Jamie Lynn Spears borrows Britney lyric for memoir title, book promptly disappears from publishers' website
Has Jamie Lynn Spears' forthcoming memoir been pulled? On July 9, multiple outlets reported that Britney Spears' younger sister has a book in the works called "I Must Confess: Family, Fame, and Figuring It Out," an apparently Britney-inspired name change from its original title, "Southern Roots." ("I must confess is a line in the chorus of Britney's massive debut hit "…Baby One More Time.") Outlets including Page Six, Refinery29 and Us Weekly and retailers including Amazon all pointed to a page on Worthy Publishing's website that described Jamie Lynn's "unfiltered story … about being a child star, becoming a teen mom … [and] … the ATV accident that threatened her daughter's life…" and provided pre-order info. By mid-afternoon on July 9, however, the page turned up a "page not found" error message and Jamie Lynn's name did not appear on Worthy's list of authors. Searching for the title or for Jamie Lynn's name pulled nothing up, either. Jamie Lynn's use of her sister's lyric in the book title, of course, is unlikely to have pleased the #FreeBritney contingent — at least, not those who say the younger Spears has been complicit in denying her sister the freedom she all but begged for at a June 23 conservatorship hearing where the singer said she wanted to sue her family for allowing the "abusive" conservatorship to go on for 13 years. Jamie Lynn then defended herself on Instagram, saying she's "only loved and supported" her sister; reports also claimed she's the only family member who does not draw a salary from Britney. Amid the title controversy, the publisher attempted to clear things up. "Worthy Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, became aware earlier today that premature information about Jamie Lynn Spears's still-in-development book project has been erroneously released online to book retail sites," it said in a statement released to E! News on July 9. "We deeply regret that incorrect and incomplete information about her book has appeared in the public space, particularly at this sensitive time for Jamie Lynn and her family."
RELATED: Celebs react to Britney Spears' bombshell conservatorship hearing
Brad Pitt's lawyer accuses Angelina Jolie of 'unjust' tactics amid custody battle appeal
Lawyers for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie returned to court on July 9 for a remote hearing in the former couple's ongoing custody battle. Angelina, who was denied a request to remove Judge John W. Ouderkirk from the case last fall, has appealed the ruling and is still seeking sole custody of five of the stars' children — their eldest is over 18 — months after Brad was granted joint custody. In the latest hearing this week, her attorney again said the actress was "shocked" the judge was overseeing legal matters involving Brad while tasked with handling their custody dispute, which has dragged on for years in the wake of their 2016 split. Brad's lawyer took issue with the notion Angelina was "shocked" by anything in the case. "Here in a child custody case that's been going on for so long, the children are getting older and to allow a delaying tactic like this would be extremely unjust," he said, according to ET. After watching the proceedings via remote feed, family law attorney Kelly Chang Rickert said things aren't looking good for Angelina, who she thinks could be "fighting a losing battle" since it's clear she wouldn't have filed an appeal had she been awarded sole custody. "If Ouderkirk had sided with Angelina and granted her sole custody, she would never be filing this appeal; she would not challenge his ruling as biased," Kelly said. "The only reason she's challenging it is because she lost. I mean, she's struggling, she's reaching here."
Keep reading for a new development in Jamie Lynn Spears' memoir release …
RELATED: Celebrity splits of 2021
Scarlett Johansson reveals the blonde Black Widow look that 'was quickly killed'
Over the course of a decade, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanov has undergone lots of changes, appearance and otherwise. The Black Widow we see in Marvel's new origin story is more multi-dimensional and, as Scarlett has pointed out, less "hypersexualized" than she was in early films like 2010's "Iron Man 2." Reflecting on what she called the "evolution of [Natasha's] look," Scarlett recently told Fatherly that it's been a "process," complete with trials and errors, but Scarlett's had plenty of input along the way. "I think part of that is just gaining the trust of the executives at Marvel and kind of sitting in the character and just being able to make decisions for her. That really happened fairly early on," Scarlett said, adding that costume designers like "the incredible Mary Zophres" made "stunning" contributions as far back as "Iron Man." There were also times where the (mostly male) writers included costume ideas in the script that needed some … finessing. "When we were doing 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' — this is a really funny thing — the look is fantastic and utilitarian," Scarlett recalled. "[Natasha] first drives up in this beautiful car and picks up Cap, and initially in the script, it was like, she arrives in her tennis whites, with a blonde wig. It was very quickly killed." She went on to say that it's "been a process" to be able to make changes like that. "You work with a lot of male writers," she explained."Things were shifting. You have to be a part of the change. Audiences are also demanding stuff and there's a cultural shift and it feeds everything into a more progressive direction."
Tarek El Moussa 'loves' that Ant Anstead is dating Renée Zellweger
At least one famous couple is rooting for Ant Anstead's new romance with Renée Zellweger. Tarek El Moussa — who got to know Ant when the British car show expert was married to Tarek's ex-wife and "Flip or Flop" co-star, Christina Haack — is all about the new relationship. Tarek's fiancee, Heather Young, is, too. "I love it! I love it!" Tarek told People this week when asked about Ant's new love. "Good for him, Tarek added. "Ant's a great kid, [Renée] seems like a lot of fun." Heather chimed in to say she knows the Oscar-winning actress has even spent time with the 1-year-old son Ant and Christina share. "I've already seen pictures of [Renée] with Hudson, so, you know, cute!" she said. Seems there's plenty of romantic happiness to go around right now, too: While Ant's moving on with Renée, Christina headed to Tulum, Mexico, this week with her new beau, police officer-turned-realtor Joshua Hall.
RELATED: The best Bravo shows, ranked
Why Matt Damon was moved to tears at Cannes' 'Stillwater' premiere
At the Cannes Film Festival on July 8, "Stillwater" stars Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, Abigail Breslin and Lilou Siauvaud got a standing ovation for their performance in the crime drama Variety praised for showing "how the world sees Americans right now." During the applause, Matt broke down in tears — the next day, he explained why. "I was a little overwhelmed last night, and I'm really glad that we're here this year. Because I think we'll all look back and remember this moment of launching out of COVID — and what a way to do it," Matt told reporters at a festival press conference on July 9 (via THR). He went on to say that he was moved by the togetherness he felt during the premiere, especially after the "inhumane" experiences of division that have plagued the world for two years. "To be in the same room with 1,000 other people who are strangers but are also part of the same community because we all love the same thing …," Matt said, "… it was such a great reminder of why we do this: to be together like this!" The Cannes Film Festival continues in the South of France through July 17.
Heidi Klum reveals the modeling advice she gave her daughter, Leni
Heidi Klum and Seal's daughter, Leni Klum, kicked off her modeling career last year when she shared the cover of Vogue Germany with her mom. Now 17, Heidi's stunning mini-me has also appeared solo on the cover of Vogue Germany and recently signed on with CAA's fashion division. But when it comes to navigating a modeling career, Leni also has a pretty amazing resource who is — quite literally — right in her own backyard. "It's a fun thing for her to do. She's not afraid of cameras because she's always come to my sets and my shows. She's quite strong in the sense where she plays with it," Heidi, who at 48 has nearly three decades of fashion work under her belt, tells People. "I've been helping her with deals and she has so many things in the pipeline. It's really exciting. She's doing the things I was always dreaming to do!" says the "Making the Cut" host. Asked what advice she's shared with her daughter as she follows in her career footsteps, Heidi says she's encouraged Leni to stay focused on her own goals and needs, even if that means passing up certain opportunities. "I said to her, at the end of the day you have to be happy with yourself," Heidi shares. "And don't do anything you don't want to do. It's OK to say no. You don't always have to please people. But I'm always with Leni. And she has a very good head on her shoulders."
Sharon Stone addresses rumors she's dating 25-year-old rapper RMR
Sharon Stone's throwing cold water on those romance rumors about her and rapper RMR — actually, make that giggles. A photographer from TMZ caught up with the Oscar winner on July 8 while she was out and about in Los Angeles with her son, Roan. When he asked if she's dating the 25-year-old rapper — known for wearing a ski mask at all times and concealing his real identity — Sharon, 63, burst into laughter. Her son found the whole thing hilarious too. After Sharon assured the shutterbug she is not dating RMR, Roan, 21, told the TMZ rep, "You couldn't have asked a funnier question," before the two went on their way.
Kim Kardashian granted permanent restraining order against man who sent her Plan B and a ring
Three weeks after a judge granted Kim Kardashian West a temporary order of protection against a man who allegedly sent her Plan B birth control pills and a ring, a judge has made the order permanent. According to TMZ, the extension came this week after a judge considered Kim's June filing, which alleged that in addition to the unsettling "gifts" he sent, Nicholas Costanza has attempted to visit Kim at her home multiple times, including twice this year. At one point, he is said to have told security guards he was picking her up for dinner. Kim alleged he also posted a fake marriage certificate with her name on it and said he was her "knight in shining armor," among other strange messages. The permanent restraining order will be in place for five years.