The daily gossip: Al Pacino randomly shows up at a video game awards show, allegedly unofficial R. Kelly album appears on streaming, and more

1. Non-gamer Al Pacino randomly shows up at the Game Awards

Say hello to my gamer friend. The Game Awards, the video game world's equivalent of the Oscars, were held Thursday, and for whatever reason, legendary actor and Shrek iPhone case owner Al Pacino showed up, looking just slightly out of his element. "This is an experience for me," Pacino said as he presented the award for best performance. "[I]t may come as a shock to you, but in truth, I don't play a whole lot of video games," he added. Wow, we would have bet money on him clocking 500+ hours in Elden Ring. But the actor, while struggling to "see the teleprompter," delivered a surprisingly lengthy spiel about how he's grown to appreciate watching his kids play games, leaving viewers wondering when the guy with a giant hook would show up. The award went to God of War Ragnarök actor Christopher Judge, who Pacino hugged passionately before leaving the stage and, presumably, stumbling his way into an anime convention.

Kotaku

2. Allegedly unofficial R. Kelly album appears on streaming without explanation

Talk about an unpleasant surprise drop. A new album from R. Kelly appeared to be released on various streaming services, including Spotify, on Friday, despite the fact the disgraced R&B singer is in jail on sexual abuse charges. Titled I Admit It, the album ends with a previously-released 19-minute song called "I Admit it (I Did It)," in which he doesn't actually "admit" to the sexual misconduct allegations that landed him behind bars. But Sony Music told Variety the album is not an official release, though the outlet points out "the copyright line on the album reads 'Legacy Recordings,' which is Sony Music's catalog division." It's not clear who's responsible for uploading I Admit it, which was pulled by Friday afternoon. But Kelly's attorney told Variety his team wasn't involved and that the singer "is having intellectual property stolen from him." Instead of listening to the album, we'll just play Gayle King saying "Robert…" like a disappointed mother on a continuous loop.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

TMZ Variety

3. Bill Hader and Ali Wong reportedly dated this year

Pete Davidson might learn a thing or two from another Saturday Night Live alum, who has become the unofficial king of low-key relationships. Bill Hader randomly dated comedian Ali Wong this year, a new report says, but we're only just hearing about it now that they've split up. According to Page Six, the two comedians started dating "at least two months ago" but are no longer together. Prior to this, there was never so much as a rumor about the pairing (you dropped the ball, DeuxMoi!), which came after Wong divorced her husband Justin Hakuta earlier in the year. Hader, meanwhile, was last linked to Anna Kendrick, another relationship that was long kept a secret. By the time we found out Hader and Kendrick were dating, they had already been together for more than a year. Who knows … we might be dating Hader right now, but we'll have to check Page Six in about six months to confirm.

Page Six

4. Patty Jenkins reportedly walked off 'Wonder Woman 3,' sent exec Wikipedia definition of 'character arc'

Patty Jenkins was allegedly the one to walk away from Wonder Woman 3, but not before taking a parting shot at her boss. After The Hollywood Reporter revealed the director's superhero film had been canceled at DC, The Wrap and Deadline both said it was actually Jenkins who left the project. According to Deadline, Jenkins submitted a treatment for the film but received notes about "character arc problems" in return. Though she was invited to take another pass, she pushed back hard. According to The Wrap, Jenkins declared to Warner Bros. Film Group co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy that they "didn't understand the character" and "didn't understand character arcs" — even reportedly sending "an email to De Luca that ended with a link to the Wikipedia definition of 'character arc.'" In the end, Jenkins reportedly walked rather than compromise with the studio, so it can't be long before someone tries to get #ReleaseTheJenkinsCut trending.

The Wrap Deadline

5. Taylor Swift is directing her 1st movie

You know the greatest films of all time were never made. But Taylor Swift will take a shot at making one. The Midnights singer is set to direct her first feature film, which will be based on an original script she wrote. It's set up at Searchlight Pictures, the studio behind Oscar-winning movies like Nomadland. This comes as Swift continues campaigning hard to win an Oscar for the "All Too Well" short film (a.k.a. music video) she directed. On Thursday, she faced some backlash after Variety tapped her to participate in a "Directors on Directors" interview series, despite the fact that she's never directed a movie — so the timing of this announcement seemed pretty convenient. We'll have to see if the Cats star has better luck directing a movie than she's had acting in them. But if it doesn't work out, no worries. She can always get it right the second time via the "Taylor's Version" remake in 10 years.

Variety The Week