"A carnival of comforts and a circus of the senses...."
Drake, Snoop, NPH, Shonda, The Rock and more get their hustle on.
Drake releasing a book of poetry--sorry, "a book of lyrics, poems and one-liners"--seems less like a celebrity side hustle than an inevitable brand extension and a provocation. And describing it as his first book of poetry feels like a threat/promise.
[Titles Ruin Everything: A stream of consciousness by Aubrey Graham and Kenza Samir | Phaidon]
Yesterday I didn’t know who Hayley Kiyoko was, but I love the idea of a pop singer adapting one of her songs into a novel almost as much as learning her nickname is Lesbian Jesus.
[Hayley Kiyoko on Dodging Drag Bans and Writing Her First Novel | Vulture]
Does Robert Downey Jr. really have a thing for “updating his classic cars to bring them into the future” or is this just another post-merger Max Original fever dream no one quite asked for?
I’m on Circadium’s (my local circus school) mailing list. Don’t @ me, I know I’m twee. That’s how I found out that Neil Patrick Harris has a weekly lifestyle newsletter called Wondercade, apparently designed as “a carnival of comforts and a circus of the senses.” Yes, it featured Circadium’s juggling instructor, but also Neil’s Deals, Neil’s favorite gardening products, his husband’s fish in parchment recipe, an interview with his mom, a crash course in art collecting, and so much more. I like NPH, but I passed out from the artisanal sugar rush of it all. So you’ll have to climb into Neil’s clown car if you want more.
[Neil Patrick Harris Presents Wondercade]
One of my favorite food writers, Alicia Kennedy, launched an elegant and thoughtful limited edition jewelry line collab with by ren this year and I am charmed. More of this and less of, say, Keven Hart tickling Capital One's cash sacks.
[by ren X Alicia Kennedy Capsule Collection | byrenjewelry.com]
It's probably too soon for you to be thinking about Halloween, but don't worry. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are all over it. Westbrook, their Los Angeles-based entertainment and media company, announced a partnership with Pinterest “to create branded content for Halloween and the winter holiday season.” And while I have zero interest in a Will or Jada Halloween mood board, I would trip over my Doc Martens to see what their offspring, those wonderfully weird little afro futurist baby goths Jaden and Willow, get up to on the spookiest day of the year.
[Westbrook and Pinterest Partner to Launch Innovative Branded Content Series | PR Newswire]
Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Cordozar Broadus Jr. has added to his Dead Sea Scrolls-length roster of brand partnerships by teaming up with Petco, which announced recently that it "has teamed up with hip-hop legend and devoted pet parent Snoop Dogg for a new advertising campaign that spotlights the value Petco offers when it comes to caring for pets' whole health." Starting in August 2023, Petco shoppers will also be able to purchase select items from Snoop's pet wear brand, which includes pajamas, sports jerseys, leashes, and plush toys. And I'm calling it: None of this will help Petco reverse its declining market share or catch up to its nemesis, Chewy.
[Petco Partners with Snoop Dogg to Sniff Out 'Better Quality Pet Care for Less Human Money' | PR Newswire]
Republic of Tea used to have my family in a chokehold, which makes complete sense if you grew up in an America whose primary tea choices were Lipton, Tetley, Snapple, and :::shudders::: Arizona. We’ve moved on to bigger, bolder, and looser tea things. But I’m not going to lie—the shameless Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story-inspired tea collab—OK, Shonda!—made us swivel. :::sips Young Lady Danbury Topaz Citrus Herbal Tea with an upraised pinky finger:::
[Queen Charlotte Teas | The Republic of Tea]
Why is alcohol such a go-to side hustle for celebs? 'Cause "liquor is quicker" when it comes to turning a profit. And Teremana Tequila, the American oak barrel-aged tequila brand Johnson launched in 2020, just as the pandemic was unleashed upon us all, is, according to Forbes, the fastest growing tequila of all time, selling one million cases a year. It’s giving soulless press release, but Young Rock never saw this coming and neither did I.
[Dwayne Johnson Talks About Launching Teremana, The Fastest-Growing Tequila Of All Time | Forbes]
Instagram’s #AlGoreRhythm correctly assumed that I would pump the brakes if I heard comedy legend Steven Wright’s distinctive deadpan, and that’s how I learned he’s written and narrated “a uniquely humorous and deeply profound novel” called Harold. Fine. TakeMyMoney.GIF
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