Red Talk 004: Keith Lee! You People! Roscoes!
A Curate Red Digital Digest January 23 - January 29, 2023
Welcome to the fourth edition of Red Talk, your weekly digest of digital trends curated by me, a social media-obsessed millennial getting money helping your favorite brands conquer social algorithms! I can’t wait to tell my therapist (whom I flaked on last week) how consistent I’ve been with this digest!
I already chatted about the 2023 Oscar Noms here. Still, for those keeping count of the Oscar Snubs conversation, it now has a potential reach of 47 billion, and 17% of those who voted in the last week’s poll won’t even bother tuning in.
Now, onto last week’s curated topics:
btw…I’m hyperaware of the news cycle and hope to use Red Talk to spread joy and provide a reprieve from the trauma we often see on our social feeds and experience IRL.
Don’t Come for Keith Lee! (Potential Reach: 2B)
Once again… the timing of these things couldn’t get any better. In Red Talk 003, I shared a story about Keith Lee, a Las Vegas-based food critic who uses his platform to help struggling restaurants through honest food reviews and helped raise $30,000 for Southern Taste Seafood’s owner, Gary.
Keith Lee trended again last week after this @gylliwilli_ (19.1K TikTok followers) made this video accusing *someone* of stealing her food show idea. In the comments, viewers speculated whether or not she was accusing Keith Lee.
Keith Lee responded on TikTok, denying the accusations in a video with over 13M views. His fans defended him en masse. Check out this recap video:
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Fans also started a funny trend about how Keith Lee stole from them. Keith Lee’s follower account grew to 10.1M after this drama.
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Los Angeles Stars in You People (Potential Reach: 30.4B)
You People is the number one movie on Netflix in the United States *today*, and I confess, after a weekend celebrating Founders’ Day, I’m just now watching it as I type. So far, it’s the most cringe-yet-feel-good-but-did-I-mention-beyond-cringe movie I’ve ever seen. As a chronically online millennial who consumes more TikTok and Twitter than television and film, the chatter about this movie is what piqued my interest:
Los Angeles’s very own Lauren London own, stars in the movie. It’s so lovely to see her back on the screen alongside legends. (Potential Reach: 13.2B)
The movie also pays homage to Los Angeles and the LA Legend, rapper, entrepreneur, and activist, the late great Nipsey Hussle, in the soundtrack, b-roll, and by plugging his store, The Marathon.
Being from Los Angeles, I love when my hometown is immortalized on screen in ways that feel authentic to my experience. Filmmaker Kenya Barris was raised in South Los Angeles like me, and Jonah Hill, who stars alongside Lauren London, was born and raised in West Los Angeles, my old stomping grounds while at UCLA and at the beginning of my career. Seeing both experiences co-exist on screen is the Los Angeles I know: I’ll brunch on the west side and grab dinner on the east side, but South Central Los Angeles will always be home. (Potential Reach: 11.2B)
Roscoe’s on Pico is CLOSED (Potential Reach: 1.4B)
Beyond the Hollywood location being prominently featured in You People, Roscoe’s was top of mind for many Angelinos last week. The Los Angeles landmark, Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, located on Pico and Mansfield, closed after 30 years of operation. If you grew up in Los Angeles, the Roscoe’s on Pico was a staple after dances, parties, and church. It was a go-to for late-night munchies when friends came home and when out-of-towners visited. While we are devastated that the really, really, really tiny Roscoe’s with a terrible parking lot is now closed… a newer Roscoe’s is already opened with a bigger parking lot at 1865 S. La Brea Avenue. Search Roscoe’s and Pico on Twitter to understand what this location meant to Angelinos.
RIP Roscoe’s on Pico.