By Mark Gray
8:46am PST, Jan 17, 2020
Comeback queen
The Demi Lovato comeback is in full swing. On Jan. 14, the pop star announced on Instagram that she would be performing at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 26 — her first live performance since her near-fatal overdose in 2018. "I told you the next time you'd hear from me I'd be singing," the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer captioned a photo that labeled her as a Grammy performer. Then, just two days later, the NFL announced that Demi will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium. "See you in Miami," she wrote on Instagram on Jan. 16. TMZ also reported on Jan. 17 that Demi plans to drop a full-length album in the first half of 2020.
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A new "View"
Sixteen months after joining "The View," Abby Huntsman is leaving and headed West. On Jan. 13, the former Fox News personality announced that she's exiting the daytime talk show for a senior role in father Jon Huntsman's Utah gubernatorial campaign. Following her bombshell announcement, reports claimed Abby wanted out because the atmosphere behind the scenes on the ABC show was "toxic." A source told Page Six, "Abby made an issue [to executives] about the overall environment. She's felt for a while that things had to change." In early January, there were reports that Abby and longtime friend and fellow conservative panelist Meghan McCain were no longer on speaking terms. CNN Business reported that drama with Meghan was also factor in Abby's decision to leave.
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Split
After nearly nine years together, Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler have parted ways, Us Weekly reported this week. Fans began suspecting the longtime couple had split when neither posted photos celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve together. "Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup," a source told Us. On Jan. 14, a few hours after the breakup news was made public, Vanessa hit the Hollywood premiere of her film "Bad Boys for Life."
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And the Oscar goes to…
Joke's on you! With 11 nominations, "Joker" is the most nominated film at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, it was announced on Jan. 13. Its nods include best picture, best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and best director for Todd Phillips. It could be a big night for "The Irishman," "1917" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" too, as all three picked up 10 nominations. Several previous Oscar winners in acting categories — Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Renée Zellweger, Kathy Bates, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci — were also nominated this year. Scarlett Johansson also made headlines for earning two nominations — her first ever — in both lead and supporting actress categories for her work in "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit." Of course, there were the snubs. No women were nominated for best director — not even"Little Women" helmer Greta Gerwig, whose stars earned multiple nods. Cynthia Erivo was the sole person of color nominated for an acting prize. "Hustlers" star Jennifer Lopez and "The Farewell" lead Awkwafina failed to score acting nods, despite heavily praised performances (and the latter winning a Golden Globe on Jan. 5). Adam Sandler, who many felt had a shot at a nomination for "Uncut Gems," and Eddie Murphy, who many hoped would be recognized for "Dolemite Is My Name," were also shut out.
"Shake" it off
It was the handshake seen 'round the world and it got people all riled up, to say the least. On Jan. 13, Vince Vaughn was seen on video shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the college football playoff national championship game, and Twitter lost its collective mind, with many (especially on the left) calling for Vince to be "canceled." Cancel culture, ain't it fun! Vince's name was actually trending during the biggest college game of the year. The "Wedding Crashers" star, by the way, is a self-described libertarian who's often supported Republican party candidates, so many weren't exactly surprised by his seeming delight as he talked with the POTUS.
Quietly engaged
Anna Faris is an engaged lady, and has been for quite a while. The actress first sparked engagement rumors in November 2019 when she was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her left hand. She'd been dating cinematographer Michael Barrett for more than two years at the time. On Jan. 13, Anna's "Mom" co-star Allison Janney confirmed the engagement speculation. "I know she's been engaged for a long time," Allison told Us Weekly. "I kept it very quiet, I'll have you know! … I celebrated with them a long time ago." She added, "I didn't know he was going to propose, but I saw the ring one day. I went into her room to work on lines [for the show], and then I was like, 'What is that ring on your finger?' … I think she was waiting for everyone to notice. 'Oh, that's it,' and then … yeah, it was fun."
Scandal update
Federal prosecutors in Lori Loughlin's college admissions scandal case are alleging that she and other parents are withholding information. In a new claim, prosecutors said Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have not not turned over any discovery evidence despite requests from the government, USA Today reported. Discovery basically requires that all competing parties share information, documents and other key evidence. "The Defendants have now had approximately eight months to review the Government's discovery, confer with their clients, and strategize regarding potential defenses," prosecutors said. "It is not premature to provide discovery, which they can later supplement, to the Government as required by the rules." Lori and Mossimo are accused of paying bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, despite neither actually rowing. On Jan. 15, USA Today reported that emails show Mossimo was told to keep USC's athletic director "out of" the alleged scheme.
"Period of transition"
Britain's royals are still reeling from Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's decision to "carve out a progressive new role within this institution," as they put it on Jan. 8 — or essentially quit the royal family. On Jan. 13, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement following an emergency family summit with Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry. "Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family," she said. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family." She continued, "Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK." She added, "There is some more work to be done." While Harry remained in England while this all played out — he launched a new rugby mental health initiative and announced that the 2021 Invictus Games will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany — Meghan returned to Vancouver, British Columbia (she even reportedly flew commercial!), which is where she and Harry spent more than a month of downtime with son Archie at the end of 2019. There, she made headlines when she made unannounced visits to a women's center and an organization that promotes social justice for girls.
Jury duty
Gigi Hadid is no longer linked to Harvey Weinstein. The model was a potential juror for the disgraced movie mogul's rape and sexual assault trial in Manhattan, but on Jan. 16, she was dismissed. Earlier in the week, Gigi admitted that she'd met Harvey before as well as potential witness Salma Hayek. Still, she said she could remain impartial (what's also interesting: She's very close with model-actress Cara Delevingne, who's publicly accused Harvey of sexual misconduct). Eventually Gigi was dismissed because defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed that having her on the jury would only add to the commotion of an already high-profile case. Gigi also made headlines this week for reconciling with longtime on-and-off love Zayn Malik.
Breakup
In November, Pete Davidson and Kaia Gerber weren't exactly hiding their new romance, as evidenced by a serious PDA session in Miami. But some — including, reportedly, Kaia's parents — were worried that the relationship got too intense too fast for the young model. In early December, Page Six reported that Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were hoping Kaia's romance with the "Saturday Night Live" comedian would "fizzle out." Well, according to a Jan. 14 Page Six report, that's exactly what happened. "It looks like Pete and Kaia are over," a source said. "It got very overwhelming for Kaia. Pete has a certain M.O. and he's very intense to his girlfriends. Kaia is only 18 and it's a lot to deal with."
