By Mark Gray
8:11am PDT, Apr 5, 2019
Seeking help
Britney Spears has checked herself into a mental health facility after becoming emotionally distraught over her father's health crisis, multiple outlets reported on April 3. According to TMZ, the pop star — who made headlines 11 years ago when she suffered a breakdown — checked in a week earlier and plans to stay for 30 days. Her dad, Jamie Spears, has been dealing with health problems since his colon spontaneously ruptured in late 2018. He reportedly suffered complications after his most recent surgery this spring. On the same day the news broke, Britney shared an Instagram post about the importance of "taking care of yourself mind body and spirit," which she captioned with the message, "We all need to take time for a little 'me time.'" A source told People magazine, "Britney just needed to focus on herself," adding, "Her dad being sick has taken a toll on her. He nearly died and actually had another surgery a few weeks ago. He's not doing well. They're so close and it has been a lot. There is nothing dramatic going on with her — she just realized she needs to make sure to take time to care for herself."
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R.I.P.
Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was murdered on March 31 in Los Angeles in broad daylight. According to reports, a man approached Nipsey, 33, outside the music star's clothing store and started shooting. The man, who also shot two other people who survived, then fled. Within days, police arrested 29-year-old Eric Holder for the crime and charged him with murder. He's pleaded not guilty. Many in the entertainment world paid tribute to Nipsey including Beyonce, Drake, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and LeBron James. Nipsey had two kids including a child with actress girlfriend Lauren London.
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Court appearance
On April 3, both Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin appeared before a judge in Boston federal court due to their alleged involvement in a college admissions cheating scandal. Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, waived their right to a preliminary hearing and agreed to surrender their passports. Their hearing lasted six minutes. Felicity had a three-minute hearing and agreed to the same conditions. None of them entered pleas, although TMZ reported that talks of plea deals are "likely" and would probably involve prison time. Felicity, Lori and Mossimo have been charged with felonies — conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
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Hearing loss
After decades of performing, Mark McGrath is losing his hearing, but he's not going "deaf," despite being quoted as such. In a chat with DailyMail TV, the Sugar Ray frontman apparently said, "I'm deaf now. I cannot hear any more. It's years and years of being on the road and being two feet in front of cymbals and drums. So high frequencies, I can't hear anymore. I'll be listening to people and they'll tell me their names and I can't hear anymore." For years, Mark eschewed doctors' recommendations that he wear in-ear monitors that protect hearing. "It's scary because my job is hearing. [The future] is absolutely a worry of mine," he said. "You can't repair your hearing. Once it goes, it goes. You can hope to stop the damage." However, after that story went viral, Mark tweeted that he has hearing issues, but he's not deaf. "I've definitely have some hearing loss in one ear," he tweeted in part. "Fortunately, (or unfortunately to some!) I look forward to performing for many years to come! Thanks for the concern."
Secret engagement
Savannah Chrisley is an engaged woman. The "Chrisley Knows Best" star has been secretly engaged to hockey player Nic Kerdiles for several months. This week, she told People magazine that Nic popped the question last Christmas Eve. "[On the night of the engagement], Nic's family was in town and my whole family was there and we were filming and I was furious," she said. "I was like, 'The fact we're filming on Christmas Eve is absolutely insane. I have people here.'" Savannah's family was alerted to Nic's outdoor proposal ahead of time. "I walk outside and it's all lit up! And Nic's family is standing on one side, my family and friends are standing on the other, and then I just start freaking out because I'm like, 'This isn't really about to happen,'" she recalled. Savannah said yes and was given a 5-carat diamond ring.
Heartbreaking loss
Alec Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, opened up on April 4 about miscarrying a child — in real time. While posting a selfie revealing a small baby bump, Hilaria — who shares four kids with Alec — said, "I want to share with you that I am most likely experiencing a miscarriage. I always promised myself that if I were to get pregnant again, I would share the news with you guys pretty early, even if that means suffering a public loss." She explained that she opened up about her health situation because it was "important to show the truth." She added, "I want to be a part of the effort to normalize miscarriage and remove the stigma from it. There is so much secrecy during the first trimester. This works for some, but I personally find it to be exhausting. I'm nauseous, tired, my body is changing. And I have to pretend that everything is just fine — and it truly isn't. I don't want to have to pretend anymore. I hope you understand."
Bench warrant
E! News reported on April 2 that Tori Spelling was required to show up to a March 29 hearing in her ongoing legal battle with City National Bank. After she failed to appear, the court issued a bench warrant, set her bail at $5,000 and scheduled a new court date for May 1. According to her social media, Tori is currently in Tel Aviv filming a commercial. The financial dispute has been ongoing for several years. Back in March 2017, City National Bank issued a default judgment against Tori and her husband, Dean McDermott, for $188,000, saying the couple took out a $400,000 loan in 2012 and only paid back about half of it. The couple apparently still hasn't paid a dime, and the newest court filings show that they now owe more than $260,000 as part of the judgment, including interest accrued.
No. 5!
Gordon Ramsay and wife Tana now have their own basketball team. The couple welcomed their fifth child on April 4. "After 3 baftas and one Emmy… finally we have won an Oscar, please welcome Oscar James Ramsay, who touched down at 12:58 today for some lunch!" the celebrity chef captioned a series of photos of his wife with their newborn. The couple are also parents to Megan, 21, twins Holly and Jack, 19, and Matilda, 17.
Prison life
Wait, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is loving his time in prison?! "[Mike is] having the time of his life," his "Jersey Shore" co-star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told E! News on April 2. "We all talk to him through an email, so I talk to him, like, once a week." Mike is currently serving an eight-month sentence for tax evasion. "It's like he's in a senior home. He's playing bingo, he's helping people recover," Snooki said. "He's in the gym a lot, so he's probably gonna come out ripped. You know, he's not gonna be BDS anymore — Big Daddy Sitch. He's gonna have his, probably, six pack again. But he's … doing good in there."
Engaged
"Insecure" star Issa Rae is engaged to longtime boyfriend Louis Diame. The actress has yet to address the engagement rumors herself, but she hasn't really needed to, as she donned a giant sparkler on her finger on the cover of the new Essence. Issa's co-stars, though, confirmed the engagement news at the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on March 30. Her beautiful ring is worth about $50,000, according to jewelry experts. "Issa Rae's engagement ring appears to feature a 2.5-carat cushion- or circle-cut diamond surrounded by a halo of diamond accents that extend along the ring's contemporary split shank band," Brilliant Earth's VP of strategy and merchandising Kathryn Money told Page Six, adding that it's set in white gold or platinum.
