New Location for a New Year
She's back!! But behind :/
Hello Everyone!
So after a long year… truly no memory of when I tried to bring this back and then just did not…but I am back. However!!! Things have changed <3 so now I have freedom to do whatever whenever!!! (I switched platforms so I could get a public view and make it easier to share —would appreciate help/support)
Listen its been difficult to write things during covid - based on 1) inconsistency with premieres & 2) I am lazy <3 but I will try my hardest to release twice a month. however, not like the posts before :( — most likely first post highlighting pop culture moments of the month and second a list of my favorite things of the month & if I am feeling ambitious I will write a third about one thing pop culture related I am thinking about and why - things you can look forward to me writing about Bela’s obsession with SNL on the sex lives of college girls/ kristen stewart as diana/acting in house of gucci/ rita moreno etc.
so with all of this being said I just wanted to send a “hello missed you” and now we go into the top 15 moments of the year- this isn’t deep or serious, these are just things that I feel are the MOST important things to happen with no serious impact - SIGNIFICANCE? Yes!! Impact? Possibly! 2021 was bad can’t deny it, but there was an abundance of pop culture moments that kept us (me) occupied.
(anything pink is a link btw)
Bennifer 2.0- To put this last on my list is borderline psychotic for me, but of course I need to separate my feelings from broader cultural feelings. Now, this is not added because of “nostalgia,” I’m adding this solely because I have a massive crush on Ben Affleck and whenever he is in relationship I will support. Also Jlo’s ability to remain in every headline since the 2000 versace dress, is admirable, annoying, but most importantly, noteworthy. nvr 4get Ben & Ana.
Sad Girl Autumn- While I am not an expert in music by any means- truly a slave to pop music- this autumn was the one for me!!!! Sad girl music is my favorite music and this year all our sad girls released music for the masses —adele and ms. blondie (taylor swift). To release sad songs about relationships, & in the year of the celeb break up, groundbreaking!!! overall, just a big cultural moment for the reemergence of Adele and the rerelease of Red which helped prep us for thanksgiving
The sex lives of college girls’ most important character: Kimberly
Listen the Mindy Kaling Universe (MKU) is my favorite, never have I ever… been disappointed by anything she’s created, but the sex lives of college girls has blown me away. But the standout character is Pauline Chalamet’s, Kimberly, doing amazing work for awkward girls all over the world!! Her lines, her storyline, and the growth of her fashion has been nothing but a joy to watch and I firmly believe the other characters wouldn’t land as well if Kimberly wasn’t created.
Meghan, Harry, & Oprah
Honestly, yeah the Oprah line “were you silent or were you silenced” was excellent…. but I’m adding it here because CBS’ inability to air the special at the same time, making those of us who CARE on the west coast (ME) being exposed to spoilers prior to the PST interview premiere was very inconsiderate. And as someone who has aggressively fought for Meghan in my own relationships (devil’s advocate vibes), not so sure this helped or hurt my efforts. It was true a global moment, let’s face it moreso than the olympics (which apparently happened this year?) and Oprah quite literally had the entire world in her hand, if you didn’t watch it you were definitely apart of a conversation about it (& if you weren’t, I’m praying you find the right social circles in 2022).
HBO Max’s power
The entire HBOMax Warner Bros deal literally freaking rocked my world- took everything I know and turned it upside down. The deal itself is wild and still to this day, I cannot believe it happened but most of all I cannot believe 1) other services didn’t do it too and 2) this won’t continue until the pandemic ends. But enough about the deal!! We need to address HBOMax’s PHENOMENAL content- which we will save for a later newsletter, but the content is world’s better than its competitors, AND the push in promos with available on HBOMax rather than “watch Sundays at this time,” like this shift? monumental!!! and last but not least the wonderful ability to watch the shows PST in real time with EST… love being in on the conversation!!!
the rise of the “chaos goblin line cook”
pete davidson, travis barker, and machine gun kelly are the manic pixie dream girl of men….. the chaos goblin line cookAs seen in the tweet above, this “chaos goblin line cook” man and his sneaky talent to land beautiful women- very admirable! but most importantly, news outlets were only capable of posting about this on social media, truly I wanted to rip all my hair out each time I learned about MGK and Megan Fox’s unique relationship, along with anything about Kourtney & Travis. But, Pete Davidson completed the trifecta. I could have not conjured in my wildest dreams Pete dating Kim, so even though right now the world is a hellscape, we live in the time of pete and kim (permitting civilian “chaos goblin line cook” men to pursue women out of their league <3)
the inability to rid of Nicole Kidman
She won’t leave our screens, on tv, in film, even in theaters the woman doesn’t rest! I love her as much as the next person, which quite frankly after this year isn’t a lot, but its ENOUGH!!! There are other actresses (who can DO american accents)! When Big Little Lies premiered it was a revolution, when she was in Lion it made sense, even her role in Bombshell wasn’t too bad- but we’re done. Hollywood needs to slow down with the consistent casting of Kidman, not because she’s not talented, but because she’s overused and I’m sick of seeing her. Additionally, A COMMERCIAL!! ma’am in what world do you need commercial money and why are you doing commercials if you’re in every other program that airs!!! Even Edie Falco is over her constant presence and if Carmela Soprano says it… it must be true.
8. Pen15 bat-mitzvah episode
To make a bat-mitzvah episode in 2021 (not about the main characters) and still become THE GREATEST episode of all time??? Unbelievable! Anna and Maya strike again. As a frequent attendee of bar and bat-mitzvahs as a young tween, this hit and it hit hard. As we all know (or those of us who watch Pen15- which should be everyone) the emotional visceral reaction Pen15 invokes is one of the greatest phenomenons. I love this show with every fiber of my being, and although my bat-mitzvah was a few short years after Pen15’s setting, the common jewish traditions still held true!! Young jewish girls dancing with the DJ’s pump up dancers, buffet dinners, and unbelievably uncomfortable haftorah readings were all done with pitch perfect execution.
Celebrity Cannibal: Armie Hammer
A celebrity “cannibal” was outed this year. That’s it.
Kathryn Hahn
Wonderful year for a wonderful woman. There’s not much to say, other than a woman who can skillfully do both drama and comedy so easily, and in one motion, is one I adore!!! Not to shade #9 but Kathryn would’ve been a better Lucy than Nicole and I stand by that. I wish for Kathryn Hahn to become an EGOT because she’s charming and talented and most importantly proves the importance of comedy!! I love this woman and I wish she lived the life of Nicole Kidman —& for years to come. (Also IMO does the best job in The Shrink Next Door)
A recent event, but no less important!! I would’ve added Jeremy Strong solely for his portrayal of Kendall Roy in succession’s third season, but by the grace of god we were given a legitimate moment to use for the year. The controversial New Yorker profile details Strong’s unique approach to acting, which models after Daniel Day Lewis’ approach but still sparks controversy (with those who know and don’t know him). It’s interesting to read an article like this, that neither praising nor condemning his behavior just stating it. To me the most interesting part of the profile was its release date. Michael Schulman’s article was released on a Sunday, same day as the show, but a week before the finale. The conversation leading up to the finale about what would happen to Kendall’s character was discussed intensely for the week and then once it aired, everyone and I mean everyone could not stop talking about his performance— it is difficult to write about this profile and reception without spoilers so I apologize but the girls who get it, get it, and the girls who don’t, don’t. Of course, it could have been a happenstance with the TV schedule and Schulman’s article, but I’m not so sure and the conversation around Strong persisted for a couple more weeks, making the profile an article a real event for the year.
“Death to all of them”
Pivoting!!!! Wendy Williams is “an icon, a legend, and she is the moment, now come on now” and over the years when all the news about Britney Spears came out the revelations about her conservatorship have shocked fans but one fan took the cake for her reaction, Ms. Williams!! We all have been heartbroken for Britney but Wendy wants NOTHING good for the Spears family, and we must respect the dedication <3 !!! (also doesn’t hurt it became a viral tiktok sound)
John Mulaney and Olivia Munn
The divorce (and alleged affair) that broke fans across the nation. With this relationship truly spanning over the entire year, it would be a shame for me not to include this love affair on the top fifteen, but I crowned it no. 3 because well Mulaney made a special out of his addiction, rehab, divorce, and fatherhood while remaining (mostly) in the good graces of his fans. Also a saga that lasts a whole year? worthy of the top three!
THE year of movie musicals
As a supporter of the arts, it would be wrong of me not to be #addicted to musical theater. Truly very embarrassing, but after this year, no more!!!!! It felt like every month a new movie musical was being released, not all of them were good but they exist which is good in itself. With West Side Story as my favorite movie the entire year and In the Heights up in the top ten, I had to mention them!! And they were genuinely excellent. Tick Tick Boom also was fun to watch mostly due to Andrew Garfield’s performance. Overall, the three were just a nice reprieve and should be watched! (Dear Evan Hansen did happen which in theory isn’t bad although execution was)
Joshua Bassett’s instagram story for Olivia Rodrigo
If you thought you I wouldn’t crown number one to Temecula’s biggest star, Ms. Olivia Rodrigo, you were sorely mistaken….if I didn’t I’d hope one of you would reach out and check on me. The voice of a generation, Ms. Rodrigo, became the “it girl” I wish I was, however she did it with help from her ex-boyfriend (king/icon/legend) Joshua Bassett. The disney drama was gossip we as a culture were missing, and it had EVERYONE captivated, me, my friends, the cast of SNL, people on twitter and so on… But when my good friend released her single Driver’s License she 1) blew our minds 2) became an instant icon 3) dragged her ex 4) got us excited for her album 5) provided drama for us while we remained unvaccinated. But the best part of the release was when Joshua (rumored ex) posted about it on his own instagram story. In that moment… all of pop-culture remained absolutely irrelevant, it was a moment that would define gen z and the year!! it would be wrong if I didn’t make this the moment of the year. Olivia became one of spotify’s top artists but she also achieved another miraculous feat — number one on this list.
Honorable mentions:
COVID vaccines, The Beatles Get Back special, Britney finally free, Wicked Casting, Dylan O'Brien as Jake Gyllenhaal, Peloton storylines, “Lets get loud” -JLo, The fall of HFPA & Golden Globes, Gaga’s accent <3, Absolute disdain for Jared Leto, current collective Andrew Garfield obsession, Kieran Culkin on SNL, Royal Archie THE red head of the century, Zendaya in Dune for 7 minutes, the year of the celebrity break up, Kelly Clarkson battling duets with Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato announcing her experience with aliens, Jean Smart’s resurgence, Bravo being appointment television, ScarJo suing disney <3, the end of to all the boys I loved before, christine quinn possibly faking her pregnancy, Billie’s Vogue cover, and Lorde channeling the Manson family.
And don’t worry!!! I will send out my lists of best TV —possibly movies (and biggest disappointments!!)