Dear Gossips,

I’ve been listening to Rihanna’s new song, “Lift Me Up”, from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack all morning. Like driving to work, crying. Does it hit this hard only because I’ve seen the movie? Or does it work the same even if you haven’t?

Next question: will this be a Best Song nominee at the Oscars? It’s not like the Academy wouldn’t want to have Rihanna on that red carpet.

There are other artists with new releases today. BTS’s Jin released his new solo track, The Astronaut, cowritten with Coldplay. It’s exactly how I imagined a collaboration between Jin and Chris Martin would sound.

If you’re not listening, do you want to watch? I just started From Scratch on Netflix, starring Zoe Saldana, after reading Kathleen’s piece at Refinery29. The series is based on Tembi Locke’s book From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home. I’m still early in but so far this is all my sh-t. A young woman takes a break from law school to spend the summer in Florence studying art. She meets gorgeous men, she eats the best food, she explores the city, and she falls in love. Something sad is about to happen, no doubt, they basically tell you in the trailer, but this is exactly what I prefer to be doing on Halloween weekend – not going to parties but cocooned in the comfort of my bed, sobbing under the covers. And the dude? At first I was like…um, I don’t think I can get with this dude. Half an hour later, that dude is my life!

Or go see Call Jane. The film is based on the true story of the group of reproductive rights activists called the “Janes” in the 60s and 70s who were secretly helping women get abortions. It includes a scene where a woman, played by Elizabeth Banks, begs the board members at the hospital to give her permission to terminate her pregnancy because of a life-threatening heart condition exacerbated by her pregnancy. These men sit around the table, debating whether or not she’s worth saving. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what they eventually concluded would be their preferred option.

As infuriating as the film is though, it’s also powerfully uplifting. Because these women supported each other, they pooled their resources and their energy and their passion and, at great personal risk, they made it possible for thousands of women to decide for themselves.

There’s also an HBO documentary about the Janes that was released earlier this year that you can stream. In Canada, The Janes is available on Crave. This film is about the power of women. And the change that is inevitable when women fight for women. Please watch both… and then, if you are in the United States, go out and VOTE for reproductive justice on November 8!

And finally… if you’re not in the mood to listen or to watch, if reading is your thing, and if you haven’t already, this is the book on almost every Best of 2022 list this year: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. You know her from Little Fires Everywhere, and her latest is about what happens when we are motivated by fear and not love, and about how stories can lead us back to hope.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

Zoe Saldana Gossip

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