Where editors share their musings on pop culture—and recommend what to watch, read, and listen to right now. This month, we discuss The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Billie Eilish’s documentary.
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Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, digital content: Are your loins girded? The Devil Wears Prada 2 strutted its way into theaters this weekend, 20 years after the beloved original. The sequel gives us a glossy look into the pages of Runway in 2026, as now-acclaimed journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) returns to the magazine as a features editor. Meanwhile, former assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) is now a Dior executive, and editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) continues to reign. (But “for how long?” is the question.) Lauren, what surprised you most about the film?
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Lauren Puckett-Pope, senior culture editor:
As a magazine editor in the year 2026, I was surprised by how realistic and how ridiculous it was. On one hand, so many of the challenges Runway faces in the sequel feel true to life. (There were a few scenes that hit like a not-unprompted gut punch.) On the other, there’s simply no way Andy could afford that apartment, right? Maybe the apartment, but not the apartment and the wardrobe, surely! Not unless she’s borrowing heavily from that fashion closet and keeping her Tide pen handy at all hours.
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Erica: Right, and she definitely wouldn’t be negotiating with billionaires on Lake Como, but that’s movie magic I guess! Still, I appreciate that features editors were celebrated in some small way. As a devout fan of The Devil Wears Prada, I was skeptical of the sequel, and although it doesn’t compare to the original, I still burst out laughing at Emily’s one-liners. (Blunt’s comedic timing needs to be studied.) Other surprises for me: the Karl-Anthony Towns cameo, a new Lady Gaga song, and whatever they did to Justin Theroux’s hairline.
Lauren: There were a lot of celebrity cameos—which normally I might find silly, but in the context of Miranda’s world, it actually made perfect sense. She might be fictional, but even after all these years, she’s still an icon.
Erica: “That’s all.”
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Billie Eilish is not your typical pop star, so don’t expect her to make a typical concert film. True to form, she teamed up with Oscar-winning director James Cameron to bring her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour to the big screen—and in 3D. Though the 24-year-old is “so private” about her life, as she says in her ELLE cover story, the Titanic filmmaker got her to open up. “He was the one interviewing me. He’s the one asking me questions. And then I thought, This really does add a lot!” she says of working with Cameron. Revisit her profile above before watching the immersive doc in theaters this weekend.—EG
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When I visited the set of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed last fall, I knew next to nothing about the project, which stars Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany as a recently divorced youth soccer coach. But getting a peek behind the scenes made it immediately clear to me that the Apple TV series would take some unexpected deviations from your run-of-the-mill comedy-thriller. The result is difficult to define: both funny and dark, ridiculous and real, the story follows Maslany’s Paula as she falls for a cam boy’s scam, only to find herself tangled up in a murder investigation. It’s a treat, and Maslany is as delightful to watch as ever.—LPP
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I’ve been waiting for a fantasy like this. Veronica Roth is known best for her smash-hit Divergent series, but she’s continued releasing novels for years after the initial success of that dystopian sensation—and, dare I say, her latest might be her best book yet. Seek the Traitor’s Son is an adult romantic fantasy with science fiction elements, a genre-bending epic that pulled me utterly under its thrall. The story is set in (and around) a dystopian futuristic Earth, where a mysterious Fever has wiped out huge swaths of the population, resulting in two distinct nations of survivors: the cult-like Talusar, who worship the Fever and the perceptive abilities it grants to some; and the Cedrae, who refuse to accept the Fever’s awful toll. In the midst of this is protagonist Elegy Ahn, prophesied to save her nation…and fall in love with a man who will “bring [her] death.” Creatively ambitious and emotionally compelling, Seek is an excellent opener to Roth’s latest duology.—LPP
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WHAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:
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On her sixth studio album, Kacey Musgraves dives deeper into her country roots while honoring the melting-pot culture of a border state like Texas. Though she collaborates with titans of the genre like Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert, her influences also include Norteño (regional Mexican music) and Zydeco (Creole, blues-inspired music), reminding us that there is no single definition of “country.” (“Uncertain, TX” is a must-listen!) “There’s just so many different beautiful currents running through country music,” Musgraves told ELLE. “It’s really fun for me to explore that.” It’s also fun for us listeners to hear the singer’s cheeky reflections on singledom and post-breakup life, especially on the lead single “Dry Spell.”—EG
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Zara Larsson’s pop girlie extravaganza, Midnight Sun: Girls Trip (out now) Muna’s new album full of bops, Dancing on the Wall (May 8) Latto’s next chapter as an artist—and a first-time mom!—on Big Mama (May 29)
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