Newsletter Friday, April 20, 2018

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Friday, April 20, 2018 [Intro for April 20, 2018]( [Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California](Dear Gossips, I’m still not over Beychella and she’s performing again tomorrow, only this time, it will not be streamed on YouTube like it was last weekend. Some people are saying that it could be a TIDAL exclusive though. How’s your TIDAL membership? Up to date? Beyoncé is pretty much the only reason I keep my TIDAL account open. You never know. And this, for Beyoncé, has always been part of the plan – to keep her sh-t exclusive, to make sure that these Beychella performances feel like monumental can’t-miss events. Apparently what we saw last Saturday will not exactly be the same as what she’s bringing tomorrow. Jo’Artis Mijo Ratti, one of the Beychella dancers, [told Variety](�©-will-switch-up-a-couple-things-for-second-coachella-set-dancer-says-exclusive-1202758435/) that, “Yeah, we’re switching up a couple things, so there could still be a wow factor”. So, you know, you might want to set your alarm again for 2am on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Jo’Artis’s interview with Variety provides more detail about all the detail that went into the show. On [Show Your Work]( this week, Duana and I talked extensively about the work that would have to go into a production like Beychella and the layers upon layers of insight and consideration that went into realising her vision. As Jo’Artis confirms, he was one of several members of the team who belongs to a black fraternity (Omega Psi Phi) so as to properly honour and highlight the Divine Nine, the [black Greek-letter organisations](. [A post shared by Jo'Artis Mijo Toro Ratti (@bigmijo28)]( on Apr 15, 2018 at 11:20am PDT Knowing that the world would be watching – because when she does anything the world is watching – Beyoncé thought of everything. I will never be tired of how f-cking thorough she is. [Click here]( to read Jo’Artis Mijo Ratti’s full interview with Beyoncé. And now, for the second Friday in a row, I have anxiety going into the weekend. I don’t want to miss any Beyoncé. Have a great weekend! Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:04 PM [Taron Egerton is Elton John]( [Taron Egerton/Elton John](Elton John is finally getting the biopic treatment, and as a sign of some goodness remaining in the universe, Justin Timberlake is not going to portray him. The movie is called Rocket Man (for now), and it will star charm machine [Taron Egerton]( as Elton John. The project originally centered around Tom Hardy, but he [dropped out last year]( with Egerton becoming the presumptive heir, and now Paramount is working on a deal to back the movie with Egerton as the lead. I kind of love this casting, not least because while Tom Hardy does many things well, [singing isn’t one of them](  ). (Also, I think we can live without mush-mouth Elton John.) Meanwhile, Egerton has a proven ability to throw himself into biographical portrayal (see also: Eddie the Eagle), and thanks to Sing, we know he has pipes. I can hear it, can’t you? He doesn’t sound exactly like [Elton John](—who does?—but he’s in the range, right? Definitely closer than [Tom Hardy](. And Egerton is so f*cking charismatic, it’s easy to see him playing a 1970’s rock star. Rocket Man is slated to film this summer which means, presumably, a 2019 release date. That means it would come out on the heels of the Queen movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, which is due later this year. This will be a curious case of compare-and-contrast, not only for the contemporaneous rock stars anchoring the movies, but also because the same guy is directing them. Dexter Fletcher—who previously directed Egerton in Eddie the Eagle—took over Rhapsody [after Bryan Singer got fired](. He is also attached to direct Rocket Man. That will make for a fun side-by-side comparison. It will also be fun to compare Egerton’s performance to Timberlake lip-syncing as Elton [in that one music video](. That already feels like an unfair comparison. [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:15 PM [Smutty Social Media, April 20, 2018]( [Eminem performs onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 15, 2018 in Indio, California](Eminem has been taking selfies at Coachella – he’s really bad at it. [A post shared by Marshall Mathers (@eminem)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:13pm PDT [A post shared by Marshall Mathers (@eminem)]( on Apr 15, 2018 at 7:56pm PDT [A post shared by Marshall Mathers (@eminem)]( on Apr 14, 2018 at 5:30pm PDT Gwen Stefani and Chance should definitely link up for new music. But does this mean Chance doesn’t have Pharrell’s phone number? Because if he did, he could just ask Pharrell to pass along the message. Can anyone link me with Gwen Stefani? Please — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) [April 18, 2018]( After seeing Lola Kirke’s post, I looked up this piece in The New Yorker. The critic paired his review of Gemini with a review of Unsane in which he focuses on Claire Foy’s former role as Queen Elizabeth. As for Kirke, here is the quote she is referring to: The role is hardly flattering; most of the time, she wears big jeans and a baggy gray top, while sporting the haircut from hell—brown bangs cut straight across, as if by a six-year-old with blunt scissors. Talk about unsane. Kirke, however, who made such an impact, in “Mistress America” (2015), requires no disguise; she is sphinxlike enough as it is. He seems befuddled by the very idea that she would not look like “herself” (as he sees her), even when she’s in character and that character is in disguise. He’s doing a “well, actually” on her wardrobe. [A post shared by Lola Kirke (@lolakirke)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 12:48pm PDT Game of Thrones hasn’t wrapped yet? When is this goddamn show going to air? (And if you want to read what I think is the most comprehensive and logical breakdown of who will take the throne in the end, [click here](). [A post shared by @emilia_clarke]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:19am PDT I liked Priyanka’s showing at the [MET Gala last year]( and I’m looking forward to seeing what she will wear to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding. Unless she is a bridesmaid and has no choice in her dress. Speaking of, do you think bridesmaids will be a bigger deal for Meghan than they were for Kate? I didn’t remember anyone from Kate’s party (aside from Pippa) – I had to look up photos. I feel like Meghan’s bridal party will be more memorable because we might already be familiar with some of them. [A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 4:52am PDT No one is happier than Snoop Dogg today. morning mood 🍃 [#SnoopsFavoriteHoliday]( [pic.twitter.com/KsgmU6NnA6]( — Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) [April 20, 2018]( Oh sh-t guys, the Gallagher brother feud has gone Shakespearean. Liam has posted a screenshot from a conversation that is apparently between Noel and his daughter, Anais, in which Noel calls Liam an “astonishing knob” and a “[c—t.](” This all goes back to the One Manchester benefit, at which Liam appeared and Noel did not. But what I want to know is, how did Liam get a screenshot from Anais’ phone? [pic.twitter.com/CxG7U0TDnM]( — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) [April 20, 2018]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:25 PM [Jennifer Aniston and the cool kids]( [Jennifer Aniston and founders of the #neveragain movement and organizers of the March for our Lives Cameron Kasky and Jacqueline Coren speak onstage at WeDay California, on April 19, 2018, in Inglewood, California](While Justin Theroux spent the week in super cool New York with his “arty” and “edgy” friends, walking around the city in [his Eazy-E tee]( and showing off his NYC (spray) tan, Jennifer Aniston was at WE Day California yesterday, supporting youth activism. Selena Gomez has been a WE Day regular for years. Selena and Jen are friends. This is the likely connection. Which is why it was bullsh-t from [Radar last week]( when they reported that Jen was pissed at Selena because Justin was moving in on her. Remember, Radar, the National Enquirer, Star Magazine, and US Weekly are now all under the same umbrella. Anyway, Jen shared the stage yesterday with Jaclyn Corin and Cameron Kasky, two of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas student leaders of March For Our Lives. So, basically, the real cool kids. But, you know, definitely not as cool as Justin in his New York cut off tank tops and designer backpacks. Abrupt segue here – I’ve been thinking about Jen since earlier this week, since Sarah filed her Beirut review, starring Jon Hamm, [which was just posted](. Because doesn’t that seem obvious? [Jennifer Aniston]( and [Jon Hamm](? Why haven’t we talked about this before? Why hasn’t this been Gossip Genied before? There are celebrity couples that seem to come out of nowhere. If Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux were a thing, wouldn’t your reaction be like… Yup. Right?! And if you’re about to say that he might not be good for her… EXACTLY. That’s her sh-t. She’s attracted to complicated and indecisive. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:41 PM [Jon Hamm in Beirut]( [Jon Hamm on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, April 10, 2018](Beirut is a period piece political thriller that doesn’t need to be period and is weirdly unconcerned with how its politics read in 2018. With a script by Tony Gilroy (of the Bourne franchise, Rogue One’s infamous reshoots, and, most importantly, THE CUTTING EDGE), and directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist), it’s a good-looking film that calls back to the 1970s heyday of political thrillers, before that was just a tonal beat for action movies. Jon Hamm stars as Mason Skiles, a US diplomat and negotiator who gets caught up in mid-civil-war politics in Lebanon. Hamm carries the movie—and it’s amazing he has not been given more opportunities in film to work as an actual leading man—but that Lebanese setting opens the door to some complicated stuff Beirut would really rather not deal with. The opening is set in the early 1970s, post-Munich massacre but pre-Lebanese civil war. Skiles is living it up in Beirut, “the Paris of the Middle East”, along with his wife, and they are a dashing and cosmopolitan couple abroad. But violence, fueled by Israeli/Palestinian tension, is sweeping into Lebanon, and soon Skiles is back in the US, shattered and sunk into alcoholism. Ten years later, he’s working as a union negotiator in Boston when he is summoned back to Beirut to deal with a hostage crisis, personally requested by the terrorists who kidnapped an old embassy colleague of his. Does this sound complicated? It’s really not. Gilroy can write movies like this is in his sleep by now, and Beirut is a conventional political thriller that isn’t interested in engaging with any complex real-world issues or ramifications (an ending montage detailing the devastation of Beirut is as close as it gets). Beirut is a throwback in style, sure, with stylish direction from Anderson that isn’t interested in flash or quick cuts but instead just good old-fashioned composition and interesting angles. But it’s also a throwback in tone, with a story and a hero that is more le Carré than Clancy, and Hamm carries that extremely well. He’s made for roles like this, and despite a functioning-alcoholic kinship with Don Draper, there is none of Draper in this performance. Hamm is really, really good, and Beirut is worth watching just for his performance. ([Rosamund Pike]( is also good as his CIA handler, and there is a low-ley Bogey & Bacall vibe between Hamm and Pike that another filmmaker should explore in another film.) It’s just that pesky insistence on the real world to butt in that brings it down. For a movie called “Beirut” and set in the Lebanese civil war, there is precious little of that reality in the movie. Beirut is concerned with the embassy, with the shifty CIA agents and White House operatives whose competing agendas make Skiles’ job even harder. Israeli and Middle Eastern characters are largely two-dimensional stereotypes, and the Lebanese, whose home is represented as destroyed by these rival agendas? Basically a non-entity. I’m just not sure why Beirut has to be “Beirut”. The story is Skiles and his history with a place and a person, and the various political interests he has to navigate in order to do his job. That could be any time, any place. Setting this during the Lebanese civil war opens a bunch of doors the filmmakers aren’t actually interested in. But if you’re just looking at it as a star vehicle for [Jon Hamm](, Beirut more than satisfies. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:21 PM [Kanye West’s next phase]( [Kanye West](When it was announced that Kanye West was writing a book of philosophy right around the time he re-emerged on Twitter, I predicted that this was the first step in the rollout of [Kanye’s next phase](. Yesterday, Kanye announced on Twitter, of course, that he’s releasing two albums in June. The first will be a solo effort consisting of seven tracks released on June 1st. The second will be a joint album with Kid Cudi on June 8th. it's called Kids See Ghost. That's the name of our group — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) [April 19, 2018]( So, the next phase of [Kanye West]( is almost here. I’m excited, nervous and curious all at the same time. I’m excited because Kanye West is still a musical genius. That’s not up for debate. But I do hope that Kanye is ready. The last time I wrote about Kanye, I shared that I consider his past support of Donald Trump a symptom of his mental health issues in 2016. I forgot that around the same time, Kanye had also tweeted disjointed statements that were interpreted as support for Bill Cosby. The Daily Beast [reminded me of that](. That’s really f-cking bad. If Kanye West is going to come back into this musical climate, where artists are using their platforms to advocate for social justice and comment on politics, he’s going to need to address these past transgressions. If he doesn’t, does that make him any better than Taylor Swift? There they are, included in each other’s narratives again. I hate making the comparison but we are no longer at the point where an artist can tap out of certain conversations without getting called out. Taylor Swift has tried and that has left her with many detractors (including me) who wonder if she really is a white supremacist since she refuses to publicly denounce them. Before you yell at me, I may not actually think Taylor Swift is a white supremacist but I also don’t understand why she hasn’t emphatically come out to dissuade people from jumping to that conclusion. If Kanye doesn’t publicly denounce Trump and now even Cosby, it’s hard not to draw the same conclusion that his views are in line with theirs. If that’s true, I’m going to have to seriously reconsider my almost 20-year allegiance to Kanye West. For now, I can hope that his new music with Kid Cudi will be great. They’ve both dealt with public [mental health issues]( so this record could be a powerful way to address a conversation rarely had in the black community, especially with black men. Kanye’s label is G.O.O.D Music. Cudi was signed to it before he left the label in 2013 but current artists include Teyana Taylor and Pusha T. Kanye also announced on Twitter that both of their albums will be out in the weeks surrounding his new releases. All of their drops are coming out on a Friday. In 2010, leading up to the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye would drop a new song every Friday. He called the drops GOOD Fridays. I LOVED GOOD Fridays. He brought them back again leading up to the release of The Life of Pablo in 2016. The next phase of Kanye looks like it’s going to include some GOOD Fridays but maybe a few bad days too. If you were waiting for an update on Kanye’s philosophy book, he is now writing it in real time on Twitter because he doesn’t like being confined to pedestrian things like page counts, deadlines and grammar. oh by the way this is my book that I'm writing in real time. No publisher or publicist will tell me what to put where or how many pages to write. This is not a financial opportunity this is an innate need to be expressive. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) [April 18, 2018]( I will work on this "book" when I feel it. When We sit still in the mornings We get hit with so many ideas and so many things We want to express. When I read this tweet to myself I didn't like how much I used the word I so I changed the I's to We's. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) [April 18, 2018]( Oh, Kanye. Try not to embarrass me. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:45 PM [Zayn & Gigi continued?]( [Zayn seen leaving Gigi Hadid's apartment in New York, April 19, 2018](I really, really love [Zayn Malik’s Let Me video](C2%A0to-act-in-let-me-music-video/49622) specifically because it’s really, really bad. Haven’t we all envisioned ourselves in a montage? I imagine myself in montage mode every day – it comes from the same place. Anyway, at the end of the video, as Zayn and his Gigi Hadid stand-in ride off in the sunset on their speedboat, three words appear on the screen: “to be continued”. Does that mean the next video will show the breakup? Or that Zayn and Gigi, in real life, still have a story to tell? [Zayn]( was seen Wednesday heading to [Gigi](’s apartment in New York. Maybe he was picking up his sh-t, like to finalise the split? Sure. But he was then photographed on Thursday morning leaving her place in the same clothes. I mean, with their resources, if you want to pick up your sh-t, you send an assistant. Or a courier. Or an Uber. Most of us have broken up or been broken up with before. The “pick up your sh-t” trip is as brief as possible if you truly want to get the f-ck out of there. Spending the night is…complicated, messy. Sometimes it’s, you know, one last jam before the lights come on. Sometimes that one last jam can lead to 8 more jams. You can’t keep the lights off forever though. And when they do finally flip the switch, the same problems that were there before will still be there now. Those problems were apparently the fact that they were too busy to make things work with their schedules, too often in different parts of the world. Gigi has continued to like Zayn’s posts on social media. So there truly doesn’t seem to be any ugliness in the split. That, actually, might be the issue. It can be harder to let go if the feelings are still there, non? Like, as soon as they found themselves in the same part of the world, he’s sleeping over. Zayn’s got a lot coming up though. His second album is expected in June. Earlier this week, however, it was reported that he and his manager, Sarah Stennett, are no longer working together. According to [Variety](, “sources say the artist is challenging to work with, declining many promotional opportunities and not touring behind his last album, although he is planning one behind the new set”. When Variety reached out to Sarah Stennett for comment, she said, “Sometimes in life you have to make extremely difficult decisions to effect positive change for everyone.” Seems like it’s a tumultuous time in Zayn’s life right now. He may be reaching out for comfort to someone who’s always been supportive. But, also, these conditions aren’t exactly ideal for a fragile relationship. As for him being “challenging to work with”, it’s been well-reported that Zayn struggles with anxiety. It’s why he’s known to pull out of performances and be uncomfortable on tour. As we continue to increase awareness for those who struggle with mental health, how does that affect career strategy and management? There used to be a prescribed rollout for an album release. Touring is where the big money is now with recording artists. And promotion is still considered an essential part of the push behind the work. Look at how Cardi B hustled last week when she was pushing Invasion Of Privacy – she was everywhere at every hour – and it paid off, her album went to #1. There are few artists who don’t go through the promotional carwash. Beyoncé, obviously. Taylor Swift scaled back promotion when she released reputation. And Drake doesn’t do interview after interview and he’s the most successful streaming artist of all time. But those three are on their own level. Zayn isn’t there yet. Zayn is probably closer to Cardi at this stage in his career. So, going forward, if you’re his new manager, how do you prioritise his care while setting him up for success? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:11 PM [Chris Evans picks up the slack]( [Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s elevator fight scene](Chris Evans is currently on Broadway, which means he is excused from most of the Avengers: Infinity War press. (He is expected at the premiere on Monday, which means he will still be rocking That Mustache. He’s going to [look like that]( at the Avengers premiere.) But! A Marvel star’s work is never done, and just because he schlepping around the world, doesn’t mean he has no responsibilities. Chris Evans has, apparently, gotten the viral marketing assignment as he tweeted out some videos of stunt training for Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s flawless elevator fight scene. Still one of the best pieces of action Marvel has produced. I’m pretty sure there has been behind-the-scenes footage from this fight preparation on the internet before, but Evans’ tweets are undoubtedly part of the overall Avengers marketing strategy. As we learned during the [Sony hack](, studios often count on stars’ social media as another outlet for promotion, but what sets Marvel apart is, as always, the tone of the thing. It’s not thirsty or pushy or even particularly hustling. Of course, Evans is about to be part of one of the biggest movies in history (again), so it’s not like they’re out here scraping the bottom of the barrel for an audience. The entire world is going to go see Infinity War. But what has made Marvel such an unstoppable machine is, as I’ve called it before, the “clubhouse”. It’s that feeling that the Avengers are the most fun, that they actually like each other—they do—and that where they are is the coolest place to be, and we want to be there with them. That feeling starts with stuff like this, with Chris Evans posting throwback stunt videos and reminding everyone of the moment Captain America got cool, and how hard he works to portray Cap. He’s not hitting up the morning shows or the talk show circuit, but through social media, Chris Evans can still factor in Avengers’ press in a way that engages fans. Everyone does this, but Marvel is insanely good at it. Partly it’s just the cast—they made a perfect chemistry stew. But it’s a lot of planning and positioning—who goes where, and when, and what they say and do in that moment—and social media is part of that planning. Take, for instance, Sebastian Stan (I saw him first, [LAINEY](). He doesn’t have Twitter but he does use Weibo, the “Chinese Twitter”. Sure, stoking an international fan base helps him, individually, but not for nothing, Marvel consistently outperforms Star Wars in China. They do well there because it’s a market and a fanbase they care-take, and social media is a key part of that outreach. And with Chris Evans, everything he does for Marvel now has the feeling of a swan song. We know he’s done after Avengers 4 next year. We’re entering what is probably the last year of Chris Evans: Marvel Man, and we’re marking that with, essentially, a Cap highlight reel. This year, Marvel is celebrating their 10 year anniversary in theaters. Next year, it’s the end of an era as original Avengers start phasing out. Watch the tone the marketing takes around these milestones, and how unobtrusively the actors use social media to keep us involved. Right now, no one does this better. In honor of Infinity War coming out next week, here are a few videos I found from 2013 while prepping for The Winter Soldier. [pic.twitter.com/TFur0vZs3M]( — Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) [April 19, 2018]( [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:27 PM [The Final Scandal]( [Kerry Washington attends the Scandal live stage reading of series finale to Benefit The Actors Fund held at El Capitan Theatre on April 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California](Olivia Pope’s walk is impressive. It commands respect and attention. Olivia Pope doesn’t just walk, she stomps. She powers through hallways and struts down sidewalks. With force. With influence. With resolute confidence. For seven seasons, Olivia Pope’s walk has been so impressive that there have been gifs, memes and Tumblr accounts dedicated to it. Olivia Pope’s walk has become so woven into the essence of Scandal that her final scene in the final episode of the series ended on The Walk. Last night, during the finale, [Kerry Washington]( tweeted about the origin of Olivia Pope’s walk. That walk? Where did it come from? Ok... I asked myself: How would a woman walk if she has no fear, no shame and no need to apologize or shrink. And also... what if that woman is ALWAYS in heels? [#Scandal]( [#TheFinalScandal]( — kerry washington (@kerrywashington) [April 20, 2018]( “No fear, no shame and no need to apologize or shrink.” It’s a simple idea, that a black woman could exist on television lacking fear, shame or the need to make herself feel small. It’s a simple and powerful idea that created Olivia Pope, a character that changed the way black women are portrayed on television and a character that could convey the shattered silence of all the [sidekicks, mammies, matriarchs and mistresses]( of TV past and the hopeful, authoritative freedom of black women of TV future in a matter of steps. Olivia Pope’s walk is all I could think about during the episode’s final, ambiguous, debate-igniting scene. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Right after Olivia swaggers into Fitz’s proverbial waiting arms and we’re given the #Olitz happily ever after that was a surprise to no one, we cut to two young black girls looking up at a portrait, presumably in the National Portrait Gallery. That portrait is of Olivia Pope, looking flawless in a white top of course and rocking her natural hair. Always a Gladiator. [#TheFinalScandal]( [#ScandalFinale]( [pic.twitter.com/AkEiIxmUQD]( — Scandal (@ScandalABC) [April 20, 2018]( The episode devoted enough time to the unveiling of both Mellie’s and Fitz’s presidential portraits that the heavy implication here is that these little girls are looking up in awe at a painting of President Olivia Pope (a scene that [Vanity Fair points out]( is strikingly similar to the real-life photo of the little girl looking up at [Michelle Obama’s portrait](). The implication is that after all the scheming, manipulation and doing the dirty work for many mediocre men and one Mellie, Olivia finally gets her shot at the Oval. I like that ending a lot. But I also like that [Shonda Rhimes]( is [refusing to tell us]( if that is what she actually meant by the ending. One theory is that Olivia gets her own portrait for taking down B613 and for being a trusted Washington staple for years, not for being president. I don’t think I want to know the answer. To me, Scandal’s final scene represents possibility – the same possibility I felt when I first saw Olivia Pope walk, her head held high with grace and determination unlike I had ever seen before. It represents the audacity of hope that America may have lost sight of since Michelle and Barack AKA Mom and Dad left office. To not tell us whether Olivia Pope became president is to leave the audience questioning whether it could be possible at all for a black woman to hold the highest office in the world while also desperately hoping that it is possible. The audience IS those little girls looking up at Olivia and gazing wistfully into a brighter tomorrow. It’s a brilliant ending. I would expect nothing less from Shonda Rhimes, owner of Thursday nights, Queen of primetime TV, badass of all badasses. After this season of Scandal, which I have [openly referred to as uneven]( and messy AF, it may have come as a surprise that Shonda Rhimes decided to end the show on a message of hope. It may even have come as a surprise that Olivia was still our “hero.” Putting Olivia’s portrait on the wall may have looked heroic but if you’ve been watching the last couple seasons, you know that Olivia Pope is no hero. This fact has turned some fans off. For the most part, it has turned me on. Not to quote myself like a jackass but last year I wrote, “[If Walter White can be an antihero, why can’t Olivia Pope?](” This week, Lainey linked to a Vanity Fair essay called, “[Olivia Pope Isn’t a Hero – And That’s Been Scandal’s Point All Along.](” Olivia Pope was introduced to us as the mistress of a married president. She’s never been a simple hero. She’s been complex, flawed and sometimes unlikeable, things black women NEVER got to be before Olivia and that was Shonda’s point. But unlike Vanity Fair, I don’t think that Olivia ending the series in the good graces of her colleagues and of America renders her “neutered” or that this ending “seems antithetical to Scandal’s legacy.” On the contrary, I think showing an imperfect but capable black female antihero who still (potentially) wins in the end is an impactful statement. It’s the ultimate confirmation that this wine-drinking, popcorn-eating woman of colour can be everything white men have gotten to be for years and still get her happy ending. It was perfect. I just want to quit everything and dedicate my life to the Shondaland standom. As for the rest of the finale, it was everything I expected a Scandal finale to be but better – fun, campy, thought-provoking, dramatic and a bit batsh-t. I was satisfied. I knew that my boo Jake Ballard was going to take the fall for everyone’s bullsh-t right around the time he killed his wife in cold blood. I knew Shonda was letting us Jake fans prepare ourselves for the inevitability that the rest of his fictional life would play out behind bars while he daydreamed about standing in the sun with Olivia. I haven’t been Team Fitz in seasons but even I squealed out loud when he said, “Take off your clothes.” Quinn and Charlie’s wedding was cute I guess. And finally, we all KNEW someone was going to die. David Rosen was the only option. David Rosen was the last good guy, maybe the only true good guy of the whole bunch. Good guys don’t survive in Washington. It’s a sinister message considering the times but I think it’s exactly what Shonda wanted to say. Shonda Rhimes has enough power now that she gets to say exactly what she wants, to the point where sometimes I’m watching her shows and I say out loud, “Oh sh-t, Shonda!” My last Oh Sh-t Shonda moment of Scandal came from Papa Pope’s final monologue. It hit me so hard in the depth of my insides that I had to rewind the episode immediately and transcribe every word in full. Joe Morton deserves another Emmy for this scene and Shonda Rhimes DESERVES IT ALL. Papa Pope's final and already ICONIC monologue in full. Whew. Protect [@shondarhimes]( at all costs. 👏🏾[#TheFinalScandal]( [#ScandalFinale]( [pic.twitter.com/v4orNpj5IK]( — Kathleen Newman-Bremang (@KathleenNB) [April 20, 2018]( “No fear, no shame and no need to apologize or shrink.” According to Buzzfeed, there have been more black woman leads on network TV in the past six years since Scandal premiered [than ever in history](. Olivia Pope’s walk isn’t just impressive, it blazed a trail that changed the face of television. THAT is the legacy of Scandal. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:53 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](