The daily gossip: Melissa McCarthy's Ursula teased in new Little Mermaid footage, Jonathan Majors 'walked out' of his 1st Marvel meeting, and more

1. Melissa McCarthy's Ursula teased in new 'Little Mermaid' footage

We have our first look at the live-action Ursula played by Melissa … what's that word again? Oh yeah, McCarthy. Disney has dropped a new teaser for its upcoming Little Mermaid remake, which ends with a brief glimpse of McCarthy's take on Ursula. She nails the classic villain's iconic cackle, and although the shot is dark and a tentacle is slightly obscuring her, Ursula's makeup and hair look fairly close to the original movie. The rest of the footage also provides a better look at Halle Bailey's Ariel, as there are actually some brightly lit shots this time, as well as our first look at Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric; the teaser ends on a shot of Ariel and Eric about to kiss, presumably during the song "Kiss the Girl." But sadly, the footage is a mere 30 seconds, leading Little Mermaid fans everywhere to proclaim, "Who cares? No big deal. I want more."

Twitter

2. Jonathan Majors 'walked out' of his 1st Marvel meeting

The only thing Kang hasn't been able to conquer is waiting rooms. Jonathan Majors is playing Marvel's new big bad, Kang the Conqueror, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and beyond. But in an interview with Vanity Fair, he revealed this almost never happened based on the way his first meeting with the studio went. "I walked out of my Marvel general [meeting]," the actor recalled. "I'm sitting in the office. I grew up in a very particular way and I don't want to waste nobody's time. So I got in there and they're just busy. And I was like, 'I'm supposed to be here, right?'" Majors was waiting so long that he decided, "I'm just going to go," though someone stopped him at the door. He ended up having a "great conversation" with Marvel's casting director and was asked to play Kang three years later. After years of post-credits scenes, though, it seems Marvel has just gotten used to making people wait.

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Vanity Fair

3. Marc Anthony and wife expecting a child less than 3 weeks after their wedding

Marc Anthony and his new wife have been busy. The 54-year-old singer and his 23-year-old wife, Nadia Ferreira, have announced they're expecting their first child together less than three weeks after their wedding. A joint Instagram post showed Anthony's hand on Ferreira's baby bump. "Gracias Dios por esta bendición tan grande en nuestras vidas," they wrote, meaning "thank you God for this great blessing in our lives." The couple just got married in Miami on Jan. 28, which came less than a year after they confirmed their relationship in March 2022. They were engaged by May 2022. Anthony has been married three previous times, including to Jennifer Lopez, with whom he shares two children. He also shares children with his ex-wife Dayanara Torres and ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado. His two kids with Rosado, 28-year-old Ariana and 27-year-old Chase, are both older than his new wife.

People

4. Andrea Riseborough breaks silence on Oscar controversy

The most controversial Oscar nominee since Will Smith has broken her silence. Andrea Riseborough spoke with The Hollywood Reporter after the backlash sparked by her surprise Best Actress Oscar nomination for To Leslie, which was the result of a last-minute, grassroots campaign driven by her fellow actors. After saying she is still "coming to terms with what the nomination means, for me and for others," Riseborough told the Reporter the "conversation" it sparked "is necessary." Riseborough getting nominated was particularly controversial given two Black actresses, Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler, were both snubbed. Riseborough acknowledged to the Reporter that "the film industry is abhorrently unequal in terms of opportunity," though she said she's "mindful not to speak for the experience of other people because they are better placed to speak, and I want to listen." The Academy investigated whether Riseborough's campaign broke its rules but decided against rescinding her nomination, even though there were "social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern."

The Hollywood Reporter

5. Tom Brady slammed for calling Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction a 'good thing for the NFL'

He really fumbled this one. Tom Brady is facing backlash after suggesting Janet Jackson's infamous 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show wardrobe malfunction, where her breast was briefly exposed on stage, wasn't such a bad thing for the NFL because it generated so much publicity. "I think in the end, it was probably a good thing for the NFL because everyone got to talk about it, and it was just more publicity and more publicity for halftime shows," Brady said on the Let's Go podcast. "Is any publicity bad publicity? That's what they say, so, who knows?" But the comment received significant backlash from those who pointed out that it was very much not a good thing for Jackson, as the incident essentially derailed her career. One tweet slammed the "sick" comment, dubbing Brady a "complete airhead." In response, Brady plans to apologize, only to un-apologize and re-apologize a year later.

BuzzFeed News