03/26/21
This week: Remembering Jessica Walter and forgetting David Dobrik.TRENDS THIS WEEK
☞ YouTube: Henry Cavill on The Synder Cut
☞ Letterboxd: ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE
☞ TikTok: #InspirationalQuotes
☞ Spotify: Peaches - Justin Bieber
☞ Netflix: GINNY & GEORGIA
☞ Twitter: Jessica Walter
Life & Culture
Mourning the loss of two prolific creative women this week. Beverly Cleary, the renowned children's book author, who brought us adored titles like BEEZUS AND RAMONA, passed away at 104 on Thursday. This quote of hers has likely inspired countless writers, and remains true to this day: "If you don't see the book you want on the shelves, write it."
Jessica Walter, the Emmy-winning actress with over 150 credits to her name, passed away on Wednesday. Beloved for, among other things, her iconic turn as Lucille Bluth on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, she perfected the art of playing sharp-tongued, challenging women. Her daughter shared the news, telling CNN: “A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre.”
If you’ve been on the internet at any point in the past five years, you’ve probably come across David Dobrik in one form or another, even if you haven’t been actively looking for young YouTubers making prank content. With a seemingly never-ending string of free giveaways and nearly 19M subscribers, he enjoyed a long reign as social media’s favorite relatable It boy. However, over the past year, fans and fellow creators have been calling him out for some of the extremely messed up content he’s put out in the past. And this past week, just as it finally seemed like the general public was really starting to pay attention to the mounting allegations, Insider published an article that details the story of a college student who says she was raped by one of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad members during a shoot for one of his vlogs. And, as tweets like this one pointed out, he didn’t apologize for his involvement until after his brand sponsors cut ties with him. Now, fans are looking back at the YouTuber’s content and seeing racism and misogyny clearly embedded in the entertainment that previously looked like nothing more than harmless jokes to so many of us.
It feels like a lot of dark stuff has been dominating the news cycle lately. So, here is a TikTok of a sloth on a lil boat ride to bring you some much needed joy. And here’s a video detailing the cute way that Tokyo makes use of tiny open spaces in the city.
—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant
Filmmaker
You may know Margaret Zhang as the new editor-in-chief of Vogue China—at the age of 27, she’s the youngest EIC to ever helm the title. In addition to being a fashion icon, this Australian-born Chinese multi-hyphenate is also a talented filmmaker with a unique eye. I recently watched her short film I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. In this dreamy, highly stylized short film, two outsiders alone in Tokyo—and two avatars treading carefully in a Japanese chat room—embark on an unlikely search for identity through the modern, distorted lens of the projected self. This fun, gorgeous, and at times disorienting short blurs the thin line between physical reality and digital reality, exploring the desire to feel connected and loved in both spaces. Go watch!
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Film
Last month Apple TV+ released BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY, a documentary following Eilish’s ascent as she records and tours her mega-successful debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The movie provides a detailed look at Eilish’s day-to-day and her interactions with her brother and parents, who are all closely involved with her career. Because she initially gained popularity on Soundcloud and is one of the first purely 21st century pop stars (born in December 2001!), I was most interested in Eilish’s relationship to the internet and social media. While the film doesn’t spend much time investigating this relationship, a couple of Eilish’s most vulnerable moments arise from online commentary about her persona. More prominent are traditional teenage hallmarks: getting her driver’s license, dramatic declarations of love. Ultimately the doc shows Billie Eilish as a modern teenager who happens to be a pop star.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
Theater
There’s an all-new spring lineup for the Spotlight on Plays reading series! This weekend only, you can catch Keanu Reeves (!!), Bobby Cannavale, Alia Shawkat, and Heidi Schreck (again, !!) in Larissa FastHorse’s THE THANKSGIVING PLAY. The wickedly funny play follows a group of “woke” teachers trying to create a pageant that celebrates both Thanksgiving and Native American heritage. Later plays in the season include Sarah Ruhl’s DEAR ELIZABETH, based on the compiled letters between poets Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop; and Paula Vogel’s THE BALTIMORE WALTZ, a fantastical story about a brother and sister confronting the brother’s fatal disease.
—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive
Book
Last year I spoke at length with my Aunt Sarah about our favorite books, and I recommended Kazuo Ishiguro’s THE REMAINS OF THE DAY to her. We’ve never spoken of it since. So you can believe I was surprised earlier this week when I received an unexpected package from Aunt Sarah carrying a signed copy of his new novel KLARA AND THE SUN. Ishiguro returns to near-future science fiction, working in a register similar to that of his classic NEVER LET ME GO, with a story about Klara, an “Artificial Friend” hoping to be purchased by a human customer. I was already excited for this release, and its surprise appearance on my doorstep has only amplified that excitement. Thanks, Aunt Sarah!
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
Music
Lil Nas X did it again! The musician finally released his single MONTERO (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) today. Personally, I have been anxiously waiting for this moment since he dropped a 38-second clip of the song on Twitter back in July, which has since been viewed 18.6 million times. It’s that good. And of course the music video that accompanies the song is an absolute movie. It’s so cinematic and wild and fun to watch. Lil Nas X (whose real name is Montero) also shared a beautiful letter that he wrote to his 14-year-old self explaining that he wrote a song with their name in it. He wrote, “I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.”
This TikTok put me on the important Hannah Montana investigation currently underway. Apparently the show came out 15 years ago this week, which I refuse to believe. But anyway, a verified Hannah account popped up on Twitter, and at the same time, Miley wrote a very cute love letter to Hannah. And if that weren’t enough, Hannah also sent heartfelt gifts to figures like Quavo, Corbin Bleu, and Joe Jonas—all of whom have varying connections to the show and its place in pop culture. While this might just be a sweet celebration of the show’s anniversary, some fans are speculating that a reboot or a new album might be in our future. As a former fan who had the show’s Season 2 Episode 4 bone dance fully memorized, I'm here for whatever content we can get.
—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant