Hi, I'm Tara Palmeri. I'm Pucks Sr. political correspondent and host of "Somebody's Gotta Win" brought to you by the ringer and Spotify. The 2024 election has been upended, with Joe Biden off the ticket and Donald Trump facing a new challenger, Kamala Harris. If you want to hear what the insiders are really saying about the race, join me Tuesdays and Thursdays as I break it all down with lawmakers, journalists, and political strategists. We'll go deeper than the headlines to the anxieties at the highest levels of power, and of course, we'll chew overall the hot political gossip as we head into this historic election. Be sure to follow "Somebody's Gotta Win" at Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Pebble Serial. We all love watercolor chat, but if the conversation is running dry, it can get a bit blah. So here's the dish. Pour yourself a bowl of fruity pebbles. And soon enough, the convo gets much more colorful. Less blah, more yabba-dabba-doo, head to your nearest grocery store to buy pebbles serial now. Yabba-dabba-doo and the Flintstones and all related characters and elements, copyright and trademark, Hannah Barbera. This episode is brought to you by the all-new Toyota Camry. And let me tell you, this car is a vibe. It's powerful, agile, and stylish. The racing inspired exterior is sleek and bold, available with a two-tone midnight black metallic roof and rear spoiler. And inside, the design is modern and intuitive, with available leather trimmed seats and a panoramic glass roof. Whatever your vibe, it's a Camry vibe. Learn more at toyota.com/camry. Welcome to Jam Session. I'm Juliette Litman. I'm Amanda Dobbins. We're here to say farewell to the Olympics. They're over. Amanda, how are you feeling? Are you sad? Yes. I was having a great time. I enjoyed the content and I enjoyed being able to turn my television on and, like, I'd lead you something for about 20 minutes. That seems like the resounding sentiment is like, wow, it's amazing to have something to just tune into every day and all the time. And I feel like someone needs to capitalize on that. Like, what else can be delivered? And I will say, like, some television shows have tried. Like, for example, big brother used to be able to do that. Like, I don't think they do the live feeds anymore, but used to be able to just turn it on and it's always available. I feel like this is just an indication. This is sort of like also why people watch so much YouTube on their television. It's because, like, it just goes. And someone should take note and capitalize on this and just, like, give us something to really care about with, like, prove us. The viewer, low stakes. But also, like, very high production value. You know, I gotta say, it's true. Well, it's a more limited environment. You know what I'm saying? Sure. Like, they were, they were working on a grand scale in Paris and I got a hand it to NBC and to Peacock. Great job. Yeah, love it. I will say through the very end, the celebrity or, like, non niche commentators remained in America incredibly uninformed. So they did stay true to who they are. No, it's like, they were given some, like, a one sheet for the closing ceremony as opposed to a no sheet for the opening ceremony. There was a one sheet because they were able to tell us who the golden person was. Gold Voyager, but not who was playing the golden Voyager. And they were talking about the symbolism of this stage production and the continents and the rings and the, and bringing the modern Olympics together. And also, there was something about a dystopia. And then the Greek flag was still there in the dystopia. And then the Phantom of the Opera from the opening ceremonies tumbled in. Sure. No identification of athletes, though, in real time, literally zero. I mean, that's true. It doesn't seem like it seems like many of the athletes who were not invited on stage, like Simone Piles and Leon Marchin, like, so all but two. Yeah, like, I didn't recognize anyone in the crowd despite having watched this for two weeks, and there being a lot of crowd shots. I felt really bad for the for Katie Ledecky and Tom Beam, I believe his name is the two people who are carrying the flag that had to talk while carrying the flag. Like, that's just a big, really unfair. Let them like be in the moment. Yeah. I fast forwarded through that respectfully to them. Katie Ledecky is an all-time American, but yeah, we were, I was like, trying, I was trying to get to the, to the entertainment. Sure. I watched every moment of it. And that part was like unfair to them because it's like, just like, let them like soak it in. So having to talk to Mike Turico and Jimmy Fallon, like Jimmy Fallon is like, Katie Ledecky, you think you're going to swim in 28? And she was like, I'm just taking it one year at a time, like while carrying the flag on the stage. It was just, it was just very, it ended as it began for the NBC announcers is all I'm saying. That's true. Again, I don't know to what extent I blame NBC production team and to what extent I blame France. So I did see on the internet and also in my DMs that in other countries, they had way more information on the broadcast, like in Canada for the opening ceremonies. I like told you a lot about like what was happening on your screen and stuff. So I think I'm pretty sure we can put this on NBC. Interesting. Okay. So, you know, it's a choice. It's fine. Again, they did, they did, they did do great work, just very light on information from the like celebrities that they are like the celebrity hosts ahead. Information about the Golden Explorer. Are you Juliette Lippen looking for? Golden Voyager? Yeah. That's right, because it was inspired by many different voyagers across. I'm talking, I'm talking way more about the athletes, like they showed a lot of athletes and there was just no information about them at all. And like, no, like, oh, this person won gold or whatever. The show itself, I understand, it was like another wonderful French abstract piece, but they did do a lot of like showing the athletes hanging out. And there was, and there was like nothing. Yeah. I'd like to talk about the athletes hanging out. This is like, this has been much commented on and Jade is your, actually is your microphone on because we're going to throw to you at this point. So, so, honestly, a favorite band of mine, a French band named Phoenix, performed like did a whole set at the clothing ceremonies, like after the French abstracts performance about continents and dystopia and Olympic rings, out came the rock band. And that they did at least four songs. And we did not show us the entire set, which I have some notes about. But it was remarked upon that they could not find a single athlete who knew one of the songs, like, like not one. And then it was a real like millennial Gen Z thing. And so that there is like literally no Gen Z person who had any idea what was going on. And so I like had seen these tweets before I watched it. And I was like, Oh, come on, like there are definitely some millennial kids there that know like, 1901, if nothing else, right? Like your Phoenix, like that camera could not find one athlete of any country who knew what was going on on stage, not even the French athletes. They were not paying attention at all. Yeah. Do you think everyone was drunk or like an e-breed in some way? Because it finally could be. It did have that vibe to it. Yeah, but I'm happy for them. Jade, as a Gen Z representative, do you know the band Phoenix? No. Yeah. Did you, did you watch the clothing ceremonies? No. Okay. Well, I'm like, I'm like, I guess we don't have the rights to play her song and be like, Have you heard this song? But I'm guessing she just doesn't know it. Yeah. You might, you probably heard Listamania on a television show would be my guess. Yeah. It's like a heavily sampled, or not sampled, but like it's definitely a car commercials at some point. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely the 1901s and some car commercials. That's for sure. I think those two songs you've probably identified. Right. Yeah. They did work in some other performers, including Ezra Koenig, Lee Singer of Vampire Weekend. They're on tour right now. So I guess he was able to make it to France. He got like 30 seconds of air. Did you not put his name on screen? Another, another lack of information. I think Jimmy Fallon was able to fill in at that point. And there was also some great banter where Mike Turico was like, even I know 1901 and Jimmy Fallon is like, Yeah, this is the one who really put them on the map. And that was when I ordered my own glacier to be floated off upon because Jimmy Fallon providing the musical context to a group of international 20 year olds who were too drunk to get involved with the crowd surfing. So Thomas Mars, husband of Sophia Cofola Jade to bring you in here did like do a little crowd surfing at the end and it seemed like no one was hurt. So that's great. That's great. Yeah. Well, you'd think that strong people could keep him afloat. Right. But again, it's like they were not paying enough attention to like, no, like, he definitely just jumped down on his on his two feet at the beginning, which is like what he does. He goes in the crowd. It's fun. And then, and then at some point, like, maybe three athletes realized that they were really strong and also like pretty drunk. And they did sort of like a cheerleading lift with him. Like he was lifted by the ankles, which honestly, congratulations. That's hard to keep your balance, you know, definitely, definitely. But it worked out. Anyway, I enjoyed the Phoenix concert. Maybe, maybe a lot of young people will go home and Google who is Phoenix the band. Probably not. I think that's the thing about the Olympics is like, it feels like such a big deal. And everyone's so invested. And then it's over and everyone just moves on. Like, it's just like, okay, next. Yeah, like, I even like feel like we're like, it's like almost like funny to talk about today. Like it's not actually funny, but we have to talk about Tom Cruise. Let's do it. Okay. So we knew that this was coming. I would like to correct myself. I said that he would be carrying the Olympic torch, but it's actually the Olympic flag. Yes. That he picked up in Paris and took over to Los Angeles, home of the next summer Olympics. The Olympic flame is both like, indistinguishable and was also extinguished by Lamma Sean on stage. So I didn't, they got to, they got to work on that storytelling. But like, it's never really out. Right. Sure. They said the cauldron was out. So maybe the flame elsewhere. Like it's been like, took the flame and his little like beauty in the beast lamp, right? And then he had to like walk really slowly through it. I felt Lamma Sean is great, but I would have been in Paris. And then he extinguished it with several other athletes who also were not named. Okay, very end. But then I guess it's like still burning somewhere in Greece, allegedly. Right. Yeah. And so it's like, it's just that cauldron. It's not the whole flame. So it's like a not an unbroken, but it's not an unbroken flame from from France. Yeah, from from France. Okay. So anyway, Tom Cruz was present to collect the flag from Simone Biles and Karen Bass. And he did not one but two stunt jumps. The first was into the stadium. And he was like, he was like, repelling, you know, it was like free form repelling. He was not against the surface, but cores were visible. It was not like a parachute or a skydive, which upon reflection makes sense because you're probably not allowed to skydive into a stadium full of people. Yeah. And also feel like maybe like hard to control the airflow going into the stadium. Yeah, among other things, but it definitely seems like you're going to land on someone in an aggressive way. Right. But you know, he still jumped off the roof of the thing live, which is really funny. It reminded me of Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It happened a few years ago. And and also a little bit like the queen's intro at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics where yes, she filmed a video with Daniel Craig as James Bond. And then a dummy dressed like her parachuted into the into the stadium. I guess when it's a dummy, you're allowed to just parachute in with everyone. Yeah. No, don't need to worry as much because it's a question for you. Yes. I read on TMZ, the Tom Cruise requested to do this because he's so passionate about the Olympics. And therefore it's speculated that he was not paid. Do you think he was paid for this? And what other data point for you? He's also rumored that Lady Gaga and Celine Dion who were asked to perform were paid in the range of one to two million. I don't know if they were paid equally. That's just the range that I read for both of them. I believe I read all this on TMZ. Do you believe that Tom Cruise would perform this stunt on the global stage for free? Well, allegedly, they were paid by the IOC. I think it's part of the French 2020 24. So not IOC. Let me just say right now to the IOC is that you can fuck right off. And we will not like I hope Jordan Charles has left the country with the medal and that we then send every lawyer, which seems like we're doing. But also we stand with Jordan's goes goes that saying. Yeah, of course. We're not giving that metal back. That's ridiculous. Four seconds, come on. Who's starting to figure it out? It's ridiculous. And I know it's the IOC. You guys are not getting that metal back. That's what it means to be an American. We've got it and we're not getting it back. Just to be clear, the IOC is the governing body of the games. The individual cities have to raise money to host the games. And so the French, they don't have anything to do with the officiating. That is just the IOC. But each individual city has to come up with the money for the facilities, the performances, the alleged like philanthropic endeavors that come with it. So I believe that the performers are all played by like front Paris. All paid by all paid by France. Yes, but specifically and the guy who's like the president of that was this guy, Tony Estongue way, right? Handsome. He was very handsome. Yeah. And now the new version of that is Casey Wasserman, who appeared on the broadcast, and he's leading all the fundraising for LA 2028. And so he will be that the LA 2028 body will be in charge going forward of the pageantry of what would the opening ceremony be and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. They've also like, that was, I think the IOC gets like approved stuff, but they're not, they're not the financial body and they're not like the organizing body of the pageantry. So do you think, so we think Celine and Lady Gaga were paid by Paris 2024? Yes. There's an argument to be made that this Tom Cruise stunt would be billable to LA 2028. Yes. I think that is the case. I would imagine that Tom Cruise will at some point receive some sort of financial, you know, benefits. I got it. Listen, he didn't pay for anything that happened, including, because we didn't talk about part two of this time where it was like pre-taped, but he skydives out of a plane. It was very beautiful. I was like, did Christopher Macquarie shoot this, who is maybe director of the Mission Impossible movies? And there's also like a motorcycle chase through Paris, not chase, but he's riding the flag. And it's reminiscent of my favorite Mission Impossible film. And then there's something to do with him at the Hollywood sign. He changes the two O's of Hollywood to be the lower two rings and then adds the top three rings so that the Hollywood sign features the five rings for the five continents. All comes back to the continents, you know. Right. And here's something that I did learn from the NBC broadcast is that most Europeans are taught that North America and South America are one continent. Wow. North and South America get one ring. So it is actually all six continents. And that's fine. That's fine. It is one landmass. Well, I get it. So are Europe and Asia. You know what I'm saying? True. Some might say that they're closer. So it's like once again, the Europeans have just kind of made it all about them. But the all the all of its five rings for six continents. So there you go. I learned something. That's really funny. Yeah, I don't know. I don't think Tom Cruise wakes up for free. Like, I think that like everything has a dollar value. Perhaps to your point, it you recoup in the future. And maybe he did ask to be involved. And I just think that like, and to your exact right there, I agree that he will be paid at some point. I just think it's really funny that he asked to be involved and he asked to do this. Like it's just hilarious. I mean, it's like peak Tom Cruise, but it loves love. The man loves international events where he can just be like, yeah, isn't this amazing? What about the woman who tried to make out with him? I kind of felt bad for him when he was walking after he's landed. Oh, yeah. I thought he handled it pretty well. He did the French return kiss and then did the self really push put position herself, trying to get in front of him. It was really aggressive. And he seemed to be pretty comfortable with all the the cell phones and the selfies, which means totally like at least some experience with that. I thought it was weird and fantastic. And then and then somehow they went from the Hollywood sign with the Olympic rings. Representing six continents to Venice Beach, where LA had its own little like like preview, like here's what to come. Here's what's gonna come. And so it was just a stage set up at like Venice Beach, allegedly. My first question. I think that wasn't I think that wasn't Venice. Was it like I think it looks like Long Beach? Well, because there was like the there was like the long ship in the background. Well, so one of my questions is, and whether it's Venice Beach or Long Beach, is was the water treated? And or was there color correction being done for that definitely color correction. Okay, thank you. I floated this on big picture and Sean just was absolutely like, what are you talking about? And I was like, listen, I a little bit Caribbean or something. Yeah, I was like, come on, I just didn't know whether it was like on site water treatment or in post production. Okay, thank you for your support. Of course. Number two, there were like 12 people at this concert. Could not have been fewer. It's so embarrassing. Why? I'm like, I would have honestly, I thought the red chili peppers were great. I would have taken, you know, my son and we would have like rocked out. Probably I wouldn't have, but like somebody would have, you know, I thought all together, it just looked so lame, like just incredibly lame in all parts. The only thing that wasn't lame was Snoop Dogg because he's just transcendent in this Olympic setting, especially like just coming out in the sweat suit. He looked amazing. But like, I also like really like Billie Eilish. I really like that song too. And I just thought it was like having her lip sync it and like do this dramatic singing was just so embarrassing and like just incredibly lame after the French went so hard on their campiness. You correctly identified that the visual reference was MTV Spring Break like 2000. Yeah. Except they didn't have any Spring breakers. Yeah. And it like to the point about did Tom Cruise get paid? Like I do actually wonder whether LA 2028's budget all went to Tom Cruise. And that's why this was like all they could do was a leftover MTV set. Well, Billie Eilish is like on the LA 2028 like payroll. Like in the few articles, I don't know that for sure, but like she's like frequently referenced as like part of like the steering committee of LA 2028. Okay. So I think she's like pot committed. So again, like perhaps her revenue is coming down the line or in other ways. But I do think that this is like a very low budget affair. I also noted that someone on Instagram, one of the performers added Ben Winston, who is a live events production person. And I'm so I'm going to assume that full wall 73, his company with James Corden produced this. They did. I saw his like his post after the fact with his honestly very small production team being like, that was so hard to pull off. My job everyone. And it was like, I know I was like joking about the 12 people at the concert, but it was like maybe 12 people with Ben Winston. And that was it. Yeah. It seems that they did a lot of work in posts. And I'm not using that as like a movie euphemism, like to your point, the color correction, maybe even like adding some crowd size. It was just supremely weird. Do you think that Venus Williams got paid for the post post show? I hope so. I think she probably did. She's probably one of the only people. Yeah. Okay. Well, Los Angeles has some work to do. It sure does. What do you think will be like the vibe? Like, do you think it'll be campy? Do you think it'll try to be like rock and roll? Like, what do you think will be the vibe of LA 2028? Also that four years is so far away. Like so many things in this world can change. It's really very far away. And I don't I don't know. I mean, I don't think it's going to be like the movies, you know, I don't think that they'll I mean, I guess they have Tom Cruise, but it's really, it's really like how much money will the who will pay the most money in order to be a central sponsor? And will it be movie studios or tech companies? So I was thinking about that. I'm pretty sure it's on NBC again in 2028. And so I'm like, well, that really limit how much like Disney gets involved in like Disney productions are involved, even though Disney is such a huge part of LA. Like, I think arguably much more than Comcast. But on the other hand, Universal Studios is a big part of LA too. So there's that. So yeah, presumably, I think that it will box out everybody else. I don't know whether little box out Apple or Netflix or the but Peacock is definitely trying to be a competitor and Comcast is in a different way. Yeah, for sure. So if you're not doing the movie stuff, then I guess you're just like doing the beach. I think celebrities, for sure. Like celebrity itself. And also there is such a good sports tradition in LA with like the Lakers and the Rams and the Dodger. I mean, all the teams. Right. As I said, there's 11. So I do think that's like a good piece of it too. I think the flag football actually will be really cool in 2028. Is that being added? Yeah. NFL players have like said they want to play. So that would be cool. That would be fun. There will be no more. There will not be break dancing in 2028. So cherish your Reagan memes. I gotta be honest, there were like every single meme that was like my four year old when she says, watch this and then like the Reagan, you know, and it was like, like no one was original. Like 30,000 people did that exact same meme. So I will take this and I laughed at every single one. It's good stuff. She has a PhD. So I think she'll be okay. I hope she gets some kind of money out of this too. Mom, it's as best you can. Yeah. This episode is brought to you by pebbles cereal. We all love watercore chat, but if the conversation is running dry, it can get a bit blah. So here's the dish. Pour yourself a bowl of fruity pebbles and soon enough, the convo gets much more colorful. Less blah, more Yabba Dabba Doo. Head to your nearest grocery store to buy pebbles cereal now. Yabba Dabba Doo and the Flintstones and all related characters and elements, copyright and trademark, Hannah Barbera. This episode is brought to you by Yahoo Fantasy Football, who's been dominating fantasy football since forever. Football season almost here. And listen, you can never, ever, ever be in too many fantasy leagues. I'm living proof. I've been playing fantasy football. I think since 1991, is that possible? Well, Yahoo. I mean, imagine back in the day, we used to have to mail stat sheets to each other. That's how we found out whether we won or lost a week. Now, 2024, you have the newly redesigned Yahoo Fantasy app, smarter, faster, more fun to use, such easy features. You can set your winning lineup faster every week. You can get advice and analysis from the best fantasy football experts. And with Yahoo, there's another reason to join a league. A chance at cold, hard cash, go to yahoosports.com/theringer. Someone will win $1 million. All you have to do is play in a private Yahoo Fantasy League and enter the sweepstakes by September 5th. Enter now at yahoosports.com/theringer. No purchase necessary. Open in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. for ages 18 plus. And September, 50,024. See official rules at yahoosports.com/theringer. This episode is brought to you by Peloton. You know, from the fitness has always been about finding that groove, whether it's hitting the pavement outside, which I've been allowed over, dialing up a sweat session indoors. Whatever it is, summer, just amplifies that drive. It's the prime time season to level up your fitness routine. Peloton gets that. They've got programs that cater to every runner out there, seriously, 457,000 members have worked out with their running programs. And especially in the summer, if it's super hot, you don't want to work out outside, stay indoors. Hit the Peloton. So whether you're training for a marathon or just looking to improve your pace, the guy you cover with everything on the Peloton, tread, tread plus, or the Peloton app. It's like having your own personal coach with you or read it home in your living room. Call yourself a runner with Peloton at one Peloton dot com slash running. What a summer for peacock. You know, I was thinking to myself this morning, am I ready to cancel my subscription now? But I have been enjoying watching below Jack without ads. So I'll probably keep it for at least a little while longer. We just did a Matt Damon Hall of Fame on the big picture. And Sean suggested reminded me of when Matt Damon played Liz Lemon's boyfriend on 30 Rock. Yeah. And it was like a 30 Rock we rewatch in like 20 to 30 is something I might be exploring this fall. All right, great. Then maybe see it and then I'll keep it. So the Olympics were worth it for for. I got a press release today of what to watch on peacock now. The Olympics are over. So they're worried about it. They're thinking about it, but you know what? Good. That's some good planning. Finally. That's before the lies. Yeah. Okay. Let's move on to the second biggest story in celebrity news of the weekend. Which is this Blake Lively disaster? Should we call it disaster? I guess her movie did very well. So it's not a disaster. No, I made $50 million. So I don't I don't think it's a disaster at all. I think they're all. PR. PR fall fail. So I would be interested. From your perspective, is this like is this of Blake Lively PR disaster? I was thinking about this. So just very briefly, if you don't know what we're talking about, what's the name of the movie? It ends with us. It ends with us. Blake Lively is the star of it ends with us. A movie based on a Colleen Hoover book that was marketed as like a light-hearted movie, but is actually about an abusive relationship and domestic abuse. And she it's co-stars and directed by Justin Belldoni. Right. Yes. Correct. And and also Jenny Slate is in there. Just so you know. Oh, lovely. I don't think I've seen Jenny Slate in anything since obvious child, but I really loved obvious child. And is that true? I think it might be. Except for Instagram, of course. Lastly, the main point of this is Blake Lively has been really critical of the marketing, and she also paid to have her own cut of the movie made, which was ultimately not released. And the the one that was released was made by Justin Belldoni. Well, okay. So no, that was a great summary. So I went to I saw that I saw this film on Wednesday night. I have read parts of it ends with us now and several other calling Hoover books. I've spent some time on calling Hoover Reddit, and I've been trying to like go down this conversation because it is like in the movie world, the fact that this movie made $50 million is a big deal. And also especially. Second only to Deadpool this weekend. Right. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds. And and I will say it's a lot of like people who haven't been to the movie theater in a long time. Maybe at all this year who are going to see this movie, which is significant for. Colleen Hoover fans. Yes, the dying industry that is that is movies. And let me tell you take off while romance and fantasy and romantic take off. They're here to help the movies. Yeah. And like the anecdotal, I went to a sneak preview on Wednesday night. I think I was the oldest person there. Wow. And definitely the least dressed there. Like in terms of level of like put togetherness. Or like just amount of coverage, everybody. It was it's a good question. I think I was probably doing less coverage than most people just from like a practical standpoint. A short perspective. Yeah. But theirs was definitely snuggier. Gotcha. You know, and just shopping at very different places at this point. But no, so it was branded as like a girl's night at experience. And it was predominantly female. Though more dates than I would have expected. Okay. They fell for the marketing. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like not the normal crowd at the movies on a Wednesday night. So it's become a big deal. But tell me about Blake Lively being critical of the marketing from your perspective. All I could think about was when there's just two things about. I honestly didn't have that many thoughts about like Lively being critical of the marketing. I just had thoughts about it led me to remembering Blake Lively's other sort of troubled moments in PR, including I believe she got married on a plantation. Yes. And she also had this weird. What was the name of her group that was like preserved? Preserve. That also was like kind of celebrating like anti-bellum life in some ways too. Right. So I, it recalled these times to me or and from there, I was thinking less about this specific movie because I haven't seen it. And like I also, I'm not part of the Colleen Hoover hive. Or I was just thinking about how actually I think most of what we get from Blake Lively is so incredibly managed that there are times where the real Blake Lively seeps through. Right. And you're like, oh, right. But, but so it got to you as like a paints Blake Lively in a negative light. Like that's. Yes. Okay. As like Blake Lively as unsupportive co-star and like a domineering producer. So that's fascinating. I obviously, as I said, I spent some time on Colleen Hoover Reddit. And I became aware of this from the perspective of, I guess, Colleen Hoover fans and also the rest of the cast and crew who did all publicity totally separately from Justin Baldoni, the director. And so it became very clear that the director who was also, who bought the property and wanted to adapt it. And we'll talk about that choice in a second was on one side. And then Blake Lively and everybody else was refusing to be photographed with him or speak about him. They had all unfollowed him on social media, including Colleen Hoover, which then means that all of the Ryan Hoover fans are like against him. But then he has like his own separate stand group that is like coming for Blake Lively being like, well, she tried to take over the movie. And she wanted and she had Ryan Reynolds, her husband, like, write some of it. And she is like this over, overbearing person. But um, so and then it eventually came out like they tried to leak her version of it, which is that he wasn't very supportive on set given the difficult subject matter. And also she was like very newly postpartum and right was like rude about it, which I mean, her outfits really have to be seen to be believed in this movie. I did read that too, that the wardrobe is like appalling. And I think it's all Blake Lively. She style, she doesn't have a stylist in real life. And I think that she that's evident. And it's like, and it's like purposeful. It's now a thing at this point. And people are talking about it. But I think she also really wanted to style herself in this way and really went for it. And it's, I mean, it's this movie is quite an artifact. Anyway, so yeah, the thing is, is that this is like a really, really messed up movie about domestic violence. And I guess that like, you know, that's a serious situation and for a serious topic. And ultimately, this movie ends and like moving towards a more hopeful place. And if that means something to people reading it, then I don't mean to diminish that at all. But you're right that it is sold as like a, you know, lovely romance. And also that the appeal of a lot of the Colleen Hoover books are about the sex scenes. And that's like a major part of it. And I did some reading of some other books, which are all first person. And they all seem to have like very difficult subject matter, whether it's domestic violence or addiction or just kind of like what we would term like quote unquote unhealthy relationships paired with like very steamy sex in a way that like made me a little bit uncomfortable. But they're undeniably popular. So what this guy does is he buys the book and casts himself as the abuser. And then really softens a lot of the portrayal of the relationship. In order to make it, I think more. There are two readings of it. One is that the Blake Lively character doesn't like really understand what's happening to her in real time. And she has to go through this process of recognizing and like moving past this relationship. The other interpreter in there showing you that perspective, the other interpretation is that he just like really softened it because he cast himself as the guy. And so it's like they're just in a romance for an hour. And then you're like, oh, but he is the hit her several times. It's so wild and he's like set up this project, bought the rights from Colleen Hoover, you know, asked for the adaptation and directed all of it. And now is like on an island away from everybody else. It's really, really quite a situation, Juliet, I have to say. It's pretty crazy. It's like definitely, definitely really crazy. I also think that like the marketing piece of it is kind of the most interesting to me. Just like, aside from like picking us aside. Yeah. Just because it is so indicative of like how content for women is delivered. Yes. And like I find that interesting. But yeah, it just sounds like it sounds like a total mess. I also like, I don't have a side again because I haven't seen this. I do find the Blake Lively Ryan Reynolds moment right now kind of interesting too. I feel like it's a real, you know, he has created so much success for himself. And Blake Lively has four children. So she's also like been pretty busy having four children, like literally giving birth to them and also like, you know, being a mom. But she's been so proximate to success. Like by way of her husband and her best friend, Taylor Swift, that I think that like she is like just mega famous in a way that I. I don't think is necessarily earned. So I think I have like a bit of a bias against her. But I also think there's like some damning information as well. But it's just kind of interesting because like all of a sudden, they're just like super famous, like Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. It's not all of a sudden, but I feel like as a power couple, they kind of are. It is kind of, it feels more recent to me with like going to the Taylor Swift concerts and stuff. I mean, I do think part of it, like this success has more to do with like the baked in Colin Hoover of it all. And that is like a real phenomenon that she smartly or otherwise like attached herself to. If you're, if you're looking for this kind of box office success, then they're already announcing more adaptations and all of that stuff. And just to be clear, I don't want to give like her husband to the credit for all of her success. I'm not, I'm not trying to say that, but she's like, she just happens to be near all these mega successful things. So then like lifts her up in a way. I did think it was interesting that Taylor Swift did an Instagram post for Deadpool versus Wolverine and not for this one. How much do you think Taylor Swift was paid to do that Instagram post? Probably a decent amount by maximum fun or whatever it's called. Also, she gave her song to both to the trailer for It Ends With Us. I think it's my tears ricochet. So she's definitely paid for that. It's in a, where some Taylor Swift song is in a crucial scene of the film, along with like one of the worst soundtracks that I've ever seen in my life. Speaking of like quote unquote content for women, you know, it's like the worst aspects of a greatest anatomy soundtrack combined with, and I'm sorry to spoil this. Like if you don't want this spoiled for you, I'm music you and it ends with us then hit forward. But like there's a very pivotal, that's supposed to be like emotional sex scene. That's like the emotional core of the movie. And this like very wispy woman's cover of Skinny Love by Bonnie Baird starts playing. I burst out laughing. Like that's awful. And you could hear the rest of the room being like, "Oh, we've been waiting so long to hear the screen." And I was that asshole. Like I couldn't, I couldn't keep it in. I think Taylor Swift comes in later when she's trying to decide whether to leave her husband. There are some twists and turns and some more traumas there. It won't surprise you to learn. But actually your question. You think Taylor Swift is definitely making money off of these other things. Supposing she gave her song to a maximum fund commercial for maybe the cell phone video like a few years ago or like 18 months ago. Sorry, cell phone commercial. Like Taylor Swift is making money. Like Ryan Reynolds is hooking her up through maximum fund. But you know what? So many celebrities do that for each other. No, it's fine. I just thought it was noticeable that she did it. Totally. For multiple versus Wolverine and not for this one. And I wondered actually whether that was a decision on the part of the Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Nexus of like we do not want to give this cut of this film. This level. Oh, interesting. So on the flip side, like you wanted to make as much money as possible. Because that matters for your, anyway. Weird, weird scene is what I have to say about Collin Hoover and all her fans and movie adaptations. I like so deeply support people in their reading passions. I think just like liking to read, whatever that is, is like a wonderful gift as just an individual and good for society. That said, I do not understand the romantic stuff. I really don't get it. And Collin was not romantic. That's sort of its own thing. But just these, I actually was thinking about it because Utah banned 13 bucks. And it's like Collin Hoover and Sarah J. Mass and one other woman writer whose name I forget. I'm going to look it up. And I think that first of all, like that's amazing for them. I hope it helps people buy more books and I hope that people in Utah revolt. But I just like, I just don't get it. I would love to be a part of it. I'd love to be a part of a movement, you know? But I just, I don't know. I do like, I like some romance, of course. I've talked about it quite a bit, but the, like specifically romanticity and some of the also like, like the, like the Collin Hoover, I just like don't get. And I think romanticity has sort of like replaced Collin Hoover as the dominant, at least like best-selling trend. I think that the movie has kind of put her back on top. But the Collin Hoover is an interesting thing where it's kind of like, it is like what happens when YA grows up. Right. You know, like in the worst ways. And I like, I have read and enjoyed YA as well. But it's like a quote unquote, like unremarkable girl in extraordinarily, extraordinary and usually like disadvantaged or like frightening in some ways, situations who needs to be told by everyone else that she is remarkable. And also there was like a love component that thus makes her remarkable. Right. And or is like navigating through it. And I would agree that that's like pretty pernicious. But you also see where the reading habit comes from, which is YA, which really had a common and Collin Hoover was a YA author for some time before she started, before she graduated. So it's like a school of writers and readers graduating together. Yeah. I mean, reading is good. I was alarmed by some of what I read, but I am not a completist. Let me just tell you the names of all the authors who were bands, because I don't want to see anyone short shrift. Sarah J. Mass, the entire ochator, let's call the whole series. Is that the dragon's ones? I'm like, a horde of thorn and roses and they're in there on. So six of her books, Alana K Arnold, What Girls Are Made Of, Milk and Honey by Ruby Core, Forever by Judy Bloom, Tilt by Ellen Hopkins, Fall Out, Crank Book Three by Ellen Hopkins, Orix and Cake by Margaret Atwood and Blankets by Craig Thompson. Shout out to Craig Thompson. Great job getting on this list, man. I think Rebecca Yarrows in fourth wing is the dragon sex book that I was thinking about, but I just want to let you know if you Google Dragon Sex Book. And you're not looking for those Google results, then those Google results could be alarming to you. They might also be exactly what you're looking for. And I don't share your passion. But once again, reading's good. I hope everybody respects themselves while reading as well. Yeah. That's kind of where I am. Ask to be challenged. I guess if you don't want to be challenged, ask for something that's not pernicious to use Amanda's term. Exactly. All right, final note of the day. It's the dog days of August, I would say. But yacht season carries on. It's been a pretty uneventful, but star-studded yacht season, I would say. And then there was an event last week, which is the Lorraine Powell jobs, who's really made a name for herself in the last few years through her philanthropy and her publishing work. And I enjoy her as a celebrity in general. Like, I like having her out there. She likes being out there, too. She's on a $120 million yacht. And, of course, she was in the Mediterranean in Italy. And this is something that nearly happens all the time below deck and almost never does. But her mega yacht crashed with a much smaller vessel. I think it's also a yacht, but it's so much smaller than it's hard to call it such. Okay. And I just wanted to note that. Lorraine Powell jobs has the number one noteworthy event of yacht season so far. And it's a crash. Is everyone okay? Yes. Everyone's okay. That's great. I'm glad to hear it. It seems like the seeingest yacht this year is the Bezos, Lorraine Sanchez yacht, or at least like the most photographed and publicized self or otherwise. You know, they've been at sea for so long. I feel like they're like in well inside of their second month at sea. How are these people like? I mean, they're like, they're checking in. You know, they're not they are like coming to the coast, right? They're not like. Sure. They're not like circumnaty in the globe. I understand, but I don't know. I just don't. They want to be going to space in New Mexico. I'm just surprised. I guess not in the summer. Yeah, I guess not. They want to be in the Med. They're currently in our DiCaprio, Katy Perry and the much besmirched or sorry, Orlando Bloom and the much besmirched Katy Perry these days. Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't wear a mask when he's at sea. That's been my main another big takeaway. He's been on the yacht, not wearing a mask. He got stung by a jellyfish. I feel like he has an encounter with a sea animal every summer. Okay. So it's par for the course. Just like, you know, he's one of us. He does seem like he is like morphing into Jack Nicholson. I was looking at some pics and the face shape. I mean, it's been happening for some time, but it is quite remarkable. The face and the body. And just like, when will he be in a Nancy Meyers movie celebrating his cut his being a social security taker? You know, why are we going to get that movie? I like, I challenge him to do that. It would be wonderful if he would actually do it. Can you think of anything better than Leonardo DiCaprio and her Nancy Meyers drama? He would be so great. And also it'd be amazing. Get some movie funded and made. You know, I think real men do Nancy Meyers movies is what I have to say. Jack Nicholson. Keanu. I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio would agree. Alec Baldwin. Yeah. I mean, a lot of greats. Well, I don't know if he's great, but he's someone. Jude Law. Jude Law, Jack Black. Dennis Quaid. The list goes on. I love the annual posts between Lindsay Lohan and Nancy Meyers. Whenever there's something like a paper trap anniversary. I guess she was a comic con because free or D or the Disney one that they have. 23. I mean, the posts that I'm getting on my for you Twitter tab about how someone has been named like a Disney legend, the algorithm could not have me more wrong. You know, Amanda? Yeah, I think that's on you. Shame on you for being on X, formerly known as Twitter. It was really good for the Olympics. Take it back to threads where you drove. I had to delete threads from my phone because I ran out of space. Oh, so you're not thriving there? Yeah, it takes up a lot of space, but I can do I do Twitter like on my mobile browser. I don't have that. I'm sticking with shame on you for using X, formerly known as Twitter. I won't call it X. So that's one thing that I mean, that is where some of my principles stand. But I hear you. It's not my proudest moment, but I support you. Anyway, just trying to help you make good choices. Thank you so much. That's it for today. Thank you to our producer Jade Whaley and we will be back next week. [Music] This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You might say all kinds of stuff when things go wrong, but these are the words you really need to remember. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. 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