Happy Holidays, Fug Nation! Today is our last day of regular posting until 2024 — a crazy sounding year, honestly. We’ll have plenty of fun year-end stuff running for the next week and a half-ish, though, so definitely come by and see what we’re up to. Regular posting resumes Wednesday, January 3rd and then it will be HEADLONG into awards season. I’m excited! Happy holidays, happy new year, and thank you all SO MUCH for hanging out with us this year. We appreciate you!
** Quick note: My 11-year old niece, who has appeared here occasionally as Intern C, had major knee surgery on Monday and it’s been a painful rough road. If you have any encouragement, or advice, please drop it in the comments! She could use a Fug Nation hug for the holidays. Thank you! — Heather
Congrats, it has arrived: The 2023 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog [Defector]
Lainey’s newsletter, the Squawk, takes us through The 12 Months of Gossip. I forgot a lot of this!
The Hollywood Reporter opines: Men Broke All of Hollywood’s Red Carpet Rules in 2023.
So interesting: Hollywood actors hope to curtail hair horror stories, at WaPo [gifted link]. I didn’t know the new SAG-AFTRA contract included “hair equity” protection, which is GREAT.
Oooh, I want to make these: Gochujang Caramel Cookies. [NYT Cooking, gifted link]
Why does this never happen to me: Woman gets over $100k for vase bought at Goodwill for $3.99 [Celebitchy]
This also has not happened to me: She inherited the world’s largest collection of Barbra Streisand memorabilia. Now what? [LAT]
Ugh, I love this Breton-stripe sweater/jacket at J.Crew. I’m going to totally revamp my wardrobe next year but maybe I should start…NOW?? [affiliate link]
Is this gonna be on Selling Sunset????? Curbed reports: Jason Oppenheim Got the Kanye Listing.
I read some people complaining that Rachel McAdams didn’t do the Mean Girls reunion ad, but apparently she didn’t know EVERYONE ELSE was doing it — which seems like a huge failure of her agent, honestly? You should find that out. (Also the ad agency should have made it clear, so…failures to communicate all around. Someone dropped the ball.) [Variety]
I enjoyed this and appreciated that someone mentioned the GREAT WALLPAPER in this movie: Just How Rich Were the McCallisters in ‘Home Alone’? [NYT, gifted link]
This seems WILD to me: “For $499 per month, you can now be part of Tinder’s one percent. Tinder Select, the company’s invitation-only membership, launched on Tuesday. For those still doing that math, that’s roughly $6,000 a year to hopefully find love.” I am pro-dating app — I met my boyfriend on Hinge! — but that price is VERY HIGH. [The Cut]
Oy: Justin Timberlake Adds Disclaimer Before Performing Anti-Britney Spears Hit, ‘Cry Me A River’. Honestly, I feel like he should just perform this without commenting at all! Anyone at a JT show probably isn’t THAT mad about Britney-related misbehavior and objectively, this song is good. Either don’t do it at all out of respect for how it also really messed with Britney, or just perform it as usual! Never complain, never explain! [Pajiba]
At Eater: ‘Martha Stewart’s Christmas’ Was a Book, a Fantasia, and a Target. Honestly, I really want this book now. (I am a fan of Martha.)
I didn’t know any of this: The Thorny History of the Poinsettia’s Namesake. [Texas Monthly]
Super interesting: Inside The New York Times’ Big Bet on Games. I LOVE Wordle and Connections and do them daily. (I’m an occasional Spelling Bee-er and Crosswords person) [Vanity Fair]
Important PSA: Risk of penile fractures rises at Christmas, doctors find. Be careful out there!! [The Guardian]
Over at Drinks With Broads, this week’s free issue examined the most recent (boring) efforts from Vogue and how my old Good Housekeeping book wants me to re-wire the house, plus Shannen Doherty’s no-holds barred podcast, and a few other tidbits. Plus! Our recap of the season (hopefully not series) finale of The Gilded Age. Paid subscribers got to weigh in on shows we might recap going forward and place their bets for what kind of nutty news PR folks are getting ready to try to sneak out under cover of the holidays. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who’s joined us there so far this year and we are looking forward to another great year ahead!
We also had some good chats here at GFY, from your go-to holiday cookie to Give a Last Minute Holiday Suggestion, Get a Last Minute Holiday Suggestion!
This is amusing: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney recreate famous Wham! cover. [Socialite Life]
And, finally — speaking of! — it’s time for our most precious Fug Nation tradition. The annual Last Christmas viewing:
