Happy weekend!
First of all, a heads-up that we are no longer going to be running Royals Round-Up, a decision that was long overdue on my part. This is a discussion that Heather and I have been having behind the scenes for months, but we were galvanized in the wake of the comments on last week’s posts — especially this very insightful comment, as well as this equally thoughtful one. I do not see this feature serving our community in any productive or positive way. The comments on those posts have become an absolute stew of ongoing microaggressions towards Meghan; they do not feel like a safe space for our Black readers, and they are irretrievably toxic for everyone. This is unacceptable, and I regret my own naive (and, frankly, arrogant) belief that I could somehow moderate us out of it, and apologize for not discontinuing the feature sooner. This decision is final; thank you for your understanding, and thanks to the many members of this community who took the time, both in the comments section and privately, to motivate us to do it.
Lots of interesting stuff for y’all to read this week:
GASP: J LO AND A ROD BROKE UP. (Is it wrong if I want her to get back together with Ben Affleck?!?!?!?!?!!?) [Page Six]
Wait! NOW they’re saying they HAVEN’T broken up, they’re just having issues? [Vulture]
This is one hell of a piece: The Fall of Armie Hammer: A Family Saga of Sex, Money, Drugs, and Betrayal. It literally has everything from art forgery to fights about inheritances to Watergate to The Firm to sex chairs. This is exactly why I read Vanity Fair. It is JUICY.
We talked about what we’re doing with our gardens/decks /patios/ balconies this spring.
So good at the NYT: 75 Artists, 7 Questions, One Very Bad Year
This is a sincerely fascinating and illuminating piece about race and the tax code. [Bloomberg]
This is a tremendously good essay: My Parents Got Sick. It Changed How I Thought About My Marriage. [GQ]
This is so interesting! How Meredith Koop Went From Working at Chicago’s Ikram to Styling Michelle Obama in the White House (and Beyond) [Fashionista]
An amazing story at the Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘The Secret Apartment’ is the story of a Vietnam vet who claims to have lived in Veterans Stadium for years
I really enjoyed this, at Glamour: The Meaning of Misty Copeland: Eleven dancers reflect on the barrier-breaking ballerina.
At Lainey: This is one of my favorite memoirs and I’m actually really excited for this movie. Affleck is good casting.
Related, perhaps: This was a good interview with Jennifer Garner. [THR]
Emmy Raver-Lampman and Daveed Diggs’s house is SO! GOOD! [Architectural Digest]
Related, who I am to keep this from you: Anthony Ramos does shirtless pushups with his dog. [Socialite Life]
Also at Lainey: Keanu Reeves has his own comic book!!!
The Strategist did a deep dive on PRESIDENTIAL PENS.
Such a good read: The Incredible, Indelible Legacy of Sylvia Hunt. “Despite decades of success, Hunt has become one of the Caribbean’s cultural hidden figures, a multitalented pioneer who deserves far more recognition.” [Food and Wine]
Amazing: A Dallas Piñata Shop Artfully Renders Viral Memes and Politicians in Papier-mâché [Texas Monthly]
I suspect this divorce may be about to get messy: Kanye West changed all of his numbers & will only contact Kim through security [Celebitchy]
Super interesting: Lou Ottens, Inventor of the Audio Cassette Tape, Dead at 94 [Rolling Stone]
I support this take so much: In Celebration of Ryan Gosling’s Comedy Chops in ‘The Nice Guys’. This movie, which I of course watched on a plane, is VERY underrated and extremely good. [Pajiba]
This was really lovely: How ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ saved me. [The Boston Globe]
At Bitch: Goop She Did It Again: The Dangerous Obsession with Intuitive Fasting. (Yes, this is about Paltrow, and it is a barnburner.)
A good chat at Cup of Jo: What Are Your Home’s Quirks?
Love this at GQ: Ken Is 60 and Has Never Felt Better. (That’s Ken of “Barbie and.”)
