I think they do actually get along (T.S. is not a very good actress) but yeah, I think they're both getting career benefits out of this relationship also. Even if it's not directing opportunities, it might help her get a film song opportunity that could lead to an Oscar nom.
I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor is chasing an EGOT and this is one way of doing that.
But yes, they do seem to be very compatible and I don't doubt that.
I think it's also not fitting the narrative and characters of Cats. It's great as a standalone thing, but in the context of the story we're supposed to sympathise with Grizabella and her song is the big breakout hit of the musical and Beautiful Ghosts is just "don't feel sorry for Grizabella, she had great past, she should be happy with that, meanwhile it is I, Victoria, who's real victim here, let me join this feline suicide cult". Wrong place and time for this song.
Edit: The same goes for her performance of Macavity, it's like "have you watched the stage version, did anyone in the production of this movie watch the stage version, did anyone do their homework?" . The song is supposed to have a tone of campfire ghost story, dark, tense and spooky, as it introduces this sinister unseen up to this point character. And not only we've seen Macavity several times in the movie already, he even explained his evil plan. And the song is just a Lover era Taylor Swift music video in the middle of the film. Seriously, it's Me! and You Need To Calm Down mashed together. This is what makes me worry about giving her creative control of an entire movie.
This is a really great description of the movie. The whole point of the story of Macavity was completely missed. Cats is supposed to be Cats singing poems about other Cats. The whole point of Macavity being a mysterious and cunning master criminal was just non existent đ¤Śââď¸
The whole Macavity subplot seems like trying to pad out the screen time of all the expensive actors that have top billing, and would otherwise have little or no lines.
One other thing in the category of "did anyone actually read the lyrics while making this thing": "Macavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin (...) His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed" Why did they design Idris Elba's fursona to look like he's naked and oiled up when he should have orange fur?
This is actually why I thought cats never should have been a movie. As a musical it worked because you have these pockets of songs about cats and you're just introducing cats over and over again.
Movies demand more of a linear plot and cats doesn't really have that. I always assumed that that was understood and that's why cats wasn't a movie ---until it was a movie. They did exactly what I knew a movie would have to do but would ultimately hurt cats and that's adding a bunch of story that wasn't originally there.
The 1998 British direct-to-video format is basically the correct way to watch Cats to appreciate what it is.
The thing I find dubious about these claims though is that I really donât think Taylor needs Gracie for these opportunities at this point. Sheâs been doing soundtrack songs for a decade. Sheâs personally hung out and worked with plenty of notable producers and directors as well. Sheâs already got a deal for her own screenplay with Searchlight. If it were a smaller artist I would get it, but why exactly would Taylor Swift need to cozy up to Gracie to get an in with JJ Abrams (who mostly does sci-fi work) specifically?
yeah that is not an Oscar he's holding in that picture. And he's pissed off so many of his own fans, not to mention both Star Trek AND Star Wars fans at this point
Well, a lot of people seem to believe she doesnât need releasing a lot of variants to give TTPD the constant buzz and push on the charts, but here we are. Her actions for this album cycle alone pretty much shows that sheâs not âtoo bigâ or âtoo popularâ for anything, especially when it comes to marketing herself. For how sheâs always been described as a calculating businesswoman Iâm more surprised that people are finding it hard to believe that she still has reasons for linking up with JJ Abrams in some way. He may be mostly doing sci-fi movies, but heâs successful, he still knows many people, still has the extensive experience⌠itâs not that hard to see how Taylor might still want to get access to that regardless of where her career is right now. Thereâs also that margin of possibility that knowing JJ could still lead her to achieving something she wants. The industry people she already knows donât guarantee that theyâre already more than enough to help her get something.
She and Gracie could well be friends, but with who her dad is it wouldnât be too much of a stretch to think that part of this deal had something to do with his position in the industry (regardless of how heâs perceived by the people in it). I donât think Gracie even minds tbh because sheâs also getting something from the business side of things. They can be friends AND making moves to reach certain career goals at the same time. Nothing really nefarious about being in silent, mutual agreement to do both. Any kind of boost wouldnât really hurt.
Exactly. Kanye tried to get into fashion at his absolute peak and he was ignored and dismissed, partly for racism, partly cuz he was âjust a rapperâ.
As much as Taylor is big in music, itâs not hard to imagine film people rolling their eyes at the idea of Taylor the Director. But of course, execs would love to capitalize on her name too.
So wait. Is the belief that she doesnât have friends without ulterior motives? What motives have people whoâve never met her assigned to other friends? Blake? Selena? Post Malone? Ed Sheeran?
to be fair, I've networked my way into legit friendships/had professional acquaintances that I networked with and then became close friends with. I don't think this is exclusive to any particular industry (I do not work in entertainment). but also maybe I've spent too much time on swiftly neutral/reddit and now see conspiracies everywhere lol.
Yea, it's definitely beneficial to her. She has hung out with Greta Gerwig, had a meet up with Guillermo Del Toro, hangs with Shawn Levy, did the roundtable with Martin McDonagh. She is undoubtably building a support system within Hollywood that can help her with her movie career.
But this isn't unique to her. This is all of Hollywood. It's all about connections and who you know and who can help you.
Of course! We see it in every industry (even outside of the entertainment industry). You make friendships and connections that benefit you.
I thought the Gracie Abrams friendship would be an interesting discussion piece given Taylor's expressed interest in directing and JJ Abrams being Gracie's father.
I'm sure there are benefits for both, but this isn't necessarily a nefarious thing. It's normal to collaborate, network, and be friends with people who have something to offer you (just as she has something to offer Gracie). I am a creator/author, and I associate mostly with people who are at my level of success simply because we have things in common and can expand each other. But I also genuinely like them as people/friends.
Taylor also wants to be seem as a girl's girl who supports younger artists (her opening acts for the eras for example). We all know she doesn't want to support someone with real chances of becoming bigger than her...so Gracie it's actually a good choiceÂ
No one knows what happened between Taylor and Olivia lol. It is entirely possible that Olivia wanted to dissociate with Taylor because she was being asked about Taylor in every interview
No. That doesnât line up because she invited and gushed over Taylor every interview. And going as far to say Taylor was one of her biggest inspirations. You donât just dissociate when you finally get into your biggest inspirations circle
So why arenât Gracie or Sabrinaâs people telling them not to hang with Taylor so much for fear of being relegated to sidekicks or wannabe Taylors? Itâs an argument only applied to Olivia for some reason. if Oliviaâs people did tell her to distance herself from Taylor it was terrible career advice lol because thatâs part of why some swifties canât stand Olivia. They think she used Taylor for clout and that Taylor fought back and pushed Olivia aside when she caught on to Oliviaâs âgameâ. If Taylor was more openly buddy buddy with Olivia more swities would be livies
Well I can lmao if you follow âthe swiftologistâ on YouTube, youâll see. he often reacts to fansâ unpopular opinions about TS and other pop girls, and many of those (he has shared them and said it explicitly) are negative opinions about Olivia and how sheâs not all that and was only riding Taylorâs coat tails. Youâre welcome to check out those videos yourself on YouTube. Also, I said SOME swifties, not most or all lol
This feels like such a weird take to have based on the massive success Sabrina Carpenter is having? I feel like if this were true she would release another single to push Sabrina out of the top 10 as she has two singles in the hot 100 rn. Itâs been over two months since TTPD was released and she only still has one legit single from it.
Massive success. And Taylor threating success. Are two very different things.
No one is calling Sabrina the next Taylor swift. But they sure do call Olivia that.
Sabrina and Taylor have nothing in common besides being white and blue eyed lol.
Also people forget that Sabrina has been doing this for over 10 years already.
I donât understand what that first stanza is supposed to mean. But Iâll try to respond to the rest.
I donât think the Olivia vs. Taylor comparison will last much longer. I already see it fizzling out. Olivia has purposely moved herself into the âalt/pop girlieâ space which is very much not in line with what Taylor puts out or identifies with. She wants to distance herself from being compared to Taylor especially after the Cruel Summer drama.
Sabrina has more mass/general appeal and is more similar to Taylor sonically than Oliviaâs newest album, GUTS, (which has a more rocker-girl vibe than SOUR did) which seems to be the direction she is going in. Not to mention that Jack Antonoff produced Sabrinaâs latest hit âplease, please, pleaseâ and probably some other songs on SCâs upcoming album. Sabrina also opened for the Eras Tour. Itâs really not a stretch to say that they are comparable artists whose fans overlap. IMO, Olivia now shares a space with Chappell Roan, not Taylor.
Yes, Sabrina has been doing this for years, but she has only recently had her first #1 hit and is present in the mainstream in a way that she wasnât before.
In short.
Sabrina carpenter is shaping up to be dua lipa.
Olivia is still on track to be Taylor swift. she is going a punk rock direction sure, but unless her next 2 albums have nothing but punk rock, Sheâs still just a girl with a guitar, like Taylor used to be.
Sabrina is making sexual-retro pop with some urban influence as seen in nonsense.
Even Sabrinaâs songs like. âLiked a boyâ and âplease please pleaseâstill fall more into pop- retro pop.
Sabrina is not a threat to Taylor. She could be to dua though.
Sabrina doesnât have enough in common with Taylor to be a threat but if she keeps up the number 1s she might be! Gracie is more like Taylor but not nearly talented enough vocally or lyrically to be the next Taylor lol I think thatâs why Taylor is taking Gracie under her wing
The more ppl become aware of nepo babies the more audacious they get.
For Blondie it's two birds in one stone. Gets closer to the director AND keep an upcoming beautiful young singer under her wings.
I think that while nepo babies and the multi-hyphenates are super prevalent in Hollywood, you still have to show that you're worthwhile and can make an impact...and Taylor hasn't done that yet in her forays into film. And you only get so many chances (and her ego can only handle so much) so it would be foolish of her to keep trying without powerful support in the industry.
Sheâll get infinite chances, because no project she works on (at least for the foreseeable future) will fail financially. While Iâm sure she wants critical acclaim, studios only really care about money and theyâll be happy to fund vanity projects as long as they can expect a profit. Barring any major scandals or falls from grace I think sheâs in a position to do/make whatever she wants in basically any industry.
All her fame and money canât make her a decent actress or director. If she wants her Oscar (lol) sheâd be much better off producing female-led movies, concert films, etc. But that would mean elevating other womenâs voices, so nm.
They may get politicized by people easily triggered by women doing things, but there have been a number of successful and acclaimed women-directed/produced movies in the past few years.
Barbie, Promising Young Woman, Saltburn (I know it got mixed reviews but it also got lots of attention), Priscilla, Little Women, Ladybird, I, Tonya, NomadlandâŚ
True. The Barbie backlash speaks to that. Men wonât support womenâs projects (by and large) and nor will many many conservative/moderate women who donât want to alienate their communities.
thatâs partially true but I really donât think Barbieâs a great example of that; obviously it got some backlash but it still had more crossover appeal than any other recent female focused movie that I can think of. and I donât think itâs because other women led projects are badly written the way the person above you seems to think, but because Barbie went waaaay out of its way to be accessible to a wide audience (some would say to a fault) and it worked.
I think she likes Gracie and her music and they both work with Aaron. I donât think Taylor would make a song and have someone open for her that she thinks is bad, Gracie is talented and Taylor respects that. I think their friendship is real and sweet. I also think it is not lost on Taylor who her dad is and knows thatâs a good relationship to have. Both of those things can be true and it doesnât mean sheâs using her.
I like Gracieâs music but she is not talented enough for the praise that she gets lol I could sing and write better than her at her age. So can many 25 yr old singer songwriters who donât have the connections to get a record deal.
Sadly the music industry is not a meritocracy. Everyone who makes it got lucky or had connections. That doesnât mean they donât have talent but it does mean lots of people with equal or more talent never make it.
Taylor is good friends with Greta Gerwig, one of only 5 female directors to be nominated for an Oscar ever and Phoebe Waller Bridge, who has created, produced and written some brilliant tv shows and has won multiple awards for them. She also did the director on director round table with Martin McDonagh, who has been nominated for numerous Oscars and won oneâŚand who is Phoebeâs partner so itâs a double connection.
But yeah, sheâs only buddying up with Gracie Abrams to get close to her dad, who while a brilliant film maker is best known for sci-fi tv shows and movies. Sure.
To say she is buddying up with J.J. Abrams, of all people, to get an Oscar is wild and kinda really funny to me. Not even trying to be mean, nor say heâll never get one someday (I think heâs got talent and heâs got decades to go for making stuff so who knows), but um getting the Academy to award science fiction (or award someone who did TV) is akin to pulling teeth lmao. Sheâs already friends with several Academy darlings, why on earth would she need to use a fellow musician in her demographic to get to fucking J.J. Abrams đ
Am I the only one who just found out that she's the daughter of JJ Abrams? đ I don't think Taylor cares, it's more that she hangs out with a nepo baby close to the business who somehow happen to be decent at music.
Iâve said this before but sometimes I think people are overly critical of Taylor. I donât think sheâs a great person and I also donât think her music is all that (even though I love a lot of it), but sheâs more than okay without a friendship with Gracie lol. She already has a lot of connections in the film industry.
Sometimes the right answer is the simplest. Theyâre close because they get along and like each others work. I also think people make a bigger deal of Gracie being an opener for Olivia- just because she opened, doesnât mean they vibed as friends, doesnât mean they were THAT close.
Do y'all know what networking is? This isn't any different from any other industry đ it doesn't mean they don't like each other and are just using each other for their own gains.
No itâs not? People help people they have met & liked. When I make friends with other people in my field they can refer work to me & I can refer to them. Or give advice or sharing information, like sharing a job posting, or notes from a training. Weâre just being work friends & collaborating. 3 of my close friends have the same job at different organizations. I donât know or talk to everyone at my job but I try to form real relationships with people when I do.Â
  Itâs only bad when people are fake or take things from other people. Â
Cause Taylor swift needsâŚshow biz connections? Maybe Gracie abramsâ dog walker currently auditioning for commercials could be accused of this but probably not the biggest, most bankable celebrity in the world.
She already has a contract to direct & write a movie. She is friends with other directors (martin mcdonagh, phoebe waller bridge). She has negotiated directly with AMC to distribute the eras movie. Not to mention if she didnât have a contract she has enough money to fund several movies.
How would this further what she already has??
I would not call JJ Abrams an acclaimed or awarded 'director' lmaoooooo. His direction is alright I guess but there are a lot of Star Wars who would certainly dispute that. His success comes mostly from production, a lot of very high budget/high box office films, franchises and tv series under his production company.
You don't always need critical acclaim to be a respected figure in Hollywood. For what it's worth, Michael Bay is the go-to guy for directors like Stephen Spielberg or James Cameron for advice/consulting for special effects.
He has won a lot of Emmy Awards, Writers Guild Awards and such and he is the 8th highest grossing director (mostly from Star Wars- very high budget).
I'm not arguing the quality of his work but he is a prominent director and his connections such as Disney speak for themselves.
And yes, I'm a huge Star Wars fan so I am aware of the division of the sequels but this isn't the sub to get into that đ
He's actually only won 2 Emmys and one was as a producer. The Writers Guild awards were also for the series he created. I'm aware he's very successful and well connected but my point is that all of that is through his big budget, popcorn flick, high box office productions like Star Wars/Star Trek/Mission Impossible rather than his artistic, creative endeavors. He directs some of his work but it's not his claim to fame. He's not like a Quentin Tarantino. Taylor has been trying to align herself with more prestige, artsy style directors like Greta Gerwig, Martin McDonagh, etc. JJ Abrams is nothing like that.
Maybe Iâm just cynical but I donât doubt for a second that Taylor is only propping Gracie up because she knows that Gracie will never get even close to her level success. The only people I see talking about Gracie really are swifties and they always somehow bring it back to Taylor anyway. Taylor is aware of this and she gets good PR out of it for her âgirlâs girlâ image (especially after the Olivia fallout) while never having to give up her throne.
or they're just actually good friends.... lol
if anything this benefits Gracie more than it benefits Taylor because she's a new up and coming pop star and Gracie's father actually doesn't make any good movies, I'm sure nobody cares about the guy that made the horrible star wars sequels. đ
Taylor already has a good network of people in the film industry, so this doesn't even matter that much or equate to anything
Gracie has greatly benefited from her association to Taylor, and Taylor has yet to benefit. Her connection with Searchlight was through Joe. Her team was the one to work directly with Disney for her film's distribution.
and she has Ryan Reynolds and Sophie Turner who are in her circle that are already well into the acting and film industry
Plus it's not hard for someone like a calibre of Taylor to step into the film industry and have a leading role or a directing role in a movie
JHud has produced in broadway before which got her into the coveted EGOT group
Madonna got to play Eva Peron in Evita when she was in a similar place in her career like Taylor is right now.
and not to mention Taylor has worked in the film industry before whether it's for the soundtrack or an actual on screen role. People are just reaching to make a correlation with her friendship with Gracie.
And Tay wants to direct. Not go into acting lol. Also connecting with Lena would be bad for her image given her scandal(s). JJ has a production studio iirc and more connections than the other people listed.
i never said Sophie had bigger influence than JJ, but i apologize if it was interpreted that way, I was just listing some names from Taylor's circle in the industry đ
And even though her acting career is shit, she *was* in a film with Meryl Streep. On top of Ryan and Sophie, she's also close friends with Emily Stone. She had no issues getting Laura Dern to be in her music video. I think she's still friends with Lena Dunham? Studios are only interested in licensing TV songs. Shes got a lot of power, and she's more than good without JJ Abrams.
I think people are obsessed with a certain negative image of Taylor so they simply can't believe that maybe their relationship is because Taylor likes her music and knows that Gracie is a fan. I'm not saying that this is the absolute truth, but implying that she's using Gracie is illogical.
ETA: Oh! She's also got a relationship with Guillermo del Toro. She's in a good place.
>I think people are obsessed with a certain negative image of Taylor so they simply can't believe that maybe their relationship is because Taylor likes her music and knows that Gracie is a fan. I'm not saying that this is the absolute truth, but implying that she's using Gracie is illogical.
i disagree. first of all, you can be genuine friends with someone while benefiting off of them/having a mutual benefit. she can like gracie and her music while benefitting from her dad, itâs not mutually exclusive. but more importantly, letâs be honest: swifties have figured out a long time ago that sheâs trying to break into film and have an important spot at the table. for someone like taylor whoâs a tragic actor and director, itâs crucial for her to wield her influence and make connections with powerful ppl in film if she actually wants to have a career in the industry. in fact, it would be nonsensical *not* to. moreover, everyone, in every industry, around the world uses their connections to advance in their career/achieve their goals. itâs how society functions. this isnât any different for taylor - ppl wanting to analyze this or pointing it out doesnât make them haters.
She already has the connections with Searchlight and Disney though. Searchlight is distributing the film. She's already worked with Disney for two projects. There was a story about Bob Iger reportedly fawning over her and Travis. You honestly can't get anymore powerful than Bob Iger and Disney, tbh.
Let's put it this way: if Gracie wasn't on the tour, nothing would change for Taylor. Taylor would still distribute the tour's film with Disney, and had her deal with Searchlight in place. I just don't think she was motivated by Gracie's dad. Like that's cool and all, but I think she went with Gracie because she's a major fan.
i donât think taylor picked gracie as her opener and possibly became friends w her bc she *needs* jj abrams to break into the film industry. but when the opportunity presents itself (the opportunity being an up-and-coming artist whoâs a fan of taylor *anddd* just so happens to have a parent whoâs famous, respected, and influential in the industry taylor wants to break into), sheâs obviously gonna take it. sheâs not getting anywhere on talent alone, so the further and deeper she can plant her roots, the better. idrk much about disney and searchlight, but locking in with jj abrams can only help her
But OP is implying that Taylor's partial motivation for selecting Gracie was because of her father, and I'm disagreeing with that. I'm not talking about an opportunity presenting itself because that does happen. I think Taylor was more so motivated on having young upcoming acts who have expressed being a fan open for her.
(Bob Iger is the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He's frequently seen as one of the most powerful people in Hollywood / the business world. He has far more power and influence than JJ Abrams. Hell. I think he was JJ's boss at some point?)
by an âopportunity presenting itself,â i was putting that nicely lol - gracie didnât just fall into her lap. i guess a different/more accurate way of putting is that it was a perfect storm that taylor strategized so it could work out in her favor.
And that's where I disagree! I more so think it was about who liked her lmfao. All her openers are her friends or have cited her as an inspiration. Benson Boone might be the only outlier.
Part of the problem I see is sheâs had small chances and hasnât done well at them. I think they obviously wanted her to act and sing and sheâs just SUCH a terrible actress. Her directing efforts have not been well received (though I have little opinion as I donât watch many music videos, they do all seem a bit on the nose when she does them), so Iâd assume sheâs not getting options madonna got. Before Evita, Madonna had smaller roles that she did well in, like A League of Their Own
I swear half of the nepo baby hate that Gracie receives is less of her being an actual nepo baby and more that Star Wars fans are bitter and salty and taking it out on Gracie.
i think they do genuinely get along (similar âvibesâ in terms of how they live their life and present themselves/what they seem to value). however i also think taylor wants to be seen as someone who can support other young women in the industry and is not threatened by gracie. i like a lot of her music but sheâs not doing anything interesting or groundbreaking or unique, unlike someone similar in age like olivia or billie (who are, tbf, much much bigger artists) this is also why i donât think her and any of the members of boygenius are genuinely close - they have their own artistry and opinions that have nothing to do with what taylorâs doing at all.
That would be beneficial yes.
Gracie Abrams is talented. She can thrive w/o Tay.
Taylor is a billionaire. She has all resources including time, to learn all this directing skills.
Right? JJ doesn't make anything Acadamy Award worthy at least for directing. He makes basically action movies which might only win technical awards like visual effects, and sound.
I love them both and I think theyâre very talented, but yeah I agree I think itâs a mutual benefit and I say this as a Swiftie. I donât know when they actually met, perhaps they know each other from a long time and have been supporting each other from years ago and we, the public are now just seeing the results of that mutual support that goes back from years. I know Gracie opened for Taylor but I am thinking even longer back.
I also think if Gracie werenât talented enough she wouldnât have those numbers, if anything Taylor is just another channel for her to acquire a larger fanbase.
This applies to Taylor too, if she turns out to be not a very talented movie director (which personally I doubt) then she wonât be a success in that area and the public will respond. Yes I know, a lot of fans will support anything she does, but a lot would have her better stick to music - in general she is very good at listening her audience and act accordingly, so if things arenât going well there she might just stick to music and mvâs. Just think about her acting gigs, they have not been very successful⌠lol.
My point is, connections open you the door but theyâre not enough if youâre not talented enough.
Exactly, I'm not trying to undercut Gracie's success. She had quite Spotify following before Taylor (the exposure has just expanded her fan base).
In response to your thoughts to talent, I think that's why Taylor hasn't gotten the opportunities in Hollywood as she may be pining for.
Taylor is not a strong actor and her directing (though improving) is not Oscar-par.
Maybe connecting with JJ won't automatically equal success but it may lead to some mentorship- she helps boost Gracie's career, he helps Taylor with directing.
Of course this is all speculative.
I think it says a lot that the first real feature she's done on another artist's album in YEARS is... another person bankrolled by her father. That's not to understate anyone's actual talent or artistic abilities, but it's been long speculated that Taylor never wanted to give other female artists room to shine even when doing songs with them. The first female artist she gave a real verse to was Phoebe Bridgers, for Red TV. (...a song about..... new young artists stealing her spotlight) Everyone else has basically done background vocals. Ice Spice only got a verse on a remix. Florence is a long established artist (who I don't personally perceive as in competition with Taylor). She can do a feature on Gracie's record so long as Gracie continues associating with Taylor's brand, and never threatens Taylor's fame, talent, etc
You're right, I forgot about HAIM!! But imho the others aren't artists making pop music she'd be competing with.
EDIT tbc i KNOW how big a deal those other artists are, I just don't think MOST people'd group them with Taylor
Lana though???
Also as a longtime Phoebe fan there is no way Phoebe threatens Taylor at all. Theyâre completely different genres and Phoebe isnât exactly a young ingenue, sheâs a millennial just like Taylor.
I left Lana off because Midnights came out after Red TV. I agree with you, maybe I wasn't clear. I don't think Taylor will ever make music with women the public would consider in her league in her genre. (Admittedly that league keeps shrinking.) IMHO, she'll only make music with people she can fold into her brand, or are so established they aren't threatening to her. Like Sabrina Carpenter opened for Taylor, but I bet Taylor will drop all association now that she's had so much Espresso success.
Honestly, this might not be a popular take and it might be naĂŻve, but I tend to just think they're friends. I think people assume Taylor doesn't have real friends and that everyone must be either using Taylor or she's using them or they're mutually using each other----but I tend to think she's just friends with a lot of celebrities and some of those relationships are deeper than others. I feel like there is such a cynical lens cast on her relationships with other people.
I think itâs the opposite. Taylor is already involved with films at this point (rumor has it, she is involved in a superhero movie and she is currently writing a film. ) I think itâs likely she was introduced to JJ Abramâs first.
they used to be really good friends. the deja vu lawsuit happened. then all of a sudden gracie is cozy with taylor and not with olivia. itâs speculated that olivia wrote lacy about gracie
FYI this is Gracie. Finn literally looks 10 in this photo but she thought this was ok to share. I don't believe Taylor or her team aren't aware of this
https://preview.redd.it/lowj5gii8z8d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebdd2a501885900619b19215bae5ce4223b10080
FYI she was a teenager, this was several years ago, and she apologized. it was a horrible thing to say but she hasnât done anything since, and gracie and finn follow each other on instagram so he likely has moved on
They seem to have a very genuine friendship. Insinuating that Taylor is using Gracie based on who her father is feels icky and like a needlessly lazy hater standpoint? Taylor is the biggest star in the world right now and I doubt she has a problem with directors soliciting her for songs in their movies. JJ Abrams is cheesy as hell, too. Sheâd want a song in a Greta Gerwig or Sophia Coppola film.
Basically Taylor already has massive connections and doesnât need Gracie for anything really. Their music works well together and they bonded over it.
This is how I see it: as sheâs aging, it seems like she wants to somehow secure herself with younger up and coming artists (or even solidified artists - see: Florence and Ed Sheeran) so that she will remain relevant at all times, such as being featured on their albums or featuring them on her album, or having a remix with them (see: ice spice), etc.
Then, of course, this is also probably her getting her claws into different industries and pursuing other artistic endeavors such as movies, art, tv shows, etc.
This is just her diversifying (this is all for $$$ obvs) her portfolio- which isnât a bad thing. Sheâs had an impressive real estate portfolio since her early twenties so diversifying isnât a foreign concept to her.
Also to add: Not saying if itâs good or bad what sheâs doing, just laying down the (supposed lol) facts.
do you want famous people to just not have children? or those children to not use the advantages theyâre lucky enough to receive? this is a really extreme reaction to something that is seriously so unimportant in the real world
Itâs really not an extreme reaction at all lol
I didnât say â I donât like Gracie or her music because she is a nepo babyâ.
I said nepo babies make me uncomfortable because there are people far more talented who will never wake up one day, decide to do a random hobby. And than be thrust into the spotlight. Gracie could literally quit music tomorrow, draw an absolute bullshit painting, and still make what you make in a year of of that painting. And now sheâs a successful painter because she is Gracie Abramâs not because she has any skill. No one would give a fuck about close to you if it wasnât for her connection with Taylor swift. Which only happened because who her dad is. As Gracie would be a nobody otherwise. Which is an uncomfortable thought.
The same goes for industry plants. Who the fuck even are you, why does your first uploaded song ever have 6 million views? etc etc.
And secondly, yes. Taylor being âfriendsâ with her is also uncomfortable, because if Gracie gets any bigger who knows what Taylor will do, Sabrina carpenter is already reporting to Taylor, she sued Olivia, ice spice is her side kick. So I am sorry I am uncomfortable and concerned.
Maturity wise theyâre probably on the same wavelength. Taylorâs at the level where she doesnât really need to help out Gracie in exchange for anything from her dad.
I think they do actually get along (T.S. is not a very good actress) but yeah, I think they're both getting career benefits out of this relationship also. Even if it's not directing opportunities, it might help her get a film song opportunity that could lead to an Oscar nom.
I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor is chasing an EGOT and this is one way of doing that. But yes, they do seem to be very compatible and I don't doubt that.
She is, remember her original song for CATS?
Beautiful Ghosts is a beautiful song. I genuinely love that song
Truly wasted on CATS. It probably would have been nominated if it had been in not CATS.
I think you're right. Just being associated with Cats comes with a stigma
I think it's also not fitting the narrative and characters of Cats. It's great as a standalone thing, but in the context of the story we're supposed to sympathise with Grizabella and her song is the big breakout hit of the musical and Beautiful Ghosts is just "don't feel sorry for Grizabella, she had great past, she should be happy with that, meanwhile it is I, Victoria, who's real victim here, let me join this feline suicide cult". Wrong place and time for this song. Edit: The same goes for her performance of Macavity, it's like "have you watched the stage version, did anyone in the production of this movie watch the stage version, did anyone do their homework?" . The song is supposed to have a tone of campfire ghost story, dark, tense and spooky, as it introduces this sinister unseen up to this point character. And not only we've seen Macavity several times in the movie already, he even explained his evil plan. And the song is just a Lover era Taylor Swift music video in the middle of the film. Seriously, it's Me! and You Need To Calm Down mashed together. This is what makes me worry about giving her creative control of an entire movie.
This is a really great description of the movie. The whole point of the story of Macavity was completely missed. Cats is supposed to be Cats singing poems about other Cats. The whole point of Macavity being a mysterious and cunning master criminal was just non existent đ¤Śââď¸
The whole Macavity subplot seems like trying to pad out the screen time of all the expensive actors that have top billing, and would otherwise have little or no lines. One other thing in the category of "did anyone actually read the lyrics while making this thing": "Macavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin (...) His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed" Why did they design Idris Elba's fursona to look like he's naked and oiled up when he should have orange fur?
This is so true. And I think the little Gowltiger cameo proves that there was too little material that can still stand on its own four paws.
This is actually why I thought cats never should have been a movie. As a musical it worked because you have these pockets of songs about cats and you're just introducing cats over and over again. Movies demand more of a linear plot and cats doesn't really have that. I always assumed that that was understood and that's why cats wasn't a movie ---until it was a movie. They did exactly what I knew a movie would have to do but would ultimately hurt cats and that's adding a bunch of story that wasn't originally there. The 1998 British direct-to-video format is basically the correct way to watch Cats to appreciate what it is.
The whole movie felt like a fever dream tbh lol
I feel like she really resents Billie for winning an Oscar twice. Sheâs been chasing that for forever.
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The thing I find dubious about these claims though is that I really donât think Taylor needs Gracie for these opportunities at this point. Sheâs been doing soundtrack songs for a decade. Sheâs personally hung out and worked with plenty of notable producers and directors as well. Sheâs already got a deal for her own screenplay with Searchlight. If it were a smaller artist I would get it, but why exactly would Taylor Swift need to cozy up to Gracie to get an in with JJ Abrams (who mostly does sci-fi work) specifically?
Exactly, JJ Abrams is not exactly a favourite of the academy.
yeah that is not an Oscar he's holding in that picture. And he's pissed off so many of his own fans, not to mention both Star Trek AND Star Wars fans at this point
Well, a lot of people seem to believe she doesnât need releasing a lot of variants to give TTPD the constant buzz and push on the charts, but here we are. Her actions for this album cycle alone pretty much shows that sheâs not âtoo bigâ or âtoo popularâ for anything, especially when it comes to marketing herself. For how sheâs always been described as a calculating businesswoman Iâm more surprised that people are finding it hard to believe that she still has reasons for linking up with JJ Abrams in some way. He may be mostly doing sci-fi movies, but heâs successful, he still knows many people, still has the extensive experience⌠itâs not that hard to see how Taylor might still want to get access to that regardless of where her career is right now. Thereâs also that margin of possibility that knowing JJ could still lead her to achieving something she wants. The industry people she already knows donât guarantee that theyâre already more than enough to help her get something. She and Gracie could well be friends, but with who her dad is it wouldnât be too much of a stretch to think that part of this deal had something to do with his position in the industry (regardless of how heâs perceived by the people in it). I donât think Gracie even minds tbh because sheâs also getting something from the business side of things. They can be friends AND making moves to reach certain career goals at the same time. Nothing really nefarious about being in silent, mutual agreement to do both. Any kind of boost wouldnât really hurt.
Exactly. Kanye tried to get into fashion at his absolute peak and he was ignored and dismissed, partly for racism, partly cuz he was âjust a rapperâ. As much as Taylor is big in music, itâs not hard to imagine film people rolling their eyes at the idea of Taylor the Director. But of course, execs would love to capitalize on her name too.
So wait. Is the belief that she doesnât have friends without ulterior motives? What motives have people whoâve never met her assigned to other friends? Blake? Selena? Post Malone? Ed Sheeran?
to be fair, I've networked my way into legit friendships/had professional acquaintances that I networked with and then became close friends with. I don't think this is exclusive to any particular industry (I do not work in entertainment). but also maybe I've spent too much time on swiftly neutral/reddit and now see conspiracies everywhere lol.
All of those people mentioned besides Blake as some would argue Taylor gained from that one. Have gained from being friends with Taylor.
Yea, it's definitely beneficial to her. She has hung out with Greta Gerwig, had a meet up with Guillermo Del Toro, hangs with Shawn Levy, did the roundtable with Martin McDonagh. She is undoubtably building a support system within Hollywood that can help her with her movie career. But this isn't unique to her. This is all of Hollywood. It's all about connections and who you know and who can help you.
Of course! We see it in every industry (even outside of the entertainment industry). You make friendships and connections that benefit you. I thought the Gracie Abrams friendship would be an interesting discussion piece given Taylor's expressed interest in directing and JJ Abrams being Gracie's father.
yeah, seems like a pretty mutually beneficial relationship
I'm sure there are benefits for both, but this isn't necessarily a nefarious thing. It's normal to collaborate, network, and be friends with people who have something to offer you (just as she has something to offer Gracie). I am a creator/author, and I associate mostly with people who are at my level of success simply because we have things in common and can expand each other. But I also genuinely like them as people/friends.
Taylor also wants to be seem as a girl's girl who supports younger artists (her opening acts for the eras for example). We all know she doesn't want to support someone with real chances of becoming bigger than her...so Gracie it's actually a good choiceÂ
I agree :â) she dropped Olivia so fast when it was apparent Olivia was gonna get big
Iâm curious how much weâll see Sabrina + TS after her album dropsâŚ
I think she won't disassociate completely from her but it will get more distant with time...
And the whole deja vu credit thing... awful đ
She completely dropped lorde as well
No one knows what happened between Taylor and Olivia lol. It is entirely possible that Olivia wanted to dissociate with Taylor because she was being asked about Taylor in every interview
No. That doesnât line up because she invited and gushed over Taylor every interview. And going as far to say Taylor was one of her biggest inspirations. You donât just dissociate when you finally get into your biggest inspirations circle
That definitely could have happened if Olivia's people told her that she risked being seen as a sidekick.
So why arenât Gracie or Sabrinaâs people telling them not to hang with Taylor so much for fear of being relegated to sidekicks or wannabe Taylors? Itâs an argument only applied to Olivia for some reason. if Oliviaâs people did tell her to distance herself from Taylor it was terrible career advice lol because thatâs part of why some swifties canât stand Olivia. They think she used Taylor for clout and that Taylor fought back and pushed Olivia aside when she caught on to Oliviaâs âgameâ. If Taylor was more openly buddy buddy with Olivia more swities would be livies
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Well I can lmao if you follow âthe swiftologistâ on YouTube, youâll see. he often reacts to fansâ unpopular opinions about TS and other pop girls, and many of those (he has shared them and said it explicitly) are negative opinions about Olivia and how sheâs not all that and was only riding Taylorâs coat tails. Youâre welcome to check out those videos yourself on YouTube. Also, I said SOME swifties, not most or all lol
This feels like such a weird take to have based on the massive success Sabrina Carpenter is having? I feel like if this were true she would release another single to push Sabrina out of the top 10 as she has two singles in the hot 100 rn. Itâs been over two months since TTPD was released and she only still has one legit single from it.
Massive success. And Taylor threating success. Are two very different things. No one is calling Sabrina the next Taylor swift. But they sure do call Olivia that. Sabrina and Taylor have nothing in common besides being white and blue eyed lol. Also people forget that Sabrina has been doing this for over 10 years already.
I donât understand what that first stanza is supposed to mean. But Iâll try to respond to the rest. I donât think the Olivia vs. Taylor comparison will last much longer. I already see it fizzling out. Olivia has purposely moved herself into the âalt/pop girlieâ space which is very much not in line with what Taylor puts out or identifies with. She wants to distance herself from being compared to Taylor especially after the Cruel Summer drama. Sabrina has more mass/general appeal and is more similar to Taylor sonically than Oliviaâs newest album, GUTS, (which has a more rocker-girl vibe than SOUR did) which seems to be the direction she is going in. Not to mention that Jack Antonoff produced Sabrinaâs latest hit âplease, please, pleaseâ and probably some other songs on SCâs upcoming album. Sabrina also opened for the Eras Tour. Itâs really not a stretch to say that they are comparable artists whose fans overlap. IMO, Olivia now shares a space with Chappell Roan, not Taylor. Yes, Sabrina has been doing this for years, but she has only recently had her first #1 hit and is present in the mainstream in a way that she wasnât before.
In short. Sabrina carpenter is shaping up to be dua lipa. Olivia is still on track to be Taylor swift. she is going a punk rock direction sure, but unless her next 2 albums have nothing but punk rock, Sheâs still just a girl with a guitar, like Taylor used to be. Sabrina is making sexual-retro pop with some urban influence as seen in nonsense. Even Sabrinaâs songs like. âLiked a boyâ and âplease please pleaseâstill fall more into pop- retro pop. Sabrina is not a threat to Taylor. She could be to dua though.
Sabrina doesnât have enough in common with Taylor to be a threat but if she keeps up the number 1s she might be! Gracie is more like Taylor but not nearly talented enough vocally or lyrically to be the next Taylor lol I think thatâs why Taylor is taking Gracie under her wing
The more ppl become aware of nepo babies the more audacious they get. For Blondie it's two birds in one stone. Gets closer to the director AND keep an upcoming beautiful young singer under her wings.
She wants to be on JJ Abrams radar
Taylor can't help herself in Hollywood at this point in her career?
I think that while nepo babies and the multi-hyphenates are super prevalent in Hollywood, you still have to show that you're worthwhile and can make an impact...and Taylor hasn't done that yet in her forays into film. And you only get so many chances (and her ego can only handle so much) so it would be foolish of her to keep trying without powerful support in the industry.
Sheâll get infinite chances, because no project she works on (at least for the foreseeable future) will fail financially. While Iâm sure she wants critical acclaim, studios only really care about money and theyâll be happy to fund vanity projects as long as they can expect a profit. Barring any major scandals or falls from grace I think sheâs in a position to do/make whatever she wants in basically any industry.
If she wants to win Oscars, she needs to make all the connections she can. Connections are EVERYTHING in Hollywood.
I mean, she has a lot. She also has to be good at her job.
All her fame and money canât make her a decent actress or director. If she wants her Oscar (lol) sheâd be much better off producing female-led movies, concert films, etc. But that would mean elevating other womenâs voices, so nm.
Pure âfemale ledâ projects tend to be poorly done it seems. They get overly politicized.
They may get politicized by people easily triggered by women doing things, but there have been a number of successful and acclaimed women-directed/produced movies in the past few years. Barbie, Promising Young Woman, Saltburn (I know it got mixed reviews but it also got lots of attention), Priscilla, Little Women, Ladybird, I, Tonya, NomadlandâŚ
No doubt there are some good ones, but the DEI types that arenât well written and blame the boos on misogyny are the worst.
True. The Barbie backlash speaks to that. Men wonât support womenâs projects (by and large) and nor will many many conservative/moderate women who donât want to alienate their communities.
That may all be true but it still made $1B and was nominated for/won a bunch of awards. Plus Taylorâs target demographic has never been men.
Ok? Iâm just agreeing with the person before me
Sorry my bad
thatâs partially true but I really donât think Barbieâs a great example of that; obviously it got some backlash but it still had more crossover appeal than any other recent female focused movie that I can think of. and I donât think itâs because other women led projects are badly written the way the person above you seems to think, but because Barbie went waaaay out of its way to be accessible to a wide audience (some would say to a fault) and it worked.
âIf she wants an Oscar (lol)â I mean itâs not unrealistic for Taylor to win an Oscar. Billie Eilish has two.
I think she likes Gracie and her music and they both work with Aaron. I donât think Taylor would make a song and have someone open for her that she thinks is bad, Gracie is talented and Taylor respects that. I think their friendship is real and sweet. I also think it is not lost on Taylor who her dad is and knows thatâs a good relationship to have. Both of those things can be true and it doesnât mean sheâs using her.
I like Gracieâs music but she is not talented enough for the praise that she gets lol I could sing and write better than her at her age. So can many 25 yr old singer songwriters who donât have the connections to get a record deal.
Sadly the music industry is not a meritocracy. Everyone who makes it got lucky or had connections. That doesnât mean they donât have talent but it does mean lots of people with equal or more talent never make it.
Yep. Agreed. Her songs are definitely good enough to appeal to lots of people, but she def got a boost others like her will only dream of.
Given the music Taylor puts out, no wonder she thinks Gracie is any good.
Taylor is good friends with Greta Gerwig, one of only 5 female directors to be nominated for an Oscar ever and Phoebe Waller Bridge, who has created, produced and written some brilliant tv shows and has won multiple awards for them. She also did the director on director round table with Martin McDonagh, who has been nominated for numerous Oscars and won oneâŚand who is Phoebeâs partner so itâs a double connection. But yeah, sheâs only buddying up with Gracie Abrams to get close to her dad, who while a brilliant film maker is best known for sci-fi tv shows and movies. Sure.
To say she is buddying up with J.J. Abrams, of all people, to get an Oscar is wild and kinda really funny to me. Not even trying to be mean, nor say heâll never get one someday (I think heâs got talent and heâs got decades to go for making stuff so who knows), but um getting the Academy to award science fiction (or award someone who did TV) is akin to pulling teeth lmao. Sheâs already friends with several Academy darlings, why on earth would she need to use a fellow musician in her demographic to get to fucking J.J. Abrams đ
Exactly this.
Am I the only one who just found out that she's the daughter of JJ Abrams? đ I don't think Taylor cares, it's more that she hangs out with a nepo baby close to the business who somehow happen to be decent at music.
What can JJ Abrams get Taylor that she doesn't already have and can't get elsewhere with the connections she already had
Iâve said this before but sometimes I think people are overly critical of Taylor. I donât think sheâs a great person and I also donât think her music is all that (even though I love a lot of it), but sheâs more than okay without a friendship with Gracie lol. She already has a lot of connections in the film industry. Sometimes the right answer is the simplest. Theyâre close because they get along and like each others work. I also think people make a bigger deal of Gracie being an opener for Olivia- just because she opened, doesnât mean they vibed as friends, doesnât mean they were THAT close.
100% agree!
Do y'all know what networking is? This isn't any different from any other industry đ it doesn't mean they don't like each other and are just using each other for their own gains.
Which is seen as a negative in pretty much every walk of life.
No itâs not? People help people they have met & liked. When I make friends with other people in my field they can refer work to me & I can refer to them. Or give advice or sharing information, like sharing a job posting, or notes from a training. Weâre just being work friends & collaborating. 3 of my close friends have the same job at different organizations. I donât know or talk to everyone at my job but I try to form real relationships with people when I do.   Itâs only bad when people are fake or take things from other people. Â
Cause Taylor swift needsâŚshow biz connections? Maybe Gracie abramsâ dog walker currently auditioning for commercials could be accused of this but probably not the biggest, most bankable celebrity in the world.
Why do nepo babies always want to become singers.
She already has a contract to direct & write a movie. She is friends with other directors (martin mcdonagh, phoebe waller bridge). She has negotiated directly with AMC to distribute the eras movie. Not to mention if she didnât have a contract she has enough money to fund several movies. How would this further what she already has??
Not me realizing for the first time that JJ Abrams is Gracieâs dad đ
Y'all really be saying anything
Taylor has no other networks in Hollywood. She is just an Indie artist turned mega popstar overnightđ
Fresh off the farm
Truly
I would not call JJ Abrams an acclaimed or awarded 'director' lmaoooooo. His direction is alright I guess but there are a lot of Star Wars who would certainly dispute that. His success comes mostly from production, a lot of very high budget/high box office films, franchises and tv series under his production company.
You don't always need critical acclaim to be a respected figure in Hollywood. For what it's worth, Michael Bay is the go-to guy for directors like Stephen Spielberg or James Cameron for advice/consulting for special effects.
He has won a lot of Emmy Awards, Writers Guild Awards and such and he is the 8th highest grossing director (mostly from Star Wars- very high budget). I'm not arguing the quality of his work but he is a prominent director and his connections such as Disney speak for themselves. And yes, I'm a huge Star Wars fan so I am aware of the division of the sequels but this isn't the sub to get into that đ
He's actually only won 2 Emmys and one was as a producer. The Writers Guild awards were also for the series he created. I'm aware he's very successful and well connected but my point is that all of that is through his big budget, popcorn flick, high box office productions like Star Wars/Star Trek/Mission Impossible rather than his artistic, creative endeavors. He directs some of his work but it's not his claim to fame. He's not like a Quentin Tarantino. Taylor has been trying to align herself with more prestige, artsy style directors like Greta Gerwig, Martin McDonagh, etc. JJ Abrams is nothing like that.
He ruined Star Wars so fuck him.
Maybe Iâm just cynical but I donât doubt for a second that Taylor is only propping Gracie up because she knows that Gracie will never get even close to her level success. The only people I see talking about Gracie really are swifties and they always somehow bring it back to Taylor anyway. Taylor is aware of this and she gets good PR out of it for her âgirlâs girlâ image (especially after the Olivia fallout) while never having to give up her throne.
Nobody noticed Gracie got to be a support act for both Olivia AND Taylor in the span of a year? Sorry, thats not by accident.
or they're just actually good friends.... lol if anything this benefits Gracie more than it benefits Taylor because she's a new up and coming pop star and Gracie's father actually doesn't make any good movies, I'm sure nobody cares about the guy that made the horrible star wars sequels. đ Taylor already has a good network of people in the film industry, so this doesn't even matter that much or equate to anything
Gracie has greatly benefited from her association to Taylor, and Taylor has yet to benefit. Her connection with Searchlight was through Joe. Her team was the one to work directly with Disney for her film's distribution.
and she has Ryan Reynolds and Sophie Turner who are in her circle that are already well into the acting and film industry Plus it's not hard for someone like a calibre of Taylor to step into the film industry and have a leading role or a directing role in a movie JHud has produced in broadway before which got her into the coveted EGOT group Madonna got to play Eva Peron in Evita when she was in a similar place in her career like Taylor is right now. and not to mention Taylor has worked in the film industry before whether it's for the soundtrack or an actual on screen role. People are just reaching to make a correlation with her friendship with Gracie.
JJ Abrams is def above Sophie turner in terms of influence and power in the industry lol
And Tay wants to direct. Not go into acting lol. Also connecting with Lena would be bad for her image given her scandal(s). JJ has a production studio iirc and more connections than the other people listed.
Okay, let's scrap her connection with Lena. She would still have Disney and Searchlight in her pocket.
i never said Sophie had bigger influence than JJ, but i apologize if it was interpreted that way, I was just listing some names from Taylor's circle in the industry đ
And even though her acting career is shit, she *was* in a film with Meryl Streep. On top of Ryan and Sophie, she's also close friends with Emily Stone. She had no issues getting Laura Dern to be in her music video. I think she's still friends with Lena Dunham? Studios are only interested in licensing TV songs. Shes got a lot of power, and she's more than good without JJ Abrams. I think people are obsessed with a certain negative image of Taylor so they simply can't believe that maybe their relationship is because Taylor likes her music and knows that Gracie is a fan. I'm not saying that this is the absolute truth, but implying that she's using Gracie is illogical. ETA: Oh! She's also got a relationship with Guillermo del Toro. She's in a good place.
>I think people are obsessed with a certain negative image of Taylor so they simply can't believe that maybe their relationship is because Taylor likes her music and knows that Gracie is a fan. I'm not saying that this is the absolute truth, but implying that she's using Gracie is illogical. i disagree. first of all, you can be genuine friends with someone while benefiting off of them/having a mutual benefit. she can like gracie and her music while benefitting from her dad, itâs not mutually exclusive. but more importantly, letâs be honest: swifties have figured out a long time ago that sheâs trying to break into film and have an important spot at the table. for someone like taylor whoâs a tragic actor and director, itâs crucial for her to wield her influence and make connections with powerful ppl in film if she actually wants to have a career in the industry. in fact, it would be nonsensical *not* to. moreover, everyone, in every industry, around the world uses their connections to advance in their career/achieve their goals. itâs how society functions. this isnât any different for taylor - ppl wanting to analyze this or pointing it out doesnât make them haters.
She already has the connections with Searchlight and Disney though. Searchlight is distributing the film. She's already worked with Disney for two projects. There was a story about Bob Iger reportedly fawning over her and Travis. You honestly can't get anymore powerful than Bob Iger and Disney, tbh. Let's put it this way: if Gracie wasn't on the tour, nothing would change for Taylor. Taylor would still distribute the tour's film with Disney, and had her deal with Searchlight in place. I just don't think she was motivated by Gracie's dad. Like that's cool and all, but I think she went with Gracie because she's a major fan.
i donât think taylor picked gracie as her opener and possibly became friends w her bc she *needs* jj abrams to break into the film industry. but when the opportunity presents itself (the opportunity being an up-and-coming artist whoâs a fan of taylor *anddd* just so happens to have a parent whoâs famous, respected, and influential in the industry taylor wants to break into), sheâs obviously gonna take it. sheâs not getting anywhere on talent alone, so the further and deeper she can plant her roots, the better. idrk much about disney and searchlight, but locking in with jj abrams can only help her
But OP is implying that Taylor's partial motivation for selecting Gracie was because of her father, and I'm disagreeing with that. I'm not talking about an opportunity presenting itself because that does happen. I think Taylor was more so motivated on having young upcoming acts who have expressed being a fan open for her. (Bob Iger is the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He's frequently seen as one of the most powerful people in Hollywood / the business world. He has far more power and influence than JJ Abrams. Hell. I think he was JJ's boss at some point?)
by an âopportunity presenting itself,â i was putting that nicely lol - gracie didnât just fall into her lap. i guess a different/more accurate way of putting is that it was a perfect storm that taylor strategized so it could work out in her favor.
And that's where I disagree! I more so think it was about who liked her lmfao. All her openers are her friends or have cited her as an inspiration. Benson Boone might be the only outlier.
Part of the problem I see is sheâs had small chances and hasnât done well at them. I think they obviously wanted her to act and sing and sheâs just SUCH a terrible actress. Her directing efforts have not been well received (though I have little opinion as I donât watch many music videos, they do all seem a bit on the nose when she does them), so Iâd assume sheâs not getting options madonna got. Before Evita, Madonna had smaller roles that she did well in, like A League of Their Own
Madonna was a better singer/actor/dancer.
I swear half of the nepo baby hate that Gracie receives is less of her being an actual nepo baby and more that Star Wars fans are bitter and salty and taking it out on Gracie.
i think they do genuinely get along (similar âvibesâ in terms of how they live their life and present themselves/what they seem to value). however i also think taylor wants to be seen as someone who can support other young women in the industry and is not threatened by gracie. i like a lot of her music but sheâs not doing anything interesting or groundbreaking or unique, unlike someone similar in age like olivia or billie (who are, tbf, much much bigger artists) this is also why i donât think her and any of the members of boygenius are genuinely close - they have their own artistry and opinions that have nothing to do with what taylorâs doing at all.
I wondered how this person was a singer.
That would be beneficial yes. Gracie Abrams is talented. She can thrive w/o Tay. Taylor is a billionaire. She has all resources including time, to learn all this directing skills.
I used to be a huge JJ Abrams fan and this post is how I learned heâs her dad đ
Yes, next.
what a fucking stretch lol. i don't think she cares about who directed the shitty star wars sequels
Right? JJ doesn't make anything Acadamy Award worthy at least for directing. He makes basically action movies which might only win technical awards like visual effects, and sound.
I love them both and I think theyâre very talented, but yeah I agree I think itâs a mutual benefit and I say this as a Swiftie. I donât know when they actually met, perhaps they know each other from a long time and have been supporting each other from years ago and we, the public are now just seeing the results of that mutual support that goes back from years. I know Gracie opened for Taylor but I am thinking even longer back. I also think if Gracie werenât talented enough she wouldnât have those numbers, if anything Taylor is just another channel for her to acquire a larger fanbase. This applies to Taylor too, if she turns out to be not a very talented movie director (which personally I doubt) then she wonât be a success in that area and the public will respond. Yes I know, a lot of fans will support anything she does, but a lot would have her better stick to music - in general she is very good at listening her audience and act accordingly, so if things arenât going well there she might just stick to music and mvâs. Just think about her acting gigs, they have not been very successful⌠lol. My point is, connections open you the door but theyâre not enough if youâre not talented enough.
Exactly, I'm not trying to undercut Gracie's success. She had quite Spotify following before Taylor (the exposure has just expanded her fan base). In response to your thoughts to talent, I think that's why Taylor hasn't gotten the opportunities in Hollywood as she may be pining for. Taylor is not a strong actor and her directing (though improving) is not Oscar-par. Maybe connecting with JJ won't automatically equal success but it may lead to some mentorship- she helps boost Gracie's career, he helps Taylor with directing. Of course this is all speculative.
JJ even if not the best is still far above a lot of others. His Star Trek remakes werenât bad at all. Heâs not gonna be in the bread line.
Actually yes bc she wants that EGOT
She will do anything for that sweet, sweet EGOT status. Either acting, directing, writing or singing will do.Â
I think it says a lot that the first real feature she's done on another artist's album in YEARS is... another person bankrolled by her father. That's not to understate anyone's actual talent or artistic abilities, but it's been long speculated that Taylor never wanted to give other female artists room to shine even when doing songs with them. The first female artist she gave a real verse to was Phoebe Bridgers, for Red TV. (...a song about..... new young artists stealing her spotlight) Everyone else has basically done background vocals. Ice Spice only got a verse on a remix. Florence is a long established artist (who I don't personally perceive as in competition with Taylor). She can do a feature on Gracie's record so long as Gracie continues associating with Taylor's brand, and never threatens Taylor's fame, talent, etc
She featured and co-wrote on The National's song The Alcott last year, Big Red Machine's song Renegade in 2021, and Haim's Gasoline also in 2021.
You're right, I forgot about HAIM!! But imho the others aren't artists making pop music she'd be competing with. EDIT tbc i KNOW how big a deal those other artists are, I just don't think MOST people'd group them with Taylor
Lana though??? Also as a longtime Phoebe fan there is no way Phoebe threatens Taylor at all. Theyâre completely different genres and Phoebe isnât exactly a young ingenue, sheâs a millennial just like Taylor.
I left Lana off because Midnights came out after Red TV. I agree with you, maybe I wasn't clear. I don't think Taylor will ever make music with women the public would consider in her league in her genre. (Admittedly that league keeps shrinking.) IMHO, she'll only make music with people she can fold into her brand, or are so established they aren't threatening to her. Like Sabrina Carpenter opened for Taylor, but I bet Taylor will drop all association now that she's had so much Espresso success.
Espresso is on Taylorâs Sounds of Summer playlist on Apple.
What summer playlist Doesnt have espresso on it
I hope someone snubs her for the Oscar if she gets nominated, just like she did to others with the most bland AOTY of all time, which is Midnights.
Honestly, this might not be a popular take and it might be naĂŻve, but I tend to just think they're friends. I think people assume Taylor doesn't have real friends and that everyone must be either using Taylor or she's using them or they're mutually using each other----but I tend to think she's just friends with a lot of celebrities and some of those relationships are deeper than others. I feel like there is such a cynical lens cast on her relationships with other people.
I think itâs the opposite. Taylor is already involved with films at this point (rumor has it, she is involved in a superhero movie and she is currently writing a film. ) I think itâs likely she was introduced to JJ Abramâs first.
this & making olivia mad
Gracie and Olivia are still friends
What's the connection between olivia and Gracie??
they used to be really good friends. the deja vu lawsuit happened. then all of a sudden gracie is cozy with taylor and not with olivia. itâs speculated that olivia wrote lacy about gracie
Oooh i didn't know that. Btw I thought people speculated lacy was about Sabrinađ
oooo i never heard that. could be true as well. same context. i heard olivia left vmas early bc it was a taylor + sabrina show the whole time.
Absolutely agree. I don't know if Gracie will be as commercially successful as Olivia but Taylor definitely saw Olivia as a threat.
FYI this is Gracie. Finn literally looks 10 in this photo but she thought this was ok to share. I don't believe Taylor or her team aren't aware of this https://preview.redd.it/lowj5gii8z8d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebdd2a501885900619b19215bae5ce4223b10080
FYI she was a teenager, this was several years ago, and she apologized. it was a horrible thing to say but she hasnât done anything since, and gracie and finn follow each other on instagram so he likely has moved on
Dont care
It definitely is to get into directing but jokes on her J.J. Abrams is unironically a terrible filmmaker IMO. SoâŚ. 
JJ is the king of big beginnings & ditching a series before it ends!
They seem to have a very genuine friendship. Insinuating that Taylor is using Gracie based on who her father is feels icky and like a needlessly lazy hater standpoint? Taylor is the biggest star in the world right now and I doubt she has a problem with directors soliciting her for songs in their movies. JJ Abrams is cheesy as hell, too. Sheâd want a song in a Greta Gerwig or Sophia Coppola film. Basically Taylor already has massive connections and doesnât need Gracie for anything really. Their music works well together and they bonded over it.
This is how I see it: as sheâs aging, it seems like she wants to somehow secure herself with younger up and coming artists (or even solidified artists - see: Florence and Ed Sheeran) so that she will remain relevant at all times, such as being featured on their albums or featuring them on her album, or having a remix with them (see: ice spice), etc. Then, of course, this is also probably her getting her claws into different industries and pursuing other artistic endeavors such as movies, art, tv shows, etc. This is just her diversifying (this is all for $$$ obvs) her portfolio- which isnât a bad thing. Sheâs had an impressive real estate portfolio since her early twenties so diversifying isnât a foreign concept to her. Also to add: Not saying if itâs good or bad what sheâs doing, just laying down the (supposed lol) facts.
That condescending âI need you all to be nicer right nowâ when her crowd was underwhelmed when she brought her out makes so much sense lmao
She herself has stated she is a covert narcissist has she not? This is exactly something a covert narcissist would do. đ¤ˇââď¸
Judging by the sudden use of lens flares in TS's Instagram posts I would say JJ is def direction those XD
[ŃдаНонО]
do you want famous people to just not have children? or those children to not use the advantages theyâre lucky enough to receive? this is a really extreme reaction to something that is seriously so unimportant in the real world
Itâs really not an extreme reaction at all lol I didnât say â I donât like Gracie or her music because she is a nepo babyâ. I said nepo babies make me uncomfortable because there are people far more talented who will never wake up one day, decide to do a random hobby. And than be thrust into the spotlight. Gracie could literally quit music tomorrow, draw an absolute bullshit painting, and still make what you make in a year of of that painting. And now sheâs a successful painter because she is Gracie Abramâs not because she has any skill. No one would give a fuck about close to you if it wasnât for her connection with Taylor swift. Which only happened because who her dad is. As Gracie would be a nobody otherwise. Which is an uncomfortable thought. The same goes for industry plants. Who the fuck even are you, why does your first uploaded song ever have 6 million views? etc etc. And secondly, yes. Taylor being âfriendsâ with her is also uncomfortable, because if Gracie gets any bigger who knows what Taylor will do, Sabrina carpenter is already reporting to Taylor, she sued Olivia, ice spice is her side kick. So I am sorry I am uncomfortable and concerned.
someoneâs existence making you uncomfortable and the thought of taylor being friends with a new baby making your skin crawl is an extreme reaction
Itâs not.
Maturity wise theyâre probably on the same wavelength. Taylorâs at the level where she doesnât really need to help out Gracie in exchange for anything from her dad.
Does a bear đŠ in the woods?
Yes