It’s impossible to ignore the cries of “Twitter is dead!” but so far today, it’s working as normal for most people. Trending while slowly being gutted is very Twitter actually. The “what does it all mean” hot takes are coming but for me, Twitter is the place where celebrities could directly call each other out as fans watched and sometimes participated. How wild is that? Rihanna vs. Ciara, Katy and Taylor, Jonah Hill vs. Don Lemon – it’s hard to imagine another social media platform that will facilitate this kind direct communication ever again. 

 

It also created some stars, the biggest of the bunch being Chrissy Teigen. No matter what people think of her now or what they thought of her then, her influence on that platform is undeniable. So here she is once more, for old times sake. (She might not be tweeting through the end but she’s probably watching it like the rest of us.)

 

Adele seems prepared and ready to start her Las Vegas residency. 

And as Taylor Swift prepares for her tour, Ticketmaster is under fire for mismanaging the presale and causing Swifties to revolt. They are angry and disappointed that this tour, which is for them, is essentially inaccessible to most. Resale tickets are going for $20k. Taylor is of course disappointed but as she points out, she has limited control over Ticketmaster. People have been warning about their monopoly for years (the fees are outrageous!), but venues are contracted to use Ticketmaster so there’s no way around it for even the most powerful artists. This could be a catalyst for change but who will step in and challenge such a huge conglomerate? AOC has an idea of where to start. (And for those of us who lived through the 90s, Pearl Jam tried to alleviate some of the problems we are seeing now by taking Ticketmaster to court in an antitrust complaint.)

 
Taylor Swift's Instagram story
 

Lily Rose-Depp is taking nepo baby denialism to the next level, comparing children of celebrities to the children of doctors, and implies the nepo baby label applies more often to women than men. She’s defensive, which is fine, she’s 23. But the doctor (or any professional career) comparison is interesting because there is a certain kind of privilege attached to having parents who work in those fields, like perhaps they highly value (and can afford) post-secondary education or can provide advice and alumni connections and professional contacts. This doesn’t mean the beneficiary of privilege doesn’t work hard or have talent. But she downplays the importance of the “foot in the door” when that is such a crucial element for actors, that career momentum. Again, she’s 23, so this might be something she revisits in years to come.