Hi lovely listeners, this week’s episode is absolutely brimming with recommendations spanning everything from romantic autumn minibreaks to the memoir everyone’s been talking about – did you know that Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) almost died from drug addiction and once dumped Julia Roberts? 
We also deep dive into the sordid affairs of Britney Spears’s late grandfather, who, according to an incredibly juicy new New York Magazine article, is horribly relevant when it comes to questioning why Britney’s dad put his daughter in a conservatorship. Speaking of sordid things, there's a new serial killer film on Netflix starring Eddie Redmayne that's based on a true story – Ellie gives her verdict.
Plus, we debate our fave Julia Roberts film after Kathleen reviews her new romcom Ticket to Paradise and we assess the controversy around Billie Eilish’s boyfriend. 
Dig in and let us know what you think!
Recommendations

 Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice
 Osteria alle Testiere, Venice
  Al Covo, Venice
  House of Spears article in NY Mag
  Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
  The Good Nurse, Netflix
  The Peripheral, Amazon Prime
  Louis Theroux interviews Judi Dench, BBC
  Popbitch newsletter
  The Playlist, Netflix
  Ready Player One, Amazon Prime
  Vanity Fair, Apple TV

Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy
Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston
Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Britney’s shocking family history, Matthew Perry’s memoir and celeb couple age gaps

The pop culture podcast with no filter, brought to you by besties and journalists Kathleen and Ellie.

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Jennifer Lopez’s latest film has arrived on Netflix and, phew, do we have thoughts! From its botched messaging around AI, to J.Lo’s absurd (if admirable) commitment to her role as a serious scientist, we review Atlas in all its ridiculousness before debriefing on the latest Bennifer drama. Are the reports suggesting that Jen and Ben are separating after less than a year of marriage really true? And can Ben Affleck possibly be claiming temporary insanity as grounds for divorce? Also this week, we recommend The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, a charming rom-com meets action thriller about a stuntman that promises good vibes and classic Gosling unlikely leading man energy. And finally, an update on Sarah Jessica Parker, whose recent podcast appearances show an intriguingly different side to the ‘cruel’ one we’ve read about amid all the SATC drama.  
DM us your thoughts on Instagram @straightuppod, and let us know what you’d like us to cover next week! And as ever please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, lysm!
Thanks so much to our amazing partner London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Things discussed: 

 MOTH Drinks and Vinca Wine
 The Mother, Netflix
 Atlas, Netflix
 The Fall Guy
 Babylon starring Margot Robbie 
 A Quiet Place
  Glad We Had this Chat, with Caroline Hirons 
  Ruthie’s Table with Sarah Jessica Parker
  This Is Not A Pity Memoir, Abi Morgan
  Eric (Netflix)


The Bennifer drama, AI gone wrong and Ryan Gosling’s rom-com

Sophie Turner has given a tell-all interview to Vogue all about her explosive divorce from Joe Jonas, her experience of mum-shaming, her mental health, and becoming friends with Taylor Swift. We have MANY thoughts (and a few hot takes), which prompted a look at how so much mum-shaming online in the UK is linked to classism and slut-shaming. Plus, Ellie has seen Challengers and reveals whether it's up to the hype.
DM us your thoughts on Instagram @straightuppod, and let us know what you’d like us to cover next week! And as ever please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, lysm!
Thanks so much to our amazing partner:
London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Reccs discussed 

 Sophie Turner Talks Mum-Shaming, Misogyny And Why The Best Is Yet To Come, British Vogue
 Joan (coming to ITV in Autumn) 
  "My abortion story went viral - because even though I wanted it, the process was still painful", Cosmopolitan 
  Nelly London’s reel
  ‘I joined the childfree movement - and discovered its dark side’, Beth Ashley for Inews 
  Sluts: The truth about slutshaming and what we can do to fight it, Beth Ashley 
  Nicholas Galitzine interview, GQ
  Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, Netflix 
  All anyone wants is a hot rodent boyfriend, Dazed 
  Eudelo inaugural facial, Eudelo Sloane Avenue London
  Mr Bao and Daddy Bao, Peckham and Tooting 


Sophie Turner, ‘sluts’ and the sexiest film of 2024

Fiona Harvey, the woman unearthed as 'the real-life Martha' by internet sleuths following the wild success of Baby Reindeer, gave a highly controversial interview to Piers Morgan on his YouTube channel last week, so of course we had to debrief. Was she lying? Was Piers wrong to interview her? What are the ethics of all this? Plus, since we love an age gap, we discuss Kate Moss holding hands with a 27-year-old Skip Marley, while Ellie has read a brilliant memoir on living a single life and has many wise nuggets to share with us all. 
DM us your thoughts on Instagram @straightuppod, and let us know what you’d like us to cover next week! And as ever please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, lysm!
Thanks so much to our amazing partner:
London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Reccs this week: 

 This Is Not A Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan 
 The Split, BBC
  Dark Matter, Apple TV
  Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key
  Sex and the City Season 6, Episode 9: A Woman's Right to Shoes
  Dear Dolly: ‘My boyfriend of 12 years doesn’t want to get married’, The Times
  One Pot, One Portion by @good_food_mood__ on TikTok
  Piers Morgan Uncensored interview with Fiona Harvey 
  New Moth cocktails – Paloma and Cosmopolitan, www.mothdrinks.com 


Piers Morgan’s Baby Reindeer interview, Kate Moss and celebrating singledom

Dua Lipa’s third album came out last week, huns, and we had such high hopes. So why has Radical Optimism fallen a little flat for us? This got us discussing the general ‘mood’ around the superstar: is she reaching her potential? And how authentic is her media empire, Service95, At Your Service podcast and her new production company Radical22? Plus, we’ve both watched the much-hyped new Anne Hathaway rom-com, The Idea of You, which explores the relationship between a 40-year-old divorcee and the 24-year-old frontman of a superstar boyband (Nicholas Galitzine), based on the hit 2017 novel of the same name. And finally, Kathers gives us the lowdown on the new season of Pandora Sykes’s new podcast, How Do We Know If We’re Doing it Right.
Thanks so much to our amazing partners:
London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
AMBL, the London reservations app that finds you incredible restaurants and bars in real time, tailored to you, from vibe to cuisine to cocktails and live music! Search Ambl in the App store;⁠ ambl.co
Recs discussed

 Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism (album)
 Dua Lipa, Service95 (newsletter)
  Dua Lipa, At Your Service (podcast)
  Dua Lipa Manifested All of This, Time magazine
  Dua Lipa on pop, psychedelics and proving her haters wrong, The Guardian
  The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (book)
  The Idea of You, Amazon Prime
  Anne Hathaway Is Too Hot for 'The Idea of You', The Cut
  The Mother (2003), Amazon Prime
  Anne Hathaway on Tuning Out the Haters and Embracing Her True Self, Vanity Fair
  How Do We Know If We’re Doing it Right podcast, Pandora Sykes
  Decolonising My Body, Afua Hirsch
  Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, Afua Hirsch 
  Omnilux contour face mask



The Idea Of You, Dua Lipa and Pandora Sykes’ podcast

Bridge will soon be back on our screens with a new love interest we are VERY excited to see: young Leo Woodall. Do we like this 28 year age gap for our fave clumsy hun? We discuss! Plus, why everyone is talking about the steamy new psychosexual film Challengers, and why its star Zendaya is becoming one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. Also: our thoughts on Billie Eilish’s highly candid Rolling Stone interview, why J Lo’s is having some personal PR problems, and a debrief on Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper’s wedding.

Thanks so much to our incredible partners:
Innermost Nutrition, our favourite new plant protein that's actually really good for you, full of immune-boosting ingredients, a whopping 31g of plant protein and no nasty additives. It's stocked in Ocado, John Lewis, and Soho House, or visit⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LiveInnermost.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
AMBL, the London reservations app that finds you incredible restaurants and bars in real time, tailored to you, from vibe to cuisine to cocktails and live music! Search Ambl in the App store; ambl.co
Reccs discussed
Bridget Jones Diary 4: Spoilers, cast, trailer and plot, elle.com
Zendaya talks Challengers, talks to Serena Williams and considers her future, Vogue
Jimmy Carr: "There's A Crisis Going On With Men!", Diary of a CEO 
Challengers, in cinemas now
Dune: Part Two, Netflix
'Challengers' Star Josh O'Connor Is Filthy in Every Movie, Vulture 
3 Body Problem, Netflix The Last of Us, HBO
Blue Lights, BBC
Billie Eilish Would Like to Reintroduce Herself, Rolling Stone
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, Netflix
Meet Emily English, the nutritionist everyone’s talking about, The Times 
The Truth About Nutrition With Em The Nutritionist, Working Hard, Hardly Working podcast 
Yuka app 
The Call Her Daddy breakup, Shameless podcast 
Inside Alex Cooper And Matt Kaplan’s Intimate Beachside Wedding In Riviera Maya, Vogue 



Britney’s shocking family history, Matthew Perry’s memoir and celeb couple age gaps

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