Katy Perry Gets Rare Win at MTV VMAs During Year of Epic Flops

This week:

Katy Perry Gets a Rare Win

When a pop star suffers a litany of embarrassing failures, it can be hard to remember the time when they were the biggest, arguably most successful and beloved artist in the industry. It’s during these times of floppage in her career that I chose to refer to one artist as Cathy Perry, not wanting to associate the humiliations with the Katy Perry whose discography and live performances earned her a place on any 2000s pop diva Mount Rushmore.

It’s undignified to contribute to the belittlement of a person who’s at a low point, so I won’t revisit the reasons for this period of public ill-will towards Perry. (You can read much more about it here.) But what I will do is celebrate that maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning. Could Cathy’s whimper be growing back into Katy’s roar again?

Perry won the Vanguard Award at this week’s MTV Video Music Awards, the network’s version of a lifetime achievement. She was given an extended 10-minute performance slot to accompany the honor, performing a medley of hits including “E.T.,” “California Gurls,” “Firework,” “Teenage Dream,” and a new song, “I’m His, He’s Mine,” that seems to have much more career salvaging potential than the recent single “Woman’s Work.”

She flew through the air for the first part of the performance, channeling Pink’s aerial acrobatics and resembling a post-apocalyptic Mary Martin from Peter Pan. She climbed up and slid down a raked stage. She wore giant mylar angel wings. Most importantly, she sang live—sounding great and reminding me of the brilliance of her big hits and her presence as a performer.

Perry got the ultimate seal of approval: Taylor Swift stood, cheered, and sang along to the entire performance. Moreover, Perry was widely praised on social media. RIP Cathy. Long live Katy.

Bonjour, Ciao, and Hello, Emily

People can grow. They just have to be strong enough to admit it.

For example, I am brave enough to say that I have officially evolved from a person who thought Emily in Paris was quite possibly the worst television show to ever become popular who came to see it as a justified guilty pleasure that was goofy and pleasant enough to keep on in the background while scrolling through Instagram and folding laundry. Now, I will go one step further and say that I am genuinely a fan of the series. I love it without qualification, flaws and all.

If I were to offer just one moment in which the show won me over completely, I would present this, from the just-released Part 2 of Season 4 on Netflix:

Art.

The World as It Should Be

Nature is healing.

It’s been a harrowing period of unrest. Fans have been unmoored, flailing, and confused amidst the darkness. Finally, order is returning to the universe: Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini have reportedly rekindled their friendship.

If that matters to you, as it does to me, then you know it matters so much. If you are baffled by all of this, all we ask for is your happiness for our collective relief.

Video of the Week

Wake up babe, a new unhinged Jeopardy! contestant anecdote arrived!

What to watch this week:

In Vogue: The 90s: Anna Wintour! Hillary Clinton! The phrase “heroin chic!” Something for everyone in the new docuseries. (Now on Hulu)How to Die Alone: Natasha Rothwell is a STAR in this. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll twerk. And laugh again. (Now on Hulu)

High Potential: When Kaitlin Olsen is given her own comedy series to headline, we all win. (Tues. on ABC)

What to skip this week:

Three Women: Congratulations, we have fall TV’s first hot mess. (Now on Starz)

Uglies: I read the plot description to this and wanted to scream. The movie itself is worse. (Now on Netflix)

Speak No Evil: Rude for a title to instruct us not to say bad things when the movie itself is so bad. (Now in theaters)