What we’ll be listening to, watching, and reading to sate our pop culture needs.
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From comic relief in Orlando with Hotwives’ ridiculousness to the shores of St. Thomas with Tiphanie Yanique’s unforgettable characters, we’re doing plenty of summer “traveling” this weekend.
Is it possible to parody something that’s already completely bonkers? Hotwives of Orlando, the new Housewives-skewering show from Hulu, is proof that it is. Especially with some of our favorite funny women—including Casey Wilson, Kristen Schaal, and Angela Kinsey from The Office—playing the spandex-wearing, drama-stirring archetypal characters. If we didn’t recognize these comic geniuses, we might not even realize Hotwives isn’t an actual spin-off. Which makes it all the more hilarious.
This riveting documentary about Broadway legend Elaine Stritch, who passed away Thursday, was released earlier this year—and thank God for that: Here, we get to see Stritch in her recent years, in all her off-the-cuff hilarious glory, talking openly about aging, health issues, and alcoholism, alongside archival footage of her impressive career highlights. In other words, just the thing Stritch fans want to curl up with this weekend to reminisce with. Shoot Me’s also interspersed with clips of friends like Tina Fey and James Gandolfini, whose reflections of her reveal a complex portrayal of a true New York icon.
With a dash of Jenny Lewis’s pretty pop perfection and the post-punk-surf sensibilities of the likes of Best Coast and Bleached, Glasgow guitar-and-drums duo Honeyblood have debuted an album that mixes just the right amount of jangle, fuzz, and angst. Backed by Shona McVicar, Stina Tweedale sings of love and love lost, and Honeyblood makes both sound just as appealing.
In this novel about family and home, Tiphanie Yanique brings St. Thomas, and the captivating world of two sisters, Anette and Eeonna, to life with details so illuminating the island air is nearly palpable. Using a touch of magical realism, Yanique artfully intertwines the historical fiction of the Virgin Islands early-20th century U.S. takeover with island folklore, local dialect, and, through two fascinating women, life on the island in a time of great change.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of our love affair with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, or, more specifically, Harry and Sally so it’s the perfect time to revisit this Nora Ephron–penned gem and remember the days when rom-coms were actually good. The quintessential romance dealt with age-old dating dilemmas and the differences between men and women with a wit, charm, and optimism that Hollywood hadn’t seen before, inspiring decades’-worth of wannabes. But no matter how many “I’ll have what she’s having” references we’ve seen since, just like the film itself, none are as memorable or satisfying as the original.