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Hi, everyone!
Let’s do a quick one to end the week.
Ramble of the Day
You may remember Jason Derulo, the guy who was once in the habit of singing his own name and was very hurt by negative Cats reviews. He’s back, courtesy of a recent interview with The Telegraph where he talks TikTok, a positive outlook on life, and yes, Cats. The last two are very much on display in the quotes I’m about to share:
For the longest time, I was trying to figure out what’s the perfect first role? Cats checked all the boxes. You can’t get a more star-studded cast, you don’t get a more respected director than an Oscar winner, and Rum Tum Tugger is a legacy role, a standout character in a classic musical. Even when I saw the trailer, I thought it looked unbelievable. Like, I know some people saw it and they were terrified, but I got chills down my spine! I thought it was gonna change the world.
It didn’t pan out. With all things that left field, it could either be considered genius or batshit crazy. That’s the risk you take. It taught me a lesson. You can’t wait for the perfect moment, ‘cause that might not be your moment. So you’ve just got to go for gold. That’s how I’ll move forward.
I won’t disagree with the opening statements there — I can totally see why someone would be attracted to a role in a film with the likes of Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson and Judi Dench, and directed by a fellow Oscar winner in Tom Hooper. I can understand defining Cats as a classic, too — even if I can’t imagine why, a lot of people liked it and it was a very successful musical. I also won’t disagree with Derulo saying some people were terrified by the trailer because I was one of those people, and know several others.
This is where Derulo’s optimistic side really starts to show, though, as he believed the film “was gonna change the world.” I imagine he’d have thought the film would be a success, but changing the world is probably a task that’s too big for most films, so I wonder if he put too much pressure on Cats.
In the end, my takeaway would’ve been that making a Cats film wasn’t worth it, but I have to say that I appreciate Derulo’s positive spin on things. It’s probably good he wasn’t bogged down by its failure and has a positive outlook on something he spent a lot of time on and likely put a lot of effort into. I definitely do not agree with his outlook on Cats, but I can’t hate. Good for you, Jason Derulo.
tl;dr: Jason Derulo has a very positive outlook on Cats’ failure, and while I don’t agree that Cats was ever going to be good, I cannot hate on Derulo’s positivity.
Stay informed, read this: Nicole Carroll interviews Billie Jean King on her fight for equal rights in tennis for USA Today
Links of the Day
Brighton’s Neal Maupay plans to take legal action against a person in Singapore who abused him online, and the Premier League has supported the player.
AFC postponed qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup to next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
MLS expansion side St. Louis City SC unveiled its name, crest, and colors.
Transfer updates: Leeds signed Cody Drameh from Fulham; Inter Miami signed Blaise Matuidi on a free
A longer read: Suzanne Wrack has Sam Mewis’s first comments as a Manchester City player, and what the signing means about City’s ambition for The Guardian