294 - The Notebook
The May miniseries is over and we're kicking off June with a dose of movie monoculture with 2004's The Notebook. Adapted from the Nicholas Sparks romance novel, the film's journey to the screen attracted a range of huge Hollywood names from Steven Spielberg to Britney Spears. The tale of two lovers divided by class in the south, the film captured lightning in a bottle with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the lovers and old school Hollywood legends James Garner and Gena Rowlands as their older versions facing dementia. Though Garner would see a SAG Supporting Actor nomination, the industry didn't recognize what would become a beloved classic.
This week, we talk about the film's double threat appeal between teens and their moms and how Gosling and McAdams recreated the film's iconic kiss at the MTV Movie Awards. We also talk about Gosling and McAdams' ascendant careers in the mid aughts, Joan Allen shouting "trash!", and the unmissable similarities between Sparks movie posters.
Topics also include Gosling at the box office, the THOB Conference agenda, and (naturally) the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.
The 2004 Academy Awards
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Madonna - Like a Prayer
1989
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer Madonna and was released as the lead single from her 1989 fourth studio album of the same name. Written and produced by both Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song heralded an artistic and personal approach to songwriting for Madonna, who believed that she needed to cater more to her adult audience. Along with the parent album, "Like a Prayer" was a turning point in Madonna's career, with critics starting to acknowledge her as an artist rather than a mere pop star.
"Like a Prayer" is a pop rock and gospel song that also incorporates elements of funk. The lyrics contain liturgical words, but they have been interpreted by some people to have dual meanings of sexual innuendo and religion. "Like a Prayer" was acclaimed by music critics upon release and was a global commercial success, becoming Madonna's seventh number 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks and also topping the charts in many other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and the UK. It was Madonna's fifth number 1 hit on the Eurochart Hot 100, and stayed at number one for 12 weeks.
The accompanying music video for "Like a Prayer", directed by Mary Lambert, shows a white woman being sexually assaulted and subsequently killed by a group of white men, but a black man is arrested for the crime. The video depicts a church and Catholic symbols such as stigmata. It also features the Ku Klux Klan's burning crosses and a dream sequence about kissing a black saint. Leon Robinson was hired to play the role of a saint; the part was inspired by Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony. The Vatican condemned the video, while family and religious groups protested against its broadcast. They boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, who had used the song in their commercial. Pepsi canceled their sponsorship contract with Madonna, but allowed her to retain the $5 million fee.
While most TV stations banned the music video, MTV notably continued to air the video on heavy rotation. The controversies leading to her "Like a Prayer" video introduced the concept of free publicity and became a turning point where Madonna was viewed as a shrewd businesswoman who knows how to sell a concept. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "Like a Prayer" was nominated in the Viewer's Choice and Video of the Year categories, winning the former. It was number one on MTV's countdown of "100 Videos That Broke the Rules" in 2005, and for the channel's 25th anniversary, viewers voted it as the "Most Groundbreaking Music Video of All Time". In addition, the video was ranked at number 20 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Top Music Videos", and at number two on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos. In a 2011 poll by Billboard, the video for "Like a Prayer" was voted the second-best music video of the 1980s, behind only Michael Jackson's "Thriller". According to Screen Rant, "Like a Prayer" is one of the most used Madonna's songs in movies and television, most recently notably featured in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.
"Like a Prayer" received a total of 87,9% yes votes!
Previous Madonna polls: #18 "Who's That Girl", #184 "Live to Tell".
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Pedro Pascal
♡ = smut ☆= fluff ➹ = angst
PEDRO PASCAL
Will you kiss me? →You are a famous actress who Pedro has a crush on, and he finally gets to meet you once you get both invited to The Graham Norton Show (☆)
Very good friends → No one knows that you and your co-star Pedro are in a relationship, and as you get interviewed, it turns out you're both really bad at keeping it a secret (☆)
Marie → Pedro pascal x actress!reader (☆)
My hero → You and Pedro find out the Last of Us has won 3 MTV awards (☆)
The carpet → You and your husband Pedro prepare for a red carpet, but once you're there you have a wardrobe malfunction, luckily, he's there to help. (☆)
-Requests-
Hurt/comfort:
Sick day → Pedro pascal x sick!reader (☆)
All I need → comforting Pedro after a nightmare (☆)
You bled through on Pedro’s bed
Reader has a bad day (hurt/comfort)
You ask Pedro to practice a break-up scene and he gets in his head
Cuddling with Pedro after a bad day
Comforting Pedro
You're stressed because of an exam and Pedro takes care of you
Pedro x sick!reader (rushing to the er)
You start to cry because of mean comments about your relationship on the internet, but Pedro comforts you
Pedro takes care of you while you're sick and you end up having your first kiss
Reader has pots disease (☆)
jealousy:
At the Met → You and Pedro, Hollywood's hottest couple, attend the Met Gala together, but when you find out your ex was invited too, things start going sideways (☆+➹) pt. 2
Pedro is jealous of one of your co-stars
Pedro is jealous of your ex (pt.2)
Pedro’s jealous of one of your friends
Pedro’s jealous of your best friend
Pedro gets jealous at the Beyonce concert
jealous!reader
Pedro is jealous of how your friends talk about you and ends up confessing his feelings.
you open the door only wearing a shirt and panties and Pedro gets jealous
Pedro's jealous of another actor because he said in an interview he has a crush on you
Dad!Pedro:
Daddy! → You and your daughter visit Pedro on set (☆) [pt.2]
Pedro x pregnant!reader
Pedro with your daughter
You and Pedro have a child and are very famous
Pedro dresses up as mando for halloween for your daughter
Pedro falls in love with pregnant!reader
Pedro has the perfect day with his daughter and you
You and Pedro finding out you're having twins
Protective!Pedro:
Sick day → Pedro pascal x sick!reader (☆)
You and Pedro had a fight but he’s still very protective of you
Sexier ones:
Pool → A hot pool lesson with Pedro (☆)
You're mad at him, but you're trying for a baby and you're ovulating (bathtub scene from Queen charlotte inspired)
Pedro trying to wake you up in the morning with kisses
He kisses you while you’re fighting
Pedro being your first time
Others:
Mama → Pedro Pascal x interviewer!reader (☆)
First kiss with Pedro (☆)
Pedro is a bad flirt (☆)
Surprising Pedro for his Birthday (☆)
Random fluff (☆)
You wake up to find Pedro starting at you (☆)
Pedro wipes your make up off after you feel asleep (☆)
An Interview to Pedro about your marriage
You’re on face-time when the emmy nominations get announced
Groomzilla
The Diet → tw: eating disorder (☆+➹)
Pedro proposes to you
Waking up with Pedro while on vacation
Pedro takes care of you while you’re drunk
Watching a football match with Pedro but you’re on opposite teams
Making pasta with Pedro
Pedro helps you take a shower
You and Pedro get set up on a blind date
Pedro gets in his head and starts wondering if, after all, you actually want children
Reader doesn't believe in love, and is not sure if she wants to give Pedro a chance
Pedro and wife!reader get matching tattoos
Supporting Pedro at snl
You get insecure about you and Pedro's age gap, but he reassures you
Angry love confession in the rain
You and Pedro's first kiss (you're both actors and fall in love while filming a movie)
Pregnant!reader and Pedro at the SAG awards
You and Pedro (your co-star) get a little too drunk and have your first kiss
Pedro joins in on your skincare routine
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