TV: Hacks
I don’t know what took me so long to watch Hacks on MAX (although it’ll always be HBO in our house. Hate this rebrand!). At first, I struggled with Hannah Einbinder’s Gen Z character, Ava Daniels—entitled, annoying, and relentlessly “woke.” But that’s the point.
Ava, a promising but floundering comedy writer, is pitted against Deborah Vance, a narcissistic, aging legend clinging to the final leg of her Vegas residency. Vance, played by the incomparable Jean Smart, is forced to hire Ava to punch up her material and maintain relevance. It’s a battle of the narcissists, each self-sabotaging in their own way. But slowly, they form a bond and—yes—teach each other to be better people.
I love this series. It’s smartly written. It’s fun. And most importantly, it has real heart. Highly recommend.
Here’s a spoiler scene that showcases the stunning chemistry between these two leads in a more serious moment.
MUSIC: Teddy Swims
I’ve been listening to Teddy Swims lately, his beautiful, powerhouse of a voice never gets old. I didn’t realize until recently that he started out as a cover artist on youtube, singing such songs like Shanaya Twain’s, Your Still The One and Michael Jackson’s, Rock with You. Do yourself a favor and check them out if you like a little soul, country and R&B all mixed in one.
FOOD: Homemade Miso Chicken Katsu Ramen by Half Baked Harvest
My kids love pho and soups and as its still chilly here in the North, we are loving homemade soups, especially, Ramen.
I don’t make this recipe as spicy but it’s a pretty easy dish to warm up the whole family complete with protein, carbs and tons of flavor.
STYLE: Stripes, Channel and Dior
Call me old fashioned but I love to stick to my signatures. The classics never look dated and they are tried-and-true. I’ve been needing something super simple lately as far as fashion, so I’ve been wearing jeans with a French-tucked sweater—along with stripes and polkadots for patterns.
Do you have a signature scent? No matter how many perfumes I try, I always come back to DIOR J’ADORE. I love the musky yland-ylang, rose and jasmine. It’s subtle and feminine and I’ve worn it for over 20 years.
Whenever I’m in the city, I hit Nordstroms and stock up on my favorite foundation—VITALUMIÈRE AQUA, it’s super moisturizing, doesn’t cause break-outs and is barely there coverage so you can’t even feel that it’s on.
MOVIE: A Real Pain
Thank you to
for recommending this one. They really don’t make movies like this anymore. I was able to catch it on a flight while my six-year-old sat next to me watching Inside Out—and I didn’t have to worry about shielding him from graphic sex scenes or jarring violence.The story follows two cousins who travel to Poland to visit the hometown of their recently deceased grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. What unfolds is a quiet character study…one rooted in pain, place, and, ultimately, love.
If you haven’t seen this beautiful little film, it’s worth it for Kieran Culkin’s performance. Who would’ve guessed that the kid who couldn’t “go easy on the Pepsi” in Home Alone, would grow into one of the most compelling actors of our time? Didn’t you just love his Oscar acceptance speech?!
PODCAST: Rick Beato
When I drive my kids to school in the mornings, we usually play DJ where we each take a turn at song choice, lately though we’ve switched it up and I’ve been educating them about the living greats via Rick Beato’s YouTube channel. He’s a professional musician and awesome interviewer and really explains what elements make a song good or bad.
QUOTE:
love reading what you have to say! I love Hacks and that recipe looks delicious.