The daily gossip: April 21, 2020

(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

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1. J-Lo could soon be the co-owner of the New York Mets
2. Comedians pay tribute to the Upright Citizens Brigade as theater permanently shutters NYC locations
3. Stanley Tucci offers unsolicited advice on making the perfect Negroni
4. Serena Williams proves she's a great friend, not a gossip
5. HBO Max to launch next month, even without the Friends reunion

published 21 April 2020

1. J-Lo could soon be the co-owner of the New York Mets

Jennifer Lopez has sung, danced, and acted; now she's ready for a whole new ballgame. Specifically, J-Lo and her fiancé, retired Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, apparently have their sights set on owning the New York Mets baseball team. The couple has reportedly retained JPMorgan Chase to explore a bid. The Mets are worth around $2.6 billion, and J-Lo and A-Rod share a combined net worth of about $700 million. Would Mets fans be happy if their team was owned by a former Yankee and a woman from the Bronx? As long as the Mets win — and don't overplay "Let's Get Loud" between innings — our bet is on them probably not caring too much!

The Upright Citizens Brigade might be responsible for creating some of the funniest people in America, but nobody was laughing Tuesday when the co-founders announced the permanent closure of UCB's locations in New York due to the coronavirus outbreak. Tributes poured out from UCB alumni, including The Tonight Show writer Mike Drucker, who tweeted "UCB NY wasn't perfect, but it did help drive me to try comedy ... Most importantly, it taught me I'm bad at improv and should never do it and for that, I am grateful." Added comedian Jordan Klepper, "I remain hopeful … I'm still looking forward to pulling off something beautiful in the third beat." Despite terminating its leases, UCB confirmed it would live on in New York in a "pared-down form."

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Stanley Tucci is here to save you from Martini-brand vermouth, and if you learn how to make a Negroni along the way, well, so be it. In an IGTV tutorial posted Monday, Tucci talked his way through preparing the classic Italian cocktail for his wife, Felicity Blunt, offering a few controversial suggestions along the way: shake, don't stir; serve up; and "if you don't like gin, you can use vodka." His recipe otherwise calls for a double shot of gin, a shot of sweet Vermouth (but not Martini, for the love of god), and a shot of Campari. Garnish with a pre-sliced orange and voila, you have yourself a "ubiquitous Milanese cocktail." Watch — and trust me, you'll want to — here.

As if there was ever a doubt! Serena Williams might be close friends with ex-Duchess Meghan Markle, but she's not about to dish on her BFF. Appearing on Naomi Campbell's YouTube show No Filter with her sister, Venus Williams, Serena was asked "are you happy your girlfriend's moved to America?" to which Serena replied, "I don't know what you're talking about, don't know nothing about that." Serena notably attended Markle's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, but went on, "Never seen her, never heard of her, don't know her." While Serena was keeping mum, she's undoubtedly happy that Meghan, Harry, and their son Archie have relocated to L.A. — a mere eight hour flight from her home in Palm Beach, as opposed to a 13-hour one.

HBO Max will officially make its streaming debut next month, no longer with the Friends reunion special but with one thing no other service offers: an Elmo talk show featuring Batman. Coming May 27, HBO Max will run you $14.99 a month for 10,000 hours of content, including Friends, Game of Thrones, A Star Is Born, and Aquaman. Additionally, fans can look forward to The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, which appears to be a typical network late-night show but with Elmo as host; his guests will include John Mulaney, Jason Sudeikis, and ... Batman? One notable omission is the Friends reunion special, which was originally meant to be a major draw to the service at launch but has been delayed because of the pandemic.

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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.