Newsletter Wednesday, March 14, 2018

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Wednesday, March 14, 2018 [Intro for March 14, 2018]( [Kelly Marie Tran attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California](Dear Gossips, Have you read Shia LaBeouf’s [new Esquire interview]( yet? The highlight of the piece is probably what he says about Kanye West taking his clothes. Which is why Kanye [has been seen]( in Shia’s clothes. Shia is contrite. Or, depending on how you look at it, performing contrition. As he says, he’s f-cked up consistently over the last few years, to the point where, supposedly, he’s too much of a liability, even for Hollywood, a place with a high tolerance for white men who f-ck up. “I’m run out. No one’s giving me a shot right now. Spike Lee is making a movie. I was talking to him about it. He goes to the money and pushes to try to get me in the movie, the money says no, and that’s the end of me hanging out with Spike Lee for this film.” It’s clear that Shia LaBeouf has been in a lot of pain, is still in a lot of pain, and working his way through the pain. He undoubtedly struggles with mental health, exacerbated by fame, and those struggles have been made very public, which he’s not complaining about here, blaming only himself for his troubles. Fair enough. But even as we’re being told through the article about how unwelcome he is now, seen as a potential liability, a risk to be avoided, there are people stepping up for him at the same time, in the same piece. Shia got drunk on moonshine on Lawless and [attacked Tom Hardy]( and now here’s Tom Hardy, not exactly the kind of celebrity who’s always looking to talk to the media, agreeing to talk to Esquire about Shia LaBeouf, and he’s sympathetic and complimentary, both empathising with Shia’s situation and making a point of highlighting Shia’s talent. David Ayer, who directed Shia in Fury, also shows up to vouch for the difference Shia can make on a set when he’s at his best. So, while the question the writer is posing is whether or not Shia will get another chance, don’t we already have the answer? The comeback is already underway. As Dustin Rowles wrote over at [Pajiba yesterday](, “I’m not saying that’s good. I’m not saying that’s bad. I’m just saying that as fact. The media loves a good comeback story, as long as the comeback kid is white and good looking and says all the right things.” That is a direct consequence of telling the same story. Tom Hardy can be knocked out by Shia LaBeouf and still get up to defend him because he can relate to him. He too has been in crisis, he too has tried to burn all the bridges. He is intimately familiar with that story. The media is intimately familiar with that story. We are all intimately familiar with that story – the story that features a guy like Shia, who looks like Shia, as the protagonist scrabbling his way back to the top. That’s the power of hundreds of years (or decades/centuries) of white male dominated storytelling. This is also why different stories, with different faces, need to be told. Because that’s how empathy grows, that’s how we can ensure that empathy isn’t selective and exclusive, reserved only for some and not distributed as often or as generously to others. On that note then, after you read about Shia in Esquire, head over to GQ to learn more about Kelly Marie Tran because she [has a story to tell too](. Asian women aren’t often showcased in GQ, but here’s Kelly, smoldering into the camera, making the most out of that wind machine… [A post shared by Kelly Marie Tran (@kellymarietran)]( on Mar 13, 2018 at 4:06pm PDT …and talking to Nicole Chung about representation and why she’s fighting to tell stories “that [don’t] fit a certain template we’ve seen before”. It’s not just for job opportunity, it’s also the impact that these stories have, over time, in opening up perspectives and, eventually, hopefully, understanding. No one is here to take away Shia LaBeouf’s chances. But can’t those same chances be available to others too? Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:13 PM [Very Little Johnny Depp]( [Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer stills](The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has been released and it, [unlike JK Rowling](, would like to pretend like Johnny Depp is not in the movie. (I am not inclined to cut anyone associated with this movie slack because A. they could have recast him between movies #1 and #2, BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO, and B. they’re doing that Dumbledore-is-gay-nudge-nudge thing where they want the street cred of having a gay character [without actually having a gay character]( and blockbusters keep doing this and it’s EXTREMELY LAME and whatever goodwill I had left after Depp is gone.) But there is very little of Depp in the trailer, a minimizing tactic you [might remember from Pirates of the Caribbean Nteenth](. At least someone affiliated with Warner Brothers marketing has the grace to be embarrassed they kept Depp. Depp f*ckery aside, this trailer actually looks good. Newt Scamander is doing some sh*t in Paris this time, and all the faves are back—Newt, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, and cheerful Muggle baker Jacob Kowalski. (I refused to use the stupid American term “no-maj”.) Also returning is Ezra Miller, [Zoe Kravitz](—SUCH great casting for a Lestrange—and [Carmen Ejogo](. And, of course, new to the fold is [Jude Law]( as Young And Hunky Dumbledore. This is not the wizened, white-bearded Dumbledore of Harry Potter’s day, this is Dumbledore in his prime, back when he was just a teacher—but like, a COOL teacher—at Hogwarts. He’s in touch with Newt. They’re up to something. People have questions. And then they show [Johnny Depp]( as Grindelwald and I remember how he used to top my list of Forever Loves until I discovered that “forever” has a limit and it’s “spousal abuse”. It’s a shame Depp is bringing this down because Grindelwald actually looks good. Fantastic Beasts was so-so, but the world was interesting enough and the characters fun enough to want to return to the 1920s Wizarding World, and our second trip looks full of fun stuff. Magical Paris is an interesting concept, I’m curious to see how Credence Barebone survived, and of course, I must know what happens between Queenie and Jacob, who really provided the heart in the first movie. And Jude Law looks PERFECT as young Dumbledore, with the right combination of twinkle and swagger. But then there’s Johnny Depp. He can’t single-handedly ruin the Wizarding World, but he is certainly taking the shine off. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:57 PM [John Legend’s Jesus. As for the Superstar…]( [John Legend and Sara Bareilles attend NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Press Junket at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on February 27, 2018 in New York City](Last week, thinking about Emma Stone at the Oscars, I wrote about how many things would have to go wrong to constitute a bad day. Today I’m contemplating the opposite – you know when things are shaping up to give you a really good day? So far today, the weather is way better than expected, I’m completely feeling my outfit, I got something for half price when I was fully prepared to pay full, and now? Behold the semi-surprise convergence of all my favourite things: I mean, I knew Jesus Christ Superstar was the latest addition to the live musical lineup. I probably knew that Sara Bareilles and [John Legend]( were in it, although it didn’t register until now, so did I really? But I didn’t know I was going to be so excited by the idea of a white T-shirt John Legend Jesus. I somehow didn’t know about Alice Cooper as King Herod, which promises to be ridiculously entertaining. And I definitely didn’t know that I was going to get full-on goosebumps as a result of I Don’t Know How To Love Him. There are nerd things, and there are musical-theatre nerd things, but this one seems like a particularly deep Venn diagram aimed directly at me. Isn’t it nice how narcissism works? Jesus Christ Superstar was written in 1970, and by the time I was cluing into musical theatre as a 90s kid and teen, Andrew Lloyd Webber was most famous for ‘bringing Donny Osmond back’ in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (yes, I know it too is from the late 60s/70s, just go with me here), or for arranging the social calendar of everyone’s mom via Phantom/Evita/Sunset Boulevard, depending which revival or touring company was nearest you. But if you were just discovering the musical theatre form and it was a long stretch between productions, you probably had some sort of compilation tape like I did, which you were probably trying to hide from your friends – and I can’t be the only one for whom I Don’t Know How To Love Him was more of a ‘I think I have a crush on someone but I have no idea what to do with that revelation’ anthem than anything more sophisticated, right? If there’s anything 13-year-old girls need, it’s big sweeping anthems to give voice to their feelings. So Sara Bareilles is exactly the right fit here, because you know this musical theatre woman has been through the feelings and the over-identifying. And of course, I am always delighted to let John Legend’s ridiculous level of suave surprise me in a new way. But, as I also wrote last week, part of the glory of live television is that it’s live. Anything can happen. So of course I’ll be watching on Easter Sunday to see what happens, how the songs sound, and whether there are any places where you can ‘tell’, as this production is different than any of the live productions that have gone before: there’s one very important X factor… The [Chrissy Teigen]( effect! One of the most prolific and hilarious tweeters of our time is going to be compelled to watch the live show, either from backstage or from a television. On the one hand she’s fundamentally supportive – on the other hand she loves to heckle John Legend, like it’s part of her brand. Is she going to point out when he makes ridiculous faces? Or is she going to fangirl? Is she going to pretend she doesn’t understand the story? And, in a question that is partly breathless hyperbole and partly actual strategy question, has NBC contracted her to tweet about it for the duration? Because if anyone can drive viewers from Twitter to live TV, it’s her… which I’m sure she’s pointed out to her husband more than once. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:17 PM [Smutty Social Media, March 14, 2018]( [Michael B Jordan](I know this mugshot isn’t new (TMZ [posted it in 2012]() but it is a good #TBT (as I’ve said, Armie is better on Instagram than he is on Twitter). He was arrested for pot brownies – a whopping .02 ounces of weed. Did they make him change into a striped jumpsuit? It looks like a costume in a high school production of Shawshank Redemption. [A post shared by Armie Hammer (@armiehammer)]( on Mar 13, 2018 at 8:11am PDT Josh Charles, Josh Malina and Bradley Whitford were probably up for the same roles a few times in their careers. They share a similar trajectory, too. Instead of having a white hot film career in their 20s/30s, they are 46, 52 and 56, respectively. They were working in TV when TV wasn’t cool or quite yet prestigious. But as movie stardom has dimmed, these guys have been able to take on roles in projects that are both interesting and popular. Being a late bloomer is an underrated career plan. So great to see [@WhitfordBradley]( just continuing to kick ass this year in his stealth like way. I write this not only as a sincere appreciation of his talents, but also because I know it will kill [@JoshMalina]( just a little bit. — Josh Charles (@MrJoshCharles) [March 11, 2018]( Kendall Jenner for the April issue of Vogue? What a f-cking snooze. (Actresses who have films coming out soon: Michelle Williams, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Rachels-- Weisz and McAdams, Emily Blunt.) Or, if this is a straight up popularity contest, why not Tiffany Haddish. [A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine)]( on Mar 14, 2018 at 7:30am PDT This would be a more interesting and relevant Vogue cover. [A post shared by Eva Longoria Baston (@evalongoria)]( on Mar 14, 2018 at 8:57am PDT Will Rex win the power of veto and save himself from elimination? Find out on the next Celebrity Big Brother. Can’t wait for Rex Tillerson to pour his heart out to Countess Luann and Vanilla Ice on Celebrity Big Brother. — Josh Barro (@jbarro) [March 13, 2018]( Ellie Goulding performed at the Royal Wedding Reception at Buckingham Palace for Prince William and Kate. Will she do the same for Prince Harry and Meghan? So far, Ed Sheeran is the rumoured performer, which makes sense as he is very non-offensive and of the moment. But if I had my pick, I’d ask Liam and Noel Gallagher to reunite. Would they do it for the Queen? [A post shared by elliegoulding (@elliegoulding)]( on Mar 9, 2018 at 9:04pm PST There is no one hotter than Michael B. Jordan right now – it’s like Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum two years ago. I just hope there’s no Jupiter Ascending or Passengers in his future. Unless it’s the galaxy far far away, newly minted box office stars need to be kept out of space. [A post shared by Michael B. Jordan (@michaelbjordan)]( on Mar 12, 2018 at 11:10am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:24 PM [Taylor Swift can’t dance]( know this. That’s supposed to be the point, I guess. Lainey theorized after the [Delicate music video dropped]( that Taylor’s horrific, oh-god-why-am-I-watching-this dancing is deliberate. She doesn’t care that she’s the [2018 Napoleon Dynamite](. She’s dancing like no one is watching – except that we’re all watching and she knows this. I think that she does care. The video may have been intended as a tongue in cheek “look how much I don’t care that [Carlton Banks]( is a better dancer than me!” expression of freedom from public scrutiny and love for Joe Alwyn or whatever but now that Taylor Swift has released two behind-the-scenes “dance rehearsal” videos, I’m convinced that she thinks she’s a great dancer. She wants us to see her dancer “process.” She’s very serious in these videos. There’s a split screen of the “rehearsal” and the actual music video. I keep using quotations because there is no way these videos are actually of Taylor’s music video rehearsal. Part 1: [A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)]( on Mar 13, 2018 at 1:43pm PDT Part 2: [A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)]( on Mar 13, 2018 at 2:05pm PDT Where’s her choreographer? The caption doesn’t shout out any of the people who must have helped Taylor Swift, She Who Cannot Dance, get to the level we see in the Delicate video. If Taylor really wants to show us her work, she would give credit to the person who actually came up with the moves she’s butchering. Instead, she’s strutting around in her perfect cropped co-ord set ALONE in a perfectly lit dance studio doing the dance exactly the way she does it in the video. It’s like she rehearsed for the rehearsal. Listen, I know choreography is hard. I’ve taken a few dance classes and good lord, dancing is hard as f-ck. The fact that Beyoncé does what she does is goddamn miraculous and a culmination of a sh-t ton of hard work. Compare the Taylor “rehearsal” footage you just saw to this clip of Beyoncé learning the choreography for Run The World (Girls) with the Tofo Tofo dancers. First of all, Beyoncé gives them all the credit. Second, we see her stumbling over the choreography at first and trying to learn it. We see her WORK. Taylor Swift showed us the time and effort it takes to write a song with the making of some of the reputation tracks, including Delicate. So, why give us rehearsal footage at all if it’s going to be a perfectly curated, smoke and mirrors bullsh-t? I used to like the song Delicate. It was one of the few strong reputation songs I thought [should have been released earlier](C2%A0should-have-been-her-first-single-on-reputation/48585). Now, when I hear Delicate, all I see is Taylor Swift embarrassingly writhing around barefoot on the subway, which is my literal nightmare. Delicate is ruined. I just spent 20 minutes doing a deep dive but I haven’t been able to find who choreographed Delicate yet. Maybe the choreographer doesn’t want credit for this mess? Or maybe they’re hiding now that everyone is calling out the video for ripping off Spike Jonze? taylor swift's "delicate" video is a poor man's version of spike jonze's ad for Kenzo, this bop deserved more [pic.twitter.com/39Ub99bKqc]( — christina.jpg (@wtfcylon) [March 12, 2018]( IF Taylor choreographed the video herself, which is basically what is implied through her posts but highly unlikely, then she should have showed us THAT process. That’s the work I’d rather seen than Taylor’s faux “rehearsal” footage. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:57 PM [This Hot Bitch in a rom-com]( [Sharon Stone and her boyfriend on the beach in Miami, March 9, 2018](This Hot Bitch is what I’ve been calling Sharon Stone, for years now. And now she’s 60 years old, just turned on March 10th. Sharon has a new movie coming out – it’s called All I Wish. It’s a rom-com. She does NOT play the mother of Dakota Johnson. She IS the Dakota Johnson. That is, Sharon Stone, at 60, is the lead character in a romantic comedy about a woman who does not have her sh-t together and then she meets a guy at a bar and he’s into her and they might be getting serious but then there’s a misunderstanding, or something, and she knows she has to take her head out of her ass and apologise so she either writes him a poem or chases him down in a taxi in the rain or stops the plane from taking off and they get back together. I’m not sure any of that happens. But this is a rom-com and all of those things have happened at one time or all at the same time in rom-coms, only most rom-coms are about the 25 year old who doesn’t have her sh-t together and not This Hot Bitch, at 60. So, to go back to the theme of the day, and every day, the same stories, only told differently, with different characters who share the same desires and frustrations and hopes and experiences. That’s why Sharon wanted the part. And it wasn’t even her part to begin with. Originally All I Wish was written for a 25 year old and This Hot Bitch was asked to play the mother. As Sharon [tells Vanity Fair though](, she went back to Susan Walter, the filmmaker, and pitched it the way she imagined it instead – Sharon Stone, after all, will always imagine herself as the lead. Don’t we all though? The problem is that women often feel like they cease to have the right to the lead after a certain age and are cast instead into supporting roles. Society has told us that women become invisible as they get older. Women of colour have felt invisible at all ages. Sharon decided that that wasn’t going to be her story. And you know what? It really wasn’t that big of a fix, as in the screenplay. All the elements were there. Because uncertainty and insecurity and the search for partnership, all of that is universal. It’s a great read, [this Vanity Fair article](, and it’s actually perfect for Show Your Work but I don’t want to wait for the podcast to talk about it so I’m sneaking it away from Duana which she’ll probably be pissed about as it’s all here, what we discuss all the time – the universality of specificity. There is no age requirement for a romantic comedy. And while, sure, we’ve seen Nancy Meyers put Meryl Streep in rom-coms before, there’s always a great kitchen involved, and an ex-husband, and children, and lists, all kinds of lists. Here we have a rom-com about a 50 to 60 year old woman and the whole point is that she can’t stick to a list, she’s a mess in the kitchen, she may not even be a homeowner, and she has a story too. Also? She looks f-cking amazing. And that too is becoming more normalised. We’ve been bonering about how great Angela Bassett looks. She’s turning 60 later this year. Michelle Pfeiffer, Rene Russo, Elizabeth Hurley, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh, all actresses in their 50s and 60s and hotter than ever. More viable than ever. Here’s This Hot Bitch a few days ago with her young stud boyfriend frolicking on the beach in Miami, showing off what might be an engagement ring? It’s the same sh-t a 25 year old actress might do to promote an upcoming rom-com. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:51 PM [Zayn and Gigi break up]( [Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid](Usually when breakup announcements are sent out in my office, there’s a collective, audible gasp. When my co-worker sent out the e-mail that Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik [broke up yesterday](, there was no gasp. My friend Brian, who sits behind me, was the only one who reacted with feigned horror and an, “aww, I really liked them together!” I liked them together too but this is not a surprise. Zayn is 25. Gigi is 22. They are not Duggers. A breakup was inevitable. Maybe my coworkers and I are just out of the demo that is gasping at news that these two stupidly attractive human beings in their twenties couldn’t make it work but to me, the most surprising thing about this relationship and its dissolution is how drama-free it has been. [Gigi Hadid]( and [Zayn Malik]( have consciously uncoupled, according to their loving and supporting corresponding announcements. Here’s Zayn’s statement. [pic.twitter.com/4st0iU9zHg]( — zayn (@zaynmalik) [March 13, 2018]( Minutes later, Gigi tweeted her own “breakup statement.” [pic.twitter.com/dEDHlyH8P3]( — Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) [March 13, 2018]( Sigh. Young Hollywood just doesn’t break up like they used to. Where are the theatrics? Even Selena and Justin are being low key and relatively scandal-free (for them) during their [100th breakup](. At least Zayn and Gigi were kind enough to give us statements to dissect. I want to go back to Zayn’s “we wish this news could have come from us first.” The news first came from [The Sun]( reporting that they broke up earlier this month. We’re 14 days into March. If we’re going off of that timeline, it’s fresh. These statements seem carefully crafted, almost like they had them on standby. My smutty tingles, as Lainey would say, went off when I saw a tweet that Zayn unfollowed Gigi and her mom, Yolanda, on Instagram. Zayn Malik has unfollowed Gigi Hadid and her mother Yolanda Hadid on Instagram. [pic.twitter.com/zUZbFlTqoM]( — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) [March 13, 2018]( The follow/unfollow game may seem juvenile but it hasn’t let me down yet. The Sun’s exclusive was posted just before Zayn unfollowed Gigi and her mom, adding legitimacy to the report. You know it’s legit when that unfollow button gets hit. Put that on a t-shirt. As for Gigi’s statement, the last line is what stood out to me. “As for the future, whatever’s meant to be will always be.” That leaves the door open for reconciliation, doesn’t it? I won’t be surprised if Zayn and Gigi turn into one of those couples who just can’t quit each other. For now, they are broken up and I’m not sad about it. Zayn and Gigi don’t seem that sad about it either. Not every breakup needs to be miserable and melodramatic. Maybe they’re just two young people who decided that after two years, it was time to move on. IF I’m being a sh-t disturber though, and I love to disturb sh-t, I’m going to point you in the direction of something that is probably, most likely absolutely nothing… but maybe it’s something? Zayn Malik started following Demi on Twitter [pic.twitter.com/0ia1yrX7kN]( — Demi Lovato News (@justcatchmedemi) [March 12, 2018]( Did she set a [thirst trap](? On to a more serious and pressing question: what’s Zayn going to do with that tattoo on his chest of [Gigi’s eyes](? A tattoo of your significant other is ALWAYS a bad idea, kids. Always. [A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid)]( on Jan 12, 2018 at 1:30pm PST [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:45 PM [This Is Life Itself]( [Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde in Life Itself trailer](Dan Fogelman is the showrunner for This Is Us. Season 2 of This Is Us just wrapped last night and Kathleen is probably still crying so the timing was perfect for the trailer premiere of Fogelman’s new film, Life Itself, opening in September, around festival season which, perhaps, means it’ll try to contend for some awards next year. Life Itself stars [Olivia Wilde]( and [Oscar Isaac]( who fall in love but … something happens and then we’re sad. Oscar tells Annette Bening why he’s sad. A child is lifted up to the sky by a father figure who adores her and this isn’t necessarily sad but it’s supposed to touch the place in your heart that’s right next to sad – sentimental? – and make you cry all the same. This Is Us is a show about crying. Life Itself looks like it’s a movie about crying. And I get it. I get that a good cry never hurt anyone. That a good cry is sometimes necessary not just as a way to confront the hurt but, sometimes, to protect from the hurt. There are shows and movies that do this well, bring on the good cry. There are shows and movies, however, that make the crying its own plot point, the purpose of a story. This is when I check out. Did you see Lion? Lion, for me, was pure emotional manipulation. Which took me right out of the story. So I’m curious to see where Life Itself falls on the crying spectrum. As Kathleen just wrote [in her post](X(1)S(bth1z5qd1g5tal45faeumh45))/this-is-us-season-2-finale-recap/49396) about This Is Us, Dan Fogelman does the emotional manipulation often enough on the show. How much of it will show up in Life Itself? And will that turn Oscar Isaac into Jack? He’s already the internet’s boyfriend. Does this movie make him the MiniVan Majority’s husband? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:13 PM [This Is Us gets married]( [Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley, and Mandy Moore attend the 'This is Us' Premiere 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 12, 2018 in Austin, Texas](God, I love a good wedding episode. The season two finale of This Is Us aptly titled The Wedding aired last night and it was a very good wedding episode. Ending this chapter with Toby and Kate’s nuptials was the obvious conclusion to a season that [has been frustrating]( at times and [exceptional]( at others. *Spoilers ahead* This Is Us is exceptional when it relies on all of the things that make it a classic network TV drama and all the things pretentious TV critics like to make fun of it for –like poignant monologues, organic suspense and moments that make you cry your eyelashes off. Just me? The Wedding had it all. It was almost perfect. The idea of Kate getting married without Jack there to walk her down the aisle was enough to get me misty before I even started the episode. The Deja storyline is enough to make me cry just thinking about it. There was enough. There was enough emotional material without the cruel dream sequence flashes (can we call these flash forwards?) that showed us what would have been Rebecca and Jack’s 40th wedding anniversary and vow renewal. Low blow, This Is Us. Sure, I still sobbed uncontrollably at the sight of Old [Milo Ventimiglia]( but I felt manipulated. I know This Is Us is constantly pandering for tears but this one felt like a cheap gimmick, and honestly, just an excuse to make Milo Ventimiglia a part of this episode while finally giving him a few scenes with the whole grownup cast. It does not bode well for season 3 that they’re already resorting to dream sequences to keep Jack on the show. Aside from the blatant emotional manipulation, I loved everything else about this episode. I loved Kate’s wedding dress. [Chrissy Metz]( looked stunning. I loved the mother/daughter moment between Rebecca and Kate when Kate delivered my favourite line of the episode: “Mom, you are not in my way, you are my way.” TEARS. This scene was also a good culmination of all the subtle ways that This Is Us has improved on its [Women Problem]( this season. And small golf claps to the This Is Us writers for not making a single part of Kate’s wedding day issues be about her weight! Congrats on doing the right thing! I also LOVED Randall’s and Kevin’s wedding toasts. If I had to choose, I’m going with Kevin’s (no disrespect to [Sterling KATHLEEN Brown]() because using a deep breath as a metaphor for letting go of Jack’s death and all the pent up bullsh-t the Pearsons have held on to over the years felt like the perfect symbolism for the evolution of this show. Watching This Is Us is like deeply inhaling and then, after a beautiful beat, releasing a much-needed, tear-filled exhale. Exhaling with this show is exactly what America needs. It’s what we all need. After the show’s surprise SAG win, I called it the TV equivalent [of a warm hug]( and recognised its vital place in the current pop culture landscape. Last night’s finale was the warmest of hugs and solidified its place in comfort TV – there’s nothing more comforting than a good ol’ wedding episode. It wouldn’t be This is Us without some twists but you know how I feel about twists [on this show]( so I’m going to try to tackle them quickly. Kevin and Beth’s cousin Zoe are together in the future. INTO IT. They are going to Vietnam for a plotline that probably has to do with Jack’s unnecessary dead secret brother Nicky. NOT INTO IT. It looks like Toby is going to relapse with his depression. I’m intrigued by how this show is going to tackle this specific mental illness and I have faith that they’ll handle it respectfully because of their nuanced storytelling of Randall’s OCD. Also, Toby’s parents weren’t wrong. Don’t @ me. DEJA TOOK A LOUISVILLE SLUGGER TO BOTH OF RANDALL’S HEADLIGHTS. I did not see that coming and I am HERE for the drama that will ensue. My heart breaks for Deja but goddamn is her storyline riveting television. Future Randall and Future Tess are worried about going to visit someone. I swear to Beyonce if they give Beth a debilitating brain disease I am going to throw sh-t at my TV screen. My prediction is that they are going to visit Deja in jail which makes me just as angry as the Beth thing. Just let Randall’s family live happily ever after, dammit! This Is Us is the only one of the shows I watch that makes me happy when it ends for the season. I need a break from all the feelings. I’ll probably still spend my Tuesday nights crying on my couch but for the next several months, I’ll blame the wine instead of This Is Us. Attached - Milo Ventimiglia, [Mandy Moore](, and Justin Hartley at SXSW for This Is Us, and [Sterling K Brown]( arriving in Vancouver yesterday for Predator reshoots. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:48 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](