Entertainment

“Choosin’ Texas”

There’s a temptation, in America’s coastal liberal enclaves and especially among our self-styled aesthetes, to separate our culture from their culture. Currently it’s popular to call these silos “America A” and “America B,” but the labels are really just a fresh coat of memetic paint. See: “flyover country,” “the bubble,” “‘real’ America.” The latter was a running gag on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, where Alec Baldwin’s Reaganite GE exec insisted that Tina Fey’s brand of feminist sketch comedy was fundamentally incompatible with the middle-American mind. You people still buy CDs?! Well, The Joe Rogan Experience is the country’s most popular podcast, Donald J. Trump is a two-term president, and a little ditty called “Choosin’ Texas” is on track to become the longest-running No. 1 hit in U.S. chart history. Maybe it’s America B all the way down.
Our new monocultural attaché is the 27-year-old Ella Langley. Raised Southern Baptist in rural Alabama, Langley grew up singing hymns around the piano at family reunions. She was already six years into her Nashville career when she put out “Choosin’ Texas” last October, as the lead single from her second album, Dandelion. Langley wrote and produced “Choosin’ Texas” alongside a crack team including Miranda Lambert, the rare country musician whose acclaim beyond Music City equals, if not exceeds, her respect within it. The song’s ascent commenced in earnest when Lane Gorrell, an Oklahoman farm-fluencer of sorts, posted a TikTok dancing to it in front of some cows. His moves are earnest, unselfconscious; the horizon is a straight line; the sky is impossibly blue, a shade of azure that seems to emanate from “Choosin’ Texas” itself.
Though Lambert’s signature is unmistakable, “Choosin’ Texas” does not sound like a Miranda Lambert song. It goes down totally smooth, with nary a speck of the vinyl crackle that coated Lambert’s 2016 breakup opus, The Weight of These Wings. Langley is also singing about a breakup, but all the sharp feelings—spite, rage, jealousy—have been sanded down, leaving behind a glancing wistfulness. The language of craftsmanship feels appropriate to discuss country music and “Choosin’ Texas” specifically. In every filigreed Stratocaster lick, I hear the product of an industry that is dedicated to producing hits, yes, but hits that last. They last because they have to—they’re expected to live in car stereo systems for months, if not years, without losing their luster. Even by those rigorous standards of quality control, “Choosin’ Texas” is a rare jewel, a family heirloom in the making.
Chalk that up, in part, to how out-of-time it sounds. The sole means of carbon-dating “Choosin’ Texas” is by the veritable crate of dusty country 45s Langley packs into its lyrics: Jerry Reed’s “Eastbound and Down” (1977), Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain” (1980), and George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” (1982). She’s a traditionalist consciously situating herself within a tradition; Dandelion opens with a rendition of “Frog Went a-Courtin,” an English folksong that dates back to the 1500s, and features a rollicking cover of Kitty Wells’ 1952 country No. 1 (the first by a female solo artist) “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” The plot of “Choosin’ Texas” follows the broad strokes of Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, with some genders and geography swapped. Who was it who said there are only seven stories in the whole world? “Choosin’ Texas” chooses one, tells it new, tells it well.
Of the 48 weeks since its release, “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 22 atop the Billboard Hot 100. That leaves it tied with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the all-time record, a record that—unless Stella Lefty musters up a swarm of streaming bots—“Choosin’ Texas” is on track to smash come Monday. Carey herself held the heavyweight title for 23 years with her Boyz II Men duet “One Sweet Day,” then snatched it back when her modern holiday classic returned to No. 1 last December. Because of the racial dynamics at play, the online far right is already gearing up to claim Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” as culture war trophies. If the objectively biggest song in America must represent something about us as a nation, then the right-wing agitator will seize upon “Choosin’ Texas” as one more means by which to minimize the legacy of Black musical achievement in this country.
Whether you care about the minutiae of chart statistics or popular music writ large, the reign of “Choosin’ Texas” appears as a paradigm shift in the locus of cultural production. It’s also been a long time coming. Consider that the last two record-holders between the Carey reigns—Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”—were themselves country songs, albeit of a far more contemporary ilk. Any shock at the uncontested dominance of “Choosin’ Texas” must stem, one figures, from its rigorous classicism. Add to that, Lil Nas X and Shaboozey are Black men, one publicly queer, and both of their hits conversed meaningfully with hip-hop—by far the most significant aesthetic force on the charts for the first quarter of the 21st century: “Old Town Road” with its dinky trap beat and “A Bar Song” its J-Kwon interpolation. But the last rap record to reach No. 1 was Drake’s “Janice STFU,” and before that, Kendrick Lamar’s “Luther,” each riding waves of paratext borne of the artists’ blockbuster beef.
When Dolly Parton passed away in August, there was much talk of losing one of our last “uniters”: someone we could all agree on. If the Billboard charts are our measure of ubiquity, who might take up the mantle? Mariah Carey and Lil Nas X are among our most outsized, chaotic musical personalities. Ella Langley is a blank slate with bronzer on. You could drive yourself crazy trying to deduce whether an Instagram Reel of her lip-syncing to “Stayin’ Alive” is somehow a MAGA dogwhistle, or if “Stayin’ Alive” is just a very popular song. For now, what everyone can agree on is the music, from Drake—he’s already got his paws all over “Choosin’ Texas,” go figure—to Phil Elverum, who’s covered Langley’s “Weren’t for the Wind” in his live sets for years. The fate of Ella Langley, the country-music singer, hangs in the balance, caught between a mainstream audience always hungry for well-constructed, high-functioning heartbreak anthems, and a legion of grifters and groypers dead-set on refashioning her into Ella Langley, the Great White Hope. I’m eyeing “Choosin’ Texas” with the same awe and scepticism I feel about the American experiment. We’re already along for the ride; now we see how much mileage this thing has left.

Entertainment

Macklemore … Hero or Anti-Semite? ‘Two Angry Men’ Square Off

Mark Geragos, Harvey Levin, and Macklemore have fought over who is the villain.
Harvey takes a hard line against Macklemore. He says he’s anti-Semitic and Robert was right not to invite the rapper in his home.
Macklemore, as we previously reported, was removed from Ed’s Tour after he made pro-Palestine comments during the New Jersey concert despite being warned not to.
Macklemore made a post on Instagram saying Ed had told him in a telephone conversation that Kraft was trying to get the rapper kicked off the tour. Kraft responded by saying that Macklemore had crossed the line.
You may be aware that other NFL owners are said to have supported Robert behind the scenes in his decision to remove the rapper from tour.
Geragos claims Robert Kraft, who colluded with billionaire owners in order to silence Macklemore, is a scoundrel.

Entertainment

Howdy for Hollywood? Why Paramount’s threat to leave California matters

Start spreadin’ the news… they’re leavin’ today… Wait, that’s about New York.
And maybe they’re not leaving. Paramount has been threatening to leave Los Angeles and California for a few months now. Leaving would take one of Hollywood’s “Big Five” studios out of the city, out of the state, but not out of anyone’s mind. Discussions appear to be ongoing within the studio, as FOX Business recently reported.
Paramount and Warner Bros. have been trying to merge their operations, and they have faced pushback from state and local authorities. California sued to stop it. In the midst of that, the studio is reportedly looking at other options, playing the field, flirting with Austin, Texas, and looking for office space in Nashville, Tennessee.
PARAMOUNT MUM, BUT LA OFFICIALS ON NOTICE AS RUMORS OF MOVE FROM CALIFORNIA TO NASHVILLE SWIRL
It’s not an idle threat. Long-running talent show “American Idol” has already made the move. The ABC revival announced recently that it’s ditching Tinsel Town for Atlanta. This will change its most iconic line – “You’re going to Hollywood!” But it also changes the tax situation of everyone involved, for the better. “You’re going to Atlanta!” doesn’t have the ring that the former line had, but give it time.
PARAMOUNT’S CALIFORNIA FUTURE IN DOUBT AMID ESCALATING LEGAL FIGHT
Star after star has left Hollywood over the past few years. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but “American Idol” alum and first winner Kelly Clarkson left Hollywood and took her daytime talk show with her. Jason Eisenberg left for Indiana. Others include Glenn Powell (Texas), Harrison Ford (Montana), Matthew McConaughey (Texas), Ty Burrell (Utah), Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake (Tennessee and Montana), and Dean Cain (Nevada) are just a sample of the stars who’ve decided California taxes and policies aren’t worth the hassle.
TV’s Superman fired powerful parting shots at what he called the “land of ridiculousness” on his way out.
“The policies are just terrible. The fiscal policies, the soft-on-crime policies, the homelessness policies,” Cain said in June 2023. “The things that our leaders in California have been doing have driven out anybody who can really afford to get out. People are flocking out of there in droves.”
Up to now, it’s just been stars and individual productions leaving Hollywood.
Paramount leaving would change the story entirely. Double that if the Warner merger goes through.
Hollywood’s Big Five are, currently, Disney, Universal, Warner, Sony and Paramount. The group would be reduced to either four or three depending on how things shake out. Either way, it’s a disaster for what is the world’s entertainment production capital. For now.
There is a pattern in most of the stars’ moves that would be replicated if Paramount moves to either of its most rumored destinations – Tennessee or Texas.
I SAW THE MOVIE THAT WARNER TRIED TO DELETE: ‘COYOTE VS. ACME’
They’re red states. With red state policies of lower taxation and regulatory burdens. They’re red states that tend not to let their cities burn while the mayor is out of the country, too. And then (probably) reelect that mayor.
California, New York and Illinois have become very good at driving Americans and businesses away and to red states, mostly Florida and Texas. Tennessee is in the game now, and while Georgia has gone purple, its production incentives should make California green with envy.
Ticker Security Last Change Change % PSKY PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE CORP. 10.21 -0.41 -3.86%
Texas already has the Silicon Prairie and Y’all Street and has been chopping away at its high property taxes. Florida has the beaches and sunshine and a sound taxation policy. Georgia and Tennessee have willing workforces and leadership hungry to bring in high-profile industries.
“Go West young man!” drove the ambitious toward California in the Gold Rush days, but it doesn’t mean anything in the century of Zoom, AI and easy mobility. The Volume, the revolutionary digital stage used to shoot “The Mandalorian” TV series, means California’s weather matters a whole lot less. If people can’t get their legislatures to lower taxes, they’ll find a state that will.
CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO
California’s current tax collectors would just confiscate most of the gold anyway.
Paramount reportedly has yet to decide whether it’s moving or not. It may be able to wrangle some concessions out of the state and city and give them a reprieve. But the proverbial writing is on the wall, and it’s increasingly being written hundreds of miles away from Hollywood.

Entertainment

Colin Jost Reveals Wife ScarJo’s Take on His Bold Investment

Colin Jost and Pete Davidson’s 2022 purchase of a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry has long been the butt of jokes.
On Thursday, the ship took its maiden voyage, with a free, one-night-only floating comedy club. And Jost said his wife, Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson, is coming around to the idea.
“She would love to retire on this ferry, you know? If that’s what puts her over the edge, I’m hopeful,” he added, sarcastically.
Earlier this year, the “Weekend Update” anchor told the Smartless podcast about how he broke the news of the investment to Johansson over text: “Guess what? We own a ferry now.”
Jost said Johansson responded by saying, “We?”
The SNL comedians bought the ferry for $280,000, planning to transform it into a venue. For the past four and a half years, the boat has sat largely unused due to permitting delays.
“It is absolutely the dumbest and least thought-through purchase I’ve ever made in my life,” Jost told PEOPLE in 2024. “The way I justified it is for the amount of money we were putting into buying it, on just a basic square-footage level, is if you found the right place for it to be, you were essentially buying a building on its side that’s 65,000 square feet. So around New York, that is a very good price per square foot.”
Now, Davidson tells PEOPLE, “it’s been fun proving people wrong.”
“It will be on our joint gravestone that I think we’re committed to,” Jost added. “Like the people bullying me growing up, now I own the boat. Try pushing me into the bathroom here now!”

Entertainment

Princess Diana’s brother claims ‘lack of care’ for Prince Harry after mom’s funeral caused him to ‘spin out of control’

Princess Diana’s brother claims Prince Harry was “allowed to spin out of control” after their devastating loss because of a “lack of obvious care” for the then-12-year-old royal.
Charles Spencer recalled being concerned for his young nephew in the aftermath of Diana’s September 1997 funeral in a new excerpt from his forthcoming book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” according to the Daily Mail.
“My chief memory of that train journey is of being concerned at the lack of obvious care for Harry, as he decompressed from the ghastliness of the morning,” the 9th Earl Spencer wrote of traveling from London to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, where Diana was laid to rest.
“He needed Diana’s hugs, of course, and they would forever be denied him,” Spencer continued.
“But instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control.”
Spencer suggested Harry could have benefited from “a more caring hand” as he attempted to cope with losing his mother at such a young age.
Earlier that day, Harry and his brother, Prince William, then 15, famously walked behind Diana’s coffin during the procession to Westminster Abbey alongside their father, then-Prince Charles, their grandfather Prince Philip and Spencer.
The earl recalled being struck by how vulnerable Harry appeared during the procession.
“I could not get over how tiny, and slight, and bereft, Harry looked,” Spencer wrote, according to the excerpt.
“Too small to be doing this, I thought, and wondered how on earth this heartbroken child could bear the ordeal of that moment, or how he could possibly be expected to deal with the agony that the day ahead would insist upon.”
Harry has previously spoken about the trauma of being made to walk behind his mother’s coffin in front of crowds of mourners and millions of television viewers.
In 2017, the Duke of Sussex said he did not believe a child “should be asked to do that under any circumstances.”
Spencer’s latest allegations come just days after Buckingham Palace issued an unusually pointed response to other claims about King Charles contained in the upcoming memoir.
As Page Six previously reported, Spencer alleged that the now-monarch made a shocking remark about Diana in the days following her death as the two men clashed over whether William and Harry should participate in the funeral procession.
Spencer claimed Charles unleashed a “stream of anger” during the conversation before allegedly telling him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
Buckingham Palace pushed back against Spencer’s recollection in a statement to Page Six.
“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,” a palace spokesperson told us.
Spencer has since doubled down on his version of events, insisting during a BBC interview Friday that he was “telling the truth.”
“I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said,” he maintained, adding that he had been “hyper alert” during the alleged conversation.
The latest excerpt also sees Spencer question Charles’ role in Diana’s funeral following the former couple’s bitter divorce.
“This ex-husband, from a marriage that had collapsed so bitterly four years before and finally ended in divorce a year earlier, surely had no place at his ex’s funeral,” he wrote.
Diana and Charles married in 1981 and finalized their divorce in 1996.
The Princess of Wales died following a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. She was 36.
“Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” is set to hit bookshelves Tuesday.

Entertainment

Zendaya Heads to an Art Gallery in a Prada Bubble Skirt and Biker Boots

2 min read
Maybe it’s her new pixie cut or maybe it’s the changing of the seasons, but Zendaya has been looking particularly cool as of late. From her lavender eyeshadow glam at the Prada Beauty pop-up to her custom crystal-covered Emmys gown (also Prada!), she’s been on a style streak—and it’s not done yet.
For her latest outing, the Euphoria star turned once again to Prada, this time for a grungy biker fit perfect for the transitional weather. Heading to a Los Angeles art gallery with Tom Holland, she was photographed wearing a black one-shoulder tank with a navy-blue midi skirt—crafted with a bubble silhouette, low-rise paper-bag waist, and oversize round buttons.
The piece’s raw hems added a touch of deconstructed edge, which paired nicely with the chunky Prada Fall 1999 moto boots below and the leather Ferragamo cut-out bag on her arm. Zendaya finished things off with silver studs and kept her glam minimal, letting her tousled pixie cut do all the talking.
Holland, on the other hand, went for something a bit preppier. Contrasting his wife’s black biker moment, he stepped out wearing a green-and-white plaid button-down and slouchy blue jeans, with white sneakers and one of his .
The outing came just days after Holland snuck into the Emmys to cheer on Zendaya, who was up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Rue Bennett in the final season of Euphoria. There, he certainly matched her energy, wearing a classic black Dior suit as she shined in her custom Prada gown. Get you a guy who can do both.