The daily gossip: The Chicken Run sequel might be ageist, Sarah Paulson sneakily avoids an awkward interview question, and more

(Image credit: DreamWorks)

Jump to category:

1. Chicken Run actress cries foul after being recast for younger actress
2. Sarah Paulson experiences a 'weird connection issue' when asked on a video call about the Lea Michele controversy
3. Jameela Jamil claims she can 'kiss my own a--'
4. Eminem raps about coronavirus, how much he dislikes Drew Brees
5. The tabloids for some reason seem surprised that Kim Kardashian looks 'stressed' right now

last updated 10 July 2020

1. Chicken Run actress cries foul after being recast for younger actress

Chicken Run was a great coop — ahem, coup — when it came out in 2000, becoming the highest-grossing stop motion animated film ever. But feathers are being ruffled as plans have moved forward on the film's sequel; Julia Sawalha, who voiced Ginger in the original, said she's gotten the axe along with Mel Gibson, who voiced Rocky. "The reason they gave is that my voice now sounds 'too old' and they want a younger actress to reprise the role," said Sawalha, 51. Sawalha explained she was deprived the chance to do a standard voice test, and did her own, with a producer agreeing that her voice didn't sound like it had changed but they'd be recasting the part anyway. "I have officially been plucked, stuffed & roasted," Sawalha tweeted.

Don't you hate it when your internet goes out right when you're asked a super uncomfortable question on live TV? That's what happened to actress Sarah Paulson, who experienced a "weird connection issue" during a remote episode of Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen on Thursday night after being asked by the host to share her thoughts about the controversy surrounding Lea Michele, a fellow star of Ryan Murphy-created shows. Michele, who appeared on Murphy's Glee, has been slammed recently as "unpleasant" and a "nightmare" to work with by her former co-stars. Paulson, who starred in Murphy's American Horror Story, cleverly bowed out by claiming a well-timed connectivity issue, while Real Housewives of New York star Sonja Morgan, who was also a guest, joked: "Isn't there a thing called pleading the fifth on this show?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Actress Jameela Jamil has exceedingly flexible skin and if you don't know what that means, she demonstrated it for Conan O'Brien on Thursday night. "I have a collagen disorder, which means I have not enough collagen in my body, which makes me incredibly bendy," she said, proceeding to stretch her cheeks to a truly bewildering length. Jamil confirmed her elasticity isn't limited to her face, either, showing off her double-jointedness — "I used to get out of gym glass by telling my sports teacher that I had broken my elbow" — as well as claiming she can bend forward so much that "I can also kiss my own a--." While she didn't demonstrate the latter talent, she joked "I belong in a circus, not school."

The Real Slim Shady is standing up … for coronavirus safety? At midnight on Friday, Eminem and Kid Cudi released their first collaboration, "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady," with Em using his verse to announce, among other things, "f--- Drew Brees." But he didn't stop there! Eminem additionally took the opportunity to call out anyone who might be downplaying the pandemic, rapping: "Don't wanna wear a mask and they're just scoffing/And that's how you end up catching the s--- off 'em/I just used the same basket as you shopping/Now I'm in a f---in' casket from you coughin'." Tell us how you really feel!

Multiple outlets reported that Kim Kardashian "looks stressed" after her husband, Kanye West, made headlines this week following a bonkers interview in which he said he is running for president as a member of the "Birthday Party," while also expressing anti-abortion and anti-vaccine views. Kim, who publicly supports Planned Parenthood and vaccinations, "looked anxious" in paparazzi photos shot the same day Kanye's interview was published and "it was clear she was passionate about what she was talking about" with her close friend, Malika Haqq, as the Keeping Up with the Kardashians cameras were rolling. Still, it's "hard to read her exact mood, since her eyes were blocked by black shades," and there are obviously lots of reasons for someone to look "stressed" right now.

Explore More

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.