Pop culture anthropologist and internet personality Blakeley Thornton joins the show to give an all-access pass to the “Wicked” movie premiere! He, Danielle, and Simone dive into the star-studded fashion, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's emotional bond, and the profound impact the film is having on audiences. They debate this year's Sexiest Man Alive from "People," (John Krasinski…?) and call out some alternatives. Plus, they ask the age-old question: Is it ever a good idea to get back with your ex?
Hey, Bessie's Hello Sunshine.
Today on the bright Side, we're popping off on the biggest pop culture moments of the week with pop culture anthropologist and friend of the Pod Blake Lee Thornton.
Yes, he's giving us an all access pass to this week's Wicked movie premiere. We're talking about the reveal of People's Sexiest Man Alive twenty twenty four, and we're answering an age old question, is it ever okay to get back with your ex It's Friday, November fifteenth. I'm Simone Voice.
I'm Danielle Robe and this is the bright Side from Hello Sunshine, a daily show where we come together to share women's stories, to laugh, learn and brighten your day.
Danielle, it's Friday. How is your hippocampus today? Ooh, it is fluffier than ever. Every time I work out now, I always think about that interview that you did with doctor Wendy Suzuki on the brain boosting benefits of exercise.
Oh yeah, I just think of our brains taking a bubble bath, like we got to get up and get move in. Which conversation stoock out to you this week?
Well, I always loved chatting with Emily Oster. She's one of the most knowledgeable voices in the parenting space, and I know that her research has given me and a lot of parents out there are so much confidence in our parenting decisions.
I've also been thinking about our chat with Professor maury Ta Harripoor about negotiation. I really really appreciate her advice and her ethos about just bringing your whole self to the table.
Yes, which reminds me of another guest that we had on who knows a lot about negotiation, Mary Bonnet from Selling Sunset. We had so much fun with her. I just loved hearing about the behind the scenes of the show, and also I was just so moved by her optimism, like she has been through a lot and she still is so positive and bright. And today we're getting an inside look behind the curtain of Hollywood with our guest blakely Thornton.
Yep, he was at the Wicked premiere this week, so I can't wait to hear all the behind the scenes of that and of course pop off with him. He has all the opinions. But before we do, it's time to spotlight our favorite moment of the week. So we all know Harriet Tubman as an iconic figure in American history, and now, as of this week, she is officially a general as well. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland, and then this week was posthumously awarded the rank in the state's National Guard during a Veteran's Day ceremony. So Governor Wes Moore, who led the ceremony, called it a proud moment for the US, saying, today we celebrate a soldier and a person who earned the title a veteran. Tubman is synonymous with the underground railroad, which she used to escape slavery in her twenties and later led dozens of enslaved people to freedom. But what's less known is her work as a nurse, a spy, and scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. She even led an expedition of more than one hundred and fifty soldiers to plantations in South Carolina, making her the first woman in US history to do so. That mission, by the way, Freedom, estimated seven h hundred and fifty enslaved.
People at the time.
She was given the nickname General Tubman, So this honor is more than deserved and long overdue.
Amen to that all right, Danielle, be ready to pop off. Let's do it. Blake Lee, welcome back to the bright Side.
Thank you for having me. We've missed you and I've missed you guys too. We went in a little you know, European adventure together. I know buch words, but it's good to be back officially in an official capacity.
Yes, and we have so much to talk about. You're such a big deal. You were named one about Magazine's one hundred disruptors.
Oh thank you.
You also are an actor too. You start in a new out TV series called Offshoot. You have a podcast launching next year called Immediately No, which has been a long time in the works.
Yes, it has.
Yes, which one of these means the most to you?
I don't know. It's like picking your favorite child. I mean, I think all of them.
I love being creative in any capacity, whether it's like acting or express seeing myself in like long form conversations like this, or even a little bit of like writing and production and hosting that's coming up.
Like.
I just think being able to express an authentic version of myself through creative outlets, no matter what they may be, is what brings me joy.
Hell Yeah, Blakely, I feel like you work really hard on your content. I can tell how high value it is. You've been kind of like known to do rolling the credits at the end.
Is that what you would call it?
Yes? Roll credit, roll credits? Yes?
How did you think of that? Originally?
It originally came to me because I always like music is a big part of what I do. Like if you look at my stories, it's kind of like an everyday playlist of what's going on in my mood. And I always thought like I'm injecting kind of seven different aspects of culture when I'm talking to be humorous, Like there's little stories that are playing or puns or Easter eggs, And I feel like the credits is a way to punctuate a joke that I say, or also to make it feel like programmatic content, because I feel like everybody when you watch a TV show, when you watch a movie, when the credit sholder're like, okay, the end, it's like period if.
You're in the middle, end exactly.
So I feel like it's a way to like make my stuff feel programmatic in a way that like draws people back for it.
Were you a big TV watcher growing up.
Oh my god, Yes, TGIF, Saturday Morning cartoons, movies that I wasn't supposed to, Nickelodeon, Nicked Night, all the things, like I was probably the only seven year old watching like Dobie Gillis and Patty Duke and like the Dick Van Dyke Show.
So like, well, you know what, I was right there with you.
How about theater No, not even a little bit. I'm not a theater gay.
Wait, so we have to you went to the Wicked premiere, So what do you mean you're not a theater person.
I mean that has been one of the most interesting points of like my friendship with Cynthia Arriva. We are now friends. We've traveled to France together. I've seen a couple of her premieres, and I was just like, it's actually beautiful to be seeing this for the first time through you doing it. I have never heard a note of that musical on purpose. I did not know the plot, so I walked in completely blind seeing it. And I've seen it twice. I've seen it before and after the election. It hits both times. There's nuance and charm. But I can say, as somebody who again is not a musical fan in general, not a theater fan in general. I cried four times at the screening. I cried three times at the premiere. It is just it is guttural, visceral, full of levels, and just like it's a true for quadrant for the whole family with meaning film, like it's one of my top five films of the year. I left Cynthia like a drunken voice note. I was like, you did it, bitch, this is amazing. And then I literally did the same thing. I was like, my apartment did the same thing. For Ariana Grande, I was.
Like, you're a little Lucille ball. You never changed, keep taking risks. And then she responded, which was hilarious.
She's like super sweet, so it was nice when I when I saw her at the premiere, I was like, Hi, I'm Cynthia's insane friend, Like, but you are amazing.
That's funny. Okay, how about the fashion at the premiere?
Ooh, I mean they've all been eating.
And I think because of like my fashion commentary, which started out as satire and has now become kind of a real thing. I know all of their stylists, so like I've talked to Jason Bolton about what Cynthia's doing.
We talked about it in Paris.
I was weirdly at this at the Louis Vauitton show watching her and Jason like clock looks and like that's good for this, this is good for that. To like seeing that in real time was crazy. And then like I talked to Jonathan Bailey's stylist a lot, and that's actually how I ended up meeting him at the premiere.
She was like, oh my god, we love your videos. Jonathan thinks so so funny. Do you want to meet him?
And I was like, uh duh, yes, please like drag me through glass wherever it is. But I think they've been. There's all these little references like the Tom Brown I believe that she wore to the Mexico City premiere with like the hands coming out of it. That was it mirrored the shadow of the original mak and Witch, or like how Jonathan Bailey's La Premieer outfit like mirror Dorothy's red slippers and the tin man and all that. So it was just they're they're giving us levels and I love that the effort is there and I'm loving it.
Who doesn't love a theme? Yea, this is just theme dressing at the past level.
I wanted to ask about this, but now I'm even more curious knowing that you're friends with Cynthia Rivo. She and Ariana Grande are doing tons of press for the movie, and they're crying in almost every interview, and it's become like a thing on the internet.
M M.
What do you think it is about where they are or what happened during filming that they're so like they're They're so open and so cracked open.
It seems.
I think their bond is incredibly special and like intimate, and I think, like to go where they went with these characters, it takes such an innate trust. Like I was so surprised, like the performance is have the actresses have to mirror the bond of these two women in these two characters, and like when Arianna liked the things she does with her physical comedy, I literally was like, girl, you've been waiting to do this since Nickelodeon, and you needed someone who understood you and got you and understood the art and craft of like filmmaking to break you open into a new level. I was like, I didn't know you were a little lucial Ball. I didn't know you. I didn't know that was there because I've known you as a pop star. But I was like, you have your seminal film. You should be free at this age to take all the creative risks you want because you've done the thing.
When you say Lucille Ball, do you mean she's funny?
She's so her physical comedy, the thing she does, and her flourish and physical choices throughout, like like cracking up, cracking up, cracking up like a full audience, like a hair flip, a flopping on a bed in front of a word, like her comedic timing.
It's Oscar worthy.
And you have to have a partner that sits there and understands and can play the straight man and knows she's gonna like blow you away.
With like her eyes or a tear.
And you have to know each other so intensely, and I think the process of filming crack them open to each other because they're demographically so different. Cynthia is like, you know, gonna Egot. She's a theater actress with a capital A like, so respected within the industry, and Ariana comes with like a hardcore day following pop star. You might not know she's even capable of the things she does in this film. And I think in creating this film, they found new parts of themselves and their relationship is so real and I think they're going to be friends for life. And I think when you're reminded of that are doing this with a friend, it kind of makes you cry. So and as someone who's like genuinely allergic to earnestness, like I like feel it with them when it's genuine. So you know, yeah, they're crying, but I mean, like they mean it, I'm here for it, and I'm so here for the tears.
I think. I think celebrity culture in America has become very like stoic and like they don't really a lot of times when you're doing press, you feel like you're speaking to a shell of a human you know, like this artificial front. And what I love about this, Yes, they're crying and practically every interview, but they're releasing it and they're letting it out and they're showing their humanity through it. And I actually think that their ability to conjure up emotion so quickly and so viscerally lends to their abilities as performers too. It allows this like free flow of emotion to come from them. And I saw that when I saw Cynthia Rivo on Broadway in the color Purple, the best performance I've ever seen in live theater. She just completely brought the house down and had everyone emotional. And I just think it's clear that these are two actors who have this ability to be in touch with their emotionality, which I think is really beautiful.
And also like the interviewers are crying too, Like obviously because they're the famous people in it, Like people are cutting those and making memes of those, but like if you're watching it, like the interviewers are, like I saw this film, my daughter cried. Or I saw this film and it made me think about myself. Or I saw the film and I'm neuro divergent and it made me feel seen, And like that's what you do it for. Like I'm getting a little bit emotional thinking about but like that's actually the point of art is to make someone see themselves, to make someone understand or feel less alone in the world, or see some kind of value in their personal journey in a positive way. And this film really does that, like it really, really truly and I'm saying that is again like a cynical bitchy, not musical theater gay. I don't like musical theater energy. I generally don't like musical theater people, but I was just like, this is amazing.
I think you might be becoming a musical theater gay from the likes of this segment. I think you're well on you. You know, we're going to take a quick break from popping off, but we'll be right back and we're back to popping off with Blake Lee Thornton. Okay, next up the topic that we must discuss. People this week announced their Sexiest Man Alive for twenty twenty four. This year, the honor goes to John Krasinski.
Sure, I know.
People have thoughts about this. I'm curious to hear what you think, Blakely. I know that you thought that Glenn Powell was gonna walk home with this.
I did because Glenn Powell is in here to be the next Matthew McConaughey's last Tom Cruise. And this is a part that's a feather in your cap. You need is sexiest Man Alive because they've all done it.
Do you ever think so, though? Does it really matter anymore.
I mean in a true Internet age, no, but like who doesn't want it?
Like who doesn't want that?
And honestly, he dropped those pictures from Vanity Fair, the Hollywood Issue, and I was like, y'all we're talking all that mess about Glenn Pale. Then he freed that nipple and everybody's life was changed in that sea through Gucci shirt. But we're going back to John Krazinski, perfectly affable man. When you say, like f Mary kill, He's always survived with me, but it's always been Mary. So when we're talking sexy, which I think about as sex, he's not top fifty for me. But in a country where I think we were looking for emotional stability, someone who will drive a Volvo Hybrid and have a four oh one K and treat you right and like make breakfast in the morning and like, you know, rub your feet. That's also sexy. It's not the act of sex. So I think I think, like, yes, like, let's not poo poo on John Krazenski. You know, he's not my demo. Other other people I would have picked before I would have picked Pedro Pascal, I would have picked a Jonathan Baile I would have picked a Glen you know, maybe even a Paul Mascal over him. But I get it People Magazine.
I have been so curious about the process behind this decision, like, how does People Magazine select who the sexiest man alive is going to be? Especially with this choice, because I actually I love this choice. I love John Krasinski, but it does feel odd for this year because it's not like he's, you know, particularly in Zeitgeist that much this year. So apparently an editor from People did an interview with USA today and they kind of revealed a little bit of insight into this process for how they select this person. They said that they generally consult the conversation on social media and in comment sections to see who people are talking about. They said that they asked female celebrities for their opinions or their picks, and then they say that they also consult with focus groups. I'm just wondering where John Krasinski was in the comments this year. I don't I don't know that I saw him myself. I don't know if I get it. I'm sorry I made to be rude.
I think he, like you said, sounds like a really great guy.
I mean, I honestly, also think some of the more Zeke Icedy kids turned it down. I think it's a it's a pr thing. Obviously they go out to their probably top choices. I think Glenn and Pedro and Paul might have turned it down, so it's not as cool anymore. And it's like, if you want to be a serious actor, like I don't think Paul and Pedro doing gladiat or two right now. It's like donia to go do people Sexiest Made aliveed? Or do you do that Ladiator too at this point in time? Or you know, I think like Glen pal is out here filming all these things and is like just did Twisters and anyone but you and hit Man? And also it's like how many covers can you be on? Like Glenn's on the cover of the Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue. So it's like, if I'm an actor and I'm picking like long term lasting prestige, I'm gonna pick Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue over People Magazine.
That's a good I hadn't thought about the fact that they somebody could have rejected it or turned it down.
But also if you look at the old covers, because I went back and looked at all of them. The old covers used to just be like a stock photo of the person and then around like maybe twenty ten, eleven twelve, you had to do a photo shoot.
So when you go and look at like people magazine Sexiest Made Alive from like nineteen ninety five.
It's just like a photo of Brad Pitt, or like a photo of George Clooney.
They clearly didn't do a photo shoot for it.
And I think now that there's like a whole shoot an interview involved, they're like, nh, no, thank you.
I don't know if this is like me being the eight year old that always wanted to include everyone at the lunch table. But I don't like Sexiest Man Alive. I think it is like prom King and Queen. I think it's like it feels mean girl and I if we did it to women, if we said like Sexiest Woman Alive, the internet would be a blaze, like that would be terrible. I don't know if we should be doing it to men. I don't think it's cool. Okay, Well, this next story has me thinking red flag, green flag. I want to know which one it is for you guys. The UK publication stylist. They just published a piece about women who get back together with their ex after taking time apart. In one case, the couple was broken up for five years, and the main takeaway from the piece is that there's no like one size fits all rule for getting back together with an ex. But there is a sex and relationships expert doctor Rhiann Kivitz, who says that rekindling an old flame can bring some surprisingly positive lessons. Apparently, exes who reunite tend to level up their communication game and are more tuned into patterns that broke them up in the first place. So what do you think Have you done this before? Have you gotten back together with an X?
Not in any I mean we've had sex, but not any particular official capacity. But I don't think that's impossible. I mean, if you look at like, there's a lot of married couples that broke up a lot a long time along the way, especially if you were together when you were younger, like high school, college, early twenties, I find people often break up and get back together, get married, and it's like good to go. So I don't think there's any rules in romantic relationships. I kind of agree with that. I mean, I mean, I think obviously been in jen are a high level example of it not working.
But I think who has been in gen problems.
Been in gens. There's plenty that do. So I think it's a green flag.
I think I'm with you, Blakely, I see nothing wrong with this. I think it all depends on the context of the relationship. Why you broke up with a toxic relationship, Like if it wasn't then.
They moved to Australia and you're like, I'm not moving to Sydney, Like you know, something happened.
Mature and be in a different life stage, and I think you can totally make it work. I agree, how about you, Daniel.
So I did get back together with an X one time, and I think it's different for everybody. When I did it, I had changed. It had been like a year and a half since we had broken up, and the lens through which I saw him had changed because like I had been through so many experiences. I started going to therapy and so I actually felt like I had outdeveloped him entirely and was uninterested in the relationship in the community style. I remember my therapist at the time saying you should feel so grateful for this opportunity because a lot of people don't get the experience of getting back together with an X and feeling that type of closure. You just are sort of left with the breadcrumbs of the relationship. So I do feel like if you need closure, maybe it's an interesting experiment.
But I don't know. I think sometimes it's do not resuscitate. What would have happened if your ex had also elevated and matured and grown and developed. Like I think it didn't work because it was a lopsided, you know, personal growth situation, But you never know what could have happened if that person.
And men will do anything but go to therapy.
They will go to the gym, they will do a CrossFit training thing, maybe listen to Andrew Tate. They will do anything but just go to a therapist. And like figure, man, go to therapy, go to therapy.
But like I do think you have to figure out why you broke up in the first place, because a lot of times, like the love is still there, the chemistry is still there, the banter is still there, and you're like, oh, wait, we broke up because you wanted kids and I didn't, and that hasn't changed, and that's tough.
Right right. Yeah.
If it's something immovable like that, that's not going to change.
I think if the breakup is circumstantial, like again like yeah, I went to grad school and this just isn't functional, or I live in La New York, or there's some kind of like or like you know, if each one of you values your career and your development in that capacity and you just know by nature of like modern life, if you live in Australia or London or Paris and I live it's eleven hour flight away, this what are we doing? And I think if that is the case, and like that is rectified, then that's cool. But I think if it is I just don't like you or your toxic or we fundamentally want different things and that doesn't change, then it's hard. So I feel like if it's circumstance or distance that we can change, then that's good.
If it's them, Nellie and Ashanti are going strong.
They just had a baby.
I know, I love that for them.
Shout out to Jalo again.
It's time for another short break, but we'll be right back with Blakelee Thornton and we're back with Blakelee Thornton.
All right, we're gonna pivot and talk about a new trend that is kind of taking social media by storm. Celebrity lookalike competitions. So we had a Timothy Challamet celebrity lookalike competition in New York City a few weeks ago because it was so We've seen a Paul Meskell competition in Dublin, Harry Styles in London, and Dev Patel in San Francisco. What is happening? I mean, I'm so curious about where this came from. There are a few theories about this. One is they're organized by talent agencies as a way to promote the individual stars and their projects. And Timothy actually showed up to his lookalike petition, so I don't know, and it didn't win, right, which is so funny? Okay, theory number two maybe this is just you know, a bit of fun. People are having fun and it's happening organically. Or number three, is this an anti AI protest? You know, since deep fakes are on the rise, is this a way for humans to fight back?
Who said that? I don't think it is number three? People that's smart. We are not an organized people, I think.
I think it's partially I think the timote was like, he is just the Internet's boyfriend right now. He's king of the Internet boyfriend, so that one makes sense. And I think it's probably a combination of other people's fans, because I think like the Harry's and the Paul's having tense fans like that too. I think it's just an Internet boyfriend thing. Really, It's like you can look like the Internet's baby girl right now. Like I wouldn't be surprised if like the boys from like you know what's it called Menindez had Well, like Nicholas Alexander Chabe, they're so.
Cute, Danielle, which theory are you glomming onto?
I don't understand this story even know what I'm using. I just feel like people have been trying to look like celebrities since the beginning of time, and there's really only like six types or archetypes of people in the world.
We all sort of resemble one another.
And the Internet boyfriend is right now like these are like, honestly, I love I call it like I don't know, Caucasian cultural blind spots, because these are all the same. Man in Mike like Harry Styles, Paul Mescal, Timothy Challame Like, I'm not care notit dev I would go to a Depatel lookalike contest, that's cool. But the rest of them, it's internet boyfriend and seventy five percent of them, I don't care. If you put all those groups together, they would meld into one AI like Netflix Star.
So it's fine, right.
Paul Mescal's last name is so confusing to me because I immediately think Mexico. I think Mescal, but it's not. He's Irish.
He's also younger than Timothy Shallomey. Oh yeah, he does not read younger at all.
I am here for these celebrity lookike competitions. I think we need more joy, more laughter. This is just like silliness. It's fun, like let's embrace.
People got arrested at the Timothy one that they called it a riot, So I feel like, this is why we can't have nice things. The police will show up, you will get it, you will have a felony charge.
Wait, who's your celebrity doppelganger?
Mine, I don't think I have one.
I'd rather I think I'll just I'd rather just become famous and have people copy me. Oh my god, that's the goal right now, that's the next goal, to have a Blakelee Thorne lookalike contest.
Wait, I'm asking chat GPT who your celebrity look alike is.
Oh my, it's gonna be It's gonna be so disrespectful.
How is chat GBT gonna know they have a picture?
Now that's oh, I don't like that. We're making terminators. We're out here making terminators.
Don't give it his picture because then it's gonna happens. I'm not going to give it the wow what is it saying?
Chat GPT says you're a prominent figure in the fashion and entertainment industry and has not publicly identified a specific celebrity look alike. While fans and followers often draw comparison between figures, Blake Lee Thornton is one of one.
Look at that scene. I broke.
I broke chat GPT and this this was the small amount of joy I needed.
You are on chatptable.
I broke chat GPT. It will soon steal my soul though.
We will be on the lookout for your celebrity look like.
Coming in twenty twenty five.
That'll be a whole episode of immediately no, and if you don't look like me, I'll just say immediately no.
Can you do? Can you do an episode of Immediately Know where it is a Blakely lookalike content? You just have them on his guest Okay, great, yeah, perfect sign Well, Blakely, thanks so much for joining us today.
Thank you for having me immediately immediately now.
Blakelee Thornton is an Internet personality and pop culture anthropologist. You can watch him in the new out TV series called Offshoot. That's it.
For today's show on myny we're learning how to stay organized during the holidays with the founders of the Home Edit, Cleia Shearer and Joanna Teplin.
Listen and follow The bright Side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The bright Side is a production of Hello, Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts and is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Production by Arcana Audio. Our producers are Jessica Wank, Krista Ripple, and Amy Padula. Our senior producer is it'si Kintania, and our engineer is PJ. Shahamat.
Arcana's executive producers are Francis Harlowe and Abby Ruzika Arcana's head of production is Matt Schultz.
Natalie Tulluck and Maureen Polo are the executive producers for Hello Sunshine.
Julia Weaver is the supervising producer, and Ali Perry is the executive producer for iHeart Podcasts. Tim Palazzola is our showrunner. This week's episodes were recorded by Graham Gibson and Joel Morales.
Our theme song is by Anna Stump and Hamilton Lighthouser.
Special thanks to Connell Burn and Will Pearson.
I'm Simone Boyce. You can find me at Simone Boice on Instagram and TikTok.
And I'm Danielle Robe on Instagram and TikTok. That's r O B A Y.
We'll see you Monday, y'all. Keep looking on the bright side.