Pop Culture Rundown
Rise and shine readers (although apparently that's trademarked now...) it's official fall, and I've been enjoying a delightful combination of spooky and cozy indulgences, including my annual autumn viewing of You've Got Mail, a rewatch of The Vampire Diaries, revisiting episodes of Gilmore Girls and reading (for the first time!) Little Women. As you cozy up with a blanket, I've compiled a mix of recipes, articles and videos to enjoy:
The Vampire Diaries originally premiered in September 2009 on The CW. In order to celebrate the show's 10 year anniversary, Entertainment Weekly put together an oral history of the show's origin. It might surprise you to learn that the creative team behind the supernatural drama has their roots in Dawson's Creek. Although if you're familiar with the vampire show's tumultuous love triangle between Elena, Damon and Stefan, then you might not be that surprised. The article includes interviews with the cast and crew discussing everything from the fear of vampire fatigue in the late 2000s, the large differences in the TV show and the book it's based off of and the way grief and family relationships gave a teen vampire drama some much-needed depth.
Continuing on the oral history, anniversary train, this month marks the 10-year anniversary of Jim and Pam's wedding on The Office. In a two-parter written by Mindy Kaling, Niagara marks one of the biggest moments in Office history and one of the best episodes in the history of the show. From the disastrous pre-wedding toasts to Pam being woken up the night before her wedding to drive Andy to the hospital to Michael asking Pam's mom for a snack from her purse to the moment when Jim cuts his tie in half, it's filled with hilarious, touching and memorable moments. The Entertainment Weekly oral history does it justice, by outlining some of the ideas that didn't make it in the script, controversy over how to end the episode and of course the inspiration behind Kevin's wedding footwear.
In one of her most vulnerable interviews yet, Mindy Kaling sits down with Elle to talk about her new show Never Have I Ever, being asked to leave her own set by a security guard who didn't realize she was a show creator and the Television Academy's attempts to omit her name as a credited producer in The Office's Emmy bid.
Have I mentioned how excited I am for Little Women? In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan share insights into their friendship and experiences filming both and the latest Greta Gerwig joint. We also get some more glimpses into Gerwig's creative process to put her mark on Louisa May Alcott's novel.
Coming at you straight from The New York Times is a mouth-watering red lentil soup recipe that I've already revisited several times. I typically modify the recipe a bit by adding in some chopped celery and mushrooms, and you're left with a delicious soup on a fall day. One of my new favorites is a spiced applesauce cake with a cream cheese frosting. I made this over the weekend and have been enjoying it with a cup of tea every night this week.
Taylor Swift performing an acoustic version of All too Well because she knows how much her fans love autumn? She's too good to us. Taylor making a quip about impeachment while speaking at NPR? Even better. In her Tiny Desk performance, Taylor strums along to the Red classic, Lover, The Man and an especially impressive version of Death by a Thousand Cuts.
Broadway shows are full of magic. And there are few things that compare to the magical camaraderie that exists between women who are trying to get through the miles-long line to the bathroom before intermission ends. I've been in lines where ushers have been orchestrating the perfect flow of people in and out. I've been in lines where women decided to stage a coup and take over the empty men's restroom. And I've been in lines where women have quite literally cheered each other on to keep things moving from stall to stall. In this lovely article from the The Philadelphia Inquirer, one woman describes her mission to get 200 women through the bathroom line during intermission at Hamilton. It's truly inspiring.
