1. Nicolas Cage plans to make only ‘three or four more movies’
Cinema fans might need to start preparing for a Cage-free world. Nicolas Cage has revealed plans to retire from movies soon, telling Uproxx, “I feel I’ve pretty much said what I’ve had to say with cinema. And I’d like to leave on a high note and say, ‘Adios.'” The actor thinks he has “maybe three or four more movies before I can get there,” at which point he wants to “switch formats,” such as by moving to TV. “I don’t know if I have anything else to learn in cinema,” Cage reflected. “I might have something to learn in television.” He also wants to “spend some quality time with my family,” especially because he will soon turn 60 and his father died at 75. Cage’s latest film is “Dream Scenario,” and if it were up to him, he would make it his last. “But I have other contracts that I have to fulfill,” he noted. After that, he may ghost ride off into the sunset. Uproxx
2. Billie Eilish accuses Variety of ‘outing’ her
Billie Eilish is begging fans — and reporters — to quit asking about her sexuality. After the “Bad Guy” singer recently told Variety she is “physically attracted” to women, a journalist asked her to clarify if she intended to come out. “No, I didn’t, but I kind of thought, wasn’t it obvious?” Eilish said on the red carpet of Variety’s Hitmakers event. “I didn’t realize people didn’t know.” She added that she doesn’t “believe in” coming out, and although Eilish said it’s “cool” that people now know her sexuality, she felt “nervous talking about it.” The Variety reporter assured Eilish she’s “safe” because “I’m a gay.” But the singer is now taking issue with the interaction, posting on Instagram, “Thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters i like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares.” Instagram
3. ‘Godzilla x Kong’ trailer reveals ‘mini Kong’
The latest Japanese Godzilla film, “Godzilla Minus One,” offered a harrowing exploration of survivor’s guilt and lingering trauma from World War II. But based on the trailer, it’s safe to say the latest American Godzilla film will have a … different tone. Warner Bros. has debuted the totally bonkers first footage of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the “Godzilla vs. Kong” sequel whose title no one is quite sure how to say out loud. The movie will dive further into King Kong’s new home of the Hollow Earth as a new threat emerges, forcing Godzilla and Kong to team up. Kong now appears to have a mechanical arm of some sort, and he has apparently been getting busy; the footage reveals an adorable “mini Kong” that is presumably the titan’s son, à la “Son of Kong.” Godzilla, meanwhile, is seen emerging from ice, and all throughout the footage, he’s glowing bright pink. Even the king of the monsters got dressed up to see “Barbie.” Warner Bros. Pictures
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4. Taylor Swift and Barbie are finalists for Time Person of the Year
It’s not often an accolade could either be given to Barbie or Vladimir Putin. But on Wednesday, Time will unveil its 2023 Person of the Year, and ahead of the announcement, the magazine has narrowed down the candidates to nine. One of them is Taylor Swift, who would be gracing the Person of the Year cover a second time if selected. Swift was also one of the “silence breakers” who spoke out against sexual misconduct and was named Person of the Year in 2017. Other finalists this year include Barbie, which would mark a somewhat rare instance of Person of the Year going to a non-human, and Hollywood strikers. The shortlist also consists of Chinese President Xi Jinping, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Trump prosecutors, Russian President Vladimir Putin, King Charles and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Tune in later this week to find out who has had a greater impact on our planet: multiple world leaders or an inanimate object. Time
5. Marvel boss promises not to resurrect Iron Man
Don’t count on seeing Iron Man return to the Marvel universe — not that Iron Man, at least. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Vanity Fair the franchise won’t bring Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark back from the dead. “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” he said, referring to the moment Tony sacrifices his life to defeat Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame.” “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.” The comment came after Variety reported Marvel is considering bringing back the original Avengers and “reviving Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.” Feige now suggests this is off the table, although resurrecting Tony isn’t the only way for Downey to return, as he could also theoretically come back as a different version of the character from another universe. But as much as fans may want that, if you love someone 3,000, you have to let them go. Vanity Fair
