Happy Friday! It’s also a long weekend for many of you so we hope you enjoy it. Perhaps you will catch up on the latest season of Love Island UK, which Daysia dishes about this week (spoilers ahead!). Or maybe you want to have a movie marathon and escape the heat? In that case, Hannah shares a list of her go-to comfort films. However you spend your long weekend we hope it’s great!

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Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

What’s taking up our brain space this week?

Daysia: **Love Island 2021 spoilers ahead. Also, cw for death threats, online harassment, and suicide**

It’s safe to say that this year’s season of Love Island is off to a dry start, but I feel like that’s often the case at the very beginning. In typical premiere fashion, they introduced the ten men and women, the “OGs,” who would make up the initial couples of the season. None of the couples have chemistry, but only time will tell (it’s only been a couple days after all). Then, at the end of episode one, they introduced one “bombshell” woman to shake things up and steal one of the other girls’ partners. This “bombshell” was a woman named Chloe Burrows who was tasked to choose a man by the end of episode two, which she did—pairing off with Aaron Francis (shaping up to be a fav thus far) and leaving Shannon Singh (also fav, but clearly not into Aaron) single. This is all very predictable fodder, as this is how the first few days of the show go every season.

When the producers teased a “shock” for the third episode which aired Wednesday, I think most viewers—myself included—were dubious because there were no sparks or interesting interpersonal drama yet. The shock, indeed, was surprising, as Singh was immediately booted off the show when she was rendered single. Typically, “OG” islanders get a second chance in their first week because more bombshells are thrown in for them to potentially match with. However, it appears that the producers changed things up (gotta keep it fresh!) to keep audiences on their toes, making Singh’s stint one of the shortest of the show’s history.

A lot of people, understandably, had strong feelings about this choice. I was am pissed that this was the twist the producers chose, since Singh appeared to have potential to be a great character this season. I, like many people on Twitter, would have preferred she stayed than Burrows. However, some people are taking it extremely too far, sending Burrows death threats for something she has no control over. She, like everyone who stepped foot in the villa, is playing the game whether or not people want to admit that the dating show is a game show. Luckily, she cannot see what is being said about her—since islanders famously have their phones taken during their run in the villa while loved ones run their social media—but her friends and family can.

It is appalling that people can still be this cruel to people who compete on the show after two islanders have taken their own lives in the past three years. As a result, ITV has been under intense scrutiny recently over its aftercare practices for islanders exiting the show, which apparently include social media training, financial advice, and a minimum of eight therapy sessions post-villa. Here’s hoping that trolls get the message after Burrows’ family and the showrunners posted pleas to stop the hate.

As for Singh, it’s unclear what happens to her now. People aren’t even convinced that her time on the show is necessarily over, with folks theorizing that she’ll be back as a bombshell to shake things up. Considering her Instagram has been dormant since before she was kicked off, I would say that’s a fair assumption. Usually, whoever is running a booted contestant’s social media will post a “good try” or “so proud of our girl/guy” message immediately after the person leaves the show. No one has posted anything of the sort on Singh’s Instagram, which is suspicious! However, the speculation could just be wishful thinking, with the Independent publishing an “exit interview” with Singh. Shaping up to be a weird season, and it’s only week one!

Hannah: Heading into the long weekend I’m thinking about my ever-growing list of comfort films. You know those movies that it doesn’t matter how many times you watch them you can watch all the way through and not be bored. I have mentioned many of them already in past issues (Top Gun, Ponyo, Clueless). I associate each of these movies with particular memories and that’s what I love about movies. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off reminds me of lounging with my family, my parents sharing one of their favorite films with us. Now whenever I watch it always carries that feeling of home no matter where in the world I am (for some reason, Ferris Bueller is like always on Netflix in whatever country I’m in). Other family favorites include How to Train Your Dragon and, of course, anything in the MCU (my films of choice if I had to choose would be Captain America: Winter Soldier or Thor: Ragnarok).

Watching anything set in Paris or a scene with Paris is always a treat because I can say “I know where that is!” or “I’ve been there!” Amélie is always a joy since it features one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris (Montmartre) and also she breaks the fourth wall (considering my love for Fleabag it’s no surprise I love this).

And, finally, I recommend anything Studio Ghibli if you are looking to get lost in a weird and wonderful world and possibly cry.

Has Lorde Dropped a new album?

Not yet, but we are 49 days away. Read her interview in the Guardian from last week in which she calls Solar Power’s sound as “fucking zany” and the writer calls the album “much more intimate than its tumultuous predecessor.”

In the meantime, listen to Snoh Allegra’s dreamy, forlorn new RnB single “LOST YOU” or watch Olivia Rodrigo’s glorious SOUR Prom Concert Film.

Too Many Tabs

The New York Times’ David Marchese interviewed LaVar Burton on being a cultural icon and his quest to become Jeopardy!’s new host

Annie Murphy talks about getting noticed, her sharp pivot away from Schitt’s Creek’s Alexis Rose, and her range with writer Brennan Carley for The Zoe Report.

Joseph Longo analyzed Doja Cat’s brushes with controversy and her pop artistry for Buzzfeed News.

In light of Bill Cosby’s release from prison, never forget the stories of 35 survivors of his abuse as told to The Cut in 2015.

Plus… Good Girls is cancelled, The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie???, queer women and non-binary folks in animation!, #FreeBritney update, and finally, an Asian American celeb makeup brand (jk), and the infamous Dan Schneider's legacy.