The Weekly Spill #31
is it me? am i the october surprise?
Happy Friday, divas!! Surprise!! I am finally back after my little unplanned hiatus, and I came with beans to spill. Plz enjoy:
Liza Minnelli on the cover of Interview: Obsessed. Iconic. Need a copy ASAP. If this turns into another city-wide hunt (a la the Lana issue), I am ready to dedicate myself fully to this mission. If you have a lead on where to snag a copy in the city plz spill ur beans!!
Stereophonic: I finally saw Stereophonic, and I am very happy to report that it lives up to the hype (and the Tony Awards). If one of your special interests is the inter-band drama of Fleetwood Mac, this is the play for you. Stereophonic is a fly-on-the-wall style narrative about a band skyrocketing to fame while recording their second album together. It’s fiction, but comes close enough to true accounts to be hit with a lawsuit (on the day that I saw it). I was blown away by the sheer level of talent on stage at the Golden Theater. The acting was so natural that at times I forgot I was watching a play. On top of the phenomenal acting, the cast are playing their instruments and recording this album live in front of you. AND the songs are incredible. Somehow songwriter Will Butler managed to write original songs that sound like they could be on Rumors. If you can get a ticket before Stereophonic closes in January, go see it.
Needlepoint: Just what I needed… another hobby!! The needlepoint influencers (who knew?) got to me. I thought it would be a great way to get off of my phone and cut down on the screen time. Now I’m all in. I am hard at work putting in the hours, stitching ornaments. Do I have a Christmas tree to put them on? No, but who cares? I’ll have a tree at some point.
my handiwork..compliments only plz! The needlepoint girlies post their canvas wishlists all the time and I want to be like them, so here are some that I am eyeing currently:
Cher’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction: Cher was FINALLY inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame over the weekend.
Dua Lipa performed in her honor, and I can’t stop watching the video. I have nothing against Dula Peep, and I usually don’t even care that she constantly gets compared to Cher. However, it takes more than straight black hair to be the Goddess of Pop. Dua starts performing Believe and it’s going…okay. Then, Cher comes out and absolutely eats Miss Lipa’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midday snack with her live vocals.
In a stunning celebration of Cher and Bob Mackie’s contribution to fashion, Zendaya wore this 2001 Mackie gown. I have high red carpet expectations—both for Zendaya and for anyone doing anything Cher-inspired, and this was so good that it made me audibly gasp in public. Brava!
The Gilded Age: After visiting the mansions in Newport, I decided to rewatch HBO’s The Gilded Age because I think it’s really fun to shout “omg i’ve been there!” at the TV. Not only was I afforded many shouting opportunities during my rewatch, but I rediscovered how much fun this show is. The cast is full of fabulous broadway divas, the costumes are stunning, and the drama is so captivatingly low-stakes that talking about it makes you sound insane. Like yes, it was scandalous to serve that soup! I need the next season yesterday!
Kamala Harris’s new Vogue Cover: I am happy that Annie Leibovitz got the chance to redeem herself because Kamala’s first cover was… disappointing. This is a giant improvement. We love a redemption arc!
Nobody Wants This: I haven’t been loving the Netflix original content recently (I am not a Bridgerton girlie or a true crime girlie srry), so I was shocked at how much I enjoyed Nobody Wants This. It proves a point in the romcom thesis I’ll write someday: the greatest romcoms have great actors. Adam Brody and Kristen Bell have real chemistry that is fun to watch onscreen. Their talent elevates this show, and saves it from its kinda mediocre writing. It seems like everyone has already watched it by now, but if you haven’t I recommend! I had a fun time binging it, and hopefully its success will result in more romcoms.
Anniversary Playbills: To celebrate their 140th anniversary, broadway shows will be handing out limited-edition vintage inspired Playbills for the month of October. Each show has 4 different designs inspired by past eras of Broadway. It was not a competition, but somehow Oh, Mary! still won.
i need them all! Saturday Night: This movie was such a fun time to watch. I loved it. SNL cast member has to be the most stressful-yet-unserious job you could ever come up with. I feel like the guys in Oppenheimer weren’t under this much pressure and they could have destroyed the world. Gabriel LaBelle is a star (if you saw The Fablemans you already knew that), and at this point I will show up for anything Rachel Sennot does. If you feel like we need more fun ensemble movies this is for you!!
Socks: We are 11 days out from an election, and the polls are tied! There are many issues to consider when making your choice at the ballot box, but voters who typically decide based on future First Pets are out of luck this year—neither candidate has one. That makes this race to the White House pretty historic.
As we look toward a pet-free Pennsylvania Ave, I couldn’t help but wonder: Who was the most iconic White House pet? To easy some of my election anxiety I decided to do some research and… it’s Socks Clinton.
Socks was so popular that the head of the House Oversight Committee publicly complained about the White House resources that went to answering his fan mail. He had his own First Cat campaign buttons. He did official visits to hospitals. Paparazzi were obsessed with him. The White House website included an audio file of his meow. Socks was even set to get his own video game where he has to save the country from a nuclear attack, but it was scrapped last minute.
Socks on a pap walk in Little Rock pre-White House Socks, you were an icon. Gone, but never forgotten.
star, legend, demo-cat If Kamala Harris wins, I would love to see her adopt a cat. I think all of the childless cat ladies who vote for her would love to see it.
Note: the best-named White House pet was Macaroni the Pony, but that’s a different metric entirely.
Patti LuPone on Hot Ones: It’s Patti LuPone on Hot Ones what more could I possibly add? I don’t care that this is old news by now, it’s timeless to me.
The Apprentice: Yes, I took a break from anxiously following the election to go watch the Trump biopic because I am insane. I’ve been intrigued by this film for a while due to both its casting choices and the great lengths the subject has gone to prevent people from seeing it. Sebastian Stan would not be the first person I would expect to play Trump, but his performance is incredible. I could definitely see him getting a nomination for this. At this point, it feels like everyone has a shitty Trump impression, but Stan never falls into doing a goofy parody. Jeremy Strong’s portrayal of Roy Cohn was the headline coming out of the film’s premiere at Cannes for good reason. He somehow balances the contradictions of Cohn perfectly. I wish he was in more of the movie. The Apprentice isn’t perfect, but it has really stuck with me since seeing it. For that, I have to recommend it.
Anne Hathaway singing Somebody To Love: Is there anything she can’t do? I forget that she’s a fantastic singer because we all collectively decided the Les Mis movie doesn’t exist.
And for my Sondheim girlies:
I saw someone say that Anne would be an excellent Bobbie in the gender-swapped Company, and now I need that to happen.
Audra McDonald’s rendition of “Children Will Listen” (sung at the same event) made me cry.
Disease by Lady Gaga: happy to confirm: we are so back!!!
That’s all for this week! Tell all of your friends that I’m back, and have a fabulous weekend!
Drama so silly I sound stupid talking about is the most compelling argument I’ve seen to watch gilded age tbh, will be adding to cue on that strength alone lol. Also so happy to get your review on zendaya’s bob mackie move - I needed someone with Cher fan credentials to speak on the moment!!