Wicked Paris

The Paris premiere of Wicked: For Good happened today—tonight, whatever—and, predictably, Ariana Grande turned up in black and pink.

Also on hand in Paris were reigning Sexiest Man Alive, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum. So far, I have not had to explain to anyone why Jonathan Bailey is the SMA, everyone gets it. I worried a little someone would be like, “yeah but he’s gay”, and while I’m sure if I go looking for it, I can find that, in my actual, real-world interactions, people just understand his appeal even if they know he doesn’t play for his team. So, can we finally put to bed the old adage that women knowing a man is gay ruins his sex appeal? Jonathan Bailey is Exhibit A that isn’t true. 

Also, I’m a little shocked that Jeff Goldblum dressed normally. I thought he’d be living it up for his last hurrah as the Wizard, but maybe he’ll pull out the stops later in the press tour. We’ve still got multiple weeks to go. 

Also attached - Cynthia Erivo arriving at her hotel last night. 

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What else happened today… 

UConn Huskies basketball star—and podcaster, student, etc—Azzi Fudd talks her pre-game rituals including, and I know Lainey will appreciate this, a pre-game poop. I appreciate her candor because I do wonder about athletes and the bathroom. What if you’re playing baseball and you have to pee in the middle of an inning but it’s still an 0-0 count? How do they hold it??? (Popsugar)

Kristen Stewart popped up at an after party for Sentimental Value, alongside that film’s stars, Renate Reinsve and Elle Fanning. KStew debuted what I can only refer to “dirtbag bangs”. I don’t think anyone else could make this dirtbag tomboy style work, quite frankly. Anyway, go see Sentimental Value, it’s great. (Go Fug Yourself)

Among a lot of funny details, maybe the funniest detail of the Louvre heist is that the museum’s video surveillance system’s password was just “Louvre”. Are we sure this whole thing isn’t some kind of post-modern French comedy? (Celebitchy)

Next week, on November 10, we mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. The wreck was made famous by Gordon Lightfoot’s folk song (listen here), and is now being re-immortalized on TikTok. 

If you live around the Great Lakes, you will eventually hear of the “Mighty Fitz”, it’s one of the region’s greatest legends. At the time of her sinking, she was the biggest freighter working the Great Lakes, the Titanic of the Great Lakes, if you will. Twenty-nine men lost their lives on the ship, which sank for reasons still technically undetermined (but almost certainly she was swamped by waves during a storm).

If you want to learn about the Fitz, check out Part-Time Explorer’s excellent documentary on the ship. 

 

One reason we remember the Fitz 50 years later, besides the lives lost, which is no small thing and plenty reason enough, is because of the massive overhauls in safety and security that came about from that one ship’s loss. Before the Fitz, commercial-class ships sank with some regularity on the Great Lakes, it was a literal hazard of the job. After: none. Not one. Countless lives have been saved because of the harsh lessons learned from the Fitz. You know what the say, safety regulations are written in blood. Or in this case, bitterly cold water. (Atlas Obscura and Part-Time Explorer)