Introducing ELLE Spotlight, Your Go-To Pop Culture Guide

Monday, October 27, 2025

Where editors share their weekly musings on pop culture—and recommend what to watch, read, and listen to right now. This week, we discuss Nobody Wants This and Kathryn Bigelow's new film.

Olivia Rodrigo Is in the Studio Working on 'New Sounds and New Stories'

Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, culture: Hey readers! We're so excited to introduce ELLE Spotlight, a revamped weekly newsletter from two pop culture-obsessed editors about the films, TV shows, books, and music you need to know. We can't wait to share what we've been binge-watching (and our hot takes on Timothée Chalamet's latest roles). I'm Erica, and I lead culture coverage on ELLE.com. You'll probably find me with my headphones on in the subway or running to a movie screening.

Lauren Puckett-Pope, culture writer: I'm Lauren, and you'll find me buried under a mountain of books on my desk. Either that or writing about entertainment for the site and the print magazine. Speaking of which, I had the privilege of profiling our November cover star, Mia Goth, ahead of the newly released Frankenstein movie. You know that tweet about how Mia has the voice of a Victorian child? When we met in L.A. a few months ago, I learned that her speaking voice is real—she jokes that she sounds like a "mouse"—but the longer she talked, the more even-pitched it became. I think she's fascinating, and I've loved everything I've seen her in, including Frankenstein. Erica, you finally saw the film a few days ago…thoughts?

Erica: Yes! I attended a special screening in New York with the cast and director Guillermo del Toro. It's a visual feast, and I was impressed by the performances—Mia, Oscar Isaac, and especially Jacob Elordi as the Creature were captivating. (He continues to surprise me with his range!) Also, I was a few feet away from Elordi at the after-party and can confirm he really is that tall. Lauren, what else is exciting you this season?

Lauren: Apart from the fact I can finally wear my beloved Calvin Klein sweaters again? I'm really curious about the new season of Nobody Wants This, given how hugely popular it became last year.

Erica: Funny you should say that, because there is plenty of fall-appropriate fashion in the new episodes. (You can shop the looks here.) When I interviewed showrunner Jenni Konner, who took over for season 2, she was actually wearing a plaid shirt because she was about to head to a Gilmore Girls-themed baby shower.

Lauren: I'm convinced it's not really fall until Gilmore Girls is all over my For You Page again. But if you've already rewatched that series once (or…several times) this season, we've got plenty of other suggestions for you ahead.

In Case You Missed It

Jeremy Allen White Became Bruce Springsteen With Contacts, Sideburns, and The Boss' Own Clothes

Jenni Konner on Reuniting With Her Girls Collaborators for Nobody Wants This Season 2

WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH:

A House of Dynamite

The latest film from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) is literally a ticking time bomb. It follows dozens U.S. officials at various levels of government as a nuclear missile speeds toward the country. It's a thrilling but stressful watch as everyone scrambles for a safe—and, if we're lucky, moral—solution, but I have a feeling the final scene will be a hot topic of discussion. You can read a full breakdown of the ending here.—EG

WHAT YOU SHOULD STREAM:

Nobody Wants This Season 2

The Netflix series that made audiences say "rom-coms are so back" is…so back. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody return as a charming, unlikely duo (a sex podcaster named Joanne and a hot rabbi named Noah), but I was personally delighted by the bigger focus on Justine Lupe, who plays Bell's onscreen sister, Morgan, and the addition of Arian Moayed as her new love interest. (Can you tell I miss Succession?) Seeing Leighton Meester onscreen again is always a treat, but I selfishly want more than a one-episode run!—EG

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ:

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar

This book made me sit and stare into space for several minutes after I finished it. (And I mean that in the best possible way.) Megha Majumdar has done something remarkable: she wrote a compact, tightly plotted speculative novel featuring a near-future dystopia that feels as raw and real as stepping outside my own apartment. I've never visited Majumdar's hometown of Kolkata, India, but I felt as if I knew it, simply from spending a little time with the titular "guardian" and "thief" at the center of this wrenching novel—who keep switching roles as the story progresses. Majumdar asks big questions about morality and love in the age of climate change, and I found myself wondering how easily I, too, might disregard my ethics if my own family was in danger. No wonder the National Book Awards named A Guardian and a Thief a fiction finalist this year. Read it before all your friends!

—LPP

$26 AT AMAZON

$27 AT BOOKSHOP

WHAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

"Lover Girl" by Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion once declared it was Hot Girl Summer. Is Lover Girl Fall next? Just in time for cuffing season, the Houston rapper dropped a romantic track about her baller boyfriend, Klay Thompson. The two went public with their romance in July and Megan has since shamelessly gushed about their relationship to the press. "I have never dated somebody so kind," she said. Awww.—EG

WHAT YOU SHOULD QUOTE:

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has released a new memoir, Finding My Way. While the book chronicles the author's rise to global fame after surviving getting shot by the Taliban, it also addresses why Yousafzai's clothes have sparked debate across borders. Yousafzai tells ELLE why she continues to experiment with (and discuss) her fashion choices…even if that means facing backlash.—LPP