Did I Tell You About... (9/24/20)

All the pop culture you need in your life this week.

What a week it’s been, am I right? (And it’s only Thursday… whomp.) Like many of you, I’m sure, I’m exhausted from the events of the last several days, and very much in need of a mental break—which is why I know I’ll be spending the weekend catching up on some of my favorite pop culture picks.

If that gameplan sounds up your alley, too, feel free to grab some entertainment inspiration from this week’s edition of Did I Tell You About… below!

I’m reading: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. When this book came out last year, pretty much every person I knew was either reading it or talking about wanting to read it—yet for some reason, I put off reserving my own copy. Now, though, I’m finally catching up, and I totally get the hype. It’s a fascinating, beautifully-told look at the sex/romantic lives of three real women (get it?) across the U.S., and I was hooked from the very first page.

I’m following: Humans of New York’s incredible #TattletalesFromTanqueray series. All week long, HONY is telling the (absolutely wild) stories of one woman, Stephanie, in order to raise money for her medical care. And oh, what a LIFE she’s had. It’s addictive content for a good cause—and even better, Jennifer Garner comments on pretty much every new photo with some adorably wholesome show of support.

humansofny

(1/32) “Tanqueray, Tanqueray, Tanqueray. When this photo was taken, ten thousand men in New York City knew that name. My signature meant something to them. They’d line up around the block whenever I was dancing in Times Square, just so I could sign the cover of their nudie magazine. I’d always write: ‘You were the best I ever had.’ Or some stupid shit like that. Something to make them smile for a second. Something to make them feel like they’d gotten to know me. Then they’d pay their twenty bucks, and go sit in the dark, and wait for the show to start. They’d roll that magazine up tight and think about their wives, or their work, or some of their other problems. And they’d wait for the lights to come up. Wait for Tanqueray to step out on stage and take it all away for eighteen minutes. Eighteen minutes. That’s how long you’ve got to hold ‘em. For eighteen minutes you’ve got to make them forget that they’re getting older. And that they aren’t where they want to be in life. And that it’s probably too late to do much about it. It’s only eighteen minutes. Not long at all. But there’s a way to make it seem like forever. I always danced to the blues. Cause it’s funky and you don’t have to move fast. You can really zero in on a guy. So that it seems like you’re dancing just for him. You look him right in the eyes. Smile at him. Wink. Put a finger in your mouth and lick it a little bit. Make sure you wear plenty of lip gloss so your lips are very, very shiny. If you’re doing it right, you can make him think: ‘Wow, she’s dancing just for me.’ You can make him think he’s doing something to your insides. You can make him fall in love. Then when the music stops, you step off the stage, and beat it back to the dressing room.”

September 21, 2020

I’m watching: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu. Yes, this show’s been around forever (seriously, it started when I was in middle school), but I’d only ever seen a handful of episodes. That’s changing now, though, as Kurt and I have slowly but surely been making our way through the series these past few weeks. If you need a new TV binge, I highly suggest giving Sunny a try if you’ve never watched—the episodes are short, silly, and only occasionally problematic (that’s mid-’00s comedy for ya!).

I’m listening to: Alicia Keys doing Elle’s “Song Association” game on Youtube. In every installment of this series, an artist gets 10 seconds to think of (and sing) a song containing a keyword, and it’s always a lot of fun to watch their minds at work. Alicia’s edition is no exception.

I’m still thinking about: This crazy Vulture story on what it’s like to be a COVID Compliance Officer on movie/TV sets right now. Spoiler: it’s not good.

I’m taking inspiration from: This perfect Lizzo quote, courtesy of her new Vogue cover story: “I always thought I needed at least two and a half white boys to make a song. One to engineer and one to produce. But now I can sit in my room and be my own engineer and producer.”

Bringing those vibes into the weekend. Until next time!