the song / thomas / palmer of it all
3 childstars that deserve their flowers
Floor Time
/flôr tīm/
noun
the 15-60 minute time period spent laying on the floor in the middle of the work day, typically as a relief from the soul-sucking reality of corporate America.
Oh we are SO back. Apologies for my tiny hiatus—January took a lot out of me (as it was three years long) and I decided to give myself a little winter recharge. I celebrated Lunar New Year, went on a ski trip1 in the Alps, and saw Nicole Scherzinger shine in Sunset Blvd2. In between the fun, I’ve been girlbossin’ hard, chatting through some new projects, finding my groove in others, and filing my taxes early because I’m better than everyone3. Now, I’m coming off the heels of a cold and a bout of food poisoning, just in time for awards season, my best friend’s birthday, and some more travel—woo! And that’s what you missed on Glee.
Now, on to the newsletter! Lately, I’ve been seeing something happen that is long overdue. And that is the absolute renaissance of my favorite child actors of color, who are all now in their 30s. Specifically, I want to talk about 3 stars and make sure that YOU know what’s going on4.
Brenda Song
Any young Asian girl growing up in the early aughts knows about Brenda Song’s legacy. This woman was cast in every DCOM5 of note6. She gave us Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. She delivered one of the most iconic scenes to ever grace Disney Channel and trademarked the “PRNDL.” SHE IS A FELLOW BERKELEY GRAD (GO BEARS!!!!!!!!). And she rocked the single best outfit of the age:
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that she and her partner (a little no-name actor, rhymes with Bacaulay Pulkin?) recently did a piece for Cosmo (written by the funniest-woman-on-the-internet Hunter Harris) where they talked about their relationship, being child stars, and smiled for some of the cutest couple photos ever7. She’s had some projects here and there, but yesterday, the long anticipated series (for me … I’ve been the one anticipating), Running Point, premiered on Netflix. Earlier this year, she appeared alongside Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, she said: “I feel like the best is yet to come.” And I 1000% agree. Give this woman—the ONLY person I watched on TV at age 8, 9…17, who looked like me—ALL the flowers.
Leon Thomas
Moving from Disney to Nickelodeon. In the early 2000s, the production company Schneider’s Bakery essentially owned the network. Dan Schneider (dodgy) created some of the best shows of the era, like Zoey 101, iCarly, Drake & Josh, and Victorious, just to name a few. For me, Victorious hit different. It aired during the peak of my theatre-kid era, and portrayed teens in a performing arts high school. And the cast was comprised of some of the most talented teens I had seen: Ariana Grande, Liz Gillies, and Leon Thomas III.
Leon Thomas did NOT get his flowers back then. He not only acted, sang, and danced, but he also wrote music for the show—the standout being “Song To You” that still gets stuck in my head. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I was listening to my Spotify radio and “Mutt” starts playing. As I went to add it to my In Rotation playlist, I realized it was by Leon!! I proceeded to watch his Tiny Desk and a few interviews. I know it sounds silly but it felt akin to catching up with an old friend: what’s he up to now? I’m so glad everything’s going well and he’s still making music! In one of the interviews, he even gives fellow Nickelodeon star Keke Palmer a shoutout. He shares how much he and Keke supported each other during those years when they were the only two Black leads on Nickelodeon 🥹. And speaking of…
Keke Palmer
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah—I know it ain’t—I know it ain’t—
My god. Let me say this. If True Jackson VP ran every company, corporate America would be a better place—actually, if Keke Palmer ran this country, we’d be in incredible shape. This woman has more rizz than most of us have in our pinkies. She is funny, eloquent, poised, and has worked her ass off. With this year’s release of One of Them Days (produced by Issa Rae, co-starring Sza), she has been on the press junket the past few months, and all I can say is thank god. Every video I watch of her has me smiling and giggling and leaning in to hear more of what this woman has to say.
I would hope that the general public has held space for Keke Palmer all these years, but her win for Entertainer of the Year at the NAACP Image Awards solidifies that. (By the way, I can listen to her do the “Defying Gravity” run all day, any day—the way in which she uses any excuse to bring it out is so iconic.) If you don’t yet know the bright light that is Ms. Keke Palmer, allow me to share some of my favorite recent interviews with her:
Hot Ones Versus. Keke + Issa + Sza might be my dream blunt rotation.
Club Shay Shay. This one is LONG but they cover a variety of topics. I love the part where Keke gives her two cents on partnership and finance. This woman is smart and emotionally intelligent as hell.
Expensive Taste Test. Again this video is SO funny but I love that she calls out things that are really just too expensive. A celebrity for the people!!!
Something I Thought of in the Shower
Color coding your bookshelf is so cringe purely because it’s so wildly inefficient. The Dewey decimal exists for a reason!!
Something for Clarice
Hey! This newsletter is free and I intend to keep it that way. That said, if you love it and want to show your appreciation, buy me a coffee :)
Something Pretty
Some of my favorite shots from my recent Zurich / Alps trip :)
(The top right photo shows the black run that I didn’t die on—huzzah!)
By the way…I’m reading this.
I read a bunch since I last talked to you, but I want to highlight The Favorites, which is basically Carrie Soto is Back meets Daisy Jones and the Six. And it’s about ICE DANCE. It’s an unbelievable way to prepare for Milan 2026, with a little sprinkling of Wuthering Heights…
And I’m watching this.
Gotta support my girl, Brenda. Starting Running Point this weekend!!
Hope you’re dethawing and enjoying the spring of deception (if you’re in New York). Chat soon!
‘Til next time, homecoming warriors. Your friend,
Clarice
aka boot camp with my sick and twisted friends who were able to ski 3 days in a row while I rolled down the mountain on day three …. *cries in beginner*
go ahead, give that MAGA head her Tony, unfortunately
I jest, I’ll be owing a lot of money this year I can feel it :))))
Disney Channel Original Movie—get with the culture
notably as the chic, hip, quippy “minority sidekick” (yes I was a Media Studies major *hair flip*)
the Bring It On-esque toothbrush photo ARE YOU KIDDING