The political world may have gone up in flames, but for pop culture it was another week in paradise
Barely 48 hours have passed since the world as we know it changed forever and He-who-shall-not-be-named came to be one of the most powerful people in the world. Blessed as we are to be geographically removed from this shitstorm, culturally and emotionally our proximity feels overwhelming and, apart from a peculiar few, reasonable folk like you and I have spent the last two days scratching our heads and shaking our fists.
Enveloped in this morose cloud, other things may have fallen by the wayside and smaller, less urgent news stories might have passed you by. But fear not dear reader, for it is not all doom and gloom, and as the world turned into a Margaret Atwood novel a few little glimmers of light shone down to light our paths.
Lorde turned 20
Everyone’s favourite Takapuna teen, Ella “Lorde” Yelich O’Connel, turned 20 this week, dismantling my condescending epithet and inspiring millions of adolescents around the world to also continue aging. On the eve of the election, Lorde set the town, and our Instagrams, alight with the glow of her Taylor Swift organised New York shindig. So well documented was the event, in fact, that with a little bit of strategic ‘gram surfing one can piece together the events of this historical night as though we were there. Congratulations Lorde and thank you for keeping our country afloat for another year.
Prince Harry defended his hot new gf from the racist media
Prince Harry, chivalrous sexy red-headed royal bad boy, cemented his status as all round GC this week by standing up for his biracial girlfriend in the face of the gross and bigoted British media. This was nice and significant for several reasons: It confirmed Harry’s relationship with super pretty Suits star Meghan Markle; It was worded really well; and it proved Prince Harry to be the UK’s first woke royal, establishing him as a viable #MCM for many Mondays to come.
Dominic Bowden became the new host of The Bachelor
Photo: Supplied
It was announced this week that beloved local wunderkind Dominic Bowden will light up our screens once more, with a lucrative new gig hosting The Bachelor. Having won hearts and minds during his unforgettable stint on X Factor, we are all surely blessed to have the opportunity to once more watch his quaint attempts to connect with hapless reality show contestants.
Every silver lining has a cloud however, and the news is not so great for Mike Puru whose departure was seemingly, ahem, involuntary. But there's no business like show business and he can just reboot Flipside or something.
Brad Pitt was cleared of child abuse
Brad Pitt talks to GQ's Michael Paterniti this week about his post-divorce life. Photo: AFP
One of the many victims of 2016 was the much admired union between Hollywood glamour-bots Brad Pitt and Angelina, and one of the great mysteries was what exactly Pitt had done on that fateful private aeroplane. This week one of the darkest theories - that one of earth’s great hotties might have been abusive to his child - was seemingly debunked. And sure that herald article is a little thin on actual facts, but Brad was looking fairly chill in his first public appearance since the unpleasantness began.
Auckland City Limits was cancelled
Photo: Raymond Sagapolutele/ACL
Like a puff of smoke, fledgling music festival Auckland City Limits has disappeared before our very eyes, and though it is apparently set to re-emerge in 2018 in these uncertain times who knows if that will come to pass. Yet we must have faith, and with all that time for organisers to plan, it will surely be better than anything we’ve seen before. This isn’t really good news right now but it might be in two years’ time when we have a really really thoroughly organised music festival to go to.