Welcome to Close All Tabs, a weekly newsletter where we collate the best bits of screen culture from around the Internet. In other words, we’re online 24/7 so you don’t have to be. Mwah!
Close All Tabs is part of Netflix Pause, a publication that’s all about hitting pause to reflect on the latest film and TV. Subscribe now to get three free newsletters in your inbox every week diving into screen culture.
ICYMI: Monday was the winter solstice, which meant it had the longest night, but really every night is the longest night if you lie and bed and scroll continuously for 8 hours without moving until the sun comes up. Here’s what I’ve amassed in that time:
8 Fatherhood tabs
Did you know that Kevin Hart wears Le Labo? I certainly did not, but I was very happy to discover this last week. Something else about Kevin Hart you may have discovered: the man knows how to tug at heartstrings, especially as a widowed single dad in Fatherhood, where he learns both the tribulations and joys of being a father to his daughter, Maddy. Basically, everyone is crying.
And crying.
And crying!!!!!
Look, I am just glad to have an actual excuse to cry instead of crying spontaneously for no reason but that is something we do not need to go into. Another reason for crying: Melody Hurd, the very young actress who plays Maddy, who is just so good it HURTS.
I only have five words to say and those five words are: Melody Hurd star vehicle when.
Over at Essence, Kevin Hart — famously a father, albeit not a single one — talks about relating to the struggles of his character. “I gotta be honest with you, I think the scenes that really popped for me are the hair ones for sure,” he says. “I definitely struggled trying to do my little girl Heaven’s head. There were times when I was left with the responsibility and I just didn’t know what to do. Her hat collection is amazing.”
At Variety, Hart talks about the process of adapting the original memoir that Fatherhood is based on with an all-Black cast, and what it means to see Black parents on screen. “I was able to portray a Black man on the big screen in a positive light, which is something you don’t see much of,” he says. “We’re always the drug dealer or in jail, we’re gone, we’re just coming back. It’s the same thing over and over again.”
And on our last main episode of The Big Film Buffet, Alexei and Gen talked all things Fatherhood single parents on screen — from Liam Neeson in Taken to…classic single parent movie The Babadook.
4 Elite tabs
In horny teens this week: Puberty Blues is now streaming. Also in horny teens this week: the Never Have I Ever season 2 trailer has dropped. ALSO also in horny teens this week: Elite season 4 is out . . . .
Ummm chile anyways so moving swiftly onwards, no one can agree on who is really doing the absolute most in this show, probably because everyone is doing the absolute most at all times when you go to a school where the average median income is $190242fjadlkflkjadsf9t243r90310 and also someone at your school gets murdered every year. Arguably it is new girl Mencía:
But I also have a lot of time for former-scammer-now-janitor Cayetana and/or her new BFF status with queen of wearing a fishnet top to school Rebekah:
I am unavailable for comment, unless the comment is “I cannot comment because I am watching Elite”, in which case yes, I am available for comment.
1 Penguin Town tab
I just need everyone to know that the narrator of Penguin Town — think Meerkat Manor but with penguins — is Patton Oswalt, who is the only sane person on Twitter. Okay? Okay.
Okay, 1 more tab
This tweet said it best: WHERE ARE THEY because I’m pretty sure they sold me a $7 Y2K baby tee for $65 on Depop. (Tell me if I’m wrong in the comments.)
