Ethan Hawke, Dolly Parton, and Madonna: BuzzFeed’s New Contributors

March 24, 2018

By Marshall Bright

Four words we never thought we’d see together: Ethan Hawke, BuzzFeed contributor. Hawke isn’t the first celebrity to post alongside articles like“23 Outrageous Struggles All Little Sisters Have Endured” in an attempt to promote a project. But even if, in some cases, their posts may have been ghost-written, BuzzFeed’s unexpected correspondents sometimes offer unexpected insights as well.

1. Ethan Hawke

Hawke’s latest film, Boyhood, has received plenty of good looks in the The New Yorker and the The New York Times, but how to get on the radar of the coveted 18-34 year-olds? Maybe with aheartfelt letter to his daughter, in the form of liner notes for a mix CD. The letter was slightly rewritten to be used in the movie (Hawke plays the title character’s father) but the essence is the same. The Black Album, as Hawke calls it, is a compilation of his favorite tracks from the Beatles’ solo projects: “too much Lennon: suddenly there’s a little too much self-involvement in the room; too much Paul and it can become sentimental.” He also reflects on break-ups — both of the Beatles and of his own marriage. “Maybe the lesson is: Love doesn’t last, but the music love creates just might,” he writes. “Your mom and I couldn’t make love last, but you are the music, my man.”

2. Madonna

Back in April, Madonna published her very first (and last?) listicle. “11 Freedom Fighters Who Inspired Me” to promote her Art For Freedomproject. The list has names you’d expect, including Frida Khalo (“the odds were stacked against her, and yet her voice was heard”) and Keith Haring (“a great friend”). But it also calls out Nancy Cunard, a 1920s socialite-turned-activist whose family disowned her for promoting the work of African-American writers and artists: “She went from socialite and fashion icon to freedom fighter, an interesting journey that most people do not know about; she was extremely courageous.”

3. Dolly Parton

Dolly has worn many (pink and sparkly) hats in her long career. Like Dolly’s Twitter account(which has a whopping 3.11 million followers), we suspect “What Dolly Parton Song Are You?” was created by someone on Team Dolly to promote her latest album. But I got “Jolene,” and no, I didn’t cheat.

4. Snoop Dogg/Lion

Snoop is another enterprising musician whose extracurriculars include coaching pee wee football, interviewing Larry King, and releasing his own “herbal vaporizer.” Snoop had an exceptionally busy 2013 and closed out the year with a listicle of accomplishments. Of course, he was sure to note a new album and new app among them.

5. George Eliot

Most celebrities choose to keep their posts short and sweet. But just over a year ago, “George Eliot” posted a long read for the ages: her entire 800+ page masterpiece,Middlemarch. If she’s promoting an upcoming project (herbal vaporizer?), she has yet to reveal it.