Executive Level Drama
The Friday Post.
Generally, I don’t have a high tolerance for the internecine dramas of Hollywood’s C-suite. It’s all nebulous and feels not exactly right for this newsletter — movie stars and TV stars (derogatory) and influencers really act bizarrely enough! But sometimes … sometimes something sooooo dramatic happens. Lately, it’s been Disney CEO Bob Chapek doing something out of pocket.
Chapek — the Bob Iger replacement, who is rather miraculously capable of one snafu after another (and you better believe those are individual links because all this man does is find a way to step in it!) — fired Disney General Entertainment Content chairman Peter Rice this week.
“The ouster of Mr. Rice went off like a sonic boom in Hollywood, where he is widely admired,” the New York Times reported. “Many people in the entertainment business (outside Disney, at least) have even seen Mr. Rice as a possible candidate to succeed Mr. Chapek as Disney’s chief executive. Mr. Chapek’s decision is sure to generate questions about whether that chatter got a little too loud.”
Rice arrived at Disney through the Fox deal, and was a favorite of Rupert Murdoch even edging out James Murdoch for a top Disney job. (Rice also has close relationships with talent, too.) As totally incompetent as Bob Chapek is … kind of a slay lmao:
Like I’m sorry, how are you firing me and not even telling me why lmao? “Now is not the time” … please! This is so crazy. Chapek’s statement itself is comically cruel: The memo announcing the change in leadership praises Rice’s replacement, Dana Walden. Of Rice, it says only: “I know all of us wish Peter the best.” Not even a development deal on his way out the door!
Executives are crazy, but like … kind of a slay from Chapek lmao!
What Paying Subscribers Got This Week
I love me some summer!!!!!!! A little blog about summer, backyards, grilling sandals, and dressing like a child support payment.
“Don’t wear those ugly ass sandals anywhere near me and our outings,” one of my friends texted me. “Save that for when you meet up with your boyfriend or other people with boyfriends. Those specifically say: I have a man at home.”
News Briefs
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are married!!!! (Vogue) Madonna, Selena Gomez, Paris Hilton, Kathy Hilton, Drew Barrymore, Maria Menounos, and … Ansel?! (People)
Kanye West and Chaney Jones have broken up — and this is after she got the “ye” tattoo for him! (TMZ)
I know “Broken Clocks” stan Barack Obama is somewhere smiling: For the fifth anniversary of Ctrl, SZA dropped a Ctrl deluxe re-release. (I looooove SZA, but I have to lmao that half of these songs are two minutes or less! But will I scream and cry to “Normal Girl?” Mind your business!)
Put Solange’s son/Beyoncé’s nephew back on punishment!
She’s Up To Something, Chile
Blue Ivy wiped all of Beyoncé’s socials this week; not long after, Mama Tina posted an old video of Bey singing “Resentment” live on tour, with the caption “I miss your singing.”
Fans are divided on the action: either music is coming, or it’s gonna be another damn Ivy Park drop. (On the subject of Ivy Park … Lord! … well it’s the only fashion line designed to go from brunch to the club to spin to study hall and then back to the club!)
Two things about this: I personally have never forgotten the morning post-self-titled album when Beyoncé made us all wake up early and watch her on the Today show only to announce that she’d gone vegan for three weeks. But barring Disney contractually obligated her to a rollout, she prefers to surprise than to tease.
The Staircase (2022)
Sorry. I loved it, except for that one boring episode that was half in French. Parker Posey cleared. Toni Collette cleared. Juliette Binoche cleared.
Michael Peterson did that shit! 100 percent.
Jack Harlow Screaming Crying Throwing Up
Once a year Chris Evans fans get mad at me for some reason, but I can never remember why. Anyway! He looked great at the premiere of Lightyear, which, please remember, is NOT a movie about the toy. “This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on,” Evans clarified when his casting was announced.
Chile, I even thought it was the same jacket for a half-second…
Not Not a Swiftie
Entering our Swiftie era at the same time: that's amore. Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” short is screening at the Tribeca Festival, and Variety asked Robert De Niro (and Tribeca CEO Jane Rosenthal) about his famous neighbor’s appearance:
“She lives in the neighborhood?” “I go to spa [music] when I’m alone.” “It drives me crazy when they chat.” Oh my man I love him so … he’ll never know …!
I am biased but I love the Tribeca Festival because it is an annual celebration of Robert De Niro interviewing Bradley Cooper about A Star Is Born in April 2018 and having not one single question prepared! And also an annual celebration of Martin Scorsese negging him for being shy in 2019! It’s really fun for the whole family every year.
What Did I Just Say?
I Watched Amy Schumer’s Shop Episode So You Don’t Have To
She talks about the slap and the backlash to her saying she was traumatized by the slap. I mean the entire conversation can be boiled down to this:
The Bless His Heart Beat
Rihanna: is somewhere being somebody’s mother!
Leonardo DiCaprio: went on a hike with his dad and Al Pacino.
That’s all this week! Thank you for reading. This weekend I will be working and reading and tanning and if there’s something I should watch please lmk.
this has been one of my fav friday posts !!! thank u queen
The executive drama is all I've been reading for for the past 2 days. So glad you covered it today. It's soooo messy and I love it.