February 2025

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds recently made their first public appearance of the year at SNL 50. This also marked their first public appearance since Lively’s complaint and lawsuit filing against Justin Baldoni, her ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star, director and producer, as well as since Baldoni filed a countersuit against and Reynolds for a whopping $400 million. Justin Baldoni has been trying to clear his name since the accusations, all while Blake Lively is continuing to make accusations against him and editing out her evidence while she’s at it. And Ryan Reynolds – he’s just making jokes about the matter. Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024 and accused him of a toxic work environment, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. Baldoni filed countersuits against Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times. The thing about Lively is that she’s the type of woman who always wants to be in control. She always needs to be right. She always needs to maintain her ‘perfection’. She always needs to look good. And she needs to have everyone around her on HER side. Baldoni never had a history in his entire career of anyone complaining about his work ethic and professionalism. In fact, the opposite. All of his co-workers, peers and employees have done nothing but praise him. Lively, on the other hand, has been questioned time of her work ethic and professionalism in her entire 20-year career. We’re only now just seeing because of what we’ve witnessed throughout the ‘It Ends With Us’ saga. And yet, Lively has the upper hand in the case. She has powerful people around her. She has more connections. She has more reasons for people to want to be on her side as it would benefit their own businesses. Up until this very point, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were considered to be ‘The Golden Couple’. The public couldn’t get enough of them. They were dreamy. They were fun. Here, we analyze Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ genius marketing strategy that they utilized in the past decade that helped them become a massive success beyond their work as actors. More so, we break down their entire business plan, explore the tactics used for ‘It Ends With Us’, and explain how this strategy is now hurting their reputation and ongoing legal battle against Baldoni.

It was recently reported that Korean actress Kim Sae-ron passed away due to suicide. She was found deceased by her friend, who had plans to see her that day, on February 16. She was only 24 at the time of her death. And yet, the Korean community felt that they’d known her forever. After all, she’d been in the entertainment industry since she was 9 years old. Her first role was an orphan called Jinhee in the 2009 drama, ‘A Brand New Life’, which earned her international acclaim. She followed it up with another memorable performance in the action-thriller, ‘The Man from Nowhere’, which cemented her as a rising star. Some of her other memorable roles include ‘The Neighbor’ (2012), ‘A Girl at My Door’ (2014), as well as the drama series ‘Mirror of the Witch’, which first aired for 20 episodes starting in 2016. Sae-ron then stepped away from her acting career after she was caught driving under the influence of alcohol in May 2022. The once popular star crashed her car into a guardrail, trees and a transformer during the incident in southern Seoul, which caused a temporary power outage in the area. She was fined a sum equaling about $15,000 for the incident in April 2023. Simultaneously, Sae-ron attempted to resume her career and return to the limelight by starring in a play, ‘Dongchimi’, but after she was met with backlash, she dropped out of the project due to health issues. Her hiatus finally came to an end in 2023 with Netflix’s series, ‘Bloodhounds’. However, much of her screen time was edited out in the wake of her accident, as well as the surrounding controversy. More Korean public figures ended their lives in recent years, such as Jonghyun, Sulli and Goo Hara. as well as Moonbin and Lee Sun-kyun, These suicides that we’ve seen in recent years in Korea are not isolated incidents, Here, we break down Kim Sae-Ron’s entire career, beginning at the age of 9 up to her death, we explore reasons for her downfall following her DUI arrest that led to her untimely death, we analyze more celebrity death in the K-Pop world, and we compare the harsh world of South Korean’s entertainment industry to the lesser public scrutiny celebrities face at the hands of Hollywood. Let’s discuss…

Earlier this month, Renée Zellweger graced us all with the fourth and final (hopefully) instalment of ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’, a movie franchise based on the book series by Helen Fielding. The first book, and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Since Zellweger was cast to play Bridget in the first film adaptation in 2001, the actress has since become the global face that everyone associates with the character. The actress took the role very seriously. She gained 30 pounds to play the role of Bridget in 2001’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’. The first ‘Bridget Jones’ film was a cult classic, but let’s just get one thing clear: Bridget Jones wasn’t fat. She was just a normal size that was scrutinized by society’s standards of what a woman should look like, especially during the time when the movie was made. Richard Curtis, who directed the films, has said that he was “stupid and wrong” to use fat jokes about Bridget. The films were criticized for perpetuating unhealthy diet culture and the idea that thinness is the only ideal. Some say that the portrayal of Bridget’s weight obsession was harmful and internalized by many young women. The entire premise of the first film was that Bridget was self-conscious and insecure about her weight, and labeled herself as unworthy of men because of it. She suddenly caught the attention of her boss, Daniel Cleaver. But then he cheated on her with a woman who was younger and thinner than the very lovable and kind Bridget. And then came Mark Darcy, the man she’d known since they were kids and never had anything kind to say to her nor about her. Suddenly, out of the blue, he told her that he liked her, just as she was. They embarked on a years long on-and-off romance. Here, we discuss why their romance wasn’t actually as glamorous as it seemed. In fact, we’re here to compare Bridget’s romance with Mark to that of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big. We’re also here to explore Bridget’s entire character arc throughout the movie franchise, compare it to Carrie Bradshaw’s, and explain why stories like Bridget Jones’ and Carrie Bradshaw’s NEED to be told. Let’s discuss…

‘Cheers to the end of my desperate-to-be-married single woman phase!’ – exactly what Charlotte York would say when she finally met the man of her dreams – Trey MacDougal, the heart surgeon who had everything she ever wanted in a husband: the looks, the job, the money. In Trey, she finally found her ‘Prince Charming’. The couple got engaged within a month of meeting each other, and married by season’s end. Charlotte did everything that was expected of her by societal pressures of what it meant to be a woman and a wife, especially by such high class. Soon after, however, Charlotte realized that the life she’d always dreamed of and the life she’d always envisioned for herself wasn’t actually the life she wanted. Charlotte was so focused on finding ‘The One’ that she forgot about what actually mattered, which was the actual marriage and building a life with the person she loved. Her marriage to Trey seemed to be a matter of convenience. She was a woman in her 30’s and her clock was ticking. That being said, the process of having a child became an obsession for Charlotte in her marriage, and she was more focused on having a baby with Trey than making the marriage work. Trey was a heart surgeon in his 40’s who wanted to get married because it was what was expected of him by societal norms. Nevertheless, they truly tried to make it work; especially Charlotte. The thing about Trey is that he really wasn’t a bad guy. He just wasn’t right for Charlotte. Here, we talk about how her marriage to Trey MacDougal, and how it led Charlotte to the life she didn’t necessarily want, but certainly deserved; the life we see her now live with Harry, her divorce lawyer, and their two children. We break down Charlotte’s entire relationship with Trey, explore what and who led to their divorce, and explain why this marriage was actually exactly what she needed. We then try to figure out whether us, modern women, can learn anything from Charlotte’s marriage to Trey. For context, it’s to never force anything and always keep an open mind. Let’s discuss…

Earlier this year, Jessica Alba announced that she was separating from her husband of 16 years, Cash Warren, an American film producer and assistant to ‘Fantastic Four’ and ‘Taxi’ director, Tim Story. He’s also the son of Michael Warren, a retired actor and former college basketball player. The former couple were together for 20 years and had 3 children. After news broke that the two were headed for a divorce, Alba released the following statement on her Instagram, ‘I’ve been on a journey of self realization and transformation for years – both as an individual and in partnership with Cash. I’m proud of how we’ve grown as a couple and in our marriage over the last 20 years and it’s now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals. We are moving forward with love and kindness and respect for each other and will forever be family. Our children remain our highest priority and we request privacy at this time.’ To some, their break up was a surprise. But, in actuality, their relationship was doomed from the very start, and it’s very surprising that they lasted this long to begin with. In hindsight, their marriage is very similar to that of Miranda and Steve from the ‘Sex And The City’ franchise. Here, we analyze Jessica Alba’s marriage to Cash Warren, and compare it to that of Steve and Miranda, as well as contrast it to the likes of Carrie and Mr. Big and Samantha and Smith. We explore their relationship from beginning to end, break down their respective careers, and explain why they were doomed from the start – just like Miranda and Steve. And you’re probably wondering what Miranda and Steve have anything to do with Jessica Alba and Cash Warren. Actually, a lot. They’re practically the same couple, and they didn’t work out for exactly the same reasons. If there’s anything we can learn from the ‘Sex And The City’ franchise, it’s that there’s absolutely no such thing as a happy ending. Let’s discuss…

Natasha Naginsky was a recurring character on ‘Sex And The City’, played by Bridget Moynahan. Natasha was very much hated when her storyline first unfolded as she was the main antagonist in Carrie’s love story with Mr. Big, who married Natasha after a 5 month courtship even though he was adamant with Carrie that he was afraid of committing to anyone. In a recent interview with Swoon, Moynahan reflected on her Character arc on ‘Sex And The City’. She said, ‘Over the years, people have found when they first saw it, they were hating on Natasha. But as they grew up, they’re like, ‘We were all Carrie at the time, but we should have been supporting Natasha.’ That’s just interesting that fans grew with the show and matured with the show,” Moynahan continued. “I think that’s what’s kind of so great about the show coming back in a new form is that they’ve matured, and now you have a whole new set of fans coming up, and it’s just nice to see how it keeps growing.’ As viewers, we were meant to believe that Natasha was the villain. Mainly, it was because the story was told through Carrie’s point of view, and that was problematic in itself. Natasha was portrayed as a young, seemingly perfect woman who quickly married Mr. Big, a character many fans were rooting for Carrie to end up with. Natasha was an undeniable class act, and she had far more maturity, emotional intelligence, and confidence in herself at 25 than Carrie ever did at 35. Carrie knew next to absolutely nothing about Natasha except for the fact that Mr. Big married her when adamantly told Carrie he was afraid of commitment. And yet, she referred to Natasha as the ‘idiot stick figure with no soul.’ As soon as she saw Mr. Big with the much younger Natasha after he’d left her for Paris, Carrie’s view of herself was lowered, and she took it out on Natasha, when in actuality, it was Mr. Big who was to blame for all of this; NOT Natasha. She was merely a bystander. Here, we break down Natasha’s entire character arc from beginning to end, explore the drastic differences between her and Carrie, and thoroughly explain why Mr. Big chose Natasha over Carrie. Let’s discuss…

Gal Gadot got her start in the entertainment industry when Vin Diesel hired her to star in the fourth instalment of ‘Fast & Furious’. Diesel initially hired her to play the role of Gisele for the reason that she served in the Israeli army. Since then, Gadot’s most notable one, though was Wonder Woman in ‘Justice League’, as well as her own two movies, which co-starred Chris Pine. While making ‘Justice League, Gadot had to endure working for Joss Whedon, the now disgraced writing genius who apparently hates women and all other minority groups. Gadot will also star in the newest adaptation of ‘Snow White’, which will also star Rachel Zegler in the title role. The movie will be released next month. When the trailer for the movie was first posted on social media, users were very divided, and so were the two actresses. And no, I’m not speaking on being divided on whether the movie will be a success or not. I’m talking about the war that is happening and the Israel-Hamas conflict that’s happening right now. Gadot is, of course, supporting Israel, and is very vocal of her support for her country; for our country. She previously wrote on Instagram, ‘My heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people. This is a vicious cycle that has been going on far too long. Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation. Our neighbours deserve the same. I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so that we could live side by side in peace. I pray for better days.’ Gadot was one of the 700 entertainment leaders who wrote an open letter in support of Israel. Rachel Zegler, her co-star in ‘Snow White’ on the other hand, added a #FreePalestine tag in her promotion of the trailer, which had 4.7 million views. Here, we speak of rhetorical two actresses’ differences in their political views in the Israel-Hamas conflict that is happening right now. We thoroughly explain the conflict, from the very beginning to now, and explore whether success or failures in work is inevitable when two coworkers have two conflicting views in politics. Let’s discuss…

Lady Gaga is a singer and actress. She got her start in the music and entertainment industry in 2007. She’s known for hits like ‘Poker Face’, ‘Born This Way’, and ‘Bad Romance’. The public knew Gaga fiercely for her crazy outfits and her party vibe songs. She completely transformed herself with her fifth studio album, 2016’s ‘Joanne’, which was a tribute to her aunt, who passed away in 1974 due to lupus complications that occurred after a sexual assault. Of that era, Gaga said in her Five Foot Two Netflix documentary, ‘‘I never felt comfortable enough to sing and just be this way, now. To just sing, wear my hair back. I never felt pretty enough or smart enough or a good enough musician. That’s the good part. The good part is that I just didn’t feel good enough, and I do now. I know I deserve — of all the things I deserve, that is where I know I’m worth something so I have to stay there. I can see now. I don’t need to have a million wigs on and all that shit to make a statement.’ It marked a period in her career where we said goodbye to the Lady Gaga we used to know and were introduced to Stefani Germanotta, the woman behind the mask. The world wasn’t ready for it to happen, though, and the album failed. Some have said the album was difficult to place in a specific context, and that it didn’t have enough of a hook to be a party album or background music. There was one person in the entire world who took notice of her, and that was Bradley Cooper. He cast her as Ally in 2018’s ‘A Star Is Born’ after seeing her perform Édith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ at a cancer benefit in 2016 and being blown away by her talent. Gaga made history by becoming the first person to have won an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA and Golden Globe within a single year. Here, we break down Gaga’s previously failed studio album, ‘Joanne’, we challenge its failure and explain why it was actually her best album, and we explore reasons why it’s actually important for women to fail at least once in their careers – in Gaga’s own artistry. Let’s discuss…

Martha Stewart is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a homemade cooking and business guru. She’s broken barriers and paved the way for women everywhere. R.J Cutler, the man behind Stewart’s new Netflix documentary, ‘Martha’, called her an ‘incredibly interesting human being who is complicated and visionary and brilliant.’ From the very beginning, she knew what she wanted and knew exactly what to do in order to get to where she wanted. Her love for homemade cooking came from her father, when he made her and her siblings garden in order to save up on their spendings. Of her siblings, she was the only one who actually enjoyed the process. Her brother Eric said of the experience, ‘He stood over you like a sergeant. To this day, I despise gardening.’ Stewart, unlike her siblings, took that experience with a grain of salt and learned from it. She also learned a lot by witnessing her father fail as a businessman. As she said of her father, ‘My father was the handsomest father. He loved me. And it was very obvious to everybody that I was his favorite. He thought I was more like him than the other children. He got the job done that he was set out to do. Not his work work. He was a failure in work. He could’ve done pretty much anything he wanted to do and he was stuck in a salesman job. He sometimes started the day off with a large glass of coffee and red wine. So is that an alcoholic? Maybe. But he never looked like a drunk. He never stumbled around and threw things and broke things. That wasn’t my father. But he was a dissatisfied, unhappy human being.’ The most telling quote of hers, though, was, ‘Andy was so nice. Not at all like my father.’ Andy was her husband, Andrew Stewart, to whom she was married for 29 years before he cheated on her with her assistant. Her father forbade her from marrying him after he found out that Andrew was Jewish. He even slapped her, but she didn’t care. She married him anyway. This was a true testament to the type of woman Martha Stewart is – she knows exactly what women need and she doesn’t take no for answer, particularly with men. It was clear night and day right from the beginning; even before she started her empire. The fact that she went against her own father in marrying her husband marked a vital pointer in her fighting society’s norms. This is exactly why she’s a pioneer in the business. Here, we break down Stewart’s entire career from the very beginning, explore the effects of men in career, and explain her secrets to making a name for herself at such a fast-paced changing world. Let’s discuss…