The daily gossip: Mario's voice actor is stepping back from the role, Abbi Jacobson slams 'cowardly' reasoning for 'A League of Their Own' cancellation, and more

1. Mario's voice actor is stepping back from the role

It's-a-no-longer-a-me. Charles Martinet, the man behind the iconic voice of Mario in various Nintendo games, is retiring from the role after more than two decades. He's "moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador" and will be "stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he'll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all," Nintendo announced. Martinet, meanwhile, posted, "My new adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart!" Martinet also voices several other Nintendo characters, including Luigi and Wario. He played Mario going back to 1996's "Super Mario 64," and he has stuck around for countless games since then. But Martinet famously and controversially did not voice the character in this year's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," as Chris Pratt did so instead. Nintendo hasn't revealed who will play Mario in its games going forward, but let's just say Pratt may be polishing his resume. Mamma mia.

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2. Abbi Jacobson slams 'cowardly' reasoning for 'A League of Their Own' cancellation

One season and they're out. Amazon Prime Video has canceled "A League of Their Own" despite previously renewing it for additional episodes. The baseball show, which starred Abbi Jacobson and D'Arcy Carden and was based on the 1992 movie, was renewed for a second and final season earlier this year, but Deadline said the reversal stemmed from the "length of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes." Jacobson, though, wasn't having that. "To blame this cancellation on the strike, (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections and working conditions, etc …) is bulls--t and cowardly," she posted on Instagram. Jacobson, who also co-created the series, added that she didn't want to focus on "all the ways this show has been put through the ringer" and instead praised the "incredibly talented artists and actors and writers and crew" she worked with. There's no crying in baseball, but after this news, we'll make an exception.

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3. Taylor Swift fans swarm Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's rehearsal dinner

She truly is too big to hang out. Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff tied the knot over the weekend, but only after Swifties made quite a scene outside their rehearsal dinner. On Friday night, Swift's fans caught wind of where the dinner was taking place in New Jersey and heard that the singer was there, so hundreds of them gathered outside the restaurant. According to Page Six, the crowd was so massive that these fans shut down a major road, and police arrived to direct traffic. Some fans called out their fellow Swifties for this behavior, with one TikTok saying that "this is literally NOT okay!! it's someone's PERSONAL WEDDING." The wedding itself took place on Saturday with guests that included Swift, Zoe Kravitz, and Cara Delevingne. But there wasn't as much chaos surrounding the ceremony, so maybe everyone from the previous night looked in the mirror and realized, "I'm the problem, it's me."

Page Six

4. 'This Is Us' stars pay tribute to Ron Cephas Jones

Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmys for his role as William Hill on "This Is Us," has died. He was 66. A representative for the actor told People his cause of death was a "long-standing pulmonary issue." Sterling K. Brown, who played the biological son of Jones' character on "This Is Us," paid tribute to his former co-star. "Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us," he wrote on Instagram, adding, "Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I'll see you when I get there." Mandy Moore also said working with Jones was "the greatest gift," as he "was pure magic as a human and an artist," while Chrissy Metz said she had been "changed by your kind heart, amazing spirit, immeasurable talent and beautiful smile." Jones is survived by his daughter, actress Jasmine Cephas Jones.

People

5. 'Blue Beetle' has 2nd-worst opening for the DC Extended Universe

They blue it. DC's "Blue Beetle" topped the domestic box office this weekend and dethroned "Barbie," but it still had a fairly underwhelming debut of $25.4 million. That's the worst opening of the entire DC Extended Universe to date other than "Wonder Woman 1984," which debuted mid-pandemic with a simultaneous streaming release. This continues a string of box office disappointments for the troubled DC franchise, including "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and "The Flash." Earlier this summer, the latter became one of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history. New DC boss James Gunn is already planning to reboot the superhero universe, although "Blue Beetle" was made before he was hired, so it's part of the old DC Extended Universe. Still, Gunn previously indicated Blue Beetle could return after the reboot, but that possibility is looking less likely based on the turnout here. Siri, play a somber cover of "Blue (Da Ba Dee)."

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