By Mark Gray
7:35am PDT, Oct 2, 2021
Settlement
Scarlett Johansson and Disney have reached a settlement over their "Black Widow" disagreement. Terms of the deal aren't known. Back in late July, the actress filed a lawsuit against the Mouse House, alleging it breached her contract by releasing "Black Widow" on its streaming service, Disney+. (The film was actually simultaneously released in theaters and on the service.) Why would ScarJo care? According to her filing, she agreed that her salary for the film would be primarily based on the film's box office haul. The back and forth went on, with Disney saying it complied with Scarlett's contract and that the lawsuit had a "callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic." On Sept. 30, both sides played nice and said they look forward to working together again.
Conservation queen
Britney Spears is getting closer to steering her own life after a judge suspended her father, Jamie Spears, as the conservator of her estate, a position he held for 13 years. A Los Angeles judge ruled on Sept. 29 that Jamie must turn over all books and records associated with the conservatorship to CPA John Zabel, who is now Brit's temporary business conservator and will oversee the finances. Brit's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, called Jamie a "cruel, toxic and abusive man" while arguing for Jamie's ouster. After the decision, Jamie argued that the conservatorship should completely end today, but Brit's lawyer asked for it to be terminated in 30-45 days. The reason? Brit's legal team wants to look over the books to uncover possible "corruption" in the conservatorship. Jamie, Brit's team alleged, only wanted to end the conservatorship immediately so he could shield anyone from seeing the records. The pop star's lawyer alleged that Jamie and a security team placed a listening device in Britney's bedroom. "Britney deserves to wake up tomorrow without her father as her conservator," Rosengart said. "It is what my client wants, it what my client needs, it is what my client deserves."
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Convict
R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges on Sept. 27. In the case, the disgraced R&B singer was facing nine federal charges, and he was convicted on all of them. After a trial that lasted a little over a month, the jury deliberated for about a full day before rendering the verdict. CNN's Sonia Moghe was in the courtroom when the verdict was read, and tweeted that Kelly "did not move or look at anyone" as he was hearing his fate. The verdict comes 13 years after he was acquitted of child pornography charges at an Illinois state trial. Sentencing is set for May 4, and he could get 10 years to life in prison. In addition, Kelly is still awaiting a second federal trial in Chicago, and state trials in Illinois and Minnesota.
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Looking rosy
Jesse Palmer is headed back to "The Bachelor," but this time as a host. On Sept. 28, the former NFL quarterback was named the new host of the dating franchise. While Jesse is currently only signed on for Season 26 of "The Bachelor," the plan is for him to become the permanent host of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." Longtime fans of the show will remember Jesse as the lead of from Season 5 of the "The Bachelor," which aired in 2004. Since then, he has worked at ESPN and contributed to "Good Morning America" and ABC News. "For more than 20 years, 'The Bachelor' has brought the world dozens of unforgettable love stories, including at one time, my own," he said in a statement. "Falling in love is one of life's greatest gifts, and I am humbled by the opportunity to return to the show as host this season to offer the newest Bachelor advice gained from firsthand experience and I am grateful to play a small part in his journey."
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COVID drama
Remember all that drama at "The View" last week? You know, where Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were pulled off the air on live TV because they'd supposedly tested positive for COVID? It was all for naught. On Sept. 27, the two women, who are both fully vaccinated, revealed their results were false positives. "It really was uncomfortable for my results to be released publicly before I even knew what was going on, before they were verified, before I was tested again and again," Sunny said. The ramifications of that moment stretched beyond the show. Sunny said her husband, a doctor, was pulled out of surgery as a precautionary measure, and her children were taken out of school. Ana said, "I was flabbergasted." The producer who made the decision to pull the women apologized. You'll recall that the drama went down while Vice President Kamala Harris waited to join the panel. That interview was then done remotely, even though the VP was in the building.
Marriage reveal
Jada Pinkett Smith made headlines last year when she revealed she'd had an affair with R&B singer August Alsina while secretly separated from Will in 2015. In a new interview, Will admits that she wasn't the only one unfaithful in the marriage. The actor made the reveal while sitting down with GQ for a cover story. Will said he and Jada have given each other "freedom" to "find their own way" because they don't want their union to feel like a "prison" to either of them. "Jada never believed in conventional marriage," Will said. "Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection… The experiences that the freedoms that we've given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love." Elsewhere in the chat, Will said he wanted a harem of girlfriends, including Halle Berry and dancer Misty Copeland.
Exiting Atlanta
There's been a housewives overhaul in Atlanta. This week, two longtime stars of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" announced that they were leaving the show. First, Cynthia Bailey revealed that she was done after over a decade. "Thank you to my Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates for eleven of the most unbelievable years of my life; and the most incredible & UNFORGETTABLE memories!," she said on social media on Sept. 27. "I am so grateful to have had this amazing journey, and I am anxiously waiting to embark on new adventures." Then, just three days later, Porsha Williams announced that she was exiting the show after 10 seasons. "After ten life-changing, gratifying, incredible years, it is finally time to begin my next chapter. Next season, I will not be returning to the Real Housewives of Atlanta franchise," Porsha wrote on Instagram on Sept. 30. "This was a difficult decision to not only make, but also come to terms with. It's one I have put a lot of thought into and because of that, I know it's the right one."
Super show
The Super Bowl halftime show has been supersized! On Sept. 30, Pepsi, who sponsors halftime, announced that five of the most heralded rap and R&B stars will take the stage for the 12-minute performance. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige are all slated to perform this February at SoFi Stadium. Pepsi noted that the group accounts for 43 Grammy awards and 19 Billboard-topping albums. Talk about a touchdown!
