This is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by senior entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here.
This week:
- The unauthorized Céline Dion biopic is finally here. (My Super Bowl.)
- The hidden-gem series you should be watching.
- Turns out the perfect man does exist.
- Have you cried about CODA today?
- The wildest headline of the week.
I Beg of You: Watch Starstruck
If I were to choose my favorite recent TV joke in the Non-Abbott Elementary Category (see here for that winner) it would be from the premiere of the new season of Starstruck on HBO Max.
I’m not sure why we’re not all talking about Starstruck, because, for the kind of show it is, it is perfect. It is a TV comedy that impeccably executes every beat and cliché that we know and crave from a classic romantic comedy. And it has an irresistible fresh voice underscoring it all, thanks to creator and star Rose Matafeo.
To the point of its familiarity, the first season of the series essentially unfolds like a smart, modern Notting Hill remake. Jessie (Matafeo), a broke, hustling millennial in London has no idea the morning after a one-night stand that Tom (Nikesh Patel), the man she slept with, is actually a very famous actor. That incredibly charming first season of episodes dealt with them figuring out how to be together—or if they should be—given their difference in, uh… fameness?
It manages to do the thing of glancing at the grand-gestures-and-cheesy-speeches of beloved rom-coms without explicitly going the “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a guy…” route. (I will defend that Notting Hill speech until my dying day, after which my tombstone will say, “That Julia Roberts monologue was great!”)
That’s especially true of season 2, which has a romantic overture in row boats on a pond that manages to both upend and pay earnest tribute to the genre.
In any case, season 1 ends on a The Graduate moment. They decide to try to be together… now what? What you don’t see after The Graduate ends is the freak-out. It’s a riot to see Jessie and Tom come to terms with the decision without trying to offend the other. But the best moment is when Jessie starts reeling over the repercussions of not getting on the plane she was supposed to board to leave London for good.
Jessie: “I had it all planned out. I had the window seat. I booked two window seats for both the flights and a gluten-free meal… and I was going to watch Dunkirk, so now I guess I just never watch Dunkirk.”
Tom: “We can watch Dunkirk.”
Jessie: “On the ground? In a house?!”
This show is a gem. You should watch it.
You’re Telling Me He Also Sings!?
Among my greatest regrets in life is that I watched Bridgerton season 2 far too quickly. I am having separation anxiety. It is physically painful. It has been far too long since I have met my husband’s smoldering gaze.
It is with a deep understanding of how Basic Bitch I am being by harboring the most intense crush of my adult life on the cute leading man from the romantic drama that happens to be the most popular TV series in the world right now. But I am prepared to risk it all if it means a shot with Jonathan Bailey. Or, to be honest, just be in a room with him, have him look intensely at me for a few seconds, and then smile and say hi. That’d be enough to take me to the end, I think.
This obsession only intensified this week when a video made the rounds online of Bailey auditioning at one point for the musical The Last Five Years. (Watch it here.)
Yes, a quick Google search reveals that Bailey can obviously sing; he won an Olivier Award for the West End production of Company that is currently playing on Broadway.
But it is an entirely other, highly erotic experience to watch a camera trained closely on his face as he sincerely, desperately even, sings a love ballad.
Someone please come stage an intervention.
Yes, I Am Still Crying About CODA
You’d think that with an entirely new award show having already happened since the Oscars and no one being able to talk about anything but The Slap I would have stopped crying about CODA. Ha! Fools.
On separate nights this week, I rewatched the speeches from the CODA wins on Oscar night and legitimately choked on tears each time the camera panned to the audience and the celebs were doing the sign for applause—whimpering during the part of Troy Kotsur’s speech when his interpreter began to break down with emotion while translating for him.
I, of course, watched the movie again, and then after that the musical numbers, just to cry again.
But then this: Did we know that CODA star Emilia Jones performed “Both Sides Now” at the BAFTAs right before the Oscars? I had no clue. It’s so beautiful, and nice to have another clip to add to the watch-and-weep playlist. (See it here.)
I Do Have Questions
This is in no way to make light of a tragic situation, but I do need to read 10,000 words and watch an 8-part docuseries on what the fuck happened here:
What to watch this week:
Ambulance: You won’t believe the chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and the ambulance. (Fri. in theaters)
The Kardashians: Resistance is futile. (Thurs. on Hulu)
Elite: Or you can wait for your gay friends on Twitter to post screenshots of all the horniest moments. (Fri. on Netflix)
What to skip this week:
Sonic the Hedgehog 2: There’s “It’s funny to see a silly movie,” and then there’s saying the words, “I’d like one ticket to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, please.” (Fri. in theaters.)
