Welcome to the Cult Entertainment Megastore
Feeling The Lemonheads in '24. The Mormon moment continues. Another thing for Ryan Murphy to ruin. Fashion collabs to covet. A Styles story to make you smile + other bits, bobbles + bloviations.
Hi hi hi friends.
Happy weekend to us all!
Though I would really like to request that fall start making a consistent appearance. I need the weather to understand that I have fully transitioned into an autumnal aesthetic and these 90 degree temps are, frankly, bullshit1.
I refuse to revert back to Summer Abby and WILL be wearing pants and jeans. My sweaters are staring at me from the closet. They’re itching to come out and play.
It better not jump from 90 to 40 and steal away those few weeks when you can wear that one jacket you love that only works when there’s a crisp chill, but it’s not super duper cold, and the sun is shining with no chance of rain or, god forbid, a wintry mix.
Ahem…my girl is ready to be revered in all her Almost Famous glory.
Climate change is a real bitch. Vote Harris/Walz.
So, I barely even watched Emmys clips, let alone the full show—meaning I don’t have much-slash-anything to add to that conversation other than stating that my friends who were there looked SO pretty. But I loved getting caught up on all the various “need to know” stuff from
+ .Let’s talk about a bunch of stuff that had my brain pinging all over the place this week—mostly in ways I enjoyed.
What Would the Angel Moroni Do?
I could talk about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for 1000 hours and it wouldn’t be enough time. I got into it all last week and I’m glad to see that the culture continues to welcome and produce even more content around these soda and extensions-loving followers of Joseph Smith.
Currently the limit does not exist on how many videos I will watch mocking Whitney’s RSV dance. They never fail to make me giggle.
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Thank you for your service, Katie Notopoulos. JOURNALISM LIVES!
Also LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Zac makes my insides feel so unsettled and uncomfortable. It’s beyond the ick. I was happy to hear from many others that I am not alone.
Related: I cannot wait to listen to this pod about a secret swingers situation in Minnesota in the ‘70s.
The limit also does not exist on swingers content I will watch. I was low-key raised by HBO’s Real Sex and went to see The Lifestyle as soon as it came out with my then-boyfriend at the Pioneer Theater in the East Village. Remember the iconic indie movie spot that also had a Two Boots and a video store? I loved that place so much.
We also got the premiere of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City this week. Lisa Barlow just hit post on a perfect transition photo with Demi + Bret from Mormon Wives. Showtime Synergy!
And she replied to the WHN IG Story. My fellow Diet Coke-loving queen!
Mormon Wives gives TLC and RHOSLC is glossy Bravo, of course. But they both bring me immense joy, along with random Mormon insights and quirks. Bless.
Some quick notes on each SLC woman from the premiere, which was an extremely strong start to the season. (You can refresh on the work of ART that was last season’s finale here.)
Lisa: I feel like the #1 girl in the group got off to a slow start last season and finished hot. But honestly, her worst day isn’t as boring as some Housewives’ best. She is made to be a reality star. I feel like I have such new insight into why she’s always drinking soda (per Mormon Wives) that lie outside my own choices for a morning DC—even though she also drinks alcohol. Does she always make sense? No. But I am all in on her coming for Whitney’s “hilling journey” and her unwavering sense of self—for better and very often, worse. Her son Jack’s mission continues to confound, but that’s pretty much par for the course with me and the rules of this religion.
Whitney: I’m so over Whitney right now. Blah blah blah. Bored bored bored. Also she better watch herself with even a hint of hypothetical Diet Coke slander.
Heather: I don’t feel like I have a good read on where we’re going with her this season. I do need to know if that woman is still doing her hair though, both because of the Reality Von Tease scenario and also because Heather’s extensions were real tough to look at sometimes. She helped bring forth one of the greatest Bravo finales of all time though, so she’s not yet in trouble with me.
Meredith: Honestly, if all she’s gonna give me is “bath” this season, she can keep it. But it’s too soon to tell and my money’s on Meredith bringing many different brands of insane, each with its very own accent. She was absolutely correct to not entertain Angie’s dumb scroll and she proved she can still crack a joke when Whitney stormed out of the Besos dinner.
Angie K: Girl, you were having such a strong premiere until you brought out your Festivus scroll of grievances. Ughhhhhh, my eyes rolled so hard. This is a tired move and she should know that. Ang can recover, though. And one of the keys surprisingly might be…
Mary Cosby: These two are besties now? What the what? But I’m into it. Listen, is Mary a likely cult leader who is extremely mean and loves to shame people? Absolutely. Is also she hilarious AF when she’s “on”? 1000000p. And she’s ON right now, firing on all cylinders and spitting banger lines about bread in purses and fashion.
Bronwyn: Okay, this nutter newbie is here to tell you about FASHION2 and really thinks she is something. In Salt Lake City. It’s great for the show so far, but we shall see if it gets tired. She is absurd and trying extremely hard with these looks. That it is not necessarily a bad thing.
Here she is in the Saint Laurent piece that she claims only she, Rihanna, and a museum have. It’s not couture though and based on my professional knowledge and a very cursory internet search, this is not true. Now, I have not done any sort of dive—shallow or deep—into her financials. But I’m always wary that it might be built a foundation as shaky as, say, Dorit + PK’s.
Bless the Bravo editors, as per usual. Does she think she’s SLC’s Julia Fox????
Britani: First, of course that’s how this other rookie spells her name. The number of women with names that end in an “i” in the greater Salt Lake City area should be studied. So far I know that this woman has had an on-off relationship with an Osmond3, cannot get out of her own way verbally, and is already deeply reviled by Mary Cosby and possibly Bronwyn. This means she has potential.
Bring on the rest of the season.
‘Cause He’s a Singer
Not since “PS: I fed the fish” have we had a random British Fruit Witch story as delightful as one we got earlier this week. Though I still think about Theodora at least once a month wondering if/how she recovered from missing this moment.
In case you aren’t familiar with the tale…
What a gem. If you ever see a Harrie refer to H as “pookie”, it’s because he does stuff like feeding the fish or complimenting a man’s outfit while out bopping around in a grandpa sweater and buying flowers at a street market.
You Got the Antidote
In other Styles- and style-related news, Harry Lambert4 dropped his second capsule collection for Zara and I want SO many things. I was just saying to someone a couple weeks ago that I regretted not ordering enough from the last one.
.HL talked to British Vogue a bit about the collection, saying, “I’ve always thought about making things I would love to stumble across. I love timelessness and the feeling of nostalgia in clothes, and I think if you have that nostalgia it feels like it’s eternal and can be worn forever, because it’s not so trend-focused.”
There are also underlying “Daylight” music video vibes in “Circus Chaos”, that’s for sure.
Some of my personal faves…total spending level is as yet undetermined.
Frolicking Frocks
Elsewhere in the singer x fashion space, the Kacey Musgraves x Reformation collab also dropped this week. There’s a lot of cute stuff, but I will say I think the pricing is just a tad too high on much of it. I do love the “made for frolicking” tagline, too. That actually feels like Kacey wrote it herself.
Mostly I need to know if anyone has felt the fabrication on this Cotswolds Coat and/or knows with certainty whether or not this thing is lined. The product description does not give any info on lining and if the 70% wool of it all feels nice AND it’s lined, I think the $428 price is totally fine. I haven’t bought a new coat in years so…
There was actually an event in NYC while I was in the city and in my past life, I likely would have been in attendance. I was v. jealous of my friends who got to go and would absolutely have gotten a little tattoo5 if I’d been invited. Unfortunately, neither of them got up close and personal with the coat.
I was irritated that I had the release day wrong in my head and couldn’t get my hands on some denim, but also maybe I don’t need more denim? Lols, of course I do.
ETA: Uh oh, looks like they did a restock.
I love this is the navy, for me personally. But the red is excellent, too.
I would very much enjoy this cashmere set for lounging, but absolutely don’t need it and will be able to resist purchasing in this case.
THANK GOD she did headscarves. As you can see from the sampling below, I definitely don’t have enough headwear 🙃.
I should absolutely get two more.
I also feel like this Queens of Archive dress would look great at one of my Kacey concerts this fall. I have Brooklyn in November and then the final night of the tour in Nashville in early December.
Maybe with these Charlotte Stone boots that also just became available for pre-order this week.
Plus, they’re named Agatha which feels like a fellow witch sign. I can’t wait to watch the first two eps of Agatha All Along, which dropped on Wednesday.
Honestly the entire QofA drop is fabulous, which is what I say about every drop, but still. Oh, and it’s called The Chelsea Hotel. Perfect for the particular niche sort of modern idiot I am.
The long version in this pattern is also yummy—and I already love the way this silhouette of theirs fits me.
Holiday party, anyone?
Girl, So Confusing
I had absolutely no clue that’s the impressive abs situation Gracie Abrams was working with and it’s really thrown me off somehow. Not in a good way or a bad way. Just in a way that is different from the way it was before.
I’m seeing her on Sunday the 29th at The Ryman in Nashville and I am BEYOND excited for the show and the venue, which I’ve been to but to do the tour, not see an actual show. If that tall blonde woman I love wants to pop in to make Gracie’s Ryman debut super special, I know our trio would be very down for that. Just in general, though, I do think there’s a decent chance for some sort of special guest.
Camelot, It Is Not
We should not have to endure RFK Jr's dangerous anti-vax nonsense/ridiculous campaign/Trump ass-kissing/inappropriate relationship with a reporter shenanigans AND Ryan Murphy getting his hands on Carolyn Bessette and John-John IP in the same year. That’s not cool, universe. Not cool at all.
I feel like we’ve progressed beyond Ryan Murphy shows falling apart in the third act to being consistently and objectively bad, with some good performances sprinkled in. I don’t want him anywhere near Carolyn and John—but unfortunately I don’t run Hollywood. Ugh.
Fall always make me think of/miss those two even more…
Coparenting (Zigi’s Version)
I hold out the smallest amount of hope that one day Gigi and Zayn will get back together. I realize this is ridiculous because…Yolanda Hadid. But a girl can dream.
I also can’t believe Khai is already four.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping this short tour Zayn’s about to do is something of a test run to make sure he feels comfortable back on stage and on the road. I think it’s very smart, if that’s the case. I always worry about Zayn want him to be okay.
He seemed a lot more at ease doing press for this album and like he’s in a really good place. They certainly proved the interest is there as the dates sold out very quickly. I hope it all goes well and that he adds more cities in 2025, because sadly none of the original ones worked with my schedule.
And yes, of course, I have the VIP Key that gave the earliest access. Who do you think I am?
Channeling the Gia Within
Is this CR Fashion Book shoot the most interesting one Angelina’s done in a minute? I think it just might be.
It’s not like the old days, but it’s much more interesting than her standing in a stately manner wearing a nude gown. She’ll always look amazing in anything, but I miss the visual risk taker sometimes and this at least feels of that lineage.
Open Up Your Morning Light
Do people who weren’t always Team Pacey feel a deep shame inside? Because they should. (Yes, I’m worried about the new Ryan Murphy show. See the section above. Of course, I will be supporting Mr. Witter—as I have always done.)
Show Her the Money
One thing about me is I’m always going to obsess over people and brands moving agencies. What can I say? I’m a girl who loves the trades. And Niki Taylor. 4EVA.
Ick Me Once
Stop it, Us Weekly. Just stop it.
Gen X Moment of Zen
I went to see one of the most beloved bands of my youth on Thursday night—The Lemonheads—and it was a goddamn blast.
‘94 or ‘24?!?
Check out the very fun friendship bracelets my friend Carolyn brought for me from her and one of my most favorite tiny Swifties, her nine-year-old daughter Lilly.
Anyway, I have loved Evan Dando and The Lemonheads since I first “met” them in the pages of Sassy.
Like, this still hangs on the wall outside my bedroom.
Evan was always a mess. A beautiful, beautiful mess who wrote and sang songs that spoke to my soul and still do. I am consistent in adoring emotionally withholding damaged men with great hair who are charming and talented in the arts, after all.
Should I do a “We Need to Go Back” that gets into the saga of Evan + Juliana Hatfield, a ‘ship obsession of my teens??? Tortured poets, both—they are basically the prototype for the Matty Healy + Taylor relationship. In this essay I will…
It’s actually low-key refreshing to still have a fucked up party boy rocker from the ‘90s who isn’t dead or reformed. I wasn’t sure what we’d be in for when I saw this tweet, but the show was so much fun.
Ostensibly, they were playing both of these albums in full for the It’s A Shame Come On Feel Tour—and they mostly did lol. Both of these albums are core pillars for me and I scream sang my lil Gen X heart out.
I was surely the only person in that room who knew every word to “Alison’s Starting to Happen” and also could be found in that same venue bringing the same energy during a Taylor Alison Swift night. This is a source of pride for me, natch.
I definitely took some of these lyrics too much to heart and decided to live ‘em out, like “she wanted him to love her, but he didn’t…he kinda shoulda sorta would’ve loved her if he could’ve”. I am the Juliana Hatfield.
Speaking of troubled ‘90s lead singers…
This felt like a moment to shout-out one of Gen X’s favorite fictional bands (especially in Belgium): Citizen Dick.
Until next week, here’s Tracee Ellis Ross speaking some truth.
xA
But I also dread winter’s arrival with all that I am or ever will be.
I have seen no evidence she knows anything about FASHION.
A nephew of Donny and Marie.
His longtime stylist
They had an artist on-site.
Class of 97 (ahem) and Lemonheads & Julianna Hatfield are such a major part of my DNA. No idea who I even was before them. Glad to see he’s relatively unchanged! 🍋 very cool videos. 🍋 Agree Ryan Murphy is NOT THE MOVE for JFKjr/CBK
“I could talk about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for 1000 hours and it wouldn’t be enough time”
Truer words cannot be written. Ash and I binged in 2 days and it was much too brief an experience. Please feel free to send any lingering rantings and ravings my way!