As I was minding my own business, editing this newsletter for publication, I realized that nearly every pop culture story that I cared about this week included at least one actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now, while the chances of this aren’t slim (considering the brand continues to dominate the box office and Hollywood in general), it was shocking to me as someone who, notoriously, does not really care about Marvel unless we’re talking Spider-Man or Chris Evans.
So, even though this may be an off-brand week for me, I say we just roll it.
Time After Time
The annual TIME 100 Gala, an event in recognition of the year’s most influential people, was held in New York this week, and I can only wonder where my invite went.
Honorees in attendance included Zendaya, who once again showed everyone how you dress for a red carpet event with this Bob Mackie vintage couture gown.
For her profile on this year’s “Innovators” list, Zendaya was praised by her Dune director, Denis Villeneuve, as “an autonomous creative force” and “a cultural icon in the making,” someone who is “timeless” and “uses authenticity as a new superpower.” Basically, he perceives her as a real-life Avenger, and that’s one superhero film that I could get on board with.
Another honoree in attendance was her Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star, Andrew Garfield.
In his profile on this year’s “Artists” list, he was named “a remarkable artist, one of the greats of his generation” by none other than director, Martin Scorcese. While working together on the film, Silence, Scorcese said, “I developed a sense of confidence and trust in him that I’ve found all too rarely.” I feel that way just from looking at Andrew Garfield, so - same, Scorcese, same.
These two actors seem to be thrown together a lot lately, and I, for one, love to see Zendaya constantly flanked by at least one Spider-Man (if you’ll recall, she’s currently dating other friendly neighborhood hero, Tom Holland.)
For the latest edition of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Zendaya and Andrew sat down to discuss their careers, reminisce on filming Spider-Man: No Way Home together, and dive into their character-building process.
One big takeaway from the conversation? How the two find purpose in helping and healing people through their work by viewing it as an act of catharsis for audiences; otherwise, they don’t believe they’re doing their jobs right.
You can watch the full conversation here:
And I’ll Watch…
In another installment of the interview series, Jennifer Aniston and Sebastian Stan shared their mutual love of romantic comedies and discussed the potential for working on a film together.
After Sebastian revealed that one of his favorite films is Notting Hill (“If I could live in Notting Hill, the movie, forever, I would”), Jennifer voiced her disappointment at the lack of rom-coms in Hollywood today. Clearly, she’s been reading this newsletter, because I mention that at least once a week.
When prompted by Jennifer if they should bring back the genre together, Sebastian replied, “I would do one in a second with you.” This is where I come in.
Set against the backdrop of New York City, Jennifer Aniston plays a lifestyle-and-wellness-brand personality who’s spent so many years advising people on how to live their best life, she’s forgotten to do it herself. That is, until, she meets Sebastian Stan, an emotionally-closed-off but well-intentioned executive hired to save her company from financial ruin. With her career and reputation on the line, will she prevail?
I’m aware that this is a million-dollar-idea, so I will start the bidding at that exact price. Netflix…? HBO…? Bueller…?
You can watch the full conversation here:
In actual film news, Amazon Studios revealed a first look at My Policeman, the upcoming romantic drama starring Harry Styles - and, after seeing simple photos of him in character, I can confirm the Oscar is incoming.
According to an exclusive from Vanity Fair, the story (which time-jumps between 1950s and 1990s England) follows the life of a policeman named Tom [Styles] and the struggles he faces as a closeted gay man “in a society where it’s illegal to be so.” After he marries a teacher named Marion, while also involved in an affair with a museum curator named Patrick, all of their lives become complicated and intertwined forever.
Considering this film sounds like the plot of a Sally Rooney novel and I will pretty much support anything Harry Styles does, you can count me in.
In theaters October 21 and streaming on Amazon starting November 4.
Celebrity News Briefs
This Is A Story About A Girl Named Lucky… Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially married, tying the knot in an intimate ceremony at her home in California on Thursday. Celebrity guests in attendance included Madonna, Paris Hilton, Drew Barrymore, and Selena Gomez.
Michael B. Jordan? More Like Michael B. My Husband… are words uttered by most women on this planet, but apparently not Lori Harvey. The couple officially split this week after over a year together, with so-called sources putting their ten-year age difference and his desire to settle down at fault.
Beyoncé?!… Rumors are swirling that new music from Beyoncé could be on the way, after eagle-eyed fans noticed she deleted the profile images across all of her social media pages. Or, maybe she just got a new haircut and wants to show it off. Could be either one.
Bring The Pop To The Cinema
The MTV Movie & TV Awards were on Sunday, so here are some highlights in the form of live texts I sent to my best friend:
Me, on the hosting duties: “Vanessa Hudgens keeps giggling into the microphone and it’s driving me crazy.” (I gave her a pass, though, because it must be difficult to see your ex-boyfriend in a constant media loop as Elvis.)
Me, stating the obvious: “Chris Evans just walked out to present the ‘Best Movie’ award and everyone started screaming.” (If you’re wondering, it went to Spider-Man: No Way Home.)
Me, saying what everyone else is thinking: “Jennifer Lopez is twice my age and she looks better than I do.” (Maybe the key to winning a ‘Generation’ award really is just using olive oil as a moisturizer.)
Feel Good Friday
Chris Evans revealed that he filmed a segment for the popular “Puppy Interview” series with BuzzFeed this week, in which celebrities try to answer questions while playing with puppies. I understand that patience is a virtue, but give it to us now.
That’s all from me this week! Thank you for reading, and remember to subscribe and share this newsletter with your friends!