The daily gossip: Justin Bieber's new album samples MLK, the Oscars are refusing to allow nominees to attend on Zoom, and more

1. Justin Bieber samples MLK speeches on his new album for some reason

Justin Bieber's sixth album, Justice, has only been out for a few hours, but there's already drama! The gooey pop album mixes in clips of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches alongside Bieber's deeply embarrassing lyrics like "under covers ain't no rubbers … let's make babies." TMZ confirms that despite the album being called Justice, the music has "NO connection" to MLK, making it all the weirder that there's a two-minute "MLK interlude" track that serves as the lead-in to a song called "Die For You" … which isn't about the reverend's assassination, but rather is "an upbeat [ditty] about a hot chick." As Variety notes, "If you're wondering why anyone thought it was a good idea to conflate civil-right martyrdom with the thought of succumbing to a hot woman, keep wondering."

Variety TMZ

2. The Academy Awards have figured out how to be the least-fun pandemic awards show

There will be no "you're on mute!" moments at this year's Oscars. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences sent a letter to this year's nominees, telling them that there will be no Zoom option available for artists who chose not to attend the "intimate, in-person event" at Union Station in Los Angeles because of "scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling," Variety reports. Additionally, attendees were lectured that their attire is expected to be "a fusion of inspirational and aspirational," which Variety translates as meaning "formal is cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not." Basically, that's all a long way of saying Jason Sudeikis' tie-dye Golden Globes hoodie is not welcome, and we won't get to see David Fincher taking shots on camera again either. Boooo!

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Variety

3. Matt James asks people not to 'cancel' Chris Harrison

Matt James, the first Black bachelor, is defending Chris Harrison after the show's longtime host came under fire for attempting to defend contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's choice to attend a racially insensitive antebellum-themed party in 2018. The shift comes as a surprise, as James has been outspoken about his disappointment in the franchise, and called the Harrison situation "devastating and heartbreaking." Appearing on The Ringer's "Bill Simmons Podcast," though, James insisted "I don't think that anybody should be trying to cancel him. We should be calling him in to do that work that he outlined and wants to do." James added that Harrison called him to apologize and "we had a really good conversation."

Vulture

4. Joe Exotic celebrates the Tiger King anniversary with footwear collection

Can you believe it's been almost a year since we all watched Tiger King, and then immediately wondered why on Earth we ever watched Tiger King? To mark the anniversary, Joe Exotic is dropping a footwear collection, called "Revenge," with the streetwear brand Odaingerous, TMZ reports. The shoes come in "the usual Exotic flair," in "animal print, gold, and Italian leather," and cost from $219 to $252. Exotic is currently in prison, where he is sentenced to 22 years for hiring someone to murder Carole Baskin as well as for killing and selling tigers. Exotic previously teamed up with Odaingerous on a fashion line, also called "Revenge," which sold out in a day and raked in a reported $20,000 in online sales. Netflix's Tiger King turns a year old on Sunday.

TMZ

5. Chrissy Teigen got dots tattooed on her hand because she 'just likes dots'

Celebrity tattoos are always a bit of a mystery: why did Ben Affleck get a ginormous phoenix inked on his back? What's up with Harry Style's nude mermaid? Is there a deeper meaning to Zayn Malik's glow-in-the-dark lightsaber tattoo, other than that it looks kinda cool? Chrissy Teigen, thankfully, isn't leaving anyone in the lurch about her new tat, a series of tiny dots down the center of each finger. "Please don't tell me this means something in morse code," Teigen begged her fans. As she explained, "I just like dots."

Refinery 29