Weekdays off in elementary school meant watching Live! with Regis and Kelly and giggling uncontrollably at the opening conversation. Now looking at all of these commemorative clips of Regis Philbin, I realize just how much his joy and self-deprecating humor remind me of my grandfathers, both lifelong, hearty New Yorkers of that age and likely to have experienced the same cultural touchpoints. Sure, America chose to wake up to him, but New Yorkers had a particular familarity with him. Kathie Lee Gifford’s tribute to him on TODAY made me cry, and although I don’t remember the Regis and Kathie Lee era, their occasional reunions on TODAY‘s fourth hour showed me just how magical their daily dynamic must have been. For a laugh, watch Regis’s delight at a bird landing on Kathie Lee’s head and then his Halloween stint as Gelman on TODAY in 2016. I also love his guest spot on How I Met Your Mother.
Either the Queen has an obvious favorite among the grandkids or she feels really bad about Princess Beatrice having to cancel her original wedding plans and deal with Prince Andrew’s shenanigans. Whichever it is, I loved how Beatrice wore an old, tweaked gown of the Queen’s as well as her grandmother’s wedding day tiara on her own big day. I wouldn’t want to wear Beatrice and Eugenie’s wedding dresses, but they both did such great jobs of achieving classic fashion while still adhering to royal modesty rules.
The Parent Trap is one of two or three movies I can quote verbatim, and as her fellow Long Islander, I’m always going to want Lindsay Lohan to be well. How great did she seem in Katie Couric’s cast reunion?
Trying to finish Mrs. America has oddly been a slog for me. I just feel like nothing has really hooked me enough to understand all of its praise. FX shows can be very niche (see Fosse/Verdon, which I loved since I was already a theater fan familiar with some of the history the show covered). It seems that Mrs. America assumed its audience was super familar with the history of the ERA and its major players, so I’ve just felt a little disengaged throughout my watch.
I recently finished Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue’s What Makes a Marriage Last. Guys, the Al Roker and Deborah Roberts chapter actually made me cry over how beautiful they are together. The book is packed with every famous, longtime couple (usually married 15 years or more) that you didn’t know how much you loved until you were reminded about them. The recurring theme I notice with the most long-lasting famous couples is that they’re all very low-key and stay out of the spotlight. Give me Ray and Anna Romano or Billy and Janice Crystal over a Bachelor hookup any day. For me, the book’s notable absences were 1) Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and 2) Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, but hey, some couples like the ultra-private approach.
I’ve been reading Kate Stayman-London’s One to Watch and Kwana Jackson’s Real Men Knit. The former is for a diverse rom-com book club I started with a friend, and I’m already so excited to moderate an August discussion about it. Real Men Knit has also been a delight to read so far.
I was happy to see so many first-time and unexpected nominees on the list of Emmy nominations. Before the announcement, I followed Hollywood Reporter‘s Feinberg Forecast predictions, which got my hopes up about Jane Levy recognition for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, but I have my fingers crossed for the zanier, more unpredictable Golden Globes to recognize her and Never Have I Ever.
After a long span of indifference, I experienced such insta-love for Taylor Swift’s Lover last year that I’m still warming up to folklore. So far, my standouts are “the last great american dynasty,” “seven,” and “betty.” Also, shoutout to Blake and Ryan for their trend of such out-of-the-box yet adorable baby names.
Speaking of baby names, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner allegedly picked such a cute name for their daughter. I love that the next generation of Jonases is still all girls for now.
The New Orleans season of Married at First Sight needs more concise editing, but I have an inkling that this season won’t be a total trainwreck like D.C. was. For the most part, the cast feels very genuine so far, and I can’t help but love Bennett as as the eclectic, wholesome nerd.
Bookworms and Fangirls 