1. Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith secretly separated in 2016
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have disentangled. In an interview with Hoda Kotb for NBC News, the actress revealed that she and the "King Richard" star secretly separated seven years ago. Pinkett Smith said she wasn't "ready" to reveal this and unsure how to "present" their partnership to people, which is why they have maintained that they were still together all this time. The relationship fractured for "a lot of" reasons, she said, explaining that, by 2016, they were both "exhausted with trying." But Pinkett Smith has never been able to bring herself to file for divorce, so the two are still married, even though "we live separately." Meanwhile, Pinkett Smith revealed to People that Chris Rock, whom her husband would later slap at the Oscars, once asked her out on a date amid rumors that she was getting a divorce. After she told him this wasn't true, Pinkett Smith said Rock "profusely apologized." She and Rock have not spoken since the Oscars slap. Today, People
2. Pete Davidson has been buying thousands of sealed VHS tapes: 'It's my GameStop'
Pete Davidson may be setting the plot of a "Dumb Money" sequel into motion. On "The Tonight Show," the comedian revealed that about three years ago, he started collecting thousands of VHS tapes that are still sealed in boxes in hopes of reselling them for profit. After getting "really high one night," Davidson predicted that VHS tapes will soon have a resurgence like that of vinyl records. "So I bought all the sealed ones that exist," he said. "Like, three-to-five-thousand tapes." This prompted gasps from the studio audience, leading Davidson to quip, "You sound like my mom!" But he claimed his investment is already beginning to pay off, as "'Rocky' just sold for like $27,000." Davidson added, "It's my GameStop! Dude, no one believed in me." If the plan doesn't work out, though, "I'm going to be on the road forever," he joked. At least it's a better three-letter financial investment than NFTs. "The Tonight Show"
3. Marvel's 'Daredevil: Born Again' is reportedly being overhauled
Overruled. Marvel's highly anticipated Disney+ series "Daredevil: Born Again" is undergoing a significant overhaul after the studio quietly fired head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The bombshell report said that with less than half of the 18 planned episodes of "Daredevil" filmed, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige reviewed the footage in June and realized the series wasn't working. The Hollywood Reporter's sources suggested this was because the show was turning out to be more of a legal procedural, with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock not even wearing his Daredevil costume until four episodes in. More broadly, the outlet said Marvel is rethinking its entire approach to making television, so the studio plans to move away from the limited series format and actually hire showrunners to run its shows. What a concept! The Hollywood Reporter
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4. Billie Eilish's 'Bad Guy' is the 'stupidest song in the world,' says Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish can listen to critics call her music dumb without batting an eyelash because in one case, she actually agrees. Jimmy Kimmel asked the Grammy-winning singer if there are any songs in her library that make her cringe looking back on them today, and she surprisingly pointed to 2019's massively popular "Bad Guy" — but in a good way. "Objectively, 'Bad Guy' is the stupidest song in the world," Eilish argued. "But it's really good!" As the audience gasped, Eilish scrambled to explain that "Bad Guy" is "supposed to be goofy" and she's "trolling" it. That being said, she stressed that she doesn't like it when artists are "hateful toward their own music," and she actually loves her work. "But I still cringe," she said. "I appreciate it, though." "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
5. John Carpenter was baffled by 'Barbie'
Tired: Martin Scorsese's thoughts on Marvel movies. Inspired: John Carpenter's thoughts on "Barbie." The legendary director of "Halloween" and "The Thing" spoke to the Los Angeles Times about his new show "Suburban Screams," and like any conversation in 2023, "Barbie" came up. "I watched 'Barbie,'" Carpenter said. "I can't believe I watched 'Barbie.'" The filmmaker noted that "Barbie" is "just not my generation," and he "had nothing to do with Barbie dolls." So despite thinking Margot Robbie is "fabulous," it sounds like he didn't really connect with Greta Gerwig's film. "I didn't know who Allan was," he explained. "I mean, I can sum it up. She says, 'I don't have a vagina,' and then at the end, 'I'm going to go to a gynecologist!' That's the movie to me." Carpenter acknowledged that the film also dealt with "patriarchy business," but he "missed that whole thing," and it went "right over my head." He's just John, and he's confused. The Los Angeles Times
