Parting Thoughts on 'RHOC' Season 17
Some escapism after an intense week
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I’m going to keep it short and sweet up top this week — there’s been so much heartbreaking news coming out over the past seven days that, mixed with an incredibly intense, charged online dialogue, has left a lot of people understandably exhausted.
Sending peace and love to all of those who need it and praying for the lives of all of the innocent people caught in the crosshairs of war right now.
Keep scrolling for some levity and escapism in the form of article, podcast, TV show and YouTube video recommendations, as well as some parting thoughts on Season 17 of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” the reunion for which wrapped up this week.
Read
One of the best articles you will ever read about Taylor Swift, no doubt. Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a prolific celebrity profiler and the author of “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” chronicles her experience of attending the Eras Tour and what it told her about herself, about Taylor and about womanhood. A phenomenal read. (Taffy Brodesser-Akner for The New York Times Magazine)
I also loved this piece about Beyoncé and The Renaissance World Tour that I had open in my tabs for over a week. It captures the incredibly special period of Beyoncé’s career that we’re all witnessing and experiencing with her. What a gift. (Jenna Wortham for The New York Times Magazine)
The boutique movie studio A24 — perhaps the only studio with its own discernible brand identity at this point — is evolving and expanding its strategy to include, you guessed it, more commercial IP-driven films. This article outlines that shift and why it matters. (Umberto Gonzalez and Drew Taylor for The Wrap)
How globalization and climate change have affected the production of “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” (Calum Marsh for The New York Times)
Enrapturing piece about Zelle fraud, which I had never thought about before. (Devin Friedman for Insider)
Julia Fox’s memoir came out this week, and this article provides for a nice overview and preview of what she wrote about in it. I’ll definitely be reading the book. (Ilana Kaplan for The Los Angeles Times)
This article encapsulates everything that’s gone wrong with group chat culture (but let’s agree to never refer to group texts as “grexts” ever again). (Faith Hill for The Atlantic)
Listen
“Finding Fire Island” Podcast
My friend Jess Rothschild (who also hosts “Hot Takes & Deep Dives,” a pop culture podcast that I’ve guested on before) hosts this ode to all things Fire Island (well, the gay parts) — from the history to the nuances between Cherry Grove and The Pines to the evolution of the culture there and more. The six-episode docu-series features interviews from a bunch of notable figures like Matt Rogers, Margaret Cho, Joel Kim Booster, Brian Moylan and more. Whether you’ve been to Fire Island or not, this is a delightful (and insightful) listen from start to finish!
PR Queen Molly McPherson on “Into It: A Vulture Podcast”
I already loved Molly after following her on TikTok for her analysis of celebrity apologies, PR and scandals, so this deep dive into the latest round of celebrity apologies was much appreciated. Her insights into the likes of Joe Jonas, Lizzo, Drew Barrymore and more were fascinating.
Ozempic Episode of “Maintenance Phase”
My relationship with this podcast is definitely love/hate, but this episode was a long time coming and provided for a solid unpacking of the Ozempic of it all. I particularly liked the part of the hosts’ discussion around what the dominant public conversation around the weight-loss drug gets wrong. Definitely worth the listen if you’re looking to better understand the phenomenon.
Watch
“Starstruck” - Season 3 (Max)
In a just world, “Starstruck” would’ve catapulted its star and creator Rose Matafeo into being a household name alongside the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel. While this show isn’t quite as consistently great or groundbreaking as “Fleabag” or “I May Destroy You,” it’s similarly able to make whip smart observations about gender dynamics, 21st century dating and millennial culture all while making you laugh. I don’t believe there’s any word on whether or not a fourth season is coming, but its first three are amazing.
“73 Questions” with Gwyneth Paltrow (Vogue)
Essential viewing, honestly. She uses her Oscar as a doorstop for a gate, for crying out loud! If that’s not iconic behavior, I don’t know what is. (After you watch the original, I highly recommend you then watch this hilarious parody of it.)
“Savior Complex” (Max)
This three-part docu-series is an incredibly well put-together, complex look at missionary work in Africa as told through the story of Renee Bach. Renee started a charity to help malnourished children in Uganda, but things took a turn when one of her coworkers called attention to some unseemly practices she was observing while working there. The whole idea of the “white savior complex” is layered and controversial, and the series does an excellent job at unpacking that through a variety of lenses. It also does the necessary work of making sure to not just center Renee’s point of view, but also that of her Ugandan peers and the Ugandan people she was striving to help.
Sam Smith’s Tiny Desk Concert (NPR)
There are very few artists who are able to take me to church when they sing live the way Sam Smith does when they sing their older material — and they do just that during their “Tiny Desk Concert,” which came out last week. The background singers inject something truly special into this performance, which utilizes a lot of new arrangements for some of Sam’s most beloved songs.
Bravo, Bravo, Fucking Bravo
“Real Housewives of Orange County” Season 17 Parting Thoughts
The two-part “RHOC” reunion concluded this week, and who would’ve thought that it would be Gina Kirschenheiter who kinda came out on top? Well, her and Heather Dubrow, of course. And Jenn. Okay, the whole right couch won the reunion. Gina did a fabulous job at not only holding her own against Shannon, but also speaking up during others’ arguments at the right times to either provide clarity or stick up for someone. She was absolutely correct about the whole CPS comment, which it took way too much work to get Shannon to (semi) apologize for.
Which, knowing what we know now about Shannon’s DUI and her reportedly getting help for her struggles with alcohol, wasn’t surprising. That actually made watching Shannon even tougher, honestly — you could tell that she was not in a very good place when they filmed this not too long ago, so here’s to hoping that she can turn things around and perhaps make things right with some of these women next season.
Heather also handled herself extremely well as Emily, Tamra and Shannon continued to come for her. When she didn’t have a good explanation for something, she apologized. When she did have a good explanation, she expressed herself clearly. What more can you want? It was nice to see Tamra let her guard down and get emotional about the whole thing, and they seemed primed to move forward on better terms, because there’s definitely mutual respect there. Watching Tamra tie everything up with Heather in a nice little bow (including their post-reunion group dinner), I couldn’t help but think that this worked out exactly how she planned it: She returned to the show on good terms with Fancy Pants, helped instigate a movement against her with most of the people on the cast, attempted a final confrontation at the finale (that didn’t work) and then ultimately made up just in time at the end of the reunion.
While I don’t think it’s quite that simple, it does tie into one of the things I really loved about this reunion, which is all of the allusions they made to talking about things off-camera and on-camera, the discrepancies between those conversations and what it reveals about how they all want to come across on the show. It’s a level of fourth wall breaking that maybe isn’t as dramatic as moments we’ve seen in the past, but it still acknowledges that they’re on a show, which is refreshing. They might be able to come in with a game plan but, more times than not, those plans don’t come to fruition — which makes for phenomenal reality TV. What a great season this was — I hope everyone comes back next season! No cast changes necessary, IMO.
Self-Promotion
“We Should Talk” feat. Hosts of SiriusXM’s “TikTok Radio”
This week on my podcast for In The Know by Yahoo is an interview with the hosts of SiriusXM’s “TikTok Radio”: Davis Burleson, Taylor Cassidy, Lamar Dawson, Jess Lucero and Masani Musa, who are all TikTok stars in their own right. I loved chatting with them about all things music and TikTok.
Currently
Things I’m excited to see this weekend: The premiere of E!’s most promising new reality show in years, “House of Villains,” and “The Eras Tour” film, which I’m seeing on Sunday. I’ll also be listening to Troye Sivan’s excellent new album for the foreseeable future!