The daily gossip: Dwayne Johnson is out at DC for now, Taylor Swift snubbed at the Oscars for 'All Too Well' short film, and more

1. Dwayne Johnson isn't coming back as Black Adam anytime soon

Don't hold your breath waiting to hear, "Finally, The Rock has come back to DC!" Dwayne Johnson appears to be the latest casualty of the major changes at DC, as he confirmed in a statement Black Adam won't be part of the "first chapter of storytelling" in the "new DC Universe." Johnson said he recently met with James Gunn, who along with Peter Safran is the new boss at DC, and they agreed they'll "continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters." Reading between the lines, though, the statement definitely reads like he's saying goodbye to Black Adam after just debuting as the character two months ago. "I have very thick skin," Johnson wrote, insisting "we did great" on the film despite reports it will lose money. "Gave it a shot," he also said in a reply. "Win some, lose some." Well, if you're DC, you definitely lose some a bit more often.

The Week

2. Taylor Swift snubbed at the Oscars for 'All Too Well' short film

Taylor Swift's quest for an Oscar isn't going all too well. The Midnights singer won't receive an Academy Award nomination this year for her "All Too Well" short film after campaigning openly for the nod. The Academy on Wednesday revealed the shortlists for 10 Oscar categories, and Swift did advance in the Best Original Song field for "Carolina," her track from Where the Crawdads Sing. But she was left off the shortlist in the live-action short film category for her "All Too Well" video. It will surely come as a blow to Swift, who made no secret of the fact that she really, really wanted this nomination. She screened the video at the Toronto International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival, participated in a Variety directors on directors interview, released a behind-the-scenes video showing her directing it, and more. But like with Lady Gaga before her, perhaps the Academy simply got tired of her scheming.

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3. Millie Bobby Brown slammed by intimacy coordinator for kissing co-star without consent

It's a big month for controversial improvised kisses. After Margot Robbie revealed she improvised a kiss with Brad Pitt, Millie Bobby Brown is facing backlash for kissing her co-star in Enola Holmes 2 without consent. In a TikTok shared by Netflix, Brown described kissing Louis Partridge in the film, revealing that "right on the rehearsal, I grabbed his face and kissed him" and noting he was shocked. Brown also said she "really" punched and hurt him to the point that he had to ask her to fake it. On TikTok, intimacy coordinator Jessica Steinrock slammed Brown for not asking "consent to kiss him," arguing actors should "never be surprising anyone during a fight or intimate scene ever" and noting that she "has more power in that situation" as a big star. Between this and Jenna Ortega casually revealing she had COVID filming Wednesday, a total and complete shutdown of young Netflix stars telling supposedly quirky filming anecdotes may be in order.

Uproxx

4. Demi Moore is excited to be a 'hot kooky unhinged grandma'

It's not just a rumor: Demi Moore and Bruce Willis will soon become grandparents. Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, is expecting her first child with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas. She shared the news on Instagram, showing off black-and-white photos of her pregnant belly. Willis and Moore were married from 1987 to 2000, and they share three children: Rumer, Tallulah, and Scout. Rumer's sisters both celebrated the news; the former commented "EEEEEEEE!!!! we stan this mommy!!" and the latter wrote, "I'm weep." Bruce Willis also has two children with his current wife, Emma Heming Willis, who posted, "Baby news is happy news!!!" But Demi Moore seemed particularly excited about her new role as a grandmother, announcing that she's "entering my hot kooky unhinged grandma era." She's going from G.I. Jane to Grandma Jane.

Vanity Fair

5. James Cameron wanted to avoid the 'Stranger Things effect' with 'Avatar' sequels

James Cameron hasn't been able to reverse the human aging process quite yet, so he did the next best thing. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the director explained why he shot the second and third Avatar movies back-to-back, throwing some shade at Stranger Things in the process. Cameron noted that Jack Champion, who plays Spider, was 12 when he was cast but "growing like a weed." So it was important to shoot the third movie, and even some of the fourth, as soon as possible while he was still young. "Otherwise, you get — and I love Stranger Things — but you get the Stranger Things effect where they're supposed to still be in high school [but] they look like they're 27," he said. Ironically, The Way of Water features a plot point involving humans being driven by the desire to stop aging. So if Cameron does plan to continue the franchise until Avatar 7, perhaps he's betting on willing that into existence.

Entertainment Weekly