The daily gossip: Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexual assault, Sinéad O'Connor dies at 56, and more

1. Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexual assault in UK trial

Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty on all counts in his U.K. sexual assault trial. The actor was facing nine charges in connection with allegations that he sexually assaulted four men between 2001 and 2013. Spacey was artistic director at the Old Vic theater for the majority of those years. In one case, a man alleged he woke up to find Spacey performing oral sex on him. Spacey denied the allegations of sexual assault and said that with one of the accusers, he simply made a "clumsy pass." The "House of Cards" star was facing potential jail time if convicted, and the acquittal came on his 64th birthday. A jury also sided with Spacey in a sexual assault lawsuit brought by Anthony Rapp in 2022. Outside the courthouse, Spacey told reporters he is "humbled by the outcome today." He previously claimed that "there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London."

The Associated Press The Week

2. Sinéad O'Connor dies at 56

No one compared to her. Sinéad O'Connor, the Irish singer known for songs like "Nothing Compares 2 U," has died, The Irish Times reported on Wednesday. She was 56. A cause of death was not disclosed. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," her family confirmed in a statement. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time." O'Connor released 10 studio albums from 1987 through 2014, and her hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," which was written by Prince, was the number one world single of 1990 at the Billboard Music Awards. In 1992, she famously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on "Saturday Night Live" to protest sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. O'Connor was hospitalized in January 2022 after the death of her 17-year-old son, Shane. She recently tweeted that she was "lost" without him.

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The Irish Times

3. Kristen Bell defends letting her kids order non-alcoholic beers

Don't call her a bad mom. On "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Kristen Bell revealed that her children "have ordered non-alcoholic beers at restaurants before." After acknowledging this "sounds insane" out of context, Bell explained that her husband, Dax Shepard, is a recovering addict and likes non-alcoholic beer. So when their daughter was "really little," he would walk with her while drinking some, and she would be "pawing at" the beverage and "suck on the rim of it." It "feels to her like something special," Bell said, so "we've been at restaurants where she's said, 'Do you have any non-alcoholic beer?'" Bell and Shepard's two daughters are now 10 and 8. Her remarks received some light pushback online, with one YouTube commenter writing, "Many non-alcoholic beers still contain alcohol. Eek." Seemingly anticipating this reaction, she defended her choice on the show. "You can judge me if you want," Bell said. "I'm not doing anything wrong. That's your problem."

The Kelly Clarkson Show

4. Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa casting called out by actor with dwarfism

Someone with dwarfism should have gotten the golden ticket that went to Hugh Grant for "Wonka," according to one actor. George Coppen, who has appeared in films like "Artemis Fowl," has criticized the Willy Wonka prequel film for casting Grant in the role of an Oompa Loompa instead of someone with dwarfism like himself. "A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love," he told the BBC. "A lot of people, myself included, argue that dwarfs should be offered everyday roles in dramas and soaps, but we aren't getting offered those roles. One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one." Director Paul King previously told Rolling Stone he cast Grant because "he's the funniest person I know," and after writing down the character traits of the Oompa Loompas, "I realized, 'That's what Hugh sounds like. Hugh is an Oompa Loompa.'"

BBC

5. Blake Lively hops rope at Kensington Palace to fix display of her dress

She wanted something done right, so she did it herself. On her Instagram story, Blake Lively shared a video of herself fixing her own Met Gala dress that was on display at Kensington Palace. "When you're the clown who hops over the rope at the museum to fix the exhibit," Lively wrote. This "Crown to Couture" exhibition in London has various dresses on display that have been worn by celebrities, including Lively's from the 2022 Met Gala. Outfits worn by Beyoncé and others are also on display. The video shows Lively saying she's fixing the dress "so that you see what the transformation was," and she kneeled on the floor while making the adjustments. "Happy almost Virgo season folx," Lively wrote on the video, taking pride in having done the exhibition a simple favor.

Instagram