By Mark Gray
7:02am PST, Dec 11, 2020
Kelly Clarkson's divorce is getting nastier. On Dec. 10, it emerged that in court documents filed with the California Labor Commission, the singer claims her estranged husband, Brandon Blackstock, and his talent agency defrauded her out of millions of dollars. The filing is part of a lawsuit between Kelly and members of Starstruck Management, specifically Brandon and his father, Narvel (Reba McEntire's ex-husband). Narvel first filed against Kelly in October, claiming she owed his firm $1.4 million. He argued that she'll owe even more because of her earnings from "The Voice" and her talk show. In Kelly's response, reported by OK! Magazine on Dec. 10, she said Brandon and Starstruck were illegally representing her as "unlicensed agents." Kelly argues that she paid an inflated commission for years and wants it back.
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Big week
This week was Taylor'd just for you. On Dec. 11, Taylor Swift dropped a surprise album — her ninth studio album — for the second time in five months. The singer told her fans about the new project, "evermore" — a "sister record" to July's "folklore" — merely 12 hours before it debuted. Earlier in the week, the pop made headlines after reading a Washington Post story about families facing eviction amid the coronavirus pandemic. It featured two women (one from Michigan, the other from Nashville) who both spoke of their fear of essentially being homeless after the holidays. Enter Taylor, who donated $13,000 to both via GoFundMe. To the one woman, Nikki Cornwell, Taylor wrote, "Nikki, I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another. Love, Taylor." To Shelbie Selewski, Taylor wrote, "Shelbie, I'm sending you this gift after reading about you in the Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that's been put on you. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season. Love, Taylor." Oh yeah, Taylor's incredible Christmas cards were also revealed this week. They're purrfect.
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More COVID-19 cases
Count Ellen DeGeneres and Carrie Ann Inaba among the famous who have tested positive for COVID-19. On Dec. 10, the comedian and talk show host announced her test results on social media and said that she feels fine but was following CDC guidelines. Ellen's reveal likely caught the attention of guests who were on her show in-person recently including Justin Bieber, Bryan Cranston, Diane Keaton, Alison Brie and Lil Nas X. Because of the news, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has been shut down until January. "I'll see you again after the holidays," Ellen tweeted. "Please stay healthy and safe." The same day, "Dancing With the Stars" judge and "The Talk" co-host Carrie Ann took to Instagram to reveal her positive test result and share that she was experiencing symptoms including fever, a bad cough and "lots of aches and pains." She urged fans to stay vigilant: "I have been in a very safe environment following all the guidelines and safety protocols and it still found its way to me," she warned.
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Coming clean
Olivia Jade Giannulli, the daughter of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, has finally opened up about the college admissions scandal that landed both her parents in prison. "On paper, it's bad. It's really bad," Olivia, 21, said on "Red Table Talk" on Dec. 8. "But I think what a lot of people don't know is that my parents just came from a place of, 'I love my kids, I just want to help my kids. Whatever is best for them.' I think they thought it was normal." Lori and Mossimo are serving time for bribing a middleman to get Olivia and her sister, Bella, into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, despite neither having any experience in the sport. "What's so important to me is to learn from the mistake — not to now be shamed and punished and never given a second chance because I'm 21," she said. "I feel like I deserve a second chance to redeem myself, to show I've grown." Olivia, who has not spoken to her parents since their incarcerations, said, "I didn't come on here to try and win people over…I just want to apologize for contributing to these social inequalities, even though I didn't realize it at the time."
Slacking on service
"Jersey Shore" star Mike Sorrentino better get going on his court-mandated community service. On Dec. 8, a judge issued a written warning due to The Situation's noncompliance of community service, which comes as part of his tax evasion case sentence. Courts docs show the MTV star has completed just 18 hours of his required 500 hours of community service. Part of the warning read, "The probation office has reminded Sorrentino at nearly every interaction to find a venue for community service, including service that could be performed from home; however, he has not made sufficient efforts to address the hours."
Court plea
Johnny Depp is attempting to overturn a London court judgment that's cost him jobs. In 2018, The Sun labeled Johnny a "wife beater" in a column and headline. The actor sued for defamation and a highly publicized trial took place over the summer of 2020. The judge found ex-wife Amber Heard's abuse accusations to be credible and in November ruled in The Sun's favor, saying that the column was "substantially true" and indicating that there was evidence to support the headline. Now, Johnny has applied to the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling. Johnny's grounds for appeal aren't known and a timetable for a decision isn't listed. Regardless of the long-shot appeal, Johnny's battle with Amber isn't over, as he's suing his ex-wife for $50 million over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote about domestic violence. The case will go to trial in early 2021 in Virginia. Most legal experts believe Johnny will likely lose the United States case as well.
Custody issues
Brian Austin Green is asking for joint custody of the three sons he shares with estranged wife Megan Fox as their divorce moves forward. In the filing, obtained by People magazine on Dec. 8, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star didn't ask for any child support but did request spousal support. Megan asked for the same thing in her divorce filing. The former couple revealed their split earlier this year but didn't file divorce documents until late November.
Hurtin' holiday
The holiday are a pain… at least for Catherine Zeta-Jones. On Dec. 6, the actress revealed that she injured her foot while setting up Christmas decorations at home. "So I was putting up my Christmas decorations and an iron rod that's supposed to be a sculpture — that I don't even like — fell on my foot, and it hurts," she said on Instagram, recalling the incident. In a social media video, CZJ showed that she was icing her left foot in bed. "Ziplock Zeta foot fashion! Ice ice baby," she wrote in the caption.
Health scare details
Jeannie Mai's health was in a far more dire state than previously known. In early November, the talk show panelist on "The Real" abruptly left "Dancing With the Stars" a few weeks into the competition to have throat surgery. She's since detailed her health scare, revealing that she was "hours" from dying. A doctor, she said, saved her "ability to breathe." Speaking on "Hello Hunnay" on Dec. 10, Jeannie said she didn't take the situation seriously enough in the beginning. "I was not focused on saving my life, I was focused on competing in 'Dancing With the Stars,'" she said. After waking up sick one day, she and her dance partner, Brandon Armstrong, canceled their practice. Jeannie then went to the doctor and was misdiagnosed. She was prescribed steroids. A few days later, she woke up gasping for air. She eventually went to a specialist and "found out that my throat was going to close in the next few hours," she recalled. After that, she was taken to the hospital and forced to quit "DWTS."
