'Chicken Noodle Soup,' 'Vanderpump Rules' and Nicole Kidman's New Show
Recommendations for your week
Welcome to Gibson Johns’ pop culture newsletter — subscribe to get recommendations of what to watch, read and listen to in your inbox every week!
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I had a little too much fun in Miami with some friends this past weekend, so this newsletter is a bit delayed from Friday. To make up for it, I’ve included more recs to get you through the beginning of this week than usual!
For all of my readers in New York City, this is also one last reminder that I’m co-hosting a “Vanderpump Rules” season premiere watch party at 310 Bowery in the East Village tomorrow night! You can buy tickets here, which include a free drink and three free raffle tickets for our “Pump Rules”-themed giveaways — I’d love to see any of you that can make it. We’ll have Pumptinis and goat cheese balls and trivia and will be playing “Good As Gold” many times before and after the episode. There’s truly nothing like getting together a bunch of Bravoholics in one room to speak our shared language, and it’s such a supportive community to be part of, so even if you don’t have anyone to come with you, don’t be afraid to ride solo! You’ll make some new friends — me included.
Have a great week everyone!
Read
Following the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” reunion that ended last week, both Heather Gay and Monica Garcia gave dueling exit interviews about the season that are each worth the read. They both share detailed, deeper accounts from their own perspectives — which are very much at odds with one another. (Heather Gay with Kate Aurthur for Variety, Monica Garcia with Louis Staples for The Cut)
Meanwhile, Larsa Pippen’s exit interview from “The Traitors” is absolute camp and a must-read for totally other reasons. (Dalton Ross for Entertainment Weekly)
What to make of Bravo shows’ relationship with the fourth wall, which “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” smashed in its epic season finale. (Kyndall Cunningham for Vox)
Relatedly, does the increasingly blurred line between fan and star and the increasingly meta storylines on “Housewives” mean reality TV is broken? I don’t think so, but this article makes the case that it does. (Carrie Wittmer for Time)
What the fuck happened with influencer Arielle Charnas’ brand Something Navy? This story offers a well-reported deep dive. (Chavie Lieber and Sara Ashley O’Brien for The Wall Street Journal)
How “Mr. Brightside belatedly became a generation-defining hit for Millennials. (Jessica M. Goldstein for The New York Times)
Professional tennis is broken — here’s how to fix it. (Matthew Futterman for The Athletic)
“Anyone But You” (the romantic comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell that launched a million rumors online) has had tremendous success at the box office, and TikTok has a lot to do with that. I loved this piece about the unusual success of the film, which is now the highest-grossing R-rated romantic comedy in eight years. (Pamela McClintock for The Hollywood Reporter)
This article offers a more pessimistic view of the film’s success, which I totally disagree with — but it’s still worth hearing both sides of the same issue!!! (Heather Schwedel for Slate)
Listen
“Classy” with Jonathan Menjivar
I’m halfway through my binge of this one-season podcast that made a lot of end-of-year lists for 2023. It’s hosted by Jonathan Menjivar, a Latino journalist who grew up working class and now has more bourgeois interests — a dichotomy he feels conflicted about. Through a series of interviews, spotlights and open discussions, he unpacks how issues of class impact our daily lives. There are points where I wanted him to go even deeper, so hopefully this one gets a second season! Listen here.
Watch
“Expats” (Prime Video)
The first two episodes of this Nicole Kidman-starring series about an expat living in Hong Kong dropped last week, and I’m already completely hooked. It was created by Lulu Wang, who wrote and directed “The Farewell” starring Awkwafina, and it’s doing an incredible job of weaving the characters’ stories together, slowly building tension and building an air of mystery. I can’t wait for more episodes of this one.
The real story behind mid-2000s viral hit “Chicken Noodle Soup” (YouTube Black’s “Flowers” Series)
“Chicken Noodle Soup” was inescapable when I was in middle school. During the early days of YouTube, it became a viral hit complete with a corresponding dance, but I bet you haven’t thought much about it since then. This mini documentary spotlights the song’s creator Bianca Bonnie, who became a cast member on “Love & Hip-Hop: New York” years after the song’s release, and pulls back the curtain on how the song came to be. I may or may not have teared up while watching it.
Andy Cohen gives updates on various “Real Housewives” franchises (Entertainment Tonight)
Every so often, Andy does an interview where he gives various updates on many of the “Real Housewives” franchises, and last week he did one with Entertainment Tonight before filming the “RHOBH” reunion. He gave updates on that, “Salt Lake City,” fan reaction to “RHOP,” where things stand with “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and more. Watch it here!
Self-Promotion
Bravo vs. reality competition shows on “The Traitors” with Sharon Tharp (Gabbing with Gib)
One of my favorite elements of the iconic second season of “The Traitors” on Peacock has been the dynamic between Bravo stars and reality competition show stars, as well as the conversation between fans of different shows. Sharon Tharp, a longtime journalist and “Big Brother” expert, was on my podcast on Friday to explore this tension, talk strategy and make predictions — watch above or listen below!
Interviews with “Real Housewives of Miami” stars Alexia Nepola and Dr. Nicole Martin (Gabbing with Gib)
I had the rare opportunity to interview two Housewives on either sides of a conflict currently playing out on one of the franchises recently, and it made for a fascinating point of comparison. Alexia and Nicole have been at odds at various points over the past three seasons of “RHOM,” and that continued into this season and their recent reunion taping. Watch my interviews with them here, or listen to them below!
Currently
Bring on season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules” (tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo) — between the premiere, my watch party and Ariana Madix’s book tour event on Wednesday, it’s a very “Pump Rules” week for me!