Jason Isaacs spills all the tea, a reappraisal of Britney Spears, and what to read this weekend: June 20, 2025
Every Friday, Gold Derby rounds up some of the best stories of the week from our friends across the web. Maybe you missed these, maybe you were too busy to read them at the time, maybe you bookmarked them and forgot, but hopefully you'll have some over the weekend to check them out. Happy reading!
Jason Isaacs Might Say Too Much
Jason Isaacs is what the kids call a "messy bitch" (complimentary), and we love him for it. The White Lotus star was the king of teasing out hot gossip during the show's press tour, and he has continued that unabated in a Q&A with Vulture. In between a discussion about his career and his feelings about Mel Gibson and J.K. Rowling, the actor offers up nuggets like this about a certain actor to keep you guessing: "Was the worst bully ever and a global icon. Did all the old tricks of doing a completely different performance off-camera than on. Yeah, it sucked. I'd never seen anything like it. Before, I would’ve licked the ground that this person walked on."
How Britney Spears Ushered in a New Era of Pop
The Ringer has an excerpt from staff writer Nora Princiotti's new book Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyoncé, and the Women Who Built Pop's Shiniest Decade (out now) focused on the pop queen of the aughts, Britney Spears, and how she redefined pop music.
The Mortician Tried to Have Its Bombshell Moment. There's Just One Problem.
Joshua Rofé’s HBO docuseries The Mortician about the illegal cremation practices of the Lamb Funeral Home concluded on Sunday with a Jinx-like ending: David Sconce, the subject and convicted felon who pleaded guilty to 21 counts of mishandling remains in 1989, seemingly confesses to three murders. But it's never specified which three, and Sconce gets interrupted when the cinematographer announces they have to reload. Slate's Sam Adams was unimpressed by the twist ending, calling it "more of a damp squib than a bombshell."
Barbra Streisand Still Has Her Voice
Barbra Streisand has a wide-ranging conversation with The New Yorker's David Remick, in which the icon doubles down on her revelation in her memoir that she does not remember if she slept with Warren Beatty. "I know I slept in the bed with him, but I can’t remember if we actually had penetration," she says. "I swear to God, I can’t. There are certain things I block out." Other things discussed: her new duet with Bob Dylan, if she'd do a film version of Gypsy, and why she hated performing.