The Weekly Wrap: SAG-AFTRA Strike, Jonah Hill’s “Boundaries,” Chalamet’s Wonka & More

IN

• Talking about Threads on Threads
• Dumping your stay-at-home boyfriend
• St. Germain Spritz (aka Hugo Spritz)
• “I’m almost done with season 2 of The Bear.”
• Artisanal flower bouquets
• “I know Paris is basic, but…”
• Reading 1 page of a book at the beach
• Surfing with men
• Boundaryless, inappropriate relationships with men
• Modeling
• Posting a picture of yourself in a bathing suit
• Posting sexual pictures
• Friendships with unstable women from your wild and recent past

OUT

• Barbie pink (we all have Barbie fatigue)
• Trust fund kids posting pictures from the Amalfi coast (that is so summer 2022)
• Announcing your social media cleanse on social media
• Novelty dildos
• “Clean girl aesthetic”
• Pretending that pasta salad isn’t an Alison Roman recipe
• White Negroni
• Calling yourself a “plant mom”
• Journaling in public
• Liking murder docs as a personality
• Referring to your partner as “my human” or “my person”

Water Cooler Talking Points

The Timotée Chalamet Wonka Trailer Dropped: If I’m being honest I have mixed feelings about this one. With a dazzling cast of top-tier comedians (Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Farnaby, and more) paired with the creators of the Paddington 2 (a stone-cold delight of a movie, I’m not scared to admit), this movie seems very promising. As a hardcore fan of the 1971 Gene Wilder Wonka and a nostalgic respect for Johnny Depp’s quirky successor, it’s hard for me to imagine teen heartthrob Timothée Chalamet is a strong enough character actor to carry on this legacy. In Jeremy Strong terms, does it make sense dramaturgically? I’m skeptical.

Planet Earth Had Its Hottest Days on Record: This is shaping up to be the hottest girl summer yet! No, but really, if you’re not devastated you’re not paying attention. Scientists believe July 4th may have been one of the hottest days in about 125,000 years. That Tuesday reached a global average temperature of 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 Celsius for our friends across the pond). This might not seem that hot but take into account this is a global average that includes places like Antarctica. Experts agree, temperatures are likely to get even hotter.

Buzzfeed’s AI-Generated Barbie’s Sparked Controversy: Looks like the Barbie and AI trends have come together to make something even worse than the sum of their parts. Last week Buzzfeed published a list of AI-generated Barbies from every country. People on Twitter were quick to point out the absurd inaccuracies that resulted in blatantly racist images and cultural stereotypes. German Barbie was an SS Nazi general, South Sudan Barbie had a gun, Vietnamese Barbie wore bastardized traditional clothing, and the list goes on and on. This article definitely makes the case for peer review in journalism but also raises interesting questions about AI and the way algorithmic image sourcing reflects much of the ignorance and racism culled from our existing internet archive.

Jonah Hill and Keke Palmer’s Baby Daddy Slammed for Controlling Behavior: Soft boy and hipster clothing icon Jonah Hill is facing his comeuppance for ludicrously controlling behavior exposed by his ex-girlfriend Sarah Brady in a series of texts she posted to her stories. His misuse of therapy-speak and the term “boundaries” is particularly ironic coming off the heels of his self-congratulatory documentary Stutz about his relationship with his therapist. Side note: I don’t trust any therapist that opts to be in a documentary with a client out of his extensive roster of celebrity patients. Seems… unethical? In addition to Hill, Keke Palmer’s baby daddy, Darius Jackson, was put on blast earlier about criticizing Palmer’s outfit at a concert that he deemed inappropriate for a mother. The moral of the story is: Men—if a woman’s appearance makes you insecure, that’s your own damn problem.

Vanderpump Rules is Nominated for Two Emmys: On the heels of the Scandoval season that bled outside the Bravo fandom into national conversation, Vanderpump Rules just scored its first Emmy nomination(s). While a few Bravo shows like Kathy Griffin’s: My Life on the D-List and Below Deck have gotten nods from the Emmys, this is the first time any franchise of Real Housewives or any spinoff series has nabbed nominations. Nominated for both Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program, VPR is making history–congratulations “poo poo heads!”

Culture Editor’s Watchlist Picks

John Early: Now More Than Ever (HBO Max): A searing critique of Millennial culture peppered with cabaret-style musical numbers and meta-mock-doc overtures.

Want more stories like this?

A Guide to LA Restaurants (Based on Your Shoes)
Ariana Madix is the Hero We Deserve
The Temple of Taylor Swift