Why Was All of Hollywood Dressed as E.T. for Halloween?

This Week

Recovering from Halloween.

My favorite Oscar contender of the year.

Another stunning musical premieres in New York.

Adele and Céline!

Welcome to a new queen of Bravo.

I Need to Phone Home

I am too old to continue to be traumatized by E.T.

I have few memories of childhood as vivid as being scared completely out of my young mind the first time I watched the movie, when Elliott initially encounters E.T. in the woods and they scream at each other. I think my heart leapt out of my chest and took its own trip across the moon.

Obviously, I’ve grown up, rewatched the film, and recognized it for the masterpiece that it is—even going so far as to have a soft spot for the alien who once tormented my nightmares. But it’s hard to shake the instinct to be unsettled by the creature, even after all of these years. You can imagine, then, that this Halloween was a trying one for me.

There were not one, not two, but three celebrities dressed as E.T. this year, making my scrolling through social media last night and today quite the triggering experience.

Heidi Klum, who is famous for hosting an annual Halloween party and dressing in over-the-top, hyper-realistic costumes, and her husband Tom Kaulitz dressed as two different versions of E.T. from the film: she in the wig, hat, and scarf from the mid-movie makeover, and he as the standard version.

These costumes are as incredibly impressive as they are alarming. Both Klum and Kaulitz are wearing robotic E.T. heads on top of their own heads. In other words, they’re not looking out through E.T. masks, they’re peering out through elaborate prosthetic makeup disguising their entire faces as part of their respective aliens’ necks.

It’s wild to, at first, casually glance at photos of the pair and think, “Wow, that’s an excellent E.T.,” and then look closer and notice the subtle whites of their eyeballs peeking from the brown necks.

Klum told The New York Timesthat she came up with the costume idea soon after last year’s party, because E.T. is one of her favorite movies.“They have no genitals. I like the whole idea of, like, we’re all the same,” she said. She also explained that she was wearing an adult diaper as a precaution, as the costume was difficult to take on and off. Bless Heidi Klum.

For all that planning, however, Klum’s version of E.T. had been upstaged when photos of Janelle Monáe in her own elaborate take on the alien popped up online. Monáe wore the costume for an appearance on the Halloween special of The Jennifer Hudson Show.

“You came back, 42 years later,” Monáe captioned her Instagram photos. “Welcome back E.T. Thank you Google Maps.” She also recreated multiple E.T. looks for the photo shoot, and restaged the famous moon-bicycle scene dressed both as E.T. and “Janelliott.”

Could you imagine all that time Klum spent on her costume, only for Monáe to debut hers first? Social media users had a good-hearted laugh at the coincidence.

It is refreshing to know that I have a foolproof system in place to make sure something like this never happens to me: I hate Halloween, hate Halloween parties, hate Halloween costumes, and can’t imagine ever spending good money on one. It hasn’t failed me yet!

One of the Best Movies of the Year

Way back in January, I saw what was, at that point, my favorite film of 2024 so far. (There wasn’t much for comparison.) Almost 11 months later, however, my answer hasn’t changed: A Real Painis still my favorite film of the year.

Following its rapturous reception in January at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie has been a fixture on the festival circuit and Oscars campaign trail. Starting this weekend, it’s now in theaters.

A Real Pain is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who also stars alongside Kieran Culkin. They play cousins who go on a historical group tour of Poland following their grandmother’s death, specifically to see the concentration camp she survived and the house she grew up in.

They’re a bit of an odd couple: Eisenberg’s David is a high-strung family man who is out of sorts being so far from his typical routine. Culkin’s Benji, however, is a walking id: at one moment spontaneous and euphoric to the point of unhinged, the next morose in a silent stupor, as if a light switch is turning his personality off and on, with extreme wattage.

They both bristle and attempt to better understand each other, having once been close when they were younger. It’s a fractious dynamic exasperated but the emotional weight of the trip they’re on, and the fact that their interactions are exposed for everyone in the tour group to see. Jennifer Grey, playing a newly divorced mother, turns in a particularly stellar performance, serving as an empathetic sounding board for the boys while also on her own journey to know herself better.

And Culkin is astonishing in this: a sparkplug who startles you and melts your heart in equal measure. I hope he gets the award-season attention he deserves.

Another Astonishing Musical

There is good singing, and then there’s whatever is going on at New York City Center, where a staging of the musical Ragtime is currently taking place. It’s astounding.

Tackling Ragtime songs like “Wheels of a Dream,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Make Them Hear You,” and “Back to Before,” not to mention the thrilling title number, is akin to climbing a vocal Mount Everest for a musical theater performer. This cast—led by Joshua Henry, Nichelle Lewis, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz—summit with a seeming ease.

There were moments when you could hear audience members gasp at the vocal acrobatics on display, or reflexively clasp their hearts at the emotional power of the performances that were washing over them. Chants of “bravo!” and raucous applause came several times before the actors finished belting their last notes.

It’s a stunning show. If you’re able to see it in New York, I highly recommend it. Here’s a teaser video has a taste:

Well, This Is Just Lovely

However many times you think I’ve watched this video of Adele and Céline Dion bursting into tears as they embrace each other while Adele walks through the audience at her Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas concert…multiply it by five.

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A New Queen Rises

The last three episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County have been thrilling, particularly because they mark the ascension of Jenn Pedranti, who is proving to be an excellent cast member in her second season.

If you watch the show, you’re probably nodding your head in fervent agreement while reading that. If you don’t, well, might I point you back to the Adele/Céline video again? We would all be better people if we started each day by watching it.

More From The Daily Beast’s Obsessed

The Diplomat: Season 2 of the Keri Russell political thriller adds Allison Janney, to the delight of everyone. (Now on Netflix)

Juror No. 2: At 94 years old, Clint Eastwood has still got it. (Now in theaters)

Finding Mr. Christmas: A reality show searching for the next Hallmark Hunk. Brilliant. No notes. (Now on Hallmark+)

Here: This is not the Forrest Gump reunion that anyone was hoping for. (Now in theaters)

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