Sidebar: there will be dolls

This is my weekly roundup of links and recommendations. If we talked IRL, I’d likely derail our entire conversation with “sidebar, have you read | watched | listened | deep dived on this?”

Quick Note: I am so grateful for everyone joining me here! In honor of the last episode of Dolls of Our Lives, I am offering a 20% off promotion for the paid tier of Landline. This will allow you to comment on posts, and bring my weekly Sidebar (this email of recommendations) to your inbox, along with a weekly voice-memo style podcast episode (Hello, Friend!). I also share digital zines and other treats from time to time. You can find out more about the promo (and join!) here:

I’m giving everyone access to this post this week, and hope my free members will make the jump to paid to keep this convo going in the comments!

Now let’s get into it!

Me, entering the chat this week:

Have you watched?

Girls5Eva (Netflix)

I am obsessed with this show. It recently made the move from Peacock after the first two seasons, and just released season 3 on Netflix. I sincerely hope this show gets enough of a glow-up to get more seasons because it is currently living in my head rent-free. The songs are genuine bops, the comedy is real (created by a 30 Rock writer and produced by Tina Fey), and it stars Sara Bareilles, Paula Pell (SNL joke machine), Renee Elise Goldsberry (of Hamilton and other Broadway hits fame), and Busy Phillips as a reunited early 2000s girl group. Need I say more? You will not be able to get the theme song out of your head. I need more people to discuss this with, so please watch!

The Women (1939) (Tubi)

This week I watched this 1939 film based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce (playwright turned conservative congresswoman). Directed by George Cukor and starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell, it tells the story of a woman whose husband cheats on her only to have her friends find out, tell her, and then challenge her to leave him. Notably, the movie only stars women. There are no men. Like zero. Like less than the one time I went to Lilith Fair in 2009. It has the rat-a-tat dialogue I love from this period, but the politics are sus. Basically, the lead’s mom tells her daughter that her dad cheated on her, and the best thing to do is ignore it because it’s a mid-life crisis and has nothing to do with how he feels about her. She ends up in Reno awaiting a divorce, and I will leave the ending a surprise. What do we make of this? Should I watch the 1999 remake starring Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, and Eva Mendes?

Titanic Bathroom (TikTok)

Thank you to my friend Erica who sent this to me after reading last week’s issue. How do I go to this place? My eyes can’t unsee this bathroom.

@blakewexlerA titanically bizarre bathroom #titanic #bars #longislandcity #comedy #bathroom #titanicmovie #newyorklife #interiordesign

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Emma Roberts. Open Door Tour (Architectural Digest)

I wanted to write about my reflections on the show ending this week, but frankly, I need more time to process them. Instead, I will be offering an unsolicited house tour of this space. Sometimes things come along that must be addressed, and this is one of them! Watch ahead for prep. Hint: there will be dolls.

Chappell Roan set (Coachella)

I am obsessed with Chappell Roan’s Coachella Set (especially this iconic intro to “My Kink is Karma” which is how I will officially be opening all my future talks and appearances in a nod to my enemies)

@gerb3rbabychappell what an icon you are #chappellroan #karma #coachella

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Have you read?

The looks at the WNBA draft this week were absolutely incredible, 10/10 (Vogue)

What is less than incredible is Caitlin Clark’s starting salary (she is the first draft pick)(The Cut)

Not for nothing, but there is a gambling scandal brewing in the NBA (Intelligencer) Could we maybe bet on women’s sports instead?

I’m already getting hyped for the Olympics, but can Nike please pull it together on these uniforms? (The Cut) Can you imagine doing a gym class in this? As if.

I‌ love historical gossip, and this is one of my favorite rabbit hole topics. If you are unfamiliar with the Beechers as a powerful 19th-century family (Catharine, Henry, Harriet, Isabella, etc) and the ways their star preacher brother Henry’s alleged affair broke up their family, please read. (New Yorker)

As someone who lives with chronic illness, I appreciated this interview on the difficulty of talking and writing about a condition without a cure or end. (Electric Literature)

Thank you to my friend Nick who also reminded me of this other attempt to build a replica of the Titanic. Hint, it’s not going well. (Wikipedia)

I love real talk about money and appreciate this ongoing series of Money Diaries offered by writers working freelance. (LitHub)

Have you heard?

Maggie Rogers. Don’t Forget Me. This album is so fun and breezy. A very easy listen but great songwriting. Highly recommend “The Kill.”

The Vampire Weekend’s new album, Only God Was Above Us made me feel like I was listening to a fax machine yelling at me in Sims speak. Am I wrong?

Last, but not least, James McCartney, the son of Sir Paul McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon, released a new song together this week. James McCartney wrote about the inspo for “Primrose Hill” on his Insta, and you can listen here. Is there a tougher gig than being a child of the Beatles attempting to make music?

Indulge me!

Vampire Weekend’s set at Coachella seemed. . . odd? It culminated with a 15-minute medley called “Cocaine Cowboys” which ended with Paris Hilton coming onstage to play cornhole with fake gold bars. . . followed by an Abraham Lincoln impersonator (generous use of “impersonator”). What happened here?

Internet wins

Loved seeing Paige Bueckers support her teammates at the WNBA draft (while also sporting one of my fave looks)

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I love Mess

What is happening with the OJ memes after the announcement of his death? (Knowyourmemes)

Thanks to my friend Winnie for reminding me of the OJ series of eps on You’re Wrong About.

Craft Corner

I like a DIY | Craft moment as a way to relax. I will be sharing tutorials and craft ideas that look fun. The first is from an account I love, biter melon bindery, on how to make a hardcover book:

Thank you!

I will be recording “Hello, Friend!” on Thursday and answering listener questions about Dolls of Our Lives in honor of our last episode airing on Monday. I will write about this next week, but please feel free to respond to this email with questions for me to answer or drop them in the comments.

Thanks for supporting my work!