Britney settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father

ENTERTAINMENT

Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed by the attorneys for the pop star and her father, who confirmed the settlement to CNN.
“It has been our honor and privilege to represent, protect, and defend Britney Spears,” the singer’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, said in a statement to CNN.
“Ms. Spears is and always will be an icon and a brilliant and brave artist of historic and epic proportion,” Rosengart’s statement continued. “Although the conservatorship was terminated in November 2021, her wish for freedom is now truly complete. As she desired, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved with court in this matter.”
Alex Weingarten, attorney for the singer’s father, told CNN, “Jamie is thrilled that this is all over.”
“Jamie loves his daughter very much and worked tirelessly to protect her,” Weingarten said. “He wants the best for Britney, nothing less.”
Spears’ conservatorship was terminated back in November 2021. But the legal battles have persisted with lawyers for the singer and her father going head-to-head in frequent court visits over attorney’s fees and allegations of improper behavior in handling the conservatorship. Her father has consistently denied the accusations.
The star was placed under the court-ordered conservatorship in 2008 with her father serving as her conservator for the majority of the 13-year arrangement, overseeing and controlling all of his adult daughter’s finances and medical decisions. – CNN

Madonna says her kids’ ‘enthusiasm’ kept her going

Madonna may be the reigning Queen of Pop, but she’s a mother first.
As the Vogue singer approaches her 80th show on her Celebration tour, she took a moment to appreciate how much her six children have helped her get to this point after being hospitalized last year before the tour began.
“I need to acknowledge my incredibly talented children who carried me through,” Madonna wrote on her Instagram page, adding that each of them has brought “their own unique talent to the stage.” She also wrote that their “enthusiasm kept me going.”
Her post included a series of photos of her children performing with her on stage as well as some behind-the-scenes moments. Madonna’s children figure prominently in her Celebration tour. Her daughter Mercy James, 18, plays the piano, delivering a beautiful mid-show rendition of her mother’s song Bad Girl off the 1992 album “Erotica.” David Banda, her 18-year-old son, plays guitar in the show, while her 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere act as DJ and runway model during the “Vogue” sequence.
In Madonna’s last tour, 2019’s “Madame X,” her oldest daughter Lourdes Leon appeared as the sole dancer in a video centerpiece set to the singer’s 1998 classic track Frozen. – CNN

‘Diddy’ seeks to toss portion of sexual assault and ‘revenge porn’ civil suit

Attorneys for embattled musician and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, pictured, are asking a New York court to throw out portions of a civil suit accusing the rapper and mogul of sexual assault and revenge porn.
In a motion filed in the State of New York courts, Combs’ attorneys raised procedural issues with a suit filed last year against the artist and his company Bad Boy Records by Joi Dickerson-Neal, who said she was “intentionally drugged” by Combs and sexually assaulted when she was a college student in 1991. Around the time, she had appeared with Combs in a music video, per the suit.
The lawsuit also alleged Combs had filmed the sexual assault and shown it to others, claiming that days after the alleged assault, a male friend revealed to Dickerson he had viewed video of it. – CNN

Mary J Blige found her strength and now wants to help other women find their own

Mary J. Blige, pictured, just might be the most famous native of Yonkers, New York, and yet she’s not forgotten her roots there.
The newly announced Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is giving back to the community that helped launch her start.
Blige’s “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” is partnering with Pepsi to launch a fund with $100,000 (K 381,240.90) available as grants to local organizations whose work elevates and educates underserved women in Yonkers.
The singer couldn’t be happier about the partnership and how it’s helping her to further the work she does uplifting women.
“It’s so fulfilling,” Blige told CNN. “It’s everything that my movement is about. I always wanted to give back, especially to the women in Yonkers.”
Known as the “queen of hip-hop soul,” Blige’s early career was marked by passionate, yet often sad songs that reflected her own struggles in her personal life.
Her 2021 documentary “My Life” explores Blige’s past struggles with depression, substance abuse and an abusive relationship.
She persevered through it all, and in the process learned that her healing could help others.
Blige said she didn’t realize she had a “ministry” in terms of her music until the release of her 1997 album “Share My World,” which strongly resonated with her fans.
“My testimony was just to help. Helping so many people,” she said. “Helping people who were saying ‘Mary, me too. Me too.’ And if you could come through, what I could come through so can you.” – CNN

Home and Away star arrested after manhunt

Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger, pictured, has been arrested after a three-day police manhunt in Australia.
Pledger, 30, is facing four charges for allegedly assaulting a woman, authorities say.
He had been granted bail on Monday to undergo a court-ordered medical assessment, on the strict condition that he return the following day. But when he failed to show up in court, police appealed for public information and issued an arrest warrant.
The actor was detained in Melbourne, Victoria Police said. They did not offer further details.
His manager, Craig McMahon, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper he had not been in contact with his client but that he had been shocked by the assault allegations. – BBC