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! 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
Brittany: Merrily We Roll Along has multiple Tony nominations, including for Best Revival of a Musical and nominations for each of the lead actors. To see my hero Jonathan Groff land another Tony nomination is heartwarming in and of itself; I’m always happy to see him continue to succeed, especially in a role that he was so damn amazing in. But to see the recognition for Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez is also important because this is not just Jonathan’s show.
The entire Merrily company makes it what it is, which for me is the best play I’ve ever experienced and something that came to mean an awful lot to me personally. I really hope it sweeps the categories in which it was nominated, not just because I want to call Jonathan a Tony winner finally, but because I want everyone involved with the making of this magical revival to get recognized.
Rachel: For me, this weekend is about The Fall Guy. I have been looking forward to the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-romance since I saw the first trailer. By the time y’all read this, I will have seen it. I hope it is as entertaining as it looks. Films like this are my jam so I hope it lives up to the hype.
Amanda P.: First and foremost, I am hugely fangirling because a friend and mentor of mine is one of this year’s recipients of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre! Colleen Jennings-Roggensack has done a lot for theatre that you probably haven’t heard about – and she’s one of the most generous, talented, supportive, and brilliant people I have the pleasure of knowing.
I’ve also gotta talk about the most recent show where I’m totally late to the party but making up for it with sheer enthusiasm: The Way Home on Hallmark.
It’s got time travel, complicated relationships between three generations of women, a snarky sense of humor, a willingness to consider the psychological effect that knowing about time travel could have on a person, and a romantic leading couple (actually, multiple duos of multiple generations) that genuinely have a frisson of seriously sparky energy between them – this might quietly be the hottest thing on Hallmark, and that is not a sentence I ever thought I would write. I cannot wait to finish catching up!
Shana: Carrie Preston and Keegan-Michael Key‘s little dance number in Elsbeth. This show is way too much fun. Period.
Ashley W.: Empire Magazine shared a new, exclusive image from Captain America: Brave New World, and every new photo we get is a reminder that we’re getting closer to Sam Wilson being back in our lives!
Ashley T.: Happy Free Comic Book Day!!! Free Comic Book Day is my favorite nerdy holiday, and this year is even better because it falls on Star Wars Day! Find your participating local comic shop at FreeComicBookDay.com.
WTF Moment of the Week
Raquel: The Asunta Case. It was a case that marked public opinion in my country because of how terrifying it is to think of just a kid murdered by her own parents but now to see it all become a series and the way in which the main actors literally nail their characters…uff…that hits hard.
Rachel: In a good WTF moment this week, we keep getting leaks of promos for season 3 of Bridgerton and one in particular was HOT. How are we finally getting Colin Bridgerton desiring Penelope Featherington on screen??? I’m still in disbelief.
Amanda P.: I’m with Rachel in absolutely loving the previews we’re getting for Bridgerton. That being said… is it just me or are we getting a lot of leaks and so-called “spoilers”? Watching fans argue and despair over theories that may or may not even be true, before the season has even come out, is downright exhausting. I’m going back to my happy place now (aka Polin and Kanthony clips on repeat).
Shana: Literally everything about the Dance Moms reunion, except for the parts where the girls were supporting each other.
Ashley W.: The New York Times mini crossword puzzle for Friday, May 3. If you know, you know.
Ashley T.: Gregory Eddie having a complete meltdown that Janine might’ve been on a date with Manny in Abbott Elementary 3×11 “Double Date” made me facepalm so hard. I mean, my guy, I know you got it bad, but you’re better than that.
What We’re Listening to This Week
Raquel: This week the Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Malmö, Sweden, so my entire playlist was full of the songs from the Contest, the reactions to the rehearsals and every new thing that comes out.
Amanda P.: I am drowning my Tony nomination frustrations in cast recordings for some of my favorite shows that got woefully snubbed in past years. Bandstand, my beloved!
Lizzie: Okay, I’m attending a Taylor Swift contest in a couple of weeks, so forgive me if all I’m doing is trying to cram her discography like I’m 18 and I have a test on Taylor Swift. It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.
Amanda W.: Sabrina Carpenter clearly put actual caffeine in “Espresso” because I, like so many others, am still listening to it non-stop. Though I’ve been consistently listening to Sabrina for years now, which my Spotify wrapped will attest to.
Ashley W.: In regards to Amanda P.’s contribution, I didn’t listen to the Bandstand original Broadway cast recording this week. However, I, as someone who listened to the album nonstop in August 2017, wholeheartedly approve of the choice and suggest that everyone listens to it! Corey Cott singing the word “hallelujah” alone makes it worth it.
Ashley T.: Another month, another spin of HAIM’s Women in Music Pt. III. I’m over here (semi) patiently waiting for their new album. Here’s hoping we get word on that soon.
What We Rewatched This Week
Raquel: I’m re-watching episodes of a show that I can’t yet say for review and editorial purposes…and I really can’t wait for everyone to be able to watch it because they’re going to love it!
Rachel: I started my annual rewatch of the Star Wars films this week because it’s May the 4th! I will always maintain that the Prequels are better than the critics at the time thought and I get a lot of enjoyment in general from the Original Trilogy. It’s just perfect and Han and Leia will always be one of my OTPs of all time.
Amanda P.: I stumbled across a Moana airing on cable this week, and the animation of “You’re Welcome” got me thinking about one thing I really miss from the old hand-drawn animation era: the stylized, quasi “fantasy” musical numbers.
I’m thinking things like the dream sequence of “Almost There,” or the Busby Berkeley-inspired elements of “Be Our Guest.” I feel like 3D, computer-generated animation is rooted more in the physical limitations of “realism”, which can still be really cool, but I miss the more frequent flights of fancy.
Amanda W.: Because I attended the James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray “Boys of One Tree Hill” panel last weekend at C2E2, I’ve started a One Tree Hill rewatch.
Ashley W.: Captain America may be my favorite, but I’m still a Marvel fangirl in general. So when I learned that May 2 marked the 16th anniversary of Iron Man — the movie that kicked off the MCU, you bet I decided to watch it. The film isn’t a go-to for me in the way other Marvel movies are, but it’s always an enjoyable watch. And it’s amazing to see just how far we’ve come since Tony Stark initially donned the hot rod red and gold suit or armor.
Also, Amanda W. and I are doing the One Tree Hill rewatch together, and I’ve just got to give my love for the pilot episode’s use of parallelism between Nathan and Lucas playing basketball at the high school and on the River Court, respectively. The way the scenes mirror each other and are composed to highlight the similarities and contrasts between the two boys and their games is a thing of beauty!
Ashley T.: For Star Wars Day, I’m kicking it old school and revisiting Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. I’ve not watched it since I was a kid, so it’s interesting to remember the “dark times” of Star Wars before the prequel and sequel trilogies.
Badass Character of the Week
Raquel: Elsbeth Tascioni from Elsbeth is definitely my badass character of the week! You have to have a lot of courage to not be afraid of being different and endure day after day the condescension of people who underestimate you.
Rachel: This year as I rewatch the Star Wars films, I am really appreciating Obi-Wan as a badass. Particularly as Ewan McGregor plays him. He consistently displays physical bravery but also emotional strength. Might try to rewatch his Disney+ series sometime soon. He gets my vote.
Lizzie: Well, since I’m losing NCIS: Hawai’i way too soon, I’m giving my vote to Jane Tennant, who outdrank (and outsmarted) a Russian mob boss this week on the show to get the information the team needed. I can’t believe CBS is robbing me of 10 more years of this character, at least.
Shana: Mama Boone in Law & Order: Organized Crime. Said it in the review, will say it again here: Never F— with a sweet old lady like that.
Ashley W.: Every time one of the girls on the Dance Moms reunion special cried, I also couldn’t help but cry. So major kudos to them for choosing to revisit their pasts and reflect on their experiences on the show…especially the traumatic ones.
Ashley T.: I’m handing it to my girl Sylvia Tilly on Star Trek: Discovery 5×06 “Whistlespeak.” Persevering through a difficult race, taking care of her young ward Ravah, and managing to look death in the face with courage, all make her a badass in my book.