Fai’a and her family are so so close to hitting their goal!! Please consider donating anything you can this Sunday - instead of coffee or brunch or takeout or an impulse Target buy, you can help Fai’a!
Seeing so many saying 9/11.. The ‘93 blizzard was my first major news event but 9/11 is the most major of my childhood and truly my lifetime.
Many know this but my father was in the WTC and escaped.
I’ll never forget watching news footage while in a middle school classroom.
Hey hey! I'm back from maternity leave and looking for new writers to add to my freelance pool. My DMs are open or you can email me at sdrury
@variety
.com. ✨ Be sure to let me know what topics you're interested in covering. Thx!
All the emotions watching Rihanna’s
#Oscar
performance.
Her vocals are always enchanting. Seeing her pregnant is beautiful.
The tribute to Chadwick is heartbreaking.
Some news: I was laid off from Variety.
The news is still a big surprise to me. This was in many ways a dream job and the loss of it stings. But my parents raised one hell of a resilient kid, and I know there are better things ahead.
Speaking with Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan today about the upcoming
#Outlander
S6 finale. Cannot wait for everyone to see how this season wraps up!!
@lanikaps
And TBH even with that, I can’t see how she afforded what she did.
Maybe if she wrote multiple pieces a month but in NYC? Buying those sweet clothes? Damn.
Honestly stunned at how large this thread has become. As both a journalist and lover of stories, there are *so* many incredible memories being shared here. Thank you all for sharing!
@naima
Iiii… wow.
I feel like when COVID hit, a lot of these pieces also came out and I learned how dirty people are. Like we’ve always changed clothes when we got home.
Partially for comfort but also bc I’m not gonna wear the clothes I had on in a public place on my couch at home.
Could this BE anymore exciting? An unscripted
#Friends
reunion special featuring the core six cast members and creators is in the works at
#HBOMax
. Details:
Once again, layoffs are hitting many amazing folks. 💜
My DMs are open - entertainment writers, tell me what you like to cover!
Always looking for new freelancers to work with and to connect with others in need of writers too.
✨ Some fun news ✨
I am so happy to share today was my first day at
@Variety
as an Associate Features Editor.
Excited to join the Features team and eager to continue my passion for storytelling with them!
For
@Variety
, I wrote about
#DunePartTwo
being criticized for its lack of MENA inclusion and failure to contend with MENA influences and commentary on Western imperialism found in Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi classic, of which Denis Villeneuve's
#Dune
films are based on. ⬇️
This industry — entertainment + media + Hollywood — really, truly, deeply needs to reckon with who it celebrates, who it condemns, who it forgives, who it berates, who it protects, who it casts out, who it listens to and who it silences.
This is such a dark week for journalism.
Pitchfork folding into GQ.. Sports Illustrated blowing up .. looks like LA Times will be hit hard too.
It's all horrible.
Never understood why people scream at their dogs for doing dog things. Like if a dog runs after a ball or wants to sniff another dog. They’re dogs. Literally... that’s... what they do.
@cheapjumpscare
Here’s why I get this take.
Brendan Fraser looks like a MAAANNNN.
Leo is hot don’t get me wrong but he’s youthful, pretty boy hot.
And TBH I’m here for man scruff underneath that haircut.
This week has been another tough one in media.
For those who’ve been hit by layoffs and are seeking any freelance opportunities in the entertainment space, feel free to DM me or email sdrury
@variety
.com.
#Prey
, the action-thriller prequel to
#Predator
, notched the most viewing hours ever on Hulu in its first three days — including all TV series and movies.
You know what any company could do to like massively boost their brand INSTEAD of a Super Bowl commercial?
Just pay off a freaking ton of student loans. Just go ham on getting people out of debt. Just drop a million or two on a bunch of folks.
@cmclymer
Honestly Bohemian Rhapsody is a go to for me every time and I think easy because it’s hella fun to perform and usually the whole bar starts singing with you SOOOO if you suck it’s ok!
Larry King, a titan of television who earned a Guinness Book of Records for having the longest-running show with the same host in the same time slot with 'Larry King Live,' has passed away. Rest in peace sir.
✨Some personal news: Today is my last with
@THR
. It has been an honor to work with such an incredible group of journalists.. and I’m so proud of the work I was able to accomplish here. Excited for my next chapter, which I’ll share soon. For now, big digital hugs to my THR fam.💜
Reporters, writers, editors, all of you covering the tragic loss of Michael K. Williams today. Take a moment when and where you can to process this loss. It's hard to do in the flurry of coverage — but take that moment when you can. This is a hard one for so many. 💜
As Ernest Hemingway once said, "There is no friend as loyal as a book."
His words of wisdom have proven to be true as L.A. indie bookstores say the thread that connects all of them this pandemic-hit holiday season is the sweeping support from customers. 📚 ❤️
There is a key correlation between BIPOC shows not getting enough coverage and fading away too fast + entertainment media not having diverse newsrooms/staff.
This isn't the only reason for this disappointing issue, of course, but it's an integral one.
@SaraJBenincasa
I always tell people if you seek a city that feels like NYC in terms of a city... but has little niche pockets and entertainment the way LA can too... Chicago has it all.
The food, the fun, the people. I don’t regret moving back to LA but I do miss a lot of Chitown.
“Everyone knows a family that has lost a child in Zamzam, a camp for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Sudan’s Darfur region. A child is dying in the camp every two hours”
The
#KeepEyesOnSudan
Leonard Maltin has been making "smarter moviegoers" at USC for over 25 years.
Maltin, who is Variety's Educator of the Year, spoke with me about his love for cinema, education and connecting with his students.
@baddestmamajama
Ok thanks for saying this bc I obsess over this all the time.. is this pre or post COVID. Is this pre or post Trump chaos. Maybe some stories can live in a weird timeless space but these events have impacted so much?
If JK Rowling is connected to it, I won’t be watching it.
I care more about my trans family and friends.
It’s just a show … or a book, or a game, or a movie.
Their livelihoods matter more to me then entertainment.
@WajahatAli
When you add in the fact we're already in a pandemic crisis... and hospitals and healthcare facilities can be affected by the weather and power issues too... Iiii have *so* many curse words to choose from and I'd like to just use them all.
@baddestmamajama
Yes… and as a mom, I’m terrified of the world I’ve brought my daughter into and what she’ll inherit.
But that also makes me want to do everything in my power to make it better.
@rabiasquared
I was kidnapped in high school. Two men took me from my garage, didn’t let me go until my dad came and paid money to release me. I was scared absolutely but the absolute terror I felt was when they took my dad and put him in the trunk of a car. I was more scared for him than me.
As an Iranian American working in entertainment media, my priority everywhere I’ve worked including the trades has been to spotlight marginalized and underrepresented communities. I am so proud I got to do this with my own reporting and as an editor.
The world is really scary right now and there has been a lot of sad news this week.
Sharing a sweet beacon of hope - little Zahra dressed up as a doc, like her daddy ❤️
@ReelTalker
It’s a great quote.
And who doesn’t look back at their first gig or first break and think that was fine, but I want to evolve and do more? That’s natural.
But also correct that for non-white actors, it’s like you *have* to show thanks.. always.
Shiv wasn’t trying to break the cycle or save Kendall from becoming their dad. She wanted to be on top.
Multiple men in her life fucked her over from ever getting there. Thus, she had to screw with them - mostly Kendall.
She didn’t do this to be good.
@jennyjaffe
It's so monotonous. Lately, all my friend catch-up calls are the same, nothing big to discuss other than what we're watching on TV. Partially glad bc this means we're all being safe but ... yea it's becoming really depressing.
@CarolineMoss
Well.... I was kidnapped in high school.
And it was terrifying.
And then I somehow offended my kidnappers by farting too much in their car bc well you tend to pass gas when anxious.
Or at least I do.
So... That happened
@KatieRhames
@GavinNewsom
While I agree that teachers absolutely need to be one of the first to get a vaccine (my sister is one in Tennessee so I empathize massively), I imagine they're trying to get to as many healthcare workers first since they're the most exposed in the facilities they work in.
@rabiasquared
Thankfully we both got out of this alive and not hurt *physically. I’m still terrified and triggered to this day though by many things because of what happened.
I got pregnant in Oct. 2021. Gave birth June 2022. Today was my first day doing a full-on workout.
My pregnancy was so difficult (nausea, lack of energy). Since giving birth, I've just been so tired.
Today, I wanted to push myself just a bit. Just for 20 min. I'm so glad I did.
🎉 Just got vaccinated and it feels SO GOOOOOD 🎉
CVS had a few extra doses this evening before the pharmacy closed and I was able to receive one. So thankful and grateful!!!
With any change comes opportunity. I’ve just moved back to California, where there’s much of that.. and I am excited to see what comes next.
For the immediate future, I’ll be taking some time to rest, process and spend time with my little Zahra. ❤️
Hey folks. In need of good thoughts and prayers for my family right now. There’s a lot going on I haven’t really discussed on here but it’s been hard. Appreciate any good energy you can shine our way.