As a bit of housekeeping: No Royals Round-Up this week, because most of them are on vacation (or I already dealt with them), and therefore, for the first time ever, I had no new appearances to cover! It will be back when they are.
The news out of Lebanon this week is so upsetting; this excellent piece from the New York Times rounds up some ways you can help.
At the LA Times: A roar, an explosion, then a blank: An L.A. Times reporter’s ordeal in the Beirut blast
At Vanity Fair: From Megan Thee Stallion to Breonna Taylor, Black Women’s Trauma Deserves Better Than Memes
At WaPo: The revealing and disturbing story of America, told through 20 years of reality dating shows
There was SOME royal news this week: Juan Carlos, Spain’s Former King, Quits Country Amid Multiple Investigations. He’s apparently now hiding out in a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, like Carrie Bradshaw in the second Sex and the City move. Yikes!
At The Hollywood Reporter: Beyonce’s ‘Black Is King’ Costume Designer Unpacks Cultural References, Favorite Style Moments
This is also really interesting, at Texas Monthly: How Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’ Reimagines Family Histories
This is absolutely bonkers, at The Cut: Did a Teen Actually Kill His Neighbor to Become ‘TikTok Famous’?
This is a pretty amazing story: A pregnant woman with Covid was dying. With one decision, her doctor saved three lives. (These babies are very cuddlesome and everyone comes out of this okay.)
This is so great, from our friend Robin Benway, writing for Elle: Stacey McGill, The Girl Who Lived
At Lainey: I’m VERY excited for this new couple!
I know this will be of interest, at Bustle: “We Were All Freaked Out”: An Oral History Of Twilight’s Renesmee
Everyone needs a hobby: People Are Transforming Vintage TVs Into Cozy Beds for Their Feline Friends [My Modern Met]
At Electric Lit: Emma Straub on the Future of Indie Bookstores
I chuckled at this: Andrew Lloyd Webber on the ‘Cats’ movie: ‘The whole thing was ridiculous’ [Celebitchy]
So s0 well done, at AutoStraddle: The Soft Butch That Couldn’t (Or: I Got COVID-19 in March and Never Got Better)
This is fun: Inside the NBA bubble’s unofficial wine club [ESPN]
Also fun, at CrimeReads: The 35 Most Iconic Caper Movies, Ranked
Socialite Life has a fun interview with ‘Gatecrasher’ gossip legend Ben Widdicombe
At Time: Why We Buy In to the Big Business of Sleep
At THR again: Hollywood Is “Increasingly Normalizing” Self-Censorship for China
Fascinating, via BBC: The saboteurs you can hire to end your relationship
At IndyMaven: Elfrieda Mais Might Be The Best Race Car Driver You’ve Never Heard Of
And finally, Heather and I were interviewed by A Mighty Blaze this week and it was a really interesting conversation – if you missed it, you can watch the entire thing here.
Some other fun stuff around here you might enjoy:
We rounded up small earrings that you can wear with your mask.
