The Busy Woman’s Guide to the Weekend
Team,
How are we holding up?! My brain is sludge. I’m bobbing my head listening to the new Vampire Weekend album while I type this out, and I have to admit: this is a lovely little bit of peace in an otherwise full week.
It’s been go go go working with writers to get great stories and essays in the magazine, and we recorded and published the first episode of our latest podcast, Your Weekly Breakdown (Listen! Subscribe! Rate! Review! Pretty please!). What a blast we had!! My co-host, comedian Caitlin Howden, and I talked about everything from astrology to the Drake + Kendrick beef to Mother’s Day to parenting in an age of tech. We didn’t go as deep as Scott Galloway in his TED talk, but we dabbled in a short and snappy way that a busy woman like you might enjoy. Our main goal was to get our audio engineer to laugh, and I am happy to report that we succeeded.
Enough about me, let’s get to you and what you are here for: great recommendations for what to watch, listen to, and read, pop culture happenings, and a curated bit of reading from around the interwebs.
The entire aim of Hard Copy is to filter through the noise and get you only the essentials, shipping them straight to your inbox. I love to help make your life a little more simple and a lot more enjoyable.
Big hugs,
Emily
PS come play with us on instagram. We’re sassier there.
Key Takeaways
📺 Watch
The Fall Guy is a fun, funny, fantastic and action-packed movie about a stuntman. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, it’s the brainless kind of fun that we all need on the weekend. (Apple TV+)
Sometimes it’s easy to feel better when you watch other people flail, so why not pick from this list of the 25 most horrifying moms in movie history? You’re a good mom.
In terms of a show to watch together, let’s try on Dark Matter (AppleTV+) and see how we handle it? My brain feels like sludge so I’m hoping I can sort through the idea of a mind-bending thriller.
🎧 Listen
Adrianne Lenker’s new album, Bright Future, is the perfect balance of rock-country that will have you rolling down the windows to let the breeze flow through your hair and, dare I say, enjoy that commute. Her voice is a pleasure, and there’s an extra grittiness to it given she recorded the entire album straight to tape.
Willow Smith? Okay! What a gem, love her voice and style. It’s hard to be a nepo baby so let’s watch/listen to her Tiny Desk concert.
If you want a goofy, whip-smart, and occasionally raunchy conversation in your ears, then you need to go listen to our new podcast! The first episode of Your Weekly Breakdown dropped yesterday and my co-host Caitlin and I had a lot of fun. Have a listen and let us know what you think!
📚 Read
If you enjoyed The Midnight Library or the Night Circus (I did!) then The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is for you. Pick it up and let me know if it works for you. Should we start a lil book club?
BOOK REVIEW
Great piece in the NYT. Book Bans are on the rise in Florida, so Lauren Groff decided to open her own bookstore. I love to see us move past slacktivism and take action.
In terms of something lighter but with a bit of punch, definitely to pick up Crystal Hefner’s memoir. She was the third wife of the late Hugh Hefner and with him until his death in 2017, and her story is one that explores themes we all struggle with and can relate to: self-worth, external validation, and - yes - toxic work environments.
📱 What else? A collection from our friends around the web
Tech & Work
In ‘wow, that’s f*ckin rich’ news, OpenAI - the company that scrapes the entire web (including copyrighted materials), is apparently whining about copyright infringement of their own logo. I have no words. (Futurism via 404Media)
So, is the internet a wasteland? This blog post is a really good review, and digs into our contemporary internet culture, emphasizing the dominance of creator-driven platforms, meme influence, evolving communities, and challenges like content moderation and algorithmic recommendation systems. (Garbage Day)
In an experiment using fake resumes, researchers found a hiring bias against former business owners. (Rutgers)
Women
How do you keep the memory of someone alive when there is no digital footprint left behind? One writer reflects on her mother’s death and doppelgänger, Princess Diana. (Hard Copy)
This article on family estrangement felt apt for this weekend! The author explores why, it seems, more and more people are experiencing such emotional distance from their families. (Vogue)
One mother took a 23-day trip with her toddler, and she shares the lessons that will last her a lifetime. (Afar)
Culture
The future of dating is…AI? Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd says “There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges.” *shudder* (Gizmodo). (She’s also the youngest female founder to have taken a company public, so what do I know?)
You guys! Eurovision 2024 is on and the finals are TODAY in Sweden! Who knew that Gen Z are the biggest fans?! (BBC)
Okay, you’ve all heard about the Met Gala, but what about the Net Gala, a stylish gala for the chronically online? Should we do a little subscriber trip next year?! (Tech Crunch)