Nelly Furtado, 'Pump Rules' Reunion, West Wilson and More
Recommendations for your weekend
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If you’re still reeling from last night’s “Summer House” season finale, I have a shameless plug to kick off this week’s newsletter: Tuesday’s episode of my podcast “Gabbing with Gib” will feature an interview with Lindsay Hubbard, which we recorded this week after having watched the finale.
She hasn’t done many interviews this season, but she graciously agreed to come on my show to cap off a difficult season and discuss some of what we saw in that gut-wrenching final episode ahead of the two-part reunion.
Subscribe to “Gabbing with Gib” on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get it in your feeds when it drops. ❤️
Read
This week’s must-read of the week is this 6-month investigation into Diddy’s past. (Cheyenne Roundtree & Nancy Dillon for Rolling Stone)
The executive-producer of “Vanderpump Rules,” “The Valley” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” Alex Baskin, gave an insightful interview that drops some hints about the future of the shows, how filming is going for “RHOBH” and more. (Jackie Strause for The Hollywood Reporter)
Breakout “Summer House” star West Wilson was profiled for — and got a full photo spread from — the New York Times. (Jessica Roy for The New York Times)
Pop Culture commentator and meme king Evan Ross Katz responded to recent criticism he’s gotten in a really thoughtful, methodical way, and I found it to be an important reminder to think before you speak about someone online. (
for )There were two recent culture pieces written about the rise in members’ clubs in New York City, and I finally read both of them.
This one focuses on Zero Bond and its infamous founder, Scott Sartiano. (Nate Freeman for Vanity Fair)
This one focuses on the broader trend and gives the reader an insight peek into several different clubs. (Emily Sundberg for GQ)
Listen
Charlie Puth on “Switched on Pop”
This is a great pod that I listen to when the subject is up my alley — and Charlie Puth coupled with a Taylor Swift reference? That’s absolutely my alley. Some of the conversation veers a little deep into musical composition in a way that went over my head, but overall it provides an inside look into Charlie’s headspace following what could low-key be a huge inflection point in his career (being name-checked and endorsed in a song by Taylor Swift at the height of her career so far). Listen above!
West Wilson on “Throwing Fits”
I’d never listened to this podcast before, but it just published an hour and 45-minute conversation with new “Summer House” star West Wilson, so I decided to tap in. It’s a little bro-y at points, but there were a ton of moments that just add to the growing list of reasons to love West. They talk about the show, fashion, bodega orders, that time he accidentally showed a little too much on TikTok and a lot more. Listen above!
Watch
Nelly Furtado on NPR’s “Tiny Desk”
Undoubtedly one of the best “Tiny Desk” concerts you’ll ever watch. The medleys, the arrangements, the personality, the crowd engagement, the song choices, the wet t-shirt look, including her baby daddy in the backing band… 10/10, no notes.
Rather (Netflix)
I weirdly couldn’t find a trailer for this online, but there’s a fairly new 90-minute documentary about iconic newscaster Dan Rather on Netflix that I found to be a really compelling and nice watch. There are some great talking heads in this one, too, including our Bravo Daddy, Andy Cohen.
Self-Promotion
“Vanderpump Rules” End-of-Season Deep Dive with Comments by Celebs
My friends Emma Diamond and Isabel Greenberg from Comments by Celebs joined me on the show this week to break down this just-wrapped season of “Vanderpump Rules,” the three-part reunion and what we think the show will do going forward. At the top of the episode, I also share my thoughts on “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” being put on pause and read some highlights from “Pump Rules” executive-producer Alex Baskin’s interview that I linked to earlier in the newsletter. Listen above!
Interviews with Chanel Ayan & Lesa Milan from “The Real Housewives of Dubai”
Season 2 of “The Real Housewives of Dubai” premieres on Sunday night after “RHONJ,” so I had Chanel Ayan and Lesa Milan from the cast on my podcast this week to tee-up the season. They were best friends during season 1 and are still close when we check back in with them at the top of season 2, but we’ll soon see their fallout on the show, so I talked to both of them separately about what we can expect from that and whether there’s any hope for reconciliation between them going forward. Watch above or listen below!
Currently
I just touched down in Florida for a bachelorette party this weekend — excited to disconnect a bit after a big week of being too online because of all of the big Bravo episodes we got this week!