Offerings #13: Harris Dickinson says, "Prospect Park is always a vibe."

Living in Not Williamsburg Brooklyn you get the best of both worlds, there’s the constant thrill being packed like sardines sometimes alongside your famous crushes combined with a quiet life. So imagine my surprise when I opened Instagram on Safari on my phone late Wednesday night to a Reel posted by New York Magazine of Harris Dickinson sharing his favorite spots in New York City.

At first he shared the typical places I would never set foot in, the Russian Turkish baths and Katz’s Deli (no vegetarian options). But then the video cuts and his eyes get wide and excited. He says, “Prospect Park is always a vibe.” You’re kidding! Harris Dickinson thinks Prospect Park is always a vibe! 

We officially have one thing in common. While I may have never uttered those words, my actions speak even louder. There’s rarely a day when I don’t step foot in that gorgeous green space.

He didn’t stop there, he went on and said, "Botanical Gardens, shoutout.” One has to assume he means the Prospect Park adjacent Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Then he gets a little self-deprecating: “They’re not that exciting.” Oh Harris, you’re dead wrong. This is the most exciting thing you’ve ever said. 

Do you think he’s popped over to Prospect Park between Urchin Q&As to marvel at the changing leaves?

ONE CLIP AFTER ANOTHER: If promo for One Battle After Another has taught us anything it’s that no one, not even the historically press-averse Leonardo DiCaprio, is exempt from the new media press circuit. They’ve got the 50-year-old actor appearing in TikToks, on Fortnite, and even on the Kelce brothers’ podcast New Heights. 

In Vulture, Fran Hoepfner pointed out that the new style of press tour banks on an actor’s relatability, something that’s antithetical to a Movie Star like DiCaprio, especially so late in his career. A op-ed in Variety argues that actors like DiCaprio are more inclined to do podcasts because “they’re largely collaborative exercises where celebrity guests are invited to be charming versions of themselves without significant pushback.” It also suggests that actors appearing on podcasts like New Heights is an attempt to recapture young male moviegoers. 

Not to bring up my 50+ actor of choice, but you have to wonder what they’ll have Matt Damon doing to promote The Odyssey next summer. 

THE BOYS ARE TALKING ABOUT GOING UNDER THE KNIFE: A recent piece in Allure looks at the rise of cosmetic procedure transparency among famous men tracking the transition from changes in appearance being attributed to a haircut, aging, or weight fluctuation to speculation over what work he’s had done. It rightly argues that men caring about their appearances isn’t progress: “On the surface, this looks like liberation; men—straight, cisgender men, for the sake of this discussion—can finally care about their appearances without ridicule. But every time the stigma of aesthetic upkeep lifts, the bar gets higher. At first, doing all that work and spending all that money on good looks feels optional, but then it turns into an obligation. What starts as permission hardens into expectation. The applause for “finally caring” comes with a catch: You can’t stop.” Maybe it’s easier/more acceptable to reach these conclusions about male beauty?

LOVE IS BLIND: I became irrevocably endeared to indie musician MJ Lenderman after listening to him on the podcast How Long Gone in a moment of weakness. This week his ex-girlfriend and Wednesday bandmate Katy Hartzman published a beautiful essay about the dissolution of their relationship coinciding with recording a love song she wrote about him. Hartzman gives Stevie Nicks a run for her fraught band romance money!

REQUIRED READING: This GQ deep dive into modern crisis PR is so in-depth and chock full of interesting, shocking, and not-so shocking information that it would be a disservice to try to summarize it. It gets into how crisis PR firms harness fan communities, pay influencers to spread their messages, and use the same bots that spread government propaganda in Saudi Arabia. 

ANOTHER WIN FOR PARENTS EVERYWHERE: First they got Logan Lerman on Only Murders in the Building and now they will be treated to The Summer I Turned Pretty star Chris Briney on Hacks. In the promo photo for Briney’s turn on the HBO show, he’s rocking some chest tatts. 

INDULGENCES: MY ALTAR BOYS

Former Skins cast members, anyone Irish, British actors whose breakout role was “playing gay,” rappers from Kentucky, and men in Ocean’s Eleven (and their codependent best friends) are all fair game.

JOSH O’CONNOR charms children too. After describing Josh as a “ridiculously charming person,” in an interview Kelly Reichardt, the director of the forthcoming film The Mastermind, talks about a scene he filmed with two “really awesome, super-chatty kids.” She said, “The kids loved Josh so much.” Aw. 

Reichardt directed my favorite Jesse Eisenberg performance in Night Moves and the quiet masterpiece about being an artist, Showing Up. Many of you know what I’m about to say, both are on Kanopy! Suffice to say, I can’t wait to see The Mastermind. 

JACOB ELORDI appeared in Bon Iver’s music video for “Day One (feat. Dijon & Flock of Dimes)” serving city boy who wants to be a mountain man ie. your average Brooklyn man. Does this mean he’s such a vibe with artists lately?

ROLE MODEL did that celebrity substitute teacher YouTube show that’s a spin off of Recess Therapy. I’m sorry, but that show is a mess. Most short-form video shows just don’t translate to longer-form content!