'The Facts of Life' Drama + Gillian Anderson's Thong

Hello, WNVM’ers!

This week, half of our staff (Fawnia) is on vacation, so we decided to do an abbreviated issue and just focus on some pertinent news links and recent stories we’re reading, with a bit of extended commentary. If you’re a newer subscriber, welcome! We really appreciate everyone who opens and reads these emails. There is just too much internet these days, and we are so grateful for a few moments of your attention.

If you’re looking to catch up on some of our older issues, we love this one about ‘90s designer fashion plus a 50 year body splash history and also our very first post, featuring all the The Fall Guy ‘80s Easter eggs and an interview with a 23-year-old who dresses and lives like it’s 1985.

Now let’s dive into the very WNVM-specific newsy items from the last week.

Gillian Anderson in the ‘90s. Photo: Instagram screenshot @gilliana

YOU OUGHTA KNOW

• This past week, Mindy Cohn, aka Natalie from “The Facts of Life,” went on a podcast and basically set the Gen X internet ablaze with a comment about the “greedy bitch” former cast mate who tanked a potential revival of the show in 2020. Apparently the talks went as far as a zoom call with original producer Norman Lear and even hiring a writer, but then, according to Cohn, one of them “…tried to make a separate deal for a spinoff just for herself and devastated the rest of us.” She would not name names, but said that there were clues in her Instagram. A quick visit to Reddit reveals that people think it might be Lisa Whelchel (Blair) because she isn’t in any recent photos. Listen, a “Facts of Life” sequel would have been a welcome antidote to the “Sex and the City” reboot, “And Just Like That.” (Which we hate-watch nonetheless.) We want to see Tootie and Jo deal with menopause! [various sources]

• This round-up of vintage Olympics merch that you can actually buy is fantastic. The Montreal 1976 beaver motif is perfect, as is the Lillehammer 1994 ring graphic. [Best Friends]

• Speaking of the Olympics, there have been a few great moments involving Gen X pop culture figures so far. First, of course, was Celine Dion’s moving rendition of Edith Piaf's "Hymne à l'amour," in her first live performance since she announced she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. Next, Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav signed a 5-year contract to be a sponsor for the USA women’s water polo team. This includes giving a monetary donation and acting as a hype man; he even got Virgin Voyages to donate a seven-night cruise to the team. Watching him in the aquatic center wearing a water polo cap and themed signature clock has been delightful. [various sources]

• Gillian Anderson follows up last week’s incredible ‘90s red carpet round-up with an explanation of how she ended up in the whale-tail thong dress, which includes a detailed accounting of the state of her pubic hair at the time. Then she took to Twitter to ask the hive mind to find the picture of a bro wearing a t-shirt of her in the dress. They obliged. (This whole saga has unearthed a lot of batshit photo shoots that David Duchovny and Anderson did in the ‘90s, so perhaps we will explore the “X-Files” era in future issues. Also, this new New Yorker article helps to explain the Gillianaissance.) [Twitter/X]

  

  Photo: Twitter/X

• This week there are two pieces of (WNVM-beloved) Keanu Reeves news. The British Film Institute is hosting a season called “Art of Action,” which will feature a theatrical re-release of 1991’s Point Break in UK theaters. Then, Reeves appeared at Comic Con this past weekend, where he is promoting BRZRKR, his comic book series. (Did we know he did a comic book??) It’s being adapted into a novel and a Netflix anime series and film. But most importantly? He thanked his mom and people loved it. [Variety; The Hollywood Reporter]

• A four-part docuseries, After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, debuts on Hulu on August 28. It features an interview with Pamela Anderson and other cast members. One concerning omission in the write-up of the project: there is no mention of The Hoff appearing at all. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey gets a “revival” every year or so these days. This month, a writer opines: “Black Honey was the first millennial product to be truly fetishized.” (We would argue that Gen X fetishized it first, but it’s OK for everyone to claim it.) She traces the latest interest in the lippie to TikToks going back a year or so that have alleged Liv Tyler wore the shade in The Lord of the Rings films. Clinique recently announced new limited edition products of the shade, including mascara and a lip and cheek oil. Black Honey may not be able to carry the entire brand, though. Puck recently reported that Clinique’s makeup would be leaving Sephora. [Airmail]

• Francine Pascal, the author of the Sweet Valley High book series, died at age 92. Pascal apparently first tried to pitch a “‘Dallas’ for teens,” but the networks didn’t bite. Instead she turned the idea into her beloved series, whose twin protagonists were inspired by some real-life twins she knew. The first book came out in 1983, and the rest is history. (Cheryl doesn’t really have a personal connection to the books because she was inappropriately reading Stephen King and VC Andrews at the time. Fawnia, however, collected every installment chronicling the trials and tribulations of the Wakefield twins, like Elizabeth’s post-motorcycle accident personality switch.) [Entertainment Weekly]

• One year after her tragic loss, Sinéad' O’Connor’s cause of death was revealed to be an “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection.” We highly recommend listening to her memoir, read in her own beautiful voice. [People]

• One of the more heartwarming figures this Olympics has brought us is Team USA’s “Pommel Horse Guy.” Stephen Nedoroscik captivated social media with his on-camera napping, his Clark Kent-ian glasses, and, ultimately, his medal-winning performance on his specialty apparatus. He also loves to solve Rubik’s Cubes. Perhaps his next competition can be with Cubing USA, our country’s top “speedcubing” organization.[Twitter/X]

• Apparently, a St. Elmo’s Fire sequel is in “very, very, very, very, very early stages,” according to Rob Lowe, who played the proto-Van Wilder saxophonist Billy Hicks. It seems the discourse around Andrew McCarthy’s divisive Hulu documentary Brats has kick-started calls for a follow-up, in which we’re guessing Demi Moore’s Jules followed the same career and personal trajectory of Demi Moore, and Judd Nelson’s Alec is a major Republican party donor/fixer. Burning question: How does McCarthy feel about this?! [ET online]