Thirsting over Wicked Gladiators + Jelly & Caeser Salad
Vol. 1 Issue 15 – 6th July 2024
Barbenheimer part two?
The highly anticipated sequel of Gladiator, Gladiator 2 is set to release in North America on the 22nd of November. The musical adaptation Wicked was going to release the following week on the 27th of November. However, Universal Pictures has confirmed that Wicked will also release on 22nd November! While this was done to avoid competition with Disney’s Moana 2, the cinephiles are gearing up for a Barbenheimer part two given the contrasting themes and visuals much like Barbie and Oppenheimer last summer. The historical drama with arena fighting on the one hand, on the other the wizard of Oz, magic and musical numbers, is Barbenheimer that easy to recreate?
I think not. Barbie as a toy and Christopher Nolan’s cinematic style were existing global phenomenons that lured the masses to celebrate the paradoxical nature of the two movies. That kind of international appeal doesn’t nearly exist for Gladiator and Wicked. Especially, when it’s not being helmed by a Margot Robbie/Ryan Gosling/Cillian Murphy/RDJ.
What this could be though, is an artsy-Gen Z-Letterboxd-obsessed-pop-culture enthusiast’s field day. Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn are the stan Twitter/average chronically online person’s dream blunt rotation/white boy of the month (sans Grande)/hall passes/favourite parasocial relationship or all-in-one. For a certain audience, this is the perfect double feature. Will you be watching these movies back to back? Comment and let me know!
And while on the topic of Gladiator 2, here are the first look pictures from the movie. The online reaction to these was so unholy, I don’t think I can include them here. The first trailer drops on July 9th.
Haven’t you heard
Speaking of Gladiator, the film’s lead Paul Mescal was spotted on a date with Gracie Abrams! Previously in a relationship (and engagement) with singer Phoebe Bridgers, the Normal People actor was seen dining out in London with the indie singer-songwriter, who on her latest album sings “It's a normal thing to fall in love with movie stars” on the song ‘Normal Thing’, having been linked to Dylan O’Brien previously. I guess they both have a type.
The Glastonbury music festival happened in the UK last weekend, headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sza and Shania Twain. Also performing were Cyndi Lauper, Avril Lavigne, The National and more. Dua Lipa nailed her performance and even brought out Tame Impala's Kevin Parker for a surprise duet of 'The Less I Know the Better'.
What are you doing if you’re not on the Manny Jacinto hype train right now? The actor known for his role as Jason in The Good Place, is currently on the Star Wars spinoff series, The Acolyte, and the internet is feeling a lot of feelings à la Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal’s photos from Gladiator 2.
I don’t know if Ayo Edebiri has perfect pitch but she can perfectly (freakishly) mimic the Dune background score, as she displayed in a recent Vanity Fair YouTube video while promoting the third season of The Bear.
Keir Starmer from the Labour Party will be the new UK Prime Minister after Rishi Sunak won his seat but lost the election (I mean, he’s never won an election in the first place, he inherited the post after the resignations of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss)
The Beckhams celebrated their 25th anniversary by donning their iconic purple-hued outfits from their wedding day!
Sporty spice
Wimbledon is underway, the final match set to take place next Sunday on the 14th of July. This Sunday though, you can tune into the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone as Brit Lando Norris gave reigning World Champion Max Verstappen a tough fight, racing wheel to wheel until they hit each other, last weekend in Austria.
Also in racing news, Ferrari Academy and F2 driver Oliver Bearman will be joining the F1 grid next year with the Haas team!
Now, this isn’t news to anyone at this point, we were all glued to our screens last Saturday as India won the T20 World Cup. Since then, we all have also been seeing all the possible angles and edits of the winning moment and the celebrations that followed. The victory parade took place at Mumbai’s Marine Drive and Wankhede Stadium on the 4th of July, where hoards of fans got together to catch a glimpse of the men in blue.
Nostalgia-core
As we know, fashion is cyclical and just like the return of ballet flats and peplum, a blast from the past; jelly shoes, are back in style. It started with The Row’s Summer 2024 show featuring them last year and now, it’s everywhere you look so grab a pair.
Talk the talk
If you see someone (specifically the younger generation) use 'aura’ or ‘aura points’ then know that they don’t mean it in a millennial-chakras-yoga-energy-wellness way but are simply referring to someone’s cool quotient or cool points. It isn’t far off from its traditional definition but Gen Z and Alpha started using it on TikTok after the term was used by basketball and soccer communities online, according to knowyourmeme.com.
After the massive success of Inside Out 2, it isn’t a surprise that the concept of your feelings controlling your console has become a tweet template. “Inside Out if it was filmed inside my head”, followed by a popular group of people not exactly known for being calm and collected.
Watch out
On streaming-
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - I don’t know about you but some quintessential American things have always fascinated me, one of them being cheerleading. This documentary series follows the audition, selection and training process to become a cheerleaders for the football team Dallas Cowboys. To put it in one word, it’s brutal.
The Man with 1000 Kids - The mini series follows the real life story of how a man used the unregulated system of sperm donation to feed his own ego and agenda and do exactly what the title denotes. It’s a chilling and grim tale but watch it to become more aware and conscious of how someone can take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities.
A Family Affair - An age gap romance between a famous actor and a writer who is a single mother. Played by Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, Joey King acts as the connection between the two, being Kidman’s daughter and Efron’s assistant.
All available on Netflix.
In theatres-
Despicable Me 4 - Gru and the minions are back.
Kill - Deemed as India’s most violent movie ever.
Kalki 2898 AD - A sci-fi epic set in a dystopian society, expect all the trimmings of a classic South Indian blockbuster.
A Quiet Place: Day One - For those who love the intense and edge-of-your-seat horror genre.
Food for thought
Caeser salad turned a 100 years old!
The owner of Arizona Iced Tea is being lauded after he said that the company would never increase its retail price (99 cents), which has been the case since its inception. The CEO and co-founder, Don Vultaggio states that they’re profitable and this price keeps them running so there is no need to change something just to be greedy, in a world that’s already becoming more expensive for people to afford. 🫡
