By Wonderwall.com Editors
2:37pm PDT, Aug 3, 2020
Miranda Lambert announces her first country musical podcast
This fall, Miranda Lambert is set to debut a new country musical scripted podcast, "Make It Up As We Go." The singer, who's enjoying the steady No. 1 success of her single, "Bluebird," executive produced the series with another singer-songwriter, Scarlett Burke, who stars as … yep, a songwriter … trying to make it in the world of country music. Rolling Stone reports Miranda also contributed music to the series, which she calls "an authentic story that shows the challenges female singer/songwriters face within the industry." Bobby Bones, Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton also appear in the podcast. News of Miranda's new project comes a week after she celebrated her return to the top of the Billboard charts with a thoughtful and honest Instagram post about what she has to be thankful for in a year marked by the onset of COVID-19. "2020 hasn't offered a whole lot to celebrate, especially for musicians," she wrote. "But I am celebrating this week. I'm celebrating happiness and the feeling of artistic freedom in a time where we all feel a little caged. I'm celebrating country music and all the joy it has brought to my life. I'm celebrating ALL the fans, the writers , the musicians, the crews, and bands, radio and streaming services, venues big and small for allowing me to have the most wonderful career for the last 17 years." "Make It Up As We Go" premieres Oct. 1.
Keep reading for the latest on Taylor Swift, Keke Palmer and more …
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Taylor Swift becomes the first artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, Hot 200 charts in the same week
Taylor Swift's new album, "folklore" is breaking records in the charts department. Over the weekend, Billboard reported the singer's "surprise," 17-track recording debuted at No. 1 on the outlet's Hot 200 albums chart, making it her seventh No. 1 debut in that category. (Only Madonna and Barbra Streisand have clocked in more; Taylor's now tied with Janet Jackson at seven.) It's also now the biggest-selling album of 2020. On Monday, Billboard reported "Cardigan," the album's first single, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That makes Taylor the first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on both charts in the same week, according to the charts monitor, which notes the Billboard Hot 200 dates back to 1954, while the Hot 100 began in 1958. Not too shabby for an album she wrote and recorded in isolation with zero involvement from her label.
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Keke Palmer 'expected' her 'GMA' show to get canceled
Keke Palmer was not surprised when her "Good Morning America" hour, "Strahan, Sara and Keke," was canceled earlier this year. In fact, she told Andy Cohen on Sunday's "Watch What Happens Live After Show" that she "expected" to see it go, given its lighthearted approach and the key role the audience played. "Here's the thing: when the pandemic hit, that's what became all on our minds — was the pandemic, corona, understanding COVID," Keke explained, according to Billboard. "So I kinda knew that if our show did come back, it would have to be much, much, much later because our show was really about an audience. When you think about it, that's what we do. We do a little bit of news, but it's entertainment news. It's really about fun conversations and lightheartedness, so the time was a different time now. So some of the conversation has changed and I think that kinda just pushed SSK' out." The "Hustlers" star also reflected on the now-viral moment she shared with a National Guardsman in June, when she urged him to join protesters in marching for the Black Lives Matter movement. He didn't, of course, and she said there's "no bad blood" about his decision. "I can't be mad at that," she said, acknowledging that she didn't "know what that man's positioning was." Still, she added, "it's not always enough for us to play it safe," which is why she said his offering to take a knee wasn't "enough" for her. "There was one time where it was illegal for a Black woman to not give up her seat on the bus," Keke noted, "but Rosa [Parks] still did it."
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Demi Lovato accidentally leaks fiance Max Ehrich's email
Even on Twitter, Demi Lovato only has eyes for her fiance, Max Ehrich, who is now the only person she follows on the platform. Alas, Demi's tunnel vision fiance feed apparently makes it easy for her to forget that while she only sees Max's tweets, she's got 55 million-plus followers watching what she shares — including Max's email address, which she inadvertently revealed over the weekend, according to ET. "When ur fiancé accidentally leaks your email," Max posted on Saturday, adding, "But thank you for the kind emails, haha, much love." Demi quickly apologized for indirectly inundating his mailbox. "OMG IM SO SORRY 😂😂😂," she replied. "Love u baby," Max wrote, "… but now u gotta reply to them all, thanks!!!!!!" That's when Demi remembered why she wasn't seeing posts from anyone but him."HAahahahaha, also I just realized I'm only following you and I love that," she posted, "was wondering why you were my entire feed." Later in the weekend, after Max gushed about some new music Demi had shared with him, some opportunistic fans took a stab at getting him to leak the new tracks to get her back for leaking his email. It didn't work, of course, but A for effort, Lovatics!
Nicole Kidman reunites with her mom for the first time in months after mandatory quarantine
Nicole Kidman and her mom, Janelle, have reunited for the first time in eight months. On Saturday, Nicole, 53, shared a pair of pics on Instagram that showed her hugging her 80-year-old mother tight. "Feels so good to be able to hug my mum! It's been 8 months," Nicole captioned the post. I missed her 80th birthday but I'm here now. Love you Mumma ❤️🇦🇺." People reports Nicole is back in her native Australia with Keith Urban and their kids to work on her upcoming Hulu series, "Nine Perfect Strangers." Melissa McCarthy and Michael Shannon are among Nicole's co-stars, while her production company, Blossom Films, is one of the producing partners on the show, due out next year. Nicole's reunion reportedly came after she and her family went into a mandatory, two-week quarantine. It also earned plenty of love from her famous friends, with Reese Witherspoon commenting, "This brings me so much joy ! love to you both," and Natalie Portman gushing, "I'm so happy for you!"
Caitlyn Jenner defends Kanye West's character
Caitlyn Jenner just wants to see Kanye West happy and healthy. Asked about the headlines he's made in recent weeks, during a presumed manic episode, Caitlyn said only kind things about Kanye on Monday's "Good Morning Britain." "Since all of this has come down, I have just kind of watched it just like everybody else," she admitted, according to E! News. "I haven't really had a chance…he's living up in Wyoming most of the time. And so, I just wish him the best." Calling him "a really good guy," Caitlyn went on to say Kanye's always supported her, including during some of the more challenging times in her life. "He has been the most kind, loving human being and so good to me throughout the years," she said. "And especially going through everything I've been through in the last five years, he's been such a good friend. That to me is by far the most important thing." Finally, she reminded viewers that Kanye, who has spoken openly in the past about his bipolar disorder diagnosis, has struggles to face like anyone else. "He's a good person, got a big heart. You know, he deals with what everybody deals with things in their lives …," she said. "But he's a good person, he's a really good person." She declined to respond to a question about his bid for the White House.
Andrew Lloyd Webber calls Tom Hooper's 'Cats' movie 'ridiculous'
Yes, Andrew Lloyd Webber hated 2019's "Cats" movie just like everyone else. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the renowned composer, who wrote the original Broadway show, dismissed the six-time Razzie Award-winning adaptation as "ridiculous. "The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided that he didn't want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show," he explained (via Deadline). "The whole thing was ridiculous." The movie, which starred A-listers including Taylor Swift, Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and Rebel Wilson, reportedly lost Universal about $113 million.
Frank Ocean's brother, 18, killed in car crash
Singer Frank Ocean is reportedly mourning the death of his 18-year-old brother, Ryan Breaux, following a car crash in Southern California early Sunday. Ryan and a former classmate were in a Tesla in Ventura County when it "veered off Westlake Boulevard … at around 1:40 a.m." The car reportedly hit a tree in the median and was left "engulfed in flames," according to Page Six. Neither Ryan nor the other young man, 20, survived. As of Monday, the cause of the crash remained unclear. As fans paid tribute to Ryan and sent condolences to Frank, 32, a message on the singer's Twitter read simply, "Our hearts and prayers are with Frank and his family. RIP @rryanbreaux."
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is buying the bankrupt XFL football league for $15M
If all goes as planned, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his ex-wife and longtime producing partner, Dany Garcia, should be co-owners of the XFL by the end of the month. CNN reports The Rock and Dany, along with sports management group RedBird Capital, plunked down $15 million to become the new owners of the bankrupt football league. In a statement, Dwayne said he wanted to take over the faltering league because of "my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans." There's a connection to Dwayne's wrestling past in the XFL, too. The league's predecessor was "controlled" by Vince McMahon's WWF, which is now the WWE, according to Wikipedia. The sale is expected to be finalized pending a bankruptcy court's approval on Aug. 7.
Shannen Doherty remembers her former 'Our House' costar, Wilford Brimley
Shannen Doherty was among the stars sharing memories of Wilford Brimley over the weekend, amid news of his death on Saturday at age 85. "I met Wilford when we did Our House together," Shannen wrote on Instagram, referencing the NBC show on which she played Kris, the granddaughter of Wilford's Gus, from 1986 until 1988. "He taught me a lot on that show," she continued. "He also gave me a horse named Brownie. Taught me how to ski in Utah. Had 2 African Grey's that would curse and call his dogs only to laugh at them when they came running. He gave big hugs and told great jokes." She added that their connection off-screen wasn't unlike that of their characters. "He was in fact like a grandpa to me for a very long time," she wrote. "He was talented and will be missed."
