September
“everyone and their mother in hollywood getting divorced except aaron taylor johnson and that grandma…what kind of witchcraft is this”
Substack says this post is too long for email so to see the full thing open it up in your browser or Substack app. Or, just click “view entire email” and it’ll show the whole thing in your email app. I could have shortened it, but I didn’t want to.
What’s Hot:
Call Her Daddy Season 4 Premiering September 20th: A new era for Father Cooper is coming and she just keeps getting better. She’s blowing up and you should listen to her interviews. The podcast is leaps and bounds different and better than it was in its Barstool days, so if you only know of this podcast because of that unfortunate phase, check it out again NOW.
GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo: The Gen-Z Taylor Swift slays again with her sophomore album. It’s giving Paramore x Taylor Swift and as expected, I love it. My current favorite song is all-american bitch. She does sample a lot of music from other artists, but who doesn’t these days? It’s hard to make truly original content in the golden age of content creation. I also die for her music videos directed by Petra Collins. So good.
Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Session) ft. Used to Be Young: Miley won’t be touring anytime soon (SAD), but she is giving us the content we crave as she re-releases and adds interview content and a new song (Used to Be Young) to the media mix. Miley is giving us the nostalgic throw backs to her Disney days and never-before-seen insight into her life throughout her years in the spotlight.
Love Island All-Stars (ITV and hopefully HULU): This genius idea is the product of Love Island's dropping popularity and viewership from its prime time in 2017-2019 (Season 3-5). I myself have dropped off of the Love Island train as I have not finished the 2 most recent seasons and simply rely on Instagram Reels to show me the drama and winners. I do think the drop in US viewers is because of the delay in release in the US and therefore the spoilers we see via social media. I was re-hooked when I heard about this.
Who Is Erin Carter (Netflix): If y’all have not noticed, Netflix has limited new US-made movies and TV shows to release on their platform these days (thanks to you, big studio execs, you stupid oafs). So, we’ve got an influx of foreign films and TV to binge instead. This mystery thriller about Erin Carter, a young suburban mom who stops a grocery store robbery with suspicious ease, is one of the best. If you like organized crime, mystery, car chases and fight scenes, this one is for you. There is a clever and unexpected answer to the show’s title question, too.
Nailed It Baking Show (Netflix): Shoutout P-waves and Duke grad Frank Hu who is a hilarious contestant on the latest Netflix amateur baking show. It is as sweet and wholesome as the Great British Baking Show and an easy watch if you need something to brighten your day or evening.
The Ultimatum (Netflix): This is a wild reality TV show experiment and I am here for it. Six couples made up of one person who has issued a marriage ultimatum, and one person who is hesitant about marriage, elect to participate in an experiment where they break up and date/live with one of the other show participants in order to determine whether they will reunite with their original partner and get engaged, break up for good and leave alone, or break up and leave with someone new they have met through the show. It feels like a very intimate and invasive experience to watch, but that’s also what makes it so delicious.
Survivor Season 45 (Paramount+): airs September 27th, 2023 and I am so excited. There are a lot of lawyers this season.
What’s Not:
The Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas divorce: “everyone and their mother in hollywood getting divorced except aaron taylor johnson and that grandma…what kind of witchcraft is this”. This announcement is a tragic one. Not many Hollywood divorces have shaken me like this one. One of my childhood icons (Joe Jonas) and one of my teenage/adulthood icons (Sophie Turner) join together in the holy state of matrimony! It was too good to be true. Now my group chats are popping off with speculation about who cheated on who and who is the bad parent. Joe Jonas’ team seems to be the only one fueling the rumors, which is suspicious and a classic technique used by celebrity men to make their significant other seem like a lousy wife, mom, or both.
Family YouTuber Ruby Franke: A woman who publicly shared her abusive ways of punishing her children on YouTube (family channel: 8 Passengers) for years has now been charged with 6 felony accounts of aggravated child abuse including torture, starvation, and severe emotional abuse. Vomit. She literally filmed herself explaining the abuse to her children and posted it on YouTube so there’s no way she’s getting out of these charges. Wishing the best for her children. This also brings up the debate of parents creating monetized family vlogs featuring their young children who cannot consent.
The Job Market: I’m back on the job-hunt grind and it is brutal as usual. It also doesn’t help that my Instagram algorithm is fueling my rage against capitalism and frustration with how little my industries of choice (Writing and Education) are valued monetarily (aka how hard it is to find a living wage with only 2 years of post-grad experience in these areas of interest). Did you know that we are living in what some call the “silent depression,” which is worse than the great depression itself? Checkout the Tik Tok. Why is no one talking about this and why do I get the sense that people think I’m being dramatic when I say these things? It’s different than the great depression because we have a lower employment rate currently, but just because you are employed doesn’t mean you are making enough money to live…