culture porn 9/9
our weekly playlist
screenshot me:
partner track (netflix)
i was excited to see this romcom with an asian-american lead (arden cho) as a hard-driving, ambitious lawyer determined to make partner at her firm. if only she was as headstrong in her personal life, rather than reverting back to traditional gender stereotypes in her pining for mostly white, mostly badly behaved men. but i guess i'm alone - the show was just picked up for season 2.
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american horror stories (fx on hulu)
thx to a client reco, i'm loving these one-off scary tales that require no prior knowledge of characters (a la BLACK MIRROR). this spinoff of AMERICAN HORROR STORY features some faves including billie lourd fending off a fertility demon and judith light going to drastic lengths to feel beautiful and lovable. season 2 dropped this summer, but i'm sure i'll be going back in the archives to season 1 too.
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bad sisters (apple tv+)
i'm a huge fan of sharon horgan (CATASTROPHE) and this mischievous new comedy about five sisters and one horrible brother-in-law. every week, i'm enjoying watching their misguided attempts to off him - i only wish i could binge it.
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she had me at heads carolina (cole swindell)
this country song samples the brilliant jo dee messina song "heads carolina, tails california" and builds a new 2022 tale taking place at a karaoke bar. it's down to earth, easy to sing to, and the backstory of how swindell created the tune with thomas rhett adds to the fun. seeing newer singers pay homage to songs i loved in my childhood is brilliant "newstalgia."
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the town: tik tok’s dominance (the ringer)
washington post journalist taylor lorenz deconstructs the cultural supremacy of TIK TOK with matt belloni on his buzzy pod. in particular i loved her take on the creator economy, and whether TIK TOKers can migrate their success over to film and TV.
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the office is dying. it’s time to rethink how we work (the ezra klein show)
h/t @alison22nyc for sharing this great episode with me. as linda + i continue to obsess over fixing work (by experimenting at CULTIQUE), this podcast outlines why it's so broken. between "performative productivity" and "LARPing" at work, it digs into why meetings are pretty much the devil, and how our culture's "fetishization of work" is leading us nowhere healthy. it also reinforced my personal hatred of offices and slack, but reinforced my love for efficiency (which in turn allows proper time to think) and how satisfying it is to achieve our client's goals. enough venting, give it a listen!
insights & inspo
menopause is (finally) having its wellness moment
having spent the last decade in my fifties, the shifting convos about getting older have been on my radar – everything from changing notions of "retirement" to the "pro-aging" movement. now, as women's bodies become increasingly destigmatized, even menopause is ripe for reinvention, as the topic is still surrounded by confusing and cloudy medical info. now, even personalities like naomi watts and stacy london are speaking out – and taking action – to help women take charge of this time in their lives.
more here
the best climbing films of all time
i really, really like climbing films. they thrill by sheer imagery, in a way that's incredibly visceral to watch. ever since FREE SOLO won an oscar, this incredible genre has had more mainstream recognition than ever before. i saw OUTSIDE's excellent top 20 climbing films list, and had to see which i recognized - i would agree with most of the top 5! i also highly recommend 2007's STEEP about extreme downhill skiing.
read more here
just like in 1986, sales of aviator sunglasses are up
because of TOP GUN
we're so proud to have partnered with PARAMOUNT on the launch of TOP GUN: MAVERICK – and as we anticipated, tickled to see its style taking off. for as long as i can remember, i've relied on 2 pairs of (prescription) aviator sunglasses from warby parker – one in silver with blue lenses, the other in gold with brown. i like how they can play my tone up or down depending on my outfit and hairstyle, and i never worry that they look dated or feel like i'm trying too hard. the original RAY BANS are like the little black dress of sunglasses, and now they're growing in popularity again, thanks to the reboot of the iconic franchise – and star – that put them on the pop culture map back in 1986. here's a little history of the classic specs.
more insights here
#LOokforward🌅 with linda ong
congrats to AMAZON on its 25+ million-viewer debut of the stunning (and newly controversial) LOTR franchise THE RINGS OF POWER (AMAZON). that got me talking with film/TV editor carrie puchkoff (AND JUST LIKE THAT, MARRY ME) about the role of visual effects in the industry. with the dominance of fantasy fans, there's a growing tension fueled between the overwhelming demands of streamers on VFX houses today and the quality of the work, and now, even high-demand franchises like GAME OF THRONES and STAR WARS are being criticized for skimping on the CGI.
at the pandemic's start, we anticipated that women would tire of the high costs and efforts of coloring our hair even after the virus ebbed. tough to see that as more women embrace the "coastal grandma" look, apparently gray hair can now be cause for firing, as lisa laflamme, a silver-haired newscaster in canada just found out.
for linda’s full debrief, head here