Category Archives: Pop Culture

Holiday 2019 Beauty Trends COMING SOON!

Posted in Beauty, Make Up, Pop Culture by

Wellll HULLLLOOOOOO GOR-GEOUS!

I’m working hard (*I’m texting it all in) on a brand new holiday 2019 beauty trends guide and considering this place might as well contain virtual cobwebs–perhaps a refresher on just how FUN-TASTIC my beauty trend pieces can be!

Have a look at my FOXY FALL BEAUTY GUIDE from 2017, was too busy scraping myself off of the cement floor that was the hellscape of 2018 to bother producing one.

Here’s some preview sundries to tie you over until my opus is ready.

*Click on each photo to get a closer lewk.

There will be the latest and greatest, tips and trends and a healthy dissertation on Pat Benatar’s contributions to the art of the punk/water lined eye–a huge trend for fall 2019.

That’s right byatches. The genius of P Benatar is going to be all up in this MUTHER, so STAY TUNED.

until then,

WE ARE STRONG, No one can tell us we’re wrong…

XOXO

Pop Culture Travel?

Posted in Pop Culture, Travel by

Friends & Lover Heads:

This may come to a screeching halt of a surprise to you all, but unlike EVERRRRRRRYBODY on Instagram, I am NOT in fact living my BEST LIFE as of late.

Or as of the last couple of years.

Or as of RIGHT NOW.

I KNOW shocking, right?

My personal Instagram is BRIMMING with peeps LIVING THEIR BEST LIFE i.e.; so much so that I feel like I’ve become a smaller and tinier Russian nesting doll with each passing year.

I’m that worried lil’ bitch that’s 3rd over from the left whose lost her eyelashes and all colour in her cheeks–and it only gets dead-in-the-eyes spiritual foreclosure from here on in.

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So while I am super proud of the resilience that took me through the death tunnel that was 2018, that work has been consistent AND that most importantly I’m waiting to hear if a notable book agent will take me on as a client for my memoir–I’ve been living MY BASIC LIFE and that buck needs to STOP here and now.

Once upon a time ↑ I did quite a bit of travel journalism↑ and I’d like to get back to that, but with a branded pop culture twist. I want bucket-list travel experiences, time of your LIFE moments for people like me who are searching for radical change in their lives.

I want to inspire solo travel as a viable option for people over 40+ who are single, in a partnerships or married to feel JUSTIFIED in taking a trip JUST FOR THEM. To realise all of their unrealized travel DREAMS and manifest them into reality. 

My first destination ideas are Sweden + Norway (specifically Stockholm and Oslo for their incredible music scene) and a trip to New Orleans to eat ALL the food and take in ALL the culture.

Think my usual brew of pop culture + trendspotting with a dash of TRAVEL DESTINY folded in.

So I’m putting it out into the universe, making a few calls and taking names.

Hopefully the next time I blog I will have a new book agent and will have some travel writing news to share. In the meantime, please send me some delicious vibes and share some of your personal ideas for bucket list travel destinations.

Also please follow me on my social media platforms where I am quite active especially my Twitter @popcultrainman.

Wishing you all bucket list moments and radical change making if that is on your shopping list as of late.

Hope to see you all on the other side of CHANGE.

XOXO,

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AKA ‘lil bitch–my gen z rapper name.61bh1VreQtL__SX425_

 

 

I’m back! Miss me?

Posted in Pop Culture, Writers by

Well HELLOOOO There my delicious lover heads! It’s been a minute hasn’t it?

I took some ‘personal days’ off from blogging—over 8 month’s worth if you want to get petty and do the math.

But why?

I’m glad you never asked.

First off can we just discuss the K HOLE DUMPSTER FIRE that was 2018 for a moment? 

I mean HOLY F-CK KNUCKLES, WHAT IN WITCH TITS HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!?!

…A cesspool of pain, growth, a break-up, MORE PAIN, poverty, tons of begging, grovelling, and ooh! squeezing the last ounce of patience out of my remaining friends.

Yup! 2018 was like that splintered climbing rope we had to straddle in high school gym class when David Milner told all the boys he saw my maxi pad…

Nothing good came out of it and it hurt like F-CK.

(FYI 80’s maxi pads were like wearing small mattresses, truly.)

Anyhow the good news here is that progress has been made and my long awaited essay/memoir—my messmoir (I loves me some portmanteau) book will finally come out in 2020. 

The title is:

Pop Life (based on my love for pop culture and an homage to my idol Prince)

Sex, Effexor & Hip-Hop based on the Ian Dury song “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” and that’s all I will reveal for now. There’s going to be so much more than just a book.

I’ve been working on this memoir for no joke, 20 years—efficiency is clearly not a strong suit.

Its evolved, its stagnated, its died many painful deaths, its been in remission, its been through maddening bursts of pure genius, followed by many instances of crippling self-doubt, rewrites, revisions and so on.

Also I have 2 full chapters and some change where I write about actor Ryan Reynolds and my absolute stalking appreciation of him.

NNNRYYYYYYYY

Yup! I can finally and proudly announce that this BOOK is currently off life support and fully breathing on its own!

Just promise to buy it so that at the very least I can give my cat the kind of dental care that we all know she deserves?

Also I’m getting my full blog domain name Popculturerainman.com back expeditiously. 

Anyhoo, 2019 is going to be incredible I already have dreamy full-time top shelf name publicity and copywriting contracts that I’m also working on, the break up turned into a make-up, and I’m so thankful for all your support. TRULY. 

XOXO,

Longtime entertainment writer/journo and future published AUTHOR,

*curtsey*

Renee Gold

A.K.A.

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The Eyes Have it for Spring 2018

Posted in Culture, Pop Culture, Trend Spotting, Trends by

You might remember last years stars-on-everything appliqué trend ←shameless repurpose plug!…well, this seasons intuitive eye is most definitely a sign of these turbulent times.

Trend spotting is an endless pursuit of mine, and I see it (pun intended) as far more than a fly-by-night hair-colour or fashion accessory—but as an archaeological dig into our modern zeitgeist.  

I believe the watchful EYE has made its way into our current pop culture foray as a reflection of our need—more than ever—to feel protected.

However, there is a fuller back story here with lots to unpack, so lets get right into it shall we?

THE WATCHFUL DIGITAL EYE…

While technology giveth—it also taketh, and the world wide web has become the double edged sword for nefarious forces and illegal activity. It is no secret that we are being tracked and in many ways even controlled by our online usage—leading to a pervasive over-the-shoulder paranoia.

November 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SPUTNIK / Mikhail KLIMENTYEV (Photo credit: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

We don’t have to look far in politics or pop culture to see this being played out in our day-to-day reality. From evidence that Russia colluded in Trumps campaign, to click-bait #fakenews that influenced the American vote, to the recent disclosure that Facebook et al has been mining our data without our consent.

Just last week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg began testimony to the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Our entertainment further reflects our reality and it’s no accident then, that Hulu’s The Handmaids Tale was one of the biggest series for 2017-2018 seasons—i.e., being watched and controlled.

 FIGHT THE POWER…

At our core, we all have a basic human need to be SEEN, understood and validated.

With the spring thaw comes a deep winter pain that is coming to the surface ie; “into the light,” and what we have witnessed in the last year cannot be unseen.

This has been a year of continuous injustice, violence and systematic racism towards the black community that created the indelible #BlackLivesMatter movement. This has also been the year of the #MeToo movement and the #MarchforOurLives uprising of the Parkland students against gun violence and the NRA.

Kristah Suh, who started the Pussyhat Project, encouraged her network to knit DIY Evil Eye Gloves for the March for our Lives demonstration on March 24th, 2018.

Beyond the main takeaway of “stop don’t shoot” the eye was used as a symbol for self-protection, but its also a clear message of wanting to BE SEEN whilst being on high alert. “I’m watching you…” can be directed at our lawmakers, our police and our oppressors.

We are now collectively taking our safety into our own hands.

“I LIKE TO WATCH…”

Inversely, we all have a natural proclivity towards voyeurism.

The act of voyeurism—sexual or otherwise, is as old as time—but digital innovation has brought the act itself to an insatiable next-level. We are all privy to information hemorrhaging in the palms of our hands and our human interactions and sociability have been permanently altered as a result.

A Confederacy of Dunces?

Our collective habit has become that of passively checking our phones first thing in the morning for a fleeting glimpse of digital ephemera. The 24-hour life-casting scroll feed of celebrity/influencer access has become an insatiable voyeur addiction for many.

ALL EYES ON US…

When The Truman Show starring Jim Carey hit movie theatres (←remembah THOSE relics?!) in 1998, it was implausible to believe that someone’s life could be watched on a 24-hour life-casting feed, but that is exactly where we are today!

ALL ACCESS…

From 7 strangers “who stopped being polite” back in 1992 to the evolution of digital/social media innovation, we have become a culture obsessed with pointing the cameras at ourselves through a myriad of social media platforms.

2000

So while the camera may have TAKETH away our privacy and our previous analog anonimity, we cannot deny the countless ways that handheld video cameras have helped us capture injustice and bear witness to the world we live in. Never has this been more significant than in exposing the blatant racism and police brutality against the African American community.

From Rodney King to the Facebook Live streamed Philando Castille shooting, to the recent Starbucks incident, the video camera along with the immediacy of social media has been the eye of truth, exposing crimes in real time.

THE EYE TREND

The eye in all its permutations; from evil, flirty, to gimlet is seemingly everywhere for spring 2018. Not only are we seeing the classic nazar symbol which has been used for thousands of centuries to ward off the evil eye, but we are also seeing a bold singular eye on every piece of merch you can shake a stick at. Voila!

Bejeweled

Jeweller to the STAHHH‘s Lorraine Schwartz designed a blinged out evil eye capsule collection for spring 2018, which were prominently displayed by a bevy of starlets like Rita Ora and Blake Lively.

(Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)

I’m super obsessed with this incredible jewelry line from Brooklyn called Scosha. Their offerings are incredibly unique & unexpected, from their mix and match eye charms, to their chandelier “Treasure Earrings” to their line of cat eyes—my fave being the dainty disc droplets tears-of-joy stud.

Jacquie Aiche is a fine jewelry line from Los Angeles with a huge it-girl model following like Hailey Baldwin and Gigi Hadid. Jacquie Aiche is the go-to line for their sensual layering and unique body chains that boast a tribal and mystical aesthetic.

Apparel

Kenzo’s ubiquitous usage of the multi-eye or “world eye” motif is back for spring 2018 in a kaleidoscope of unisex offerings.

L’Objet d’Art

While many co’s have a token or two of eye art—even Ikea has a wayyyyy tacky glass version this spring, nobody interprets hipster eye symbolism better than Brooklyn’s McQuan Studio

“We don’t need to see anything out of the ordinary. We already see so much.“~ROBERT WALSER

MISC

The following are a random culling that caught my eye for spring 2018…

Discount Universe is becoming a Coachella mainstay ↓

From L to R below: Catbird Diamond Eye Earrings, Evil Eye Tote at me.n.u, Gigi Hadid’s x Stuart Weitzman EYELOVE mules that launched holiday 2017 are still totes wearable, and a custom eye patch jean jacket at Cacao Houston.

Nails

And what would any trend spotting list of mine be if it didn’t book end with some fab nail art? From a flirty eye lashed motif to a traditional nazar, the combinations are endless! The Olive and June stickers are an amazing fast track for an instant DIY mani!

And while I, and many a digital think piece will rhapsodize about our analog pasts—a quieter time when we weren’t inundated with seeing EVERYTHING—I am still grappling with how to be a part of the conversation whilst preserving a sense of privacy.

It brings to mind the old adage; “would you rather be painfully aware or blissfully ignorant?”

I so wish we could find a healthy balance…

…or at the very least a new aperture?

I see you…

XOXO,

Grey is the New Blonde for Spring 2018

Posted in Beauty, Hair, Pop Culture, Trends by

There’s an old adage that goes something like this;

“When America sneezes the whole world gets a cold…”

The same approach could be applied to the every move Kim Kardashian + co. make—vis-à-vis their international influence in the trendsphere.

*Using vis-à-vis in a sentence makes me sound super douche-rocket-y, I concur!

Cases in point—in 2017 both Kim Kardashian and her youngest mega entrepreneurial sister Kylie Jenner started to sport silver/grey hair. By all noted accounts Kim had dyed her hair and Kylie was wearing a wig ← another beauty hack she’s become famous for!

Naturally, I was rapt with wonder on how I too could achieve this enigmatic hair trend of LE MOMENT.

Enter Kelly Betty; ambassador colorist for L’Oreal Canada and senior colourist at TAZ salon in Toronto, ON.

I first approached Kelly because I saw photos of her grey/silver hair work on Instagram and I LOVED the way she added in a darker and deeper root shadow at both the roots and on the side temples. The addition of a darker root adds a realism and dimension to this trend!

 

“My approach to the shadow root trend is to create a look that best accents my clients hair cut and skin tone,” says Betty adding that “shadow roots are very soft at the moment.”

Colour by Kelly Betty
Colour by Kelly Betty
Colour By Kelly Betty

While I and others refer to this ethereal look as the Grey Hair trend, Betty calls it ‘pastel blonde or silver/grey blonde’ and because she is the pro here, I adapt my language accordingly. In my ignorance I also assumed that one could go straight →to silver/grey out of the gate—no matter ones hair colour, and again I was mistaken. You can’t go straight to grey or silver…you have to go white blond 1st and then to silver, grey or yes…‘pastel blonde.’

As with any new pursuit, one need to set the table properly and that means strong and healthy hair as a base. This of course automatically disqualifies me, considering I am the official president of the weak hair club. “Pastel blondes are the strongest of the chemical services,” i.e.; (HARDEST ON THE HAIR) and they require commitment to the upkeep to keep them beautiful and as healthy as possible. This is a 3-step process if a shadow root or ghosting is done, and expect to stay at the salon for on average 3-4 hours,” says Betty.

The Ghosting trend is the latest amalgam of the grey or silver hair trend ↑ Photos courtesy of Narcity Media.

“The Ghosting trend is actually quite beautiful [on pastel blondes] adding subtle pops of shading in pale lavenders and silvery greys,” says Betty

Grey/Silver Hair on Celebrities

From Top *I believe its Ashley Olsen but it could be Mary-Kate too, hard to tell with these millionaires hobbits?!, singer Billie Eilish, Model/Actress MACTRESS Cara Delevingne, Blac Chyna + Keyshia Ka’oir, and lastly even Adam Levine took the grey hair trend for a spin recently.

But what prey tell is there for the rest of us, whose locks simply can’t survive the chemical process of the grey/silver hair trend? Why should we be left out on the sidelines while everyone else gets to have all the hair fun? Well my lover heads, I haven’t forgotten about you!

…And while we all can’t have Kylie Jenner’s custom wigmaker extraordinaire Tokyo Stylez at our beckon call, I have the next best thing for you and your hair needs my lovelies! I’ve partnered with the #1 online wig provider of top name brand wigs of human hair, lace front and synthetic wigs, Wigs.com!

I’ve sourced a couple of the grey/silver hair styles for your convenience below and as a very special offer for my readers you will get a 25% discount on these or any of the incredible offerings of wigs on Wigs.com by using the coupon code #SILVERPOP, so shop away to your hearts content friendsicles!

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From Left to Right: Whiteout by Hairdo HF Synthetic Wig, Ghosting inspired wig “Tessa” by Noriko Synthetic Wig, Risk Comfort by Ellen Willie Synthetic Lace Front Wig (Hand-Tied) Wig.

There are advantages to both synthetic and human hair wigs, so do your research as both can be cut, and some synthetic wigs can be styled using heat tools up to a certain temperature!

And that’s it kids! The moody and poetic IT GIRL hair colour of LE MOMENT is waiting for you, now go out and get your GREY/SILVER on this weekend!

May the Grey Be With You…

XOXO

6 Music Artists to Watch in 2018

Posted in Music, Music, Pop Culture by

 

While 2017 felt like living in spiritual foreclosure—I blame the bleak combo of auto tuned, ‘makin-my-ears bleed Trap Music + man-baby Donald Trump—2018 is already teeming up to be the most exciting year in music yet!

The following are the comers, your next gen ⭐️ STAHHHH’s ⭐️ the gilded young music artists to watch in 2018 and the talent level is M-I-N-D B-L-O-W-I-N-G!

2018 Ones to Watch

Allan Rayman

Photo: Zack Vitello

Wyoming native, man-of-mystery Allan Rayman is an artist playing by his own rules in terms of the frequency & form of his releases, music videos that play like short films, and his absolute disinterest in the publicity machine. In February 2017, he released a full album Roadhouse 1 [Communion Records] and then in November 2017 released a 5 track EP titled Courtney. His track “13” from Roadhouse 1 was certified GOLD in Canada (he now calls Toronto home) and he’s racked up over 50 million+ streams on Spotify. If you like his growl-y, raspy vocal, you will easily listen to his full album in one sitting, which is as you can appreciate is a lost art in 2018. Like so many contemporary young artists, Rayman is absolutely GENRE-LESS comfortably mixing everything from R&B, Soul and Hip Hop influences together as he is Roadhouse, Grunge, Rock and Folk.

Snack on this sexy Led Zepp paced track “Gun” from his Courtney EP…and try and catch one of his live shows in 2018.

Billie Eilish

16-year-old Billie Eilish is a dancer and singer-songwriter pop prodigy from Los Angeles who has been putting her music online since she was 13-years-old. Along with her older brother Finneas O’Connol who acts as her co-writer and producer, their dreamy track Ocean Eyes was originally released on SoundCloud and eventually led to her being signed by Interscope Records.

Her EP Don’t Smile at Me was released in Aug 2017 and she is the youngest talent to ever be nominated for the BBC’s Sound of Poll. Her upcoming international tour starting on January 27th, is 95% SOLD OUT barring a handful of dates. She will be in Montreal at Theatre Corona on March 27th, and Toronto at The Mod Club on March 28th, and ‘yes‘ both shows are sold out.  

Jesse Reyes

Columbian Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Jessie Reyes launched her emotionally raw EP Kiddo [Island Records] in 2017, and gave a goose bump inducing TV debut performance on Jimmy Fallon. Her voice is so beautifully feral as she wades through tear-your-heart-out ballads, R&B and Hip Hop inspired Pop. Her track “Gatekeeper” detailed via a short film  how she was sexually harassed by a music producer 5 years ago, pulling back the curtain on the #MeToo movement in the music industry. Expect to see 26-year-old Torontonian’s full length debut album come out in 2018, and catch her European tour from February until June 2018. 

Jorja Smith

20-year-old Jorja Smith has been riding a supernova wave of success based solely on a handful of releases over the past two years. The Walsall England singer whose been compared to Amy Winehouse doesn’t even have an EP out, nor a major label recording contract and yet, she’s worked with everyone from Drake to Bruno Mars. Most notably she has won the ultra coveted 2018 Brits Critics Choice Award (former winners include Adele, Florence and the Machine + Sam Smith) was added to the Coachella ‘s 2018 lineup, and will be on her own North American tour until May.

 

Lewis Capaldli

Lewis Capaldi is a 21-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter and musician from Edinburgh, who channels (IMHO) a bit of Irish singer Hozier’s vibe. His fiery growl and lyricism cuts deep through your heartstrings with mature themes of longing, heartbreak and devastation. He is currently on the BBC Sound of 2018 Long List and will most certainly become a recognizable name in 2018 as he embarks on a new North American tour with loads of UK/US/European and Asian festival gigs on the horizon. I can’t decide which track I like better off his EP Bloom [Capitol/Virgin] Bruises or Fade? Can you?

Maségo

24-year-old Maségo is a self taught multi instrumentalist (piano, saxophone, drums) an accomplished producer and singer-songwriter whose unique brand of hip-hop, soul and trap house jazz has fans comparing him to Pharrell and the legendary Cab Calloway. Born in Jamaica and brought up in Norfolk Virginia, Maségo put out an independent EP Loose Thoughts on SoundCloud in 2016, garnering him international acclaim and an enormous word of mouth fan base. He doesn’t have an official website, but he is extremely active on his Instagram and Twitter where he just recently announced that he’s working on his first official album for 2018!

No doubt there will be a label bidding war over this extremely talented artist!

In the next gen stars of music we trust,

XOXO,

 

 

WIN! PCR Ho! Ho! Holiday Giveaway!

Posted in Bitcoin, Contest, Giveaway, Pop Culture by

It’s HERRRRRRRRE-EEEEEERRRRRR!

 

That’s RIGHT! We’re absolutely euphoric with SEXCITEMENT (*sexy excitement*) for The Pop Culture Rainman’s™ Ho! Ho! Holiday Giveaway 2017!

Nope, were not giving away free Bitcoin…(but I’m going to write Bitcoin a couple more times because BITCOIN is totes trending right now and I’m so here for the SEO kickbacks )

…BUT we are giving away the COOLEST gifts from some of the HOTTEST pop culture brands in the multiverse!

Not sure why I’m saying “we,” ’cause really it’s just me, my cat daughter and my stepped on dreams over here?

So without further ado…let’s meet the PRIZES shall we?

1. CHAPTERS INDIGO Giveaway

Reading REAL **tactile** BOOKS is one of my life’s purest pleasures. With the help from my friends at Chapters Indigo, I picked out 6 stellar titles from 2017 that encompass all of my literary passions. From music journalism, break-out star essayists and poets, to a healthy dose of Cancon folded in—I think you’ll agree that my holiday book giveaway is pop culture GOLD!

 

Sticky Fingers by Joe Hagen [Knopf Canada]

As any musicphile knows, Rolling Stone Magazine captured the 1960’s youth culture of rock and roll and created a hothouse counterculture that dissected fame, pop culture and provocative politics. It is the ultimate music journalism tome, and writer Joe Hagen gleans exclusive access to editor in chief Jann Wenner and the cast of luminary artists and writers that made this magazine the zeitgeist juggernaut it remains to this day.

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks [Knopf Canada]

Nope, it’s not a Tom Hanks memoir as one might expect, but rather a generous offering of fictional short stories by the two time Oscar winning actor. Hanks writes genuinely well, bringing both his well-mined sensitivity and honesty to this collection of 17 stories. Alternatingly whimsical, laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving this book will delight his mammoth fan base!

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby [Vintage]

I am all about the hilarious female essayist category, and supernova writer Samantha Irby is the latest gem of the genre, putting all of her human (oh so human!) foibles on NAKED display for our side splitting consumption. The bitchesgottaeat.com blogger covers awkward sexual encounters, her failure to adult and ENDLESS funny-’cause-its-true vignettes about love in our digitally wallpapered modern-day dystopia.

 

101 Simple Truths For a Better Life by Humble The Poet [Indigo Press]

Heading into 2018 we could all use some pearls of wisdom through a fresh and unexpected lens, n’est pas? Former elementary teacher turned performance artist, rapper and YouTuber, Kanwer Singh aka Humble The Poet offers up just that with 101 Simple Truths. Singh was the winning panelist for Canada Reads 2017 and splits his neo-enlightened philosophies between Los Angeles and Toronto.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur [Simon & Shuster]

Toronto SUPERSTAR poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur inspired the millennial generation of writers to post their digital ink to the ordinarily photo-heavy Instagram. Her meteoric rise and moniker as Instagram’s favourite #Instapoet (9.1 followers and counting!) is no easy feat for our impatient swipe-up reflexes + blink-and-you-missed-it attention spans. The 25-year-old’s second book of poetry is a treasure trove sure to be a passed down through generations to come.

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman [Simon & Shuster]

The perfect book to get lost in for the holiday season by Swedish blogger-turned famed author Fredrik Backman. Beartown is set in a small Swedish hockey town on the brink of extinction and grappling with a sexual assault case that has the town divided. You will be hooked by the eerie opening paragraph and see shadows of yourself in every one of the richly dense characters.

2. NESPRESSO Giveaway

I am a latte aficionado and would happily mainline on an IV drip if I could, so I am thrilled to be offering up this limited edition CRAIG & KARL Aercinno3 frother from coffee doyens Nespresso.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

‘Tis the season to get hopped up on delicious holiday inspired coffees, so I’m also throwing in 3 sleeves of limited edition Variation Confetto pods in Snowball, Orangette + Licorice flavours!

 

Used with your snazzy new frother you can make the following specialty coffee recipes with ease!

*Click on individual pictures to read the fine print.

 

3. BLACK OPIUM YVES ST LAURENT Giveaway

This limited edition collectors bottle featuring black glitter and electric pink is a sophisticated and intoxicatingly sexy scent. I’m giving away 2 YSL 50ml Eau de Parfum bottles away to two lucky winners! Black Opium ‘Pure Illusion’ has top notes of pear, orange blossom and pink pepper. Middle notes of coffee, jasmine, almond and licorice and Base Notes of vanilla, patchouli, cedar and cashmere wood.

Also, it smells like BITCOIN, because you will feel like MILLIONS when you wear it, honey! Cha-CHING!

4. ALPHA INDUSTRIES Giveaway

ALPHA INDUSTRIES bomber jackets with the signature red “Remove Before Flight” flag were seen on everyone from Beyoncé, Justin Beiber, Gigi Hadid , Kendall Jenner and The Weeknd, in what was undoubtedly the fashion staple of 2017.

 

I’m giving away one women’s MA-1 W Flight in any colour of your choosing, but if you ask me I’m partial to the burgundy and mauve variety. Either way expect to look hella fly in your oh so LIT bomber jacket.

 

The RULES

Open to **Canadian** Residents Only

Must Be at least 18 years old to enter

You must be specific in which prize giveaway you are vying for; “I Want to Win The Nespresso Giveaway” or “I Want to Win the Alpha Industries Giveaway…” (*you can only choose 1 out of the 4) and you must use the hashtag #PCRHOHOHOLIDAY.

You must follow The Pop Culture Rainman on 1 of the following social media platforms:

Twitter: @popcultrainman

Instagram: @Reneepopculturerainman

PCR Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/popculturerainman/

…or HERE on my good ol’ bloggitty blog, either by signing up to receive my posts by email or by following me through WordPress.  

If you are able to join ALL 4 of my platforms you can enter yourself in for a 2nd prize giveaway!

Add in my Pinterest page (((5 platform follows ))) and you are fast tracked to a guarantee win!  But, If that’s the case holy f*ck knuckles you seriously need to get a life ← and I say this with love ♥ ♥ ♥

Winners will be chosen randomly by lottobot and will be announced here and directly to your respective social media channels depending on how you enter, on December 13th by 8pm Eastern time.

Got it? GOOD LUCK! Either way you slice it you are a winner in my books kiddo. Plus you will be marinating in my spesh brand of trend spotting content and comedy from now until forevs. TALK ABOUT WINNING BIG!

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!

Chapters Indigo Giveaway: Jill Barkhouse, Kentville NS

Nespresso Giveaway : Sandrine Ohayon Huynh, Montreal, QC

Black Orchid YSL Perfume Giveaway: Melanie Dragan Mississauga, ON + Karla Sceviour Botwood, Newfoundland.

Alpha Industries Giveaway: Natalie Van Appledoorn, Vancouver B.C.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! (Your pet children and your trampled on dreams…)

As you were lover heads,

XOXO,

Holiday Giveaway Alert

Posted in Giveaway, Pop Culture by

Greetings FA LA LA LOVERS!

Just a brief prompt in-between the take down of every pervy-pants in Hollywood, the media, politics, (and every other segment of the workforce) to tell you about my upcoming HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!

The contest will be announced HERE on Monday December 11th, 2017 and at the very least, it will help to alleviate some of the existential angst that is the dumpster fire of our BROKEN planet.

In the meantime, for all my American readers (truth be told, the crux of my fan base are mainly the Helsinki’s…) an early Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

…And in bona fide Pop Culture fashion, I give you the best ending from my all-time favorite film about Thanksgiving; Planes Trains, and Automobiles.

Also, If you aren’t hysterically snot crying by 5:46, I. NEVER. WANT. TO. KNOW. YOU.

…Stay Tuned!

XOXO,

 

5 Easy Pop Culture Halloween Costumes

Posted in Halloween, Pop Culture by

 

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*Squish Candies Contest Details at Bottom of Story. 

 

Don’t have your Halloween costume yet? Fear not, friendsicles!

Whether you need something for your adulting parties this weekend or something to wear with the kidlets on Tuesday October 31st, The Pop Culture Rainman™ has got you covered for easy DIY pop culture inspired costumes!

1. Hurricane Melania & Donald

For a couple costume, I recommend the myopically out-of-touch outfit that Melania Trump wore on her way to visit the devastated aftermath of the Houston hurricane. I simply dub this ridiculous look “Hurricane Melania” and it’s really easy to do. Simply grab an all black ensemble and add a khaki bomber jacket, a pair of aviator sunglasses and your highest, most inappropriate pair of black stilettos.  

For Trump, a pair of work boots, beige pants, and white button down and rain slicker will do. The most important element is to get his Doritos dust spray tan down pat, as well as his fly away hair.  

Character Personas: For her, stay absolutely silent with a no-one-knows-what-you-are-thinking-poker face. For him, a general air of douche rocket-ness, with the occasional thumbs up and lampooned facial affectations.

2. Eleven from Stranger Things

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This is a great gender fluid Halloween costume that is sure to be a crowd pleaser for Stranger Things enthusiasts!

It’s all about having the short-hair-don’t-care buzz cut, the pink dress with white-collar, blue jacket, sports knee socks, white Chuck Taylors, a bloody nose and a box of Eggo waffles.  Close facsimiles of her outfit will do, and all are easy to source inexpensively!

Character Persona: A fish out of water air of bewilderment, but a wallflower you are not! You will knock out a bully without batting an eyelash, or at the very least throw a frozen waffle at their head!

3. “Cash Me Outside” Teen Danielle Bregoli

The trash talking teen who made her debut on a Dr. Phil intervention show, is now a bona fide Instagram star (11.6 million followers) and a newly signed rap artist for Atlantic records. Her look? Bad and Boujee!

Her hair is an auburn/aubergine red that you can wear straight, curly or in corn row braids.

Other pertinent details are a shaved eye brow, fake eye lashes, boujee long nails, and to cap it off, a gold grill. Be sure to wear a tank top that shows off your beige bra and ample cleave. Wear your boujee-ist pair of ripped jeans and you are good to GO!

Character Persona: Threaten to beat up every 4th person you meet, and remember to incorporate Ebonics into all of your speech. For example, “I’m going to beat CHU up, dumb HOE.” Pure elegance, ya feel me?

4. Marion Kelly

Toddler Marion Kelly stole the worlds hearts when she interrupted her father Robert Kelly’s BBC interview with her “hippity-hoppity” entrance.

All you need to covet this look is to wear your hair in pigtails, sport a canary yellow sweater, grey jeans, and a pair of pink frames. I say go full-on method and buy a pair of baby frames!

Character Persona: You’re 4! The world has yet to break your heart and crush your dreams. Act deliriously happy while you do the Marion Kelly strut + eat all the candy!

5. Iris Apfel

Fashion icon Iris Apfel is by far my favourite nonagenarian, with Betty White coming in at a close 2nd. The 96-year old’s signature bold + colourful style is easy to mimic with a FABULOUS pantsuit and oversized, chunky baubles and bracelets. 

Add a short and spiky slicked back grey wig and red lipstick, her signature black round specs, and for extra flair a red boa!

Character Persona: New York Fabulous. Tell everyone about your design restoration projects you did at the white house for nine presidents while telling everyone to put away their phones and “TALK TO EACH OTHER!”

All of these can be turned into sexy costumes, except I draw the line at baby Marion Kelly! Leave her playful innocence in TACT you PERVS!

…I’m all for a slutty version of Iris Apfel however!

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I’ve partnered with Squish Candies to offer up 1 lucky winner a ‘brainy” candy bar selection of all 4 Brain gummies.

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The rules are simple! Just follow along on my Twitter @popcultrainman or my Instagram @reneepopculturerainman or HERE on my blog to qualify with the hashtag #PopCultureBrains. *Canadian Residents Only.  I will pick a winner randomly by 1pm tomorrow and will have it shipped to be received in time for Halloween!

Happy Halloween Kittens! 🎃👻🍭

XOXO,

The Truth About Harvey Weinstein

Posted in Pop Culture, Truth by
 Photo Credit: Peter Strain for Variety Magazine

 

It was 2003 at the Toronto Film Festival and I was a newly minted Canadian stringer for People magazine.

I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying the power that my press badge afforded me that year; doors opened, publicists waved me through, A-list celebrities stopped to talk to me on a dime.

Because smart phones were still a new phenom, and the iPhone ephemera non-existent, I had a bird’s eye view of celebrities unguarded and letting loose at various parties that simply wouldn’t be possible today.

Over imbibed on champagne and enjoying the exclusivity of VIP after hours access, I recall a young male Los Angeles director telling me about the nefarious practices of Harvey Weinstein. He mentioned Gwyneth Paltrow and the Machiavellian sex pact that she previously had to make with Weinstein to sustain all of her Miramax roles.

I balked in disbelief.

Gwyneth Paltrow—she of the alpha female variety, with baked-in familial ties to Hollywood, seemed pristinely above something as seedy as the clichéd Hollywood casting couch?

“Trust me it’s true,” he said with an authority that made me feel sheepishly naïve.

Why do I mention this instance in the wake of the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal?

Before I go on, I want to make it abundantly clear, I believe all women, full stop.

It’s just that when we speak of entertainment, or specifically Hollywood, lines become blurred and statements are vetted, or alternately—fully written by publicists. This is a business based on public opinion, likability and keeping up appearances, and the truth isn’t always applicable. The truth can put brands and businesses in peril.

Many celebrities came forward since the New York Times piece about Harvey Weinstein broke two weeks ago. Each of them a unique weather system of their own truths, accounts, and opinions. I could not help but become obsessed with championing Rose McGowans Twitter feed, and thought Canadian Mia Kirshner had written the most compelling and moving op ed, that is until I read Canadian Sarah Polley’s op ed.

Meryl Streep had a statement of veritable shock and awe, George Clooney had a ‘safe statement’ that pivoted in every direction but straight—specific enough to mention that he “never saw anything,” and Gwyneth Paltrow had soft core allegations towards the man that she worked with repeatedly.

Gretchen Mol took the opportunity to tell the world that she was never one of Harvey’s girls.

Jessica Alba remained silent and continued to tweet about Haircare + Decluttering Ones Life for her business The Honest Company ←yes the irony is thick.

Blake Lively another rumoured compliant, was radio silent for 48 hours until her latest film “All I See is You” is due out and a story about her being harassed by someone ‘other’ than HW is added to the mix. The title alone: Blake Lively Shares Her Own Story of Hollywood Harassment  feels like publicity driven clickbait pablum, and I wonder if again this was a choice, a buffer, a diversion to be put out as to not takeaway from her new film. It’s hard to believe she was spared Harvey’s advances.

Georgina Chapman announces she is divorcing her husband, articles about Marchesa’s fate hanging in the balance are written and within this maelstrom of empathy, support, accusations and announcements, I can’t help but feel like I’m witnessing a “Wag the Dog” performance on the part of many. The mechanism of the statements themselves, are like a Shakespearian play with “entrances and exists,” the perfectly synchronized press releases in conveyer belt succession feel like an expertly played chess game.

Beyond the victims statements and brilliant op eds, plus anything and everything Lena Dunham wrote, it felt like a parade of people TRYING to save their own asses?

The truth? Maybe far more of our favourite actors, the ones who even put out statements of accusations did so as a defense mechanism. Perhaps they were even in touch with Weinstein’s crisis team as they put out their statements. Perhaps, some were even willing (insofar as it wasn’t under forced duress) participants in the unthinkable trade of sex for the promise of career advancement.

I don’t want to shame anyone, but where are all these A list celebrities who, according to Weinstein’s recurring trade pitch/preamble, went along with his offer? And, am I terrible for even thinking this? Does it even matter who they were or weren’t in light of this bigger picture?

One of the few people to expose the truth that “everybody knew” and admit his own personal culpability of silence was director Scott Rosenberg. It’s a must read.  Yes, it’s brave, but let’s face it, he has far less to lose with his transparency than the above aforementioned.

Even Vanity Fair featuring a black and white photo of Weinstein on their latest issue with the sobering caption Game Over, took Miramax’s ad dollars for decades.  They actively sacked stories that were percolating about Weinstein and yet here they are to add their truths into the ‘shake down’ Cuisinart.

I revert back to that night in 2003 when, whether fact or fiction, I became privy to the Weinstein rumours/heresy and I was not remotely seeking it out. I was merely an off-duty/unknown freelancer and even I got an earful.

You want the truth about Harvey Weinstein and the rest of Hollywood, their knowledge and or complicities’?

Maybe we can’t handle the truth.

Maybe it’s obliquely liminal like one of my favourite quotes from August: Osage County the Pulitzer play turned film, distributed by the Weinstein Company, natch.

In the scene, character Tracy Letts played brilliantly by Juliette Lewis tells her judgemental sister about sacrifices that she’s had to make. Sacrifices she’s not proud of but that were made for her own survival.

“My point is, it’s not cut and dried, black and white, good and bad. It lives where everything lives: somewhere in the middle. Where everything lives, where all the rest of us live, everyone but you.”

― Tracy Letts, August: Osage County

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