‘Was That Whitney Houston?’: The ‘Little Mermaid’ TikTok Is This Week’s Moment of Joy

This is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by senior editor Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here.

This week:

• Long live Abbott Elementary.

• A lil’ cutie-patootie to make you smile.

• Behold: perfect singing.

• Drew Barrymore has it figured out.

• Tweet of the week.

The World’s Most Adorable Mistaken Identity

I do not recognize the world around me this week, as there have been multiple occasions in which, out of the ashes of the usual terribleness, something truly delightful has risen. Don’t get me wrong: The terrible still exists. But the fact that there seems to be—dare I say—joy drowning it out is a welcome change of pace.

Take, for example, the unbelievable (were it not so expected) racist backlash to the teaser for the new The Little Mermaid movie, in which Black singer Halle Bailey plays Ariel. In addition to the usual trolls crying about how this race-blind casting upsets the so-called intended, reality-based vision of this mermaid who talks to fish, befriends a singing crab, and makes an enchanted deal with a sea witch, there were even arguments about how a Black person’s pigmentation wouldn’t be scientifically possible for Ariel. Ariel, who is again, a fictional mermaid.

But forget I even mentioned any of that unpleasantness, because the real news is what this representation actually means and how it is already changing the world.

Numerous videos have gone viral this week of Black children watching the teaser for the first time, reacting with astonishment and glee when Bailey first appears: “She’s Black!” Bailey herself has responded to the preciousness and importance of these videos, tweeting, “People have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and I’m truly in awe…this means the world to me.”

There is one video in particular that, while not featuring a Black child’s reaction, does feature a response from a little girl that caught me so off guard I almost knocked over my chair.

It begins much like the other videos. She is watching the teaser and gasps when Bailey first appears. She looks at her mother and says, after a long dramatic break and in what can only be described as a grown woman’s deep Southern accent: “Was it just me, or was that Whitney Houston?”

Confusing two Black singers is, of course, cause for a big “yikes.” But this very cute girl is also just 7. In fact, the girl’s mother clarified later that her daughter “loves Whitney” and even later said she “thought maybe they somehow made this in Heaven.” Given the ugliness surrounding so much of the reaction to this teaser, this seems to be the case of a mistake made of reverence.

In any case, just a fleeting moment of joy for you.

This Sara Bareilles Clip Is So, So Good

Speaking of moments, in New York City recently, there have been many of them happening in the woods.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods is having a hit revival on Broadway right now. Sara Bareilles opened the show in the legendary musical theater role of The Baker’s Wife, which she played until Stephanie J. Block took over earlier this month. She delivered a revelatory performance. The whole production is something incredibly special—you cry for approximately that last 30 minutes straight—but Bareilles’ performance was stunning.

If you care about things like “musical theater” and “perfect singing,” then I encourage you to watch this clip of Bareilles performing “Moments in the Woods,” the Baker’s Wife signature number, for the upcoming cast recording. It is a masterful interpretation of one of Sondheim’s best songs. (Watch it here.)

Again: More nice things!

I Need to Book a Session With Drew Barrymore

Having checked in now and again with The Drew Barrymore Show, as is my obligation as a gay man, I am more impressed than ever at the skill she has shown in effectively turning her talk show into therapy for herself.

In the first batch of episodes of her new season, she’s had an emotional reunion with ex Justin Long, in which they tearfully discussed the love they still have for each other. Selma Blair came on to clarify a wild story, in which someone had been sending Barrymore death threats supposedly on Blair’s behalf. That’s on top of memorable moments—most featuring Barrymore openly weeping—in which she, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz discuss their bond and Barrymore monologues about how much Steven Spielberg means to her.

I thought I needed a new therapist. But it turns out I need a talk show.

Icons Being Icons

Every once and a while, we need to be reminded to appreciate Judy Blume.

What to watch this week:

Do Revenge: Cruel Intentions meets Heathers meets Clueless meets my weekend viewing plans. (Now on Netflix)

Reboot: A show about rebooting a show and how rebooting a show is a bad idea. Yet, it works! (Tues. on Hulu)

The Woman King: Viola Davis action movie: something quite pleasing to me. (Now in theaters)

The Great British Baking Show: All is once again right with the world. (Now on Netflix)

What to skip this week:

The Kardashians: My feelings about the show and about the family change daily. Today, I’m over both. (Wed. on Hulu)

The Masked Singer: At this rate with this show, I’m expecting Vladimir Putin to jump out of a flamingo costume. (Wed. on Fox)

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