–Halle Berry covers Women’s Health to promote Bruised and talks about stepping into the ring to fight and stepping behind camera to direct. “When I realized I couldn’t find a director who saw this story like I saw it, I had a moment of reckoning. I finally realized that at this point in my life, I was ready. I had to take control. I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to work harder than I’ve ever worked.’ ”
–Gugu Mbatha-Raw covers Variety UK and discusses the “illusion” of diversity on TV: “It’s very diverse in front of the camera, and people accept that…When you look at camera operators, sound engineers and everyone behind the scenes, it’s a very different picture.”
-Five years after it happened, 12 people have been charged for robbing Kim Kardashian at gunpoint in a Paris hotel room.
-The original cast of Saved By the Bell appeared in the reboot for a scene honouring Screech (the late Dustin Diamond). Why are they all so … shiny?
-Speaking of the Saved By the Bell reboot — they’re doing a tribute to Showgirls?!
–Zoë Kravitz is talking up The Batman costar Robert Pattinson in her new interview with Variety. “Rob is perfect for this role. He was incredible. His transformation was out of this world.”
-There’s something wonderful about the random collection of celebs who attended Danny DeVito’s bday party.
–Prince William is once again criticizing population growth in Africa, blaming it for destroying wildlife on the continent (which is pretty rich coming from someone who’s expecting his third child).
-Meanwhile, BBC’s new documentary, The Princes and the Press, claims he has been reaching out to the tabloid press to build a better relationship and influence their stories.
-Amid rumours about her health, Prince Charles insists the Queen is “alright,” adding “Once you get to 95, it’s not quite as easy as it used to be. It’s bad enough at 73.”
-This Is Us’ main adult cast fought for — and got — $2 million cash bonuses for the final season.
–Benedict Cumberbatch talked about The Power of the Dog’s themes of toxic masculinity, saying “We need to fix the behaviour of men. You have to kind of lift the lid on the engine a little bit.”
–Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle were both nominated for Grammys. Being cancelled seems real rough.
-The annual Book Concierge from NPR is always worth browsing through for good recommendations. (Though it breaks my heart to see some of my fave books from this year are blurbed by Petra Mayer, the late great NPR book editor.)
-Disney’s Encanto is getting rave reviews.
-Speaking of raves, I don’t watch The Great British Baking Show, but people are going nuts about the semifinal episode.
-Star Trek Discovery has left Netflix, much to fans’ disappointment.
-Speaking of Star Trek Discovery, star Sonequa Martin-Green paid tribute to Whoopi Goldberg on The View. “I am your accomplishment and I thank you.”
-This is a cute TikTok tie-in to the new Spider-Man movie.
-Meanwhile, here’s the latest Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.