| Everything we can't stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
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Everything we can't stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.
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What is this Blake Lively feud? The most iconic Olympic photos. My new Olympic inspiration. My likely Olympic reality.
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What Is Happening With Blake Lively's Movie? |
The new Blake Lively star vehicle It Ends With Us is a film that I have no intention of watching whatsoever. The discussion about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding It Ends With Us, however: I'm eating that up like a Domino's pizza after three days of fasting. The film, based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling book, hasn't gotten the world's most stellar reviews. Most critics have been middling to downright damning in their takes, with The Daily Beast's Obsessed's Nick Schager calling the film "a squishy drama that treats its serious subject with all the gravity and realism of a Hallmark Channel movie." That speaks to a common reaction to the film, which, based on the trailer, appeared to be a swoon-inducing romance: Wait, this is actually about domestic violence?!?!
These reviews and reactions haven't hurt box office projections. Thursday previews earned a whopping $7 million, while weekend estimates rocket as high as $55 million. That is huge in today's landscape.
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All of that, however, has been overshadowed by rumors floating on social media and in gossip blogs of a feud between the film's stars, directors, and producers that ensnares Lively, husband Ryan Reynolds, director and star Justin Baldoni, and co-star Jenny Slate. Not since the Don't Worry Darling press tour has there been such juicy off-camera ego drama to parse. Even industry outlets like Glamour and The Hollywood Reporter are flouting any nerves about hurting future access to Lively and Reynolds by covering the scuttlebutt. And these are deep dives, folks: TikTok conspiracy theories, body language analysis, dissecting press tour quotes and interviews…all the tinfoil hat stuff that could be groundbreaking, could be meaninglessly speculative, and, either way, I live for. The long and short of it: Fans started noticing that Baldoni, who produced, directed, and plays the love-interest-turned-villain, has been largely absent from the film's press tour, while Lively and Reynolds, who was a producer, were everywhere. They also spotted that no one in the cast took photos with him at the premiere red carpet, and that they also don't follow him on social media.
Theorists are also reading a lot into Slate's red carpet interview, where she was asked what it was like having Baldoni as a director and scene partner, and she pivoted almost entirely, simply saying that it's a "tough job" to wear multiple hats and she would never want to do that. One user on X wrote, "Oh Queen Jenny Slate… so something DEFINITELY happened on the set of It Ends With Us and everyone hates Justin Baldoni. I need to get to the bottom of it."
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After Lively told one reporter that Reynolds rewrote a pivotal scene in the film that takes place on a roof, speculation began that she and Reynolds took over the film's creative process, pushing Baldoni out. There are also reports that Lively commissioned her own final cut of the film. Is there truth to any of this? Hell if I know. But once in a while, the Extremely Online community bands together to go entirely overboard in their investigations into drama like this and, while entirely icky—there's no real proof in anything—we'd be lying if we didn't admit that it's all pretty entertaining to track.
At a time when press tours are polished and manufactured to the point that no one actually says anything of substance, we'll never get a full, truthful answer on what happened. That's to the detriment of the actors involved, because what happens instead is all of us engaging in this rumor-mongering. Bring back media circuits where the stars actually say something useful—especially if it means I don't have to spend any more of my time scrolling through conspiracy TikToks.
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Frame Them, Hang Them in the Louvre |
Last week, a photo taken by Jérôme Brouillet of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina floating through the air celebrating a huge run instantly went viral. A friend this week told me, "That photo has to win a Pulitzer Prize, right?" It really is that good. It had me thinking about what have been some other indelible photos of this year's games, particularly from Week 2. The photo of U.S. gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles on the medal podium bowing down to Brazil's Rebecca Andrade, who won gold in the floor exercise, made my cold, rigid heart swell. It's such a moving example of sportsmanship, one that was especially appreciated by viewers who have been watching the entire gymnastics competition in awe of Andrade, who was owed such a celebration. |
Another highlight from the gymnastic medal stand is an adorable sequence of events: China's Zhou Yaqin doesn't realize that the Italian medalists were posing the classic "bite the medal" photo, belatedly notices, and quickly joins in. |
I've been obsessed with competitors in other sports celebrating by recreating the iconic photo of Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç winning a silver medal with all the casualness of a Tuesday trip to the grocery store. |
And this image of sprinter Noah Lyles collapsed on the track after finishing his race and winning the bronze medal while having COVID is particularly haunting. (While also raising a lot of questions about the safety and health precautions at the Olympics when it comes to competing after testing positive.) |
Then there's the French pole vaulter, Anthony Amiratti, whose massive penis dashed his Olympic dreams. (But has made him a star for, um, other reasons.) |
Will the photo hang in a museum? If that "museum" is the "wall of my apartment," then yes. Otherwise… |
Maybe There's Hope for Me Yet…
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One of my favorite stories to come out of this year's Olympics is that of U.S. cyclist Kristen Faulkner, who won a gold medal in the sport—that she just started training for six years ago. |
She quit her career as a venture capitalist in 2021 to concentrate on cycling full time, and is now in the Olympics. By that measure, if I quit today and start training, you should be seeing me on top of the podium at the 2028 Los Angeles games. Although, I guess first I should buy a bicycle. |
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…More Likely, However, Is This |
I must concede that, after watching Australian breakdancer compete Friday at the Olympics, I may be far more suited to that sport than cycling. Especially if this is what an Olympic-worthy routine looks like: |
More From The Daily Beast's Obsessed |
- The director of the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale unpacked the entire episode for us. Read more.
- The Josh Hartnettnaissance is finally here! (Very important to me.) Read more.
- Every time there's a dramatic Real Housewives dinner episode, an angel gets its wings. Read more.
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Industry: Finally, there's good TV coming back to our screens. (Sun. on HBO) Good One: A brilliant, emotional, and surprising indie film debut. (Now in theaters) Daughters: A lovely documentary. Bring tissues. (Wed. on Netflix)
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