"I've got a crush.." 💘 Part Deux
Who's ready to get offended?! 💌🍭🍦💖
Oh, Hello! Back for more, I see
Well, let’s get right to it 😊🎀✨
#4 Crush: HBO’s THE IDOL “Controversy” (Insert aggressive eyes roll from me)
You know that old expression, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire?”
Well, I don’t particularly love that expression; sometimes-just sometimes, that proverbial “smoke” is an intentionally well-hidden match. Translation? What’s more apt to perk your ears/minds/and eyes up than a little “controversy”? (Eminem's voice)
Full Disclosure: I have not had the good fortune to see the pilot for THE IDOL yet. So like any good writer, I reserve the right to revisit this topic when I have feasted on the entire series. BUT my assessments and opinions are not blind-aka. I do my due diligence as you should.
Suppose one were to believe the rather scathing/accusatory/damning article Rollingstone published about this yet-to-be-released series. In that case, you might ( if you happen to be a discerning reader/consumer-which, all of you are because you are here!)
You would assume that HBO’s series The Idol is a 5-alarm dumpster fire headed straight for hell. But let’s consider the source, shall we?
Rollingstone has a prolific past of writing pretty atrocious (goodness, I sound so adult) “articles” over the years. That being said, Rollingstone can most assuredly evolve-I’m sure they have in many aspects, but that article was a little too… what’s the word? PERSONAL
And low and behold, look what I found!!
I PRACTICALLY CHOKED ON MY METIMUCIL!
1) Well, HELLOOOOO, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as “The Weeknd,” Thank you VERY MUCH for joining the group chat💖💖💖
2) DING DING DING!!!! And there you have the source of the relentless dragging radiating like a hot stove from that Rollingstone article. *Not to say that journalists/artists aren’t allowed to express their feelings; I mean, hello, PLEASE DO. But maybe make it less obvious/evident that your boss is standing directly behind you, telling you to throw in aggressive adjectives like; “Torture porn.” Sheesh!
Rollingstone describing anything “toxic” is BOLD, considering the magazine’s name is synonymous with TOXIC MASCULINITY (among many, many other things)
Final Hot Take: The media may very well be playing us all (which, guess what, I’m here for it!) because, ultimately, what’s deemed controversial is subjective. THE IDOL’s creator Sam Levison wrote my beloved Euphoria, which initially was not an easy watch if you recall from my article here. I’ve said this before; traumatic/complicated/complex subject matter and people can be hard to look at. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a chance. So you have Sam Levinson, who is known for taking that uncomfortable subject matter-pushing the envelope, lighting it on fire, and sprinkling some gasoline on it for good measure. Kind of sounds familiar…
#5 Crush: Myha'la Herrold’s as Harper Stern on HBO’S INDUSTRY
(damn, someone got a crush on HBO)
Harper Stern is a phenom and a complex and compelling character study on navigating the perils of the “corporate world.”
Haven’t heard of INDUSTRY? Sadly-I’m not surprised.
Like many writers/journalists, this series seems to fly under the radar-though its critical praise abounds-it has yet to receive the fanfare it so rightfully deserves.
By now, you know I’m all about how character development (change my mind-surprise me!) and overall writing unfolds within a series. I don’t need to be dazzled in a traditional sense; in the case of INDUSTRY, it’s a gradual, methodical, effortless burn.
It’s been a minute since a series had so many killer lines that I had to grab a notebook to write down these insane pearls of wisdom.
I could go on & on about the brilliance of this series; how refreshing it is to see women painted with the kind of complexity and care that Lisa Taddeo does in her novels-but I think you’ll understand it better when you see it for yourself.
Thanks for reading
As always, let me know your thoughts & sharing is caring.