Just between us, do you remember it all too well?
Just between us... this is a BIG newsletter today :)
Hi All,
HAPPY RED DAY! Taylor Swift has released Red (Taylor’s Version) which is a re-recording of her 2012 album Red. It is phenomenal.
It’s been a particularly hard week for me — I’ve had a lot of obligations, a heavy work week, and an intense project due in my MBA program. I’m really feeling the pressure. It’s also why I’m so excited to be excited about something. I think a lot of us needed that thing to look forward to, and Red was that thing.
There was a lot to look forward to on the TV album — but it’s the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” that has everyone talking. It is a masterpiece.
Long rumoured to be about Jake Gyllenhaal — this version makes it extremely clear that it is. I’m glad I’m not his publicist today. His team needed a strategy and the Swifties are already out there on the attack. What would I have done? One of two things — one, you know everyone is checking out his socials today, so post all the things that need attention '“you’re looking at me, okay fine — look at this cool charity”; two, I would have pulled a Joe Jonas/Sophie Turner “it’s not NOT a bop” and acknowledge that the song is a good song and then move on. This was a decade ago. Everyone is fine now.
I always have a lot of thoughts on Taylor. Expect a lonnngggg blog post about it later.
For now, let’s jump into it because there are SO many other things to talk about this week!
This week on the blog:
I’m bringing back some oldies but goodies. My full blog on Red will be out next week after I’ve seen the All Too Well short film, but for now to catch you up on my Taylor Swift journey this year, here are two of my past Taylor blogs:
folklore: the long pond studio sessions — is everything I expect from Taylor Swift and more. Read that here.
Fearless: Ranking the Re-records — read that here.
Things to watch this week:
Friends, this is a GOOD TV week. Like I’m slightly overwhelmed by how much GOOD stuff there is.
Today is “Disney+ Day” — which means Disney has dropped the motherload of projects on its platform. We’ve got blockbuster movies like Jungle Cruise and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally streaming. We’ve got a lot of new spin-off shows and shorts like Olaf Presents. We’ve also got a new remake of Home Alone… I’m not sure how I feel about it but Home Sweet Home Alone is a TV series based on the original movie. Check out the trailer for that here.
On Netflix today, we’ve got the new Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot movie Red Notice. They’ve all been running around doing a LOT of press for this movie so the hype is there. The basic idea here is that former rivals team up for a heist. It looks like a lot of fun. Perfect escapism. Watch the trailer here.
Now that Remembrance Day is over if you are looking for a Christmas movie — it feels like they’ve all migrated over to Crave today. Or at least… all the ones worth watching. They’ve got a full collection with more coming.
On Apple+ Paul Rudd’s new show The Shrink Next Door premiers today. Co-staring Will Ferrell it’s getting a lot of positive buzz. It’s a black comedy about a therapist that crosses the line. Check out that trailer here.
On Saturday night, Taylor Swift will be the musical guest on SNL with host Jonathan Majors. Will she do “All Too Well” the 10-minute version?! PLEASE.
OKAY… Friends — you’re going to want to set all the alarms, calendar reminders, etc. because the TV EVENT of the fall is happening on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on Global: Adele One Night Only. We all know what happened when Meghan and Harry sat down with Oprah — now it’s Adele’s turn. We know Oprah can interview and create an authentic connection, we also know Adele can sing — so this special is going to be incredible. Put on your cream suit, pour a glass of white wine, and settle in. I cannot wait.
Then, on Wednesday it’s the return of the pandemic hit of all pandemic hits: Tiger King is back. Tiger King 2 will pick up the story where we last left off. I had a long blog about Tiger King and its ethics (really its LACK of ethics) so I really want to skip this, but I also feel the pull of that pop culture siren call. We shall see. Let me know if you watch this and if it’s awful in a good way or in a “skip it” way. Check out the trailer here and watch it on Netflix.
Also on Netflix on Wednesday — Riverdale is back with season six. I’m actually not recommending you check this out, I’m just putting this in here because I’m deeply curious… who is still watching this?! My co-guide on the canoe trip I lead in the summer is obsessed with it. She gleefully described it as a trainwreck that you can’t look away from. I dropped around season three? Maybe four? I don’t know — it got REALLY bad. If you’re watching it please LMK cause I want to talk about it.
On Thursday, Vanessa Hudgens’ smash series The Princess Switch is back with The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. You already know if this is your thing — if it is, get excited. If this is not your thing… well unfortunately there will be a lot of movies like this coming out over the next little while. Watch the trailer here.
If you are looking for something with a bit more depth, on Thursday Netflix is also starting to stream a short documentary called Lead Me Home about homelessness. The trailer looks incredible. Short doc Oscar buzz? Maybe.
Finally, on Crave/HBO Max — we’ve got the show of the week IMO. I’ve been waiting for this show for months. We all know Mindy Kaling is a genius. She’s done shows about adults and teens, but now she’s turning her attention to college-aged young adults. Starring Timmy’s sister Pauline Chalamet, Canadian Amrit Kaur,Jimmy Award WinnerRenee Rapp and newcomer Alyah Chanelle Scott, the The Sex Lives of College Girls looks AMAZING. The first two episodes are out on Thursday with new episodes dropping weekly. I am honestly so looking forward to watching this week after week.
Plus — are any of you watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City this year?! Send me an email… I need to talk about JEN SHAH. The show is getting SO good right now.
Other things to check out:
We’ve got so much new music today!!!
🎶 Let’s start with Canada’s Pop-Punk Princess Avril Lavigne. She has a new song called “Bite Me” and it is very fun. Skip the interview with James Corden (it’s very bad) and jump right into the song here.
🎶 Also in the Canadian music scene — Tate McRae has a new video out for “Feels Like Shit.” It’s good. She first hit the scene on So You Think You Can Dance and this video really showcases her dance skills as well as her vocals. She’s one to watch. Check it out here.
🎶 Beyonce has a new song out from the King Richard movie. I’ve been following this movie since it was on the Blacklist in 2018. It’s going to be phenomenal, but back to the song — it’s great. Listen to “Be Alive” here.
📺 Sex and the City Fans — you’ve got the first trailer for the reboot And Just Like That. I’m not a diehard fan like I know some of you are — so if this is your thing, let me know what you think! Can they do it without Samantha? TBD. Watch that here.
🇨🇦 HUGE shoutout to my friend Kelly Mark who was the senior producer on the Justin Bieber x Tim Horton’s campaign this week. If you haven’t seen this ad … well it is incredible. Like, a perfect campaign. I always love supporting my friend’s projects and this one is an EASY one to support :)
⭐ Did you hear that Paul Rudd is People’s Sexiest Man Alive this year? It is a perfect choice. Stephen Colbert had him on to promote it and the segment they did is so much fun.
🦆 Simu Liu is also on the list of Sexiest Men this year. This is also a great choice. He’s in the magazine posing with a duck. One day, when I work on an interview with him, I will be asking about the duck. Just putting that energy out into the world.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was graciously edited by Emma Sakamoto 📝📝📝
p.s. while Emma doesn’t have an Editor’s Pick this week… I have a surprise Pic of the editor :)
This is a photo of Editor Emma (middle), our mutual friend Emily (left), and me (right) while we were in Halifax. We all went to university together and this picture was taken the fall that Red originally came out. I love that we’re all still friends all these years later ❤️