Daily gossip

The daily gossip: Melanie Lynskey takes on body-shamers after The Last of Us debut, Britney Spears' loved ones reportedly planned an intervention, and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

1

Melanie Lynskey takes on body-shamers after 'The Last of Us' debut

When you're lost in the darkness surrounded by bad tweets, look for the light. Melanie Lynskey is hitting back against a body-shaming comment criticizing her casting in HBO's The Last of Us. The actress recently debuted in the post-apocalyptic drama as the leader of a revolutionary group that has overthrown the government in Kansas City. But America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry criticized the casting on Twitter, claiming Lynskey's "body says life of luxury … not post apocolyptic [sic] warlord." Lynskey shot back that her character is "supposed to be SMART, ma'am" and doesn't "need to be muscly" because "that's what henchmen are for." Others have claimed they couldn't take Lynskey seriously as a fearsome leader because of her voice. But she noted she was excited that her casting suggests a "future in which people start listening to the person with the best ideas," not simply the "coolest or the toughest person." Even better, it's also a world where Twitter no longer exists. 

2

Britney Spears' loved ones reportedly planned an intervention

Britney Spears' fans aren't the only ones who have been concerned about her lately, according to multiple reports. The singer has been "struggling with her mental health and substance abuse," and people close to her have been so concerned about her "erratic, volatile behavior" that they recently planned an intervention, TMZ reports. Spears' manager, in fact, reportedly rented a Los Angeles house, and the plan was to take her there on Tuesday, where her husband, doctors, and others would be present. After the intervention, she would then live at the house while receiving treatment and counseling for two months, but the idea was called off after Spears became "somewhat aware" of it, TMZ says. A report from People corroborated these details, with a source telling the outlet Spears has been "acting increasingly erratically" and is "often up all night, sleeps during [the] day and has a lot of anger." But Spears reportedly met with a doctor on Wednesday, and TMZ says it "went well." 

3

Rihanna went through 39 versions of her Super Bowl halftime show setlist

Just a few days remain until the Rihanna concert that will apparently have some sort of football game attached to it. The "Umbrella" singer has shared some details about her Super Bowl halftime show performance in a press conference ahead of Sunday's big game. The "hardest part" of putting it together, she said, was deciding on the setlist and figuring out how to "cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes," and this involved quite a bit of trial and error. "There are probably about 39 versions of the setlist right now," she said. It will be a "jam-packed" performance, she teased, noting it's "important for representation" and "important for my son to see." Rihanna also teased new music, saying she's "open to exploring" and creating things that might not "make sense to my fans" and "are weird," so get ready to see her jam out on the accordion with Weird Al next. 

4

Jennifer Lopez apparently told Ben Affleck 'he was a meme' during the Grammys

Can Ben Affleck go anywhere without sparking a new round of Sad Affleck memes? He may not have helped matters at Sunday's Grammys by looking very much like he didn't want to be there, prompting tons of jokes about how miserable he seemed. But there might have been a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy going on, with Affleck possibly being miserable in part because he was informed about the memes about him looking miserable. Influencer @almostannna, who attended the Grammys as a seat filler, claimed on TikTok she witnessed Affleck's wife, Jennifer Lopez, showing him her phone at one point and telling him, "Oh my god, honey, look at this meme circulating about you," leading Affleck to respond, "Oh god, this again." So Affleck "knew" during the show that he was going viral for looking miserable (again), the TikToker said, and he simply chose "not to change his expression." And he won't until someone gets this man some Dunkin'. 

5

Colin Mochrie alleges 'Whose Line' cast 'never received fair compensation'

Who wrote this contract, anyway? In a new Vulture interview, Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie alleged the cast of the long-running improv show has never been fairly paid for their work. "There is a complicated relationship with the show," Mochrie said, claiming that while "the cast loves each other, and the actual shooting is always fun," they "never received fair compensation" for Whose Line's success. According to Mochrie, the performers aren't paid as writers, even though they come up with all the material, and they "never received residuals for a show that's been shown around the world since its inception." This may be part of the reason Mochrie says Whose Line is set to end, and if it does return, it "probably won't be with this cast." So here's a suggestion for the final game of "Scenes From a Hat": world's worst producers to work for.  

Recommended

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023
Jamie Foxx
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023

Everything Everywhere directors head to the Star Wars universe
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
wookiees and taxes

Everything Everywhere directors head to the Star Wars universe

Ted Lasso cast visit White House to discuss mental health
Brett Goldstein, Karine Jean-Pierre, Hannah Waddingham, and Jason Sudeikis in the White House briefing room
mr. Sudeikis goes to Washington

Ted Lasso cast visit White House to discuss mental health

The daily gossip: March 20, 2023
Tina Fey
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 20, 2023

Most Popular

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses
Ukrainian tank fires near Bakhmut
Attrition

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses

Adam Gopnik recommends 6 classic books for literature fans
Adam Gopnik.
Feature

Adam Gopnik recommends 6 classic books for literature fans

The truth about alcohol
Alcohol being poured into a rocks glass.
Briefing

The truth about alcohol