By Mark Gray
6:48am PDT, Aug 1, 2021
Conservatorship movement
Britney Spears and her new legal team have officially asked a judge to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator. In court papers filed on July 26, the pop star said she wants accountant Jason Rubin to be named her estate conservator, calling it an "objectively intelligent preference to nominate a highly qualified, professional fiduciary in this circumstance." Britney and her new attorney argued that Jamie has essentially terrorized the pop star over the course of the 13-year conservatorship. The documents state that father and daughter have a "venomous" relationship that's "traumatizing, insane and depressing." The docs said Jamie is ill-equipped to handle Brit's business affairs and that the conservatorship is impairing her "mental health, her well-being and her ability to pursue and continue with her extraordinary career." Just a day later, Britney's controversial former manager, Sam Lufti leaked voicemails from 2009 in which Britney sounds lucid and begs to be let out of the conservatorship. In the voicemails, she said her father has "threatened" her. "I don't want a conservator," Britney said in a voicemail sent to the court. "I'm being held against my will. I can't exercise my constitutional rights. I can't participate in my custody litigation. I believe my civil rights are being violated." On July 29, the conservator over Britney's person, Jodi Montgomery, also asked the court to replace Jamie, claiming the singer's doctors are in support of his ouster.
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Salary dispute
Scarlett Johansson has big issues with Disney. On July 29, the actress filed a lawsuit against the Mouse House, alleging it breached her contract by releasing "Black Widow" on its streaming service, Disney+, in addition to releasing it in theaters. Why would ScarJo care? According to her filing, her salary for the film is be primarily based on the film's box office haul. "To maximize these receipts, and thereby protect her financial interests, Ms. Johansson extracted a promise from Marvel that the release of the picture would be a 'theatrical release,'" the suit claimed. "As Ms. Johansson, Disney, Marvel, and most everyone else in Hollywood knows, a 'theatrical release' is a release that is exclusive to movie theatres. Disney was well aware of this promise, but nonetheless directed Marvel to violate its pledge and instead release the picture on the Disney+ streaming service the very same day it was released in movie theatres." Disney later fired back to say it's "complied" with Scarlett's contract and said she's already made $20 million to date for "Black Widow." It also said the lawsuit is "especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
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Proud mom and dad
Jamie Lee Curtis has revealed that her youngest child is transgender. The actress made the announcement in her cover story for AARP The Magazine, which hit the internet on July 28, explaining that she and her husband, Christopher Guest, "have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby." Jamie, for the record, got Ruby's blessing to discuss her gender identity publicly. "She and her fiancé will get married next year at a wedding that I will officiate," Jamie said, adding that Ruby's transition has made her shed "old ideas."
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Vaccine announcement
Emmy Rossum made two big reveals this week on social media. Not only did she share a picture of her 2-month-old daughter for the first time, but she revealed that she got vaccinated against COVID-19 while she was pregnant. "When I was pregnant I got vaccinated," she wrote on Instagram on July 25. "Not only did we have a healthy, beautiful baby girl but we also just learned our daughter now has antibodies. In short, stop being an irresponsible idiot and get the vaccine." Naturally, many people praised the "Shameless" actress for her stance. Others, though, accused her for vax-shaming and said name-calling is creating a divide.
Recovering
Bob Odenkirk, the beloved star of "Better Call Saul," was rushed to a New Mexico hospital on July 27 after collapsing on the set of the show. The frightening incident was "heart related," his reps later revealed. For a full 24 hours, little was publicly known about the actor's condition, but news finally started trickling out. On July 28, TMZ claimed "it did not look good" in the early hours, calling it "touch and go." His condition eventually improved. "He was not conscious during the early hours in the hospital, although he's now lucid," the report said. Bob's rep also issued a statement once he was out of the woods. "Bob and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side," the statement read. "The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery."
Generous offer
Pink is giving a hand to the ladies. Last week, the Norwegian women's beach handball team was fined $177 per player after members wore shorts at the European championships. The clothing choice was done to protest rules requiring women players to wear bikini bottoms (Norwegian men can wear shorts). The story soon went viral, spreading even more after Pink caught wind of it and offered to pay the fine. "I'm VERY proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team FOR PROTESTING THE VERY SEXIST RULES ABOUT THEIR 'uniform,'" the pop star tweeted on July 25. "The European handball federation SHOULD BE FINED FOR SEXISM. Good on ya, ladies. I'll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up." Eventually, the European Handball Federation folded as the commotion built and said it would donate the amount paid by the Norwegian Handball Federation "to a major international sports foundation which supports equality for women and girls in sports."
$200K support payment order
It's safe to say that Kelly Clarkson wasn't waiting for a moment like this. On July 27, multiple media outlets reported that the singer has been ordered to pay her estranged husband, Brandon Blackstock, nearly $200,000 per month in spousal and child support. People magazine broke it down, explaining that she's on the hook for $150,000 per month in spousal support as well as $45,601 per month in child support (it evens out to $2.4 million per year), even though she has primary custody of their two kids. The order also requires the singer to pay $1.25 million toward her estranged husband's attorney fees and costs for their ongoing divorce. As shocking as it sounds, it could have been worse for Kelly — Brandon had originally asked for a combined $436,000 per month.
Hospital visit
Ruby Rose was rushed to the hospital on July 26 after suffering post-surgery complications, but she was nearly left to fend for herself because there was little availability in hospitals near her because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a crush of patients. "I did have a procedure, and I had to have a surgery, but it was fine, and the surgery went well," Ruby said. "But then [Monday], I had a few complications, and I had to go to the emergency room." The actress called an ambulance and explained that they she drove around "for hours" trying to find a medical center to take her. "They'd been rejecting people all night," she said on her Instagram Story. "And my case was quite serious — we stuck it out for a little bit longer, and we were lucky enough to get accepted by a hospital after a bit of a standoff." Now recovering, she's urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the more contagious delta variant.
False pregnancy rumors
Paris Hilton isn't carrying the next generation of Hiltons (yet). On July 27, Page Six reported that the heiress was pregnant with her first child with fiancé Carter Reum. Not so fast, she said. A few hours later, she tweeted about the speculation and spoke about it on her "This Is Paris" podcast. "I also woke up to about 3,000 texts, all my iPhones are blowing up — all five of them — everyone wishing me congratulations and so happy for me," she said on the podcast. "I've heard from people I haven't heard from in years." She continued, "I am not pregnant. I am waiting until after the wedding." Paris — who in January said she and Carter had started IVF — said she hopes to get pregnant next year. "The only thing in the oven at the moment is my 'sliving' lasagna," she said, referring to a dish from her YouTube cooking channel.
