A childless right wing radio talk show host finds herself stranded in her hometown during a pandemic lockdown after she came home to teach a winter class at the community college. Against her better judgment, she falls in love with a doomsday survivalist. Together they learn the true meaning of Christmas. Wearing a black t-shirt while having soup and Spindrift who texts her sister quite often and TBH this plot sounds way more interesting than most Hallmark holiday movies!
So, what is your Pandemic Hallmark Movie?
Weekend Reads
Cannabis is officially a medicine per the UN. (Vice)
Did you watch 'The Queen's Gambit'? Fascinated by the different locales in the show? I was and when on a Google hunt and this article I found the most informative. (Atlas of Wonders)
Speaking of 'The Queen's Gambit,' after seeing it I really want to order a rain bonnet!
THIS is People's Sexiest Person. (Elle)
I think I need this t-shirt. My daughter who jokes that I say drinking water is the solution for all life's problems would likely agree.
I remember desperately wanting one of those purple bags but my parents didn't drink anything other than wine. Friends carried their makeup in them, hid precious items in them in their nightstand drawers, I never had my own until college when I took one from a frat house that was lying on a coffee table clearly not being appreciated for its coolness. So needless to say I liked this piece by my friend Patrice. (Zora for Medium)
Why do we put up with "mantrums"? (Dame)
How romance novelists are helping Stacey Abrams turn Georgia blue. (Bustle)
With many professional women working remotely, their notions of work wear have transformed, shaking up businesses that have sought to outfit them for the office. (New York Times)
Garment workers going hungry as fallout from canceled orders takes a . (The Guardian)
How to socialize in the cold without being miserable. (Bloomberg)
Speaking of cold, I've been wearing my Spanx faux leather joggers nonstop. They look cool, they're super comfy and stretchy, and they are incredibly warm. Here, you can read my Spanx faux leather joggers review.
Author Jason Reynolds bought all his books at local shops so readers can pick them up for free. (DCist)
And if you're looking for a book for anyone from young to full-fledged adult, may I recommend Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.
Do you think that these pink and green Lady Gaga Oreos will also be vegan? Because I think my family needs a package or two come January. (CNN)
How dating during a pandemic is like being in a Jane Austen novel. (The New Yorker)
Portraits of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's favorite collars and the stories behind them. (Time)
Trying to shop sustainably? Here's what you need to consider. (The Washington Post)
On aging. (The Cut)
Hear/See/Read
I have a decent amount of content to put in here since I didn't have Weekend Reads last weekend AND it was a holiday weekend!
If you're looking for a new holiday movie, I highly recommend Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. Available on Netflix, it is a compelling story, beautifully filmed, catchy songs (yes it's a musical!), amazing cast. Hello Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Phylicia Rashad, John Legend as one of the producers and songs by Legend and Usher! But who really stole the show was Madalen Mills who played Journey. Mills moved from Alabama to NYC at the age of 8 to be a star and at age 9 starred as "Sophie" in the Broadway production of School of Rock. This is her first film and I know she will be in many after this amazing performance by this amazing young person.
As you likely figured from some of my links above, we finished 'The Queen's Gambit' which is also on Netflix and you must watch this. Don't judge it by the first episode and don't judge it by the idea that it's all about chess. This is a miniseries that will sit with me for a long time. The story, the fashion, the locations, the whole thing was wonderful.
We returned to 'Killing Eve' and finished up the third season on Hulu. Such a good show and I don't know why we waited on it for so long. I think Villanelle's fashion is the best the third season and while this season had some meh episodes the really good ones balanced it out. Season 4 is stalled due to COVID; I can't even imagine how it would play out!
If you're looking for a cute film, we watched Buffaloed, which is also available on Hulu. Starring Zoey Deutch who plays Peg, a person obsessed with making money. My husband has relatives from the Buffalo area and it was fun to watch a movie that really captured lingo, food, and habits of that area. It was fun, but it also shed light on the unregulated collections world and debt in America.
I finished Season 2 of the podcast RomComPods and it was really enjoyable, like a quality click lit book but read aloud. The concept is a woman who is working on a campaign for a presidential candidate who gets into a romance with a celeb. Lots of pop culture references, a cheery alternative to the election we just experienced, and a happy ending. A great listen while doing chores around the house; finished the last episode while emptying the dishwasher and putting away the Imperfect Foods order!
'The Disney Holiday Singalong' on ABC last week was terrible. Celebs performed holiday songs, a few Disney songs, and some of their own songs and created their own music videos for them. Some were boring, most were cringe-worthy, but there was one bright spot which I shared that night on Instagram Stories: Katy Perry. Her performance to 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' had me and my daughter in tears laughing and I had to share it for those who missed it! I know not everyone loves Katy Perry but she is a true entertainer.
For Your Entertainment
Marina Diamandis, who goes by just Marina and previously as Marina and the Diamonds crowdsourced on social media to gather her all-female creative team to produce her next album, due in 2021. This may not seem like a big thing, but women make up only 2% of producers and 3% of engineers across popular music. The first single from her upcoming album, "Man's World" was released last month and below is the video for it. The lyrics (via the website Genius) are worth a look.
