Issue #20: Fezco's Fate, Let the SAG Awards Begin, and Take Me To Chromatica
Plus, A Review Of The Film, CODA
This is Obsessed!, a weekly entertainment newsletter packed with fresh and distinctive takes on celeb gossip, TV, film, music, and fashion. If you like this kind of thing, join the fun by subscribing now!
Sophie’s Choice
This week’s issue centers on two of my obsessions: Euphoria and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. For much of this week, I have been having a Meryl Streep à la Sophie’s Choice dilemma because the Euphoria Season 2 finale and the SAG Awards will air and overlap on Sunday, February 27 — how could I choose?!?
The television gods (or devils?) intervened and made the dreaded choice for me — The SAG Awards will not be airing in Canada!!! I would write multiple f-bombs in bold and caps, but my mother reads this, so FUUUUDGE!!!
HBO Max will be airing the SAG Awards on Monday. Monday?!? What about Sunday?!?
If holiday plans go array, I tell my niece and nephew that Christmas is just a day that can be celebrated any time over the winter holidays. But now, I am having a child-like fit over my special day, and I don’t want to make adjustments!
American readers, you can watch the SAG Awards live on TNT and TBS, 8 ET/ 5 PT.
Since the SAG Awards are dead to me, let’s move on to Euphoria.
Fezco: To Be Continued…, Or Not?
The phrase, “To be continued…” assaulted the screens of Euphoria-watchers everywhere, marking one of the best television cliffhangers in recent memory. Strung out on the high of the homoerotic musical number in Lexi’s damning play, viewers’ hearts pounded as a freshened-up Fezco faced his traitor, and Cassie breathed fire on the glass of the auditorium door. Seconds later, a trailer for the next episode, the Season 2 finale, played, showing a pointed gun and a screaming Fezco on the ground next to the now blood-spattered card he made for Lexi. For the rest of the night, theories about Fezco’s fate blew up the internet.
People of all genders and sexualities are still making wild proclamations about what they will do if Fezco is killed during this Sunday’s finale. It’s fascinating! The top three audience responses to Fezco’s projected death are: 1) I will never watch Euphoria again, 2) I will kill myself (metaphorically speaking), and 3) I will destroy Sam Levinson (creator, writer, director, producer - metaphorically speaking?). I did my own poll on Instagram, and the results were exactly the same. YIKES!
Why are fans emoting in such drastic ways over the possible death of Fezco, the local drug dealer? Because Fezco is the family member, friend, and boyfriend that everyone longs for, he is ride-or-die.
Abandoned by his mother and abused by his pimp father, Fez shoulders an unspoken responsibility to disrupt the cycle by sticking with the people he loves. When a stranger’s baby is permanently left in his grandmother’s care, a young Fez instinctively nurtures the little guy who is later named “Ashtray.” Fez finds himself in another long-term caregiving role when his grandmother falls ill and becomes permanently bedridden. He makes sure that she is cared for in the family home while he takes over her convenience store, drug operation, and full-time care of Ash.
Fez is just as loyal to his friends. Although he was the first person to sell drugs to Rue, over time he develops a brotherly protectiveness of her. After Rue overdoses and returns from rehab, Fez refuses to fuel her relapse and stops selling her drugs. He even saves her from a potential sexual assault by paying a drug dealer double price for the Fentanyl that Rue chooses to ingest. Then, in a fan-favorite moment, Fez gives the blackmailing, King Of Toxic Masculinity, Nate Jacobs, the beatdown of his life.
Straight-laced Lexi ends up being the portal to Fezco’s romantic side, and their unexpected flirtation leads to sweet conversations about movies and theatre. Fez, who is a little bit slow on the uptake thanks to an accidental crowbar-to-the-head injury (and loads of weed), asks Lexi genuine questions about the play she has written and is directing at her high school. Of course, he gets an invite to the opening night, and he cleans up good, donning a suit and clutching a bouquet of roses to his chest as he prepares for Lexi’s theatrical debut. Fez ignites hope for true romance in the hearts of theatre girls, gays, and theys everywhere.
But he doesn’t make it to the play because something terrible happens. The audience just doesn’t know what. One thing is certain: fans are Fezco’s ride-or-dies, and, for Sam Levinson’s sake, Fez had better not f*cking die!
Oh, and, one more important reason why fans love Fezco, he is f*cking hot.
Awards Season Begins!
Okay, I’ve recovered from my fit, and I’m ready to talk about the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The SAG Awards will bring a big boost of serotonin to red carpet fanatics and movie lovers who have been suffering through the depressingly empty 2022 Awards Season calendar. On Sunday, February 27, the show will air live from Santa Monica. In addition, the live red carpet pre-show will air on People TV at 5:30 ET/ 2:30 PT.
We’ll get to the movies and TV shows in a moment, but guess what just occurred to me? If the Hollywood gods are in our favor, we are about to see Lady Gaga, Timothée Chalamet, and freakin’ Bennifer on the same red carpet. I have three days to train my cat to call 911 because I don’t think my heart can take this level of excitement!
My mind has been playing the “who will wear what” game for the last couple of days. Gucci has wooed several nominated actors as models and ambassadors for their brand, so expect to see Jared Leto (House Of Gucci), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog) draped in velvet and feathers. Since his brother, Macauley, modeled for Gucci’s Love Parade, I am hoping that Kieran Culkin (Succession) will follow suit. The big question is: will Gaga (House Of Gucci) wear Gucci, or does she now fear the curse of Patrizia Reggiani in every seam?
I’m a little bit obsessed with Gucci, but there will be plenty of other fashion moments to admire. Elle Fanning (The Great) has been showcasing more mature looks from Balmain and Atelier Versace, so be on the lookout for stunning stylings on her petite frame. Also, Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha) made a lot of 2021 Best Dressed lists wearing designers like Versace, Tory Burch, and Alexander McQueen, and I’m sure her streak will continue.
Timmy, as in Chalamet (Don’t Look Up), has been loyal to designer Haider Ackermann for years, but he has started surprising us with looks from Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, and Stella McCartney, so his next red carpet look is anyone’s guess!
Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar) is a SAG nominee, but he will still be a red carpet accessory for JLo, who has recently worn designers like Georges Hobeika and Elie Saab.
Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos) is almost always a red carpet stunner, and I hope she takes this opportunity to wear something that will permanently erase this Miu Miu image from my mind.
Now, for the performances. This year’s television performances have been so incredible it’s ridiculously challenging to name the best. I can easily pinpoint the worst (I’m looking at you, cast of The Morning Show), but the best? I have a strong personal preference for the performances in Succession, Squid Game, and The White Lotus.
Even though I have a crush on Kieran Culkin, I think that Jeremy Strong (Succession) deserves the award for Male Actor In A Drama Series; his nuanced performance crushed me. Next, I would like to see Female Actor In A Drama Series go to Jung Ho-Yeon (Squid Game) for her riveting portrayal of 067. And I am going to need to see legends Jean Smart (Hacks), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), and Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus) win in their categories.
Wait a minute, how am I just noticing that the cast of The White Lotus is not nominated for an ensemble award. WHAT? That is hands down the best comedic ensemble I have seen in years! I’m about to riot!!! Damn you, Ted Lasso! I don’t know why it’s your fault; it just is! Let’s move on to the motion pictures before I run screaming into the streets.
It was a lackluster year in film, and while all of the performances were good, only a few of them stirred real emotion in me. First, Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) was so fresh and vibrant as Anita - she made me feel alive! Next, Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog) brought a quiet yet stunning portrayal of an effeminate, calculating cowboy to the screen. I was left thinking about his character’s motive for days. Finally, Troy Kotsur (CODA) made me laugh and cry as the deaf father of a hearing teenage girl.
And, despite the ridicule I have received, I continue to assert that Lady Gaga’s performance in House Of Gucci was on the same level as those of Hollywood greats Vivien Leigh, Liza Minnelli, and Barbra Streisand. Of course, I loved Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) and Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye). Still, Gaga absolutely must win Outstanding Performace By A Female Actress In A Leading Role if for no other reason than we all deserve to hear her inevitably insane acceptance speech.
Those are my opinions, but I absolutely love hearing from my readers. So what wins (or losses) are you hoping to see?
Let’s take a closer look at the film that won my heart this year.
CODA
There is a quiet contender amongst the award-nominated films this year. Press “play” on CODA, and the sounds of Joni Mitchell, gangsta rap, sex, and raucous family laughter will surprise and delight you.
The Rossi’s are a tight-knit blue-collar fishing family struggling to maintain cohesion as Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of the family, seeks a musical education and her independence. As a Child Of Deaf Adults (CODA) and the sibling of a deaf brother (Daniel Durant), Ruby has always been responsible for American Sign Language interpretation for her family in the workplace and in social situations. When she joins the high school choir and sets her sights on a post secondary education at Berklee College Of Music, her availability to the family begins to fade leaving everyone in a state of logistical and emotional confusion.
Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matin center the film, playing Ruby’s insufferable parents with swagger, humor, and devastating vulnerability. Kotsur is the first deaf male actor to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Supporting Actor). At the same time, Matin still holds the only Oscar awarded to a deaf performer for her work in Children Of A Lesser God.
CODA is a beautifully acted, unique coming-of-age story that effectively showcases Ruby’s need for independence and romance while accentuating the symbiotic family relationships that develop out of necessity in an inaccessible world.
CODA is nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture. In addition, Kotsur is nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance By A Male In A Supporting Role.
CODA is streaming on Apple TV.
Take Me To Chromatica!
Dear Lady Gaga,
It was March 14, 2020, and I was at work. Everyone around me was talking about something called the Coronavirus, and there were frightened whispers that the world would soon shut down and possibly end altogether. But I had one thing on my mind; tickets to The Chromatica Ball went on sale that morning. Apocolypse be damned! I had to get tickets to The Chromatica Ball!!!
I was as committed to getting those tickets as you would later become to winning an Oscar for House Of Gucci; I guess we both won a little and lost a little. I did get the tickets (yay!), but my dreams of going to The Ball were later shattered by f*cking COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, the concert was postponed in 2020 and 2021.
Little Monsters have been busy predicting when the next tour dates will be announced. Twitter convinced me that the dates would be announced on 2/22/22, and I spent that magical day refreshing my timeline from dawn till dusk. But, apparently, the Universe forgot to conspire with you because I went to bed that night still haunted by that lingering evil word, “postponed.”
Planet Earth is going to shit. Please announce the dates soon and take me to Chromatica!
xoxo Bex
P.S. I believe in you as an ACTRESS! You deserve all of the awards! I have suffered the wound of being permanently banned from a Reddit film sub in defense of your acting honor. I pledge my allegiance to you in the name of the Father, Son, and House Of Gucci (but mostly Gucci).
If you enjoyed this issue, show me some love 💕 and buy me a coffee. ☕️
Thanks for reading Obsessed!! Readers power this newsletter, and every subscriber counts. If you are new here, enter your email, and you will receive a new issue directly in your inbox every Thursday.
I can't believe you got banned from a subreddit for defending Lady Gaga's Italian accent... legendary!
Manifesting!!!!