By JM Stephens
9:23am PDT, Jun 19, 2020
Britney Spears debuts new bangs
It's Britney, Bangs! The pop star hopped on Instagram on June 16 to announce that she's changed up her hairstyle. "I did it I finally cut bangs !!!!!!" she wrote. Fans seemed to love it as Britney's photo quickly generated comments like, "Omg you look like an embryo! Youthful queen!" and "Queen of Bangs!" Britney has been posting very bubbly shots of herself around her house during quarantine. "Who would have thought bangs could make you look waaaaay younger ?!?!" The star said after the positive reaction from fans. Britney has admitted in the past to feeling like she couldn't rock the hairstyle. "It was such a big deal to expose my forehead …. only pretty people in the South could do that and I never felt pretty enough to pull it off," she said. "All the beauty pageant girls did it but I never felt beauty pageants were my thing … I had bad teeth and felt like an ugly duckling."
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Hank Williams Jr.'s youngest daughter killed in Tennessee crash
Country music legend Hank Williams Jr.'s 27-year-old daughter and son-in-law were involved in a fatal car accident in Paris, Tennessee. The Tennessee highway patrol said the couple were driving along Highway 79 near Paris around 7:45 p.m. on June 13 when their car, which was towing a boat, crossed over the median and rolled over. Katherine Williams-Dunning, Hank's daughter, was killed. Her husband, Tyler Dunning, survived the crash and was airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital. Katherine is Hank's daughter with his third wife, Mary Jane Thomas, and the youngest of his children. Katherine and Tyler were married in October 2015 and share two kids, 5-year-old son Beau and 2-year-old daughter Audrey Jane.
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Amy Grant gives update after open heart surgery
Singer Amy Grant is letting fans know how she's doing after undergoing open heart surgery on June 3. On June 15, the singer explained her "miraculous" recovery. The surgery was to correct a rare heart condition — PAPVR, or partial anomalous pulmonary venous return — which she's had since birth. The singer posted images of her post-surgery scars and compared her situation to being "a non-runner who was signed up for a marathon." The singer went on to say, "I didn't want it, but I had to have it anyway and it was a week ago Wednesday. And as people heard about the surgery I started getting messages: 'I'm praying for you' …'I'm praying for you.' People I worked with decades ago, people who have come to my concerts or listen to my music, my work family, people on social media, and my own friends and family all offered their prayers."
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What went wrong in Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock's marriage
In the wake of Kelly Clarkson's early June divorce filing, many fans are asking what went wrong. On June 11, E! News reported that, according to one source, the breakup "came out of nowhere" and is "quite shocking" because the pop star and her hubby "were always such a loving family" and "it never seemed like they had any issues." But another source told Us Weekly that the pair "clashed on so many levels" and that "being in quarantine together" on their Montana ranch "heightened their problems to the point of no return." An insider who spoke to "Entertainment Tonight" echoed that sentiment, telling the outlet, "Kelly and Brandon had been having problems for several months and were making a conscious effort to work things out. They both hoped quarantining away from L.A. in Montana would help them work things out in their marriage, but instead the change in environment was actually detrimental. … Kelly knew she just needed to follow her heart and finally realized divorce was her only option." While the split has been difficult, both Brandon and Kelly — who fans noticed had taken off her wedding ring when she filmed her June 15 talk show from her Los Angeles home after returning from Montana — are making sure their two kids remain their priority.
Iggy Azalea shows off her body a week after revealing she had a baby
On June 16 — a week after announcing that she'd quietly welcomed her first child, a son, in recent months — rapper Iggy Azalea shared new photos of herself showing off her body. "Keeping things simple in @fashionnova," the singer, who's been linked to rapper Playboi Carti since 2018, captioned a sultry shot of herself wearing the brand. She also posted a video of herself in a stomach-baring crop top getting her makeup touched up.
Ariana Grande says "thank you, next" to Starbucks coffee
Ariana Grande seems to be taking a stand and distancing herself from Starbucks. In mid-June, fans noticed that the iced coffee-loving singer, who's publicly shared her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, unfollowed the coffee brand after it was made public that Black Lives Matter attire was not allowed under the company's employee dress code guidelines. Ariana at one point posted photos of beverages purchased from other coffee spots on her social media. Following outcry, Starbucks reversed course, releasing a statement saying, "…We're designing new T-shirts with [a new] graphic … to demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity. Until these arrive, we've heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or T-shirt. We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity. We trust you to do what's right while never forgetting Starbucks is a welcoming third place where all are treated with dignity and respect."
Jordin Sparks opens up about previous fear of speaking out
On June 17, singer Jordin Sparks opened up about how she was "nervous" to speak out publicly in the past about seemingly controversial issues but has reached a point where she "cannot not say anything." The former "American Idol" winner-turned-actress said on "The Joe Madison Show," "This moment in time for me, especially being mixed [race], and especially having a black husband, and a son that the world is going to view as black as well — even though he's got lighter skin and blue eyes, he's still going to be a black kid, you know what I'm saying? And for me, it was just like, you know what? Basically, expletive this. F this. I can't, I cannot, I just can't, I cannot not say anything. I have to say something." The singer, who shares 2-year-old son DJ with husband Dana Isaiah, also spoke about what she's witnessed at recent protests against police brutality and shared that seeing people come together to right wrongs has been inspiring for her. Of George Floyd's murder, she explained, "That could've been my brother. It could have been my cousins. … I was out there so my son's future can be better than this. It's gotta be better than this."
"We'll Meet Again" singer Vera Lynn dies at 103
Dame Vera Lynn, the British singer best known for her wartime song "We'll Meet Again," has died at 103. Her family confirmed the news on June 18, saying, "The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best loved entertainers." Vera was known as the Forces' Sweetheart during World War II. Her song "We'll Meet Again" was even recently referenced by Queen Elizabeth II during her coronavirus address when the monarch assured the nation that, "We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again." Lynn knew the queen personally and even sang for her at Buckingham Palace in 1995… South Korean K-Pop star Yohan passed away on June 17 at 28. A cause of death was not publicly revealed… 1960s Welsh pop star Ricky Valance died on June 12 at 84 following a battle with dementia.
Alanis Morissette opens up about multiple miscarriages
Alanis Morissette is getting frank about how difficult her road to motherhood has been. During a June 15 appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, the mother of three said she had "a bunch of miscarriages" with husband Mario "Souleye" Treadway. "I chased and prayed for pregnancy and learned so much about my body and biochemistry and immunity and gynecology through the process," she shared. "It was a torturous learning and loss-filled and persevering process."
Kanye West's Yeezy to enter the beauty business
Looks like the Kardashian-Jenner family has influenced Kanye West! TMZ reported on June 15 that the rapper's apparel company, Yeezy, had filed trademarks to enter the beauty and fragrance world. The application covered makeup, false eyelashes, facial masks, nail polish, moisturizers, bath gels, body oils, shaving cream, hair care products and perfumes and some hygienic products. Yeezy would join the other beauty lines in wife Kim Kardashian West's family like her KKW Beauty and her little sister Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics. Kanye previously tried to get into the makeup game under his DONDA brand in 2017 but didn't ultimately pursue those plans.
