The daily gossip: A Harry Potter live-action TV show is reportedly in the works, Kourtney Kardashian is dating a drummer, and more

A Harry Potter live-action TV show is reportedly in the works, Kourtney Kardashian is dating a drummer, and more

Harry Potter.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

1. A live-action Harry Potter TV show is rumored to be in the works

Accio, Harry Potter TV! Executives from the WarnerMedia streaming service have been holding meetings with writers to explore ideas for a possible Harry Potter live-action television show, The Hollywood Reporter says, although no one has been attached, and no specific project has been ordered. Indeed, Variety emphasized the talks are "very" early, and in a statement, HBO Max and Warner Bros. said "there are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform." But the Reporter claims that "expanding the world of Harry Potter remains a top priority," even if there's no word yet on what a potential TV project might look like. This comes after last week's report that WarnerMedia is also interested in expanding another one of its fictional worlds, Game of Thrones.

2. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are reportedly dating

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are apparently dating, which means it's only a matter of time before Kourt discovers that drummers will "play drums" on the surfaces of everything! What fun! Though the two have been rumored to be romantically linked for years, the eldest Kardashian sister and the Blink-182 drummer have only been official "for about a month or two," a source told People. Added another insider who spoke with E! News, "They have been neighbors and great friends for years, and it just recently turned romantic. Travis has always had an eye for Kourtney." The odd couple enjoy relaxing with their kids from their previous relationships, and passing pandemics poolside in Palm Springs.

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People E! News

3. Glenn Close doesn't need that Oscar, she's fine, she swears!

Glenn Close has officially entered the "I totally don't want an Oscar" phase of trying to win an Oscar. Appearing for some reason in conversation with Pete Davidson for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Close confided that she has no idea what's up with her being nominated for seven Oscars and yet not winning a single one either. "Is it better to be wheeled out in a wheelchair and get the lifetime achievement award?" she mulled. "You don't have to make a speech." Close added that it "might be cool" to never win an Oscar at all — evidenced, apparently, by her accepting a role in Hillbilly Elegy. Whatever makes the Academy's insult easier to bear, Glenn!

Variety Vulture

4. The Budweiser Clydesdales are sitting out the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years

Here's one major celebrity cameo you won't see during this year's Super Bowl commercial breaks: The Budweiser Clydesdales. For the first time in 37 years, the iconic, beer-bearing horses will not appear in a commercial during the big game. Instead of putting millions toward the ad spot, Budweiser announced Monday that it will take a percentage of its Super Bowl budget and work with the Ad Council to raise vaccine awareness instead. Another portion of the ad budget went toward a making a short film about pandemic resilience, narrated by Rashida Jones. "We don't want to go back to normal," Budweiser CMO Marcel Marcondes explained of the company's decision to go horse-less this year. "We want to get better, we need to keep the learnings, and we need to evolve."

Esquire Ad Week

5. Keira Knightley is done shooting nude scenes with male directors

Keira Knightley is no stranger to shooting steamy sex scenes, but she's putting the breaks on doing any more with male directors. "I don't have an absolute ban [on filming nude scenes]," she told the Chanel Connects podcast, "but I kind of do with men." Knightley explained that her reservation is "partly vanity, and also it's the male gaze," and added that "I don't want it to be those horrible sex scenes where you're all greased up and everybody is grunting. I'm not interested in doing that." While she understands that certain movies benefit from good nude scenes, she stressed that these days, "I'm too vain, and the body has had two children now, and I'd just rather not stand in front of a group of men naked." Totally fair!

BBC Chanel Connects

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Jeva Lange

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.