19 Events In Pop Culture From This Week, Including Grimes And Elon Musk's Second Baby
1.Grimes and Elon Musk privately welcomed a second child, a daughter named Exa Dark Sider?l Musk (Y for short, somehow), though they remain fluid in terms of labeling their romantic relationship. The musician is also now reportedly dating whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
And in other Grimes-related news, the "Oblivion" singer faced backlash for her comments on Elon's lifestyle, saying the billionaire Tesla founder lives "below the poverty line."
2.Zo? Kravitz said she was rejected when going up for a small role in The Dark Knight because the "film wasn't going urban." She later clarified her comments, stating that she was not up for the role of Catwoman — whom she recently portrayed to critical and fan acclaim in The Batman — and that her goal was to point out discrimination toward women of color in the industry.
"I did not mention this to point any fingers or make anyone seem racist, namely [director] Chris Nolan, the film’s producers or anyone on the casting team, because I truly do not believe anyone meant any harm," she wrote on Instagram.
3.In memoriam: Singer, actor, and reality TV personality Traci Braxton died from esophageal cancer at age 50. Her husband confirmed to BuzzFeed News that she died following "a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment." One of her sisters, R&B star Toni Braxton, wrote in a statement, "Traci passed this morning as the snow was falling, our angel is now a snowflake."
4.Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson went Instagram official this week. "Whose car are we gonna take?" she captioned the pic, making a cheeky reference to the 2010 movie The Town. And folks, it was definitely NOT the soft launch I would have expected from Kim!
5.Kim also went mega-viral (decidedly *not* in a good way) for her "advice" to women in business. As you might imagine, her words — the crux of which read, "Get your fucking ass up and work" — have already been endlessly memed. They have also begun haunting me to no end, bouncing around in my noggin' like the DVD symbols on 2000s-era Blu-rays.
6.Another member of the Kardashian family, Khloé, also got her share of backlash after she said it was "hurtful" to blame women for their cheating partners. Jordyn Woods' name quickly trended on Twitter after users pointed out the reality star's hypocrisy: Back in 2019, Khloé notably blamed Jordyn for causing her and Tristan Thompson to break up, even though Jordyn said he initiated the kiss they shared.
Tristan has been unfaithful to Khloé numerous times since then.
7.Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was detained and handcuffed by police after being mistaken for a bank robber while trying to make a withdrawal at an Atlanta branch of Bank of America. Newly released body camera footage from police shows that cops pulled out their guns on the filmmaker. "She got scared when a Black dude handed her a note," he said of the bank teller, who is a Black woman. "If she was scared, she’s got to admit that."
8.Hailey Bieber was hospitalized with a "very small blood clot" in her brain. The 25-year-old confirmed a TMZ report of the incident in an Instagram story, writing that she "recovered completely within a few hours" despite experiencing "stroke-like symptoms." She added, "Although this was definitely one of the scariest moments I've ever been through, I'm home now and doing well."
9.Jurnee Smollett — known for Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country — broke her silence on the five-month jail sentence given to her brother, fellow actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted of faking a hate crime last year. "Jussie is innocent," she wrote alongside the hashtag #FreeJussie. "And...you don't have to believe in his innocence to believe he should be free."
Her call to action was echoed by fellow actors Indya Moore, Taraji P. Henson, and others.
10.Dylan O'Brien explained why he passed on the upcoming Teen Wolf movie, saying, "Ultimately, I just decided [his character Stiles' story] was left in a really good place for me and I still want to leave it there." While the actor called it a "difficult decision," his comments come after reports that his costar Arden Cho was offered half the pay of the three other female leads in the series, all of whom are white.
In fact, Dylan liked a tweet concerning the matter, which read, "Arden said 'nah.'" In response, the actor praised his support, saying that he's a "good one."
11.Netflix finally (sorta) gave the people (me) what they want by releasing a full trailer for the highly anticipated second season of Bridgerton. Season 2, which will debut March 25 (aka not soon enough!), focuses on the enemies-to-lovers affair between eligible bachelor (and certified rake) Anthony Bridgerton and newcomer Kate Sharma, played by Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, respectively.
12.Buckle up, folks, because love is just around the corner! The third season of the immensely popular reality dating series Love Is Blind has already been filmed in Dallas and is likely to premiere next year. Season 2, which recently aired its reunion episode, was notably filled with plenty of drama, so it's probably safe to assume we can continue to expect mess!
Just the existence of Shake as a whole...
13.Dune 2 is making headway in production, which means we have some exciting casting updates! Florence Pugh is currently "in negotiations" to play Princess Irulan Corrino, the daughter of an emperor who eventually marries Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Similarly, Austin Butler is in talks to potentially play a key villain, Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen's (Stellan Skarsg?rd) sinister nephew.
However, given the novel's rich borrowing — and, to some, appropriation — of Middle Eastern and North African cultures, there are concerns about whitewashing in the casting.
14.Perhaps you've heard of Oppenheimer, a lil' upcoming movie from Christopher Nolan, and its incredibly star-studded cast? Well, the new World War II thriller has found its Kenneth Bainbridge, a real-life scientist who was involved in the Manhattan Project, in Josh Peck. From being in multiple show reboots to his new memoir and now this, he's sure booked and busy!
The movie, due in July 2023, also stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, and more. I'm just gonna say ahead of time that one of the Brockhampton members is sure to be cast next.
15.Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey opened up about feeling pressured to hide his sexuality after receiving advice about how doing so would shield his career. The actor, who is gay, said he has since abandoned that mindset. "I reached a point where I thought, Fuck this, I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public ... and not be so concerned about that, than get a part."
16.Gigi Hadid is one of the celebrities donating to refugees fleeing Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The model — who is of Palestinian descent — has pledged to give away the whole of her Fashion Week earnings to both Ukraine and Palestine, whose residents she has long supported. "We don’t have control over most of our work schedules, but we would like to walk 'for' something," she wrote.
17.The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons condemned veteran actor Sam Elliott's anti-gay rant against the Oscar-nominated Western film. Jane Campion — who directed the movie, becoming the only woman to be twice nominated for a Best Director Oscar — chimed in as well, calling Sam "a little bit of a bitch."
In a power move, Jesse said he "laughed" when he heard the insensitive criticism.
18.Barbie Ferreira dispelled the rumors of tension and feuding on the Euphoria set. While she didn't mention creator Sam Levinson — with whom she allegedly had a falling out — by name, she remarked, "I've seen so many different things, and a lot of it is untrue, and some of it's kind of like mundane little things."
19.Finally, the BAFTAs took place Sunday. Essentially the English equivalent of the Oscars, they honor the very best of the year's cinema. You can check out the winners here and gaze in awe at the best red carpet looks.
