By Wonderwall.com Editors
6:14am PDT, Aug 5, 2021
Britney Spears praises the 'therapeutic' power of animals after meeting a pet pig
Britney Spears made a new friend in Hawaii this week — a very "peaceful pig," according to the singer. She shared video and photos of the cute, gray, not-so-little guy (or gal?) on Instagram on Aug. 3 and used the platform as an opportunity to share with fans that she's a big believer in the therapeutic power of animals. "Geeze I've never seen a pig like this before 🐖 !!!!" she wrote in the post. "I've never shared this because it's embarrassing as I'm supposed to be a fearless performer 😒😒😒 … but I also used to spend time with horses🐴 doing equine therapy a few days a week to ease my social anxiety … I find spending time with animals like this peaceful pig to be very therapeutic 🧘🏼♀️ !!!!" She went on to say that it "helps" her feel like she's "not alone" when she learns of others who also struggle with social anxiety, before pointing out, "it's not nice that paps take pics of me and then mess with them." It seems she was offended by a TMZ photo that ran over the weekend and showed her petting the same pig while squatting down. " … look how different my legs look here compared to the pictures in the news from a few days ago 🙅🏼♀️ !!!!" she continued, in part. Before signing off, Britney weighed the chances she might get a pet pig herself. They went from "I'm sure getting a pet pig 🐷" to "might seem cool" to "and I thought so too when I first got out of the car but within five minutes of meeting this lil guy he pooped five times." So we're thinking that's a "no"…
Keep reading for a celebrity musician's vaccine controversy, a wild rumor about Seth Rogen and more…
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The Offspring drummer says band dropped him from tour for refusing to get COVID-19 vaccine
Pete Parada, the drummer for pop-punk band The Offspring, says the band has dropped him over his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It's not yet clear if the lineup change will be permanent. Pete, who joined the band in 2007, shared the news on Instagram on Aug. 3, noting that he has a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks nerves. Last month, the FDA said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been associated with "a small increased risk" of developing GBS; there's been no data suggesting a link between GBS and the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, which use a different technology, according to The New York Times. "Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate — it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour. I mention this because you won't be seeing me at these upcoming shows," Pete wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram. He went on to say he'd spoken with his doctor, who advised against him getting "a shot at this time," and revealed he previously contracted the virus and felt "confident I'd be able to handle it again." He said he worries what a "post-vaccination round" of GBS might do to his health. He added that he has "no negative feelings toward" the Offspring and gets that they're doing what they must to stay safe, but said he won't get behind "those with the most power … [ie] governments, corporations and employers" to dictate medical procedures "to those with the least power." Reps for the band have yet to reply to the Times or EW for comment.
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Rihanna is now worth $1.7 billion, thanks in large part to Fenty
Rihanna's money wheel keeps on turning — with or without that long-awaited follow-up to her 2016 album, "Anti." On Aug. 4, Forbes announced Rihanna is now worth $1.7 billion, making her the wealthiest female musician in the world and the second wealthiest female entertainer, behind only Oprah Winfrey. Her entertaining, however, is only fueling a portion of her empire, most of which comes from the success of her Fenty Beauty line, which she launched in 2017. The singer and entrepreneur owns 50 percent of the company, which accounts for about $1.4 billion of her total net worth. Her lingerie company, Savage X Fenty — worth about $270 million, per Forbes — and her work as a musician and actress account for most of the rest. Part of the secret to Rih's beauty and fashion success is clearly her focus on inclusion. Fenty Beauty was launched specifically to make "women everywhere (feel) included," according to Forbes, and has been praised for its diverse, 50-color range of foundation shades. The lingerie line was also created with women of all shapes and sizes in mind, while ads for both brands famously showcase a diverse and inclusive array of bodies, skin tones and skin types. Working in tandem with LVMH, Rihanna also launched Fenty Skin last year.
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Seth Rogen is very much a free man despite TikTok kidnapping theory
Good news, folks — Seth Rogen has not been kidnapped by a ceramicist, despite what you may have heard on TikTok. This week, a video from user @chriscanbefunny went viral on the platform. The video shows Chris, a Los Angeles-based comedian, singing a song about why he believes Seth has been kidnapped by "a shady ceramicist." To prove his theory, Chris points to images of ceramics Seth's posted on his own social media pages. (As Complex reminds us, Seth told GQ back in 2019 he'd gotten into pottery, hence the the ceramics updates.) Chris then suggests viewers "check on" Seth before his alleged kidnappers make him recite lines from the movie, "Pineapple Express." "This video is very funny and not at all true!" Seth told social media followers, sharing the TikTok on Aug. 4. I have not been kidnapped! This is not a kidnapper writing this from Seth's account! I promise!" Later, on Twitter, he shared a story link ET had posted. "@Sethrogen has had to set the record straight that no, he hasn't been kidnapped," it read. "Always a good headline to see," Seth tweeted. Chris then chimed in to shoot his proverbial career shot: "I should say: if anybody wants to give me a TV writing job that would be amazing," he wrote.
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Sean Penn's daughter equates being directed by her dad to 'doing family therapy'
Sean Penn and Robin Wright's daughter, Dylan Penn, appears in her first leading role performance in the upcoming film "Flag Day," a story about a young journalist's strained relationship with her "con artist father." In the movie, directed by Dylan's real-life dad, Dylan plays the journalist — and Sean plays the father. "For me, it was equal to doing family therapy in a room full of strangers," Dylan, 30, recently admitted to People. "I've done family therapy, but I've never done it with a crew that I didn't know." With its tumultuous and emotional scenes — and the dad's often ugly behavior — Sean felt even more pressure as Dylan's director. "There were times that I had to not only avoid going in to hug her but, in fact, push for more," he recalled, only half-joking that he "felt like somebody ought to call Child Protective Services at that point." Luckily, Dylan and her brother Hopper Penn, who also appears in the film, had plenty of reassurance from their mom about what they were getting into. "She very simply said, 'I've never worked with a better director than your dad. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had as an actor.' So I trusted that," Dylan shared. "We've always been close, but working together only enhanced my belief that I can always fall back on him," she added. "Flag Day" hits theaters Aug. 20.
Royals wish Duchess Meghan a happy 40th as she launches new mentoring campaign
Duchess Meghan celebrated the big 4-0 on Aug. 4 and despite the ongoing tensions she and Prince Harry are navigating with members of his family, the senior royals all sent plenty of birthday love Meghan's way. Prince William and Duchess Kate shared a photo of Meghan on their Instagram Story, writing, "Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to the Duchess of Sussex!" Queen Elizabeth II's official royal family account echoed that sentiment, posting, "Wishing the Duchess of Sussex a very Happy Birthday today!" alongside photos of Meghan with queen and with Harry and their son, Archie, 2. Meghan was also wished a very HBD by Harry's dad, Prince Charles, and stepmom, Camilla Parker Bowles, via the Clarence House account. Meghan, meanwhile, spent the milestone day launching a new "40×40" mentoring campaign for women as part of the Archewell Foundation she and Harry founded. "I believe mentorship is one way to help women regain confidence and rebuild their economic strength," Meghan explained in an open letter on Archwell's website, "… and for my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 MINUTES OF MENTORSHIP to support women re-entering the workforce." Celebs who have already signed on to support the 40×40 initiative include Adele, poet Amanda Gorman, Gloria Steinem, José Andrés and Stella McCartney, according to Bazaar.com.
Jenna Dewan clarifies comments on post-partum anxiety and ex, Channing Tatum
Jenna Dewan is clarifying comments she made about her experience with postpartum anxiety on this week's Dear Gabby podcast, explaining that her account of the weeks following her daughter's birth in 2013 were in no way a criticism of her ex, Channing Tatum. On the show, she recalled that she'd had Evie in London but needed to be back on set in Vancouver soon thereafter. "I had to travel with her and at the time, Chan wasn't available to be with us for the most part. So, it was me, my doula, and Evie all by ourselves traveling at six weeks," she recalled. "I thought, 'OK, I think I can do that. It'll be two months after and I'll have [Evie] on set. That was really hard because that was long hours. I did have her on set with me constantly. It was just really difficult … You're up a couple times in the night and then you're working all day," she continued. "I was breastfeeding. I was pumping. I was without a partner. I mean, it was just craziness." On her Instagram Stories after the podcast aired, Jenna, who's now engaged to Steve Kazee, with whom she shares a son, Callum, pointed out she was simply rehashing what it's like having a baby when both parents work long hours. "It's unfortunate that countless media outlets have taken an important conversation on a woman's experience with postpartum issues and pulled quotes to make it appear that I was slamming my daughter's father, something I would never do," she wrote on Aug. 3 (per ET). "As two working parents, we both faced challenges at the time, but I speak only for myself and not about him." Jenna and Channing announced their separation in 2018 after nine years of marriage.
Garth Brooks may cancel stadium tour amid COVID-19 surge
As the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continues to surge throughout the United States, Garth Brooks and his team may press pause on the country star's newly announced stadium tour. "It breaks my heart to see city after city go on sale and then have to ask those sweet people and the venues to reschedule," Garth said in a statement on Aug. 3. "We have a three-week window coming up where we, as a group, will assess the remainder of the stadium tour this year. It's humbling to see people put this much faith in you as an artist, and it kills me to think I am letting them down." The singer, whose wife, Trisha Yearwood, previously contracted COVID-19, still plans to perform this weekend before a sold-out crowd in Kansas City, MO, where the Kansas City Star reports at least one local official has publicly expressed interest in canceling the Arrowhead Stadium show despite plans for a pre-show vaccination event. Masks are not required inside the venue, which had sold more than 75,400 tickets for the concert as of Aug. 4. COVID-19 cases in the Kansas City metro area have recently "[reached] levels not seen since early November" 2020, according to the Star. Garth reportedly runs a video before each performance in which he urges his audience to mask up and be respectful about masking in general. "Nobody is going to look at you strange, I promise," he said in a recent video. "Wear your mask. Paint a G on it. … Let's make it fun."
