The daily gossip: Celebrities demand world leaders end the pandemic, Jake Gyllenhaal promises he bathes, and more

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1. Celebrities demand world leaders end the pandemic
2. Jake Gyllenhaal wants to clarify that he bathes, actually!
3. Gwen Stefani is throwing back to her wedding — two months ago
4. Chrissy Teigen snubs husband, supports Team Ariana on The Voice
5. Critics say James Gandolfini's son 'does him proud' with Tony Soprano performance

published 21 September 2021

1. Celebrities demand world leaders end the pandemic

Just ahead of Joe Biden's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, a group of 80 celebrities and entertainment workers took it upon themselves to address world leaders in an open letter, imploring them to end the COVID-19 pandemic The general public (or, at least, Twitter users) had a reaction akin to that received by Gal Gadot's Imagine video. While it's unlikely a letter from celebrities will finally influence leaders to share vaccine supplies and ramp up education efforts, it's not impossible. Was Jair Bolsonaro just waiting for the word from Ciara, Anne Hathaway, and Peter Dinklage? Maybe. Your move, world leaders.

Jake Gyllenhaal wants to clarify that despite his recent comments, he does not belong in the growing anti-bathing contingent of celebrities. "I answered a question where I was being sarcastic and ironic, and it's followed me around," Gyllenhaal attempted to clarify at a recent screening of his upcoming film The Guilty. Previously, Gyllenhaal had claimed that "more and more I find bathing to be less necessary" and that "we naturally clean ourselves," which admittedly might have resulted in friends sitting a little further away from him. "Unfortunately, I showered before I came here," he further joked to the audience. "So… I'm sorry."

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Gwen Stefani got married two months ago, but she's still milking her nuptials for that sweet, sweet wedding #content. On Monday, the singer posted a throwback video to "the moment I said yes to the dress," a Vera Wang gown with a plunging sweetheart neckline. Stefani also wore a shorter version of the dress with cowboy boots to the reception, earlier explaining that "you need a party dress when u get to marry @blakeshelton." The throwback videos are all very modern of Stefani, since every good 21st-century bride knows that after love and family, you definitely get married for the 'gram.

Ariana Grande made her debut as a coach on The Voice Monday night, and she's proving to be a fan favorite. Even fellow coach John Legend's wife Chrissy Teigen didn't hide her admiration for the songstress. "John absolutely knows that this house only listens to Ariana Grande," Teigen said on Instagram. "So imagine how awkward it is for John to live in this Ariana Grande household and have to be him." She admitted she didn't attend the show's tapings, doesn't have insider information, then unconvincingly declared she will support her husband. But her text messages suggest otherwise. Grande posted a screenshot of a message from Teigan, who wrote: "Do u have any assets I can post to be team Ari?"

The first reviews for the new Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark are in, and critics are praising Michael Gandolfini for his performance as a young Tony Soprano. The 22-year-old actor is the son of James Gandolfini, who played the iconic HBO character and died in 2013. Michael Gandolfini is "truly remarkable" in the film, Uproxx's Mike Ryan wrote, while IndieWire's David Ehrlich wrote that his performance is "such a lived-in riff on his father's most famous role that it completely transcends the gimmicky task at hand." Slashfilm's Chris Evangelista said he "nails the older Gandolfini's mannerisms and diction to the point where there are times when it genuinely feels like we're just looking at a younger James Gandolfini up on the screen." Amazingly, Michael Gandolfini has said that prior to working on the film, he had actually never watched The Sopranos. The Many Saints of Newark is set to hit both theaters and HBO Max on Oct. 1.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.