Things I've been watching, reading, and eating
American Song Contest, Last Days of Disco, soba noodles
March is a weird month because it’s starting to be spring and there are days when you can bask in the sun, but then sometimes it’s 45 and raining or 30 and snowing. Anyway here are some things I’ve been watching, reading, and eating this month.
Watching
American Song Contest
This is America’s answer to the Eurovision Song Contest, where different countries in the EU (and also like Australia and Israel) compete with one contest from each region. In the U.S version, an NBC production, each state and territory has a contestant and viewers can vote at home.
I watched the first episode, which aired live last night, not expecting much, but I had a blast. It’s hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg (perfect duo) and the contestants range from a K-Pop star named AleXa representing Oklahoma, to Michael Bolton representing Connecticut. It’s unclear to me how the contestants were chosen to represent each state (Sisqo, for example, is representing my home state of Maryland).
I’m not an expert on Eurovision, but I know enough to know that this was a semi-successful American translation. There was hyper-pop, slow ballads, a corny rap song about Indiana, fire, dancers, smoke machines.
If you want to watch next week, here’s what you missed:
A band named YAM Haus is representing Minnesota
The YAM in YAM Haus stands for “You are me” which is their version of “treat others how you wanted to be treated” ??
AleXa is iconic
Puerto Rico is represented by Christian Pagan, who has an immediately catchy song called “Loko”
Michael Bolton’s song was actually good and he didn’t move a single muscle in his body while performing
A woman named Alisabeth Von Presley is representing Iowa
The best named song is “New Boot Goofin” by a Wyoming “country rapper” named Ryan Charles
Spencer
I am fascinated by Diana but this didn’t really do it for me. Kristen Stewart was fine, but she was still Kristen Stewart wearing a wig and speaking in a British accent. I just feel like Americans never do British accents that well and you might as well just hire a British person?
I didn’t watch most of The Crown but I did watch the most recent season about Diana joining the royal family, and I thought it did a much better job capturing Diana’s turmoil (and Emma Corrin is the better Diana). I also listened to the entire You’re Wrong About series on Diana while painting my living room over the summer so I always associate the two.
Jackie is the better Pablo Larraín film!
The Last Days of Disco
I’m still not totally sure how I felt about this movie. I liked many parts about it, like Chloe Sevigny’s sparkly outfits and Kate Beckinsale’s quips. Every character in the movie is someone I would hate in real life, but they loved disco which we have in common. I guess I don’t know enough about how the disco era came to an end because I didn’t know it involved advertising and publishing yuppies hanging out at a disco club until dawn.
I did fall down a Wikipedia rabbit hold while looking up one the actors, Burr Steers. In addition to having an insane name, he directed the movies 17 Again and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. He is the nephew of Gore Vidal. He’s a descendant of Aaron Burr. His stepdad was Michael Whitney straight, a rich arts guy who was also a spy for the KGB. His brother Hugh Auchincloss Steers was a successful painter who died of AIDS.
Anyway I do recommend both watching The Last Days of Disco and taking a gander at Burr Steers’ Wikipedia page.
HauteLeMode YouTube channel
I’m not normally into YouTube reaction videos but I stumbled on HauteLeMode, a YouTube channel hosted by fashion critic Luke Meagher. He reacts to fashion events like the Met Gala, the Oscars, runway shows, and those Vogue “7 Days, 7 Outfits” videos. He’s funny and spicy but is also really knowledgeable about fashion history and designers, which I only have a surface level knowledge of. I’m literally excited about the upcoming Oscars and the Met Gala so I can hear his commentary.
Top Chef
Top Chef premiered in 2006 and I have been watching it since 2006, when I was in 6th grade. I love it and I never want it to end! This season is set in Houston, which seems like a tasty city to eat in.
Reading
Recollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca Solnit
I liked it but not as much as I liked her other books (Men Explain Things To Me and Hope In The Dark). I’ve only read her nonfiction books that are part memoir and want to read hers that are more straight nonfiction like Wanderlust: A History Of Walking. Recollections is about Solnit’s journey to becoming a writer and what led her to write so many books on such a wide range of topics (she has written more than 20).
Answers In The Form of Questions by Claire McNear
If you are a Jeopardy! dweeb like me then this book is a fun read. Trivia about a trivia show! I learned about all these contestants' famous for various blunders like a guy who smoked two bowls before taping and lost badly, or a lady who scammed the show into letting her on two different times. It also made me appreciate even more what makes the show such an institution.
Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I started reading this a day or two ago but it’s already an entertaining read. It’s a noir set in 1970s Mexico and is kind of a page turner, which I just want sometimes!
Eating
An assorted list of tasty things I’ve been eating:
Lots of cold soba noodles (with a dressing made from peanut butter/tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, garlic etc.)
Cucumbers with lime and salt
Leona’s ice cream sandwiches (just saw that my favorite flavor – strawberry pretzel salad – is back!)
As I’m writing this I just remembered I have Drumstick ice cream cones in the freezer and I’m gonna eat one
Frozen hashbrown patties (in a pack of 20 from Aldi)
Caesar Salad
This clementine cake I made when I had way too many clementines to use up and it was so good. You literally put whole clementines in the food processor, peel and all.
Here’s a photo of Sesame! Bye!