Did I Tell You About... (10/22/20)
All the pop culture you need in your life this week.
Happy Thursday, folks! I don’t know about you, but this week has felt weird to me—seemingly super slow one moment and crazy fast the next. I saw a tweet comparing these two pre-election weeks to the days between Christmas and New Year’s when time loses all meaning, except that things aren’t festive but stressful AF. Accurate.
I’ve been keeping myself distracted with plenty of pop culture, and I highly recommend you do the same! Read on for some recommendations as you (almost) head into the weekend, in the latest edition of Did I Tell You About…
I’m watching: The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix. As an unabashed Aaron Sorkin fan (West Wing forever) who also loves a good ‘ol courtroom drama, I had high hopes for this movie, and it delivered. Following the 1969 trial of men charged by the government with inciting riots at the DNC, it has an amazing cast (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Jeremy Strong… basically all the actors your mom loves) and a smart, fast-paced plot that kept me hooked the whole time. Highly recommend.
I’m reading: This fantastic interview with Shonda Rhimes about her decision to leave ABC after so many years there and move to Netflix. As a huge Grey’s fan (17 seasons and counting, baby!), I’ve always been impressed by Shonda’s talent, but this interview makes it clear just how unfairly hard she’s had to work to both prove herself to others and feel confident in her own success, despite being the highest-paid showrunner in television. Reading this will make you mad, then motivate you to go after every goal you’ve ever had.
I’m listening to: Miley Cyrus’ incredible Backyard Sessions with MTV. I’m not the hugest Miley fan in the world, but her voice is undeniably great, and she never sounds better than in her stripped-down Backyard Sessions series. Over the past few weeks, she’s covered a ton of classic rock songs like “Zombie” and “Just Breathe”, but my favorite performance is the one she did with her sister Noah, a highly underrated singer-songwriter. They covered Noah’s song “I Got So High That I Saw Jesus” (very on-brand for the Cyruses), and the two of them harmonizing together? *Chef’s kiss*
I’m still thinking about: The Invisible Man on HBO. This horror movie came out in February, but we watched it for the first time this week, and ooooh boy, it is scary. But in the good (at least for me) kind of way, where the terrifying moments are sandwiched in-between smart, funny dialogue and great acting. We don’t deserve Elisabeth Moss.
I’m impressed by: The Kim Kardashian episode of David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on Netflix. As you all know, I eat up anything Kardashian, but this is worth watching regardless of whether you’re a fan. The way Kim navigates through tricky questions (i.e. “who are you voting for?”) that would trap literally any other celebrity is a masterclass in PR. I truly don’t know how she does it.
I’m looking forward to: What the Constitution Means to Me on Amazon Prime. The filmed version of the acclaimed Broadway show, about the Constitution’s complicated impact on women’s lives, started streaming last weekend, but I plan on watching it in the coming days. Reviews have been fantastic, and it’ll be nice to actually enjoy thinking about politics, for a change!
Let me know if you check out any of the above recommendations (especially the Kim K interview—please let me talk about it forever).
Until next time,
Rachel