This week, Daysia talks about Demi Lovato’s new docuseries and is down bad for Sydney Sweeney. Meanwhile, Hannah discusses the wave of Disney Channel nostalgia that hit our timelines this week.

If things look different here, it’s because we’ve officially moved to Revue! Let us know what you think on Twitter or email us at [email protected].

<3

Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

What's taking up our brain space this week?

Daysia: CW! Mentions of addiction and eating disorders ahead. It’s been difficult watching Demi Lovato battle her demons over the past decade. Watching any of your childhood idols grow up is always jarring, and we’ve seen time and again how precarious the transition to young adulthood is for child stars. Demi has always appeared very upfront about her struggles with fame, body image, addiction, and mental health—opening up about her issues in the documentaries Stay Strong (2012) and Simply Complicated (2017). From the 2011 single “Skyscraper” to her upcoming album Dancing With the Devil...The Art of Starting Over, she has also proven her particular talent for capturing that emotional vulnerability and rawness in her music. And as an outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction, she quickly crafted a persona of strength and resilience over the years—masking the extent of her own ongoing struggles with recovery and relapses in the process.

The first two episodes of Demi Lovato’s new YouTube docuseries Dancing With the Devil give viewers a look behind the mask. As noted by Ilana Kaplan in Vulture, DWTD is the most authentic of Lovato’s documentaries thus far. Lovato delves into her family history of addiction and eating disorders, the hyper-controlled recovery plan put in place by her team and the misery it gave her, her relapses, the guilt she felt over her role model status, and the events that led to her near-fatal overdose in 2018. Hearing Lovato speak about her experiences has always been incredibly moving, and this series is no exception. But it does feel like a shift for her, one that lifts a weight off of her shoulders and signals a fresh start (The Art of Starting Over, if you will).

The final two installments of DWTD and the album come out next week. I’m very excited to see what’s next for Demi ❤️.

In a complete change of course, I stumbled upon something yesterday that gave me an incredible amount of joy. Picture this: I’m on my TikTok For You page, and what do I see? A video of a beautiful blonde woman fixing her Ford Bronco under the handle @syds_garage. Huh, I say to myself, this woman looks like Sydney Sweeney, my celebrity crush and the love of my life, what are the odds that her name is also Syd. Lo and behold, that woman looked like Sydney Sweeney because it was, indeed, her. This video makes me feel a lot of things that I cannot get into right now but know that I would let her [REDACTED]... that is my truth. I know absolutely nothing about cars but please… Miss Sweeney if you see this… I am here to assist in any way I can 😭

Hannah: I don’t think I’m alone when I say I have been feeling nostalgic recently. The past year has caused a collective longing for the times before and maybe looking for a way to escape the—and I hate this expression—new normal. For me, this has resulted in (re)watching Studio Ghibli films and Avatar: The Last Airbender and listening to all of the Jonas Brothers albums. There’s nothing that really brings me back and captures the more simple days of my life like Disney Channel—it’s basically the only channel I watched when I was younger. And in the past week, there’s been a lot of Disney nostalgia. Miley reminded us that it has been 15 years since Hannah Montana premiered in this heartfelt Instagram post. Hannah Montana was one of my favorite shows (for obvious reasons, i.e. I shared a name with the main character but also it was genuinely funny). I’m not ashamed to say that I rewatch Hannah Montana: The Movie at least once a year. In a way that predates the meta mindtwist that is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, we got to witness Miley Cyrus be one of the biggest pop stars in the world in real life and on screen. The show brought me in and allowed me to imagine that this is what the life of a pop star was like. And it showed that it wasn’t always glamorous even from the first episode when Miley has to deal with her best friend finding out that she’s actually friends with one of her idols. Hannah Montana didn’t shy away from how hard life is for regular teenagers as well as famous ones—it probably contributed to my wariness of wanting to be famous. However, I maintain that I would make an excellent Best Friend of a Famous Person (like the one they tag on Instagram and you click and the friend is private with like 321 followers). Realizing that it has been 15 years since Hannah Montana has rocked me to my core because somehow it seems like it was just yesterday that I was getting excited for the latest episode but also like it was a really long time ago.

Speaking of things that don’t seem like they were that long ago but actually were, Colourpop seems to have struck gold on this collective nostalgia with its recent release of the Lizzie McGuire collection. I don’t really wear makeup but I want everything in this collection as everything from the packaging to the colors to the names of the eyeshadows perfectly captures the essence of the show and takes me back. So good job Colourpop. If someone wants to drop $10 plus shipping and handling to send me the “sing to me paolo” glitter gel I would not be opposed. 👀As someone who frequently rewatches The Lizzie McGuire Movie (sensing a theme here?) and got to live out her Lizzie McGuire fantasy when she made a wish in the Trevi Fountain it is exactly what my dreams are made of.

Has Lorde Dropped a new album?

No… but another elusive pop girlie may finally be coming out of the woodwork:

Will we be getting a new Rihanna single before a new Lorde album? Only God knows.

In the meantime, listen to Demi Lovato's new power ballad "Dancing With the Devil" and watch the iconic music video for Lil Nas X's "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

Too Many Tabs

Our fav reads of the week

Buzzfeed News’ Elamin Abdelmahmoud wrote about Justin Bieber as a reluctant pop hitmaker and his latest album’s sharp change in musical direction from Changes.

For the New York Times, John Koblin reported on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s” drop in viewership after last year’s accounts of workplace toxicity and misconduct.

Maggie Chirdo wrote about Ms. Frizzle’s unfortunate redesign in the new Magic School Bus reboot for Bitch.

Joseph Longo detailed the struggles of being an Amy Adams stan—watching her get snubbed over and over by the cursed Oscars—for MEL (RIP!!!!!! Justice for MEL!!!).

Plus the best working character actors, about that BenAna rumor, YouTube’s blurry consent culture, Chrissy Teigen leaves Twitter, and RIP Jessica Walter!