Travis Scott faces $2B Astroworld Festival lawsuit
Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation and others involved with the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Nov. 5 are now facing a $2 billion lawsuit filed by 280 alleged victims of the deadly event. On Nov. 18, TMZ reported Houston-based attorney Thomas Henry amended a complaint to reflect he's now looking for $2 billion in damages after 10 people died and hundreds more were injured during Travis' performance. The suit claims Travis "incited [concert-goers] into a frenzy," causing them to press forward into the stage, trampling people on the way. The filing also alleges organizers failed to deal with safety problems that became evident during the 2019 festival at NRG Stadium, which is also named as a defendant. Finally, he cites reports of fans shimmying up staging platforms and begging producers to do something as the mayhem got worse. Video on social media has corroborated many of those accounts. "The Defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money of this event," the suit states, "yet they chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put the festival attendees at risk."
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Jennifer Lopez talks 'happily ever after' as Bennifer reunion continues
It was a question Jennifer Lopez had to know was coming. While promoting her upcoming rom-com "Marry Me" on the "Today" show's Nov. 18 episode, J.Lo — who's quit hiding her very much on-again relationship with onetime fiancé Ben Affleck — was asked about the new movie's title. "The two words 'marry me' — are those two words you would like to hear in the future?" Hoda Kotb teased. "I don't know. Yeah, I guess. I mean, you know me. I'm a romantic, I always have been. I've been married a few times," Jennifer said, laughing. "I still believe in happily ever after, for sure. One hundred percent." Jennifer, 52, was engaged to Alex Rodriguez prior to rekindling her romance with Ben. She was previously married three times. Ben, 49, married his now ex-wife, Jennifer Garner a couple of years after he and J.Lo called it quits in the early aughts. In "Marry Me," she plays a singer who ties the knot with a single dad (Owen Wilson) after discovering her fiancé (Maluma) has cheated on her. "Marry Me" hits theaters Feb. 11.
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Kourtney Kardashian claps back
Kourtney Kardashian just shut down another would-be mom-shamer. On Nov. 17, the mother of three, who recently got engaged to Travis Barker, shared photos of her kids on blended family trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where the couple was celebrating Travis' 46th birthday. "Oh wow you're with your kids finally????" wrote a commenter on photos of Kourtney and her little ones riding horses on the beach at sunset. The 42-year-old took the negativity in stride, telling the troll, "I'm with my kids every day thank God, social media isn't always real life." According to the Daily Mail, Kourt's clap-back quickly racked up nearly 1,000 likes as fans jumped in to defend her. "Don't waste your time or energy. We all know you're a good mom and you're with your kids," one person assured her. "Weird how some ppl think a woman can't be with her kids & her fiance," snapped another user. Kourtney shares Mason, 11, Penelope, 9 and Reign, 6, with ex Scott Disick, while Travis shares teens Landon, 18, and Alabama, 15, with his ex-wife, Shanna Moakler "They all seemed very friendly and like they were having fun together," a source told E! News after spotting the families together on their getaway. "The younger kids looked up to the older kids and they looked like one big happy family."
Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian celebrate his birthday in matching PJs
Pete Davidson celebrated his birthday on Nov. 16 with rumored new love interest Kim Kardashian West, her mom, Kris Jenner — and, more confusingly, Flavor Flav. Clad in matching brown plaid pajamas by Kim's SKIMS company, Kim, 41, and the birthday boy, 28, made whatever's going on between them Instagram official by posing for a photo with Flav and Kris that the Public Enemy alum later shared on Instagram. According to People, Kim threw Pete a little b-day bash at Kris' home in Palm Springs. "They are getting to know each other better and getting along great," a source told the outlet. "Kim loves his spark. He is very funny, entertaining and makes Kim happy. They are still dating and enjoying it. He showers Kim with compliments and she loves it." Judging from the jammies worn by all but Flav in the pics, Pete also offers his free SKIMS advertising services on the 'Gram — we suspect Kim loves that, too. Kim and Pete were first linked in October after they were photographed holding hands on a ride at Knott's Scary Farm.
Madonna offers post-conservatorship support to Britney Spears
Back in September, as it became clear Britney Spears was on her way to freedom from her 13-year long conservatorship, Madonna told "Extra" she was "proud of" and "happy for" the singer, adding, "I adore her and I can't wait to spend time with her." According to Page Six, the Queen of Pop is now following through with support. On Nov. 18, less than a week after Britney's conservatorship was terminated, the outlet reported Madonna has been "in touch with Britney Spears multiple times" since the legal battle heated up over the summer. "Madonna has always had a soft spot for Britney and couldn't sit idly by when she felt that there were clear injustices going on," a source said. "Madonna is waging war. She is h*** bent on righting the wrongs that Britney had to endure. She has offered to help in any way that she can and is not afraid to speak up or intervene if needed."
Lizzo says the body-positive conversation is 'exhausting'
In a new cover story for Essence, Lizzo says the constant focus on her body-positive messaging has started to wear her down. That's because in her commitment to embracing her own plus-sized figure, she hopes to show that what matters is more than skin-deep. "It's exhausting," the singer says. "And that's the point. I don't want to talk about this anymore. We should be neutral about bodies." The November/December cover of Essence also features Simone Biles and journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones, offering closer looks at how all three women have had "the courage to choose themselves" what they learned in 2021 "by prioritizing their mental health."
Lady Gaga's 'House of Gucci' method acting made her physically ill
Lady Gaga used such extreme method acting to transform into her "House of Gucci" character that she says director Ridley Scott intervened at one point to tell her, "I don't want you traumatizing yourself." The singer and Oscar-nominated actress plays Patrizia Reggiani — whose real-life counterpart had her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci, murdered — in the film, where she says she delved into painful incidents from her past including a rape to draw out more emotion and drama. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Nov. 17, Gaga recalls losing it in "a scene where I knock a lit candle across the room, and I remember I gave Salma [Hayek] a heart attack that day." She explains, "I was falling apart as [Patrizia] fell apart. When I say that I didn't break character, some of it was not by choice. Ridley said, 'I don't want you traumatizing yourself,'" she continues. "And I said, 'I already have. I've already been through this anyway. I might as well give it to you.' And he said, 'Well, leave it here and don't do this to yourself anymore.'" After revealing she often threw up before work while filming from a mix of "anxiety, fatigue, trauma, exhaustion, commitment and love," she admitted she felt "insecure" discussing those details. "I get nervous that people will assume that I'm sensationalizing a certain type of acting," she said.
Quentin Tarantino responds to lawsuit over 'Pulp Fiction' NFTs
Quentin Tarantino seems ready for a fight after Miramax sued the director for selling NFTs (non-fungible tokens) based on unused, handwritten scenes from his 1993 movie, "Pulp Fiction." The studio's lawyers have argued Quentin's contract — drawn up decades before NFTs existed — doesn't allow him the rights to make money off those pages. On Nov. 17, Quentin's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Deadline that the contract does, in fact, allow Quentin to do as he likes with the physical, unused script pages. He also slammed Miramax for entering the contract into evidence, thereby making it public information. "Miramax is wrong – plain and simple," says Quentin's lawyer. "Quentin Tarantino's contract is clear: he has the right to sell NFTs of his hand-written script for 'Pulp Fiction' and this ham-fisted attempt to prevent him from doing so will fail. But Miramax's callous decision to disclose confidential information about its filmmakers' contracts and compensation will irreparably tarnish its reputation long after this case is dismissed." As CinemaBlend points out, the case could have a lasting impact because of the increasingly high value of NFTs.