This week, Daysia ponders the new Megan Fox-Kourtney Kardashian friendship while Hannah rounds up some celeb news and moments this week, from things that made her go “absolutely not” to “yes!!”  

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Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

What's taking up our brain space this week?

Daysia: After the VMAs, I was wondering about this new kinship between Megan Fox and the Kardashians. At the event, Megan was wearing a dress that evoked Kim K’s 2019 Met Gala look, then she debuted her newfound friendship with Kourtney. Kourtney and Megan make sense as a pairing since together, with their significant others, they all make rockstar “it couples.” I figured it was a cute, brief moment for the VMAs. Then, we got this Skims campaign, further embedding Megan into the Kardashian ecosystem:

So of course, I had to turn to the Kardashian expert to unpack what it all means: Kardashian Kolloquium. If you’ve never seen her content, she does an incredible job at analyzing the cultural impact that the Kardashians have through a theoretical lens. In brief, the theory with the Fox-Kardashian alliance is that Megan is using Kardashian aesthetics to further boost the cultural resurgence she’s having by staying on top of what is current and trending (the Kardashians). In return, Kim can use Megan’s ethos as a bonafide movie star to elevate her brand Skims as a serious, high-end brand. It’s genius! This was just a summary of Kardashian Kolloquium’s incredible analysis so please get the full deets here and here.

Hannah: Phew, what a week! I feel like it was one of those weeks that was short but long—I mean the Emmys were on Sunday. I have been terrible at watching TV so I was not particularly invested this year (apparently I have to watch Ted Lasso). Anyways, this week I’m rounding up some pop culture news and moments that made me go “absolutely not,” “oh!” “okay then” and “yes!!”: 

• Absolutely not: The recent announcement that Chris Pratt will be voicing Mario in the animated Super Mario Bros. (2022) just doesn’t sit right with my soul. I think the rest of the cast makes sense but I’m extremely confused by what’s going on. When I DMed Daysia with the cast list she replied, “Is this real????” and I tragically had to explain to her that it was very real.

• Oh!: Emily in Paris is one of those things that I always forget is a thing until I’m reminded (yes, I did binge watch all of season one in a day and no I will not be taking questions at this time). My reminder this week was the first photos from season 2: 

All I have to say on this is that at least the fashion looks marginally better! Oh and… 

• Okay then: Blake Lively has joined the celebrity beverage game with her new line of fizzy mixers, “Betty Buzz.” Similar to ScarJo being creative director of an organic pizza roll company, this news makes me say “okay then!” It works out well for Lively as her husband, Ryan Reynolds, is infamously the owner of a gin company (or as Lively said, “a gin slinger”). Cleverly, the promotional images for the new mixers that Lively shared on Instagram also feature several other celeb-owned liquors, including The Rock’s Teremana Tequila and Matthew McConaughey’s Longranch Bourbon. Did not realize that owning a liquor brand was such a popular actor side hustle!

• Yes!!: Michaela Coel won a well-deserved Emmy (Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie—the first Black woman to win) for I May Destroy You and her speech is an inspiration.

Has Lorde Dropped a New Album?

Griff covered “Solar Power!”

And apparently, Lana Del Rey, her fans, and lawyers think “Stoned at the Nail Salon” rips some of her songs? This is per The Sun, so take it with a grain of salt. Other than that, no new Lorde news!

This week’s final mini-reviews include bonus tracks “Helen of Troy” and “Hold No Grudge” from the music box.

“Helen of Troy”: Lorde previously said that Solar Power was going to be an acid album and ended up a weed album. I think this song is a cut from that earlier vision. It sounds great, but lyrically it’s not incredibly cohesive. But it does communicate a major theme present in the rest of the album: escape. 

“Hold No Grudge”: Thematically, this feels like a big sister to the songs on Melodrama. It is a song that reminisces over a past lover and captures how sad it is to slowly forget someone who was once close to you. But just as the title implies, there’s a release of ill will and closure in this relationship. Sonically, it’s inline with the rest of Solar Power’s guitar-driven, early-aughts pop sound (the melody of the verses kind of reminds me of “Genie in a Bottle”?). This might be one of my favorites in the entire album, despite being a bonus track! 

ICYMI: Michaela Jaé—aka Mj Rodriguez—released a disco dance track “Something to Say” earlier this summer. We missed it when it first came out, but we certainly are not overlooking it now!

Too Many Tabs

Jennifer Hough spoke out about her experience being intimidated by Nicki Minaj and her husband (and Hough’s reported rapist) Kenneth Petty in an interview on The Real (trigger warning for sexual assault).

Michaela Jaé is Mj Rodriguez’s next act after Pose. Writer Ariana Romero catalogued Michaela Jaé’s budding pop music career and new acting projects for Refinery29.

The Atlantic’s David Sims analyzes how Broadway darling Dear Evan Hansen transformed into a silver screen flop.

Plus… James Gandolfini’s son takes the mantle, an Emmys recap, more anti-vax celebs, Asa Butterfield on the new season of Sex Education, and reassessing Perez Hilton’s legacy.