Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (12/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

Ella Purnell for “Cosmopolitan (UK)” (circa 12/25)

Cosmopolitan UK asked Ella Purnell some this-or-that questions, before diving deeper into the meaning and inspiration behind her favourite tattoo.

Stevie Martin and Lou Sanders joined forces to (haphazardly) review vegan “mince pies” for their new (NSFW) Instagram venture “Vegans In Your Regions”: Part #1, Part #2, Part #3.

– KCRW dusted off an archive clip (from 2017) of Regina Spektor performing “New Year”, a quietly inspiring original song about gratitude and looking forward. Cheers!

Lucy Liu took her turn in the “Criterion Closet”, repping Asian cinematic icons and looking hella stylish doing it.

Electric Callboy sat down for a cosy (English-language) chit-chat about their recent European tour, followed by a candid Q&A section (Spoiler: There’s no new album on the horizon just yet).

Metal Hammer announced the “The 50 Best Metal Songs of 2025” (as chosen by their readers), and the No. 1 spot went to Ghost’s “Satanized”, which also got my vote. I felt a little guilty for “betraying” Babymetal (who came 5th with “From Me to U” (ft. Poppy)) and Electric Callboy (who came 4th with “Elevator Operator”), but I had to decide based on the specific track that was nominated, and not factor in how long I’ve been following the bands themselves… though if “Ratatata” had come out in 2025 (rather than 2024), then that would have been a no-brainer for me! Meanwhile, Ghost also claimed the mag/website’s “Album of the Year” laurels for Skeléta (as chosen by their staff/writers)… but Babymetal’s Metal Forth didn’t appear on the list at all, which is completely incomprehensible to me. For shame!

Liz Fenning as ‘Young Sister Imperator’ in Ghost’s “Chapter 23” (2025)

– I finally caught up with all of Ghost’s in-character “chapter” vids just as frontman/founder Tobias Forge started hinting that he’s keen to abandon the “Clergy” lore I’ve been busy absorbing! Gah! In light of that, now’s probably a good time to shout-out Liz Fenning, who plays the “Young Sister Imperator” in various flashbacks… most notably the promos for “Dance Macabre” (link) and “Kiss the Go-Goat” (Trojan-ed into “Chapter Eight”) (link), as well as the latest episode (“Chapter 23”) which also contains a partially-animated visualiser for the song “Cenotaph” (link).

Sadie Sink commented on some of her scenes from Season 5 of Stranger Things, via the official Netflix channel.

– At the risk of projecting my own pervery onto others, I have a feeling that seeing Sarah Sherman dressed as a drunk, horny raccoon on SNL (ep #51.7) could well awaken a new litter of “furries”.

– I was a little leery when I first heard that Charli XCX would be starring in a mockumentary about/as herself, especially since it’s being released in January (which is notorious for being a post-holiday “dump month” for films)… but the trailer suggests this flick is firing on all cylinders (writing, direction, acting, and casting), and has really got me hyped to see The Moment on a big screen. Brat forever!

Sarah Nixey released a seasonal single for the “Winter Solstice”, taken from her fourth solo album Sea Fever, which is due out next month.

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link), Pitch Meetings (link), Star Wars Explained (link), Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).


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Happy Hanukkah (2025)

Hanukkah - Day 08

I’m not Jewish myself, but some of my friends (and many of my idols) are, so I wanted to show some solidarity with the diaspora in these turbulent times by once again hosting my own “hanukkiah” on this blog (using gifs borrowed from Tenor).

To quote Rabbi Menachem Creditor, whose brother-in-law was injured in the recent Bondi Beach attack: “May the lights of Chanukah console the grieving, heal the wounded, strengthen the protectors, and remind us, again, that even the smallest flame is stronger than the deepest night. … May our light increase. May our resilience endure. And may we, through acts of faith and justice, illuminate a world still aching for dawn.”

I’d also like to put in my annual plug for Sandra Bernhard‘s soulful plea for peace and empathy “Miracle of Lights” (2023).

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Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (11/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

Sadie Sink for "Teen Vogue" (circa 11/25)

Sadie Sink discussed how she became ‘Max Mayfield’ in Stranger Things (from casting to costumes to acting) with Teen Vogue… and then she answered an “excessive amount” of (quite random) questions for Glamour.

Goldfrapp posted “upscaled” vintage TV performances of “Ride A White Horse” (link) and “Ooh La La” (link), to promote the deluxe 20th anniversary edition of their third album Supernature.

Lizzy Caplan shared her (somewhat sceptical and snarky) “wellness secrets” with Women’s Health.

Sarah Nixey released “Witness Tree”, the haunting new single taken from her fourth solo album Sea Fever, which is due for release in February 2026.

Cristin Milioti appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and outed herself as a long-time comedy-nerd and cinephile, who once attended her school “career day” (age 8 or 9-years-old) cosplaying as a “stressed-out filmmaker”, inspired by all the behind-the-scenes featurettes she’d seen!

– A handful of Avantgardey members collaborated with Polish dancers Nicki and Loczek on a skit where they play unhelpful NPCs in a first-person video-game. I wasn’t familiar with “Loczniki” before, but apparently this is very much their stock-in-trade.

Bustle challenged Hailee Steinfeld to remember random lines from some of her most famous films, stretching all the way back to True Grit (2010).

Taylor Momsen (circa 11/25)

Alex Cooper conducted a lengthy interview with Taylor Momsen for her Call Her Daddy vodcast, starting with the singer-songwriter’s origins as a wide-eyed child-actress, before exploring her life-long love of music, and her sometimes perilous journey to rock-and-roll stardom via The Pretty Reckless.

MonsterHighLuvMe unboxed the new “Skullector” dolls based on ‘Red’ and ‘Adelaide’ (both played by Lupita Nyong’o) from Jordan Peele’s Us (2019).

– Looking back through Charli XCX’s discography, I was intrigued to see that she’d collaborated with French multi-hyphenate Quentin Dupieux (aka “Mr. Oizo”) on a very-hooky track titled “Hand in the Fire” (2016), which was accompanied by an adorable (and slightly twisty) video starring Flat Eric!

– I’m still steadily catching up on all of the vids/skits on Ghost’s YT channel, but I keep getting sucked into re-watching Rats (link), which was released all the way back in 2018… the Cardinal’s rubbery face-mask is kinda fakey, and the dance sequences are far too short, but there’s something very addictive about his moves/poses, and the way he rrrrrrolls his Rs when spitting out the eponymous rodent’s name. The lyrics are also tragically relevant/timeless, touching on humanity’s unfortunate tendency to fall victim to a contagious mob-mentality, that spreads like a plague and “completely [destroys] things quicker than you know” (as Tobias Forge told Revolver at the time). Apparently it was nominated for “Best Rock Song” at the 61st Grammy Awards, but lost to St. Vincent’s “Masseduction”… which is also a total “banger”, so I’m glad I wasn’t the one who had to make that choice!

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link), Pitch Meetings (link), Star Wars Explained (link), Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).


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Rant: Ghost (Swedish band)

The cover of Ghost's "Meliora" (2015) by Zbigniew M. Bielak

I can now add international chart-toppers Ghost (who formed in Sweden in 2006, and released their debut album, Opus Eponymous, in 2010) to the list of bands that I’ve taken a shamefully long time to “discover”. I know for a fact that I’ve heard their music plenty times before, but it wasn’t until their recent Grammy nomination (“Best Metal Performance”) prompted me to watch the video for their latest single “Lachryma” (link) that the scales finally fell from my ears, and I became officially obsessed.* I’ve honestly no idea why it’s taken me so long to become a convert, considering my well-established love of spooky horror movies, humorous wordplay, and soaring harmonies… I also remember cheering when founder/frontman Tobias Forge declared Crypta to be his “favorite new metal band” and invited them to support Ghost for their shows in São Paulo (Brazil)… but “better late than never”, right…?

So far I’d say my fave album is probably Meliora (2015), which boasts insidious ear-worms like “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” (link), “He Is” (link), and the Grammy-Award-winning “Cirice” (link)… plus the “deluxe” CD edition comes packaged with the Popestar E.P. (2016), which spawned the equally awesome single “Square Hammer” (link), so that’s gone straight to the top of my wish-list now! I also really love the cover artwork by Zbigniew M. Bielak, which reminds me of my younger days when I’d sit and stare at the sleeves of Iron Maiden LPs for hours on end… meaning I may have to buy it in multiple formats (eventually), along with the T-shirt and the jigsaw!

Of course I still have almost a decade’s worth of lore to catch up on before I can get too comfy on the bandwagon, but thankfully Diffus coaxed Forge into cataloguing all of the characters in his fictional “clergy”, which has been a big help to me (as was this fan-made timeline of the earlier successions with links to relevant vids). He also blessed Metal Hammer with a track-by-track guide to their latest album, Skeletá, which has deepened my appreciation for the meaning of the lyrics beyond their super-catchy choruses.

————

* Or maybe I’ve been “Satanized” (link)? Eep!


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Rant: “One Piece” (S1) (2023)

Emily Rudd as ‘Nami’ in “One Piece” (S1) (2023)

I finally got around to bingeing the first season of Netflix’s acclaimed live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda‘s manga series One Piece, and now I really regret not jumping aboard sooner. Despite generally loving “cartoon-y” humour and visuals, I was a little put off by the deliberately “anachronistic”* modern clothing of the swashbuckling pirates/marines, combined with random animal hats/features… I also have to confess to “zoning out” a little during some of the flashbacks… but the positives greatly outweighed the (totally subjective) “negatives” in my opinion. ‘Monkey D. Luffy’ (Iñaki Godoy) was an incredibly charming and compelling lead character, with his obsessive (delusional?) desire to become “King of the Pirates”, while enthusiastically encouraging everyone he encounters to follow their own dreams, even if they directly conflict with his! Sometimes in stories you’ll wonder why anyone would willingly choose to follow the character that the writers have designated the “leader”, but with Luffy it’s very easy to understand how he’s able to attract (and retain) such a loyal and capable crew, despite their initial scepticism (or outright hostility).** I also appreciate how clearly defined and distinct the crewmates’ personalities were (along with their well-balanced skill-sets), allowing for some fun banter and bonding between them on their way to the final showdown.

Emily Rudd as ‘Nami’ in “One Piece” (S1) (2023)

Given the images I’ve used in this post, readers won’t be too shocked to learn that my fave character was ‘Nami’, the feisty flame-haired cat-burglar (and self-taught cartographer), who serves a lot of snark without ever crossing the line into being needlessly dickish. Obviously there’s an element of “objectification” with some of her costumes (even if they are quite modest compared to her original incarnation in the manga), but Emily Rudd gives such a grounded and committed performance that she’s clearly there for far more than just “eye-candy” appeal.

I also thought Mackenyu was super-cool as ‘Roronoa Zoro’, the sword-slinging (ex) bounty-hunter with a mildly confusing backstory… while, outside the main cast, I was a big fan of ‘Buggy the Clown’ (Jeff Ward), the oddly-endearing and uniquely vulnerable super-villain with detachable body parts. Maybe not big enough to buy his “Circus Tent” Lego set, but I was glad to see him return in the “sequel-teases” at the end of the finale. Ahoy Season 2!

———–

* I understand it isn’t set in the real world, and that only the creator(s) of a fantasy world can judge what does and doesn’t belong there… but seeing baseball caps alongside flintlock pistols and swordplay still makes my brain itch.

** Fun fact: Luffy’s “Straw Hat Pirate” flag has now become “a symbol for youth-led protest movements” around the globe, according to various news sources.


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Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (10/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

Christina Ricci as ‘Katrina Anne Van Tassel’ in “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)

Vogue invited multi-award-winning costume-designer Colleen Atwood to break down some of her most iconic creations, including a few from her many collaborations with Tim Burton (such as Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Wednesday (2022)).

Stevie Martin returned to the Taskmaster vodcast to dissect ep #20.8 with Ed Gamble (and spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the sexual anatomy of animals).

– I recently discovered Nischa Shah’s YT channel, and quickly became hooked on her financial advice vids… they’re so straight-forward and “user-friendly” that even a clueless newb like me can understand them! She often talks about diversifying your income, and monetising your passions, and that’s inspired me to add a Ko-fi donation button to the bottom of all of my blog posts moving forward. I don’t honestly expect anyone to actually use it, but Shah asserts that “failure is feedback”, and we mustn’t let the fear of embarrassment dissuade us from experimenting, so I figured it was worth a punt just to see what (if anything) would happen. Fingers-crossed for an eccentric billionaire dropping a couple grand in there for a lark…?

Naomi Ackie chatted to Audible UK about her previous experience wearing restrictive period costumes, and the subsequent relief she felt while recording her part as ‘Younger Nellie’ in the new audio-drama Becoming Meg Dashwood.

“MonsterHighLuvMe” (aka Tara) with her “Skullector Alien Doll” (circa 10/25)

– The “fangtastically” goth-y doll-reviewer MonsterHighLuvMe (aka Tara) took us on a trip to her local (Seattle) Spirit Halloween and Hot Topic stores, as she hunted for MH costumes and merch. Spoiler: The pickings were slim, but she’s always a cool hang, and I still ended up sick with envy because we just don’t have shops like that here in the UK (which is probably for the best because they would absolutely bankrupt me). Her survey of the “seasonal” display at Michaels (an “arts and crafts” retail chain) from back in July was pretty “spook-tacular” too… and more recently she reviewed the stunning “Skullector” Alien Xenomorph doll.

The Pretty Reckless recorded a cover of Bad Company’s classic “All Right Now” for a tribute album (Can’t Get Enough) to mark the legendary band’s 50th anniversary.

Hailee Steinfeld shared her 10-minute make-up routine (“to enhance natural features”) with Allure.

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link), Pitch Meetings (link), Star Wars Explained (link), Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).


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Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (9/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

Taylor Momsen in The Pretty Reckless’s “For I Am Death” promo (circa 9/25)

– It wasn’t until I watched the “behind the scenes” featurette for The Pretty Reckless’s “For I Am Death” vid that I realised Taylor Momsen had fake bite marks applied to her leg, in reference to last year’s infamous live performance in Seville (Spain) where she was randomly bitten by a bat and had to undergo two weeks of treatment for rabies! I’m not sure how I missed them before (even after several viewings), because they’re really very obvious from the get-go… though the video itself is in black-and-white, and I was probably trying to be a “gentleman” and not ogle Momsen…?

– “Giorgio Armani Global Beauty and Fragrance Ambassador” (!) Sadie Sink sat down with “Friend of the House” (!) Molly Gordon to chat about their “inspiring careers in cinema” (and mock Nicole Kidman) for Variety (via the “Giorgio Armani Cinema Club” at the Venice Film Festival)… there was also a text version of the interaction, which included a couple things the video version didn’t.

– And, er, that’s all, folks!

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link)Pitch Meetings (link)Star Wars Explained (link)Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).

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Rant: “In My Skin” (2002) (‘Radiance Films’ Blu-Ray)

“In My Skin” (2002) 'Radiance Films' "Limited Edition" Blu-Ray (circa 2025)

When I saw that Radiance Films would be releasing a “limited edition” Blu-ray of Marina de Van’s In My Skin (aka “Dans Ma Peau”) (2002) here in the UK, I rushed to pre-order it… only later realising the irony (?) of paying extra for a fancy new “4K restoration” of a film that I can barely stand to watch at times, because of all the grisly gore. For those who don’t know, this French “horror” tells the story of a glamorous Parisian woman who starts making great strides in her marketing career just as her sanity takes a severe downward spiral, and she engages in increasingly destructive (and fetishistic) acts of self-mutilation. As I say, the scenes of her cutting herself are pretty unbearable for me, and they only get worse as her mania consumes her… but what keeps me hooked, and keeps me coming back for repeated viewings, is the dark humour of the in-between scenes where ‘Esther’ is required to interact with the normie world, as well as the creative ways in which her dislocation from reality is represented on-screen. Of course, MdV’s performance in the lead role is also a big draw, as she presents an incredibly charming and sophisticated front in public, blithely batting away any concerns about her mental/physical health, before giving herself over to the raw and uncompromising intensity of the naked, blood-soaked, strangely-sexual cutting scenes. It’s the incongruities that make it such a fascinating and thought-provoking experience, imho.

Marina de Van as ‘Esther’ in “In My Skin” (2002)

As for the disc itself: One of the main USPs of this edition is the exclusive interview with MdV, recorded earlier this year, in which she reflects on her own (long-past) experiences with self-harm, and how making this film helped her to overcome those compulsions (for fear of becoming a parody of herself). Despite feeling flattered by the continued interest in this cult classic, she also bemoans the fact that so few people show an interest in her subsequent work, which includes several novels… and personally I’d love to read them, but they haven’t been translated into English yet, so unless they deal exclusively with tourists asking for directions to basic landmarks (and/or the price of bread), I’d be totally lost. Despite professing to a “melancholic” nature, she comes off as very amusing and playful here (at least when interacting with her pet cat, who refuses to take an official stance on “The New French Extremity”).

Another selling point for me was the inclusion of two short student films, from her time at “La Fémis” film school in Paris: “Bien Sous Tous Rapports” (1996) finds a baby-faced MdV being coached by her (fictional) parents on how to perform fellatio, alongside her (real-life) brothers… while “Retention” (1997) is a more expressionistic art piece, involving a lot of shots of her straining to defecate but seemingly enjoying the painful struggle? I believe this sort of thing is usually termed “juvenilia”, though it’s certainly not suitable for kids!

Marina de Van (circa 2020)

Thankfully they’ve retained the fascinating (French language) commentary track from the previous DVD releases, where MdV explains as many of her writing and directing choices as she can squeeze in (and admits to a few of her disappointments with the final product), though she never discusses her experience as an actor and generally refers to herself in the third person when discussing what she’s doing on screen. However, other interviews on this disc reveal that she employed the services of an acting coach (Marc Adjadj) to help her prep for the film, and that he and her brother Adrien de Van were also tasked with “directing” the other cast members on-set, so that she could stay focussed and “in character”… while cinematographer Pierre Barougier handled the camerawork, based on lengthy test-shoots that he and MdV had conducted over the course of the previous year!

Apparently this release boasts “newly improved English subtitles”, but it’s been so long since I watched my old DVD copy I can’t really compare them… while we’re on the subject though, I would suggest turning them off for the restaurant scene, because the business chatter is really just background noise to the “action”, and the subs can be very distracting if (like me) you feel compelled to read them in full, at the expense of what’s happening above/behind them!

A selection of Marina de Van’s novels, published by Abstractions

There was also a “limited edition booklet” rattling around in the case, featuring “archival writing” by MdV in the form of a (translated) “short story” she wrote for an anthology, which explores the “beauty” and “grace” she hazily recalls experiencing back in her self-harming days.

P.S. While searching for more info on her books, I discovered that MdV will be a headline guest at Sueurs Froides (“Cold Sweats”?), a “horror book fair” being held in Paris on November 1st, where she’ll “sign her new novel, ‘Point de Suture’, as well as the Blu-ray and UHD versions of her film ‘Dans Ma Peau’”, according to the blurb. Tickets are only €5, which seems like a steal to me, but you have to buy them through a French crowdfunding site… and, sadly, I’d also have to add on the cost of travel and accommodation, and get over my fear of visiting a “foreign” country (even one I ostensibly love), so I highly doubt I’ll be attending…

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Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (8/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

The signed “art card” that came with my CD copy of Babymetal’s “Metal Forth” (2025)

Babymetal released their fifth studio album, which was apparently titled “Metal Forth” to imply that it was the *fourth* proper album, and that 2023’s The Other One doesn’t count (because there were only two members in the group at the time, rather than the requisite three?). Personally I think The Other One has plenty great tracks on it, but agree that BM is much better as a trio than a duo, performance-wise… and Momometal has really been a godsend to the group, bless her. At first I was a little disappointed by Metal Forth’s relatively short length (roughly 20mins shorter than their first three albums), and disconcerted by how many collaborations there were on it, with 7 of the 10 tracks featuring guest artists… on the other hand, “Ratatata” (the single they wrote/recorded with Electric Callboy) is one of my fave songs/videos of all time, and it got me through a very dark and scary couple of months, so I can’t really complain. “From Me to U” (ft. Poppy), “Kon! Kon!” (ft. Bloodywood), and “Metali!!” (ft. Tom Morello) are also super-catchy ear-worms, and I’m sure the other collabs will catch up after a couple more plays, while the slightly dafter “KxAxWxAxIxI” is already a stand-out (though I’m a little embarrassed by how long it took me to realise that the letters spelled out “kawaii”, and weren’t just a cryptic acronym). My gratitude for “Ratatata” drove me to pre-order this album, rather than wait for some future hypothetical sale… and the critics seem to agree that it was well worth the punt. I even managed to score a signed “art card” into the bargain (well, it cost £1 extra, but that’s still a steal, innit?), and it was nice to get swept up in the pre-release excitement for a change.

Taylor Momsen in the video for The Pretty Reckless's “For I Am Death” / “Life Evermore Pt. 2” (circa 8/25)

The Pretty Reckless surprised everyone with a brand new single/video, “For I Am Death” / “Life Evermore Pt. 2”, which served as a much-needed reminder (to me) that Taylor Momsen is cool AF! Hopefully this heralds the release of a fifth studio album, after a gap of over four years…? In the meantime, I enjoyed an old iHeartRadio interview in which a game of spotting fake album covers led to them discussing the symbolism behind the artwork for Death by Rock and Roll (2021), as well as the band’s improvisational approach to playing live.

Emma Stone broke down some of her “most iconic fashion moments” for Vogue, from the Superbad (2007) premiere to the cover shoot for their latest issue.

Cristin Milioti chatted to Gold Derby about her Emmy nomination for The Penguin (2024), which could get her halfway to an “EGOT” (after winning a shared Grammy Award for the original Broadway cast recording of Once (2013)).

Alison Brie and Dave Franco discussed the films that they’ve watched together (for better or worse) with Letterboxd, to promote their new body-horror flick Together… then told some embarrassing (mostly toilet-related) anecdotes while taking the Men’s Health “Stress Test”…  then let Vanity Fair hook them both up to a “lie detector”, which elicited one of the same scatological stories and plenty embarrassing “card tricks”.

Bowen Yang faced-off against Matt Rogers for a bout of “Hot Ones Versus”, where they were both disappointingly diplomatic and tight-lipped when it came to questions about other celebs. Boo! Then later in the month Julio Torres guested on their Las Culturistas vodcast, to promote his limited-run live show Color Theories (happening In New York right now!)

Jenna Ortega for Vogue’s “In the Bag” feature (circa 8/25)

Jenna Ortega appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers for a lengthy interview, giving some insight into her stand-out cameo in the Saturday Night Live “50th Anniversary Special”, as well as detailing the many animals she “adopted” while filming S2 of Wednesday in Ireland. Although she maintained her customary deadpan cool for most of the runtime, Seth did manage to make her crack up for a couple minutes, and that was truly a glorious sight to behold. Then Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones interviewed each other for Vogue, asking (supposedly) “rapid-fire” questions from cards (at one point Zeta-Jones admits to having been Goth-adjacent for most of her life, but never being brave enough to go all the way until she was cast as ‘Morticia’). Ortega then emptied the contents of her handbag onto a table for Vogue (México y Latinoamérica), tampons and all! Gwendoline Christie’s return to Wednesday was spoiled for me by a bunch of YT vids, but they were so darn adorable that my nerd-rage was quickly quelled: First was an interview for Yahoo Australia in which Ortega and Christie “gushed” over each other until it brought a tear to my eye, and then Still Watching Netflix made them compete to identify quotes from the show (before giving a literal “shout out” to their iconic cast-mate Christina Ricci!)

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link)Pitch Meetings (link)Star Wars Explained (link)Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).

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Rant: Monthly Dee-Lights (7/25)

Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):

Katseye with their exclusive “Monster High” dolls (7/25)

– A Monster High collaboration introduced me to the “global girl group” Katseye, and a random sampling of their own channel left me obsessing over the way they twirl their hands in the performance video for “Gabriela” (which was co-written by Charli XCX). Later in the month a behind-the-scenes “recap” of their recent activities revealed that one member (Manon) was physically present on the set of the “Gabriela” shoot, but was benched because she’d injured her ankle, while another member (Lara) was forced to play a reduced role in the “Gameboy” promo, because she’d banged her head that morning! “No pain, no gain”, I guess…?

Momma recorded a short-but-sweet live session for KEXP, to promote their new (fourth) studio album Welcome to My Blue Sky, and showcase their patented blend of crunchy guitars and silky harmonies. Whenever I hear them play my brain tells me they have a “very 90s sound”, but can never pin down what it means by that, or come up with any examples of bands from that era they resemble!

Carly Chaikin posted a spoof commercial for a flirty golf-centric “hotline”.

Teyonah Parris as ‘Yo-Yo’ in “They Cloned Tyrone” (2023)

– I watched They Cloned Tyrone (2023)*, a “genre-bending” mash-up of Blaxploitation swagger, satirical social commentary, paranoid conspiracy thriller, science-fiction utopianism, and sparky character comedy. It’s a crazy ride with plenty twists and turns, but it kept me hooked throughout, and was just an all around good time. It also stands as a great example of how to turn initially unlikable reprobates (one is a violent drug dealer, and another is a narcissistic pimp) into engaging and root-worthy anti-heroes, as they (eventually) step up to “do the right thing” for their neighbourhood. Of course, it probably helps that they’re played by John Boyega and Jamie Foxx, and cajoled along by Teyonah Parris as a Nancy-Drew-loving “hooker with a heart of gold”. Hopefully the fact that the three main cast-members have all appeared in Star Wars or MCU movies will lure some curious teens out of the “mainstream” towards the crazier/cultier side of cinema…? It’s kinda mind-blowing to learn that this is Juel Taylor’s first ever feature film as a director (and co-writer), and that he filmed it during the pandemic… he’s definitely one-to-watch! Sadly, Netflix has been too cheap/lazy to release the movie on “physical media” so far, but they did post some short behind-the-scene featurettes, including one where Taylor talks about how he got into film-making, and another where Parris discusses her character’s distinctive fashion. Meanwhile, Deadline Hollywood prompted Taylor to talk about the movies that initially “lit his fire”, and influenced Tyrone’s “vibe”.

Atarashii Gakko x Avantgardey (circa 7/25)

Atarashii Gakko participated in a couple “open mic” sessions, sponsored by Jim Beam: First they collaborated with the 20-strong Japanese dance team Avantgardey (who reached the finals of S18 of America’s Got Talent as well as S1 of Japan’s Got Talent, but inexplicably didn’t win either contest), for a remix/mash-up of their respective singles “Otonablue” and “OKP Cipher”. The super-crisp synchronised dancing was very impressive, but also verged on uncanny/terrifying at times! They can’t all be robots… can they…? Eep! AG then performed a live version of “One Heart” with The Soulmatics as their backing band… which was far less frenetic than the above, but much funkier.

Stevie Martin posted the highlights of an “Instagram Live” Q&A she held during the ad-breaks of the S19 Taskmaster finale, co-starring Jason Mantzoukas via video-chat on her laptop screen! Javie Martzoukas Forever!!!

– Perennial faves include: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link)Pitch Meetings (link)Star Wars Explained (link)Honest Trailers (link), and Honest Game Trailers (link).

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* SPOILER: For some perverse reason you don’t actually meet the eponymous “Tyrone” until a sequel-tease (?) in the end credits!

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