Katy Perry explains how she's evolved, plus more news

Katy Perry: 'This is me now … it's a necessary evolution'

"Katy Perry woke up." So proclaims the New York Times in a new feature about her album, "Witness." Not only has the singer changed her hair and, apparently, forgiven Taylor Swift for whatever was — or is — going on between them. She's also started to see the world in a new light. "Every day when I think I know something, the universe shows me that I need to learn another lesson. So I stand here today, more so than any other day, saying I know nothing. I literally know nothing," she says (via Us Weekly). Katy has changed, she says, whether the public appreciates the difference or not. "They want you to stand for something, but once you do, and if you don't do it perfectly, they're ready to take you right down," says Katy, calling the attempt to satisfy the press and paparazzi "a maddening game." As for her "Teenage Dream"-era, sexy self? "I didn't kill [the old Katy Perry], because I love her, and she is exactly what I had to do then. And I'm not a con artist, I didn't con people, like, that was just me. And this is me now. … It's a departure, and it's a necessary evolution that I have to take," says the singer. "I feel very empowered [and] extremely liberated, liberated from the conditioning of the way I used to think, spiritually liberated, politically liberated, sexually liberated, liberated from things that don't serve me." In the end, Katy is happy with the new Katy. "I know that sometimes it feels publicly like I'm dragging cement blocks, but like, the pyramids were made out of cement blocks — or not cement. But do you know what I'm trying to say?" she asks. "I'm gonna get there."

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Solange, Tina Knowles step out amid Beyonce labor rumors

The interwebs have been freaking out this week about rumors Beyonce is going into or already went into labor with her twins. But E! News points out it seems unlikely Bey's mom, Tina Lawson, and sister, Solange, would be strolling the Los Angeles area while Queen B was giving birth. On Wednesday, June 14, Solange stepped out in Los Angeles with her husband Alan Ferguson, for lunch at Gracias Madre, while Tina visited Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. with girls from her mentorship program, Tina's Angels. Sorry, y'all, doesn't sound like Bey and Jay's new addition are here quite yet …

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Zendaya waited a year to show off her new Rihanna shoes

The best things come to those who wait. And by things we mean Manolo Blahniks from Rihanna. A year after RiRi gifted Zendaya a pair of super sexy blue stilettos, the actress finally pulled them out and wore them with a perfectly matched blue dress at the "Spider-Man" photocall in Madrid on Wednesday, June 14. "The amount of slayage/looks that is about to come out of these😩 Thank you fashion mother @badgalriri," Zendaya warned on Instagram (via MTV News) after Rihanna sent her three pairs of shoes in 2016. "I told my mutha Ri I would slay in her Manolo pumps one day," the actress tweeted this week. "I've been preparing for this day, I would never let her down."

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North West turns 4

A certain member of the Kardashian clan turned 4 on June 15 … Yep, big sis-slash-tiny-fashion-plate North West celebrated her birthday this week and her mom couldn't have been more excited. "Happy birthday to my mini me!" Kim Kardashian West wrote on her app. "I can't believe you are 4 already. I love you so much, Northie!"

Is Billy Bush having trouble with his comeback?

Billy Bush has yet to overcome the hit his reputation took when tapes surfaced of him and Donald Trump talking about grabbing women. Although Billy wasn't the one who blurted out the infamous p-grabbing line, he's still paying the price for it. "He thought he was going to be welcomed back by the world after the TV segment [with Robin Roberts]," an insider told the New York Post this week. "And the only thing you learned from the article and TV piece is that Billy wants to be on TV. He felt that taking seven or eight months off, he'd slip his way back in, get some press and people would be beating down his door, and no one did." The Post also checked in with a source close to Billy, who denied the claim. "This is absolutely not true," said the source. "In fact, he has already fielded numerous interest and offers, [the] most recent being a fully cleared syndicated major show hitting this fall, which he has turned down. He is taking his time and making sure the next move is the right one."

Emmy Rossum shares an offensive audition story

It's apparently Gross Things Women Are Asked to Do in Hollywood week. In the wake of Alison Brie's revelation that she was asked to take her top off when she auditioned for "Entourage" and Elizabeth Banks' story about being told to get a boob job, Emmy Rossum shared a similar story with The Hollywood Reporter. She recalled she was offered a part in a "big movie" — but the director wanted to meet with her. And he wanted her to wear a bikini. "There's no audition. That's all you have to do," she recalled her agent telling her (via Vulture). Emmy asked to read the script to see if a bikini was involved somehow, It wasn't. "He wanted to know if I was fat now. That was basically the question," she said. "Not in a bikini in the movie. Not naked in the movie. 'We really love your work, but we just want to see how tight your ass is.' Are you f—ing kidding me? Last time I checked, I'm not a f—ing model. … I feel like we're all vulnerable to it. If somebody with my years in the business would think, 'Well, I wonder if it's worth it,' then what would a girl who doesn't have my success do? She would do it."

Jon Hamm calls 'Wonder Woman' 'fantastic'

Add Jon Hamm to the long list of celebs who are all about Gal Gadot's "Wonder Woman." "If you look at what's happening right now with Patty Jenkins' movie and my friend Gal Gadot's movie, and the box office right now, it's been a pretty good year," Jon told "The Today Show" this week. "I got to see that movie Friday, and it was so fantastic and I was so pleased for all involved, especially Gal." Jon also said he'd happily go back to teaching at some point; fun fact: one of his students when he taught acting in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri? "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," aka Ellie Kemper.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick on track to build one of the largest residences in NYC's West Village

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are on track to own one of the biggest residences in Greenwich Village in New York, according to the New York Post. The tab reports SJP and Matthew have hired an architecture firm to combine two properties they bought on W. 11 Street. "They are gutting the inside, and will figure out the outside later. The exterior is controlled by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and no applications have been filed yet," says a source of the property, which the Post claims will be about 13,900 square feet. "That's a fight they'll take on later, but nobody wants to live in a $50 million house that looks like two homes botched together."

Rebel Wilson wins case against tabloid publisher

Rebel Wilson scored a major win in court this week against Bauer Media when jurors in Melbourne, Australia found the publisher guilty of defamation for stories it published about Rebel allegedly lying about her name and age. The actress claimed she missed out on roles because of the stories and jurors sided with her on her claim. "The reason I'm here is not for damages, it's to clear my name. And the fact the jury has done that unanimously and answered every single of the 40 questions in my favor I think proves what I've been saying all along," Rebel said, according to the Guardian. "I was hoping the jury would do the right thing and send a message to these tabloids and they've done that so for me, it's over in my mind."

Jada Pinkett Smith opens up about her kids growing up in Haute Living

A few years ago, Jaden Smith laughed off rumors he wanted to be emancipated from his parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Now that Jaden's 18 and his sister, Willow Smith is 16, they're both frequently on their own. But Jada feels like her kids are still nearby. "It's funny, they're not around, but they are," she says in the new issue of Haute Living. "I don't even have time to miss them!" Willow and Jaden still miss their mom and dad, though. "Willow loves to call me every day," Jada adds," and even Jaden, when he's away on set, still needs to see Will and I when he gets homesick." Jada, whose new movie "Girls Trip" hits theater in July, also opened up about the importance of connecting with women. "As crazy as it can be, the movie has a lot of heart, and it really shows that when s— hits the fan, you've got your girls there that have your back and how important that is in life," she said. "You need to have women that understand your challenges and obstacles and can simply be there to support you." She added: "We talk a lot about how society treats us and men treat us, but we don't focus enough on how we treat each other. Rather than fighting each other and pushing each other down, we need to be promoting each other! As far as female empowerment goes, it'd be nice to pay a bit more attention to that."