Kate Middleton, 'American Idol' Audition, 'Housewives' State of the Union and More
Recommendations for your weekend
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It’s been a week for pop culture obsessives like myself (and most likely you, if you’re reading this newsletter), huh?
The Kate Middleton saga continues to unfold (seriously, like, just post a proof of life video on the Kensington Palace Instagram account already — the fact that they’ve let this turn into such a PR disaster is truly beyond belief), the Oscars aired on Sunday and delivered a solid showing and a bunch of big reality TV seasons come to a close (“RHOM,” “RHOBH,” “The Traitors” and “Love is Blind” all ended in the past week or so). It’s a lot, but in a fun, sensory overload kind of way.
I’m looking forward to a weekend of catching up on several prestige-y dramas that I’ve been putting off now that my reality TV load is a bit lighter — “The Regime” on HBO, “Griselda” on Netflix, “Apples Never Fall” on Peacock… the list goes on — and it also felt like a good time to do an check-in on where things stand with “Real Housewives” overall. Housewives connoisseur Brian Moylan joined me on my podcast this week to do just that (listen to that here), and it turned out very well.
Keep scrolling for article, podcast and movie recs for your weekend!
Read
How did the royal family let this whole Kate Middleton saga get so out of control? This article does a solid job at understanding it. (Louis Staples for Rolling Stone)
I put together a list of 40 celebrities and reality stars that I’d love to see on next season of “The Traitors” and why — check it out! (Gibson Johns for Men’s Health)
This quick little piece about what it’s like being a reality star’s publicist fell through the cracks from me when it was published a few weeks back following the outcry over comments that Tom Sandoval made to the New York Times. I found it pretty interesting! (Carson Griffith for The New York Times)
Jesse Solomon — one of the two new guys on “Summer House” this season — detailed his journey to becoming a two-time cancer survivor. It’s well worth the read and is a great reminder for men to self examine. (Rachel Epstein for Men’s Health)
Listen
Why Stylists Rule the Red Carpet from “Decoder Ring”
Learned a lot from this great episode of “Decoder Ring,” which tracks the history of styling in Hollywood and the emergence of stylists in order to understand the moment we’re in now, wherein many of the people hired to style celebrities become celebrities themselves. Avery Trufelman, the host of another one of my favorite podcasts “Articles of Interests,” is the guest on this one, and she kills it once again.
Tate McRae, Dua Lipa and the Fight to Be ‘Main Pop Girl’ from “Popcast”
Where did the frequently used “Main Pop Girl” phrase come from, what does it mean to be one and who are the current title holders? Where do Taylor and Beyoncé fit into the equation? This episode tackles all of those questions and more.
Countess Luann de Lesseps on “I’ve Had It” Podcast
Luann was on “I’ve Had It” this week, and they asked her all about dating in addition to a bunch of random topics that had me giggling while on a walk earlier this week. Just wait for the Bethenny shade towards the end of the interview.
Watch
The “American Idol” Audition I Can’t Stop Thinking About
While I don’t watch “American Idol” or “The Voice” anymore, I will never be able to quit the recovering singing competition show junkie that lives deep inside me, so I do occasionally check in on both shows’ YouTube channels to watch their most viewed audition clips. 25-year-old McKenna Breinholt’s “Idol” audition from a couple weeks ago (which already has 1.1 million views) has been living rent free in my mind all week — from her tearjerking adoption story to her incredible voice and the judges’ reactions, it’s a perfect example of what these shows do best. Just wait until her birth family shows up.
“Somewhere in Queens” (Hulu)
This great dramedy co-starring Laurie Metcalf and Ray Romano was buried on my to-watch list last year, and I decided to throw it on with my parents while I was at home this past weekend — and I’m so glad I did. We all loved it. Metcalf and Romano play blue collar parents in an Italian-American enclave of Queens whose son is a late-blooming basketball prodigy that they’re trying to push to dream bigger as he simultaneously starts to get distracted by a new girlfriend. It’s laugh-out-loud funny at times, while also being tender and poignant in others.
Self-Promotion
“Real Housewives” State of the Union feat. Brian Moylan (“Gabbing with Gib”)
Once a quarter on my podcast, I’ll welcome on a fellow “Real Housewives” expert to do a state of the union of sorts, where we touch down on each of the nine current franchises to share our thoughts and opinion and casting hopes and more. It’s a fun exercise and paints an exciting picture about where our favorite Bravo shows stand overall right now. Listen above and order Brian’s book “The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives” here for more!
“Love Is Blind” End-of-Season Deep Dive feat. Morgan P (“Gabbing with Gib”)
Ahead of this week’s “Love Is Blind” reunion, I invited Morgan P of “Morgan’s Pop Talks” onto the podcast to do an end-of-season deep dive couple by couple. Listen above!
Trishelle Cannatella on Wining “The Traitors” Season 2 (“Gabbing with Gib”)
Trishelle has proven to be a lightning rod of a winner for season 2 of “The Traitors,” and we got a bit into why during an interview for “Gabbing with Gib” recorded the day after the finale aired. We touched on that controversial MJ vote, why there are so many misconceptions about her, gamers versus Bravo stars’ emotions in the game and more. Watch above or listen below!
Currently
Looking forward to a friend-filled, sun-filled weekend in NYC! And now that the reality TV load is a bit lighter, I’m also hoping to crack into some of the prestige drama series that I haven’t had time to start watching in recent weeks.