'Love is Blind,' Beyoncé Goes Country, Kyle Richards Tells All & More
Recommendations for your weekend
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Keep scrolling for this weekend’s article, podcast, music, TV show and movie recommendations — but, while I have you, if you’re in NYC and love Bravo and/or improv, consider checking out the debut of my friend Bobby’s new show next Thursday. He’s bringing together a bunch of funny people to put on an improvised reality show a la “Real Housewives,” which will then be followed by an improvised reunion hosted by Daryn Carp, Andy Cohen’s chief of staff. I’ll be there, too! Buy tickets here!
Read
Tom Sandoval’s former assistant, Ann, made it into the New York Times. Beyond iconic. (Jessica Roy for The New York Times)
On a related note, I made a timeline of Sandoval and Scheana’s friendship to try to understand why their fallout over Scandoval has been so emotional for both of them. (Gibson Johns for Betches)
A fantastic piece that correctly pushes back against anyone saying that Beyoncé isn’t “country” or shouldn’t make country music. (Taylor Crumpton for TIME)
A (little) peek into Nick Viall’s psyche as his podcast becomes a destination for fellow reality stars to share their sides of the story. I’m of mixed feelings about his sudden commandeering of this space, but I still think it’s worth understanding his perspective on his newfound place in it. (Bethy Squires for Vulture)
What really happens when a product goes viral on TikTok and how does it affect the company that makes that product? This fun piece uses The Pink Stuff as an example to try to understand the phenomenon. (David Segal for The New York Times)
Does the fact that Jacob Elordi is 6’5” help or hinder his acting career? (Lane Brown for Vulture)
I missed this profile of highly influential former Vogue editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson last week, but I’m so glad I clocked it this week — it provides really great insight into her spot in the industry and why she stepped away from Vogue. (Vanessa Friedman for The New York Times)
Listen
Winter 2023/2024 Spotify Playlist
I collect all of my favorite songs in a seasonal playlist on Spotify, and I realized that I hadn’t shared my winter playlist here yet — so throw the above playlist a like if you’re looking for some new music! I’ll be sure to share my spring one a bit earlier into the season next month. Listen here!
“You Get A Podcast!”
This podcast was originally called “Oprahdemics,” promising to analyze and critique Oprah Winfrey and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” from a more academic point of view. It had to change its name for its second season, but it did more of the same in its more recent batch of episodes that dropped last summer. It’s a really informative and fun listen, and I loved just picking and choosing episodes that I was particularly interested in like “Oprah’s Long-Lost Half-Sister,” “Oprah and Beyoncé” and “Oprah and Fashion!” Listen above!
Watch
“Love is Blind” Season 6 (Netflix)
I started tweeting about the new season of “Love is Blind,” and I was surprised at how many people replied saying they had no idea that it had premiered! So, FYI: the first six episodes of season 6 dropped on Valentine’s Day — I’ve watched the first two, and the show continues to deliver irresistible mess. I can’t wait until everyone’s caught up!
“The Greatest Night in Pop” (Netflix)
This 90-minute documentary tracks the creation of “We Are The World,” a global hit that saw 46 of the world’s most famous artists coming together for one massive hit penned by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones. It focuses heavily on the night they recorded the song, bringing together all of the artists in one room following the 1985 American Music Awards. The footage alone is worth seeing.
Kyle Richards’ tell-all interview with Entertainment Tonight
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kyle Richards addressed pretty much every recent headline, storyline and point of speculation about her life in a length sit-down interview with my pal Brice Sander at Entertainment Tonight this week. It’s not a coincidence that this is coming ahead of next week’s season finale, which will feature pick-up footage following the news last summer that she and her husband, Mauricio, had separated. There hasn’t been a major update on the status of their marriage since then, and I kind of think that we’ll get one on the finale or during the reunion. Watch the full interview here.
Self-Promotion
Lisa Barlow talks “RHOSLC,” Monica’s exit and more (Gabbing with Gib)
I had “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Lisa Barlow on my podcast this week for a quick interview to reflect on the zeitgeist-dominating fourth season, how she reacted to Monica’s exit from the show, her mindset going into filming for season 5 and more. Watch above or listen below!
“The Traitors” season 3 cast mock draft (Gabbing with Gib)
Last week, Peacock announced that “The Traitors” had been renewed for a third season, set to film at the end of the spring. Obviously, my wheels started spinning about who could possibly be on the next cast — so I invited reality TV expert Jarett Wieselman onto my podcast this week for a fun mock fantasy draft to throw out the best, most iconic, left-field ideas of reality stars who could totally work on the show. Listen below!
Currently
It’s a “long weekend” (every day could technically be a weekend when you’ve been laid-off!), so I’ll be diving into the content: continuing to make my way through the new episodes of “Love is Blind,” watching J.Lo’s apparently ridiculous new album movie, maybe checking out the new Kelly Rowland/Tyler Perry movie on Netflix… there’s a lot!