Taylor Swift Discourse, A*Teens Reunion & The Performance That Changed Tracy Chapman's Career
Recommendations for your weekend
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Doesn’t it feel like the Grammys were like a month ago?
On Sunday night we were treated to one of the best awards shows in years, full of genuinely incredible moments, the reemergence of a few legends and a generally welcome group of winners. I did turn off my TV that night with some conflicting feelings about Taylor Swift, though, who is one of my favorite artists in the world. I couldn’t quite put those feelings into words, but thankfully a few articles and podcasts from this week were able to do that for me (linked below, obvi).
Keep reading for a ton of great recs, including an unexpected A*Teens reunion and a really cool story about how Tracy Chapman’s career initially took off back in 1988.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Read
I loved this piece about the harmony that Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ duet of “Fast Car” at last weekend’s Grammys represented. (Lindsay Zoladz for The New York Times)
This other piece about how, in spite of the Grammys continuing to make strides with diversity and inclusion, not everyone feels welcome on music’s biggest night, to be really prescient. (Jon Caramanica for The New York Times)
If you had some unexpectedly complicated feelings about Taylor Swift after the Grammys that you couldn’t quite put into words, welcome to the club. This article articulated a lot of what I’ve been feeling about my girl T.Swift this week. (
for )That article links to this one, which I also found helpful. (Elaine Lui for Lainey Gossip)
The NFL is entering its WAG era — what does that mean, who does that benefit and where have we seen that before? (Nora Princiotti for The Ringer)
A fun conversation between Ziwe and Jeremy O. Harris. Wish this were longer! (Interview Magazine)
Fascinating little profile about the woman who has Jen Shah and Jonathan Majors in court. (Angelina Chapin for The Cut)
What to make of the moment that Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been having since her prison release. (Alice Bolin for The Cut)
There were a few fantastic pieces about social media, being a creator/journalist in this current era of digital media and the evolution of TikTok this week that I also wanted to share:
This piece about what you have to do to be an independent writer or journalist in 2024 in terms of content creation, brand management and more hit the nail on the head. I’ve never felt more seen? (Rebecca Jennings for Vox)
Is TikTok broken — or over? (Jon Caramanica for The New York Times)
This taxonomy of different kinds of social media users is fun. (Elizabeth Lopatto for The Verge)
Unpacking the meaningless conveyer belt of TikTok terms in recent years. (Rebecca Jennings for Vox)
Listen
Behind the Scenes of The Grammys with EP Ben Winston (Rolling Stone Music Now)
This interview with the executive producer of the Grammy Awards was a really fun look behind-the-scenes of the show and full of delicious tidbits about how one of the best awards shows in years came to be. Listen below!
RELATED: If you’d prefer some analysis of what happened at Sunday’s Grammys, The New York Times’ Popcast did a pretty great job. Listen to that here!
Taylor Swift and The Unbearable Whiteness of Girlhood (Code Switch)
I found this episode unpacking Taylor Swift and all that she represents to be really thought-provoking, especially in light of everything that went down with her at the Grammys. Listen below!
Watch
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime)
Absolutely loving this TV adaptation of the Brangelina-starring “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” movie from 2004. This series stars Maya Erskine and Donald Glover and it’s at once a dry-humored rom-com and an action-packed thriller. I’m having a lot of fun watching this one!
A*Teens 25th Anniversary Reunion
The A*Teens reunited on stage for the first time in several decades to perform a medley of their own hits and some of ABBA’s biggest songs that they initially broke out by covering in the early 2000s — and it was thrilling!
The Performance That Catapulted Tracy Chapman’s Career
In the wake of her surprise appearance at the Grammys, Tracy Chapman’s past work has bubbled back up to the surface. One of those is her 1988 performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday celebration, which skyrocketed her to fame. The caption from the above YouTube video explains it in full:
Self-Promotion
“Vanderpump Rules” Recap: It’s All About Tom (Betches)
My recap of this week’s episode of “Pump Rules” focused on the reemergence of Tom Sandoval. Read that here!
“Real Housewives of Miami” star Guerdy Abraira Interview (Gabbing with Gib)
Welcomed Guerdy from “RHOM” onto the show this week to talk about this incredible season, how she’s doing health-wise following her cancer battle, her latest thoughts on the ongoing situation with Larsa and more. Listen to that below!
Talking All Things Bravo (RHOBH, RHOM, RHOA, Pump Rules) with Abbey Bonadies (Gabbing with Gib)
Invited my friend Abbey — the flowchart queen of TikTok — onto my podcast this week to deep dive into a bunch of the current Bravo shows. Listen to that below!
Talking All Things “The Traitors” (The Gist)
I made a guest appearance on the podcast “The Gist with Chris Vetrano” to talk all things “The Traitors” — listen below!
Currently
A weekend in New York of TV catchup, reading, a friend’s birthday party and maybe watching the Super Bowl if I feel like it. Oh, and seeing Griff in concert tonight!