Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift have discussed recording together, more news

Selena Gomez says she's 'always dreamed of' recording with longtime pal, Taylor Swift

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift's friendship has become one of the most enduring friendships in pop. Could the next step in their love fest for one another be a musical collaboration? It sure sounded that way when Selena checked in on the Twitch stream Animal Talking on Wednesday, Aug. 5. "I've always dreamed of doing a song with Taylor," Selena admitted at one point, according to the Daily Mail. "We both wanted to do that … we've talked about it, for sure." She added that it would only make sense for them to work together, given their longstanding sisterhood. "It just feels like we're family, I've known her for 13, 14 years now," she said, adding that the "folklore" singer has been her "best friend." Selena's been singing Taylor's praises since she released her new album late last month, but her feelings for her bestie date back much further. "She taught me a lot about how I should be treated at a young age," Selena said of Taylor in a WSJ interview this year. "She has showed up for me in ways that I would have never expected. Flown in because I was hurt and was going through something. Stuff that was going on with my family. It's been proven year after year and in every moment of my life that she is one of my best friends in the world. We don't agree on everything, but we respect each other with everything."

Keep reading to see who Taylor's song "betty" was inspired by and more …

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Taylor Swift basically just confirmed Betty is the name of Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds' youngest daughter

Taylor Swift's fans have become some of the best detectives in pop music, thanks to the singer's habit of dropping hints about new music on social media and referencing her personal life in her music. So it didn't take Swifties long to notice two of the characters on "betty," from Taylor's new album, "folklore," happen to share names with the daughters of Taylor's pals Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Nor did the singer's fans sleep on the fact Blake and Ryan have yet to confirm the name of their youngest daughter. Do a little math and the musical word problem suggests that if the song's "James" and "Inez" were inspired by Blake and Ryan's daughters, James and Inez Reynolds, the titular "betty" must be …. Betty Reynolds? Judging from an intro to "betty" Taylor recently gave on country radio (via E! News), the answer is yes. "I named all the characters in this story after my friends' kids," she said. It's not the first time Blake and Ryan's progeny made their way into Taylor's music, either. Back in 2017, Taylor confirmed in the liner notes for "reputation" that the "baby intro voice" on the song, "Gorgeous," was then 2-year-old James Reynolds.

RELATED: Celebs and their cute kids in 2020

Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper spend the day at the beach with Bradley's daughter

Could there be something brewing between longtime friends Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper? On Thursday, TMZ reported the two recently spent a day at the beach together in Malibu with Bradley's 3-year-old daughter Lea. The two looked "flirty," according to the outlet, as they played in the sand and surf and caught up. Meanwhile, In Touch reported on the same day that Jennifer has split from her post-Ben Affleck beau, John Miller. Apparently, the two called it quits prior to California's lockdown … which would leave plenty of time for her to reconnect with her former "Alias" costar, Bradley. Despite TMZ's take on the pair's interaction, a source told Page Six Jen and Bradley "are friends and have been forever," adding that there's "no truth to anything else." The two have been spotted hanging out together over the years at events ranging from premieres to Paris Fashion Week.

RELATED: New celebrity couples of 2020

Gwyneth Paltrow reveals when she knew it was over with Chris Martin, why they 'consciously uncoupled

Chances are, if you know Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin presented their 2014 break-up as a "conscious uncoupling," you have snickered about the term at some point. In fact, Gwyneth wasn't too crazy about it either. But as she explains in a deeply personal new essay about the split for Vogue UK, she and Chris had already "tried everything" between her 38th birthday trip to Tuscany, when she realized her "marriage was over," and the time they "finally relented to the truth." She shares how scared they were to tackle questions about the mechanics of an actual break-up. "We did not want to fail. We didn't want to let anyone down. We desperately didn't want to hurt our children," she writes of Apple, now 16, and Moses, 14. Still, she and Chris knew they were done. "We were close, though we had never fully settled into being a couple," Gwyneth explains. "We just didn't quite fit together. There was always a bit of unease and unrest." Not wanting a "bitter, acrimonious" divorce, Gwyneth wondered, "Could my ex continue to be a family member, someone who would continue to protect me, want the best for me? Could I be that for him?" Then their therapist suggested the infamous phrase they used in their public separation announcement. She was "intrigued … by the sentiment," she recalls. "Was there a world where we could break up and not lose everything? Could we be a family, even though we were not a couple? We decided to try." And it worked. They remain as close as family today and even frequently vacation together with their new partners. Gwyneth credits that with having held herself "accountable" for her contribution to the end of the relationship. "I had been blind, guarded, invulnerable, intolerant. I had to admit that and be brave enough to share it," she writes. Finally, Gwyneth points out: "You loved your ex once and you probably still do, so keep those great qualities of theirs close to your heart." Urging readers to trust that it's, "to stay in love with the parts of your ex that you were always in love with," she suggests, "Rather than shutting them out, lean into the unfamiliarity of those feelings and explore them. We lose all the nuance of life when we make it all bad or all good."

Kanye West's White House bid gets help from Republicans with Trump campaign ties

As Kanye West forges ahead with his White House bid, getting on the ballot in some states — and missing the deadline or withdrawing his petition in others — he's reportedly getting some key help from Republicans. That includes one of Donald Trump's lawyers. The New York Times reported this week that Lane Ruhland, an attorney who recently represented the Trump campaign in court, dropped off ballot signatures for Kanye in Wisconsin on Tuesday. In the same report, the Times cites at least three other GOP-connected, apparent Trump supporters who have helped Kanye get on the ballot in different states. The Times suggests that the moves to get Kanye in the running as a third-party candidate — even as Kim Kardashian West begs the public for compassion with regard to her husband's mental health — seem like an attempt to detract support from Joe Biden. Kanye, a one-time vocal Trump fan, has since said he thinks the administration looks like "a big mess." A few months prior to that, however, he said in another interview that he planned to vote for Trump. The president told reporters in a White House briefing Wednesday that he is "not involved" in any push to get Kanye on the ballot, according to multiple outlets.

Zoe Kravitz thanks her 'High Fidelity' family after show's cancellation

Hulu's "High Fidelity" adaptation, starring Zoe Kravitz as the disaffected, past breakup-obsessed record store collector Rob, won't return for a second season, the platform confirmed this week. Zoe seems to have taken the news in stride, sharing her gratitude for her "High Fidelity" family on Instagram on Wednesday. "I wanna give a shout out to my #HighFidelity family,' she wrote, posting a handful of shots of her and her costars. "Thank you for all the love and heart you put into this show. I'm in awe of all of you. And thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported us." Adding a peace sign Emoji, she closed with the apropos hashtag, "breakups suck." At least one fan wasn't feeling quite so peaceful upon learning there would be no second season, though. "WHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!!!???" Questlove wrote in the comments, adding, "Why do I always find out about tragic [stuff] this way?! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡." Responding to the Roots drummer, Zoe replied, "ugh. i'm sorry ! i was truly about to text you." Way to break Questlove's heart, Hulu.

Jay-Z's Roc Nation launches undergrad program in music, sports and entertainment

Jay-Z is helping to ensure New York City's next generation of musicians and entertainment industry pros have a chance to pursue their dreams. This week, the rapper's Roc Nation announced plans to launch the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment in partnership with Long Island University. Located in downtown Brooklyn, not far from the Marcy Projects where Jay grew up, the school will offer undergraduate degrees in music, music technology, entrepreneurship and production, and sports management, the Associated Press reports. One quarter of the program's first group of incoming freshmen will also graduate, debt-free, courtesy of Roc Nation's "Hope Scholarship" fund, which is set to provide full, financial need and merit-based scholarships to high school graduates from New York City. In addition to regular courses, students will have access to guest lectures by artists and industry execs. They'll also get real-world experience via internships, according to the AP. While the university program won't open its doors until fall 2021, the school will offer Saturday courses in music and sports management for students aged 10 to 18 beginning in the spring, followed by summer residential programs in the same fields. Those programs will also offer need-based scholarships.

Martha Stewart defends lobster dinner post a follower found 'tone-deaf'

Martha Stewart hasn't been shy about speaking her mind — or sharing the occasional thirst trap selfie — on Instagram lately. So when a user criticized a post she shared from an outdoor lobster dinner as "tone deaf" this week, she clapped right back in self defense. "Our outdoor dinner in the back driveway. Where all the daily action takes place- dog grooming. Feeding. Soccer practice. Baseball practice. And sometimes messy dinners like lobster snd [sic] corn!!!" Martha captioned the original shot. "Simple table setting. Tables covered in old fashioned butchers paper. We have a giant roll of it in the basement," she continued. The post apparently irked a follower who thought it was in poor taste to show off food that's considered a luxury given the widespread unemployment and economic issues plaguing much of the world amid the pandemic. "I've always followed you. Loved your show," the commenter wrote (via People). "But do you ever feel this is all a little_tone deaf ❗There are people lining up for hours for a bag of potatoes❗ # let them eat cake." Martha responded by explaining, "[T]he lobsters were $4 each from a fisherman who was happy to be getting more than from his regular buyer." She went on to say the potatoes came "from our own garden," while the "corn [was] from a local farm which we support." She added, "We feed everyone who works for us. We do not waste. We compost. We work We give generously to many organizations. We care about the pandemic and observe healthy living and social distancing etc and we wear masks we are good people."

Cameron Diaz explains why she quit acting

Between "Charlie's Angels" in 2000 and "Annie" in 2014, Cameron Diaz starred in a baker's dozen of major feature films. Then, she simply stopped acting. In a live-streamed YouTube conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow on Wednesday, Cameron, 47, explained why she gave up making movies — and what happened when she did. "I got a peace in my soul, because I finally was taking care of myself. It's a strange thing to say. I know a lot of people won't understand it," she said (via CNN), adding to the Goop exec, "I know you understand it." Cameron went on to explain that while the pressure of the spotlight affected her, she also simply wanted to keep growing, and her industry makes doing that hard. "When you're making a movie… they own you," she said. "You're there 12 hours a day, for months on end. You have no time for anything else. And I realized I handed off parts of my life to all these other people. They took it. And I had to basically take it back and take responsibility for my own life." Besides, Cameron added, having a team of people constantly "doing things" for her didn't feel right. "… I never felt really, truly comfortable with that. That wasn't my comfort zone, to be taken care of," Cameron admitted. She ended up falling in love with Benji Madden, whom she married in 2015. This year, the couple welcomed their daughter, Raddix, and as Cameron told Seth Meyers on "Late Night" recently, being a mom has given her a whole new outlook on life. She even has a new business venture, Avaline, a line of "clean" wine without hidden extra, unhealthy ingredients. Looking back on her career shift, Cameron says she needed to be "self-sufficient" and, as she described it, know she was, "putting all the pieces of my life together the way that I wanted it to be put together, not how other people thought it should go."

Zoe Saldana apologizes for playing Nina Simone in controversial biopic

Zoe Saldana has changed her mind about a role she once strongly defended. In a live interview on Instagram this week, the Marvel star addressed criticism around her participation in 2016's "Nina," a biopic about Nina Simone that the late jazz singer and civil rights activist's estate refused to endorse. "I should have never played Nina," Zoe said of the role, which involved her wearing skin-darkening makeup and a prosthetic nose, according to The Guardian. Zoe's heritage is Dominican and Puerto Rican, while Nina was African American. "I should have done everything in my power with the leverage that I had 10 years ago, which was a different leverage, but it was leverage nonetheless. I should have done everything in my power to cast a Black woman to play an exceptionally perfect Black woman." "Nina" was widely panned by critics and the late singer, Zoe said this week, "deserved better." She also formally apologized, saying "I'm sorry" repeatedly and promising never to make a similar mistake again.