The daily gossip: June 5, 2020

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1. Oscar voters reportedly vowed not to support Selma because of cast's 'I can't breathe' shirts
2. Cate Blanchett had 'a bit of a chainsaw accident'
3. Rachel Lindsay speaks out against the lack of diversity in The Bachelor franchise: 'It's honestly embarrassing'
4. Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband is going to fight former RHONJ star Joe Giudice in a celebrity boxing match
5. Baby Archie's favorite words reportedly include 'book' and 'dog'

published 5 June 2020

1. Oscar voters reportedly vowed not to support Selma because of cast's 'I can't breathe' shirts

Oscar voters surprisingly didn't show much love for Selma in 2015, and Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo have an idea why. Oyelowo, who starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in DuVernay's critically-acclaimed film, explained how after DuVernay and the Selma cast wore "I can't breathe" shirts in support of Eric Garner at the movie's premiere, the studio received complaints from Academy voters who pledged they wouldn't support it at the awards. That's "part of why that film didn't get everything that people think it should've got," Oyelowo told Screen International, with DuVernay backing up his account on Twitter, writing, "True story." Though Selma was nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Song, Oyelowo and DuVernay were unexpectedly snubbed for Best Actor and Best Director respectively.

Quarantine comes for us all. First it was Queen guitarist Brian May, who was hospitalized for "overenthusiastic gardening." Then it was Halsey, who tripped over her dishwasher door and broke her ankle. Now Cate Blanchett has admitted she had "a bit of a chainsaw accident" while speaking on A Podcast of One's Own With Julia Gillard. Don't worry, she's okay! Though it "sounds very, very exciting … it wasn't," Blanchett said, adding that she's unharmed "apart from the little nick to my head." Julia Gillard, the former Australian prime minister, spoke for all of us when she told Blanchett, "Be very careful with that chainsaw. You've got a very famous head. I don't think people want to see any nicks taken out of it."

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Rachel Lindsay, the only black lead in The Bachelor franchise's 18-year history, addressed the show's lack of diversity in a searing interview with Page Six on Friday. "When I look at what's happening in our country, and then I look at the franchise, I can't continue to be affiliated — it's embarrassing honestly at this point," Lindsay explained. As she illustrated, the franchise has had 40 seasons, and there have been 45 U.S. president; both have only been led by one person of color to date. "We are literally on par to saying that you are more likely to become the president of the United States than you are to be the lead of this franchise," Lindsay said. "That is insane."

Well, we know who Jennifer Lopez will be rooting for. Ojani Noa, who was married to Lopez for less than a year between 1997 and 1998, will be going up against former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Joe Giudice in a celebrity boxing match later this year, TMZ reports. While that might be a rather generous use of the word "celebrity," the announcement comes after Giudice, 48, boasted that he'd "go for a few rounds with anybody," even Mike Tyson, because "I'm not afraid of anybody." Giudice will be facing Lopez's ex, instead, in the Bahamas this October, where TMZ says the two will "go toe-to-toe for three 1-minute, 30-second rounds."

Despite an adorable video of Meghan Markle reading her son, Archie, the book Duck! Rabbit! on his first birthday last month, neither "duck" nor "rabbit" made it onto the 12-month-old's list of favorite words. A source who spoke to Us Weekly explained that Archie is starting to talk, and he's been using "a few words," including "'Dada,' 'Mama,' 'book,' and 'dog.'" There's no news yet on if he sounds more like his mother or his father, Prince Harry, but experts who spoke to The Sun previously estimated that since "the foundation for an accent is laid out during the first year of a child's life," and he's been living in Canada and the U.S., it seems likeliest he'll have an "American accent like mum."

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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.