After much controversy and talk about The Idol, its first two episodes finally premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2023.

Directed by Sam Levinson, The Idol follows Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an aspiring pop idol who wishes to reclaim her fame. After having a nervous breakdown that caused her last tour to be canceled, she resolves to reclaim her title as America’s sexiest pop star.

As a result, she begins a complicated relationship with Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a self-help guru and the leader of a contemporary cult. Much information about the show was revealed after the premiere.

Alexa Demie will make a cameo as Maddy Perez from ‘Euphoria’ in HBO’s new show ‘The Idol.’ pic.twitter.com/zunCaRPFYB— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 23, 2023

One of them is Alexa Demie making a cameo on the show by reprising her role as Maddy Perez from Euphoria.

Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez in ‘The Idol’

Levinson is the mastermind behind Euphoria since he created and wrote the series. Euphoria follows a group of teens in the fictional town of East Highland, California, as they search for optimism while dealing with the stresses of love, grief, and addiction. 

Some of the issues discussed on Euphoria are the same as that of The Idol like drug abuse, social media, toxic relationships, drug dealing, codependency, toxic positivity, rape, sexual assault, hookup culture, and dating violence, among others. 

Therefore, it is not a surprise that Levinson wants to create his own universe like that of Marvel and DC. After it was confirmed that Demie’s character, Perez, would appear on the show, Levinson revealed that Euphoria and The Idol happen in the same universe.

Sam Levinson confirmed at Cannes that ‘Euphoria’ and ‘The Idol’ take place in the same universe. pic.twitter.com/T9GpqgtgV7— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 23, 2023

Demie appears in The Idol as a woman at the club where Jocelyn and Tedros first meet. Despite the fact that she plays a minor role in the plot, it will be a memorable throwback for Euphoria fans who may be watching this series anticipating something similar. 

Unfortunately, not much information regarding her cameo or the role her character plays in the tale has been provided. She may return in the later half of the program, but viewers must wait until the season premieres to find out.

Demie plays the role of Perez in Euphoria and likely The Idol. She is recognized for her outspoken and confident demeanor, and she is generally considered self-assured and fearless to express herself. 

Alexa Demie will reprise her role as Maddy Perez in ‘The Idol.’ (Source: Twitter)

Perez is said to have a strong sense of style and is frequently spotted wearing beautiful and bold clothing. She has a complicated and turbulent relationship with her boyfriend, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), who is also a significant character in the series. 

Their relationship has ups and downs, including episodes of manipulation, deception, and violence. Despite their difficulties, Perez stays emotionally involved in their relationship.

Perez is shown as a devoted friend who is frequently seen supporting her small group of friends, particularly the main character, Rue Bennett (Zendaya). She is also renowned for her fiery attitude and often combative demeanor.

maddy perez in the idol??? queen is back pic.twitter.com/h4gB2wWlfS— alexa demie archive (@archivedemie) May 23, 2023

Overall, Perez, a character of enormous depth in the highly acclaimed television series, emerges as a fascinating combination of confidence and vulnerability. She is portrayed with complexity and depth and captivates spectators with her bold approach, unusual style, and turbulent relationships. 

The reviews of ‘The Idol’

Ever since its premiere, The Idol is receiving negative reviews, to say the least. Before the premiere, Rolling Stone ran an expose on the series in March 2023. 

According to the article, the initial tone and subject of the screenplay had altered, and instead of being focused on a woman’s quest to restore her own agency, it had allegedly devolved into a demeaning narrative bordering on torture porn. 

Moreover, there were some really troublesome occurrences on-site. However, The Weeknd and Depp defended the show and Levinson.

Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol out of #Cannes2023 — ranging from “I hated it” to “the TV version of clickbait” to “I don’t need to see any more of Lily-Rose Depp naked.”— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 22, 2023

Levinson was also criticized for his view. Many complained that he oversexualizes and victimizes the female characters in his shows —  as evident in Euphoria.

Regardless, people were giving it the benefit of the doubt. But now, after the premiere of two episodes, the critics are being brutally honest about the show.

Critics are not happy with the presentation of the show, claiming that it is extremely sexualized. They noted that The Idol supports male fantasy which degrades women.

With a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only one positive review, ‘THE IDOL’ is the lowest rated HBO original of all time. pic.twitter.com/QCHWBI7pHu— One Take News (@OneTakeNews) May 24, 2023

The series has also been called misogynistic and predatory in nature. Initially, The Idol debuted with 20% on Tomatometer of Rotten Tomatoes.

But at the time of writing, it has 9% on Tomatometer with 11 reviews. The critics’ consensus reads, “Every bit as florid and sleazy as the industry it seeks to satirize, The Idol places itself on a pedestal with unbridled style but wilts under the spotlight.”

Looking at the decrease in Tomatometer, it won’t be a surprise if it decreases more from 9% after more reviews come in.

Joe Rogan launched his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, on December 24, 2009, on YouTube.

In a matter of a couple of years, it became one of the most popular podcasts in the world with guests such as Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, Edward Snowden, and  Neil deGrasse Tyson appearing on the show. Rogan uploaded his podcast on YouTube for over a decade.

However, in December 2020, he exclusively signed with Spotify. Since then, his full episodes are only available on Spotify and highlights are uploaded on YouTube.

The Joe Rogan Experience has been the number-one podcast on Spotify ever since it was signed exclusively on the platform. However, it was recently dethroned by The Meer Show.

‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ dethroned by ‘The Meer Show’

On May 18, 2023, The Joe Rogan Experience was dethroned from its position as the top podcast on Spotify. Instead, a brand-new podcast named The Meer Show took its spot.

To date, only one episode of  20 minutes in length has been released and yet, it has managed to take the top position. However, such is only the case on Spotify. On Apple Podcast, they have reached 28th position in the UK Charts.

The Meer Show is a new podcast from the UK from TikTok influencers, Meer Jangi, Grace, and Bailey. Talking about dethroning The Joe Rogan Experience, they told Dextero how they have been trending for the past four weeks, “gaining up to 25k viewers on our lives at once.”

‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ was dethroned by ‘The Meer Show’ on Spotify. (Source: Twitter)

As a result, they decided to make a podcast randomly and called it The Meer Show. They said, “We decided to make the podcast 5 days ago for our followers and then promoted the link from there which boosted our podcast listens and we were able to get really positive feedback from our fans!”

While The Meer Show has dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience, it is unknown when they will be able to hold the #1 spot on Spotify.

Instances of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ being dethroned

This is not the first time The Joe Rogan Experience has been dethroned. In April 2023, TWOTI – This Week on the Internet – hosted by YouTuber WillNE, took the #1 spot on the UK charts.

The YouTube sensation, who founded TWOTI as an on-and-off weekly internet summary video on his channel a few years ago, has been rapidly ascending the rankings in recent weeks and eclipsed Rogan as the #1 podcast in the UK. 

However, it did not take The Joe Rogan Experience to take the spot again. Similarly, in May 2022, Batman Unburied dominated the charts in various countries like the US, the UK, Australia, Mexico, and India, among others. 

In August 2022, Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes, dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience two days after she released the podcast. 

Similarly, in the past, The Joe Rogan Experience has been dethroned in the past by Minecraft stars SapNap and KarlJacobs’ Banter, Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, as well as the It’s Always Sunny Podcast. 

Regardless of how many times The Joe Rogan Experience has been kicked out of the #1 spot, they have managed to jump back and take their place as the top podcast on Spotify.

American reality TV series Summer House is reportedly introducing an exciting spin-off called Summer House: Lake House.

Deuxmoi recently unveiled that Bravo is currently testing a spin-off show called Summer House: Lake House. This information stems from a reliable second-hand account shared by a friend of a friend who attended the events filmed for the potential spin-off.

According to the account, the show might feature Taisha Adams and Luke Gulbranson from the original series. They further disclosed that at least two events have already been filmed in Minneapolis—a dinner and a party. 

Deuxmoi reported on the new ‘Summer House’ spin-off. (Source: Instagram)

Likewise, as the summer season approaches, it is anticipated that Adams and Gulbranson, if involved in the spin-off, will be spotted together more frequently around the city of Minneapolis and even Gulbranson’s hometown.

After just a few days of reporting Bravo’s plans to launch a spin-off of Summer House, Deuxmoi provided an update stating that they can now confirm with 100 percent certainty that the Adams and Gulbranson are not involved in the Summer House spin-off. 

They also clarified that although filming has taken place, the individuals mentioned have no involvement with the spin-off show. The show’s status is still pending Bravo’s approval.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the new Summer House spin-off, it is important to highlight that the series has already introduced two successful spin-off shows. The first spin-off, Winter House, with two seasons, and a recent spin-off titled Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard. 

Detail on Summer House’s two spin-off series

Bravo premiered the highly anticipated first spin-off of Summer House, titled Winter House, on October 20, 2021. The series featured a captivating cast, including familiar faces such as Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, Paige DeSorbo, Craig Conover, and many others.

Winter House revolves around a group of friends who come together to spend a portion of the winter in one house. Unlike the typical arrangement where the cast visits the house on weekends, this spin-off took a different approach. The cast members lived, worked, and engaged in various activities together for six weeks, adhering to pandemic protocols.

According to Bravo, the cast members spent 17 days living together in a single house in Stowe, Vermont. The cast members of the series appear to have thoroughly enjoyed their time filming. One of the cast members, Kyle Cooke, shared his though on Twitter stating, “To be honest, every day played like a Saturday. #FullSendMode 17 days straight.”

After more than a year since the release of the first Summer House spin-off, Bravo premiered the second spin-off of the series, titled Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, on May 7, 2023.

The show features an all-Black cast vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Notably, Martha’s Vineyard holds historical significance as one of the earliest beach destinations where African Americans could vacation and acquire property, adding a rich cultural context to the show’s setting.

The cast of the show includes a talented lineup of individuals such as Nicholas ‘Nick’ Arrington, Jasmine Ellis Cooper, Silas Cooper, Jordan Emanuel, and many others.