Everything we canât stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
[Manage newsletters]( [View in browser]( [Image] with Kevin Fallon Everything we canât stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
This week: - Thankful for the comedies that made summer bearable. - Thankful for the greatest show there is: Bluey. - Thankful for Olivia Newton-Johnâs most random videos. - Thankful for Bravo memes during the FBI raid. - Thankful for whatâs next! In Spite of it All, Thereâs Been a Lot to Laugh About I couldnât tell you how many times this summer I felt like Vicki Gunvalson. If youâve ever watched [The Real Housewives of Orange County](, youâll understand that no one wants to feel like a kindred spirit to the seriesâ polarizing former star. But this has been a relentless summer. As record temperatures boiled the globe, a record time of 3.25 seconds was reached for my back-sweat to soak through my shirt as soon as I stepped outside. The escalation of gun violence has made it so thereâs not a single public space I enter without an overwhelming feeling of unease. All of our rights are being stripped away. We all got COVID, and then immediately after I had to fight for a monkeypox vaccine appointment like I was trying for Adele concert tickets. I didnât win the [Mega Millions jackpot](. On top of everything else, [Christine Baranski wasnât nominated]( for an Emmy. That is to say that, by the time the Peacock reality series [Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club]( rolled around and we were treated to a [now-classic moment]( and line reading from Gunvalson, I felt her. I couldnât believe it, but I really, truly felt her. âIf I die now,â she told her castmates, with an almost unsettling stoicism, âtell them she died sad.â Histrionic? Morbid? Attention-seeking? Yes, yes, and duh. But relatable? Vicki, yes, I see you! But Iâve turned a corner. Because of some projects we have coming up here at The Daily Beast, Iâve been revisiting recent TV series and major pop-culture moments, and have been reconsidering these past few months. Iâm shocked, really, by how much fun theyâve also beenâby how much I, and hopefully we, have laughed. As such, I have decided to embrace a different iconic Real Housewives moment that, as the kids would have said several years ago and old people like me still say now, âlives rent-free in my head.â Let us never forget the time Jamie Lee Curtis channeled her inner QVC host to show off charity tchotchkes to the women of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and [Dorit Kemsley couldnât contain]( her hilarious fawning: âJamie, let me just say, that is the chicest wind chime I have ever seen.â So in the spirit of Dorit, I choose to gaslight myself and all those around me into thinking that a bunch of crap was actually fabulous. This summer so far? So chic! Mostly, that chicnessâand the aforementioned laughterâhas been owed to one of the strongest summers for TV comedy that I can remember. Itâs still relatively recent that new series and new seasons debuted during the doldrums. I remember growing up when NBC used to tout its three months of reruns with [the desperate commercial campaign](: âIf you havenât seen it, itâs new to you!â Now, some of the strongest seriesâspecifically comediesâof the year are airing during this hellacious season. I sometimes wonder if we donât [cherish What We Do in the Shadows]( enough. Of course, the people who I know that watch are evangelists. But I donât think thereâs a show on TV with the laughs-per-episode quotient that this one has, and it mystifies me that Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, and Matt Berry arenât gracing magazine covers that herald them as modern comedy geniuses. Thatâs not exactly to slight the trio occupying most of those covers. Steve Martin and Martin Short areâ¦Steve Martin and Martin Short, while Selena Gomez has been a [revelation on Only Murders in the Building](, particularly during this new seasonâwhich, coincidentally, Iâve been enjoying much more than its more careful, slower-paced first. [Barry](, a comedy that maybe should be called a drama, was nothing short of brilliant. [Evil](, a drama that maybe should be called a comedy, was the same. [The Boys](, a gruesome superhero TV series that is an allegory for the dangers of Trumpism and also included a shrinking man spelunking into a urethra and then [exploding inside of the penis](, is perhaps unclassifiable. But it sure is fun. [The Bear]( exposed the chaos and ultimate reward of working in a restaurant. [High School Musical: The Musical: The Series]( exposed the chaos and ultimate reward of being a teenager at musical theater camp. [Uncoupled]( exposed the chaos and (dear god, I hope) ultimate reward of being a gay man who is suddenly single in New York. Iâve never loved anything in this life the way that straight people love Nathan Fielder. Letâs just say that [The Rehearsal]( wasnât for me. Though, as I mentioned, these are trying times, so who am I to judge anyone who manages to find their bliss. But as for the comedy that gave me the fortitude to keep going this summer despite the number of times cashiers looked at my physical state after arriving at their establishments in this heat and asked, âSir, are you OK?â: I have to give it to reality TV. I do not care to admit how many times I have watched the clips of those Gunvalson and Kemsley moments, and I still howled as I wrote this piece. Thatâs not to mention how often the likes of Phaedra Parks and, surprisingly, Brandi Glanville pulled off comedy bits and one-liners better than most sitcoms on TV. (May we all learn to tell who is [a lesbian by their eyebrows](.) The greatest comedic performers we have in society assembled for the all-winners season of RuPaulâs Drag Race All Stars. If youâve seen the series, youâre familiar with Ruâs uncontrollable giggle fits. That was me every single time Jinkx Monsoon was on screen, and never more so than during her Snatch Game [performance as Judy Garland](. Itâs the TV moment of the year as far as Iâm concerned. (Similarly, the Discovery+ series Trixie Motel, featuring [Drag Race alum Trixie Mattel](, is more than worth your time.) And thatâs only counting official TV series. How many times have I gotten out of breath laughing at the viral video of the Dirty Dancing finale [set to The Muppet Show theme](? Or stared entranced and bewildered at [Drew Barrymore dancing in the rain](? (Related: [Be careful, Drew](!) Or cherished every [Keke Palmer clip](, and every meme about [Nicole Kidmanâs AMC theaters monologue](? I hate to say it, folks, but Iâm glad I am: This summer, we lived, we laughed, and we loved. Almost inexplicably. In any case, somethingâs coming soon in this spaceâand out of itâthat we hope will bring you joy. Hopefully this reminder of all the laughs weâve already experienced has been a fond warm-up for it. A MESSAGE FROM THE DAILY BEASTâS OBSESSED Streaming fans, cinephiles, and TV devotees: get ready to be obsessed. The opinionated pop-culture takes you love are expanding out of your inbox. Stay tuned for your next great entertainment obsession, launching August 15th. Bluey Is So GoodâEven for Grown, Single, Childless Adults It is with no irony, sarcasm, or attempt at trolling that I say that Bluey is one of the greatest shows on television. The Australian animated series is, yes, â[for kids](.â But that is a reductionist and exclusionary label, as it is one of the TV shows I enjoy watching the most and I am most certainly not a parent. (Well, I am a proud dad to my thriving fiddle-leaf fig tree. My therapist and I have talked about not selling myself short.) I will not be told that this series that brings me such immense pleasure is ânot for meâ because I âam not four years old.â Bluey airs in the U.S. on Disney+, and the third season finally arrived this week. (Not that I was counting downâ¦) Itâs phenomenal in the way that itâs both, again, appropriate for and hilarious to the extremely young demographic, but boasts sophisticated and inventive writing befitting the best TV sitcoms. Itâs not one of those shows that kids like, but at least thereâs some stuff for the adults to laugh at that might go over younger peopleâs heads. With Bluey, weâre all laughing at the same jokes. Bluey herself is a dog who lives in Australia with mum, dad, and little sister Bingo. Like [a lot of kidsâ shows](, most episodes follow Bluey and Bingo as they attempt to make each day an adventure, and thereâs usually a lesson to be learned at the end of it. But Bluey gives a 360-degree view of what that day entailed, showing the effort it took for mum and dad to pull off the activities, the fun, and the education. Itâs an inspiring portrait of what âplayâ means to children, and how adults can be a vital part of it. Thereâs an episode in which the whole family pretends every household object is almost too heavy to carry. Physical comedy gold. âRainâ is incredibly moving, revealing how great it is when a parent embraces their childâs sense of wonder. An episode set in a Big Box store where the family shops for a pizza oven is as uproarious as it is a powerful lesson about jealousy and responsibility. Donât even talk to me about âSleepytime.â Iâll get emotional. The new season sees Bluey and Bingo wanting to make a Fatherâs Day breakfast for dad, messing everything up [Lucy-at-the-conveyor-belt]( style, but it being OK anyway. âBedroomâ spotlights the difficulty of growing up and learning to be an individual when you have a sibling. In âMini Bluey,â Bingo dresses up as her older sister and she teaches her how to be like her. âI like to talk a lot,â Bluey says. âIt doesnât even need to make sense. Sometimes I just make sounds.â Then they just start honking and screaming gibberish. Have you met a child? Thatâs brilliant writing. I was with my family when the new episodes âdroppedââthe first time that phrase has been used about kidsâ programming. My young nephews started cackling when they began making the noises. I laughed heartily. My father roared and kept repeating the line, marveling at its truth. Itâs a perfect observation, made funny for everyone. Itâs not a novel take to say that Bluey is so good. Itâs popped up on many criticsâ Top TV lists, particularly parents, and countless essays have been written about its brilliance. Iâm just happy to add to the pile. My New Favorite Olivia Newton-John Videos There is no better character entrance in a movie than when Olivia Newton-John struts into the carnival as âBad Sandyâ in Grease. More sophisticated cinephiles will bristle. Moralists will protest the almost inexcusable lesson the scene teaches: Change who you are and get rid of all your values to appease a man, and youâll be happy, too. I donât care. Thereâs a reason itâs so indelible, so lasting. And only a star with the magnetism of Newton-John could have pulled that off. I thought that would be the clip Iâd be thinking about the most in the wake of Newton-Johnâs passing this week. Then I saw the footage of her duetting to [âHopelessly Devoted to Youâ with Mariah Carey](. (Sensational.) My colleague Coleman Spilde brought to my attention the music video for a Christmas song [she recorded with John Travolta]( in 2012. (Mesmerizing and baffling, which I say with love.) Then several celebrities posted the same clip that I had no idea existed. I couldnât believe I hadnât seen it before, and I will never go a day without watching it again. It is from a 1990 benefit for the organization Mothers and Others for a Livable Planet. Newton-John is part of the unlikely supergroup of Bette Midler, Cher, Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Lily Tomlin performing âWhat a Wonderful World.â ([Watch it here](.) It is cheesy. It is beautiful. And, most of all, Newton-John is radiant. As she always was. The Best Way to Report the News If thereâs one way to get me to pay attention to the news, itâs to report that Mar-a-Lago had been raided by the FBI, but explained through [reality-TV memes](. They said thereâd never be a service like the one provided by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, finding ways to get young people engaged with the news by marrying politics and entertainment. Well, whoever âtheyâ were, theyâd clearly never [heard of Bravo fans](, or witnessed their incredible talent at making memes. Exciting Stuff Is Dropping! Normally I end this newsletter with a photo of a shirtless celebrity, or Anne Hathaway looking flawless, or a very funny pop-culture-related tweet. I am deeply sorry that, this week, itâs not the case. However, I promise that if any of those things is of interest to youâor anything youâve ever read in this newsletter is, for that matterâthen thereâs good news coming on Monday. Shameless plug! Stay tuned! I Love My Dad: This movie is one of the wildest rides Iâve gone on this year, and itâs worth it. (Fri. on VOD) A League of Their Own: One of my all-time favorite movies gets a refreshingly lovely reboot series. (Fri. on Amazon) Never Have I Ever: A precious jewel of a TV series launches its final season. (Fri. on Netflix) The Princess: Anyone obsessed with Princess Dianaâso all humansâshould tune into this. (Sat. on HBO) Day Shift: Jamie Foxx made a vampire comedy for Netflix. I am stunned that it isnât good. (Fri. on Netflix) Mack & Rita: Someone please rescue Diane Keaton from her agent!!! (Fri. in theaters) Advertisement
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