Here’s what ET is obsessing over this week!
Here at ET, we’re obsessed with a lot -- and this is what we’re most excited about this week:
Why We’re Obsessed With Love, Simon
Dubbed the first gay teen romance from a major film studio, Love, Simon hopes to break new ground at movie theaters. Based on Becky Albertalli’s 2015 YA novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the film directed by Greg Berlanti (Riverdale, The CW’s many superhero shows) will give audiences a modern twist on the John Hughes classics (Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles), with a gay protagonist at the center of this coming-of-age, high school story. This time, a male teenager (Nick Robinson) starts an email romance with another closeted student in a familiar high school landscape filled with drama club, drunken parties, football games and Halloween. While G.B.F., a 2013 indie about a teen who becomes a high school’s first out student, was a referential throwback to late-‘90s teen classics, Love, Simon is more akin to The Fault in Our Stars, an earnest teen romance with plenty of ups and downs in self-discovery. No matter how it does at the box office, Love, Simon offers what Berlanti tells ET is an opportunity for LGBT youth to see themselves reflected onscreen as the lead of the story, alluding to Duckie from Pretty in Pink. He’s no longer “the friend” in Simon, he’s the star.
Love, Simon hits theaters on Friday, March 16.
Why We’re Obsessed With Nailed It
Baking fails have never tasted so good. On Netflix’s newest reality competition, amateur bakers -- and by amateur, we mean very amateur -- face off in 30-minute episodes in an attempt recreate professionals’ beautifully baked goods with often disastrous results. The competitors put on a good face while host and comedian Nicole Byer keeps the show infused with positive humor that often sends judge and master pastry chef Jacques Torres into giggle fits. The vibe of the series is so funny and bizarre that it feels like a show within a show -- think Master of None’s Clash of the Cupcakes -- come to life. The first season only has six episodes, but it’s enough to fill in the gap between The Great British Bake-Off and Netflix’s upcoming Chef’s Table spinoff, Pastry, where the art of baking truly comes alive.
Nailed It is now streaming on Netflix.
Why We’re Obsessed With Men Don’t Whisper
From two of the men behind the TBS series Search Party -- co-creator Charles Rogers and writer Jordan Firstman, who are also a couple -- comes a new short film that explores insecurity, masculinity and gay romance. After being emasculated at a sales conference, which features a welcome cameo by Cheri Oteri, Reese and Peyton (played by Rogers and Firstman, respectively) decide the only way to regain their confidence is to sleep with two women (Mosaic’s Bridey Elliott and Search Party star Clare McNulty). Ultimately, it’s a foolhardy way to redemption that ultimately leads to self-revelation. The film, like Love, Simon, offers another perspective on gay storytelling that’s becoming increasingly diverse and varied onscreen. First premiering at Sundance, Men Don’t Whisper also recently showed at South by Southwest.
Men Don’t Whisper is available to stream Wednesday, March 14 on Vimeo.
Why We’re Obsessed With All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire
Arriving on bookshelves 10 years after The Wire series finale aired on March 9, 2008, Jonathan Abrams’ new book offers an engrossing and thorough oral history of the making of David Simon’s critically acclaimed HBO series. “It was really about human stories,” Sonja Sohn told ET about the show’s lasting resonance, and is also featured here. In fact, no one is left out, with Abrams interviewing everyone from Simon to the show’s many breakout stars including Idris Elba to production designers. All offer unique perspectives on the show, from The Wire’s best character (Baltimore itself, according to Andre Royo) to the moment production learned the series was picked up and the panic behind recreating the now-iconic orange couch from the pilot. For The Wire fans, this is the ultimate compendium and perhaps required text for all newcomers to the series.
All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of the Wire from Crown Archetype is out now.
--Additional writing and reporting by Ashley Crossan and Stacy Lambe.
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