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Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham Is Back in the Spotlight

Lena Dunham wears a rainbow cape on the cover of THR

Lena Dunham is on the cover of THR to talk about her new Sundance film (“My dad called it a ‘sexual fable'”), break her silence on dissolving her creative partnership with Girls co-showrunner Jenni Konner (“I think my recovery played a part in the break with Jenni insofar as it showed me that I needed to pause and clear the slate. I needed to almost start again and just hear my own voice”), and gush about the Sex and the City revival (“It was such a pleasure to see those women back together and to see them take on middle-age sexuality. For me, those are women who can do no wrong”).  I do think this profile lets her off the hook a bit too easily by dismissing her previous controversies through the lens of how right-wing vs left-wing audiences reacted.

-In a new interview to promote the release of his book, Brian Cox says his Succession costar Jeremy Strong was warned against doing the now infamous NYer profile. “It was Jeremy’s idea, the whole article. He pushed for it, and you know, and people kept warning him about it…There is a certain amount of pain at the root of Jeremy, and I just feel for that pain. I think that he puts himself in vulnerable positions and with that New Yorker article, he placed himself in a very, very vulnerable position, and I think that he didn’t need to do that.” When asked if he too was putting himself in a similarly vulnerable position by releasing a memoir, Cox hilariously responded: “No, no. Listen, I’m too old, too tired and too talented for any of that shit.”

Machine Gun Kelly told Vogue that Megan Fox’s engagement ring was designed to hurt if she takes it off. “The bands are actually thorns. So if she tries to take it off, it hurts…Love is pain.” This is some grade A bullshit and I hope she uses it as an excuse to make him to all the housework for the rest of their lives. (“Oh sorry honey, I was going to wash the dishes but taking off my ring is too painful so you need to do it.”)

-Fashion icon and former Vogue creative director André Leon has died at 73. (It trended last night but it took the Vogue twitter account until late this morning to mention it.) In her tribute, Vogue’s Anna Wintour acknowledged that the pair had a “complicated” relationship in recent years.

-This is devastating: French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who stars in Marvel’s upcoming Moon Knight series, passed away at age 37 after a ski accident in the Alps.

Jon Bernthal talked to the NYT about his struggle to make it as a supporting scene-stealer. “I remember casting directors looking at my big nose and my giant ears and just being like, ‘What are you doing here?'” Casting directors are clearly not following the same people I am on Twitter. That swoony clip of him saying “you can call me whatever you want” while smirking hits my TL at least 3 times a week (and I stop to watch it every. damn. time.)

Britney Spearslegal team claims her father, Jamie Spears, collected over $6 million in payments during his years as his daughter’s conservator, as well as spied on her daily activities by secretly obtaining her phone records and therapy notes.

Cardi B has offered to pay the burial costs for all 17 people killed in a fire that ripped through a New York City high-rise in the Bronx, where she grew up. She’s also teamed up with The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to push for systemic changes.

Ray Fisher tweeted: “Joss Whedon had nearly two years to get his story straight. He’s likely spent tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars on PR, crisis management, and coaching. And his response to the allegations is: ‘They all misunderstood and/or are out to get me—also my mom is sexy’ ???” He’s not wrong.

-Seeming to allude to Whedon‘s controversial profile, Sarah Michelle Gellar posted a photo with the caption, “I can’t take back the past, but I can fight for the future.”

-Meanwhile, I really liked this piece on what it’s like for someone who loved Buffy to watch Whedon‘s self-inflicted downfall.

Shane Carruth, the director of indie films Upstream Color and Primer, was arrested last week at the home of his ex-girlfriend on allegations of domestic assault. In his past, another former partner, actor and director Amy Seimetz, obtained a restraining order against Carruth in 2020, saying he had sent her several disturbing and threatening messages since she broke up with him two years earlier.

-I’m getting increasingly excited for Bridgerton whenever there’s a new wave of pics released from the upcoming season. Kanthony hive rise!!

-Speaking of new pics from Netflix shows, Elizabeth Debicki looks a lot like Princess Diana in these shots from season 5 of The Crown.

-I still can’t stop reading about Station Eleven, partly because there is such smart TV criticism surrounding that show, and partly because I didn’t realize how many easter eggs I’d missed while watching it. Like the fact that when we first meet adult Kirsten, she’s near the cabin, which means she went back there every summer to look for [spoiler]. *sob*

-I also liked this article on the show’s key visual choices.

-My love of Yellowjackets lead me to look up Liv Hewson, who plays Van, which led me to discover that she filmed a second season of Dramaworld! It’s an absolutely adorable show about an American waitress who gets sucked into a K-drama she’s watching, and I need to track down the new season.

-The reviews for Jason Katims‘ new autism dramedy on Amazon, As We See It, are very good. After Friday Night Lights, I’ll give all his shows a shot.

-Parasite director Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson are teaming up for a new sci-fi movie. The project will be based on Mickey7, a forthcoming novel from author Edward Ashton.

-The season six trailer for Outlander shows the revolution is in full swing.

-Here’s the trailer for the 4-part docuseries called We Need To Talk About Cosby, debuting at Sundance and airing on Showtime on January 30.

-Here’s Naomi Watts racing against time to get to her son during a school shooting in the trailer for The Desperate Hour. (I liked this when I saw this at TIFF, when it was called Lakewood. The name change is odd; I’m pretty sure that movie unfolded in real time and was longer than an hour.)

Zoë Kravitz is a Triple Threat

Zoë Kravitz wears a fur vest on the cover of Another magazine

-In a new interview with Another, Zoë Kravitz is branching out from acting and working on a solo album with Jack Antonoff, as well as finishing her directorial debut, Pussy Island. The accompanying photos are a little more topless than I need, because apparently I’m turning into my mother…

Lena Dunham wore three wedding dresses inspired by Claudia Schiffer, Priscilla Presley and Sharon Tate at her London wedding last weekend.

Jake Gyllenhaal and his girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu made their first public appearance together at the premiere of his sister’s new movie. The 40-year-old actor has been linked to 25-year-old model since 2018.

-On this week’s celebrity news bingo, I did not have “Shakira attacked by wild boars“.

Aaron Sorkin spoke about the downfall of producer Scott Rudin. “First of all, I have my own experience with Scott, and it’s a higher class of bullying, but I get it.” (I’m more interested by the fact that Josh Charles, who starred in Sorkin’s Sports Night, does not seem to like the interview.)

This whole thread on Ellen Pompeo is eye-opening, and very much incongruent to how she presents herself as an ally. I know this onset behavior is common (and with actors much lower on the callsheet) but I still can’t believe she volunteered that Denzel story up in a podcast, much less that she did so at the same time a tell-all book is dropping that doesn’t seem to paint her in a great light. Like, why?

Jamie Spears released a lengthy statement through his lawyer after the court suspended him.

-Meanwhile, Britney Spears is flying high — literally.

-In a new TED Talk, Lizzo opens up about how twerking helped her appreciate her body and delves into the history behind the dance move.

Lil Nas X says he’s currently single. “I just want to work on music, and every now and then, you know, maybe I’ll kiss a guy every blue moon.”

Kate Middleton got up close and personal with a tarantula named Charlotte. Prince William did not.

Graham Norton credits Tom Cruise for getting celebrities comfortable enough to come back into his studio for in-person interviews.

Daniel Craig has been alerted to the weekend meme. He immediately recognized that it’s not the worst thing to be associated with kicking off what we’re all looking forward to, saying “They do? It’s amazing. I don’t know what that is, but thank you. That’s lovely.”

-To say the reviews for Venom: Let There Be Carnage are mixed would be kind. It’s currently 61% on RottenTomatoes (a drop of 10% since I looked this morning). Some outlets, like the L.A. Times and the Washington Post, gave it raves, but a lot of critics are piling on the venom, calling it a ‘ridiculous mess’ and a ‘porn tentacle fest’ that feels like ‘the mold in the Avengers’ shower.’

Lily-Rose Depp (who is everywhere lately) falls in love with a guy who thinks he’s a wolf (George MacKay) in the Wolf trailer.

-Here’s the first teaser for Disney’s Encanto.

Will Smith Opens Up about Extramarital Relationships

Will-Smith on the cover of GQ

-In his new GQ interview, Will Smith gets candid about extramarital relationships. He said, “Jada never believed in conventional marriage….And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection. We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison.” The article also includes this tidbit: “A viewer of [Red Table Talk] could have walked away thinking that Jada was the only one engaging in other sexual relationships, when that was not, Smith delicately explained to me, in fact the case.”

-Wow. R. Kelly was found guilty of being the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex. After nine hours of jury deliberation, they found him guilty on all 9 counts—one of racketeering and eight of sex trafficking. He could face life in prison after his sentencing hearing in May.

Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd have been spotting out together at dinner again. I still don’t believe they’re dating, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part.

-Following the NYT’s new report that Jamie Spears allegedly hired a security firm to monitor Britney’s phone and bug her home, her lawyer says he has “crossed unfathomable lines” and is urging the court to suspend him immediately.

-The 21-year-old son of Norman Reedus and Helena Christensen was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly punching a 24-year-old woman in the face.

Lena Dunham got married over the weekend, and Taylor Swift was reportedly a guest.

-The View says Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin had false positive tests and don’t actually have covid.

-This Variety opinion piece on why Warner Bros should just open Dune in theatres exclusively instead of “giving it away” in your living room feels really misguided. Yes, the studio might use lackluster box office performance as cover for pushing streaming subscriptions, but that’s part of a bigger problem of making theatres more appealing. And who’s “giving it away”? You still need an HBO Max subscription.

-Nearly all the SNL core cast is returning for season 47 — except for Beck Bennett. I’m surprised; I thought for sure Aidy Bryant and Cesily Strong would leave.

-I’m a big fan of Joel Coen and Frances McDormand; I’m not a big fan of how they’re handling questions about Scott Rudin.

-Netflix’s Tudum event unleashed a bunch of new trailers, including Stranger Things, Don’t Look Up, and Extraction 2. But nothing seems to be getting as much buzz as the Bridgerton Q&A and our first scene with Anthony and Kate. I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. There’s a reason this couple is a fan favourite of all the books; they’ve got an Elizabeth/Darcy-esque enemies-to-lovers, sparring banter vibe, and it’s great that they cast an actress who can convincingly demolish him with a sharp retort.

Alana Haim (of the band Haim) stars in the trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, which also stars Bradley Cooper, Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman), Benny Safdie, and Tom Waits.