T Lo’s Weekend Pop Culture Reading List

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Kittens, before we dash off for a three-day weekend that we hope you’re all dashing off to enjoy as well, we curated a little list of reading materials to keep you up to date on the cultural zeitgeist. These are some of the posts, articles and essays that caught our eyes this week. Enjoy!

Ms. Lennox, in her seventh decade, has deconstructed herself and her various personas for a compelling museum self-portrait.

Annie Lennox Cleans House By Jillian Steinhauer at The New York Times

The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, held at Expo Tel Aviv, seemed intent on presenting Israel as miraculously untouched by political tensions.

Eurovision’s Sanitized Vision of Israel By Naomi Fry at The New Yorker

Celebrity is a different job than what I’m interested in. I like the collaborative, creative experience. It’s a blue-collar job, you know? Getting together with a group of people where we’re all solving problems together, and everybody does their thing. They’re all at the top of their game, and everyone is giving it their all. Nobody says, “No, I can’t do that.” That’s what I love.

Renée Zellweger: “Celebrity Is a Different Job Than What I’m Interested In” By Keaton Bell at Vogue

“We’re not surprised that Secretary Mnuchin may be kicking the design reveal of the $20 bill to sometime beyond the potential interference of a Trump presidency,” the group said. “At the very least show us a Tubman bill design in time for the centennial of the 19th Amendment in 2020. As we’ve been saying for years, symbols do matter.”

Harriet Tubman’s Niece on the $20 Bill Redesign Delay: ‘I’m So Mad and Frustrated and Angry’ By Rose Minutaglio at Elle

Patricia Arquette, Christine Baranski, Danai Gurira and Niecy Nash join the conversation on the industry battles (pay parity, “pressure to look a certain way”), the power struggles (no bitches, “no sassy black anything”) and the drive to succeed: “I have to keep my sense of outrage, which isn’t hard.”

“This Is the New Me”: Emilia Clarke, Michelle Williams and The Hollywood Reporter Drama Actress Roundtable By Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter

“I didn’t think transgender should be a tagline for my art,” Rodriguez says. “But it was also a reckoning because it was the first time anyone had ever seen a trans woman go in for a role like that and actually get a final callback.”I didn’t think transgender should be a tagline for my art,” Rodriguez says. “But it was also a reckoning because it was the first time anyone had ever seen a trans woman go in for a role like that and actually get a final callback.”

Mj Rodriguez Is the Mother We Never Had By Rose Dommu at Out

Baltimore’s favorite director is known for making movie audiences squirm. But in his latest memoir, Mr. Know-It-All, Waters proves just as comfortable dishing out advice on topics ranging from elder acid trips to political activism.

John Waters, King of Camp, Talks About Good Manners and Rude Perfume By Laura Regensdorf at Vanity Fair

May is Mental Health Awareness month and we’re giving flowers to these Black celebrities who have used their personal testimonies to show the power of therapy and seeking mental health resources when you’re in need. From Taraji P. Henson to Jay-Z to Jenifer Lewis, these powerful figures are showing us that there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to seeking help and getting back to happy.

We Applaud These Black Celebs For Helping To Erase Mental Health Stigmas With Their Testimonies By Jasmine Grant at Essence

“And they are experiencing it again, right now, as Robbie releases the long-awaited music video for his “curvy girl hip-hop anthem.” He first posted a snippet of himself in the studio last fall and a few months later announced on Instagram Stories that he was casting for the accompanying music video, which also happened to be the same time that I asked my editor to send me to Scottsdale, Arizona.

That is how in late April, I found myself eating what they call “Sarah Locos tacos” (they are tacos with Old El Paso’s nacho cheese shells, and they are delicious) in the Tripps’ kitchen, among the first few people to hear the song “Chubby Sexy.”

Two days with Curvy Wife Guy, the most controversial man in body positivity by Rebecca Jennings at Vox

“From the moment Harrelson and Tomei sat down at the front of the stage to play All in the Family’s theme song, “Those Were the Days,” Tomei ran away with the show. She captured not only the spirit of Edith Bunker, but also Jean Stapleton’s unique take on Edith Bunker, with an innate understanding and whimsy that deserves Emmy consideration. Her wavering, high-pitched voice, wide eyes, and unintentionally cutting one-liners were some of the most consistently joyful contributions of the evening. Harrelson’s Archie—and Carroll O’Connor impression—felt a little less convincing, in part, no doubt, because he was only given one episode to nail a complex, morally layered character. Foxx also perfectly captured the huffy energy of the original George Jefferson, Sherman Hemsley—even if he did sometimes lay on the schtick a little too thick. And as Louise “Weezy” Jefferson, Wanda Sykes shined—especially once the Jeffersons portion of the show began.”

ABC’s Live Norman Lear Revival Was a Nostalgic, Comforting Love Letter to TV by Laura Bradley at Vanity Fair

[Photo Credit: INSTARImages]

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