The daily gossip: Quentin Tarantino spends entire podcast mourning fictional character Rick Dalton, Nick Jonas went to therapy after 'tragic guitar solo debacle,' and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio
(Image credit: Christopher Jue / Getty Images)

1. Quentin Tarantino dedicates entire podcast episode to 'death' of Rick Dalton, a fictional character

Quentin Tarantino is blurring the line between pulp fact and pulp fiction. The director dedicated the latest episode of his film podcast to mourning actor Rick Dalton, a person who never actually existed. Leonardo DiCaprio played Dalton, a fictional actor, in Tarantino's 2019 movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." But Tarantino opens Tuesday's "Video Archives Podcast" by somberly informing viewers Dalton "passed from this Earth" last Friday. He and his co-host, Roger Avary, proceed to spend the entire 90-minute podcast discussing Dalton's career as if he was an actual actor. They never once drop the bit as they review Dalton's nonexistent performances, read from a lengthy Q&A that Tarantino supposedly conducted with him, and pretend the fiery climax of "Once Upon a Time" really happened. Tarantino previously revealed he wrote a book called "The Films of Rick Dalton," which details his entire fake filmography. He may have figured out where he'll retire after quitting movies: an alternate reality of his own making.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.