The daily gossip: February 19, 2020

(Image credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

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1. Justin Bieber still thinks he could beat Tom Cruise in a fight
2. Queen Elizabeth is reportedly shutting down Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's "Sussex Royal" brand
3. Ben Affleck explains why he lied about his back tattoo
4. Nickelodeon is making a SpongeBob Squarepants prequel
5. 8-year-old Blue Ivy Carter has one million listeners on Spotify

last updated 19 February 2020

1. Justin Bieber still thinks he could beat Tom Cruise in a fight

It's been more than a year since Justin Bieber took to Twitter, somewhat inexplicably, to challenge Tom Cruise to a "fight in the octagon." That challenge still remains unanswered by Cruise — but as Bieber himself could tell you, never say never. In an appearance on Carpool Karaoke, host James Corden raised the subject of the proposed Bieber vs. Cruise throw-down, and Bieber said he's still game. Bieber even proved his fitness for the fight by besting Corden in an arm-wrestling match — which is a little like jogging a lap to prepare for an ultra-marathon, but still.

The exact details of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's plan for a "post-royal" life remain in question — but one possible thoroughfare has reportedly been closed to them. An insider claims that Queen Elizabeth squashed the couple's plan to build out a global brand under the title "Sussex Royal," which they planned to use as a unifying brand name for everything from a website and a charity to products like clothing, books, and stationary. The Queen has reportedly decided it is "no longer tenable" for the non-royals to use the word "royal" in their projects — so imagine how mad she's going to be when she finds out about Burger King and Dairy Queen.

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Back in 2016, Ben Affleck was snapped by a paparazzo on the beach sporting some new ink: A massive, colorful tattoo of a phoenix covering his entire back. At the time, Affleck claimed it was a fake tattoo for an upcoming role — but four years later, he's coming clean. "Of course it's real," said Affleck, adding that he "got a kick out of messing with" the press by lying about it — because if you're going to be roasted by gossip bloggers for your big ol' phoenix tattoo, it's hard to resist the urge to burn them right back.

Over the past 20 years, SpongeBob Squarepants has turned out to be one of Nickelodeon's most durable TV shows. And any studio with a similarly-sized hit could tell you the next logical step: Franchise it into oblivion! So we guess it's not surprising that Nickelodeon is officially preparing to launch Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years. Details on the prequel series are otherwise scarce, but it's probably safe to assume the show will explore SpongeBob's years as a younger (and smaller?) sponge — a premise that will surely hold plenty of water.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was just 5 years old when he composed his first musical piece — but even he might have to doff his cap to Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. At just 8 years old, Blue Ivy amassed one million listeners on Spotify for her performance on a single song on an album called the The Lion King: The Gift, which was inspired by the live-action Lion King remake costarring Beyoncé. And if you're contemplating whether Blue Ivy really deserves all that credit for a brief guest spot on an album curated by her mom, what can we say? It's the circle of life, and it moves us all.

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.