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georgia's avatar

Feeling very refreshed and appreciative of your take on Morgan Wallen. His singing voice has always kind of annoyed me, but in general I am a unrelenting country fan. Yes of course, I'm a sucker for the Florida Georgia Line/Luke Bryan-esque "bro" and "party" country, but I really appreciate the unbridled earnestness in a lot of country music. Even if a bunch of it is probably written by some Nashville exec from Huntsville without actual nostalgia for the dirt road small town they're describing, it just works for me.

Like you, I'm sick of the people who just dunk on modern country music and country stars like Wallen. Especially on the way (you so perfectly described!) how they write off of all his fans as "one particular type of conservative fool." Soo condescending.

Also, in relat this newsletter also really has transformed me into a hard-core Austin Butler devotee. I've been mildly fond of him since Elvis' release/his blow-up (when I saw that sweaty Elvis picture all over Twitter), and after finally watching Elvis last fall I became a fan. That's also probably when I started to actually read the Substacks I'm subscribed too, and my opinion on him has only grown thanks to your newsletter. Final domino was probably those Aronofsky promo pics, specifically that shirtless one of him with Zoe Kravitz. I'm very strongly obsessed...!!!

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Clare's avatar

yes!!!! i need more country fans in my comments. up down is one of the greatest songs of all time!! and speaking of earnest... you gotta listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZgQa20x69I

as a new buthead... have you watched dune 2 yet?

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Michael Mann Facts's avatar

Yep, I am thinking defo to all of this.

Also, regarding Nicole Kidman in Ackermann TF (Haider Ackermann Facts): Nine Perfect Strangers season two??? And people still say she is more normal and well-adjusted than Tom Cruise...

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Clare's avatar

yup. she’s defo sane and has normal body face and mind

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karissa's avatar

clare. that photo of you is full of whimsy and swag and i’m obsessed with it. top tier stuff this week from famous and beloved thank yewww

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Clare's avatar

YES!!! whimsy is all i want thank you

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Exa Moseley's avatar

whimsymaxxing summer

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Clare's avatar

yes!!!

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Brandon Singer's avatar

Im still gobsmacked by friends who insist they think Pascal is "just a really with-it straight ally" like... can we live on Planet Reality please?!

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Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I love microwaving leftover dinner and eating it while reading my FABN... The world is better when you have new Austin material to talk about.

I really do like first act or so of Beau but it completely self-implodes when he gets to the house and all the Parker Posey/Patti Lupone stuff... I was like, enough. I'm tired. I don't have enough sour straws in the world to stay awake here.

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Clare's avatar

i didn’t love the nathan lane stuff but i was totally fine with the parker posey stuff. i have a lot to say about it but mostly i feel similarly to how i felt about megalopolis…. like he’s making an “odyssey” but about/with the contemporary and i’m sympathetic to not being down with THAT but not meeting it where it is or pretending that THAT is not executed well is like whatever man

it’s just too long and everyone except joaquin is not giving it their all. i thought it was a 3 star and a heart movie

joaq as his fans call him is like the best guy we got…. oh i love this crazy guy in pizzagate movie (i also love that movie) but not the exact same crazy guy in penis gate movie…. let’s get real

caught stealing press started today and austin got his ig login back. i woke up to post from him and mmf was already gone for work. it was really upsetting

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Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Austin posting on IG feels legit crazy

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Clare's avatar

the dead mom post was way too much for me

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Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I forgot about Nathan Lane also... love him but didn't need all that

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Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I like the dream sequence w Michael Gandolfini tho

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Clare's avatar

that’s my guy

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11am Saturday's avatar

You need to come to LA so I can take you to the AMC that's next to a Saint Laurent store (yeah) with the biggest photo of Austin Butler currently on the windows

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Clare's avatar

perfect. in august so there's caught stealing promo at the amc next to the big saint laurent austin

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11am Saturday's avatar

DONE

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allie wisniewski's avatar

i am gigggggllliiingggg at this post!!! so genuinely stoked to see a woman of whimsy fighting for country music as i'm growing tired of fighting the culturally prescribed impulse to start a "private listening session" on spotify every time i need a small rejuvenating moment of "more than my hometown". i'm literally from florida

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Clare's avatar

i love when someone's like "why do you like this" re a country song. like i don't know maybe because it's dope to hear with my ears

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Andrew Truong's avatar

> music that is more 2005-radio-rock than country

Not a coincidence that the architect behind this strand of bro country is Joey Moi, who produced a bunch of Nickelback albums before working with Florida Georgia Line and Morgan Wallen.

(also i'm a cinephile who is also a bro country apologist, feeling very seen by this post)

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Clare's avatar

lfg to all of the above

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Fiona's avatar

I love both Morgan and Justin guess I'm the problem...

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Clare's avatar

REAL

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Fiona's avatar

I love his song with The Kid LAROI

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Clare's avatar

i haven’t even heard that. one time i saw the kid laroi at a restaurant

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Fiona's avatar

Omg I would be so thrilled if that happened to me

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