OK so the big story today is Beyoncé showing up for Taylor Swift, the two most powerful women in music (not just pop music). Beyoncé has shown up before, like when she popped in on Channing Tatum for Lip Sync Battle or when she coached Gwyneth Paltrow for her Grammy appearance with CeeLo.
While Beyoncé is singular, a world of her own, she’s also acutely aware of what’s happening in pop culture. And I’ve always wondered about these two not because of a professional rivalry, but because of Tidal. When it launched with Jay-Z, it was all about being “artist-owned” and SO many big names like Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Pharrell and Nicki Minaj showed up for it. At the time, Jay-Z was building it and there was a meme of Taylor Swift exclaiming “Brunch!” when they were chatting at the Grammys in 2015. Taylor, at the time, was still happy with Big Machine and deep in the Squad Era. She was protected. I imagine that, years on, she now understands what Jay-Z was attempting. It doesn’t appear they ever went to brunch and Tidal was eventually sold to a company partially owned by Jack Dorsey. I wonder if she looks back now and has a different perspective.
You know how some faces look grown-up even when they are young? Hugh Jackman at 17 looks like a full grown man with an office job, a mortgage, three kids and binge drinking problem. There’s been reports he’s writing a “bombshell” memoir (like Jada?!) and might be digging through some old photos.
Sofia Coppola is a nepo baby who does it right – Hollywood history, talent and a point of view that makes her a rich director. I jumped all over this article of her favourite things in The Strategist and she’s very stylish so it’s interesting to learn that, besides Chanel, she wears a lot of men’s brands. She must have an excellent tailor to hem her clothes.
Tom Brady was asked about returning to the NFL and joked about unretiring but seriously, do you think he’s a little misty about the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift situation? Tom is a very decorated, legendary player and there’s no doubt about that. But once you leave professional sports, even the biggest names often have an identity crisis. For Tom, it’s a double-whammy of not being a QB and getting divorced from his supermodel wife. So while he’s obviously still famous and in-demand, he’s not the headline right now. And I think Tom is used to being the center of attention.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are working together again on an Ocean’s 11 prequel and while that franchise is very hit and miss, I think the premise holds up. In my overconfident mind, I think a casino heist could be pulled off (I have not and do not plan to!). My theory on this is that casinos have really good PR and have spent decades talking about how powerful and impenetrable they are so no one ever tries. Maybe the vault code is 1-2-3-4.
