We're so back (for this week at least)
Hi friends! Been a while!
Bet you thought you’d heard the last of us!!!! Well, we’re back. At least for this week.
It’s been… literally three years?? I guess.. how are all of you??? Have you had some big life changes since we last published? More importantly did you remember you were still subscribed to this newsletter?
If you are newly subscribed, sorry for the jumpscare! We’re Lizzy and Jane:
This used to be a weekly newsletter where we shared what we were watching, listening to, reading and our favorite tweets (are they still called that these days??) It was a fun project that help sustain us and connect us during the height of the pandemic, but was something we wound down when life “got busy.” Welcome! (I promise we won’t be offended if you promptly unsubscribe after this hits your inbox.)
Why are we back?
To set expectations here, I’m not really sure I (Liz) have a weekly newsletter in me, BUT I’ve been feeling the need for a creative outlet and more community lately, and the idea to jump start this newsletter came to me during yoga this morning. Jane is a big time corporate lawyer now and so she certainly doesn’t have time for this, but this week she has covid for the 6th time so has some hours to spare.
Let’s get right into it shall we??? (Let’s see if we remember how to do this.)
TV
Abbott Elementary, Season 3 - Hulu
God I love this show. I’m so happy Season 3 is mostly out. It’s the perfect light wind down show at night. It always makes me laugh. The actors are incredible and Quinta Brunson is a genius.
LR
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal - Netflix
Last night I thought to myself, “I need more corporate scandal docs in my life.” I turned on Netflix, and it gave me this little gift! I do remember the fallout of Ashley Madison, but it was fun to get the inside scoop and see some real people’s experiences. Also sad, because people did kill themselves….
I am begging for HBO to step it up. We have nothing to watch on Sunday nights. They still have not redeemed themselves since The Idol catastrophe. We are currently living in whatever the opposite of the “golden age of television” is.
-JW
MOVIES
Girls State - Apple TV
This documentary is a follow up to a documentary called Boys State (which, if you have a phenomenal memory, you will remember that Jane wrote a blurb for it in 2020.) It follows 500 high school girls who gather at a college campus for a week in Missouri, and they are there to learn how to build a government from the ground up. Think sorority meets speech and debate/journalism meets aspiring politician. They have to elect a governor, a supreme court, an attorney general and other government positions. Interestingly, this is also the first time they share a campus with the boys from Boys State who are doing the same thing. (Spoiler: Sexism ensues!) It was an engaging, thought-provoking watch. Need to watch Boys State still!
-LR
Challengers - In theaters
Offended Liz decided not to lead with this. Tennis. Thighs. Sex (kind of). Men in their 30s playing 18 year olds. This movie has everything. If you haven’t seen it, you simply are not a lover of cinema. Moreover, the movie is potentially a true story in multiple ways! First, the writer was inspired by Roger Federer and his wife. Second, the writer is married to the director of Past Lives, my favorite movie of last year about a love triangle. The soundtrack alone is worth the watch— I was bopping along in my seat the whole time.
https://x.com/FerdiaChris/status/1789677225823887564
-JW
PODCASTS
Is the Algorithm Killing Personal Style? Featuring @pigmamiii and @jalil_johnson_ - Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts
Shout out to Mia for sending this to me! I am very much on my personal style journey this year (what are my 3 words?? whose style do I like and why? why can’t I stop being influenced by trends and Instagram ads/influencers??) and so this was a timely listen! Next on my list: the Life Kit episode on how to find your personal style.
Stylists (With Decoder Ring) from the podcast “Articles of Interest”
Relatedly, this episode from Articles of Interest is a quick primer on the rise of stylists in celebrity culture. It was fun to learn about why there were so many fashion fails in the 90s and early 2000s, and why there aren’t many now! Also details the rise of Armani.
Also, commenting on Lizzy’s comment above, I have used the app Indyx to take a “personal style” quiz. It’s a fun app with a bunch of features! I also paid for one of the women in her mentioned podcast episode to put together a lookbook featuring outfits I already owned (in an attempt to limit my clothes spending). I like their mission.
-JW
Books
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
This has been my favorite book of the year and will be talked about during awards season.* Blurb: “The orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, Cyrus never knew his mother. Killed when her plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident, Cyrus has spent his life grappling with the meaningless nature of his mother’s death”
This book is funny and reflective about individuality and the meaning of life. Big themes, but easy to read.
*End of year best book lists.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Corporate crime in fiction form! I really enjoyed this read about the conflict between a billionaire drone company CEO/developer and an environmental activist group.
Also, the Atlantic made a list of the Great American Novels. It’s fun, check it out!
-JW
Tweets
https://x.com/almondtiddies/status/1790853618754568490
https://x.com/bitethehan/status/1791161162341458027
https://x.com/shockproofbeats/status/1791415815528382786
https://x.com/meatsical/status/1790768165884211456
https://x.com/whotfisjovana/status/1789961572086903083
Thanks friends that’s it for now!!!! We missed you!!!!
Liz and Jane