Benzinga Buzz: Oscars, Trump Letters, Elon Musk, Leo Messi, MrBeast, Chris Rock, Jay-Z & More

Author: Anthony Noto | March 11, 2023 11:37am

Each week, Benzinga compiles the latest entertainment news into a cohesive column for your consideration. Read on for the latest updates — both useful and irreverent.

• Trophy Life. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences didn't offer an explanation as to why it rejected a WME request to feature a virtual appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at this Sunday's event. Wouldn't want a legitimate actor-turned-leader taking any airtime away from those long-winded and faux Nobel-Peace Prize acceptance speeches that celebrities like to make. Oscar winners, heed Ricky Gervais' advice: "Accept your little award, thank your agent and your god, and f*** off."
• What Else Is On? HBO has an Oscars alternative. Ratings hit "The Last of Us" has a behind-the-scenes special airing Sunday night.
• Stupid Money. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE) wants regulators to legalize gambling on the outcome of its scripted storylines. That's like betting on the outcome of a car chase scene in "Fast & Furious" or whether a Hallmark movie will have a happy ending. What are the betting odds on more sexual assault allegations surfacing against WWE chairman Vince McMahon?
• Speaking Of Smackdown. At last year's Oscars, Will Smith decked Chris Rock in the face after the latter made a joke that Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith didn't appreciate. Smith made a public apology, and Rock responded with a Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) comedy special. No word yet on whether Smith is able to move after getting hit with what can best be described as a verbal bullet train.
• Word Vomit. Former U.S. President and two-time popular vote loser Donald Trump saved a bunch of letters he received from famous people. He is now publishing them in a new book, aptly titled "Letters To Trump." One of the notes he received was from Oprah Winfrey, who in 2000 wrote, "Too bad we're not running for office. What a team!" Trump has since said Oprah no longer speaks to him. I wonder why.
• Storm Watch: Manhattan prosecutors are expected to indict Trump for his role in the $130,000 payment of hush money to adult film star, Stormy Daniels. It remains to be seen whether that 90 seconds will lead to even one second of jail time. 
• Siri-ously Underpaid. In 2011, actor Susan Bennett discovered that she was actually the voice of iPhone’s "Siri." Turns out, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) purchased a startup that once recorded Bennett's voice for a project. And while the startup paid Bennett a fee for her services, Apple — which has a market cap of over $2.3 trillion — continues to use her voice and pay her nothing. 
• Westworld. Shunned product endorser Kanye West has been in talks with the world's richest Twitter employee Elon Musk about building a "utopian town" in Texas. It'd be wonderful if they both lived there. That way everyone else knows where not to go.
• Musk-See TV. Filmmaker Alex Gibney is shooting a documentary starring Musk. So rather than just perusing Musk's Twitter feed to learn what the Tesla CEO is thinking, audiences will hear it right from the horse's a--.
• Blunt Criticism. Jay-Z's company, TPCO Holding Corp. (TPCO) (OTC:GRAMF) (NEO: GRAM), is accused of illegally shipping cannabis products from California to New York. The lawsuit also makes claims of inaccurate financial reports and gender discrimination.
• Hot Messi. The highest-paid athlete on the planet, Leo Messi, scored his own animated series from Sony Group Corp (NYSE:SONY). The cartoon will depict the Argentinean soccer captain and World Cup winner’s childhood adventures as he navigates the obstacles of a virtual world, as opposed to the real world where the only obstacles Messi faces are the mountains of cash throughout his house (he reportedly makes $738,000 a week, or $8,790 per hour).
• Reverse Midas. Earlier this year, "Mad Money" star Jim Cramer praised SVB Financial (NASDAQ:SIVB), the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), and advised his viewers to "Buy." And.... yesterday SVB became the second-largest bank to collapse in history.
• The Beauty Of MrBeast. YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson is like a Gen Z Bob Hope. In addition to paying for a thousand people to get cataract surgeries, and buying 20,000 kids in South Africa their first pair of shoes, the viral star (who goes by the moniker MrBeast) pledged to donate $100,000 to charity. All because his fans helped organize Walmart display cases containing MrBeast-branded chocolate bars. "To show how grateful I am to everyone that helped tiddy [sic] things up," MrBeast said to his 19 million Twitter followers. "What charity should I donate to?"

Next: If You Invested $1000 In Tesla After Elon Musk Appeared On 'South Park' Here's How Much You'd Have Now

For last week's column, click here.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Pixabay

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