Where has the time gone?
We are already more than halfway through 2021, and I promise you I am still processing 2020.
Some parts of the country are struggling with heat, some with rain, others with cicadas. Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State is still measuring snowfall.
No matter what is going on outside your window, I’ve got some content for you to enjoy inside.
Three things to watch
‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ series finale
Speaking of time flying by, it seems like just yesterday we were peeking into the living room of the Kardashian-Jenner household and watching the youngest kids, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, grow up.
More from Pop Life Chronicles
Arguably no one has done more for the reality TV game than the Kardashian-Jenner clan, and on Thursday we bid the wildly popular E! series farewell after 20 seasons.
Sure, the family now has a deal with Hulu, but will the new project have the same magic that was Kim’s crying face and the sisters talking smack over salads? We shall see.
If you miss the original airing, the show is streaming on Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV and YouTube TV.
‘Loki’
Get ready for a lot of mischief.
The God of Mischief, that is. Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Loki” is getting the TV treatment on Disney+.
Played to the hilt by Tom Hiddleston, Loki is trying to stay at least one step ahead of a time cop named Mobius, played by Owen Wilson.
Disney+ has had great success with Marvel projects, including “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” There is no reason to believe lightning won’t strike again.
“Loki” is streaming now.
‘In the Heights’
Nothing beats summertime in New York City. I suspect Lin-Manuel Miranda feels the same way.
His popular Broadway musical “In the Heights,” set in the largely Dominican neighborhood of New York City’s Washington Heights, has been adapted for the big screen.
“Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu helms the movie version. It’s one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year for those who have followed every step – the casting, the pandemic-related delays and now the final countdown to its release.
The story about a bodega owner who hopes for a better life hits theaters and HBO Max (which is owned by CNN’s parent company) on Thursday.
Two things to listen to
I’ve missed Adam Levine on “The Voice,” so it’s good to see he has been working hard on music.
His band, Maroon 5, has a new album coming out and a tour to accompany it.
“Jordi” is chock-full of star guest appearances, including Stevie Nicks, H.E.R., YG and the late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The album drops Friday.
Offset, a member of the rap trio Migos, is convinced that their latest project is fire.
“We got creative with our flows, so we could stamp another (movement),” the man also known as Cardi B’s husband told Billboard about the new album titled “Culture III.” “We feel like we gonna lead the pack with this album.”
“Culture III,” which comes after a few years of members Offset, Quavo and Takeoff pursuing solo projects, is out Friday.
One thing to talk about
Of course, Gwyneth Paltrow is a cool mom.
The mother of a 17-year-old daughter, Apple Martin, and 15-year-old son, Moses Martin, recently modeled earrings for her brand Goop.
“Every year on Apple’s birthday, we get a new piercing – it’s this little tradition we have,” a caption of the photo stated. “She was a big inspiration for this collection and helped me refine the designs. She’ll definitely be ‘borrowing’ her namesake earrings.”
Annual piercings and naming jewelry after your daughter? You win, Paltrow.
Something to sip on
Chris Harrison has learned the hard way that talking about race can be tough.
The “Bachelor” franchise host sounded like he believed he would return to work after some time off following remarks he made that were deemed racially insensitive by some.
But it was confirmed to CNN Tuesday that Harrison is officially out after serving as a host for “The Bachelor” and its successful spinoffs since 2002.
Harrison announced back in February that he was “stepping aside” from the show following an interview in which he defended Rachael Kirkconnell, a “Bachelor” contestant who was photographed at an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018.
Issues of race and racism are rarely – no pun intended – black and white. But the “Bachelor” franchise has some evolving to do to earn its roses.