sparks (dakota's version)

the buzz #11 - on broadway's community, canine controversy & soul vs status

Jun 18, 2025

hello beautiful party people! welcome to buzzing on a Tuesday night and I’m sorry for the lateness! I went on a dreamy camping trip this weekend and time just slipped away, but we are back and better than ever. get into what’s happened this past week here →

Current Mood:

At The Table: camping steaks!

On the Screen: Beach House episode of Girls… it’s so good

In the Queue: Manchilddddd by Miss Sabrina

On My Mind: Hamilton… I’ll get into it

Inspiration for 06/09/25 - 06/15/25:

The Buzz #11:

Sabrina Really Did That on Her Cover

Miss Sabrina not only gave us the debatable song of the summer (hello #1 on the Billboard Charts thank GOD!), but she also announced her forthcoming, seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend. The album cover shows a man holding her hair while she’s on all fours, and the backside being a literal dog with a collar on, there’s been a LOT of discourse online.
There seem to be two ways people are dissecting this: empowering or degrading.
Team Empowering argues that the cover is meant to be shocking, degrading, and slightly uncomfortable on purpose. It’s exposing how men view women in an inferior way. She’s sparking conversation and critique, so individuals actually pay attention and listen to the album. Also, it’s her goddamn choice. As one commenter perfectly puts it,

“OF COURSE the cover album is degrading to women, OF COURSE it makes you uncomfortable, that's the purpose😭 it's how men view women…how they, just like in manchild, will end up being a subversion of the trope.”

On the flip side, Team Degrading thinks this isn’t empowering at all, and just feeding into the patriarchal structure we’re all stuck in. Without any album context, satire, or clarification, it can look like she’s playing into the trope, not flipping it.
In a recent Rolling Stone article, Sabrina addressed the criticism (not of the album cover but how the media perceives her “sexual” music), saying:

“It's always so funny to me when people complain. They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly, you love sex. You’re obsessed with it… There’s so many more moments than the Juno positions, but those are the ones you post every night and comment on. I can’t control that.”

Personally, I get both sides. But I don’t think I can make a full judgement until I hear the songs alongside the visuals. Will they be empowering? A critique? A troll? We’ll just have to wait until August 29, 2025 to find out.

Tony Awards Were Tony-ing

I’ve been getting more and more into Broadway lately, and the Tony Awards really just sealed the deal. According to the Broadway fanatics of TikTok (specifically Eli Rallo, I love you), I’ve heard this was the best Tonys since the 2010s, and I’m so here for it.
Cynthia Erivo hosted and was truly showstopping, changing into what felt like 47 outfits over the 3-hour runtime and singing her heart out. Darren Criss won Best Actor for his performance in Maybe Happy Ending (his first nomination ever!!). And after a tightly contested category, Nicole Scherzinger took home Best Actress for her performance in Sunset Boulevard.
In possibly the best moment of the show, the original Hamilton cast performed a jaw-dropping 7-minute mash-up to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. And yes, I am now officially obsessed with Hamilton. Everyone was dressed in black except King Louis, which has people speculating it was a commentary on the state of the U.S. (especially with the “No Kings” protests currently happening in California).
What stood out this year was Eli Rallo’s take: the Tonys aren’t about competition, they’re about community. For Broadway to thrive, every show must coexist and succeed together, and the people in the industry get that. So really, the Tonys is a celebration. A beautiful, glittery, high-belting, tap-dancing celebration, and now I wish I could see every show.

Sparks (Dakotas Version)

There’s a rumour floating around that Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin have broken up after seven years together… sad! While this is not the first time this has happened, Chris’ emotional performance of Sparks kind of confirms it for me.
Chris recently performed the Coldplay classic live, and he was visibly crying and scream-singing lyrics like:
- “And I know I was wrong / But I won't let you down / Oh, yeah, I will, yeah, I will, yes, I will.”
Sir??? The moment quickly went viral. People started using Sparks in edits of their favourite flawed TV characters’ relationship, and it’s now considered one of the best live heartbreak performances, joining a legendary list of:
- Silver Springs (1997 stare-down edition, my personal Roman Empire)
- Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris in the pouring rain (2004)
- Jeff Buckley’s haunting Lover, You Should’ve Come Over (1995)
I hope the rumours aren’t true, but if they are, someone check on Chris.

Two Types of Devil’s Wears Prada Watchers (And Which One Are You?)

You probably could’ve guessed The Devil Wears Prada is in my Top 10 movies of all time. And if you didn’t know that, do you even know who I am?!
Spoiler alert ahead (for the three of you who haven’t seen it).
There’s a TikTok going around that says there are two types of Prada watchers: Team Love & Morals vs. Team Fame. Let me explain.
At the end of the film, Andy walks away from her iconic fashion job and elite NYC life to go back to her long-term boyfriend and write about what she “actually wants.”
Love & Morals truthers say: “Yes! She stayed true to herself and chose love!”
I, however, am Team Fame through and through. Andy was at the epicenter of fashion. She had front-row access to runways, luxury, and the most exclusive world imaginable. As the wise Miranda Priestly once said, “Everyone wants to be us.” And I agree!
So now, I ask you: Are you Team Love & Morals or Team Fame? Vote below! (And if you're defending Nate… I have questions.)

3 things that made me happy this week:

lake days!
running (kinda!)
the Hamilton soundtrack

stay sunny, chlo ☼