Pop Life Chronicles: Sign up for CNN’s entertainment newsletter
CNN’s Lisa Respers France is your plugged-in BFF chronicling the week’s most impactful entertainment stories. Every Thursday she’ll pop into your inbox with binge-worthy content and illuminating industry news.
The internet is nothing if not a place for debate and conspiracy theories.
Sometimes the debates can be refreshing and educational. But other times, those conspiracy theories can get downright weird and unfortunately toxic.
How does this tie in to this week’s newsletter? Read on to find out.
Something to sip on…
If you are one of those people who is weary of the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce relationship coverage, first of all you are not alone and secondly sorry, not sorry.
In a world of contentious politics, wars and just plain yuck some days, a celebrity love story can be a breath of fresh air.
When it comes to Swift and Kelce, it’s a coming together of two of America’s favorite obsessions – pop culture and sports. Their union is literally – wait for it – tailor made for us to be obsessed.
It wasn’t until this week that we actually heard from Kelce about Swift as his girlfriend, in the form of a new interview.
“I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them,” Kelce said of Swift in a recent WSJ Magazine profile. “I’m not running away from any of it.”
He certainly isn’t, as we have already seen them holding hands and her running to give him a big old smooch on the lips.
Yet not everyone believes the relationship is authentic. Insert the “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate” Swift lyric here, as I am fully aware that some people are going to take issue with the next portion of what we are discussing here.
The internet is filled with speculation about the couple and what may or may not be happening between them. Even I weighed in early on with some theories as to what may have helped draw them together.
NPR took an interesting approach in discussing the public relations aspects of their relationship, noting how the publicity around their outings together may benefit them professionally.
That’s not to say that theirs is an example of this, but for the record, celebrities getting together strictly for PR purposes is as old as Hollywood itself. More than a few star couples of the past have dated - and some even married - for the purposes of generating more headlines.
But, it could be argued that Swift is the last person who needs more headlines or attention right now, given that she’s one of the most successful artists out there. Yet that didn’t stop Sports commentator Skip Bayless from questioning her motives with Kelce during a recent episode of his show.
Wired and Vulture have done entire stories about how her attending a New York Jets football game in which Kelce was playing helped to bury the Google mentions of her using private jets, for which she’s previously been criticized by those concerned with the environment and climate change.
I don’t profess to know what is happening behind closed doors with Swift and Kelce, but what I do know is that whatever it is, it’s bringing joy to some people – and I’m team that.
One thing to talk about…
Korean dramas are hot right now.
Like K-pop, Korean TV series have found global success beyond Korea. So much so that Rakuten Viki, the largest streaming service for Asian content, is hosting its first-ever International K-Drama Day on November 29.
The popularity of such shows was helped in part by the astronomical success of Netflix’s “Squid Game” in 2021, which has even spurred a new reality series based on the show.
As part of the celebration, Rakuten Viki will be offering a number of popular K-Dramas above their paywall, so you can check out shows like “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim,” “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”
You should listen to…
Busta Rhymes is one of the most beloved artists in hip-hop and he’s assembled some of the best in the industry for his latest project.
In October he announced that Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams are co-producers on his new album “Blockbusta” with him.
His additional collaborators aren’t too shabby either. They include Kodak Black, Young Thug, DaBaby, Chris Brown, Burna Boy and T-Pain among others.
“Blockbusta” drops Friday.
Can’t wait to watch…
Let’s go back to good times.
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell made a comedy sketch on the hit Nickelodeon series “All That” so popular that it led to the 1997 film “Good Burger.”
As with so much other 1990s content, we now get the chance to revisit their characters, Good Burger employee Dexter Reed (Thompson) and his best friend and coworker Ed (Mitchell) with the sequel.
It’s defintely not highbrow humor, but laughs are laughs, right?
“Good Burger 2” is streaming on Paramount+.
