By Mark Gray
8:00 a.m. PST, March 12, 2022
National controversy
The Academy of Country Music found itself mired in controversy on March 7 after Morgan Wallen won album of the year for “Dangerous: The Double Album.” A year before receiving the honor, the singer was persona non grata at all award shows after a video of him heckling outside his house emerged in February 2021. In the footage, he at one point uttered the N word out loud. He apologized, but that wasn’t enough. Soon his songs were pulled from radio, his label suspended him indefinitely, and the ACM Awards deemed him ineligible for 2021 honors. After his huge win this week, it’s clear he was once again welcomed into the fold. Twitter, as always, reflected on the win, as several people actually claimed that country music doesn’t care about racism.
Divorce Settlement Details
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock have finally settled their divorce, but it’s going to cost him dearly. According to court documents, as reported by The Blast, the singer will pay her ex a one-time lump sum of $1.3 million as well as $45,601 in monthly child support for their two children, River Rose, 7, and Remington Alexander, 5 years old. As part of the deal, Kelly gets primary custody of the two, with Brandon only having the kids one weekend a month. Kelly is also on the hook for $115,000 a month in spousal support through Jan. 31, 2024. The former couple, you’ll recall, were also fighting over the Montana ranch Kelly owns, where Brandon lives and refuses to leave. A judge has ruled that Brandon, who is Kelly’s former manager, can stay there until June, but must pay the singer and talk show host $2,000 a month in rent. Kelly appeared to put her divorce behind her during her sensational tribute to Dolly Parton at the ACM Awards on March 7.
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Married man
Surprise Surprise! Former teen idol Josh Hartnett quietly married his love of 10 years, English actress Tamsin Egerton, late last year. According to The Sun, the couple – who have three children – married in the Soho Room, which can only seat 12 people, at the Old Marylebone Town Hall in London on November 5, 2021 – Guy Fawkes Night. “They are more in love than ever and wanted to make it official in a low key affair. It was a classy ceremony with only a handful of family and close friends,” a source told The Sun. “They’re really happy living a low-key life away from showbiz parties and red carpets, so they’re happy to fly under the radar.”
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Conviction
On March 10, Jussie Smollett learned of his fate: the former “Empire” actor was sentenced to 150 days in prison and 30 months probation for a felony. , which Jussie continues to deny. “I think you caused harm to real victims of hate crimes,” a Chicago judge told the disgraced actor, calling the incident a “stunt.” Late last year, a jury found Jussie guilty of five counts of lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in early 2019. Prosecutors said he organized the crime.
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Legislative reaction
A slew of Hollywood celebrities sounded off after the Florida Senate passed the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ Act, which critics dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. The legislation, which is backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, restricts speech in public school classrooms regarding LGBTQ identity. After the Senate passed the bill on March 8, Ariana Grande called it “really disgusting.” Andy Cohen also devoted part of his “Watch What Happens Live” show to tearing up the bill. “You’re pretending to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” he told lawmakers who voted for the bill. “There is no mass conspiracy of kindergarten teachers plotting to teach children to be gay. It’s a big dog whistle. You scare people into fear of hate and discrimination in within the LGBTQ community.” He added: “You can write all the homophobic and transphobic bills you want, you’re not going to erase us. I just wonder how many children and families must be suffering before our politicians find out.”
The revelation of bigamy
Kimora’s estranged husband Lee Simmons was legally married to another woman when they tied the knot in 2014, according to reports. And before that, Tim Leissner forged a divorce document before he married his last wife, making him a bigamist twice. The bombshell confession was one of many that came out while Tim was under oath at a colleague’s embezzlement trial. During questioning, Tim also admitted that he had impersonated Judy Chan for years while sending fake emails to Kimora in an attempt to woo her. As part of the emails, Tim (posing as his ex) claimed he was divorced. After confessing to the fake email correspondence, Tim admitted to fabricating divorce papers, revealing he was still married when he married Judy in 2000 and was also technically married to both women when he married Kimora.
secret baby
Grimes and her on-and-off boyfriend Tesla and SpaceX mogul Elon Musk quietly welcomed their second child together late last year. Her daughter Exa Dark Sideræl — whom they dubbed Y — was born via surrogate in December 2021, Grimes confirmed to Vanity Fair in a story posted online March 10. She gave birth to her and Elon’s son, X Æ A-12, in 2020. According to Grimes, more children are in the cards. “We always wanted at least three or four,” she said. Elon also has five sons with his first wife Justine Wilson.
That’s not the only news from Grimes this week…
New Roman
I didn’t see this one coming! Elon Musk’s ex Grimes is said to be in a relationship with famous runaway Chelsea Manning. On March 11, Page Six reported that the women were “getting serious” and living together in Austin, Texas (Chelsea still maintains her apartment in Brooklyn.) Chelsea, a transgender former US Army intelligence analyst, became rather sadly famous after providing government documents to WikiLeaks. She was sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the Espionage Act before former President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017. The women have been flirting via social media for several months. The new romance comes as Grimes secretly welcomed a second child with the Tesla mogul last year.
