The daily gossip: The 2022 Grammy nominations are here, Will Smith dramatically recites the Fresh Prince theme in extremely serious reboot teaser, and more

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Jon Batiste.
(Image credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

1. 2022 Grammy nominees include Jon Batiste, Olivia Rodrigo, and … Louis C.K.

The nominations for the 2022 Grammys are here, and the artists up for awards include Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and … Louis C.K? Jon Batiste scored the most nominations overall with 11, while Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R. earned eight, and Eilish and Rodrigo nabbed seven. Jay-Z made history by becoming the artist with the most nominations ever, and believe it or not, ABBA and Selena Gomez were both nominated for the very first time. Also controversially nominated, though, was C.K., who's up for Best Comedy Album four years after admitting to allegations of sexual misconduct. Oh, and Marilyn Manson, who was accused of sexual abuse by multiple women, and DaBaby, who recently faced backlash for homophobic comments, were nominated as well. Before announcing the nominees, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. predicted "some people will be extremely happy, and some not so much." Turns out he was dead on.

The Associated Press The Hollywood Reporter

2. Will Smith dramatically recites the 'Fresh Prince' theme lyrics in extremely serious reboot teaser

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was perhaps one of the funniest sitcoms of the 1990s, but in a new reboot, it's getting flipped turned upside down. Peacock on Tuesday dropped a bizarre teaser trailer for the new Fresh Prince reboot, Bel-Air, which is actually a drama and not a comedy. It features Will Smith very dramatically reciting parts of the original show's theme lyrics as if it's Shakespeare — though not the whole song, so we don't get to hear "smell you later" somehow turned into a weighty phrase. Smith's narration is placed over the new Fresh Prince, played by Jabari Banks, falling into water and eventually taking his seat on a throne. The show is set to "dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions, and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format." After getting a Ghostbusters movie that wasn't much of a comedy and now a dramatic Fresh Prince, what's next? A gritty Cheers reboot?

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3. 'Super Mario Bros.' producer defends Chris Pratt's casting, claims his Mario voice is 'phenomenal'

Chris Pratt's casting as Mario earned a "mamma mia" from much of the Internet, but one of the film's producers swears it was the right call. Illumination founder Chris Meledandri, whose animation company is making the new Super Mario Bros. film, spoke with TooFab about Pratt's unexpected casting, promising, "The voice that he's doing for us and Mario is phenomenal. I can't wait for people to hear it." When the interviewer asked how much the film will "lean into the Italian-ness" and the "it's-a-me, Mario" of it all, Meledandri said, "We definitely nod to that, but that's not the tenor of the performance throughout the film." Pratt, by the way, is also set to voice Garfield in a movie, and don't be surprised if he finds a way to snag a few other roles as iconic animated characters by the end of the week.

People TooFab

4. Andrew Garfield opens up about his mother's death in tear-jerking 'Late Show' interview

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert turned out to be a real tear-jerker on Monday night. Andrew Garfield appeared on the show to promote his new Netflix film Tick, Tick... Boom! and choked up speaking about his grief over the loss of his mother. "I hope this grief stays with me because it's all the unexpressed love that I didn't get to tell her," Garfield said. The actor also reflected on the death of Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent whom he plays in the film, at just 35. "I got to sing Jonathan Larson's unfinished song, while simultaneously singing for my mother and her unfinished song," Garfield said, adding he was grateful to be able to "honor the most beautiful person that I've ever experienced in my life through my art and use it as a way to heal." See what can happen when he's asked something other than whether he's in the new Spider-Man movie?

The Late Show Uproxx

5. Michael Strahan is going to space

Jeff Bezos just can't stop blasting famous people into space. This time, Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan revealed Tuesday he'll be heading to space on the next Blue Origin flight in December. Bezos himself, of course, traveled to space in a Blue Origin rocket in July, while Star Trek actor William Shatner went in October. On GMA, Strahan noted he interviewed Bezos ahead of the Amazon founder's own trip to space, and "being there at the first launch, it really was mind-blowing." He also explained it was Blue Origin that approached him and asked if he was interested, and he was quick to accept the invitation. This comes after Tom Hanks earlier this month revealed he turned down an offer to go to space on a Blue Origin rocket because he was asked to pay for it, and the price tag was apparently around $28 million. "I'm doing good," Hanks said, "but I ain't paying 28 [million] bucks!"

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