The daily gossip: December 19, 2019

1. Lin-Manuel Miranda secretly wrote a song for the new Star Wars movie

If your ears perk up and your toe starts tapping during a key scene in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, you can thank Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who revealed he wrote a song for the new movie at the request of director J.J. Abrams. "It's got a nice beat and you can dance to it," said Miranda. He refused to confirm which scene the song pops up in — but if Rey and Kylo Ren end up settling their differences in a congressional rap battle, you can probably guess who was responsible.

Entertainment Weekly

2. Emma Watson isn't doing any promo for Little Women for some reason

When you're promoting a movie called Little Women, it's helpful for entertainment journalists to get the chance to interview the titular women. But one of the movie's four protagonists has been conspicuously absent from the talk-show circuit: Emma Watson, who plays Meg, and who has refused any promo appearances except the movie's premiere. A source said, "We don't really know what happened" — but given that Watson was just photographed hanging out with her old Harry Potter costars, maybe she's just decided she's more of a fantasy fan.

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3. Don't worry, Prince William and Kate Middleton are fine

This week, the British tabloid scene has been all a-tizzy with speculation about Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage, with devastating signs of trouble in paradise like "gently bumping a hand away" and "not driving in the same car." But if you've been staying up all night fretting about their marriage, you can breathe a sigh of relief: A source close to the couple says they're in "a happy, good place," and that the lack of physical contact in public is just an effort to maintain decorum, because being in the royal family also means pretending it's still 1845.

ET Online

4. Kate Beckinsale doesn't think married couples should live together

Having relationship troubles? Actress Kate Beckinsale has a novel solution: Spend less time together! "I think more people would do well married if they didn't have to live in the same house," said Beckinsale, so it's a good thing Hollywood stars can afford to buy as many houses as they'd like in the urban center of their choice.

Women's Health

5. While filming Avatar, nearly naked Sam Worthington almost attacked a poodle

Avatar, which spent nearly a decade as the highest-grossing movie in history despite nobody really remembering anything about it, turns 10 this week. And to commemorate the moment, director James Cameron disclosed a particularly noteworthy moment from Avatar's production: That time when star Sam Worthington, clad in nothing but a jockstrap, got so wrapped up in the process that he leapt out of a bush and aimed his bow-and-arrow at an innocent dog-walker and his poodle. Worthington "was so in character" at the time, recalled Cameron — but if he was really going method, shouldn't he have painted himself blue?

Variety