The daily gossip: February 28, 2020

(Image credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)

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1. Garth Brooks fans mix up Bernie and Barry Sanders, berate country music star for his 'endorsement'
2. Lady Gaga's 'Stupid Love' music video is surprisingly reminiscent of Power Rangers
3. Gwyneth Paltrow confesses her least favorite performance
4. BTS cancels world tour kickoff show, citing coronavirus concerns
5. A beloved Mulan character was written out over #MeToo concerns

published 28 February 2020

1. Garth Brooks fans mix up Bernie and Barry Sanders, berate country music star for his 'endorsement'

Country music star Garth Brooks got into some trouble with fans this week after posting a photo of himself wearing a Barry Sanders NFL jersey on Instagram. Brooks, who wore the getup for his concert at Ford Field, had clearly meant to give Motor City's former Detroit Lions running back a nod, but the name "Sanders," plus Barry's number, 20, confused a lot of Brooks' more conservative fans. "If this is for Bernie Sanders, I'm done with you," wrote one commenter. "Love you, hate the shirt," contributed another, adding: "Trump 2020." Barry Sanders, though, saw an opening: "Hey @garthbrooks," he tweeted, "want to be my VP?"

Just call her Mighty Morphin Lady Gaga. On Friday, Gaga dropped her new single "Stupid Love" alongside a video that will make you wonder if Rita Repulsa's about to swoop in at any moment. The production gives off major Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vibes, from its opening logo to its colorful costumes and setting — probably not what Little Monsters would have expected to inspire Gaga's first new music since A Star Is Born. The Power Rangers Twitter account even responded to a picture of Gaga's costume with "not sure if we should fight this monster or stan this monster," only to come to the correct conclusion: "Just consulted with Zordon and we have no choice but to stan."

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Regrets — Gwyneth Paltrow has a few. During a promotion for her Netflix show, Goop Lab, Paltrow admitted that her "least favorite performance" was Shallow Hal in 2001. "I'm not sure who told you to do that one, but it wasn't me," teased Paltrow's best friend and assistant, Kevin Keating. In the movie, Hal (Jack Black) is hypnotized to only see inner beauty, with Paltrow playing the supposedly "beautiful" version of an obese woman named Rosemary; the movie has since been criticized for its suggestion that "the only way a fat woman can be loved is … in spite of her body," explains Jezebel. "That was before your time! See what happened?" Paltrow agreed with Keating. "Disaster."

Coronavirus has come for K-pop. On Thursday, the world's highest-paid boy band, BTS, canceled the inaugural leg of their world tour in Korea, citing concerns about the epidemic, which already has more than 2,300 cases in the country. "The recent outbreak has made it impossible at this time to predict the scale of the outbreak during the dates of the concert in April," said BTS' representatives, citing logistics like "the cross-border movement of concert staff and equipment." But U.S. fans who were shut out of the band's secret Grand Central Terminal performance don't have to worry; as of now, the American leg of the BTS tour is still a go.

Mulan fans have been up in arms ever since learning that the character of Captain Li Shang will not be in the live action adaptation out next month. There's a good reason, though, according to producer Jason Reed. In the animated version of the film, Li Shang serves as the army captain, memorably singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" and eventually falling in love with Mulan. "I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate," Reed told Collider. But rest assured, Li Shang fans; he's not entirely gone. "We split Li Shang into two characters," Reed confirmed.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.