There were many priceless moments in Caity Weaver’s profile in The Times of Sam Asghari, a.k.a. Mr. Britney Spears, and while most can be wholly appreciated only in the context of the entire article, a few sentences do just fine on their own. Like this one, about two of Asghari’s intrusive and fidgety handlers: “If Mr. Asghari is the heart of the Sam Asghari business, Maxi and Mr. Cohen are the palpitations.” And this one, about his response to all their fussing: “After each disruption, he retrieved the path of his thoughts as nonchalantly as a storm-blown songbird recovers its migratory route to the tropics.” (Thanks to Allan Tarlow of West Hollywood, Calif., and Susan Hembree of Albuquerque for these nominations.)
Amanda Hess’s take on the cultural evolution of Botox is a similar buffet of delicious sentences, and I nominate these representative morsels: “Though there are several competing brands, Botox is the Kleenex of the category. It presents the kind of bargain one might strike with a nefarious sea witch: She will grant you eternal youth, but at the price of being able to move your face.” “Botox once suggested vanity, delusion and self-consciousness, but now it has fresh associations: with confidence, resilience, even authenticity, as the idea of ‘having work done’ has come to be seen as a legitimate form of work.” “Female movie stars are no longer buried after a certain age; instead they are embalmed.”
Sticking with The Times, Alexis Soloski described Juliette Lewis and other members of the cast of “Yellowjackets,” a Showtime series, as actresses “who shot to fame in the ’90s and are still picking out some of that shrapnel now.” (Jean Grossman, Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Ginia Bellafante noted that Zephyr Teachout, who once ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor of New York, could benefit from his exile, “given that any political aspirations she had were unlikely to thrive while Mr. Cuomo remained in power, drinking thirstily from the spigot of retribution.” (Rudy Brynolfson, Minneapolis)
Here’s Genevieve Ko on a late-stage step of proper mashed-potato making: “The fork shouldn’t violently and erratically slice through the mash, but instead circle like a Ferris wheel, steady and gentle, up and down and back around.” (Jo Wollschlaeger, Portland, Ore.)
And here’s Bret Stephens on his own breakthrough case of Covid: “I’ve lost my senses of taste and smell, which, given that I’ve received multiple care packages from Zabar’s, makes me feel like the eunuch at the orgy.” (Larry Berman, Westfield, N.J., and Betsy Johnson, Ipswich, Mass., among others)
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