THIS WEEK
Trying a different format this week — let us know what you think here (click the post and comment there. Thank you kindly.)
🎸 LISTEN: Dave Grohl and Greg Kustin covering famous Jewish artists (Dylan, Drake, Beastie Boys) in "Hanukkah Sessions.” 30 years later, a deluxe reissue of Danny Elfman’s Edward Scissorhands soundtrack. And McCartney III comes out Friday.
📺 WATCH: Viola Davis dazzles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. A short NYT documentary on menopause. 40 years later, a new Clash video! Stephen King’s The Stand premieres. A Sopranos reunion. The 25 best TV shows of 2020.
📚 READ: How cosmetic glitter improved my self-confidence on Zoom calls. Sorry, Dad. The Governor says I can’t go home for the holidays. How Rick Owens taught me to wear love. Candace Bergen’s looks in lockdown. Whoopi Goldberg is all over Etsy.
🎨 ENJOY: Take a 360-degree virtual tour of Jane Austen’s house, and attend a virtual birthday tea party to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday. Zoom with Santa. Holiday-themed Zoom backgrounds.
🛒 ADD TO CART: Rosa Parks, Bill Cunningham, RBG, and other awesome tree ornaments. Gift cards and other small “thank you’s” for your delivery drivers and mail carriers. Fun gifts for Yayoi Kusama fans. Women of science tarot deck. Performances and tutorials (for a good cause!) via Sing for Hope.
Viola Davis as Ma Rainey (photo: Netflix)
OBSESSED: Hallmark Christmas Movies
Confession: I love cheesy, cliché Christmas movies. Like, LOVE love them. I don't normally watch much TV but this time of year I often find myself lost in a bottle of red wine and at least a few hours of Hallmark movies.
They're the best guilty pleasure, filled with holiday magic, terrible fonts, cheesy dialogue, relatable family drama, B-list stars from my childhood, and endless happy endings — all wrapped in a bow of predictability that makes them feel both familiar and comforting at the same time.
There's nothing better than whipping off my bra, slipping on some fuzzy socks, and snuggling up with a blanket to watch a sappy Christmas love story. No matter the plot, each movie leaves me with a sense of optimism I hope to see more often in the real world: Problems are overcome. Attitudes are changed. Love always wins.
Hallmark has 40 new movies in their Christmas lineup this year that I'm slowly working my way through. Netflix also has a few notable releases with bigger names and bigger production value, including Holidate (which I loved), Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (great family pick), and Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (who doesn't love Dolly?).
— Jen Roventine
STORY: In Defense of Over-Holidaying
By Siobhan Adcock
Every year, Christmas comes at a time when we really need it. It’s all about giving and getting and eating and singing, and it makes everybody act like a decent human being for once. Regardless of your background, the good parts of it belong to you, if you want them. The message of Christmas is this: Take as much joy as you can scoop up, because like snow, joy is a fragile thing. It melts.
(Psst: Want to write for us? Pitch us here!)
TueNight 10: Tracey Baker-Simmons
Age: 53.
Basic bio: Tracey Baker-Simmons is a film and television executive, and a pioneer of reality television. (She created the Bravo reality series Being Bobby Brown, starring controversial music legends Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, which just celebrated its 15-year anniversary.) She will be releasing her “Making Reality TV” Master Course early next year.
Beyond the bio: Turning 50 made me realize that legacy is important and I do need to focus on the body of work that I leave behind that bears my name. So in this new season of my life I find it quite refreshing to say “no, that doesn’t interest me” and only accept work that challenges and fulfills me as a creative.
What makes you a grown-ass lady? I drink as I please, I curse when needed, speak my mind and apologize later if warranted and I honestly believe there is a God that is looking out for me. Most importantly I have grown to learn to be comfortable in my own skin and that is my superpower.
1. On the nightstand: My small iPad with my books. I’m currently reading Barack Obama’s A Promised Land.
2. Can't stop/won't stop: Eating chocolate-covered almonds and drinking red wine.
3. Jam of the minute: “I Want You Around” by Snoh Allegra.
4. Thing I miss: Going out to dinner.
5. ’80s crush: LL Cool J.
6. Current crush: Barack Obama.
7. Latest fave find: Black KN95 Masks.
8. Last thing you lost: My favorite loop scarf.
9. Best thing that happened recently: We celebrated my son’s 28th birthday with a chef and I enjoyed the experience of not being the one doing the cooking.
10. Looking forward to: Grandkids. I think they are years away but I am so looking forward to sharing life with them.
PARTNER: Highlights From The Woolfer
The Woolfer’s Holiday Gift Guide
Untethered: I don’t know where to live
Happy Hanukkah, TueNighters!