How Can Tom Hanks Be So Ceaselessly Tom Hanksable?
HELLO AGAIN DARLING READERS!
Like Carly Rae & Tom, we really really really really really like you!
We’ve watched the new video for Carly Rae Jepson's "I Really Like You" a collective total of about 100 times this week, and yet were having so much fun watching it and trying to learn the dance moves so we could re-create the final scene with our friends that we didn’t even notice that the video-bomber at the end was Mr. Justin Bieber. Such is the power of this video/Tom Hanks that even his presence couldn’t derail our enjoyment!
Somewhat related musings! Bieber is basically nothing to us, but Kate MacKinnon’s recent impression of him on SNL is both hilarious and ... weirdly alluring? It’s really just another example of what Mallory Ortberg put so well in her analysis of Kristen Stewart in Jenny Lewis’ video for “Just One of the Guys”, but we like seeing exuberant displays of the hotness of women appropriating otherwise-laughable hypermasculine behavior and dress.
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We Are Really Really Really Really Really Really... Sad About Terry Pratchett
The great, legendary, funny, warm, wise, compassionate and sharp British fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett died on Thursday, and Dame Sophie spent the rest of the day in tears. Over the course of over 70 books (of which we’ve read only a fraction!), he explored the many flaws and foibles of humanity, with a keen sense of how to skewer the worst in people while acknowledging that just being a person, in this world or on the Discworld, is hard work. Here’s a round-up of some of our favorite reads about Sir Terry published in the last couple of days:
Petra Mayer’s reflection at NPR Books.
These reviews of Sir Terry’s work, by actual teen readers, which capture his appeal and the doors to serious thought that he opened for them through the charm of his stories: (Also they will make you cry, so you know. Just be ready for that.)
We’re sure we missed some great tips of the hat to Sir Terry along the way. Tweet us with your favorites! And if you’ve never read any of his books, Dame Sophie’s recommendation is her own entry point to the Discworld, The Wee Free Men, which was his first novel about the 9 year-old witch Tiffany Aching & her long-term alliance with some insane, yet endearing tiny blue men, The Nac Mac Feegle.
Twee as Hell:
We're sure all of you have already seen this, but when some genius turns the women of the Supreme Court in Lego minifigs, we can't NOT link to it. You know? There are just some rules you must respect.
Moomin!!! Wallpapers!!!!!!!! Bossie Aerie wall decor base layer: SORTED
DIY Peep Wreath with Rolled Ribbon Rosette! You felt your blood sugar go up 50 points just reading that, didn’t you?
Dapper Day at Disneyland vs. Psychobilly Day at Knott’s Berry Farm, courtesy of alert reader Britain!
If Queen Elizabeth II Wrote For BuzzFeed
Dame Margaret’s BFFFFFFF Kerry shared 17 British Landscapes That Are So Beautiful You’ll Want to Cry with us, and though they did make us tear up with their loveliness, this listicle also cracked us up because look at that byline: the author is purportedly GREAT Britain (all-caps original).
To quote a writer of questionable repute, we couldn’t help but wonder: What if The Queen started writing listicles speaking on behalf of the entire UK? Here are a few proposed pieces we think are highly suitable for authorship by Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor (Regina):
40 Corgis you have to see to believe! (h/t Kerry)
27 Great Ways to Match Your Hat to Your Handbag!
33 Best Pastels For Year-Round Wear!
OVER MY DEAD BODY: A Rogues’ Gallery of My Most Eligible Grandson’s Would-Be Fiancees.
19 Times Silly Americans Manhandled British Royals and the Resulting Dire Consequences: My Most Cunning Fevered Revenge Fantasies
37 Times the Duchess of Cambridge’s Knees were Scandalously Exposed
13 Kilts to Complement Your Barbour Hunting Jacket
Please chime in with your own suggestions over onTwitter!
Miscellany (No, It’s Not A Felony! A Scandal, Perhaps.)
There’s a little girl whose parents have taken photos of her cosplaying as a wide variety of Black heroines. This link needs no further introduction.
DOWNLOAD THE AUSTIN 100!!! Ideally, to discover a whole passel of great new artists to follow ardently. But also so that you can join Dame Margaret in listening to San Femrin's "Jackrabbit" on a loop.
If you, like Dame Sophie, already love YOU'VE GOT MAIL, then this oral history of its making will delight you. If, like Dame Margaret, you found YOU'VE GOT MAIL deeply exasperating, then it will charm you so thoroughly that you'll almost feel bad for not liking the film.
538 takes a stab at the need for more diversity in children’s literature.
There is an apartment building in Turin, Italy that's (1) looks like a giant treehouse and (2) is designed to absorb close to 200,000 liters of carbon dioxide an hour. THIS it where the Bossy Aerie will be, when it and its Moomin-covered walls finally becomes a real thing.
An up-to-HERE WITH WINTER street artist is covering dog poop left behind by New York’s melting snow in GOLD SPRAY PAINT and other fine details about the end of winter here in the Northeast.
The delightful Sara Mesle on the potential narrative implications of Arya Stark's elaborately braided hair.
And finally! A classic piece of prime Linda Holmes-ery: A deep dive on the history of Cinderella stories that's rife with both fascinating narrative insights and laugh-out-loud funny lines like "...the film certainly wouldn't have gotten any less romantic chemistry from two well-chosen acorn squash nicely arranged on a platter."
Reader Feedback
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The best way to describe the @twobossydames archive is like being invited to a sleepover meant for sophisticated, independent badass women.” -- Cheers, @sjobrien87! Pull up a tufted cushion & we’ll spike your hot cocoa (if you want)!
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“@CMaeTay you should get the @twobossydames newsletter. It is the best.” -- We appreciate readers who don’t mince words, @clairehelene7!