We watch a lot of TV and movies! And we listen to a lot of music, podcasts, audiobooks…so yeah, we’re fangirling over a lot of things! So, each week we come together to highlight all the feels they give us throughout the week. On these Fangirlish Feels of the Week, there are five categories and many thoughts! Ready?
Here we go!
What You’re Fangirling Over This Week
Ashley W.: If you do not know about the immense talent of Jeremy Jordan, then you are missing out. He’s a fan favorite in the Broadway community, best known for originating the role of Jack Kelly in Disney’s Newsies on Broadway. But he’s done plenty of onscreen work as well, including Winn Schott on Supergirl and voicing Lucifer in Prime Video‘s new animated musical comedy series Hazbin Hotel.
I was fortunate enough to be front row at one of his solo cabaret shows at Steppenwolf Theatre—his Chicago debut!—and he is truly an amazing performer. Seeing him sing live just mere feet away from me reminded me of why he was such an integral part of me becoming a musical theatre fan.
His show was an emotional rollcoaster full of humor and heartfelt moments, and it was one of the best theatre experiences I’ve enjoyed. I also met him after the show, and I’d say I can’t even comprehend that it happened, but I have pictures that prove it did. He’s also going back to Broadway in March when The Great Gatsby starts running at the Broadway Theatre, so it’s a fantastic time to be a Jeremy Jordan fan!
Ashley T.: I’m so proud of how well the Trek Talks 3 telethon turned out! Not only was it an amazing day of panels and discussions with so many Star Trek actors, showrunners, directors, and members of the fan community, but as of writing this, we are just shy of $110,000 of support raised for The Hollywood Food Coalition! If you missed it, you can stream the entire telethon at this link, and you can contribute to the cause at this link.
Rachel: Press for Bridgerton season 3 began this week! Of course, we fans won’t get to see it all until the season begins in May but just knowing that the actors are actually getting to promote the season of my favorite couple, Colin/Penelope, is thrilling. Yes, I will fangirl over anything about Polin from now until the end of time. I’m going to be insufferable about Polin this year, sorry, not sorry!
Erin: Everything Percy Jackson & The Olympians. Love this show so much. The casting, the setting, the everything. I love how close they are to the books and keep the essence of them. It’s what we deserve.
Amanda: I am stoked for The Heart of Rock and Roll, the Huey Lewis musical to come to Broadway this spring because the cast features three of my favorite Broadway performers: Corey Cott, McKenzie Kurtz, and Zoe Jensen. I’m obsessed already despite hardly knowing anything about the show!
Brittany: I’m still geeking out about the first The First 48 episode of 2024. “Killer Rage & A Killer at the Door” included the TV return of Tulsa Homicide’s Detective Ronnie Leatherman, who is one of the best folks ever to appear on the show. Ronnie retired in 2023, but because this was an older, viewers got to watch him on TV one more time. And I can’t say how cool and even heartwarming it was to get to see him again. It was like running into an old friend.
WTF Moment of the Week
Ashley W.: I’ve never been a dancer, but I’ve been a fan of dance for most of my life. The discipline and dedication that dancers need to develop their craft is so admirable, and sometimes I cannot fathom their skills and ability to turn their movements into such technical artistry.
The University of Minnesota’s jazz routine at UDA College Nationals was one of those times. The turn-aerial-turn combination was absolutely ridiculous in the best way, and they deserve every bit of praise they’ve been getting for their self-choreographed routine.
Rachel: The good news that we are getting a Linda Rondstadt biopic starring Selena Gomez was changed into a WTF moment just a few days later with the announcement that David O. Russell was going to direct it. His abuse of his niece should have ended his Hollywood career, full stop. My fingers are crossed that somehow this changes.
Erin: Watch Chicago PD and that whole thing was a big fuck you to the fandom.
Brittany: I agree with Erin. I was glad that Chicago PD wanted to tackle the issue of mental health, but the episode just didn’t work on several different levels.
Lizzie: I went over why the Chicago P.D. episode was so bad in my review, but I think the worst part of it is that the show is trying to pretend to have any moral high ground after a decade of copaganda.
What We’re Listening to This Week
Ashley W.: While I prefer the original Broadway cast recording of Mean Girls The Musical to the soundtrack of the new Mean Girls movie musical, the latter has Reneé Rapp. And a professionally recorded version of Reneé Rapp’s “World Burn” simply makes life better.
Rachel: Listened to Linda Ronstadt this week, after the news that biopic news. She is just SUCH a talented singer. “You’re No Good”, “When Will I Be Loved”, and especially “Tracks of My Tears”– they’re all classic. It’s no surprise to me why she’s one of my mom’s favorite singers.
Erin: Been listening to a lot of Call Her Daddy and catching up on all Alex Coopers interviews. She’s such a genius.
Brittany: I’m still listening to the new Broadway cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along. Jonathan Groff has one of my favorite voices of all time, and then add on to that the sublime vocal work of Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe – it immediately became one of my favorite musicals when I saw it on stage, and I was overjoyed when they put out an album.
Ashley T.: In preparation for an upcoming appearance on the podcast, Pick A Disc, I’ve been listening to HAIM’s Women in Music Part III on repeat. I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t have been doing that anyway, but this time it’s been with an analyst’s ear. I’m picking up so many more musical nuances with vocals and instrumentation on this listen-through. It’s made me appreciate the nuances even more.
Jasmine: Because January 16th would have been late singer Aaliyahs 45th birthday, I’ve been revisiting all of her albums. She will ALWAYS be one of my favorite artists we lost way too soon.
What We Rewatched This Week
Ashley W.: I continued my Daredevil rewatch and finished season 2, which features the brilliant Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher. Nothing could make me forget how (scarily) good he is in that role, but you can’t help but be reminded of it when you watch the show, learn about the character’s story, and experience the trauma and heart-wrenching emotion that comes with it. That said, I now also feel the need to start a rewatch of The Punisher.
Rachel: I have begun a rewatch of Christopher Nolan’s filmography. The hope is to time it so I rewatch Oppenheimer before it wins the Best Picture Oscar. Fingers crossed. I started with Nolan’s first film, Following. Nolan really knows how to play with non-linear structure and I love it.
Brittany: I was watching Manhunt: Deadly Games since it randomly popped up on Hulu. The performances from Cameron Britton, Gethin Anthony and Kelly Jenrette are wonderful (the opposite of the archetypes Chicago PD was playing with), and it continues to irritate me to the living end that the show has been so difficult to watch since it premiered as a Spectrum Original.
Ashley T.: I watched Licorice Pizza again this week. It’s a film that’s grown on me since the first time I watched it. It’s a fun and comedic film, with a carefully curated soundtrack. I’ve got more thoughts about it than I can fully articulate here. It’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime if you want to check it out.
Badass Character of the Week
Erin: Grover, Annabeth, and Percy Jackson. IYKYK.
Brittany: Not a fictional character, but I’m giving it to the aforementioned Ronnie Leatherman. No matter what an investigation threw at him, Ronnie was always as cool as the other side of the pillow, in addition to being perfectly polite and well-organized. If only we could all be as efficient and level-headed as Ronnie Leatherman.
Lizzie: Well, One Chicago is back and that means I get to pick from one of those shows — and considering what happened on Chicago P.D., it’s obviously Chicago Fire. Honestly, I hate the OFI storyline and I don’t much love the repetitive ghosting storylines, but I do love that Severide saved the day by being Severide. Also, that he’s back. Man, Firehouse 51 didn’t feel like Firehouse 51 without Kelly Severide.