This week:
- Katy Perry may wish she’d stayed in space.
- Finally, everyone also loves one of my favorite shows.
- J.K. Rowling remains the absolute worst.
- A very important celebrity summit.
- No one has ever stunned more in a photo.
We Can Finally Enjoy Girls in Peace
Thirteen years is hardly a milestone anniversary. Social media doesn’t care about that: any occasion is a perfect occasion for engagement. I can’t and won’t complain about the randomness when the 13-year anniversary was used as the prompt for thousands of users on X to post their favorite moments from the HBO series Girls.
Time has been good to Lena Dunham’s series, about millennials struggling to become responsible adults while living in Brooklyn. As years have passed, the show is finally being viewed outside of the context of the incessant, deafening discourse that surrounded it when it was airing. Because of that, people—even critics of the show when it first ran—have come around to the fact that it was good. Really good.
I have viewed each and every clip that has come across my timeline this week that someone chose as their favorite moment. If you want to spend a chunk of your day having a really great time, click this link and do the same.
I’ve yet to participate in the prompt, largely because I struggle to choose my favorite.
Is it the scene at the beach house where a drunk Shoshana tells everyone off? Or, when it comes to Shoshana highlights, her disastrous job interview at McKinsey?
Would I choose one of the classic moments, like Marnie’s mortifying Kanye West karaoke moment, or the “Dancing on My Own” scene?
My first instinct was the brilliant scene between Hannah and Elijah, where Elijah tells her he’s gay. But if I’m going to choose an Elijah scene, should it be when he sings “Let Me Be Your Star” from Smash as he auditions for the White Men Can’t Jump musical? Or when he hilariously mocks Hannah for wanting to leave New York City?
And, my god, what about Hannah and Adam’s emotional final scene at Kellogg’s Diner, which might rank as one of the best written and performed TV scenes…ever?
It’s been a fun week, revisiting these scenes and seeing how many people appreciate the show now.
The series pilot famously has Hannah saying she may be “the voice of my generation…or at least a voice of a generation.” As this victory lap on X this week has shown: Maybe she was right.
Avada Kedavra to All This Garbage
J.K. Rowling is an absolutely vile person. Irredeemably and, at this point I would assume, sociopathically toxic.
The Harry Potter author and billionaire multiple times over celebrated the fruition of her years-long, inexplicable, dangerous, and inhuman TERF tirade against transgender women. The UK Supreme Court ruled that transgender women are not legally women, after which she posted a photo of herself smoking a cigar and holding a cocktail, captioning it, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
The Potter franchise means so much to me, and more to so many other people. But I don’t know how to keep reconciling support of what’s become an entire Potter industry that funnels money directly into the pockets of the sentient pile of rotting, putrid garbage loosely held together by a sack of human skin.
I hold onto this beautiful message that Daniel Radcliffe once shared. But it’s getting harder and harder.
An Important Celebrity Summit
There was a historic meeting of celebrities: Finally, Michelle Williams met Michelle Williams.
That there are two famous Michelle Williamses has always delighted me, as have the occasions when they’ve been mixed up, as the careers of Michelle Williams (Oscar nominee) and Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child member) couldn’t be more different. And because, uh, one is white and the other is Black?
The two finally met after a performance of Death Becomes Her on Broadway, in which Williams (Destiny’s Child version) currently stars. (As I’m morally obligated to do any time Death Becomes Her is mentioned: a reminder that is the funniest musical on Broadway in years. Go see it!)
In the videos, they look genuinely excited to see each other. It’s adorable! Finally, nice things!
Glamour Shot of the Week
It’s become a meme online to say that someone “stuns” in a photo. Sometimes it’s used genuinely. Sometimes it’s sarcastic, mocking how overused the phrase has become.
But truly, earnestly: Sheryl Lee Ralph STUNS with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
More From The Daily Beast’s Obsessed
Tone-deaf rich people are giving tours of their luxury tents at Coachella like they’re in Architectural Digest. Read more.
I talked to the stars of “the Gay Golden Girls,” Mid-Century Modern. But do not tell Nathan Lane I called it that. Read more.
How Warfare, the most intense and realistic war film in years, was made. Read more.
What to watch this week:
The Legend of Ochi: Fans of Baby Yoda, meet your new favorite creature. (Now in theaters)
The Rehearsal: The undisputed craziest show on TV somehow gets…crazier. (Sun. on HBO)
Étoile: The creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls take on the world of ballet. (Thurs. on Prime Video)
What to skip this week:
Sneaks: A movie about sneakers that talk to each other. I’m serious. (Now in theaters)
Sinners: Our Obsessed critic is the anomaly who didn’t like this one. (Now in theaters)
