Purple crabs and a reality TV roundup

Cloud Gate Conspiracy

We’ve all heard our fair share of conspiracy theories over the past few years, but this one takes the cake. Who would have thought we’d be debating whether or not an artist trapped a baby inside one of his famous art pieces that debuted 21 years ago? For the record: no, Anish Kapoor did not imprison someone inside Chicago’s “Cloud Gate” (aka “The Bean”), but try telling that to someone in The Man in the Bean Coalition. The group popped up on July 31 with protest signs, stating that the world must “free the Man in the Bean.” A video, posted to their Instagram, talks about their “belief” that they insist you can see an outline of the man, who was a baby 21 years ago when Kapoor placed him inside. Sigh.

The craziest thing is, they insist that this isn’t satire. I certainly don’t feel bad for the non-existent man in The Bean, but you know who I do feel bad for? The poor city official that was inundated with inquiries as to whether or not this was true, so much so that he had to put out an official statement: “I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside ‘Cloud Gate’ (aka ‘the Bean’) for the past 21 years. In fact, the man was freed years ago. Further, we can neither confirm nor deny that Soldier Field is actually a flying saucer secretly relocated from Area 51 back in 2003.” At least he still has his sense of humor.

While Kapoor has not, and probably will not, comment on this farce, we’re still waiting (and hoping) that the Man in the Bean Coalition will reveal that this was one big prank. Because, honestly, the alternative is more frightening.

Good Hang with the GREAT Amy Poehler

For years, I’ve been a staunch supporter of Amy Poehler having her own talk show. She is an excellent conversationalist that listens and follows up with interesting questions. Years ago, I’d seen her on a number of roundtable interviews with fellow actors and comedians, and I recall her taking the reins and even voicing her disdain for lazy, boring questions that are basically asking, “Are women funny?” She’d instead pivot and ask her own questions to her fellow panelists that were far more interesting. Then, she started Smart Girls where she led her own round tables and interviewed guests. Now, she has Good Hang with Amy Poehler, a must-listen podcast for anyone that is a fan of Poehler or comedy in general.

Since she first launched the podcast in March of this year, it’s been one stellar guest after another. Starting with Tiny Fey and Rashida Jones (her two separate work wives) and including nearly every Parks and Recreation co-star, as well as creator Mike Schur. There’s one particular co-star that hadn’t appeared yet though. I’ve been patiently waiting for Aubrey Plaza to be a guest, and the day has finally come.

In a new episode released today, Poehler and Plaza sit down for a chat about the latter’s beginnings as a shy kid in Delaware, her introduction to theater at an early age, her love of basketball and film, her fascination with and connection to witches, and her illustrious career as an actor and producer. They also briefly touch on grief, the elephant in the room as Plaza has been navigating the world in the wake of her late husband Jeff Baena who died by suicide earlier this year. Poehler brilliantly shifts the mood from the somber subject and the two women quickly fall into their comfortable banter that fans have come to love. There is a beautiful balance of real humanity with comedy and entertainment in this episode. It’s definitely worth a listen (or watch).

• 🗽 What is “American exceptionalism” and how should that be displayed? That is what eight Smithsonian museums will begin grappling with after a Trump administration directive. Our question is, will this removal of “divisive or partisan narratives” essentially cut mentions of any mistakes made in America’s history, and if so, what will be the consequences? Ironically, the title of this René Magritte piece in the Smithsonian American Art Museum may sum it up: ”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Here are some more opinions on the matter.

• 🍝 Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli has brought high-class cuisine to the museum thanks to his newly opened restaurant in London’s National Gallery. Artnet’s fascinating article breaks down this beautiful marriage between fine art and a gourmet meal, where Locatelli seeks to stimulate the palette just as the museum’s magnificent art stimulates one’s visual senses.

• 🎨 Bob Ross and his “happy little trees” have become a pop culture staple, but now they’re also becoming a great economic investment thanks to two back-to-back auction records. Two paintings from the early 80s more than doubled their estimates, which makes us wonder if we’ll soon be seeing a flood of paintings on the market as collectors look to cash in.

• 👘 A new exhibition at Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria explores the evolution of the kimono using everything from Edo-era historical textiles to contemporary street-wear style kimonos.

• 🌍 Art for the environment! Between Anish Kapoor’s collaboration with Greenpeace and Benjamin Von Wong’s installation outside the UN Plastic Treaty talks, we’re seeing how visual arts can help raise awareness and, hopefully, move discourse to change the fate of our planet.

• 📸 If your eyes need a visual treat, check out the finalists of this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s Photography Prize. Working in a range of styles, these photographers are a reminder that human creativity is still a force to be reckoned with.

• 🦀 Wildlife officials in Thailand have shared rare photos of purple crabs known as Princess crabs. In a translation of a Facebook post, they say: “The discovery is considered a precious gift from nature. The appearance of the Princess Crab is not only a rare sighting of an elusive species, but also an important indicator of the ecosystem’s health.”

@_dennischang

me at 2:17am #fyp #weaponsmovie #scary #movie 🤳: @n o v a

• 📺 Rapid-Fire Reality TV Roundup:

  • Love Island USA has its long-awaited reunion premiering in less than a week. The special was recorded in NYC last week and crowds of fans have already caught glimpses of the cast on the streets.

  • Love is Blind UK premiered last week and so far the couples seem promising…except for one. From the previews, it seems like a fallout is impending. The next batch of episodes should be interesting.

  • The Traitors is getting another “normie” season on NBC. The reality celebs version will continue to air on Peacock.

  • Australian Survivor: Australia V The World premiered and ~spoiler alert~ Parvati and Cirie are safe! (So far.) Huuuuuge sigh of relief here. Big muscle man Rob was booted first. Love this new era of Survivor.

  • The Amazing Race cast for Season 38 has been announced and it’s made up of 13 teams of former Big Brother contestants, most of which are paired with a loved one. Only one team is made of two BB alums — Taylor Hale and Kyland Young.

  • The Biggest Loser has been off the air for nearly a decade, but Netflix’s three-part docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser has people talking about the weight loss competition show again. It’s less inspiring, and a lot more disturbing now, especially after learning a contestant almost died on the show and others were regularly pushed to projectile-puking levels of unhealthy.

• 📀 Taylor Swift announced her 12th album “The Life of a Showgirl” on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast. It’s due to release on October 3 (Mean Girls Day!), but fans are speculating up a storm until then. From theories about the meanings behind track titles (“Ruin the Friendship” could be about Blake Lively?) to the pop star potentially taking the stage at the next Super Bowl, there are plenty of Easter eggs that fans are picking up and cracking open.

• 💥 While T-Swift is gearing up to top music charts in October, the alt-pop girlies are fighting. Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain are having a public feud. Del Rey dropped a diss track about Cain, and Cain followed up by posting an Instagram Story stating: “update: lana del rey has blocked ethel cain on instagram.” And it seems like Nicki Minaj is #TeamLana?

• 📖 Cambridge Dictionary has added “skibidi”, “delulu”, and “tradwife” among 6,212 new words, phrases and meanings. What the skibidi?! (I’m totally delulu for thinking I could even use that word.)

• 🫰 As if she wasn’t lovable enough, a story has just come out that Octavia Spencer spent her own money to get a publicist for up and coming actor Gianni Paolo, who was $20,000 in credit card debt and couldn’t afford one on his own. Best of all: she never asked him to pay her back. What a woman!

• 🎭 Ayo Edibri is a national treasure. She’s not only a charismatic actor (both in dramatic and comedic roles), but also a prolific writer — just take a look at some of her best Letterboxd reviews.

• 🤸‍♀️ Bring It On is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. For anyone who was in that tween/teen sweet spot when it first came out, take a listen to NPR’s look back at the movie and how formative it was.