By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:28pm PDT, Oct 15, 2020
Jamie Spears is negotiating with the Trust Company Britney wants to take over her conservatorship
A new detail in Britney Spears' latest conservatorship hearing suggests the singer's father, Jamie Spears, is willing to compromise to some extent when it comes to being his daughter's sole conservator. During the Wednesday, Oct. 14, proceedings, Britney, 38, was granted permission to add more lawyers to her team as she continues fighting to remove her father from his role as the conservatorship's sole lead. Jamie has maintained adding legal help would cost too much. In his attorney's final attempt to block Britney's request to expand her team, a note was included (per ET) that claimed he's been in contact with Bessemer Trust Company — which Britney reportedly wants to have take over as her sole conservator — in the hopes of agreeing on how the conservatorship will be structured going forward. It seems Jamie's open to sharing co-conservatorship duties with Bessemer Trust. In the court docs, Jamie's lawyer assures the judge her client and Bessemer Trust, "continue to make progress in reaching a concrete and workable understanding with regard to fees and the structure of the ongoing estate administration." Part of Britney's concern about her dad's involvement appears to be that, as her legal team put it in papers filed last week, the singer doesn't share Jamie's "…vision of a future in which she resumes performing and leaves the management of her estate completely to him as she did in the past." Jamie has been Britney's sole conservator for 12 years.
Keep reading for the latest on Nicki Minaj's new baby, Billboard Music Awards highlights and more …
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John Legend dedicates 'Never Break' to Chrissy Teigen at the Billboard Music Awards
John Legend's love for Chrissy Teigen, is unbreakable. The singer made that clear during his performance at the Billboard Music Awards Wednesday, by dedicating his song, "Never Break," to his wife. "This is for Chrissy," John said solemnly. He then launched into the track, which centers around a relationship strong enough to withstand even the hardest blows life can offer. John and Chrissy experienced just that a few weeks ago, when Chrissy suffered a harrowing pregnancy loss after days in the hospital during which she received blood transfusions in an effort to stabilize what would have been their third child, who did not survive due to excessive bleeding and complications with the placenta. The couple shared their grief on social media after having lost their son, whom they'd already started calling Jack. Chrissy, who was hailed by outlets around the world for her bravery in shining a light on a topic that's traditionally not discussed in public, then went on silent on both Instagram and Twitter. The couple are parents to two children, Luna and Miles.
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NBC edited out Demi Lovato's 'VOTE' backdrop during BBMA performance
If John Legend's Billboard Music Awards performance was the most moving, Demi Lovato's was the most stirring — apparently, for NBC, as well. The singer performed her brand new song, "Commander in Chief," a melodic yet scathing attack on President Donald Trump's response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the pandemic, climate change and more. But what viewers saw at home wasn't what Demi pre-recorded. The version aired by NBC — also the host of Trump's Town Hall this week — edited out the massive "VOTE" graphic that served as her backdrop for the end of the song, according to TheWrap. Sources told TMZ, which was the first to report the change, that the already partisan nature of Demi's lyrics, combined with the "VOTE" message, would be taken as "encouragement to vote against" Trump. That didn't matter to fans, who lambasted the network on Twitter, particularly after the account for NBC Entertainment shared a photo from the performance with the "VOTE" graphic included. "So NBC, this AND showing his sham town hall tomorrow? Hard Pass," wrote one user . "This is why I didn't watch it live and gave y'all rating, using this as a tweet but actually censored the message during voting TRASH," wrote another. A slew of users simply reposted the photo or video and filled in the coverage's missing word in their caption, writing, "VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE …" about the image. Social media users also tried to get a response from NBC on the change — as did TheWrap. But as of late in the day Thursday, neither the network nor Demi's reps had addressed the matter. Demi said nothing about it on social media, either, despite having told CNN earlier in the week she'd welcome a Twitter attack from the president.
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Nicki Minaj confirms her new baby's gender
It's a boy! Nicki Minaj reportedly gave birth to her first child with Kenneth Petty in late September. On Thursday, she confirmed the couple welcomed a son. Posting a photo of the congrats cards she'd been sent from friends like Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West on Instagram, Nicki wrote, "Thank you to Queen B, Kim & Ye, Riccardo Tisci, Winnie, Karol & everyone who sent well wishes during this time. It meant the world to me." She added: "I am so grateful & in love with my son. Madly in love. My favorite liddo boy in the whole wide world." Nicki and Kenneth, having rekindled a romance from Nicki's teenage years, said "I do" in October 2019. They have not yet shared their son's name.
Jennifer Lopez kept her Puerto Rican flag Super Bowl moment a secret until she went onstage
The kind of editing NBC applied to Demi Lovato's Billboard Music Awards performance may have been just what Jennifer Lopez was worried about when she decided to keep under wraps one key costume element in her 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show with Shakira. In a new interview with Apple Music's SOMOS Radio, J.Lo revealed she never told anyone ahead of time that the reverse side of her American flag cape featured the Puerto Rican flag. "The flag…I didn't even show it to anybody until the last minute because I didn't want anybody telling me I couldn't do it," Jennifer recalled, according to Women's Health. "I just had the American flag on the outside and during rehearsals, I didn't really open it up until we were on stage, and I was like, 'Latino!'" she said. "That's a little secret. But it definitely was a moment that I felt was so necessary to be said and I wanted to take the chance. It was really important to take the risk. So it was a lot of fun." Jennifer, who was born in New York City to parents born in Puerto Rico. later explained the double flag this way: "I knew I was representing Latinos and I knew I was representing that I was American as well." She also noted that her inclusion of her daughter, Emme, in a cage — amid news of ICE holding children in cages and separating families at the border — was a message with a gender component. "The whole idea of having my daughter come up in a cage and sing 'Let's Get Loud' … the whole idea was to raise our voices, to understand that your voice matters and to always use your voice," she explained. "That's why I filled the stage with little girls … [I was] letting women and Latinos know that … we have an obligation, a responsibility, to speak out against injustices, to speak out against anybody who's not treating us in the way that we deserve to be treated."
Timothee Chalamet weighs in on those viral, Lily-Rose Depp PDA pics
Timothee Chalamet would like to clear something up about those viral photos of him and Lily-Rose Depp making out on a boat off the coast of Capri last year. Speaking to the GQ for its latest cover, the 24-year-old explained how the paparazzi kinda ruined what had been a perfect date with his love. He also said that the fact they were promoting a movie together, "The King," had zero to do with the kisses. "I went to bed that night thinking that was one of the best days of my life," Timothee recalled. "I was on this boat all day with someone I really loved, and closing my eyes, I was like, indisputably, That was great." But then? "Waking up to all these pictures, and feeling embarrassed, and looking … All pale?" he asked. "And then people are like: This is a P.R. stunt. A P.R. stunt?! Do you think I'd want to look like that in front of all of you?!" Good old vanity to the rescue! Timothee and Lily-Rose reportedly split in April after a year of dating.
Colin Jost wants Michael Che to 'do an objection' when he ties the knot with Scarlett Johansson
Earlier this week, "Saturday Night Live" star Michael Che joked to Ellen DeGeneres that if he doesn't score an invite to his "Weekend Update" co-star Colin Jost's wedding, he'll go anyway and "just disrupt everything." Colin, who's engaged to Scarlett Johansson, Zoomed in to the Thursday edition of "Ellen," where the talk show host filled Colin in on Michael's plan. Colin didn't seem too surprised. "I mean, he plans to make a scene at most events. I would say that's his general approach," he admitted (via People). "That's part of why we've just been postponing it. … We can see him getting ready for the wedding and we're like, maybe we should wait another day," he joked before coming up with a better idea. "What I really want from Che, I want to ask him to do an objection at the wedding," Colin said. "A lot of people do speeches, but … so few people utilize that moment to object. I think he could do a really great objection." There was one more item on Ellen's list of things to share with Colin about her chat with Michael, though. On Monday's show, Ellen asked Michael if she could join him at the wedding as his plus-one. He said he'd be happy to. "That'd be so sweet," Colin said, sarcastically. "What you want in a COVID wedding is a bunch of extra plus-ones," he quipped. "Hopefully they're flying in from across the country. It's a great set-up. Thank you so much. We're excited to have you."
Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters and more stars perform virtual #SOSFest for shuttered music venues
Not-so-fun fact: A recent survey found 90 percent of indie music venues will be forced out of business permanently due to "catastrophic financial losses" incurred by the pandemic's necessary shutdowns. That's why the Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, G-Eazy, The Roots and dozens more artists are coming together virtually this weekend for #SOSFest — the Save Our Stages Festival. Hosted on YouTube from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18, and organized by NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association), the event features all-original performances and commentary from artists in virtually every music genre, recorded at independent music venues across the country. #SOSFest also aims to create awareness about the need for government assistance for employees of indie clubs and theaters — a need called for by a June open letter to Congress signed by the likes of Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Dave Grohl, Willie Nelson and more than 600 other musicians.
Jennifer Hudson reflects on getting to know Aretha Franklin for her role in 'Respect'
More than a decade after Aretha Franklin handpicked a then 25-year-old Jennifer Hudson to play her on the big screen, "Respect" has a release date — Jan. 15, 2021. Jennifer, now 39, recently sat down with EW to reflect on working with the late Queen of Soul before her death in an effort to nail everything from her speech cadence to her movement habits. (Jennifer also spent the better part of a year in intensive piano study for the role.) "We met in New York, and one of the first things she said to me was 'You're gonna win another Oscar for playing me, right?' Imagine Aretha Franklin looking you in the face and saying that," the "Idol" alum recalls. "I was like, 'Eh, uh, eh… I can try.'" After that, the two began speaking on a weekly basis, Jennifer said, noting that Aretha, whose mom died suddenly when Aretha was 10, didn't volunteer everything about her past or the emotions around it. "… Having to experience so much so soon, and then to have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, that's a lot," Jennifer admitted. "I can understand that. I think she grew her shield, her wall, at a very early age, and the way she found to express herself was through her music. That was her outlet."
Queen Elizabeth leaves her 'COVID bubble' for first public engagement in seven months
For the first time in seven months, Queen Elizabeth II left the royal residences in London on Thursday to officially open the new Energetics Analysis Centre at a British military science facility about 90 miles outside London, according to CBS News. The 94-year-old monarch was joined by her grandson, Prince William. In addition to the touring the space, the Queen and Duke of Cambridge watched demos of some of the counterintelligence weapons and tactics being developed at the center, met counterintelligence staff and visited a "top-secret lab" that's home to research on deadly diseases like Ebola, as well as chemical and biological warfare weapons. The royals also reportedly met some of the key scientists helming the U.K.'s response plan for the coronavirus pandemic. The queen's been laying low since the early days of the outbreak, during which time her son, Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19. Lockdowns began in earnest for the queen and Prince Philip as early as March, the same month a Buckingham Palace aide reportedly tested positive while the queen was in residence. For her trip this week, rigorous testing was done of all personnel, temperatures were checked prior to entry and all participants maintained at least 6 feet of social distance, according to CBS. The queen reportedly traveled to the facility by helicopter, while William took a car.
