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If You Like *This Is Us*, Then You'll Love *A Million Little Things*


There’s a scene in the first episode of ABC’s new series A Million Little Things that’s so weepy, it makes Terms of Endearment look like Teletubbies. (OK, that’s an exaggeration…maybe.)

It takes place at the funeral for Jon (Ron Livingston), who died by suicide days prior. “Jon, you say everything happens for a reason. I can’t find a reason for this,” his friend Eddie (David Giuntoli) says during a speech, as he holds back tears. The camera cuts to more sad, despondent faces in the church. Regina (Christina Marie Moses), the wife of one of Jon’s friends, is crying. Jon’s family is crying. Everyone’s crying. Then, right on cue, his teen daughter, Sophie (Lizzy Greene), stands up and sings Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

The entire sequence is an emotional juggernaut: It’s melodramatic, yes, but it’s highly effective. It’s catharsis dialed all the way up—and people will love it. Because they already love it on another show: This Is Us, NBC’s hit cry-fest that kicked off its third season yesterday, September 25. The similarities between This Is Us and A Million Little Things are numerous, from the way both shows are shot to the gooey emotional center.

There are some differences. A Million Little Things doesn’t feature a rogue Crock Pot or Mandy Moore in a grandma wig. Instead, we’re introduced to four friends—Eddie, Jon, Rome (Romany Malco), and Gary (James Roday)—who are thick as thieves. But when Jon unexpectedly dies, it sends their lives into a tailspin. What happens when you realize you don’t know your best friends, or even your family, as well as you thought? That’s the central question explored on A Million Little Things.

But most important, you’ll probably sob much like you’ve been sobbing over This Is Us the past three years. So, below, check out a non-exhaustive list of all the similarities your old favorite show and new favorite show have in common. (Don’t worry: They play on different nights and at different times, so you can watch both. Also, DVR exists.)

1. There’s a core group of people all the action is connected to. For This Is Us, it’s the Big Three. On A Million Little Things, it’s these four dudes. (The Emotionally Damaged Four?)

2. Everyone in this core group has a capital-P Problem. Gary is afraid of commitment and recovering from cancer, Rome is depressed and suicidal, and Eddie’s an alcoholic who wants to leave his wife, Katherine (Grace Park), who’s too good for him anyway. The reason Eddie wants out of his marriage is honestly mind-blowing, so I won’t give it away, but that leads us to…

3. The twists and turns on this show are enormous. The pilot of A Million Little Things starts off pretty standard, but the last few minutes offer up a development so juicy it’ll compel you to watch next week. And, according to the cast, there’s more where that came from. “There’s so much we can’t talk about,” Allison Miller (who plays Maggie, Gary’s new girlfriend) tells Glamour.

PHOTO: ABC

4. A death is at the center. If, “How did Jack die?” was the battle cry for This Is Us, then “Why did Jon die?” is the one for A Million Little Things. We probably won’t get a clean-cut answer to that mystery, though, and for good reason. “I don’t think there’s going to be a cookie cutter episode where you say, ‘Oh, that makes sense,'” Livingston says of Jon’s death. “To me, there can’t really be an answer to that question. I flip the question: This guy was surrounded by warm, intimate relationships of wonderful people who were there to support each other. Why didn’t he reach out? To me, that’s the mystery.”

5. Crying is a character in itself. Much of the marketing surrounding This Is Us focuses on the tearjerking nature of the show, and A Million Little Things will likely receive a similar treatment. The drama is so thick, you’d have to be a robot to not feel something—be it genuine pathos, skepticism, or a hearty mix of both. Either way, expect a whole new barrage of messages urging you to stock up on tissues.

6. There is humor. Interspersed on This Is Us are random bursts of banter either between the Big Three or their extended circles, and that’s the case on A Million Little Things too. In fact, the one-liners in the pilot are so frequent you have to wonder how these characters managed to say them when their friend just died.

DAVID GIUNTOLI, STEPHANIE SZOSTAK, LIZZY GREENE

PHOTO: ABC

7. It will move you. A Million Little Things does hit real notes that resonate. When Rome admits (in the middle of a hockey game, no less) that he was contemplating his own suicide when he received the call about Jon’s death, Gary puts his arm around Rome’s shoulder. It’s a subtle moment, but it says more about these friends than any tears or quippy jokes. Like the title suggests, it’s the small exchanges that truly define a friendship, and A Million Little Things should absolutely showcase more of those. “Let’s get into material that makes us challenge each other, soften our hearts, connect with other people: Just that simple human connection,” Moses tells Glamour. We couldn’t agree more.

A Million Little Things premieres tonight at 10 P.M. ET on ABC.

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Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's $16 Million Apartment Is Basically Decorated Like a Dorm


The honeymoon stage of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson‘s relationship has arrived, and it’s arrived in the form of minimal household decoration. So minimal, in fact, that we could argue it borders on dorm-room chic.

The couple recently moved into an incredibly, incredibly fancy apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, which is estimated to cost around $16 million. Let us reiterate incredible for a moment — the apartment reportedly measures more than 4,000 square feet, has five bedrooms and four and a half baths, an IMAX theater, a sauna, a private spa, and a pool. (Yes, this would be considered their “starter” home.) But you know what the duo hasn’t bought for their swanky new nest yet? Anything of substance, really.

In a new interview with GQ, Davidson admitted he’s still in shock that he’s living in such a sprawling apartment with his new fiancée (who purchased the swanky digs herself). His contribution to the household, he joked, is that he keeps the refrigerator stocked, although he realizes he and Ari could indeed step it up when it comes to decoration. “She’s really sweet. She’s like, ‘This is our house,’ and I’m like, ‘You’re very nice for saying that. Thank you for letting me stay here,'” he told the magazine. “She’s like, ‘We’re getting married!’ And I’m like, ‘I know, thank you for letting me stay here.’ It’s like, we have six beanbags, but we have no forks — you know what I mean? We’re learning how to be adults. We’re having a really fun time.”

Yeah, we’d argue owning utensils is one of the fundamental tenants of a household. And plates. And cups. And a few bowls. But they’re trying! Ari even joked about having “no furniture, one speaker, and red vines” when the couple moved in together two months ago. But many trips to Restoration Hardware have ensued since. That gets an “A” for effort from us.

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Meghan Markle's Royal Wardrobe Totals $1 Million, According to a Royal Expert


In case you were wondering what it takes to dress like Meghan Markle, one royal expert has an answer: about $1 million. That’s the total cost of the Duchess of Sussex’s working wardrobe since the announcement of her engagement to Prince Harry, journalist Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday. And apparently, Prince Charles, Prince Harry’s dad, is paying for all of it.

“It does fall now, that she is married into the royal family, to the Prince of Wales…to cover the cost of her working royal wardrobe,” Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight.

The publication broke it down: There’s the Givenchy wedding gown, that cost over $440,000, and the Stella McCartney reception gown, which cost $157,000. While Nicholl speculates that Markle might have chipped in for some of the cost for either or both of the wedding gowns, she says she believes the palace footed the bill. Then, after the wedding, there was the Givenchy cape dress Markle wore on her first solo appointment with the Queen, which cost $18,000; the Oscar de la Renta dress she wore to the wedding of Prince Harry’s cousin, Celia McCorquodale, which cost almost $6,000; the light pink Carolina Herrera dress she wore to Trooping the Colour, which cost $4,000; and a $643 sheer dress by Goat for Prince Charles’s birthday party. That comes out to $625,643 so far, and that’s without taking into account the Prada skirt suit she wore to the Young Leaders Awards Ceremony, the Givenchy dress and Philip Treacy hat she wore to her first Royal Ascot, or the numerous (mostly Aquazzura) heels, handbags, and pieces of jewelry she uses to top off her outfits.

PHOTO: Andrew Matthews/Getty Images

Meghan Markle's Regal Royal Wardrobe Worth An Estimated $1 Million 5

PHOTO: Neil Mockford/Getty Images

Meghan Markle's Regal Royal Wardrobe Worth An Estimated $1 Million 4

PHOTO: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meghan Markle's Regal Royal Wardrobe Worth An Estimated $1 Million 3

PHOTO: Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images

Meghan Markle's Regal Royal Wardrobe Worth An Estimated $1 Million 2

PHOTO: Steve Parsons/Getty Images

Despite the huge price tag, Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight it’s justified. “Meghan is now an ambassador for the royal family. Look at the publicity she has brought in the run-up to the wedding. I’d argue that it’s worth every penny,” she said.

Of course, it becomes even more worth it when you consider how often members of the royal family, like Kate Middleton, recycle their outfits. “I’m quite sure we will see Meghan step out in outfits that she has worn before,” Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. “When you are buying that sort of couture with those sorts of price tags it would be criminal not to re-wear them.”

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Couple Makes Facebook History by Raising $5 Million for Separated Immigrant Families


The Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy on immigration has drawn an outcry from people across the country, and many have wondered how to help families who have been separated at the border.

One couple—Charlotte and Dave Willner from the Bay Area—faced this same question before deciding to start a Facebook fundraiser to help immigrant and refugee families access legal services in Texas. Now, that campaign has collected more than $5 million, becoming the largest single fundraiser on Facebook in history.

According to the New York Times, the Willners were moved to action by an image of a baby crying as her mother was held at the border. They set a goal of raising $1,500 for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, or Raices, a nonprofit organization that provides low-cost legal defense to people from immigrant and refugee communities. Donations began pouring in and, at one point, NBC News reports that it was collecting $4,000 per minute.

“When we look at the faces of these children, we can’t help but see our own children’s faces,” Ms. Willner told The Mercury News, according to the Times.

Jonathan Ryan, the executive director of Raices, told the Times that the organization plans to hire and fund training for volunteer lawyers, who will join the ranks of the nonprofit’s 50 lawyers on staff. In addition to legal representation, the funds will also go toward paying bonds so that parents can be released from detention centers.

The Willner’s fundraiser is just one way to help families who have been separated at the border. You can also sign up to volunteer with Raices here, or support other organizations that provide legal aid, including Arizona’s Florence Project and Refugee Rights Project. The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and Kids In Need Of Defense (KIND) work on the rights of children caught in immigration proceedings.

The organization ActBlue has also compiled a list of organizations here. Other ways of assisting including buying essentials, like baby wipes and soap, for children. Baby2Baby and KIND have set up a registry through Target here.

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Michigan State University Reaches $500 Million Settlement With Larry Nassar Abuse Victims


Less than three months after disgraced doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to decades in federal prison for the sexual assault of hundreds of young women and girls, Michigan State University has agreed to pay $500 million to the women he abused.

Though the settlement is not yet finalized, the agreement — made by lawyers on behalf of 332 of the victims — was approved Tuesday by the university’s trustees. In January, Nassar was convicted of having used his position as Michigan State doctor and a physician for the United States Olympic gymnastic team to prey upon young women and girls for years, abusing them under the guise of legitimate medical treatment.

“This historic settlement came about through the bravery of more than 300 women and girls who had the courage to stand up and refuse to be silenced,” John Manly, a lawyer representing many of the victims, told The New York Times. “It is the sincere hope of all of the survivors that the legacy of this settlement will be far-reaching institutional reform that will end the threat of sexual assault in sports, schools and throughout our society.”

PHOTO: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images

Larry Nassar

The trial earlier this year generated international interest, captivating viewers across the nation and the world over the seven day duration. Hundreds of women testified against Nassar in a courtroom presided over by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who was heralded by some and accused by others of undermining justice during the proceedings.

Michigan State was accused of covering up Nassar’s abuse and ignoring complaints about him for years; in the aftermath, the university’s president resigned and William D. Strampnel — a former dean of Michigan State University’s osteopathic medical school and Nassar’s longtime supervisor — was charged with criminal sexual conduct, misconduct by a public official and two counts of willful neglect of duty.

“Michigan State is pleased that we have been able to agree in principle on a settlement that is fair to the survivors of Nassar’s crimes,” said Robert Young, a lawyer for the university, told the Times. “We appreciate the hard work both sides put into the mediation, and the efforts of the mediator, which achieved a result that is responsible and equitable.”



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Ellen Pompeo Is About to Make $20 Million a Year—and She Isn't Afraid to Talk About It


It’s a new day in Hollywood—one when women are not afraid or embarrassed to speak out about the money they make, or aren’t making in the recent cases of Catt Sadler and Michelle Williams.

So it’s incredibly refreshing to hear another very public woman, Ellen Pompeo, open up about with pride about becoming dramatic television’s highest-paid actress. Most of us know the actress for her long-running role as Meredith Grey on the Shonda Rhimes‘ behemoth, Grey’s Anatomy. (And yes, people, it is still on the air and doing very well, thank you very much.) In a new Hollywood Reporter story, Pompeo gets real about how she got to her new contract (worth more than $20 million a year) and the struggles, both internal and external, along the way.

“I’m 48 now, so I’ve finally gotten to the place where I’m OK asking for what I deserve, which is something that comes only with age,” she opens, going on to describe that while she might not be perceived as “relevant” or buzzy these days, she’s been good at her role for 14 years which she (rightly) counts as a serious accomplishment. She may not have become the movie star she once thought she’d be, but the business and her financial freedom is way more important. Pompeo credits Rhimes with empowering her to ask for what she believes she deserves—no small feat for many women in the world, famous or not. Says Rhimes, “As a woman, what I know is you can’t approach anything from a point of view of ‘I don’t deserve’ or ‘I’m not going to ask for because I don’t want other people to get upset.’ And I know for a fact that when men go into these negotiations, they go in hard and ask for the world.”

Pompeo also says the departure of Patrick Dempsey in 2015 opened a door for her on the negotiations front. In the past, he could be leveraged against her in a “we have Patrick, we don’t need you” way that she says happened for years. “At one point, I asked for $5,000 more than him just on principle, because the show is Grey’s Anatomy and I’m Meredith Grey. They wouldn’t give it to me. And I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one. I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy? You feel conflicted but then you figure, ‘I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.'” Damn, straight.

As Pompeo knew to be true, the show survived. And now she’s got an insanely lucrative contract and back-end deal, producing and directing credits, and real power. But even when she felt empowered and supported by her boss, she worried about looking greedy by asking for too much. “But CAA compiled a list of stats for me, and Grey’s has generated nearly $3 billion for Disney. When your face and your voice have been part of something that’s generated $3 billion for one of the biggest corporations in the world, you start to feel like, ‘OK, maybe I do deserve a piece of this.'”

She wants to set an example for other women to seize their moments too. And we can all take that example to heart, even those of us whose paychecks are made up of far fewer zeros. And while she doesn’t think that the only solution to the imbalance is more women in power, Pompeo does think it is something that should happen. It’s the kind of work environment she knows and has learned from, thanks to Shonda Rhimes. “And now my eight-year-old daughter gets to come here and see fierce females in charge. She loves to sit in the director’s chair with the headphones on yelling “Action” and “Cut.” She’s growing up in an environment where she’s completely comfortable with power. I don’t know any other environment in Hollywood where I could provide that for her. Now I hope that changes…and soon.”

We need more women to speak this frankly about finances and the often cruel imbalances of power if we ever hope to make real and lasting changes in the pay gap. So well done, Mer.



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