Do you know Ben and Erin Napier? Lainey sent me their new PEOPLE cover this morning and while I don’t keep up with them, I am familiar with Home Town and their refurbished and country aesthetic. They are huge in the HGTV fandom and clearly have a lot of crossover appeal if they are big enough for PEOPLE the week after Sexiest Man Alive.
These couples are fascinating because their fame depends on each other and their family branding, much more so than even Instagram influencers (who can spin divorce into self-help). Chip and Joanna Gaines are a perfect example of a unit that moves together (and seems impenetrable) and on the flip side, Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa (from Flip or Flop) divorced and tried to keep the show going, but it ended in an implosion. It also affected their reputations; she is battling Ant Anstead for custody and he is very unsettling on Selling Sunset. He gives me real estate Patrick Bateman vibes. Ben and Erin have always been the most wholesome and authentic of the bunch but that doesn’t mean they aren’t ambitious. You aren’t agreeing to a PEOPLE cover and multiple TV opportunities if you want a humble country life.
To be honest I thought Taylor Lautner Squared was already married but now they are really married – with a photo spread in Vogue. Interesting. I’m happy for Taylor (the actor) who hasn’t had the prestigious career of some of his Twilight castmates but also seems chill and happy with where he’s at.
Tom Ford has licensed his beauty brand to Estee Lauder in a multi-billion dollar deal, with the eyewear and fashion license going to Ermenegildo Zegna Group. Tom will stay on through 2023 as creative head and in his statement, he seems happy to hand full control over to Estee Lauder, which has been an investor from day one. This is a huge payout and it’s weighted toward the beauty line because the brand makes the bulk of its money from perfume and makeup, not clothing. But what will happen to the Tom Ford name – will it turn into the new Michael Kors?
I watched the first few episodes of The Crown then read Sarah’s review here and I could not agree more. The show is drab, boring, heavy-handed and the dialogue lacks subtext as each characters say exactly what they mean at every single moment. So are we to believe these people are repressed and trapped in “the system” yet always manage to articulate their thoughts and feelings plainly? There is no interior world building. There’s a scene in which Princess Anne says something like “people always ask me why I’m so fascinated by lighthouses” (I’m paraphrasing) and it’s like really? It’s such a cheesy setup for exposition. And the courtiers, who have so much control and power, are seen as hapless assistants when we know that is not their role (that push-pull relationship was done really well in its first season).
We know fandoms are doing the most right now and this open letter (!!!) to Chris Evans is going to go down in the Twitter Hall of Fame. It’s invasive, it’s creepy and it’s delusion. Just try reading it without feeling so much second-hand embarrassment it hurts. This person is 30 years old?!
