i can’t believe taypendence day happened!
the buzz #9 - on awkward award shows, billionaire beauty & swift justice
My Shaylas! Hello! Thanks for reading another buzzing, dissecting all the pop culture moments from the last week. Time escaped me this week, so this one is a little late again (i’m sorry!) but trust me, it’s worth the wait. What’s buzzing? This way —>
Current Mood:
At The Table: Lebanese food (& for all my White Rockians… chicken shawarma wrap from Crispy Falafel specifically)
On the Screen: Million Dollar Secret on Netflix… why is it lowkey good?!
In the Queue: Dancing On My Own by Robyn
On My Mind: Allll the things in this buzzing… esp my girl Taylor
Inspiration for 05/26/25 - 06/01/25:
The Buzz #9:
What Even Was The AMAS?!
After a two-year hiatus, the American Music Awards (AMAs) returned on May 26, and somehow managed to disappoint on every level. Historically, the AMAs are known for star-studded front rows, culture-shaking performances (like that iconic Taylor Swift performance), and excited fan votes. But this year? Literal crickets.
SZA was the only major celeb who actually showed up, but even she accepted her award and dipped. Despite A-Listers like Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Charli XCX being nominated, none of them attended. For the few televised wins (there were literally six), all the speeches came from pre-recorded videos. Most winners weren’t even announced live, and fans had to check online later! Isn’t this supposed to be an award show?!
And the performances? Underwhelming. JLO opened with a 7 minute mash-up/dance-off to all the biggest hits of the year (and no, this did not redeem her chaotic last album/movie era) and Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s “live” performance was all pre-recorded, thanks to TikTok detectives. The rest were tribute performances for yet another made-up lifetime achievement award, given to Gloria Estefan and Rod Stewart. Oh yeah and of course, Benson Boone was seen flipping over yet ANOTHER stage. The one redeeming moment was Renée Rapp bringing the house down with her new hyper-pop, idgaf anthem, but this was two amazing minutes within the two-hour mess.
Overall? This wasn’t a comeback. Rumours say lots of celebs boycotted the show due to the AMAs’ parent company donating millions to Trump, so most of the attendees were either Trump supporters (I’m looking at you Gwen and Blake) or still trying to make it big in the pop world. Mad respect for all these celebs taking a stand against the orange man, but someone please buy the AMAs and save us from another year of that!
I Can’t Believe Taypendence Day Happened!
Swifties, rejoice: after a 20-year music battle, Taylor Swift finally owns her entire music catalogue. Past albums, concert films, videos, artwork, her life’s work, all hers.
In a sweet Insta post on May 30, Taylor posed with all her past album covers captioned “you belong with me,” linking to a heartfelt letter on her site. There, she shared how this lifelong dream has finally come true, made possible by the wild success of the Eras Tour. She sang her way through every stolen era just to reclaim them, and she won (yes, I have tears in my eyes). Those $600 tickets I bought (twice!) sure seem to have paid off now.
I have supported Taylor in every step of this journey, immediately removing any trace of a “stolen album” the moment Taylor’s Versions came out and screaming my little heart out at her show. In the most parasocial way, I am so goddamn proud of her. She fought the Great War, and won!
P.S. You better believe I am blasting Style (Stolen Not Stolen) version again, and in the wise words of Shae…
Rhode Gets A Billion Dollar Glow-Up
In makeup news, Hailey Bieber just sold her beauty brand Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion. Yes, with a B.
Personally, I’ve never been a Rhode gal. Lip glosses that are $30+ are not my cup of tea, and I’m not a cream blush fan (team powder forever). But still, Hailey built a beauty empire and just bagged a billion-dollar deal. Amaze!
Thanks to this TikToker, here’s the key tea:
No, this is not the biggest beauty brand purchase in history, but it’s still a damn lot of money.
Yes, the prices will stay the same but the product may change slightly (as they move to bigger manufacturing houses).
Yes, lots of beauty brands want to be bought, and yes, it’s all about the money.
Yes, Hailey will still be involved as Chief Creative Officer, and Head of Innovation of Rhode as well as strategic advisor to e.l.f. Beauty.
All in all, good for Hailey! And the timing? Chef’s kiss. This comes on the coat tails of that weird Justin Bieber post, and if we’re comparing, Justin sold his entire music catalogue for $200 million…
Carrie Bradshaw’s Is Trying, Okay?
As an avid Sex & The City fan, And Just Like That has been... rough. The soul of SATC got lost somewhere between luxury handbags and forced plotlines, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
Against all odds, the newest season of And Just Like That reminded me of the original. The jokes were funny, the storylines hit home, and it finally had heart again. I couldn’t help but wonder…is this show actually finding its footing?
Of course, it wouldn’t be Sex & The City without a little drama. Carrie’s getting blasted online (again!), being labeled toxic, manipulative, and a bad friend. I know, harsh, but it sparked a bigger conversation. SATC’s director Michael Patrick King (in an interview that I can’t seem to find!) weighed in, explaining that Carrie was meant to be flawed. This was a bold move in the 90s to feature multiple complex female characters, being known as one of the first shows to do it. We are only able to judge her now because television has (thankfully) evolved since then. So yes, she’s messy. But she also walked (or shall we say, pranced) in her Manolo Blahniks, so today’s characters could run.
20 Years, 1 Mirrorball, Endless Spray Tans!
Dancing With The Stars just turned 20, and nostalgia is hitting hard! All the pros are flooding Insta with throwbacks, thank yous, and iconic routines, remembering all the missteps and mirrorballs from past seasons. With its recent resurgence, I’m so proud to be a DWTS fan, and I want to hear from you!
Who would you bring back to compete for the mirrorball again? Or better yet, who’s your dream celeb dancer? Comment below!
3 things that made me happy this week:
thrifted summer dresses & vases!
sparkly ocean
playing bocce in the park
stay sunny, chlo ☼
They should bring back Dwight Howard on dancing with the stars
I’m a white rockian