On Tuesday, Justin Baldoni’s team released “raw footage” from It Ends With Us, a ten-minute clip of Baldoni and Blake Lively shooting a “slow dancing” scene at a crowded bar. The scene was supposed to be used in a montage about their characters falling in love. Blake cited the filming of that particular scene in her sexual harassment complaint and her lawsuit against Baldoni. Baldoni added context for what actually happened within his lawsuit, then he released the footage to prove his point. There were obviously a lot of interpretations about what the video actually showed, but that didn’t stop Blake’s team from claiming that her visible discomfort (within the 10-minute video) proved that this was one instance of Baldoni sexually harassing her. Team Lively must have been unsettled by the fact that so many people actually watched the video and debated what it really showed about her dynamic with Baldoni though, because it looks like Team Lively is trying to make sure that Baldoni isn’t allowed to provide any more context or evidence of Lively’s misrepresentations or exaggerations.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds want a judge to gag Justin Baldoni’s lawyer … claiming he’s making false statements about the case.

The megastars filed a letter in court Tuesday … and, in it, they ask the court to issue a protective order to stop Baldoni’s lawyers — led by Bryan Freedman — from engaging in “improper conduct” including going on an alleged “harassing and retaliatory media campaign” against Blake and Ryan.

They say he’s violating court rules that stop a lawyer from making statements to the press that are irrelevant to a case and might prejudice the jury. In it, Blake and Ryan specifically mention the release of unedited footage from “It Ends With Us” filming … which Blake’s team claims “corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described” in her initial complaint back in December.

Remember, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and engaging in a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation. Baldoni has since filed his own $400 million lawsuit against Lively … accusing her of defamation, civil extortion and other allegations.

Baldoni’s team released the behind-the-scenes footage from the movie to prove he never made harassing comments … while Blake’s team pushed back and said Baldoni never discussed or choreographed the intimacy here — and, it made her uncomfortable.

Sources connected to JB tell TMZ … they believe it’s grossly unfair to impose a gag order after Justin has been defamed by the New York Times in an article that they say has cost him three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars. All Justin wants to do, the source says, “is release videos and text messages to prove the allegations are false.”

The source adds, it is “unbelievable” that Blake Lively would go on a takedown campaign against Justin and then immediately turn around and say she wants a gag order so that Justin can’t defend himself.

[From TMZ]

I actually understand Team Lively’s point – Baldoni and his legal team are absolutely waging a trial in the court of public opinion, and given the multiple lawsuits involved, I’m sure gag orders will eventually be issued (hopefully to all sides). That being said, Team Lively is mad that they’re losing in the court of public opinion, let’s be clear. Blake, Ryan and their team have been waging their own campaign to win over the public, establish their narrative and rebrand Blake. They’re the ones who went to the New York Times, they’re the ones who immediately ran to People Mag for a sugary, sympathetic cover story about poor Blake, they’re the ones who have loudly screamed “DARVO” every time Baldoni pointed out an inconsistency or provided receipts to dispute Blake’s story. All of their efforts have been hampered by Baldoni refusing to just roll over. I’ve been asking this for weeks, but it’s still so striking to me – did Blake honestly think that Baldoni wasn’t going to fight back? Did she really think that he would not defend himself?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, cover courtesy of People.

The Telegraph is one of the few British outlets doing in-depth royal-specific coverage of News Group Newspapers’ settlement with Prince Harry. The Mail has barely said a word, and the Sun… well, you know. What I mean with “royal-specific coverage” is that almost everyone is running this as a media/press story about how the mighty Murdochs blinked and got scared about all of the sh-t that was about to come out during this trial. There’s also been a wealth of coverage about how Harry managed to get something no other plaintiff has gotten: a public apology and a public admission of wrong-doing by NGN. NGN settled, not Harry. I also saw one British legal expert explain that if NGN was willing to admit their crimes publicly, Harry basically had no choice but to accept NGN’s settlement, because his case would have fallen apart (because NGN was basically conceding a huge part of what Harry was accusing them of). I bring this up because the Telegraph’s Hannah Furness (one of their royal reporters) has written an alternate-reality piece in which Harry sucks because NGN settled and admitted wrong-doing: “Meghan and the money: Are these the real reasons that our lost royal has finally settled? Rather than lay bare the tabloid grievances that have tormented him, Harry accepted a settlement from home – the question now is why?”

Prince Harry, our noble dragon slayer, has laid down his sword. With moments to spare, as teams of lawyers and a phalanx of press filled the High Court, he agreed to settle with News Group Newspapers (NGN) and avert what was expected to be the 10-week-long media trial of the century. It is the last thing anyone expected.

The Duke of Sussex, so vocal and so determined in his battle against the tabloid press, will now not have the full-scale “public inquiry” he was accused of wanting, as part of his quest to “change the media landscape” forever. Far from jetting into Britain to lay bare the tabloid grievances that have tormented him for so long, he accepted the settlement from home. The key question is, why?

Firstly, it cannot be ignored that this is a personal, emotional success for Prince Harry. For a man who has been so open about his pain and grief, the apology issued by the publisher about his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will carry great meaning. That NGN “acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family” will also be incredibly important to Harry.

But can the Duke claim that, as hoped, he has changed the media landscape with his crusade? Not quite. In this regard, it is not what was said in NGN’s “full and unequivocal apology” that is key, but what was missing. There is no admission of phone hacking, surveillance or misuse of private information at the Sun; just the News of the World, which closed more than a decade ago. Admissions of “unlawful activity” are confined to private investigators, with no executive heads rolling, no forensic examination of any cover-up, and no airing of new details of the “serious intrusion” that NGN admits to.

As such, one wonders how quickly the elation of the personal victory may, behind the scenes as the adrenaline wears off, give way to deflation for the man who has called holding the British press to account his “life’s work”. Having set himself up as a champion of the voiceless (“I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned,” he cried poetically, after a legal victory last year), Prince Harry now finds himself – in terms of taking the stand – back among them. His quest to bring down part of the Murdoch empire has ended in a fizzle rather than a bang.

What could have persuaded the Duke to stop at this stage? The decision will inevitably raise questions about his finances – the settlement was an eight-figure sum, we are told. While other celebrities and civilians settled, with some saying they could not afford to pay the legal fees, Prince Harry planned to be the one who saw it through, with money as no object.

It is not clear to what extent his settlement is materially or morally different to the one he told the world his elder brother had made, with 2023 court papers claiming Prince William “has recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes”. One brother did so in private, and the other in public.

There will be question marks, too, about whether someone finally convinced Harry, a family man who is forging a new life on another continent, that his energies might be better spent elsewhere. The cost, both financially and mentally – as he relived his unhappy younger years – was huge, and the rift with his family significant, as his legal battles came to play a “central piece” in this, he said previously.

[From The Telegraph]

“It is not clear to what extent his settlement is materially or morally different to the one he told the world his elder brother had made.” Fantastically stupid – William made a secret deal with NGN, didn’t get a public apology or any kind of admission of NGN’s wrong-doing, and William and NGN still collaborate to this day, with William regularly giving exclusives to the Murdoch-owned Times of London. If anything, any attempt at comparison between the brothers highlights the fact that William looks like he’s been bought and paid for by the scummiest media figures in Britain, and that his office has been in open collaboration with NGN for years.

The larger effort is obviously to hold Harry to an impossible standard – why hasn’t Harry single-handedly changed the British media? Why won’t he spend another six years on this? Because he’s not the police and he’s not a politician, and these are not issues which can be solved through civil litigation alone.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

If you ask me, this was always going to be a weird awards season, given the films and everything going on in the world in 2024. But the awards season absolutely changed and shifted with the Southern California wildfires, which started right after the Golden Globes. The reality is that many LA-based Oscar voters have lost their homes or they’re hosting evacuees. The schedule rightly shifted as people’s priorities changed. As of now, the Oscars are still scheduled for March 2nd, and I do not believe that the date will change. The Oscars telecast will shift though – they’ve removed the “Original Song” performances, and they’re going to honor LA firefighters and more. Okay, now let’s get to this year’s nominations! These are just the biggest categories, you can see the full list here.

Best Supporting Actress.
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Best Actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best Actress.
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Best Director.
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
Caralie Fargeat (The Substance).
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez)

Best Picture.
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune Part 2
Emilia Perez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

Notable snubs: no Denzel Washington for Gladiator II (a damn shame), no Jamie Lee Curtis in The Last Showgirl (YAY), no Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez or Margaret Qualley. Qualley’s snub actually surprised me, given all of the buzz for The Substance. Obviously, Nicole Kidman was snubbed for Babygirl, and the Academy decided that they’re Team Brad Pitt, so no nom for Angelina Jolie. Other surprises: no Daniel Craig for Queer, no Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl and no Marianne Jean-Baptiste for Hard Truths. What other surprises? No nomination for Wicked director Jon Chu or Conclave director Edward Berger. Berger’s absence is definitely shocking, as is Denis Villeneuve.

I feel like Fernanda Torres getting nominated is a surprise, even if she won the Golden Globe. The Apprentice surprising everyone and picking up noms for Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong…it’s certainly interesting, although it does feel like Stan (in particular) is riding a critical wave at the moment. What else… I love Conclave’s noms, especially the ones for Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini. I would love it if we got a big surprise in Supporting Actress.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Posters courtesy of ‘The Brutalist’ and promotional images courtesy of ‘Conclave’.

On Wednesday, the day before the Oscar nominations came out, GLAAD revealed the nominations for their GLAAD Media Awards. The biggest talking point is that GLAAD snubbed Emilia Perez, a musical starring a trans actress, Karla Sofia Gascon. There’s been so much discourse about Emilia Perez, with a lot of negativity coming from Latin American film critics and cultural figures. But it’s worth noting that Emilia Perez is also being hotly debated by the LGBTQ community. Part of the debate – from what I’ve seen – boils down to “is it better to have trans representation in a film, even if the film is largely problematic?” GLAAD’s answer to that question is: nope.

We have the nominees for the 36th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which honor fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in film, TV, music, videogames, podcasts, journalism and more. But the noms don’t include one of the most talked-about films of 2024 or its trans star. More on that below.

Vying for the Outstanding Wide-Release Film prize are Cuckoo, Drive-Away Dolls, Love Lies Bleeding, Mean Girls, My Old Ass, Problemista, Queer and Wicked. Up for the Limited-Release Film award are 20,000 Species of Bees, Backspot, Before I Change My Mind, Big Boys, Close to You, Crossing, Fitting In, High Tide, Housekeeping for Beginners and A Place of Our Own.

Noticeably absent from the GLAAD noms is Jacques Audiard’s Oscar contender Emilia Pérez, which won the Golden Globe this month, and its trans star Karla Sofía Gascón, who also won a Globe and is up for SAG and BAFTA awards in February. Back in November, GLAAD put out an article titled “‘Emilia Pérez’ is Not Good Trans Representation,” labeling the film — among other things — a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and calling it “a step backward.”

[From Deadline]

The “Emilia Pérez’ is Not Good Trans Representation” piece is trending again because of the snubs – you can read it here. I love film discourse and representation discourse, so this piece was a fascinating read. I actually admire GLAAD Media for holding strong in this case and saying “no mas” on what is proving to be one of the most controversial films of the awards season.

Additionally, there is another piece of “we don’t actually like Emilia Perez” news from AMPAS – this year’s Oscar telecast will not include any of the “Best Original Song” performances. They made the decision in anticipation of one or more of Emilia Perez’s songs being nominated. The cover story is that the Oscars will use that time to honor LA wildfire victims and firefighters.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Princess of Wales’s “life in remission” is one of this week’s People Magazine cover stories. I just saw that there’s another cover with Michael Strahan. I kind of love when People Mag does multiple covers, almost like an admission that one of those cover stories probably won’t get much attention from American readers. I don’t know though – are People’s readers more interested in Kate’s keenery or Michael Strahan’s daughter and her brain cancer? One of the biggest problems with Kate’s whole PR situation these days is that they’re trying to convince people to believe too many questionable things all at once. This isn’t “one big lie,” it’s a series of smaller lies, exaggerations, nonsensical cover stories and possibly-true-but-definitely-incomplete stories. Speaking of, here’s a new excerpt from People’s keen cover story, all about how William and Kate are closer than ever and they communicate better than before.

Throughout Kate Middleton’s tumultuous year, Prince William has remained steadfastly by her side, maintaining a sense of stability as she navigated cancer. A source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story that the Prince and Princess of Wales are “more open” now and “talk about their relationship together.” The difficult period has brought a newfound depth to their relationship, revealing an unprecedented level of openness in their expressions of love for each other.

“For the princess, family — her husband and­ children — are more important than anything else,” a close royal insider tells PEOPLE.

Of their public displays of affection, royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE, “William must feel so fortunate that Kate has come through this that he wants to tell the world about that love. It shows the intimacy of them sharing that journey together. They are able to express themselves in a way they would never have done before,” Seward says.

William and Kate have shown a greater sense of intimacy over the past year, and royal historian and writer Dr. Amanda Foreman says their bond is strong.

“They feel they are very lucky to be married to each other. Their marriage is strong, and they are being honest about it,” says Foreman.

Away from the spotlight, Princess Kate has also been focused on her children, attending their school sports and activities. Over the holidays, the family enjoyed a ski getaway in the Alps with members of the Middleton family. As she gradually resumes her royal duties, Kate is expected to participate in some U.K.-based engagements. However, she will not be joining William on overseas tours in the immediate future. The palace has yet to confirm whether the Princess of Wales will attend the BAFTA Awards in February, an event she traditionally attends with Prince William (who is president).

[From People]

Yeah, I’m sure some people are buying it, but I do feel like it’s been common knowledge that the Wales marriage has been in a Struggle Era for years. Even casual gossips know something’s up, that there have been strains and weird vibes for a while. That sense that something was “off” came to the forefront last year, when Kate went missing. All of the attention turned to William, his wandering sceptre and Rose Hanbury. Many of the conspiracies back then revolved around the real state of their marriage too. Anyway, as I said, they’re all doing too much to convince people of too many things all at once. One lie at a time, you know?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.

One of the most asinine parts of Vanity Fair’s February cover story was the stuff about the Duchess of Sussex “pitching” a book about her divorce to publishers. Now that we’re days past the initial shock of the VF hit piece, that one gossip item really stands out as being the most ridiculous part. VF claimed that “a rumor began circulating” through the publishing world “a few years ago” that “Meghan’s team had a conversation with a publishing house to gauge interest in the idea for a potential book. The concept, for which there was no written or formal proposal, was post-divorce.” As I said in our coverage, logically this makes zero sense – even if Meghan had considered divorce, she KNOWS that everyone would want her memoir. She wouldn’t have to pitch anything. She doesn’t even have to pitch anything now – publishers would love it if Meghan wrote a memoir right now. She doesn’t need the “hook” of a divorce.

In my coverage over the weekend, I mentioned that the whole “rumor” felt like it was started by the News Corp-owned publisher HarperCollins. The Murdoch family have a wicked web, from their print media arm in the UK (News Group Newspapers), to their media arm in America (News Corp, which owns Fox News, the WSJ and the New York Post, among many others) to HarperCollins. Given that Harry’s Spare was published by HarperCollins’ rival Penguin Random House, it felt like this was a very specific rumor started with a very specific (publisher) agenda. Now that NGN has settled with Prince Harry, wouldn’t you know, the Murdoch-owned Page Six has an exclusive with more publisher rumors. What are we even doing here? Be less obvious.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can’t split — because “their value is in being a couple,” a source told Page Six amid claims that Markle shopped a potential post-divorce book. A Vanity Fair cover story published last week alleged that the Duchess of Sussex’s team had quietly held talks with an unnamed publishing house to “gauge interest” in the idea for the book.

However, a source who has worked closely with the couple told Page Six, “Meghan and Harry know that they are tied together, their value is in being a couple — even if they wanted to split, they couldn’t. And honestly, they are obsessed with each other. They are just two narcissists.”

Another insider familiar with the original $20 million Penguin Random House deal the two signed in 2021 said they had never heard anything about a divorce tome. However, it does appear the highly-publicized deal — which, as we previously reported, was originally believed to include books on “leadership” and “wellness” — seems to have quietly dissipated after Harry’s best-selling memoir, “Spare.”

“They are worth more together,” said the publishing insider. “It doesn’t benefit them to be apart — they have all their deals together. I think the Random House deal is much like the Netflix deal: Netflix just said ‘Yes’ to everything because they wanted to get the docu-series [‘Harry & Meghan’]. So they said, ‘Ok, we’ll take the ‘Polo’ show’ and let’s see what happens with Meghan’s lifestyle show.”

Vanity Fair’s source reportedly clarified that the so-called “divorce” book was meant to be about the aftermath of a split from Harry, and not Markle’s first husband, Trevor Engelson, whom the “Suits” alum divorced in 2014. Indeed, Page Six has been told that Markle never likes to broach the subject of Engelson.

Page Six is told there was talk of Harry splitting his memoir into two parts before he decided to keep it to one book. “Spare” has now sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and was the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Markle, for her part, has only released a children’s book.

Within the seemingly scuppered Random House deal, Page Six was told there were also plans for a potential wellness book by Markle, as well as a book penned by the couple and believed to be about leadership.

[From Page Six]

Nothing like a giant media company settling out of court with Prince Harry, admitting they committed crimes and apologizing thoroughly… and then that same media company’s American arm turns around and spreads these rumors within 24 hours. “They are just two narcissists.” Your company just had to apologize for committing crimes against that “narcissist.” Anyway, this is all part of a new, stupid campaign against the Sussexes – their marriage isn’t great but they CAN’T get a divorce, because of their couple-brand! If these outlets are so obsessed with Divorce Watch, they should spend two seconds wondering why Prince William has been trying to rebrand himself as a hot single guy for years.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

In recent days, the Mail has published a dozen stories (easily) about David Beckham and how much he hates Prince Harry and how much he loves King Charles and Prince William. I thought it was just the Mail banging their heads against the wall and endlessly recycling old stories for the hell of it. But no, it was based on something new. You see, David went to Davos, and he participated in a Q&A session as part of his UNICEF ambassadorship. The session quickly and unexpectedly turned into David campaigning for a knighthood and showing off his royal-bootlicker credentials. After all of that sucking up, the Windsors still snubbed him for a knighthood in their most recent honors list. Some highlights from Beckham’s session:

He’s such a royalist: “I always get emotional talking about anything that I do with our royal family, because I’ve always been a huge royalist. I was brought up in a household that adored and loved everything that came with the royal family.”

He’ll answer Prince William’s calls: “Over the years, I’ve done a lot with the Prince of Wales,” he continued, referring to Prince William. “I’ve always been there, when he’s asked me to get involved with things. Whether it be veterans, whether it be the London Air Ambulance Service, which we raised funds to get two new helicopters for London. These are the things, when I was a kid, I used to see the helicopters going over, and you knew exactly what they were going to do. They were on their way to an emergency. So to be involved in that, has always been a ‘Yes’ for me. Whenever the Prince of Wales sends me a message and says, ‘I need you to do this’ or ‘Be there’, it’s always a ‘Yes.’”

Becoming an ambassador for the King’s Foundation: The Inter Miami FC co-owner said he was “honored” when King Charles asked him to get involved with his foundation and that his mother, Sandra West, “burst into tears” when he relayed the news. “Because she’s so proud of obviously what I’ve done throughout my career, but she’s also proud. And she knows my grandparents would have been proud that I have played such an important role within the royal family and the charities that they have. So to be involved in The King’s Foundation, our King is an incredible man. But he’s not just been an incredible man for the last five, 10 years, he’s been an incredible man for decades. The work that he has done to empower people, the grassroots work, all of the sustainable work. All of these things, all of those lost arts, he’s trying to bring them back.”

Beckham & the king: “He’s into bees, I’m into bees. He’s into the countryside, I’m into the countryside, and he’s into empowering young people. So I’m very honored with that role.”

[From People]

“Whenever the Prince of Wales sends me a message and says, ‘I need you to do this’ or ‘Be there’, it’s always a ‘Yes.’” Ew. No wonder William has such a difficult time getting celebrities interested in his busywork – he apparently doesn’t ask nicely, or ask at all. Imagine Peggy ordering you to “be there” or “I need you to do this.” William’s really missing the charm gene. Even Charles has charm – a questionable charm, no doubt, but Charles knows how to schmooze and butter-up a wealthy donor. Charles knows how to fundraise and ask for something but make it seem like he’s doing you a favor. William doesn’t know how to do any of that. Peg is like the anti-personality hire. Anyway, I find all of David’s slavish devotion to the royalist cause really funny. The Windsors are going to keep him around, begging for a knighthood as long as they can get away with it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Buckingham Palace.

Yesterday, News Group Newspapers settled with Prince Harry. Harry sued NGN nearly six years ago, and he stood tough as the Murdoch empire threw everything they could at him. The Murdochs were helped along the way by the royalist media class in the UK and the Windsors themselves. Because Harry was fully prepared to go through this lengthy process and put his money and reputation on the line, NGN really had no choice but to settle and admit culpability, giving Harry a full apology AND an admission of their wrong-doing. That was more than any other litigant had gotten through NGN’s settlements. Not only that, Harry secured an acknowledgement and admission about what the Murdochs had done to his late mother.

The settlement was huge transatlantic news yesterday, with “Prince Harry” and “Murdoch” trending on social media the entire day. Harry was praised across the board for his bravery in taking on the Murdochs and winning. Two groups of people were noticeably quiet and subdued: royal reporters and the Windsors. Some royal reporters did bare-bones updates on the case, but the Windsors issued zero statements of support, praise or acknowledgement of Harry’s victory. Given that Harry’s lawsuits with NGN were a major reason why the Windsors behaved the way they did in 2020, it feels like the Windsors are more concerned about their dear friend NGN than Prince Harry. Someone in Harry’s British family did make a public statement though – his uncle Charles Spencer, the Earl Spencer.

It takes an enormous amount of guts to take on opponents like News Group Newspapers, and great tenacity to win. And it’s just wonderful that Harry fought for – and gained – an apology to his mother. She would be incredibly touched at that, & rightly proud. https://t.co/ISqmvliRqy

— Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) January 22, 2025

“It’s just wonderful that Harry fought for – and gained – an apology to his mother. She would be incredibly touched at that, & rightly proud.” I was touched and proud that Harry apparently insisted on an acknowledgement for his mother too. As many pointed out yesterday, this is not the first time NGN gave a settlement to a prince – the last time, they gave Prince William £1 million secretly, didn’t publicly apologize, admitted nothing and they probably rejoiced when William publicly called his mother paranoid.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

This is interesting news for us nerds. It’s been reported that Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in Shawn Levy’s untitled, standalone Star Wars film. The film has been in development since 2022. By my count, there are at least 10 other Star Wars movies currently in development, but the casting of Gosling is likely to help propel this one to the front of the production list. This is just a report, though, so Gosling’s casting isn’t a done deal just yet and neither party involved (Levy, Gosling, or Lucasfilm) have confirmed anything yet.

If you’re a Jedi, then Ryan Gosling is a Jedi… well, maybe.

The Barbie star is reportedly in talks to star in a new Star Wars movie written and directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy, according to multiple outlets.

While other details surrounding the force-filled movie are currently floating in space, Ryan boarding the ship would likely send the project—which Levy has been slowly developing since 2022, including bringing on his This Is Where I Leave You screenwriter Jonathan Tropper—“into hyperdrive,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The new addition to the Star Wars franchise—which has seen Disney+ TV shows The Mandalorian, The Acolyte and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew added to its repertoire in recent years—would be a standalone movie, akin to 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, per the outlet.

E! News has reached out to reps for Gosling, Levy and Lucasfilm, but has not heard back.

[From E News Online]

Anyway, I admit that I am intrigued by this news, even though part of me thinks it’s overkill when big movie/TV franchises cast really famous actors in big roles. I like when relative unknowns or underexposed actors have a chance to make a role their own like that. That said, I also thought this way about Jude Law being cast in Skeleton Crew before I watched it and found him to be utterly fantastic in it. So, I’m willing to keep an open mind about Ryan. I like that it’s going to be a one-off and hope they don’t tie it into a spin-off TV show, lol.

I’ve been thinking about what type of role I can see Ryan playing and I honestly can’t decide. No matter how hard I try, I really can’t see him playing a Jedi or Republic politician. I also can’t see him playing a member of the Empire or some slimy smuggler character either. I guess it makes sense that he’d be a complicated anti-hero-turned-hero-type character a la Han Solo, especially because the one-off comparisons all mention Solo instead of my favorite non-original trilogy film, Rogue One. Speaking of Rogue One, it would be cool if he played a Rebellion character like Cassian Andor, but I have a feeling Ryan’s role will be a lot less serious and give us some comic relief.

Embed from Getty Images

photos credit: Backgrid, Avalon.red and Cover images

Move over Oscars — you’re not the only game in town announcing nominations this week! Because where there are Academy Awards to honor the best in film, lurking nearby are the Golden Raspberry Awards to recognize the worst achievements made in the past year, thus balancing out the cinematic universe. And of course, any daring actor worth their salt will find themselves acknowledged by both institutions over the course of a career, as brilliantly demonstrated by Halle Berry. Affectionately nicknamed the Razzies (as am I by a work colleague who calls me “Razzie,” short for Razzmatazz), the 45th annual awards take place a day before the Oscars on March 1. This year’s crop of nominees range from comic book to video game to breakfast cereal adaptations, plus whatever genre Megalopolis is. And the nominees are:

The voters behind the Razzie Awards have announced their nominees for what they deem the “worst” films and performances of the year.

Five movies tied for the dubious distinction of earning the most nods, with six each for video game adaptation Borderlands, the widely panned Joker: Folie à Deux, Marvel movie Madame Web, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis and Ronald Reagan biopic Reagan, featuring Jon Voight “imitating Bullwinkle’s nemesis Boris Badenov as its narrator,” according to a Jan. 21 press release.

Last year, the independent slasher parody Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — based on the beloved A.A. Milne character — took home the trophy for “worst picture,” Megan Fox won “worst actress” for Johnny & Clyde and “worst supporting actress” for Exp4ndables while Voight — a “worst supporting actor” nominee in 2025 — took home “worst actor” for Mercy.

This year’s winners — who will take home a $4.97 gold spray-painted statuette, according to the release — will be revealed on Saturday, March 1, the day before the Academy Awards. Read on for the full slate of nominees.

Worst Picture
Borderlands
Joker: Folie à Deux
Madame Web
Megalopolis
Reagan

Actor
Jack Black, Dear Santa
Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie à Deux
Dennis Quaid, Reagan
Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted

Actress
Cate Blanchett, Borderlands
Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux
Bryce Dallas Howard, Argylle
Dakota Johnson, Madame Web
Jennifer Lopez, Atlas

Supporting Actor
Jack Black, Borderlands
Kevin Hart, Borderlands
Shia LaBeouf, Megalopolis
Tahar Rahim, Madame Web
Jon Voight, Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land and Strangers

Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose, Argyle and Kraven the Hunter
Leslie Anne Down, Reagan
Emma Roberts, Madame Web
Amy Schumer, Unfrosted
FKA twigs, The Crow

[From People]

I know what you’re all thinking: what about Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga — Parts 1-3,612?! History will judge this snub. There are a few more categories, but these are my predictions for the ones excerpted above: I’m going with Megalopolis for Worst Picture, down to its scale matching its degree of nonsensicality. I think Dakota Johnson has Actress pretty locked up, yes? Even if “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died,” didn’t make it into the final film, the line from the trailer was a MOMENT. As for Actor, I’m torn, because while I’d love for Zachary Levi to be declared a worst at anything, he’d still be winning an award. Supporting Actress is a complete toss up, but Supporting Actor? Come on, it has to go to Jon Voight, for the sheer breadth of contributions alone! Not everyone can appear in four clunkers in a single year, it is impressive. No wonder the president tapped him to be a new ambassador to the country of Hollywood. (Sidenote: how did I miss the release of a Reagan biopic with a Rocky & Bullwinkle connection? Thank moose and squirrel that my father isn’t around to see my transgression.) So yeah, Jon Voight for the win, or the whole thing is rigged!

PS — I know Razzies are film and not TV, but it seems appropriate to reminisce here on Voight’s hilarious line reading from Ray Donovan. “What did yooooooooou do Raymond?”

photos credit: Cover Images and Avalon.red