Best Side Story
HOV. Vol 15. Remember when everyone threw a fit about Nicole Kidman playing Lucile Ball? Joke is on y'all!!!
Okay I think I need to start with a housewives moment. Also a warning there will be a lot of earnest critique today and not a lot of jokes. So. There’s that.
Happy Sunday!!! (I can’t decide what day this will come out anymore…whatever…some weekend day…)
SO I’ve reached season six of RHOBH which of course means one thing: Erika Jayne. I’m so disappointed with what happens in her future (for those you who don’t know, Erika is (was?) married to ultra wealthy lawyer Tom Girardi, who is currently facing embezzlement charges for embezzling millions of dollars from settlement funds meant for the families of plane crash victims) because right now, in S6 of RHOBH aka, like, 2015, I really like her! It begs so many questions like did she know where the money was coming from? Was her filing for divorce just a suspect way of protecting her assets? I can’t wait to keep watching so I can form a real opinion… I literally started RHOBH because season 11, the most current season, literally turned into a true crime documentary that has permeated the culture at large with all of the Girardi drama so. I’M READY.
We’ve all seen this screenshot right? This is Erika Jayne for those of you who had seen the photo but didn’t know who the subject was. I think she’s probably innocent (It’s like how many spouses can ACTUALLY explain details of their partners work? My mum can’t even explain a single detail of my stepdads job and he’s a plumber… Now imagine having to explain a detail as specific as embezzlement in a field as complicated as law…) when it comes to knowing the roots of where some of her money was coming from but the divorce and the behavior after that is…as the kids would say…sus.
Lets get into some music! Here are my favorite albums released in 2021—
Honorable Mentions:
Reverie— Ben Platt
I won’t soon forgive Ben Platt for starring in The Politician but there is no denying his insane voice that’s perfectly showcased on these clearly personal tracks.
Sour— Olivia Rodrigo
Was there a bigger song this year than “Drivers License?” Sad girl music hits every time, kids!
Back of My Mind— H.E.R.
Beautiful song writing, beautiful singing— loses points for featuring both DaBaby and Chi*s Br*wn.
Call Me if You’re Lost— Tyler, The Creator
It’s not something I would particularly listen to everyday but god damn is the well of musical influences deep; the implementing of them pays off in buckets.
Isn’t Tyler dating Jaden Smith? They need to go to the red table.
TOP TEN FAVE ALBUMS OF 2021:
(I didn’t include any live album releases of previous work [but shoutout to the brilliant live albums both Sara Bareilles and Lawrence put out this year], Broadway cast recordings, film soundtracks, or other compilation records)
An Evening with Silk Sonic— Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic
The funk revival that these gentlemen are leading is so cool and so groovy and impossible to resist. If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch their live performances, look them up ASAP (but beware, you may end up pregnant).
In These Silent Days— Brandi Carlile
There is no voice out there like Brandi Carlile’s. The title comes from a line in the first track, a soaring ballad Carlile wrote in the early days of COVID lockdown, and seems quite ironic as the album speaks volumes about her ability to craft a song.
We Are— Jon Batiste
This album is MUSIC. Jon is a full musical genius and this album is a celebration and showcase of everything he can do.
Happier than Ever— Billie Eilish
I mean it’s Billie Eilish…what is there to be said that hasn’t already been said? The titular track seems to be the most hyped but, for me, the top track is "Oxytocin. That song SLAPS and showcases all of the brilliant, pulsing production we’ve come to expect from Eilish’s pop-fueled BOPS.
William Eyelash really knows what the girls want, huh? She said let me completely reinvent my image and then release an album that’s equal parts fuck you music, sad girl music, and club bangers.
When The World Stopped Moving— Lizzy McAlpine
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Lizzy is the burgeoning queen of sad girl music. Listen to this and you’ll be teleported STRAIGHT into your feelings.
30— Adele
Jillian Makes for Pitchfork said it best: “Once again, Adele transforms her heartbreak into a searching, graceful, and incredibly moving album. But the complexity of her emotions and the nuanced production make this her most ambitious work to date.”
Dawn— Yebba
There is no one singing with as much creativity and precision as Yebba. This album was long anticipated by Yebba’s loyal fans and let me tell you the fuck what— it does not disappoint at all. I’ve linked her NPR Tiny Desk concert before but I’ll say it again: watch for a truly religious experience.
Hotel TV— Lawrence
Gracie Lawrence is one of the most underrated singers working today (her voice is SICKKKKK) and the soulful pop music she, her brother, and their band are putting out into the world is the definition of “chefs kiss.” Not many people are producing music with a big band sound but this crew is doing it like it’s the coolest thing in the world.
Honestly? I would like to marry into the Lawrence family and would be happy to put a ring on for Gracie or Clyde. If you aren’t into Lawrence yet, you need to— say it with me— seek treatment!!!
All In— John Splithoff
This has to be my most replayed album of 2021. It is deeply satisfying and has incredible replay value as it’s perfect to listen to in nearly any occasion. The flow of the first three songs starts the mood off so well and the flow of the final three songs is like being baptized via song. Perfection.
This man’s voice is like velvet strawberries dipped in edible gold…just luxurious and something you want fed to you in all available holes.
Heaux Tales— Jazmine Sullivan
To me, this is the best album of 2021. And here’s why. Not only is Jazmine Sullivan one of the greatest living vocalists (there are singers, and then there are SINGERS— Jazmine is the latter times a million), but she has used her platform to uplift other voices with this record, an extremely selfless act given how long its taken for the world to recognize her own voice on a larger scale. It’s structured much like The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in that it has spoken word interludes followed by songs that flesh them out like character studies, but instead of a classroom, it feels like women hanging around a living room, sharing anecdotes about their love lives over a glass of wine. Plus, the album deeply explores and celebrates female sexuality in all shapes, sizes, forms, and ideas, a truly radical act when you’re producing music in the United States of America, a country desperately hellbent on portraying women as sexless as possible if said sex isn’t meant to sell product or produce children. Pair this exploration— this message— with her supersonic vocals and delectable tone and you have yourself an aurally perfect experience.
Pheeewww baby baby baby…Jazmine popped all the way the fuck off with this one. This album is brilliant. Aside from that, I must admit: at one point, “Bust Your Windows” was a song I only knew the Glee version of. Now I just want to know when we should expect the Glee version of “On It!”
Moving on from music to movies. TODAY’S AWARDS SEASON UPDATE: I saw C’mon C’mon, Being the Ricardos, and West Side Story. Let’s get into it.
So C’mon C’mon. I don’t have a ton to say about it other than it’s very sweet and the writing is very, very good. The main attracting is definitely the central trio of Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffman, and wunderkind Woody Norman. They are so naturalistic and their chemistry onscreen is so good that it doesn’t even feel like acting at all. The movie really feels like you’re watching a documentary which is ironic given that it, in a way, is about making an audio documentary. Go ahead and guess my main critique…if you know me you know what I’m about to say…it should’ve been in color. All-in-all, I really enjoyed it and thought it was lovely.
Alright I’ll be completely honest, I didn’t think we needed a remake of West Side Story in the year of our lord 2021. I’m happy to say…boy was I wrong. West Side Story has not just been redone, it has been completely revitalized. It is so beyond beautiful in every way. The choreography, the cinematography, the orchestrations, the color palette, everything is just immaculate. Who knew Steven Spielberg— the man who gave us Jaws, Indiana Jones, and ET— at his best would prove to be a musical. I’m going to write a full review of it someday soon because I could really dig into so much of it, but for now, all I want to say is this: I left the theater emotional winded; completely overwhelmed by breadth of brilliance I’d just received. And it didn’t help my emotional state that someone I adore as a friend played Chino (Josh Rivera, someone who kept me laugh laugh laughing all through lockdown). Imagine my reaction seeing him (SPOILER ALERT BUT ONLY KINDA BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL FILM IS FIFTY YEARS OLD) shoot Tony, launching the films final sequence. Just fully sobbing. Anyway, you must see this brilliantly updated West Side, it really is what I’m calling Best Side Story.
I’m still emotionally exhausted from watching this movie. The narrative is emotional enough and then you add on the layer of seeing a friend you once ate pizza with hungover, covered in glitter, play a killer and whewwww baby the mix of friend-pride and devastation is TOO MUCH TO HANDLE.
And wrapping it up with Being the Ricardos. I didn’t want to love this as much as I did after Aaron Sorkin proved once again how deathly seriously he takes himself (see: his response to the Jeremy Strong profile— more on that at a later date— that he asked Jessica Chastain to post on her Twitter on his behalf…insane…) but I must say, I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t always work (the elements of faux-documentary didn’t quite feel story-serving but we’re good for the pace of the film) and the script is OF COURSE circumlocutory Sorkin doing Sorkin drag (so much dialogue) but golly gee is it entertaining overall. Nicole Kidman is amazing in it and proved everyone who doubted her wrong. Seriously y’all, the incessant dragging of her casting was sooo disgusting, especially because the root of the argument was based in her “inability to move her face due to her botox.” C’mon now… I mean this is Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman we’re talking about! But it’s whatever now because much like people doubted Kristen Stewart as Diana, these two women are getting the last laugh as they’re absolutely leading the Best Actress race. The cast as a whole is roundly fantastic, especially J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda as I Love Lucy co-stars William Frawley and Vivian Vance, respectively. Them together with Jake Lacy, Alia Shawkat, and Tony Hale gave the film so much heart, making them feel like a true family. My main critique was that Lucy was too unsympathetic for too long. I really was getting nervous that it was gunna turn into a movie written by a man exposing someone beloved in pop culture as a frigid “girlboss” who was just there to boost up her supportive husband. But luckily, the turn of “I don’t care if you just saved my career, you ruined our life” moment at the end (you’ll know what I mean when you see it) really helped saved it as a whole. Anyway, in short, I was delightfully surprised by how fun this one was to watch.
There is no one that receives shocking information onscreen like Nicole Kidman and y’all want to doubt her ability to give face?! Gtfo out of here with that. She and Javier Bardem really kill as Lucy and Desi. Though at one point Lucy says “don’t gaslight me” which feels…not very 1950s. Were they saying “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” in the 1950s? I’m not sure they were, Mr. Sorkin! Idk maybe they were but it felt very contemporary compared to the rest of the script.
That’s all for now.
HAPPY END OF YEAR LIST SEASON.
Succession finale time. Pray for me. We’ll get into the third season next week.
BYE.
xx Dill