Entertainment

Conrad vs. Jeremiah: Inside ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Love Triangle on August 4, 2023 at 10:45 pm Us Weekly

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2023

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a universal coming-of-age story — and one that depicts what happens when a girl finds herself caught between two brothers.

The teen drama, which debuted in June 2022 and is based the book series of the same name, follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she navigates growing up — and figuring out her relationships with Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). The three-book series features the siblings fighting for Belly’s attention, with Belly exploring her feelings for both boys before making a final decision in the third novel.

While season 1 and season 2 of the Prime series — which premiered in July 2023 – loosely follow the narrative of the books, Casalegno revealed that Jenny Han, who wrote the novels and is showrunner of the TV adaptation, may choose to change how things play out on screen.

“I do feel like there’s a strong chance that that’s a possibility,” the actor exclusively told Us Weekly, adding that he doesn’t think too hard about what the future of his character looks like while filming.

“I try to keep it as real as possible in that regard. Obviously, I know where he ends up going and what ends up happening. But I don’t emphasize … that. Because I think Jenny [Han] writes it so well that I’m able to kind of get there naturally without having to force it a certain direction,” Casalegno told Us. “So even though I know where he is going, I try to play it day by day because that’s all we can do. [We can] just live in the moment and make the most of our time right.”

For Han, it was about looking at her own novels through the eyes of her fans.

“I approached it like, what do I think are the most important elements of the story to keep? And what do the fans care the most about? I am able to pull from all the emails, letters, and comments I’ve seen over the years from fans, so that’s how we looked at this adaptation,” she told Collider in June 2022. “What do the original fans care most about? And then, also for me, what’s going to be most like fun and exciting to explore?”

As for where Briney and Casalegno stand, they both have unwavering loyalty to their own characters — no matter what. “I’m Team Conrad, bro. I might be biased, but I have to be,” Briney told J-14 in June 2022. Casalegno, meanwhile, admitted that it’s that a “tough situation” when picking sides, but he would “have to be Team Jeremiah” at the end of the day.

Tung, however, has a different approach to the situation altogether — putting female empowerment above all else. “I will forever be Team Belly,” she told the outlet at the time. “I believe in her finding herself and going on this journey.”

Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown of The Summer I Turned Pretty love triangle:

Belly’s All Grown Up

When Belly arrives at Cousins during the pilot, both Conrad and Jeremiah are taken aback by how grown up she looks – and sparks immediately fly for both brothers.

A New and Unexpected Tension

While Belly has an easy and light-hearted dynamic with Jeremiah, there is a heaviness between her and Conrad in the first few episodes of season 1.

Skirting around how they really feel, the twosome end up displaying serious jealousy. Belly throws shade at Conrad’s girlfriend, Nicole, at a beach bonfire, while Conrad teases Belly by showing up on her date with Cam Cameron (David Iacono) at the drive-in movie theater. Belly later explodes at Conrad, claiming he gives her a hard time about dating because he has feelings for her.

Fireworks and a Close Call

Jeremiah shows his own jealous streak in season 1 episode 4 when he catches Belly and Conrad about to kiss on the deck and almost shoots a firework at them. He later manipulates a situation with Nicole by suggesting she invite Conrad to go out of town for a concert — which would leave him alone with Belly.

A Big Blowout

After their almost-kiss, Belly breaks up with Cam for Conrad. When Conrad still refuses to be with her despite the fact he “thinks about” her often, she decides to let him go and stop waiting for him.

Lola Tung (Belly), Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah). Erika Doss/Prime Video

A Surprise Confession

Realizing that Belly and Conrad aren’t going to be together, Jeremiah confesses his feelings to her and they kiss in the pool during season 1 episode 5. They later play together in a volleyball tournament, but Conrad ends up subbing in for Jeremiah after they start to lose. Seeing Conrad and Belly win their match and embrace, Jeremiah starts to wonder if Belly still has feelings for his brother.

Picking a Disaster Date

Belly decides to take Jeremiah to the summer debutante ball as her date. However, he goes MIA when he finds out his mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), has cancer again. Conrad takes his place during the final dance, reigniting sparks between himself and Belly. “I’m glad it was me,” he tells her afterward.

A Love Returns

Despite casually dating Jeremiah, Belly and Conrad confess their feelings for each other in the final scene of season 1. Conrad tells her that he “needs” and “wants” her and the pair finally share a kiss.

Coming Clean

During the season 2 premiere, Belly tells Jeremiah she wants to be with Conrad. Angry, he warns her that Conrad will only “break her heart.” Belly decides that being with Conrad while Susannah is sick — and Jeremiah is so hurt — will only do more damage. With summer ending, they decide to take some space from each other.

A Long-Distance Reconnection

Belly and Conrad start talking on the phone as “friends.” He eventually shows up at her house, telling her he could “never get over” her.

Lola Tung (Belly), Christopher Briney (Conrad) Erika Doss/Prime Video

An Invisible String Tied Together

Belly and Conrad share a night together in Cousins at Christmas in the second episode of season 2 and have sex for the first time.

A Punctuated Prom Night

Belly and Conrad continue to date until spring of Belly’s junior year of high school. A flashback during season 2 episode 3 reveals Conrad takes Belly to the prom, but breaks up with her during the dance, leaving her heartbroken.

A Hard Goodbye

Following Susannah’s death in season 2 episode 3, Belly attempts to be there for Jeremiah at the funeral but ends up getting distracted by Conrad, who she finds lying down with a mystery girl. She tells Conrad she “hates” him and never wants to see him again.

Summer Again

Belly calls Jeremiah at the end of season 2 episode 3 because she misses him. While he answers the phone, it’s because Conrad has disappeared from college. The pair then head off to find Conrad and end up having a blowout fight on the side of the road. Jeremiah confesses he wasn’t OK with Belly and Conrad being together and she apologizes for hurting them. The twosome make up and start to repair their friendship.

You Can’t Go Back

Jeremiah and Belly find out Conrad is in Cousins. When they arrive, Conrad is upset Belly is there — and reveals Susannah’s sister is selling the family’s house.

A Brotherly Bond

Jeremiah and Conrad, who have been slightly estranged since Conrad began dating Belly, apologize to each other and promise to work together to save their summer home.

An Unexpected Spark

After holding hands while riding the Tower of Terror together in season 4 episode 4, sparks begin to fly between Belly and Jeremiah. While Belly admits to Taylor (Rain Spencer) that there might be something building between them, Jeremiah, for his part, is hesitant.

The twosome seemingly almost kiss while sharing a soda in season 2 episode 5, but Jeremiah ultimately turns down the chance to kiss Belly during Truth or Dare later that night. When she asks why he doesn’t want to lock lips, Jeremiah replies, “Because if I kissed you I don’t know that I could ever stop.” When Belly asks him to explain, Jeremiah tells her, “It’s complicated.”

Flashbacks from Jeremiah’s point of view later in the episode reveal how hurt he was seeing Belly and Conrad together, despite telling them it was OK that they dated.

A Heart Divided

As Belly continues to grow closer to Jeremiah in season 2 episode 6 — the pair almost kiss twice including while in the pool, a callback to their season 1 makeout — she also finds herself having difficult conversations with Conrad.

While shopping for party supplies, Belly apologies for treating Conrad poorly at his mother’s funeral. Conrad, for his part, confesses he was with his ex-girlfriend because she found him during a panic attack — but says he wishes Belly had found him instead. The twosome then have a drunken moment on the beach where Belly tells Conrad she would have fought for him if she knew how much he cared.

“I thought we loved other,” she says through tears. After he answers, “We did,” she replies, “I guess not enough.”

At the end of the episode, Belly finds herself between both brothers — literally and figuratively. As the party rages around them, she stands in the middle of the room while Jeremiah and Conrad stare at her, but she’s unable to move one way or the other.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a universal coming-of-age story — and one that depicts what happens when a girl finds herself caught between two brothers. The teen drama, which debuted in June 2022 and is based the book series of the same name, follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she navigates growing up —

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Entertainment

This ‘Too Small’ Christmas Movie Turned an $18M Gamble Into a Half‑Billion Classic

Published

1 day ago

December 3, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

Studios almost left this Christmas staple on the cutting‑room floor. Executives initially saw it as a “small” seasonal comedy with limited box‑office upside, and internal budget fights kept the project hovering in limbo around an $18 million price tag.

The fear was simple: why spend real money on a kid‑driven holiday film that would vanish from theaters by January?

That cautious logic aged terribly. Once released, the movie exploded past expectations, pulling in roughly $475–$500 million worldwide and camping at the top of the box office for weeks.

That’s a return of more than 25 times its production budget, putting it among the most profitable holiday releases in modern studio history.

What some decision‑makers viewed as disposable seasonal content quietly became a financial engine that still prints money through re‑runs, streaming, and merchandising every December.

The story behind the numbers is part of why fans feel so attached to it. This was not a four‑quadrant superhero bet with guaranteed franchise upside; it was a character‑driven family comedy built on specific jokes, one child star, and a very particular vision of Christmas chaos. The fact that it nearly got shelved—and then turned into a half‑billion global phenomenon—makes every rewatch feel like a win against studio risk‑aversion.

When you press play each year, you are not just revisiting nostalgia; you are revisiting the rare moment when a “small” movie out‑performed the system that almost killed it.

Entertainment

Anne Hathaway Just Turned Her Instagram Bio Into a 2026 Release Calendar

Published

1 day ago

December 3, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

Anne Hathaway has quietly confirmed that 2026 is going to be her year, and she did it in the most Anne way possible: with a soft-launch in her Instagram bio.

Instead of a traditional studio announcement, the Oscar-winning actor updated her profile text with a simple list of titles and dates, effectively revealing a four-film run that reads like a mini festival of her work spread across the year.

For fans, the bio now doubles as a watchlist, mapping out exactly when they will see her next on the big screen.

According to the update, Hathaway will kick off 2026 with “Mother Mary,” slated for an April release. The film, backed by A24, casts her as a fictional pop star in a psychological, music‑driven drama that has already started building buzz through early trailer drops and stills. Positioned in the spring, it sets the tone for a year where Hathaway leans hard into challenging, high‑concept material while still anchoring major studio projects.

Just weeks later, she pivots from pop icon to fashion-world nostalgia with “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” now dated for May 1, 2026. The sequel brings her back as Andy Sachs, returning to the universe that helped define her mid‑2000s stardom and remains a staple in meme culture and rewatches. For millennials who grew up quoting the original, the firm release date signals that the long-rumored follow‑up is no longer hypothetical—it’s locked in, with Hathaway front and center.

The cast: Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep
The devil wears Prada

Summer belongs to “The Odyssey,” marked for July 17, 2026. Billed as an ambitious, big‑screen reimagining of the classic tale, the project reunites Hathaway with large‑scale, auteur‑driven filmmaking and promises mythic stakes, prestige casting, and blockbuster spectacle. Its prime July slot suggests confidence from the studio and positions Hathaway as a key face of the 2026 summer season, not just a supporting player in someone else’s tentpole.

Hathaway at the 2007 Deauville American Film Festival

Finally, Hathaway’s bio points to “Verity,” arriving October 2, 2026, rounding out the year with a dark, suspense‑driven turn. Adapted from a hit thriller novel, the film casts her in a psychologically intense role that leans into obsession, secrets, and unreliable narratives—terrain that plays to her ability to toggle between vulnerability and menace in a single scene. Coming at the start of awards season, “Verity” also gives her a potential late‑year prestige vehicle after a run of crowd‑pleasing releases.

What makes this reveal so striking is the casualness of it. In one short line, Hathaway essentially published a studio slate: four movies, four distinct genres, and a timeline that keeps her on screens from spring through fall. For Hollywood, it underlines her staying power as a true marquee name; for fans, it’s an invitation to mark their calendars and prepare for a year where Anne Hathaway isn’t just part of the conversation—she is the conversation.

Entertainment

Colombia’s ‘Doll’ Arrest: Police Say a 23-Year-Old Orchestrated Hits, Including Her Ex’s Murder

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

Authorities in Colombia say Karen Julieth Ojeda Rodríguez, 23, known as “La Muñeca” (“The Doll”), was arrested in early December on allegations she coordinated contract killings for the Los de la M gang and helped set up the murder of her ex-boyfriend in July. Police reported seizing a 9mm pistol and a revolver during the operation and are testing the weapons against recent homicides in Barrancabermeja, a city battered by drug-war killings this year.

What police allege

Investigators describe Ojeda Rodríguez as a youthful face with a senior role: not a trigger-puller, but a coordinator who relayed orders to sicarios, managed target selection, and handled logistics for a network tied to drug trafficking and extortion in Santander. They say she rose quickly within Los de la M, operating in hot spots like Barrancabermeja and Piedecuesta, where rivalries over territory and revenue have fueled violence.

The July killing at the center

Prosecutors allege she lured her ex-boyfriend, Deyvy Jesús García Palomino (“Orejas”), to a rural meeting on July 23 under the guise of settling a money dispute. When he arrived, two shooters on a motorcycle attacked at close range; he later died at the hospital. Investigators point to recovered messages to argue the meetup was a setup arranged in advance, and they claim she and an accomplice received roughly 4 million pesos—about $1,000—for the hit.

The December takedown

Police announced her capture following a targeted early-December sweep, framing it as a blow to Los de la M’s homicide pipeline.

Alongside Ojeda Rodríguez, officers detained an alleged accomplice known as “Gorda Sicaria” who purportedly passed orders to gunmen, and a man identified as “Leopoldo.”

Forensic tests on the seized weapons aim to link the guns to crime scenes amid a year marked by more than a hundred killings in Barrancabermeja, according to media cited by authorities.

A clear timeline

July 23: Ex-boyfriend “Orejas” shot after a rural meetup; he dies in hospital the same day. Authorities later cite phone messages as evidence of premeditation.
Late 2024: Police publicly identify “La Muñeca” as an alleged coordinator within Los de la M tied to multiple homicides in Santander.
Early December 2025: Targeted operation results in the arrests of Ojeda Rodríguez and alleged accomplices; police seize a 9mm pistol and a revolver for ballistic testing.

Why the case resonates

The contrast between the “Doll” moniker and the accusations of top-level murder coordination has fueled global attention, while the intimate ex-partner setup adds a personal dimension to an already combustible gang narrative. Authorities caution that ballistic and judicial proceedings are ongoing, but they characterize the arrests as a significant hit to a group blamed for a wave of killings in the region.