In a totally overdue move, ABC announced that Season 25 will feature the first Black Bachelor, Matt James. I’m a little salty about it not being the deserving fan favorite Mike Johnson, but I think it’ll be refreshing to see a lead who hasn’t appeared on the franchise before. ABC is no role model in diversity, but I hope to see the network and Bachelor producers follow through on their promise for a more inclusive franchise. Between Matt’s casting and Clare Crawley’s upcoming Bachelorette season, I’m still eager for the franchise’s next cycle.

Thank God for the much-delayed renewal of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. At the rate everything is going, I was expecting heartache on this front, so this is at least one nice thing to look forward to in the ambiguous future. If you haven’t watched this yet, I highly recommend it. It honestly feels a little naughty getting to watch this cast and their caliber of talent in every episode.

I recently binged Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever and absolutely loved it. Anything Kaling-adjacent is a must-watch for me, but I was a little wary about this beforehand. I typically don’t enjoy most teen shows because of characters’ unrealistic or oversexed situations, and without full episodic context, the trailer was sort of giving me those vibes. But chalk it up to iffy marketing, because Never Have I Ever was so multifaceted, emotional, and witty in that classic Mindy Kaling fashion.

Admittedly, I was only vaguely familiar with “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before watching this CBS Sunday Morning piece about its history as the “Black national anthem.” Norm Lewis, the first Black man to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, then performed a powerful rendition for CBS outside the beatiful Lincoln Center.

Several Broadway shows originally meant to debut earlier this year have announced Spring 2021 opening dates (including my beloved Music Man), which was a tad reassuring given the bleak state of live theater right now. On that note, if anyone’s opinion about Broadway’s nickname is to be taken seriously, it’s Whoopi Goldberg’s.

I had heard that Watchmen was timely viewing, so when it popped up for free on Hulu in honor of Juneteenth, I dove right into it. I enjoyed it, but figuring out the world and its rules was initially confusing, and the ending left me feeling a little meh. This might just be because I’m not at all familiar with the franchise’s mythology, and anything superhero-related typically goes in one ear and out the other for me. On another TV note, I need to watch the last episode of Quiz, and I’m planning to start When They See Us and Unorthodox. 

I finished Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham, and oh my goodness, it was so worth the wait. I’m in the mood to reread Prep and American Wife now.

Remember how bright and shiny the summer of 2016 often felt? The election of the United States’ first woman president seemed imminent, and on Broadway, the pinnacle of the Hamilton glory only encompassed that hope and joy. Obviously, that was the calm before the storm, but the original Hamilton cast virtually reuniting to perform “Helpless” with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots reminded me of how palpable that pocket of time was.

Don’t ask me why Kelly Clarkson’s divorce triggered the same blues that I felt when the IRL Pitch Perfect couple split, but it did, and then her striking Kellyoke performance of a U2 song really brought on the tears.

The America’s Next Top Model Jays Chat videos now feature Jay Manuel with the show’s former makeup artist Sutan, and I am loving this dynamic as they cover the last few cycles before the show declined into the kind of hot mess that isn’t fun to watch. What was your designated turning point? Cycle 16? 14? Even earlier?

I like a mindless watch of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives as much as anyone, but Guy Fieri being a loyal, often unheralded proponent of small businesses and restaurant workers is super heartwarming, as seen in this CBS Sunday Morning profile.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is my favorite of the Hughes-ian canon (and argubably his teen movie that has aged the best), and watching it is truly a dose of joy every time. I loved Jennifer Grey’s behind-the-scenes look at filming the movie, and finding her photos led me to watch Josh Gad’s cast reunion, which was delightful.

I’m so excited to see what Disney does with a Princess and the Frog-themed Splash Mountain. You know, when the reality of crowding onto an amusement park line with a bunch of strangers isn’t terrifying.

When it comes to favorite parenting duos in movies, Bonnie Hunt and Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen are high on my list. I also find it refreshing when a large cast of child actors ultimately become fairly normal-seeming adults (the majority of the movie’s younger actors have apparently either left acting or kept out of the spotlight). These are little details that just made this video of the grown Baker children recreating their characters’ most memorable moments even more delightful.

What little things have been getting you through?