you will so if you missed it the first time, buckle up:
- And you ask why I am an ANGLOPHILE? Never met an English guy I didn’t love and this explains why basically. I mean CAN YOU EVEN???
- And THIS GUY. Skateboarder Isamu Yamamoto is INCREDIBLE OMG watch the whole thing.
- And lastly, NO SUCCESSION IS NOT BACK. A few peeps in my socials tweeted how Succession was back and even though I knew that was not true I got that shock of excitement for a second before realizing they were just making a joke about James Murdoch resigning from the News Corp board which really isn’t pop culture news — or shouldn’t be — but of course we have SUCCESSION for making us all feel like we KNOW what happened behind the scenes on that one. CALLING COUSIN GREG!
Until next week, my Pop Culture Junkies. If you have ANY FEEDBACK or suggestions please lmk and as always please share this NEWSLETTER with EVERYONE so I can make a media empire and someone reading this will be like LET’S MAKE THIS INTO A SHOW. A girl CAN dream.
Anyway, please stay SAFE. Wear 😷 when you are out in public and be kind to one another and BE EASY ON YOURSELF. WE are ALL in this together!!!
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