The daily gossip: Chris Pine finally explains infamous Harry Styles 'spit' video, Travis Scott allegedly punched someone in the face at a nightclub, and more

1. Chris Pine finally explains infamous Harry Styles 'spit' video

Chris Pine is ready to spit it out — and by it, we mean an explanation of what really happened in Venice. Speaking to Esquire, the actor broke down that infamous video from Don't Worry Darling's Venice Film Festival premiere, where it looked like Harry Styles leaned over and spit on him. "Harry did not spit on me," Pine clarified while acknowledging it looks that way. Instead, Pine said Styles, a "very kind guy," leaned over and said, "It's just words, isn't it?", which was apparently a "little joke" about the cast being so jet-lagged at the premiere that it was difficult to answer questions about the movie. Pine also said he looked like he was dissociating in certain Venice photos because he was "tired" after a "long flight to f--king Italy." He hopes to finally put the speculation to rest, though after the drama took on a life of its own, Pine may just be spitting in the wind.

Esquire

2. Travis Scott allegedly punched someone in the face at a nightclub

Travis Scott is once again in hot water. The rapper is the suspect in a police investigation of an alleged assault after being accused of punching a man in the face at a New York City nightclub, TMZ reports. According to Page Six, Scott allegedly got into an altercation with a sound engineer and caused $12,000 worth of damage to equipment. A source told Page Six that when the engineer lowered the volume on speakers that were "blasting and distorted," Scott walked over "yelling aggressively," asked "why [the engineer] lowered the sound," and smacked him "right across the face." He then allegedly took a phone from a fan and threw it on the floor. The incident comes after ten people died in a crowd surge at Scott's 2021 Astroworld music festival, and after he separately faced charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot. His attorney told TMZ that "this is clearly a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation."

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TMZ Page Six

3. 'Euphoria' creator Sam Levinson's new show described as 'sexual torture porn'

Who would have guessed there might be some controversy involved in a Sam Levinson show? A new Rolling Stone report describes how The Idol, the next HBO series from the creator of Euphoria starring The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, has been "plagued by delays, reshoots, and rewrites," with one source dubbing the production a "s--tshow." The original director departed during production, and sources told the outlet that Levinson took over and reshot the entire series after it was nearly finished. In the process, sources said he betrayed the show's original message by making it more explicit and adding "disturbing sexual and physically violent scenes" that amount to "sexual torture porn." One source told Rolling Stone the show was originally "about a woman who was finding herself sexually," but Levinson turned it into a "show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it." It's all part of his goal to make the "H" in HBO stand for "hard pass."

Rolling Stone

4. Jena Malone reveals she was sexually assaulted by someone she worked with during 'The Hunger Games'

Jena Malone has shared some disturbing allegations about her time starring in the Hunger Games films. On Instagram, the actress shared a photo taken after she wrapped the final Hunger Games movie, revealing that she "was sexually assaulted by someone I had worked with." Malone played District 7 tribute Johanna Mason in the Hunger Games franchise beginning with 2013's Catching Fire. But she said that while she's "full of gratitude for this project," she wishes it wasn't "tied to such a traumatic event for me." Malone did not name the person who allegedly assaulted her or specify their role in the production, commenting that she doesn't feel "held by 'outing' someone using the traditional cancel-like culture" and doesn't "see how the criminal justice system could fully repair my healing." But she wrote that she has "worked very hard to heal and learn thru (sic) restorative justice, how to make peace with the person who violated me and make peace with myself."

Instagram

5. 'Dune' show loses director and star months into production

What is HBO Max dune? The Dune television series, Dune: The Sisterhood, may be in trouble after losing its director and one of its stars months into production. According to Deadline, Johan Renck, who was set to helm the first two episodes of HBO Max's prequel, has left the show, and production is on hold amid the search for his replacement. Shirley Henderson, who was supposed to play one of the leads, has also departed. This behind-the-scenes drama comes after creator Diane Ademu-John left as co-showrunner a few months ago. Production on the show, which began in November, is now reportedly being pushed by seven months so the scripts can be reworked, and the delay is "wreaking havoc on actors' schedules," which could lead to further departures, Deadline says. Much has been made of the similarities between Star Wars and Dune, though, so perhaps it's only appropriate that the franchise would follow in the grand Star Wars tradition of abruptly losing directors.

Deadline