Two Years of 'You've Got Mail,' the Newsletter
Plus: Holiday gift ideas, the world's coziest sweater, and a "Wicked" prediction.
Hi friends,
This week back in 2022, I started my newsletter to connect with kindred spirits and get my thoughts and ideas out there — in one place that I can call my own. What have I learned? Newsletters are the new blogs (put that on a T-shirt!). Thanks, as always, for reading; I love hearing from you. Here are 10 favorite dispatches from the past two years:
“The Meg Ryan We Remember”: My homage to a screen legend found many new readers and earned Substack’s Featured Publication badge, which made me feel like a Girl Scout in the best possible way. In further Ryan-related material, see “The Unsung Inventors of ‘Meg Ryan Fall.’”
“Much Ado About Glen Powell”: It’s hard to believe, but when I fan-girled in January of this year, Powell was not yet a household name. Twisters changed all that. I still think he should do a Jerry Maguire remake!
“Everybody Wants Adam Brody”: SETH COHEN FOREVER. Absurdly, I excluded Brody on my previous shortlist of actors with untapped rom-com potential. Must revise.
“Can Netflix’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Succeed?”: This letter stirred a debate! Many of you agreed that Keira Knightley is the Greatest Lizzy of All Time, a.k.a. The G.L.O.A.T. (I will die on that hill.)
“The Holly Golightly Sweepstakes”: A look at the real people who inspired Breakfast at Tiffany's.
“Bronwyn Newport Opens Up About Her ‘Real Housewives’ Journey”: An unfiltered interview with Salt Lake City’s reigning fashion queen.
“Hollywood’s Age-Gap Boomlet”: Last spring, I noticed a curious new trend. May-December romantic comedies were cropping up one after another, with veteran A-listers attached to star. Even Nicole Kidman!
“The Tennis Issue”: A sporty guide to essential tennis movies, books and fashion. Cue the Challengers soundtrack.
“Magazine Girls Cinema”: I have a soft spot for my collaboration with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. How, we wondered, would The Devil Wears Prada’s Andy Sachs adapt in a rapidly changing media landscape?
“Nora Ephron and Butter”: A rare excerpt from the late gourmand’s self-published cookbook.
And since you never forget your first, I must drop a link to my inaugural letter, which included an outtake from my book on Ephron’s heart-shaped cinematic universe.
YOU’VE GOT … A BITE-SIZED GIFT GUIDE
OK, fine. I’ll do it. I’ll succumb to peer pressure and publish my holiday gifting must-haves. Here goes: Frango Mints and Garrett’s Chicago Mix popcorn will bring a smile to even the Grinch’s face … copy that for Solid Wiggles’ Holiday Cosmo and Non-Boozy POG jelly cakes … Super Yaki has inspired merch for movie lovers … they’ll appreciate a Criterion subscription too, if they don’t have one already … 831 Stories has all the goods for the Romance reader in your life … meanwhile, that friend who looks like she stepped out of a Bemelmans illustration might dig this happy scarf and these happy, if ludicrously expensive, tights … see also: a smart, reasonably priced, argyle alternative … and for the classic-minded: Kule’s forever turtleneck and Central Park sweatshirt … and for the bauble collector: Sézane’s caramel-colored Claude necklace (SWOON) … I wish I could send everyone Meri Meri’s adorable sausage dog crackers … Los Angeles candlemaker Mar Mar’s Other Desert Cities is fantastic and hand-poured by the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, which provides jobs for adults with disabilities … Rebecca Miller curates sustainable self-care boxes from her cozy Montana studio … Erik Larson’s thrilling The Demon of Unrest is guaranteed to please nonfiction readers … as would Didion and Babitz … more obscure, but I’m currently reading and enjoying The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America (theater kid catnip) … pivoting to children’s books, I adore The Lantern House by Erin Napier, and for little girls, I’m loving the cherry-print cardigan and pants at Mudpie San Francisco. Oh, and this navy corduroy dress from Floss!
My new go-to sweater is J. Crew’s slouchy, gray V-neck, now on sale. It makes a perfect present if I do say so myself. On Thanksgiving, I wore mine with a J. Crew tulle skirt. My 3-year-old suggested that I add sparkly silver shoes and, would you know, they kind of made the outfit:
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ‘WICKED’
I saw the movie last week in a theater in Illinois, and after the spellbinding finale, people stayed in their seats as the credits rolled. That almost never happens. I’m floored by how good it is, and how director Jon Chu revealed himself to be the right person for the task of bringing a beloved musical to the big screen. My mom took me to see Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked circa 2004 — it was my first Broadway experience — and I liked it fine. But the movie is better. It just is. Chu, a master showman, pulled Oscar-worthy performances out of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and understands how to leave ‘em wanting more. This is a magnificent piece of popular entertainment. It’s not just for theater kids; it’s for everyone who loves movies. And the fact that its true villain, The Wizard, stands in for the obvious, well, never has a popcorn flick resonated more in the culture. In These Times.
Wicked has made $360 million to date and broke records as the highest-grossing Broadway adaption in box-office history. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Seth Abramovitch, the women-led spectacle could shock us all and win Best Picture.
“With this year’s Oscars coming off both the devastation of COVID-19 and the SAG and WGA strikes (and the ongoing specter of streaming and AI), it could lead many Hollywood-employed voters to reward a humane (and human-made) blockbuster that validates the traditional studio system,” Abramovitch writes.
And should the Academy snub the picture, I’ll still be holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.”
What about you? If you’ve seen Wicked, what did you think?
Yours in “Adele Dazeem,”
Erin
P.S. If you’ve got a newsletter that I should be reading, drop me a line and I’ll subscribe. And if you’re thinking of launching one, it’s never too late!
Congrats on 2 years!!
They still make Frango Chocolates?! Be still my heart. [Adds to cart]