| Everything we can’t stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
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Everything we can’t stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
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A PR disaster like I’ve never seen. Maybe the Oscars won’t suck this year! The funniest/most traumatizing clip of the week. Another iconic Jennifer Coolidge moment. Something lovely for the ’90s kids. |
Yes, You Did Upset Us, The Weeknd |
Before everyone discovered just how problematic and potentially disastrous production for the newHBO series The Idol has been, the show already seemed exhausting. Now, after a tumultuous day involving a damning Rolling Stone investigation and a cringe-inducing, petulant reaction from a celebrity who should know better, the Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson’s HBO collaboration has become the most reviled project on the internet—which is impressive, given no one even knows yet when it might be released. Hollywood typically trades in controlled chaos: firestorms, tornados, and avalanches of potential calamity caused by outsized egos, amplified by ungodly amounts of money. Miraculously, all of that is reined in by the army of publicists, handlers, and crisis managers, who work frantically to make sure that the public only finds out what they want us to know. When that typically shrouded havoc sees the light, the way it has with The Idol, it’s alarming to a point that approaches unsettling. As the week comes to an end, I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s not just one of the worst PR nightmares I’ve seen in recent memory, but perhaps across my entire career. |
Things like this aren’t supposed to happen: Production insiders aren’t supposed to speak so freely to the press (even if they do so anonymously); powerful Hollywood players’ malfeasance isn’t meant to be exposed this nakedly; and the petty narcissism of certain celebs is supposed to be kept from us. That not just one but all of these things happened in this case is shocking and embarrassing. On social media, both industry professionals and pop culture fans are still shell-shocked by all of these developments, especially by the video that The Idol’s star released in response to the drama. To bring everyone up to speed, The Idol is an upcoming HBO series from Sam Levinson, the polarizing creator (and writer and director) of Euphoria. Over its two seasons, that series has been as celebrated for its gritty look at the sordid lives of a group of high schoolers as it has been criticized for its sensational, exploitative content. In fact, there have been several reports over the years of a toxic work environment as well as an unorganized set, while several of the show’s female stars have talked about feeling it necessary to push back against demands for nudity and explicit sex scenes. |
Nonetheless, Euphoria has been a ratings hit for HBO and won several Emmys, including two Best Actress in a Drama trophies for star Zendaya. When HBO announced The Idol in 2021, there was tangible excitement—even if it was tinged with exasperation from those who have found Levinson’s approach to storytelling hollow in its provocation. To make matters more exciting, chart-topping recording artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye co-created the series, which stars Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny; nepo baby alert!) as a disgraced pop star, who relies on a burgeoning cult leader (Tesfaye) to help her mount a comeback. HBO marketing materials hailed the series as being from the “sick and twisted minds” of Levinson and Tesfaye and called it “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood”—a level of braggadocio that is sad and irritating more than it is appealing or attractive. That’s especially true in the wake of the bombshell Rolling Stone investigation, titled, “The Idol: How HBO’s Next ‘Euphoria’ Became Twisted ‘Torture Porn,’” which followed a Deadline report of the series overhaul last spring. Among the allegations is that the production has been in a state of turmoil that’s disturbed even those in the crew, who are the most seasoned in dealing with Hollywood bullshit. Director Amy Seimetz exited the series with 80 percent of it filmed, as Levinson apparently took over with plans to rewrite and reshoot the already $54-75 million project.
The budget is now, according to Rolling Stone, “untold”—something that certainly smarts for many creators and fans, who are all dismayed by the sudden and depressing cancellations of dozens of TV series as HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, consolidates costs.
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Making things more unpleasant is the report that, after he took over, Levinson imbued his version of the show with even more sex and nudity, so that it would out-shock even Euphoria; one source called the new direction a “rape fantasy that any toxic man would have.” This summary became more than the CliffsNotes we intended, but the details are just too wild. They also give context to why what happened next is so preposterous (and is the thing that I truly can’t stop thinking about). After seemingly the entire internet buzzed over the salaciousness of what’s alleged in the article, Tesfaye posted a clip on social media that is apparently from the series. The caption reads, “Rolling Stone, did we upset you?” In it, a manager (Dan Levy) pitches Tesfaye’s and Depp’s characters an interview with Rolling Stone, but they disparage the magazine as “irrelevant.” (Watch it here.) Maybe whoever was involved in the decision to post this thought it was more of an edgy response than the peevish outburst it actually came off as. What I’m sure they did not expect the ridicule that even the Rolling Stone article didn’t inspire: It was dreadful, featuring some of the most atrocious acting I’ve seen in a while.
Even days later, we’re reeling from the near unanimity there is online over how asinine it was to post that video. When was the last time the internet agreed on anything? Discord is social media’s whole thing. Presumably, the clip was meant to own Rolling Stone. Instead, Tesfaye owned himself.
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A tweet from writer and podcaster Jordan Crucchiola: “This is a very glib way to respond to corroborated accounts of an unprofessional and possibly compromising work environment where the crew says they’re being mistreated. On a show where you’re the co creator, star, one of few credited writers and probably also an EP. Gross.” From The Hollywood Reporter critic Daniel Fienberg: “When an article comes out about the toxic workplace environment on your creatively troubled set, the correct course of damage control is *probably* not to suggest that the publication reporting on said situation was just upset about a 50-second scene from a show nobody has seen.” From meme account Saint Hoax, with a corresponding gif of celebrities pointing at each other: “Lily-Rose and The Weeknd fighting over who bombed harder in that scene.” From The Atlantic culture writer David Sims: “This is plainly embarrassing, but also, the hubris to think that this will serve as a response to a story like that.”
From the account The King of Burbank: “Dan Levy absolutely fighting for his life to make this scene feel like it takes place on planet Earth.”
And from my colleague Allegra Frank: “Is this the dialogue y'all fired Amy Seimetz for?” I can’t remember another time when so much ill-will toward a project materialized this quickly. What I hope, though, is that this doesn’t translate to some sort of “hate-watch” phenomenon, if and when this series finally sees the light of the day. |
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The Oscars Should Learn a Lesson |
The Academy Awards are coming in just over a week, after Titanic-it’s-been-84-years.gif of campaigning and arguing over snubs, surprises, and broken systems within the industry. Even film and award-show fans have become disillusioned with the ceremony’s telecast in recent years, reflected in poor reviews and dwindling ratings. But there’s good news! There is at least one thing that the show’s producers can and should do ahead of the Mar. 12 ceremony to help make the proceedings more watchable and less infuriating: view this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. |
When SAG announced that its annual awards ceremony would not be presented this year on TV, but in a livestream on Netflix’s YouTube account instead, I felt a little bit of a second-hand embarrassment for the organization. How janky-seeming! How un-prestigious! Then I watched the telecast on Sunday night, and came to the conclusion that it was the best award show I had seen in years. (Sorry for pre-judging you, livestreamed-on-YouTube SAG Awards!) While I doubt the Academy would ever give up on a televised broadcast, there are some tips that I think it could glean from last Sunday’s event. To begin with, the ceremony was refreshingly devoid of insecurity. Each year, in a panic to attract young audiences or viewers who may not be familiar with smaller films in contention, the Oscars puts on a manic, disjointed spectacle filled with cringe-inducing bits, production numbers, and errant displays of bombast that have little to do with the purpose at hand: to honor the year’s best movies. It’s the awards themselves that are often sacrificed for this, with categories siphoned to commercial breaks or winners played off during speeches. This year, the SAG Awards went without a host. The presenters’ banter was brief and pithy, and therefore far more successful than the stilted exchanges the Oscars has become notorious for. The speeches were all incredibly touching and, in the cases of winners like Michelle Yeoh and Jennifer Coolidge, went viral. A key reason for that: No one was played off. The winners were allowed to say what they wanted and really make a point, entertaining us while doing so. And because there was such a collegial spirit, with everyone in attendance on the same page of celebrating their peers and great cinema, even the more frustrating upsets didn’t sting the way they usually would. Would I have given Jamie Lee Curtis the Best Supporting Actress win? Definitely not. But it was such a wonderful moment for the veteran actress, capped off with, again, a spectacular speech. Mostly, the show had good vibes, something I can’t say about most awards telecasts in recent years. Oscars: Be like the SAGs! |
The Destiny’s Child Clip That Haunts Me |
There’s a clip that resurfaced and went viral this week of Destiny’s Child being interviewed at the 2001 BRIT Awards that made me laugh hysterically, until the giggles eventually devolved into traumatized tears. In the video, the group is being interviewed on the red carpet, when the reporter inexplicably asks them for their opinion on what the government should be doing about the foot-and-mouth epidemic happening at the time. Why in the world would anyone be asking Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle about this on the red carpet for a music awards show? Welcome to my hell. |
Everyone has different entry points into this business. My first real, exciting job was doing research during the day and then red carpet reporting at night for a major celebrity magazine. For about a year, I felt my soul leave my body, skin cell by skin cell, nearly ruining this pop-culture beat that I love. On a red carpet for his new single release, I asked Terrence Howard what he thought about Sarah Palin. (My first print magazine credit!) I’ve asked random-ass CW stars for the advice they’d give Rihanna following the horrific incident with Chris Brown. At the opening of Padma Lakshmi’s charity, I was told by my editor to ask her how she felt about Madonna dating much younger men. The worst is when the people don’t dismiss the questions, thinking long and hard for a good answer. Even more alarming, though, was that the celebs didn’t blink an eye, because this sort of horseshit was what they expected and had been prepped for by their team.
When you see a photo of Jennifer Coolidge beaming on the red carpet, know that as often as she has been asked about her turn on The White Lotus, she has been asked her take on Lisa Marie Presley’s death, her five spring fashion musts, and what she would say to the people of Syria and Turkey. This is heinous! Why must we do this!? I have tried my whole career to evade that nonsense, while still finding the balance of what’s fun and what’s important. I hope I’ve done it. At the very least, I know that I never asked Beyoncé about foot-and-mouth disease.
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Another Flawless Photo Shoot |
Speaking of Jennifer Coolidge, the actress is on the cover of W magazine this month, and the corresponding photo shoot is predictably iconic. |
The shoot was directed by the Daniels, who are favored to win Best Director at this year’s Oscars for Everything Everywhere All at Once, and lensed by Lenne Chai. The whole shoot is an homage to the Japanese Tokusatsu genre, which is known for heavily relying on practical special effects. (Nineties kids, think Power Rangers.) There is a lot that I’m not too stoked about with the world right now. But that we’re in an era of Jennifer Coolidge adulation that features amazing photo shoots like this as an accompaniment is at least one reason to be happy to be alive. |
There is a population of people for whom this is incredibly important, meaningful information: Lisa Ann Walter, who currently stars on Abbott Elementary, brought former co-star Elaine Hendrix as her date to the SAG Awards. The two were in Lindsay Lohan’s 1998 version of The Parent Trap together, Walter playing the kind nanny and Hendrix the conniving fiancée, and have remained best friends ever since. |
| I said “aww” when I saw the photos; I said “aww” when I watched this touching interview they gave about it; and I said “aww” just now while typing all of this up. Some heartwarming news we could all use! |
More From The Daily Beast’s Obsessed |
The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s new season is already a winner. But there’s one huge mystery: Why is everyone so…red? Read more here. The most important piece of journalism of the winter so far: Here is everything you need to know about Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian premiere. Read more here. Cocaine Bear is composed of three essential elements: cocaine, a bear, and a spectacularly fun performance from Margot Martindale. Read more here. |
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