The Press Box - 'Jam Session' — Jenny Slate, J-Rod, and Ed Sheeran's Stardom (Ep. 293)

Episode Date: April 5, 2017

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Jenny Slate's press tour for 'Gifted' (5:00), Chris Evans's Disney-level fame (11:00), Anne Hathaway's confessional (16:00), A-Rod and J.Lo's new romance (24:00), Ed Sheeran's Taylor Swift remarks (27:00), and Nan Talese's Vanity Fair profile (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Download the tune-in app and start listening today. Tune in your Everything Audio app and the home for the Ringer MLB show for the month of April. Welcome to Jam Session. I'm Juliet Lippman. I'm Amanda Abbens. We're in the throes of a Jenny Slate press cycle. It's a jam session holiday. It's really incredible. We have like several weeks worth of content.

I don't even know the name of the movie. What's the name of the movie there is? I'd love to tell you about it. It's gifted. Gifted, right. It's about how to raise a gifted child. Right, right, right. Who are the parents again?

Well, I think the parents are out of the picture. Oh, okay. I think the mother has died, and so... I've only seen the trailer. I'd be very clear. It could be getting some things wrong. Okay. The mother has died, and Chris Evans is the uncle who is raising the gifted child.

Right. And Jenny Slate is the teacher who notices that she's gifted. And then the evil mother-in-law jumps back into the picture. Or maybe it's the mother. I'm not clear on her relationship to Chris Evans. Tough is break. Chris Evans having to play an uncle who steps in following on the heels of Manchester by the sea.

Oh, yeah. Tough. Very tough. Can't possibly be as good. No offense, Chris Evans. That's true. That may be a happier outcome. Sure.

But what's the fun in that? I guess that's true. I like the pain of Manchester by the sea. Anyway, so we've gotten a lot of Jenny Slate interviews and a few Chris Evan ones as well. Yes. And some red carpet photos. The red carpet photos are just extraordinary. First of all, shoes wearing a phenomenal dress that premier.

the premiere. It was like a strapless number, which I generally don't support. But it was like floral. She just looked really good. I don't know. She's stepping it up. I think she's looked great all press tour. Because I've been following her Instagram as a way to keep tabs on how she's responding to the conversation around her. But she lives in my neighborhood. She does. Yeah, she lives in Silver Lake, per the new old shirt. Oh yeah. That's true. Right. So should we start there? Sure. Should we start at the beginning? So the press tour started, it's a couple weeks ago now. This article came out on March 21st in New York Magazine, written by Jada, and it is a very in-depth interview with Jenny Slate. It really is. Tensely in-depth interview with Jenny Slate,

and Jenny Slate just has, like, no filter. I liked her a lot more after reading it. Yeah, I mean, so that's... Not that I ever just liked her, but now I'm like, yes, I'm in. It's very honest. She seems very genuine. She's clearly working through a lot of things and is very open about that. And I admire that. You can tell that it's not rehearsed and it's not fake. Yes. I did wonder whether in reading it, she might have not wanted to do quite as much about her breakup. Sure. It was like all breakup, basically. Like you learned other stuff, but first of all, it was about both breakups. So you got some insight into both her divorce and her Chris Evans breakup. Yes. In some ways, I was more interested in the divorce details because it just feels like the

Chris Evans thing was kind of like a dream. Like it was like a classic rebound. Exactly. So I've had a lot of conversations since this. We'll come back to that about how we want to classify that relationship. It can be our first DTR. We can have two DTRs. Great.

Yeah, so she talks about, she kind of gives us some details on the divorce, which it does seem like that was kind of falling apart before she wound up on the set of gifted. So like maybe Chris Evans was like the accelerant. Yes. I think they were separated already when she ended up at gift, ungifted, which is nice because that means that it's not like anyone cheated on a. anyone. Yeah. Which I'm always happy about. And so the descriptions that Jenny Slate gives of the relationship. Just gives a couple quotes, Amanda. Yeah, I'd love to. Read aloud. Chris is a different

speed than me. I think he really did just jump out of a plane for an interview. And so when he was like game nights, I was like, this is annoying. This guy's like a sports guy. He's the kid that likes PE. Okay, first of all, just like game nights is an incredible detail. Anyway, but I've thought on that. Yeah, go ahead. Game Nets are what really famous people do because if they leave the house, they get mobbed. Yeah, which she talks about. She says that one of the things that she couldn't really wrap her head around

was the fact that they couldn't even go outside. And that even people would come up to her in CVS and be like, your boyfriend's really hot. Yeah. She was just kind of not used to that level of exposure. Being in Disney movies are no joke. Like, did you watch the after the inside the episode for girls this week? I did not.

Lena and Jenny talk about what it's like for little kids to go up to Adam Driver now, like with their lightsabers. When they're like, yeah, it's just asking. Adam. And I just think that once you're inside the machine of Star Wars or the Avengers, it's just that your life is just completely different. It's like being president. Yeah, that's absolutely true. And especially for someone like Chris Evans who. Cult fame beforehand. Yes, but like everyone knows him as Captain America. Yeah. Like, you know, Jenny Slay was dating Captain America, which again, respect. But, um, okay, the next one. I first really liked Chris

as a person because he is so unpretentious. He is a straight up 35 year old man who wants to play games, that's it. I was like, I'd better not discount this because this is purity. Listen, that is an incredibly generous spin. I don't even, I think she means it sincerely. I think she's like, this is a man

who, like, this is a pure man who loves to play games, and like, I'd never encountered that, and that was beautiful. And I honestly do think that's true. I think that he was just like a rare being that she encountered and was sort of taken by. But like, if you want to read the other version of that, which is just like

Chris Evans is a dodo who only, like, plays games because he doesn't know how to be a grown-up. It's incredible. I think this, the game playing is a real L.A. phenomenon. Okay. I just, I like, I know some other adult people who like to play games. I mean, like myself included. Like, love a good game of Scattergories or whatever. Do you do game nights?

Like, occasionally, not in a while, but I don't think it's, like, that crazy. I just think that I think, so she lived in Brooklyn. She's on the East Coast. She, like, didn't really, like, fully live in L.A. until recently. Yes. L.A. is a weird, like, sneaky, unfun place. And so people, like, they play games. Like, I think, like, if you've been in L.A. for a long time, it's not that weird.

I know that there's, like, kind of, like, a weird celebrity circle of game nights. And I just think to her, it's, like, so foreign. It's sort of, like, going, I was recently in London, and they call Band-Aid's plaster. And I was like, oh, my God, that's so funny. I can't believe it. But it's just like, well, I'm just not from here, so I don't get it. Yeah, I feel like I am the Jenny Slate in this conversation. I'm just like, I'm not from here and I don't get it.

And like, not to, listen, I have, I enjoy the occasional game of Trivial Pursuit or Uno. Trivial Pursuit takes hours. Hours. Yeah, that's true. I don't, I can't remember last time I made it all the way through the game. But we also, I have at home, I have like the 80s version of Trivial Pursuit. Oh, fun. And I, like, moved this across the country.

Like, this has been with me for years. We lost all the puzzle pieces, so I just like kind of draw pieces of the pie to move around. Nice. It's really budget. And also, you know, the entire world has changed. three times over, especially in the geography category. Oh, my God. U.S.S.R style? Yeah, exactly.

You have to be like, okay, so this was written in 1965, but I do still like it. I like an Uno. Sure. I love a good game of celebrity on vacation. I think that also just like for NBA players play a lot of cards, including Uno. And it's like, it's just like a thing when you live a rarefied life, you have to entertain yourself. It's like being on a reality show too. They're not exposed to anything in the outside world.

And I get, I mean, obviously, like, I agree with many of things, or I share your glee, I should say, but I also think that Jenny Slate just, she's new to the LA celebrity game. Yeah, which is, I think, a great summary of what happened to this relationship. Yes. Which will come back to you. But anyway, can I go on to the next one? Yes, please do.

Okay. Chris is truly one of the kindest people I've ever met to the point where sometimes I would look at him and would kind of break my heart, which is, like, nice and also makes me feel really bad about everyone she ever dated and also reiterates that the men in you York are garbage. Like, you are all piles of garbage. But she continues. He's really vulnerable and he's really straightforward. He's like primary colors, which I just, again, it's not. Amazing description. I mean, she's gifted. She's clearly a writer and a performer. Like, we know this from her comedy. Like, all respect to Jenny Slate. It's just, what an extraordinary way to suggest that perhaps there is an

Intelligent disparity. That's not what she means to do, but it's like, you can't not read that. Totally. It's just like, I imagine Chris, like, Chris Evans in a preschool room with like a bunch of tiny children and they're all like putting their blocks together. And then what was his retort to that? He said something to the effect of like. Yeah, well, it's not even a retort because, again, they've both just, he gave an interview to people and it was equally loving. They've clearly decided to just go the, this is nothing but love post-breakup rude, which I respect. So here's what he said.

I've never, ever, ever met someone in my life who has a mastery of the English language the way she does. She'll give you one sentence and there is no fat to it. You're like, you just chose such an unbelievable collection of words that beautifully articulate what you say. It's like an art form talking with her because the visuals associated with her expression are just so colorful. Okay, number one, we just said that. So like, we agree with Chris Evans and I should not be throwing stones here. But number two, it's just the way that they keep dancing around, I don't even want it. Let's not do it in terms of smart and dumb because Chris Evans is learning about the world.

And that's actually a well-spoken collection of words. But just kind of the intellectualism. It might not be intelligence, but it's intellectual. Exactly. The way that they enter the world and kind of perceive the world is very different. Totally. And they are finding amazing ways to communicate that on a regular basis. I mean, my lasting impression of him, like the most vivid Chris Evans is the one from the Edith Zimmerman GQ profile.

Yes. And so like everything she's saying matches that as well. Yeah. He's just like, he's just down for whatever. He wants to have fun. No malice. But he's just like, you know, just a guy out in the world having fun and loving being a celebrity. Here's my take on this relationship.

Okay. Jenny Slate had never had truly extraordinary sex before. And Chris Evans had never been in relationship where he had to use his brain before. And they found each other. And they were just like, holy shit, this is what's possible in a romantic relationship. And they explored that to its natural conclusion. And they're grateful for the experience. And now they're moving on.

Now it's over. That's a wrap. I think it makes sense also because she got married so young, right? So she... Exactly. I don't want to cast dispersion. Sure. No, but maybe it was good, but just was only one partner or whatever.

It was a new type of... Yes, exactly. It's Captain America sex. That's all I'm saying. I don't want to shame anyone else's sexual experiences. It's just, it's Captain America's sex. That's where we are. He's also just like, yeah, he's just, he's Captain America.

He looks like, it's very similar to, I just watched this movie. Yeah. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and Crazy Stupid Love. And she's like, shocked. She was like, did they Photoshop you or something? Right. It's very similar sentiment to that. It's impossible that you're a real human because you're so much like a candle.

Right. I really respect how kind they're being. Me too. I believe it too. Neither really seems like a good faker. While also being really interesting, while also talking about it at great length. Totally. And giving us a lot of quotes. Jenny Slate, some other interesting facts about her from the Vulture article?

Yes. Moved into a two-bedroom apartment that she's renting. Yes. Really interesting. Could certainly have gone for more than that, but I just feel like she's trying to like pare back her life right now. She figured out what to do. Yeah. Don't you think it's just kind of like this is?

She says it's the first place she's ever really lived on her own as an adult, right? Right. Yeah, and she's like 35. Right. So, you know, you want to take some time to figure things out. She calls it quite memorably a mouse house. Sure. Which is cutesy, but also so specific to be endearing.

The thing that I've learned about myself and about Jenny Slate is that I like her stand-up, but I don't like Jenny Slate in her stand-up. But I feel like I would really like her as a human if I knew her. Like, she just seems like interesting and thoughtful. I agree. I think this article, I think every way that she's character. to herself both before and after this breakup is endearing and demonstrates like thought and kindness and wanting to be interesting. What a great publicist she has.

Yeah, that's true. Great work. I wonder actually what the publicist thought reading this article. They're like too much. I don't know. She's just a sharer. I just think comedians are real sharers. So are comedians themselves.

But women like being vulnerable that way in a magazine just comes off differently than a man doing it. Yeah, that's absolutely true. I do think that it's kind of, they might have liked the emphasis to be a little bit more about the film gifted. Right. Like, for example, I've read a lot about Jenny Slate and have zero information on the film gifted. Exactly. What is this again? Nor do I want to have any.

I just had to recap the plot of gifted to you. I know. Speaking of gifted, they walked the red carpet yesterday. They are posing together for many pictures. And there's, I really recommend, I'm on a no they didn't, my favorite source for celebrity gossipy. You can look through them. There is a fairly awkward photograph of Chris Evans shaking Jenny Slate's hand. I mean, I have to assume that there were, you know, kind of not more intimate, but kind of less awkward greetings than this.

But it looks really, they're trying so hard. I feel for them. I do too. I bet they're also still, like, really sexually attracted to each other. Hasn't been that long? Yeah, come on. But they've decided to, like, move on. So they're probably, like, having a hard time just being like, no, let's not do this.

But, I mean, such is awkward. I wish them the best. I do too. I like them both a lot. Do you think that they'll get together for a bit again, back together? You think it's over? Yeah, I do. Can't you see, though, they're thrown together.

They've got to promote this movie. It's probably happening right now. I mean, like, I could see it going on for another, like, a two-month renaissance. And then. Like, just for the length of the press junket? Well, I don't think this movie's going to have a two-month press junket. But they'll definitely have to go to other countries. Yeah.

I think it'll probably be a couple weeks. But it's just, they are both speaking with such affection for the other, and they're so young. And like I said, it was like a new experience for each of them. You could see it. In some ways, I bet she, I actually don't know. But like if I had read, if I'm him, I read what she said and vice versa. Yeah. I would think it would make me, like, less attracted to the other person.

Because I'm just like, oh, so that's what you really think. Like, it's just sort of like there's less mystery now that they're, like, evaluating each other so publicly. Yeah, but it's hard to parse when you're not as involved as they are. Sure. Sure. It's pretty crazy. I'm happy for them. Also, I really enjoyed getting the details I would have on her divorce, which is they just sort of

like grew apart, but they're still friends. Sounds like she's great at breakups. Look at all these people she's still getting along with. Oh, yeah, because in the article it says that he'd come back to... They're still working on like a Marcel the Shell sequel. Right, and he was visiting the new apartment. Yeah. Like, that's impressive.

It is. You know, at some point, are you... At some point I've become a little wary of people that are too close with all their exes. Like keeping tabs? No, not even keeping tabs, but you've got to take some emotional distance. Sure. How are you going to move on if this person is still just like rolling up to your house and like complimenting your cushions? Listen.

I listen. Jenny Slate is great. She should do whatever I want and this is a place where I don't have all the information. But in general, like people who are friends with every single X that they have, I do like the thinking emoji face. Sure. That's one of the greatest emojis out there. Speaking of confessional celebrity profiles. Yes.

First of all, I just feel like that's Anne right now. I just feel like confessionalism is like the route that is most popular. This is not on our prepared rundown. But did you happen to read The Jezebel Q&A with Anne Hathaway? I did. Quite confessional, mostly from the writer's side. But in general, very interesting window into Anne Hathaway. She's thinking a lot about it.

I'm a half ahead. I know you are. I like her. I'm really looking forward to Colossil and like I don't like going into the movies. So there you have it. Oh, yeah, do you want to go? Can I go with you? Sure.

Okay, great. Jam session date. Great. I have enjoyed Hathaway's performances. I feel bad about the internet pile up on her. It was really like Anne Hathaway's kind of Oscar moment coincided when the internet with the moment that the internet decided it needed think pieces. Right.

And so then there were suddenly like 4,000 pieces about whether Anne Hathaway is likable just because that was the new mode. we were jumping on that. That's unfair and she doesn't deserve it. She's not my favorite. You know how I feel about theater kids. Sure. She's very theatery. I feel like Mom Hathaway is great, though.

She seemed a lot chiller and like a lot more self-aware. And I don't know. Basically in this article, which is on Jazzabel, you can go back and find it. It's just basically like she says she kind of had to quit Jazzbel because they were mean about her. But in a very charming way. Yeah. And like a sort of like a self-aware way. And she also is just sort of like very very.

she's just extremely self-aware in this interview. She's like, I might be courting criticism, but, and then she still says what she wants, basically. It's just fascinating. Like, if you're her, people are not going to see your movie because you did an interview with Jezabel. So it's sort of like, I don't know why she, like, what's the incentive is for her. But I was just fascinated that she even did it. Yeah, I thought, even beyond self-aware, I thought it was very thoughtful.

Yeah. And she was kind of engaging with some subjects that, honestly, no one should ever have to engage with like why do all these strangers on the internet like write headlines about me for clickway purposes like that's you know as we tell our as we tell our writers like don't read the comments but she reminded me of um of anna from nodding hell in that interview yeah but i just thought you know i read it and i was like you have clearly done a lot of emotional work here which you know shout out to your therapist i was just like wow i have from my own life recognized some of the therapy speak here but in a good way and

it made me feel for her, which I did already. But I kind of, I was like, therapy at work. This is great. You know, like you can work through something and be okay. And I admire her for that. And I do think that it takes like a certain amount of bravery to engage in that conversation. Yeah, absolutely. It's just weird that like yesterday I was Googling 2007 Ben Affleck. It's just weird, which is weird to think about like sort of like as. people who consume celebrity gossip at like an alarming rate one might say like it's weird like going through the cycle with a celebrity and I think that's kind of new to this moment just because of the way like celebrity cultures is a little bit different obviously than pre-internet and like they're like the

opportunities for reinvention are a lot a lot easier but also like probably require like more of like emotional work yeah it's also true that you know we are peers more or less of Ann Hathaway not I'm certainly not in Hathaway's peer she is has an awesome and a lot more money than I do. But in the sense of we have kind of grown up alongside her. Princess Diaries. Yeah. So to be able to kind of understand that whole arc is kind of, in that way, is new for us.

Yeah, for sure. And we'll keep happening. We're going to talk more about celebrities, but first, let's tell you about our sponsors. Hey, guys, big news. Major League Baseball is finally back. Yes. As the new season gets underway, the Ringer podcast network has baseball fans covered with a Ringer MLB show playing exclusively on the.

tune-in app for the month of April. On top of that, the Ringer podcast network has partnered with Tune-in to give baseball fans a free 60-day trial of Tune-in premium to listen to every live MLB game around the league. Catch the Ringer MLB show only on Tune in during April. With your premium subscription, listen to live MLB games on Tune-in. Just go to Tune-in.com slash Ringer and subscribe. Download the Tune-in app and start listening today. Tune in, your everything audio app and the home for the Ringer MLB show for the month of April. And we'd also like to thank the AV Club. Listen to this. Have you ever been on a website and thought, this seems good, but what if it were a TV show instead? Totally. You're in luck. Since 1993,

the AV Club has produced some of the best pop culture writing on the web. And now, after 20 years of talking about TV, things are coming full circle for the folks at the AV Club. They're getting their own TV show. Hosted by longtime AV Club editor John Teddy, the AV Club show is a weekly deep dive that invites everyone, fanatics and casual observers alike, to look closer and laugh more at every corner of pop culture, from TV to movies to music to games and beyond. So get your snack of choice and turn on Fusion TV to catch the AV Club, hosted by John Teddy Thursdays at 9 Eastern. And be sure to visit fusion.net slash where to watch for details. And now it's time to DTR. Okay, we're back. We're going to hit our segments. First, very important DTR to do. There's a new

portmanteau on the streets. Some may call them A-Lo. Some may call them J-Rod. I prefer J-Rod, but Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. You had to think about what A-Lo was because it's so unnatural. It's terrible. It's not a real name. J-Rod, however, is great. It could be the name of one person. They just seem great

together. Amanda, what is a realer relationship? J-Lo and Drake or J-Lo and A-Rod? I mean, listen, two dates at Mariah means true love. It means dollar bills. Yeah, I have seen those checks. No, I haven't because I can't afford it.

But I have seen a menu and I'm aware of the prices next to the items. So this is definitely more real. But that's only comparative. Only comparative. Okay? On the scale of freshman year hookup to celebrating your 50th anniversary, where do you put these two? I mean, it's definitely.

Definitely closer to a freshman year hookup. Listen, it's been so fast. It's so fast. A lot of nice clothes. I feel like they really dress up for each other. This is what I'm going to say. The thing that complicates it is to the extent to which they are coordinating their outfits. And they're being photographed.

Right. Well, they're clearly preparing for the photographs by coordinating their outfits. Like, there is no way. There's a photograph of J-Lo in the red outfit, and he's in a lovely suit. It's a gray suit. There's no way that this wasn't staged within an inch of its life. One thing I really like about them as a couple is they kind of provide scale for the other. Like I finally understand like just how much, like Alex Rodriguez is not like a hulking athlete,

but I'm like, oh yeah, he's a big guy, professional athlete that A-Rod. And on the other hand, J-Lo is like has more curves than many other female celebrities. But I'm like, wow, she's tiny, small woman. Yeah, she's tiny. And I really appreciate it. She does look great. She's aging wonderful. I mean, here's the thing.

They look fantastic. They look posed beyond all belief. But quite frankly, they have a career in creative directing from here and out because the photos are abaculate. Sure. Really, they are selling a product and they are selling it well. It's maybe like A-Rod who's like just been a villain for so long in baseball circles. Yeah, well, he's sort of, I can't believe that I'm pretending to know anything about baseball right now. but I do know about his off, what would you say, off field?

Off field, yes. Off field life. And it seems like he's really kind of done a 180 in the past year. People like him on TV, too. Good commentator. I even heard him during the World Series. And I was like, oh, this is not so bad. I would also refer you to his architectural digest spread, which is extraordinary.

Yeah, he's really hitting all the top notes in terms of like upper echelon celebrity culture. Exactly. I like it. I don't know. I'm just into it. I always wanted to like him because when he was a young. Mariner and Derek Jeter was a young Yankee. They were both short stops who were like really good friends and then they had a falling out and Derek Jeter's master of PR and he was sort of like the winner of that one. But I've always won to like A-R. So I'm just really happy he's giving him a relationship to latch on to. Is Derek Jeter the one who had the baskets that he gave to? Okay. So in the end he's not a master of PR because I know that fact. For some reason Derek Jeter is like known as being a womanizer who has sex with women and sends him on their way with like literally a gift basket out the door. And for some reason he's still below. Do we know what's in the gift basket?

There's like a whole Reddit thread about it. I'm not completely positive though. I've always imagined Kiel's products for some reason. That would be great. It's literally the only thing I know about Derek Jeter. And also he dated Minka Kelly for a while. Minka Kelly for quite a while. Mariah Carey for a spell.

A very short spell, but that was a high profile one. Right. And now he's a father to be with Hannah Davis. Congrats to him. But like for some reason, like he's just like a disgusting man. And for some reason, he's just got a great reputation. Maybe they were a very nice kids. He went on a season long goodbye tour.

And everyone's like, yeah. I know, but didn't Arod do that too? Doesn't everyone do that? Yeah, but Jeter's was sponsored by Nike and Michael Jordan Brand. So it was just a lot more conspicuous. Yeah, they all do it. But, like, Jeter's was like, there was a lot of commercials. It involved other athletes.

Like Carmelo Anthony was in the mix. There's all these respect hats with a two and seven S. They were nice, but like, come on. Anyway, back to J-Lo and A-Rod. How long do you guys? give them. I'm going to go with another six weeks. How about you? I was going to say two months, which is like not that far. Yeah, it's about the same range. I mean, after all, the backstreet boys are currently at Planet Hollywood, but when they're out, J-Lo's back in, so she's got to be back

on the West Coast soon. I mean, couldn't, he can't travel? Well, I think he's got some broadcasting responsibilities. It's baseball season, Amanda. Right, opening week. He's based in New York? I think so, yes. Isn't that, like, bias? You haven't you heard about the East Coast media bias? I mean, yes. but that's what I'm like, here I am, asking the questions. Yeah, I don't know. I just don't think they have a long future, but that's okay. I don't know.

I'm liking this era of J-Lo. I don't think we've discussed the Drake song that samples J-Lo, which is sort of an addendum to this conversation. I enjoyed it. If I had your love, whatever. Yeah, that was interesting to me. That's sort of like the receipts on their entanglement, I guess. Right.

The receipts are rather the explanation. Sure. Like I assumed that, you know, listen, I'd like to believe that they had sex. Why shouldn't they? When two attractive people with no other responsibilities or entanglements decide to do that. Like, kudos to them. Sure. But it does kind of, it was a rumor that they were working together on a song and this kind of explains it.

My question to you is, do you think that, how much do you think he paid for the sample? Oh, my God. I can't even. So no discounts. No. Good. I agree and respect to J-Lo for that. Definitely not a discount for some 30-year-old creep.

Okay, come on. I love Drake, but like if you're J-Lo, got to take care of those twins. I agree. I agree. I've heard that Jay-Z has a friends and family discount for like studio time with him. Okay. But I think only like three people count is that. And like probably now too, I bet Kanye is out.

Okay. So anyway. Let's move on to our final segment, which is one thing you just can't stop thinking about. Yes. Would you like me to share mine first? I would love that. Ed Shearren on his press tour, as discussed. As discussed.

He let it slip that Taylor Swift's got an album coming at the end of the air. Yeah. And then I saw like a fake article today that was like, Taylor Swift's music may be coming sooner than people think. Yeah. So I just was wondering if you think that Taylor Swift has like keyed Ed Shearant's car yet or like what has she done to like for payback for letting people? know that she's got a new record coming soon.

Well, do we believe that she has a new record coming soon? Yes, I know. When do you think it's coming? Like in December. That's like what Ed Sheehan said. Yeah, sure. Yes. But that's not soon.

Sure. Nine months away. But that means probably first single September, October. Yeah. I think she's very definitely waiting out this Grammy cycle is kind of what I was, you know, because she wants to set the bar instead of follow up. Right. Because she's savvy like that.

And also, because she really, we have not heard from her. No. Since the tapes. No. And the breakup, I guess. The breakup, the non-voting but voting. Oh, yeah. Instagram.

That was a bad one. Yeah, but not since the... Oh, God, in the March. Yeah. When she was just like, I love causes. She's a brand ambassador now. So she performed at the Super Bowl. So she was like out and about that was like an untelvised event.

Didn't go to the Grammys. Didn't see her dancing in the crowd. Right. For her, it has been... A quiet period. It's been quiet, and also when she has been public, it has been disastrous. So who do you think we'll get the headline, Taylor and Winter? Rolling Stone, back to that well?

Probably. Taylor comes out of hibernation. Vogue? No, I feel like even Vogue has been mean to her at this point. New York Times, Meg? I bet it would be Rolling Stone. Look for it in October and November. Yeah, so.

I just feel like she must be pissed. I think she's probably more pissed that, I doubt it's the specific album. He's just been out here being Mr. Attention Hogg for, like, it's endless now. In London, I can't believe. I couldn't go more than, I couldn't, like literally every shop I entered was playing an Ed Sheeran song. Literally every song in the radio right now is playing a, every radio station.

I just want to say I've had, so I've been really into the radio lately. Nice. Welcome to My World. Yeah, that song is on. Shape of you. Yeah. Yeah. On constantly.

Honestly, he's a good songwriter. He's great songwriter. I hate admitting it. I admitted this to you, in private, and I want to say it publicly, he's a good songwriter. He is very good. Frustrating. His songs are all, like, generic love songs, because I think he just writes them. And then he's like, well, I'll sing this or someone else will.

Yeah. Like, he talks to how he wrote Shape of You for, as he says, Rihanna. Yeah. As she says as well, Rihanna. Anyway, I think Taylor Swift was probably just more annoyed that she created this monster, and now he's out here sucking up all her space and saying things that are not particularly flattering at a time when she could really use the power of positive association. Totally.

I watched his interview on the Breakfast Club. It was very interesting. It was kind of fascinating that the Breakfast Club has become like a must for the hot, like the A-List press tour. And it's just such a Charlemagne, the God, and Ed Shearin are not likely bedfellows. But hey, they were taking shots together. God, he'll just, I mean, he'll also, Ed Sharon will do anything at this point. Sure.

he has really been promoting it. Here's one thing that I have been thinking of. I don't like how he incorporates math and science into his work. Like divide, multiply. Yeah, and then also what's the line in shape of you? Like the magnitude, something. I guess it's just math. Magnitude of your body?

Yeah, that's disgusting. That's so gross. That's like your body is a wonder level gross. I actually think it's in some ways worse because I can imagine John Mayer like singing that to a woman in like crooning or whatever. But, like, Ed Shearan, I just feel like writes his songs in the lab. And he's just like, yes, I will sing this. Someone will sing this, whatever. I guess that's really mostly just math.

It's just more disingenuous to me. But, hey, that's pop music. Written by someone, sung by someone, who knows. Yeah. All about the tunes. Are you up on Julia Michaels? Completely unrelated. Is this person who now listens to the radio, Juliet?

Yes, I am. Issues is my song of 2017 so far. It's very catchy. It's very good. I turned it off the first 10 times, and then I was, like, lost. or something and she'd distracted. And it's really warmed its way in. It's really good.

Shout out to Julia Michaels, the song's issues. It's another thing where it just sounds like a reference track that, you know. Well, she's a songwriter as well. She used to write for Haley Steinfeld, Denny Levato, all the gals. I mean, you can hear Selena. Yeah, for sure. Side note, then we'll get up to your one thing. I heard on the radio this morning from my friend Carson Daly on AMP 971 that

a Selena Gomez Instagram, like the marketing power is worth, like if you're like an agency trying to like buy Instagram from Selena Gomez, guess how much it should cost you, the value of her brand. This is unfair because I saw the Kim stat. Oh, $1 million.

Yeah. Yeah. It was related to that. Yeah. So $750,000. She's number two. Selina Gomez is much more popular than I realize. Like, she's not much to me. I like her. She's a great carpool karaoke, but I didn't know she was like a brand driver. Disney Most followed star on Instagram.

I know. I know. It's wild. I like her. I went to a Selena Gomez soul cycle class. Inevertently, I just chose for the teacher, not for the music. Okay. Here one thing.

We're swinging the pendulum here a little, but I forgot to think of a one thing, and then this was, honestly, the first thing that came to mind. Going to our old friend, Vanity Fair. Yes. Did you happen to read the article about Nan Talise? No. In Vanity Fair? I didn't.

Tell me everything. Wow. Okay. I'm going to give the short version. Because really this is just a recommendation. And obviously this is a very specific recommendation if you like reading about, like, rich literary people in New York City. Then this is fascinating. Exactly what I would like to be.

Yeah, sure. And if you don't, then, you know, move along. So Nan Talese, wife of Gay Talese. And also, like, but more importantly, I'm sorry that I just did that, Nan Talese, the famous book editor. Yes. Who also happens to be married to Gay Talies. They're a power couple.

They are a power couple. They're kind of like the er power couple of media. I guess so. And so the interesting thing about them is that there has been a ton of writing about their marriage because Gay Talese also famously wrote The Neighbor's Wife, which is about him. It's about kind of the sexual revolution. But it's really about him. Swinging.

Yeah. experiencing relations with a lot of people who are not. Sure. His wife. And so they obviously became a subject of fascination. There's a very good New York Magazine article from three or four years ago. I never read that. That talks about their marriage from his perspective a little more.

And this is about Nan. And Nan participated and he participated. Their children participated. Oh, really? Authors participated. Yeah, they have everything. And it's fascinating. It's mostly fascinating.

because his quotes are not great. Really? Yeah, I mean, he's a little loose, and they clearly have a very special alchemy that none of us will ever understand, but when you try to parse the alchemy, he just seems like an asshole. And then she's just kind of like,

I don't know what's going on, but I'm happy. The interesting thing about it is that it does not, even though she participates and everyone in her life participates, does not totally crack the mystery of Nancy. Talise. What do you do when you're like, I'm participating? Do you send an email to your friends and family, be like, okay, you can respond to this?

Like, how does that message get disseminated? I mean, I guess so. Through a raven? Or someone like going, knock on all the doors? Like, yes, you can respond. I think it's probably just an email or a text message. It's probably a publicist is involved. Okay, fair, fair, fair.

I got to check this out. Yes. It was surprisingly juicy. Okay. And there was sort of a thing where I still don't totally feel like I, it's just, She's still a bit of a mystery, but in the good way of just kind of like, this is a person who figured out what she wanted in life and used some unusual methods to get it. Was there any spreads of their home? Well, she's photographed lounging on their couch with two dogs that sort of look, I don't know, can you tell what these are?

They're terriers of some sort. Don't care about dogs, don't know. And she's in all, yeah, a ton of books behind her and some. roses and she's in all black and black belly flats and then just like a giant strand of pearls living her best life. I love that. Love pearls. Okay. Last item on this podcast and then we're going to go. What is your favorite part of Laura Dern's home as seen in architectural digest? Oh man. The bathtub is phenomenal. They really spent a lot of time in the bathroom and I and it's really open to nature.

One of my great pleasures in life is a bathroom with a large window. Oh, yeah. A bathroom with, like, natural light. And I aspire one day to, because I love an outdoor shower. Me too. Love it.

And I just like, I, that sense of you are doing something intensely private, but you, you know, you're in such command of the world that you can be out, out in nature doing it is really thrilling for me. So it was, very beautiful, the bathroom. Bathroom was very nice. Yeah.

I concur. I liked her stone courtyard. It's a bold choice in California to not go with grass. It was actually not that bold. It's the environmental choice. But there's a courtyard in her home that's kind of like gravelly or whatever. It's a really nice outdoor space. She has great taste.

It was very nice. Also, it was just really happy that her ex Ben Harper has mentioned because that's one of my favorite relationships. Don't really care if they broke up or whatever, but just the fact that they were ever together. It just really made me happy. Yeah, I forgot about that. That was like early 2000? she converted to Judaism for him, so I can never forget about it.

Okay. Wow. Thanks to listening to GM session. Thanks, everyone. We'll be back in two weeks, and thank you to our sponsors.