American Girl dolls can teach us a lot: what it might be like to be a girl growing up during the American Revolution, Civil War or World War II; how to care for a special collectable; the things white people will blow hundreds of dollars on. But now they’re teaching us how to kick ass.
Fast-food kids meal toys are serious business. From the controversy of pandering junk food and crap prizes to kids and the idea of “boy” and “girl” toys to the chaos of collectible items (remember the mini McBeanie Babies?), that inedible side dish served alongside nuggets is kind of a big deal. I even remember flipping out in a drive-through line over a Catwoman toy at a weak moment in my 8-year-old life. So it only made sense that a (fake) story about a McDonald’s employee dropping his mix tapes into Happy Meals went viral recently. Few took the time to notice the original source was Huzlers, a parody site. What is true is that the mugshot of a Micky D’s employee they used was real — only he was selling drugs, which is arguably not as funny.
On the topic of kid stuff, Maria from Sesame Street (aka Sonia Manzano) is leaving the block after 44 years. Fourty-four years.
Lots of rumors have surrounded the upcoming season of HBO’s The Leftovers — few actors would be returning, there’d be a totally new setting, etc. Well fans of the show, which debuted last summer, can calm the hell down now because nearly all the characters will be back and the new setting looks fascinating.
This is how a graffiti artist and city cleanup play a yearlong game of tag.
Fucking wedding-moons are a thing now. File this with mason jars and “greige” in my GO AWAY NOW folder.
Here’s a map of the most popular fictional character from every U.S. state. Ohio’s is kind of a bummer — Freddy Krueger. I didn’t even realize A Nightmare on Elm Street was set in Ohio (in the go-to fictional town of Springfield), let alone that director Wes Craven was from Cleveland. Kentucky’s character is a bit more contemporary and less creepy: Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead.
Stephen Colbert stepped in to host Only in Monroe, a Michigan public access show. Colbert reported on various Monroe happenings and history tidbits, interviewed the regular hosts of the program and welcomed Michigan native Marshall Mathers to the show.
An architecture firm in Australia announced its plans for a Beyoncé-inspired skyscraper in Melbourne. They design is apparently based on the artsy fabric dancing in her “Ghost” video. Looks like The Beygency has new headquarters!
7 Days in Hell premieres this Saturday — read more in this week’s TV column.
Nick and Drew Lachey’s A&E reality show premieres next Wednesday. We all know Lachey’s Bar in OTR and now we can watch it on TV. Let’s not forget the last time A&E cameras were in town, though — with Rowhouse Showdown, shit got weird.
This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2015.