The End of the Ellen Era
Hi All!
It’s *finally* starting to feel like Spring and I’m thrilled.
I’ve had a pretty good week all things considered. This week I became a vaccine hunter! I’ve always been good at finding stuff on the internet — I’m a reality TV researcher after all — but it’s been so fun to use this power for good. This week alone I managed to get the word out about two clinics and got over a dozen people vaccinated! I’m feeling pretty proud of myself and it’s such a thrill when I get a “I got the vaccine 😭❤️” text. I got a burger from The Stockyards and it was 10/10. I highly recommend it. I also did my Lifeguard recert and got to swim again! With every lap I did for my time swim I felt a little bit more like myself.
Really it’s all about the little things right now. With the lockdown extension in Ontario and all the canceled events — I think we all need to focus on the little things. Every vaccine is one step closer to getting back to normal. Treating yourself to a good meal can be just what you need. Taking a course or doing something for someone else — all these things are helping me.
Anyways enough about me :) let’s get to all the things you’re here for and I’ve got a few things I want to share!
This week on the blog:
We’re talking about Ellen. Specifically her rise and fall because I have *thoughts*. If you haven’t heard, she’s ending the show this year after 19 seasons. I don’t think she wanted to end this year, I think she had to. We’re diving into it. We’ll go back into the archives to relive the glory years of Ellen, and talk about the controversies around her and then I’m talking about what the future holds for her and talk shows.
Read that here.
Things to watch this week:
Most of the things coming out this week are out TODAY:
I’ve been waiting forever for the second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and it finally starts airing today on Disney+. They are following the weekly episode release schedule and frankly, I’m ok with it. I like having something to look forward to each week and then having the ability to binge it later. If you missed season one I’d highly recommend it. It is a teen show — but it’s so well done. Starring Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett (of the Disney love triangle situation in January) this season is adding Andrew Barth Feldman of Dear Evan Hansen/TikTok’sRatatouille: The Musical. He’s an all-around gem and I can’t wait to see how the show progresses this year. Watch the trailer here.
On Crave today I’m watching Sound of Metal. This movie was nominated for six Oscars and won two for Best Editing and Best Sound. Starring Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke — this movie looks phenomenal and explores the life of a metal musician who becomes deaf. Check out the trailer here.
Netflix has some projects of note coming out today. First up we’ve got Halston — a Limited Series from Ryan Murphy. Starring Ewan McGregor, this is all about the American fashion designer Halston and will chronicle his rise and fall in the 1970s. Watch the trailer here.
Second, we've got a new Amy Adams movie — The Woman in the Window. It looks intense but if you’re looking for a thriller this might be for you! Check out the trailer here.
On CBC Gem there is always something interesting to watch and this weekend they have the Canadian Premiere of Alicia Keys’ new concert film: Alicia Keys Live in L.A. I can’t find a trailer but enjoy her Tiny Desk concert.
That should keep you busy all week but if not…
On Sunday Crave/Starz is premiering Run The World. This looks like a great show about female friendship and I’m really excited to check it out. You can watch the trailer here.
Finally on Thursday we’ve got season two of Special on Netflix. This is a really great show, I know a lot of people who love it. Episodes are pretty short and it’s really bingeable. Watch the trailer here.
Plus we’ve got lots of sports (Go Leafs!), RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Below Deck Sailing Yacht (this season is incredible), and all your other favourite weekly shows. As always — you can hit reply on this newsletter and send me an email to let me know what you’re watching 📺
Other things to check out:
This week was the Brit Awards. I love this award show and there were some great moments to relive on YouTube: Jack Whitehall hosted (as per usual) and killed it (as per usual), Taylor Swiftreceived the Global Icon Award, Harry Styles accepted Single of the Year (and the internet thinks he’s losing his accent), and Little Mix won British Group of the Year (the first ever female group to win) and in their speech thanked the female groups before them. Plus Coldplay performed in the middle of the Thames,Dua Lipa had a great medley, and of course my girl Olivia Rodrigo hit the stage with “drivers license.”
Also in music — Katy Perry has a fun new single and video for “Electric.” It’s a feel-good song and it will just set you up for a good day. I’m very into it.
There are a few trailers this week that have me hyped:
The Spark Brothers is an upcoming documentary about the band Sparks. It looks incredible. Like an *actual* music documentary (not what the current stars are doing…). Watch the trailer here.
The Green Knight trailer dropped this week. Starring Dev Patel and produced by A24, you know this is going to be epic. Watch that here.
Then Friends: The Reunion has a teaser. It’s a boring trailer — but I’m still excited.
If you click on ANY link this week — make it this op-doc from the New York Times. I don’t know how to explain how much I loved this but I am obsessed with this video. It’s the perfect video about middle school, nostalgia, and growing up. Just trust me and watch this.
Prince Harry was on Dax Sheppard’s podcast Armchair Expert. It’s worth your time. Listen to that here.
My favourite YouTuber these days, Max Fosh, came in second-last in the Mayor of London race. It was a great series and I loved it so much. At this point I just want to be his best friend. This is the kind of political humour I enjoy. You can watch the final video here. I can’t wait to see what he’s up to next.
Lastly I’m very proud of my friend Diamond Isinger for being named on BC Business’s Women of the Year list. She’s the BC PC for Girl Guides of Canada (aka she’s in charge of all things Girl Guides in BC) and is an absolutely incredible human. I think I sold around 90 boxes of cookies this year… She personally brokered a deal that sold 180,000 boxes of cookies resulting in over $900,000 in fundraising commitment from a corporate partner that inspired a national initiative that moved millions of dollars in cookies. She’s worth a follow over on Twitter.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was graciously edited by Emma Sakamoto 📝📝📝
Editor’s Pick:
I work in publishing, so I read (and write) a lot of sales copy for books. One common sales copy trope is the old “for fans of x and y.” You know what I’m talking about: “For fans of The Hunger Games and Gossip Girl.” “The Office meets Game of Thrones.” Often these sell lines make me roll my eyes, but I have to admit that “The Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians” has my attention. I’m adding Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean to my spring reading list.