Issue #13: Nothing but respect for my Barney
I s2g if we don’t get a dark comedy about American Girl Dolls produced by Neon next😤
Hello you!
My former camp co-counselor and current Linker (do we like this??), Leah, had an idea for a newsletter segment called ‘Forgotten Bangers’ in which I bring forth songs from yesteryear that are in fact, bops. Here’s what I have so far😎😎😎😎😎
Wind it Up, Gwen Stefani - Julie Andrews realness, some hard yodel representation (Mason Ramsey WHO??), and Gwen Stefani before she got lame and married? Blake? Shelton??? A return to when songs could just be stupid and fun, if you will.
Only U, Ashanti - I can see my 13 year old self so clearly in my minds eye, mesmerized by this music video for reasons I *couldn’t* quite understand! (Gay!)
Last Night, Diddy Feat Keyshia Cole - I don’t necessarily support the messaging behind this song, but I do support flip phone-core and Keyshia Cole absolutely tearing it up on vocals. Gen Z WISHES they knew the joy of T9.
Nooo don’t make a collaborative playlist where we all add our favorite forgotten bangers your so sexy aha. (Someone please do this👉👈)
More to consider:
My new personality is: I read horror books! I started with psychological thriller The Last House On Needless Street. Definitely go into this without looking up anything beforehand. I was enthralled and finished it in like two days (brag)! Up next is My Heart is a Chainsaw 🩸BTW, my talented friend Max just released a zine where they reviewed three classic zombie movies. You can read a preview/snag a digital copy here :) it’s so good.
Mattel is at it again! Daniel Kaluuya is set to produce and star in an ‘A24-type’ adaptation of Barney about ‘Milenial angst’ (????) I’m sorry but I’m CACKLING at the thought, even though I trust that if Daniel Kaluuya’s attached, it must be somewhat cool?? Haven’t we had enough movies glorifying capitalism under the guise of a telling an origin story? Tetris, BlackBerry, Flamin’ Hot, Air, BARBIE I’m sorry to say (although duh, I can’t wait). Whatever, I’m a consumer!
Your move, Mattel (via @juuliealbright on instagram) Speaking of Barbie, Letterboxd put out an article about important tropes, romances, and villains in the Barbie Cinematic Universe. Might be good to brush up on the lore before July 21st for all you Barbie freaks (me).
SPEAKING OF speaking of, Greta Gerwig is slated to direct two ‘Narnia’ films for Netflix. Fun! One of my favorite pop culture podcasts, Like a Virgin, did a deep dive last year on all adaptations to date.
Chronically online culture writer, Lizzie Logan, has a great Substack if you’re looking for more in pop culture commentary. She reviewed Caroline Calloway’s book, Scammer in her latest entry, and I really enjoyed it. Apparently former friend and ghostwriter, Natalie Beach released a book four days before Caroline’s??? I love mess!
Okay so The Idol ended! It was bad! Who cares! It DID give us World Class Sinner / I’m a Freak which I listen to at least 3x a day, as well as a conspiracy theory I’d like to run with to make the series more interesting:
Screenshot from either an Indiewire or Vulture article that I can’t find anymore! But el o elllll! The Night of the 12th is a crime thriller following the murder of a young woman in a small French village. It reminds me of Zodiac or Memories of a Murderer where the film becomes more about the systemic issues that facilitate violence rather than who did it, as well as the case becoming a villain in its own right. You find out at the very beginning that they never solve the case, but I was still on the edge of my seat. Plus it’s weirdly funny.
Dare you not to cry at the trailer for Scrapper, coming to theaters August 25th. You might recognize lead Harris Dickinson from the infamous indie-turned blockbuster, Triangle of Sadness, or the lesser known film Beach Rats, by Eliza Hittman.
Just when we thought we’d closed the chapter on Scandoval, another Bravo bombshell drops: Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky are reportedly separating after cheating rumors surface. FOR THE LOVE GOD, WHO HAS EYES ON ALLISON DUBOIS???
That’s all for this month! As always, thank u for reading, and see u next time :~)
