There was a story the other day about Jessica Biel not wearing her wedding ring. Those stories are not worth much because there are a lot of reasons someone might not be wearing jewellery (like going to the gym). For her birthday, Justin Timberlake hosted a pajama part for Jessica, for which she profusely thanked him. Then he posted about her. Well, “her.” Because he can’t resist slipping in something about himself, even though it’s an eye-rolling attempt at self-deprecation, we know JT. There is history here. This is him, always, bringing it back to himself. It’s muscle memory at this point.
If you’ve Googled “Zeus” or “Zendaya” recently, another name might have popped up that you didn’t recognize: Zack Bia. I read his profile in GQ and it’s an interesting look at being an influencer/promoter/FoC (friend of celebrity), someone who is making clubbing cool again.
One interesting thing in the profile is that as Generation Z, Zack and his ilk find brand building and self-promotion corny and ineffective. They don’t want the selfie for the ‘gram. It seems like a whole new kind of clout but FoC (friends of celebrities) have always inhabited a very special place in the ecosystem; as the profiler Samuel Hine points out, they stir up complicated feelings in the fandom. Mainly, “why not me?”
Eric Buterbaugh, celebrity florist, is a classic example of a beloved FoC.
I don’t think Rashida Jones is the only one who was surprised that Amy Poehler owns a wine shop. Did anyone know this?
Lori Loughlin is getting so much good press on PEOPLE, is the deal already in place for a post-trial exclusive?
Mischa Barton is reportedly leaving The Hills because she’s “too boring” for producers. I rebuke this. The show was boring because the relationships were fake (Justin and Audrina? Please!) and they were straining hard for drama. Mischa trying to recapture her career would have been way more interesting a focus over Brody Jenner’s partying. They should have built more on her and Brandon Lee.
John Mayer is poking his head out after the Open Book headlines have died down. Having read it, did anything about John surprise you? As Lainey wrote in early February, sometimes the read on a couple is right.
Pop culture timing works in funny ways, because as Jessica is having a huge hit in her book, Nick and Vanessa are having a huge hit with Love is Blind (even though their hosting is pretty minimal, their names are attached to the most buzzy show on Netflix).