Sydney's Sunday Reads: #19
Happy Sunday, friends!!
Sydney's Sunday Reads is a weekly blog series that highlights some of my favorite stories, articles, think-pieces, and more from around the Internet.
Ann Lowe, wedding dress designer to the stars. - The September 1953 wedding of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier to then-senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was considered one of the biggest events of the season, possibly even the year. Nearly 3,000 well-wishers flocked to the streets outside of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island to catch a glimpse of the blushing bride and the gown that she adorned for the momentous occasion - the true moment that Jack and Jackie stepped into their role as American royalty. The bride’s dress, made of silk taffeta with an elegant sweetheart neckline, fitted bodice, and flowing bouffant skirt was adored by all who gazed their eyes upon it, and no doubt informed the style of wedding gowns for several seasons following its debut. We know a lot about the gown, but how about who designed it? In this article, meet Ann Lowe, a Black dress designer born in Alabama in 1889 whose stellar talent landed her some of the biggest and most influential clientele of the time period. (CNN)
Television in 2020. - What is considered “good” tv? What’s considered “bad”? In 2020, none of that seemed to matter as we sought comfort and escapism over anything else. So what if the writing was predictable, or the wigs were so bad in scenes you wondered if the budget was only $5? In 2020, we just wanted to be absorbed into another world, to get caught up in a story that wasn’t our own for a moment. So, were the critics of the past wrong? Is television the mind-numbing, brain cell-killing, “vast wasteland” that it’s always been accused of being? Or, in times like this, is it exactly what we need? (The Atlantic)
Read it again! - How often do you return to your favorite books? I do it all the time. When you have a book blog, or bookstagram account, you sometimes feel pressured to find the Next Great Novel or feature the latest and trendiest books with the snazziest book covers. But between you and me, while I read every book I feature, sometimes, in between the newness, I need to return to the familiar. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read a story and thought, “Wow, I’ve never noticed that before,” or “Ah, I see, so there were actually tons of clues all along!” When the real world’s got me feeling down, there’s a stack of stories that I know will always lift me up and show me something new. There is power in the re-read. (Book Riot)
Most beautiful book covers of 2020. - Writing a story that people really connect with is no easy feat. Also hard? Designing a cover that will grab a reader’s attention long enough to give that story a chance in the first place. Here are some of 2020’s most beautiful book covers according to Buzzfeed! (Buzzfeed News)
The return of Lem and Phil. - The mid to late 2000s had many sitcoms that were amazing, but a lot of them were way before their time. One of the best of the best, in my opinion, was Better Off Ted, an ABC workplace comedy about Ted, a research and development executive who starts to question the ethics of the company he works for. My two favorite characters are Lem and Phil, mad lab scientists and best friends whose crazy creations are as brilliant as they are a little dubious (in one episode, they manage to grow a blob of beef in a lab, but soon wonder if it can feel pain.) While the writing on the short-lived show was absolutely amazing and hysterical, the actors who played Lem and Phil, Malcolm Barrett and Jonathan Slavin, are really who brought the characters to life. 2020 was nothing if not the year of all the reunions, and Better off Ted was no exception. In the video below, Slavin and Barrett attempt to shoot a promo video for the reunion special as their characters. Unfortunately (but fortunately for us), things don’t quite go to plan. I smiled from ear to ear watching this! (Malcolm Barrett aka Verbal the Rapper via Youtube)