By Mark Gray
8:26am PDT, Jul 29, 2019
Divorce filing
Matt Lauer's wife, Dutch former model Annette Roque, filed divorce paperwork in a New York court on July 9, making their legal split imminent. The disgraced former "Today" show anchor isn't contesting the divorce, meaning that a judge needs to simply sign off to make them both single. It's expected that Matt's wife of more than two decades will walk away with $20 million in assets, but exactly how they're dividing up their multimillion-dollar properties isn't publicly known. The New York Post reported that Annette is getting their horse training facility, Bright Side Farm, in Water Mill, New York, and that the couple are expected to share custody of their three kids.
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Engaged
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara are engaged, Us Weekly confirmed on July 21. The couple of three years first sparked engagement rumors in May when the "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" actress was spotted wearing a diamond ring.
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Explosive fight
"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood temporarily lost custody of her 1-year-old son on July 10 after a judge approved a restraining order that requires her to stay away from the boy and his father, boyfriend Andrew Glennon. The judge's decision came after the reality TV star was arrested and charged with three felonies on July 9 — domestic battery, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and domestic battery in the presence of a child — following an explosive fight with Andrew. According to prosecutors, Amber and Andrew got into an argument on July 5 and at some point, she allegedly went after him with a machete, all while he was holding their child, James. Though she never struck either of them, she did apparently hit Andrew in the neck with her shoe.
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R.I.P.
On July 6, Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce passed away at 20. The "Descendants" franchise and "Jessie" actor's family said he had epilepsy and died from a seizure. Many of Cameron's co-stars publicly extended their sympathies to his loved ones. Adam Sandler, who played Cameron's dad in "Grown Ups," tweeted, "Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken." Former first lady Michelle Obama said, "Not only did he have incredible talent, but also an incredible heart." Salma Hayek added, "His joy will live in our hearts forever."
Secret marriage
Surprise! Heidi Klum secretly tied the knot with German rocker love Tom Kaulitz several months ago, but they managed to keep their marriage secret. TMZ reported that the couple married on Feb. 22, a date significant to them as it marked exactly one year from the day they first met. The couple got engaged around Christmas 2018. This is Heidi's third marriage and Tom's second. In February, just before tying the knot, Heidi told "Access Hollywood" that she felt "already married" to the Tokio Hotel guitarist. "It just clicked from the very second and it was as if we were already married when we just met each other. It was very bizarre that way," she said. The couple are reportedly planning to have a bigger wedding celebration in Capri, Italy, in August. After the news came out — Tom's brother posted photos from the bachelor party in Las Vegas — Heidi started wearing a ring.
Legal problems
R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago on July 11 on multiple federal sex crime charges in two different states. The federal indictments accuse him and members of his team of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with the Grammy winner and allege that they later paid victims and witnesses to cover up his crimes. In the the 13-count indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Illinois, charges listed include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. In a separate five-count federal indictment out of the Eastern District of New York filed on July 12, the R&B star was charged with racketeering and several violations of the Mann Act and allegations of forced labor. On July 16, a judge ordered him to be held without bond after he pleaded not guilty.
Fiji engagement
Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams are engaged. The couple announced their happy news on Instagram on July 16, with both sharing different photos from their magic moment. The "Modern Family" actress said yes while she and her beau of nearly two years were on vacation in Fiji. Wells, an alum of "The Bachelorette," popped the question with an oval-cut Lorraine Schwartz sparkler. While speaking on his "Your Favorite Things," podcast, he said Sarah likely knew what was happening when they went off for a romantic vacation (a source later told People Sarah was actually "shocked"). Still, he was nervous to propose, but not for the reason many would assume. "Guys, for the most part, are not used to having expensive pieces of jewelry around them," he said. "So it freaks us out just in general. Also, for me, we were traveling across the ocean, so that's even more stress of like, 'What happens if someone steals my bag or something?' Everyone is like, 'Are you so happy?' And I was so happy but I'm also so happy I'm not in charge of that very nice ring. There's too much pressure!"
Case closed
The criminal case against against Kevin Spacey for felony sexual assault was dropped on July 17 "due to the unavailability of the complaining witness," according to legal papers. A man previously claimed that the actor plied him with booze and fondled him at a club in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July 2016. The man, who was 18 when the alleged incident happened, previously dropped a civil case against Kevin. At the time of the alleged incident, the teen reportedly sent text messages to his girlfriend, but the alleged victim's account was questioned after Kevin's lawyer's said the teen selectively deleted texts. While being questioned about the texts, the man invoked the Fifth Amendment.
Custody deal
Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk struck a custody deal for their 2-year-old daughter, Lea, in July. The former couple, whose split was confirmed in early June, agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their little girl and agreed to both live in New York City to make co-parenting easier, TMZ reported on July 18. According to TMZ, the exes are "so in sync with co-parenting" that they don't have a formal, written custody agreement. The actor and the model will share Lea 50/50 but the arrangement could vary month to month due to their busy work schedules.
Young love
Bindi Irwin had an extra reason to celebrate on July 24. Not only did the daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" star Steve Irwin celebrate her 21st birthday, but she also got engaged to longtime boyfriend Chandler Powell. "On my birthday I said 'yes' and 'forever' to the love of my life," she captioned several engagement photos on Instagram, including a pic of her stunning ring. "Chandler, close to 6 years ago I fell in love with you and every day since has been a whirlwind of adventure and true happiness. I'm so looking forwarding to spending our forever together as your wife. Here's to a lifetime of friendship, purpose and unconditional love. Now let's get married already!" Chandler indicated the two got engaged, fittingly, at Australia Zoo, which is where they met. "I love you and I'm so excited to create a lifetime of magical moments together," he commented on Bindi's social media photos. The "Dancing With the Stars" Season 21 winner later revealed to "Entertainment Tonight" that she planned to ask her brother, Robert Irwin, to walk her down the aisle.
Baby No. 2
No. 2 is on the way! Anne Hathaway revealed on Instagram on July 24 that she and husband Adam Shulman are expecting again. The actress posted a black-and-white selfie that she captioned, "It's not for a movie…" She also hinted that she had fertility struggles. "All kidding aside," she said, "for everyone going through infertility and conception hell, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies. Sending you extra love." Anne and her husband are already parents to 3-year-old son Jonathan.
Married man
Earlier this year, reports emerged claiming Ed Sheeran got married around Christmas 2018 in his native England. For months, he remained mum on the speculation… until now. On July 12 during an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, the singer confirmed that he and longtime love Cherry Seaborn have indeed tied the knot. The admission came when he was talking about his new song "Remember the Name," in which he speaks about his wife. He told Charlamagne, "It was actually before me and Cherry got married and I knew that we'd be married by the point that the song came out. [I thought] someone's gonna hear that and be like, 'Oh, they're married!' I didn't know how that would be construed, but obviously it's already come out."
