Chrissy Tiegen "Bullied" For Encouraging the Suicide of a Teen?, Facebook More Socially Responsible? Amazon Save or Kill Theaters? Elite Prof Claims Uni's "Right Wing" (The Five for 05/28/21)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
It’s Friday, which means this issue covers pop culture & commentary (come back on Tuesday for the next “hard news” edition).
And if you haven’t done so…subscribe for free via email so you never miss an issue.
[one]
One of the oldest tactics in the P.R. playbook is going strong in the modern era, as evidenced by Chrissy Teigen’s recent claims of “being bullied. Recently, former tweets and direct messages surfaced of Teigen regularly taunting Courtney Stodden, then a teenager, to take her own life.
Teigen apologized, but still lost multiple endorsement deals. Now, Teigen apparently considers herself to be the victim of “bullying.”
OK Magazine reported this week that Teigen claims to be the victim of “bullying” herself, due to the lack of public co-signs from her famous friends.
In addition to reportedly losing a deal with Bloomingdales, the source says the Cravings author's high-profile pals like Meghan Markle and Katy Perry are "carefully keeping their distance" from the star.
"Chrissy’s losing sleep because the people she thought were friends aren't publicly backing her," shares the source, who says a humiliated Teigen, 35, is even considering leaving L.A. with her family until things settle down. "The cancel culture backlash has totally caught her off guard," scoffs the source
Oftentimes, playing the “I’m the real victim here” card, is also tied, not just to getting out of trouble, but to promoting a product. Recently, singer Demi Lovato announced a pronoun change to they/them, which came in the wake of Lovato’s public fight with a local frozen yogurt shop in LA.
Lovato wrote on Instagram:
Finding it extremely hard to order fro-yo from @TheBiggChillOfficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter. Do better please.
The Bigg Chill, a locally owned small business kindly explained that some customers had dietary needs that required sugar free cookies, including diabetics…and those selections made it possible for more people to enjoy frozen yogurt.
Shortly thereafter, Lovato announced the pronoun change, along with a new podcast.
This pattern can be seen time and time again. When Kevin Spacey was accused for sexually assaulting a minor, he announced he was gay. Caitlin Jenner’s gender transition was announced roughly sixty days after the former Olympian caused an accident that left one dead and more maimed, which the Daily Beast reported on:
The Wolf-Millesi family sued Jenner over the crash and, in their court papers, listed extensive injuries. In the car was Wolf-Millesi, Peter, their two sons, one who was only a month old, and Wolf-Millesi’s mother, Elga Maurer.
Maurer suffered the worst injuries, including a cervical spine fracture, according to their lawsuit. Wolf-Millesi, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the Hummer H2, said both of her legs were hurt and she had pain in her neck and back. Peter claimed nerves in both his hands and wrists were damaged.
In the faith space, vocalist Kevin Max, who was formerly 1/3 of the platinum selling DC Talk, made the announcement that he was #evangelical (a trending way to announce one’s departure from the Christian faith) at the exact same time he launched crowdfunding for his new album, after nearly two decades of solo commercial flops.
To add balance to this section, I’m not saying I have reason to disbelieve any of these people. Lovato has been through some horrific events, including eating disorders, sexual abuse and a drug overdose that resulted in partial blindness (at least temporarily, not sure if that’s better). Jenner seems like a kind person overall, and certainly has accomplished great things (and may well be the next governor of California). And despite me sparring with Kevin Max on Twitter, during our brief, in person interactions during my media career…I found him to be warm and personable.
There is a middle ground to be had between believing every PR spin from a celebrity who throws down some sort of victimhood announcement as a “get out of jail free” card, and dehumanizing that person and possibly engaging in online bullying.
My humble suggestion would be to strive for “savvy consumer” status, where we engage in public discourse with our family, friends and online about what’s really happening…without stooping to throwing rocks at celebrities who, admittedly, do a lot stupid thing and then try to wriggle out of the consequences.
It’s not my job to judge Teigen, Spacey, Lovato, Jenner or Max. But it’s also not my job to support them through my purchasing, listening or viewing choices in light of the injury they’ve caused others.
[two]
So will the modern multiplex survive in a post-pandemic world?
That answer got a lot more complicated this week.
On one hand, those who have returned to the theaters are thrilled with the experience.
According to a new study from Fandango that surveyed more than 4,000 of its ticket buyers about their recent cinema experiences, 93% said they were satisfied with their return to theaters and 87% said multiplexes made them feel comfortable being back in a darkened, enclosed space.
Granted, Fandango has a vested interest in the revival of movie theaters, so the company is hardly an impartial observer. Still, the survey could help shed a light on moviegoing habits as the U.S. box office attempts to shake off a brutal 14 months.
“Moviegoing has taken a hard hit during the pandemic, but theater chains have done an excellent job implementing new safety features so that moviegoers can return to the cinema with confidence,” said Fandango’s chief commercial officer Kevin Shepela. “Our study shows that exhibitors’ hard work has paid off, with moviegoers thrilled to be back in theaters and excited for summer movie season.”
On the flip side, Amazon purchased MGM Studios this week, and it’s likely the eCommerce giant will put more emphasis on its Prime Video streaming service than filling seats at the local AMC. The house that Bezos built will gain control of the James Bond and Rocky/Creed franchises, and could just as easily convert that intellectual property to streaming-only movies in the future, which would be a major blow to theater chains.
[three]
Asheesh Kapure Siddique, a UMass history Professor made the bold claim this week that universities are “right wing institutions.”
Conservatives continually cite statistics suggesting that college professors lean to the left. But those who believe a university's ideological character can be discerned by surveying the political leanings of its faculty betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how universities work. Partisan political preferences have little to do with the production of academic knowledge or the day-to-day workings of the university — including what happens in classrooms. There is no “Democrat” way to teach calculus, nor is there a “Republican” approach to teaching medieval English literature; anyone who has spent time teaching or studying in a university knows that the majority of instruction and scholarship within cannot fit into narrow partisan categories. Moreover, gauging political preferences of employees is an impoverished way of understanding the ideology of an institution. To actually do so, you must look at who runs it — and in the case of the American university, that is no longer the professoriate.
Observations:
A). “There’s no ‘Democrat’ way to teach Calculous.” Well, Oregon has adopted a state-wide Critical Race Theory Math curriculum. I haven’t read the curriculum, so I won’t comment on something I haven’t researched…but yeah bro, that’s a Democrat way to teach math.
B). Siddique claims the university system is controlled by Republicans, based on corporate executives sitting on college boards. But if you look at the 2020 election based broken down by occupation, the evidence is that corporate executives are overwhelmingly true blue Democrats. Unless mechanics, truckers, farmer and electricians are sitting on the board at Harvard, the entire supply chain of higher ed is liberal from top to bottom.
Read those facts however you want. But I’ll say that this persecution complex in higher education is nothing new. As a former adjunct prof, I was always amazed at how many college educators think they’re overworked (unless they’re in competitive research, they’re usually not) and see themselves martyrs of society for earning a comfortable living that’s usually less than people make in the business sector (that’s cause my job takes more than 9am-3:30 pm, homie).
In an era obsessed with “privilege,” it’s worth noting that Siddique can demand amplification for his voice in a national publication that won’t bother to fact check his very thin argument.
To put it another way, it’s tough for me to believe you’re persecuted by reading you complain about your 30-hour-per-week-job to millions with an argument that doesn’t stand up to even the most casual look at the evidence.
[four]
Social media companies are blamed for everything from family rifts to election results. But this week was the rare moment when Facebook made a change that’s been met with almost universal acclaim for making social media a healthier virtual space to hang out.
Facebook this week will begin to publicly roll out the option to hide Likes on posts across both Facebook and Instagram, following earlier tests beginning in 2019. The project, which puts the decision about Likes in the hands of the company’s global user base, had been in development for years, but was deprioritized due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the response work required on Facebook’s part, the company says.
Originally, the idea to hide Like counts on Facebook’s social networks was focused on depressurizing the experience for users. Often, users faced anxiety and embarrassment around their posts if they didn’t receive enough Likes to be considered “popular.” This problem was particularly difficult for younger users who highly value what peers think of them — so much so that they would take down posts that didn’t receive enough Likes.
Like-chasing on Instagram, especially, also helped create an environment where people posted to gain clout and notoriety, which can be a less authentic experience. On Facebook, gaining Likes or other forms of engagement could also be associated with posting polarizing content that required a reaction.
[five]
As always, let’s head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup.
The big release this weekend is the Friends Reunion Special on HBO Max, which is getting good reviews. From rogerebert.com: “It’s an event that’s most interesting when it’s the least forced, when these six actors who really grew up together in the public eye are allowed to wander the rebuilt sets of their apartments, asking each other what they remember from that formative chapter in their lives.” Just for fun, here’s The Rembrants performing the iconic theme song on David Letterman in 1995.
Cruella, the 101 Dalmatians villain origin story starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, is also getting decent reviews. Set in the punk rock era (which I love) in London and featuring dogs (which I love), the prequel is available as an add on to an existing Disney+ subscription. Or, wait a bit and you can see it for free.
Director Edgar Wright last stunned audiences with the bank-heist-flick-and-kinda-sort-musical Baby Driver three summers ago. Wright’s next project, Last Night in Soho, hits theaters in October. Anna Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders) leads in what seems (at first) to be a time travel movie about a modern day college student who finds a way to whisk back to the glamour of 1960’s London, but appears to take a murder-mystery/horror turn by the end of the trailer. Wright is at his best when he’s combining influences from disparate genres. Here’s to hoping his mash-up formula works once again.
The next big female led action franchise looks to kick off this summer with Gunpowder Milkshake (on Netflix in July). The plot reads like John Wick with all women, featuring a secret sisterhood of female assassins backing up Karen Gillan (the blue robot woman in Avengers) and Lena Headey (300, Game of Thrones). This one looks like a rock-em-sock-em good time, with a story about women, vs. a female actor playing a male stereotype (see the Charlize Theron action flop Atomic Blonde in which the female lead shows no emotion and indulges in casual sex and drug use. Or, better yet, don’t see it). The only thing that bothers me is Gillan playing Headey’s daughter…even though she’s only 13 years younger than Lena, her her on screen “mom.” Huh?
We got another look at The Tomorrow War this week, and the Chris Pratt (Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy) led sci-fi outing looks like the biggest mankind vs. Aliens movie to drop 4th of July weekend since Will Smith saved the world in Independence Day way back in 1996.
Blue Miracle, the true story of a Mexican orphanage that enters a high profile fishing contest to avoid closing, looks like a decent watch, although not one I’ll be rushing to get to. Out today on Netflix.
The creators of Loki, the next Marvel streaming show for Disney+, have listed their influences as Jurassic Park, Mad Men, Blade Runner…and Telelatubbies?! So there’s that. The show about the Nordic demigod time traveling trickster, which apparently draws from a toddler show in which the characters speak gibberish, is streaming June 12.
Hulu dropped trailers for two excellent looking murder mystery miniseries. The miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers (starring Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon) should please fans of Big Little Lies, as it’s from the same creator. The more jovial Only Murders in the Building reunites comedy legends Martin Short and Steve Martin, with pop vocalist Selena Gomez rounding out the comedic crew.
I’m sure I was too young to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator when I was 8 or so, but I snuck that one in. The 1987 action/horror film focuses on a translucent alien hunting a team of Special Forces operators in the Central American jungle in order to murder them/collect their skulls. If you believe the rumors, the series (which has spawned several disappointing sequels) is set to reboot with Amber Midthunder (FX’s X-Men spinoff Legion, Hell or High Water) as a “Comanche woman who eschews the rules of her tribe to become a warrior.” Presumably, she meets/battles a Predator alien along the way. Hopefully, in such a manner that this sequel is (finally) a worth successor to the cult-classic original.
MUSIC: A posthumous album from DMX releases today, less than two months after the rapper’s death. At first listen it’s…just terrible. These are leftover vocals and scratch tracks stitched together for a quick cash grab, and no way honor the legacy of the artist. Two former members of The Gaslight Anthem are back with a new band Forgivers, which takes cues from The Clash, Oasis and The Cure. First single here. Americana/southern rock hybrid Blackberry Smoke dropped what’s probably their best album to date, including a great guest appearance from Americana legend Jamey Johnson on one track. Hip hop collective indie tribe., led by rural TN rapper nobigdyl. (these artists like punctuation, if you didn’t notice) dropped U P P E R H A N D, which I’d call a top shelf album at first listen. Finally, I’m a week late on both these, but twenty one pilots new album Scaled and Icy, is gaining nearly universal acclaim, as is traditional country newcomer Brock Gonyea, (who’s backed by the same team that made superstars of Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift) for his debut EP. Boyega just might do the impossible and bring pedal steel back into fashion in the mainstream.
[epilogue]
Flaherty and Giolito in high school.
Max Fried (Braves) Jack Flaherty (Cardinals) and Lucas Giolitio (White Sox)
This week, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the Chicago White Sox in a rare inter-league series.
But far more rare was the duel between friends and former high school teammates Lucas Giolito (White Sox) and Jack Flaherty (Cardinals) faced off as starting pitchers.
To make the story even more unbelievable, Ethan Katz, their old pitching coach from Harvard-Westlake High School in suburban Los Angeles, is the current pitching coach for the White Sox.
Missing from the reunion was Max Fried, a former high school teammate of Giolito and Flaherty who now pitches for the Atlanta Braves.
This was the first time two high school teammates had ever faced each other in professional play in the history of Major League Baseball.
Until the next one,
-sth