Source: Variety

Last June 23, 2021, Britney Spears asked a Los Angeles judge to end the court-appointed conservatorship that has possessed all control over the star’s life and career, preventing Spears from living on her own. Ever since she publicly struggled with her mental health, she has lost all autonomy of her life. For over ten years, the pop star allowed this to continue until she declared via a remote connection that “enough is enough.”

In a highly passionate statement, Britney Spears openly expressed to the judge her desire for the conservatorship to end. For the past decade, the 39-year-old has been under the sole conservatorship of her father, Jaime Spears, who has taken control of her life since 2008, from managing her finances to handling her social life. This legal arrangement was then converted to a co-conservatorship with a wealth management company, Bessemer Trust.

“I think this conservatorship is abusive. I don’t think I can live a full life,” she said. “I feel ganged up on, I feel bullied, and I feel alone.”

“I shouldn’t be in a conservatorship if I can work and provide money and work for myself and pay other people. It makes no sense,” she added.

Britney Spears talked about her life under a conservatorship that was kept hidden from the public eye. She said that she was constantly being exploited, which caused Spears to suffer from sleep deprivation and depression. She even added that the conservatorship traumatized her, recalling one incident in Las Vegas in which she did not want to do additional shows. Although the talented artist’s handlers did not force her to perform shows anymore, there were consequences to that. Days later, her therapist changed her regimen because Spears was allegedly uncooperative in Vegas.

In another shocking revelation, Britney Spears claimed that the legal arrangement prevented her from starting a family with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. She further revealed that she was prohibited from visiting a doctor to remove the IUD inside of her, forcing Spears to keep them in place.

“I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told I am not able to get married,” the singer claimed. “I have an IUD inside me so that I won’t get pregnant, but this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out.” 

“This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” she added.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny lauded Britney Spears for her brave statement, encouraging her to file a petition to end the conservatorship. “Mrs. Spears, I just want to commend you again for really stepping forward and stepping out to have your thoughts heard by not only myself but everybody who has been involved in this case,” she said. “I just want to let you know how much I appreciate that,” she added.

On the other hand, Jamie’s legal team argued that the conservatorship had improved Britney’s estate, which is no longer swimming in debt. They also added that her father’s motive had always been his “unconditional love for his daughter and a fierce desire to protect her from those trying to take advantage of her.”

Nonetheless, Britney’s lawyers vowed that the pop star would no longer perform any shows until she regains control over her life.

“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy—it’s a lie. I thought just maybe if I said that enough, maybe I might become happy because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized,” Britney Spears shared.

References:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/britney-spears-conservatorship-hearing-2021-06-23/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/22/britney-spears-conservatorship-testimony

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/23/1009416566/britney-spears-speaks-her-mind-at-last-in-conservatorship-hearing

Over the past decade, one of the biggest stories that emerged in the music industry is that of a female pop star Kesha accusing a big-name producer Dr. Luke of sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse. On Wednesday, the pop star scored her biggest victory in the seven-year legal fight as the court released a decision allowing Kesha to pursue counterclaims.

The long-running defamation lawsuit filed by Dr. Luke against the pop singer emerged after Kesha’s public allegations of rape in 2014 and 2016 in a series of text messages between herself and Lady Gaga. Sometime later this year, when the case goes to trial, the producer will have to prove by clear and convincing evidence that there was actual malice in Kesha’s accusations. The singer is also pursuing trial compensations, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees from the producer. 

A decision released by the New York Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter on June 30, 2021, states that New York’s recently enacted SLAPP statute applies in the case and is potentially significant during the hearings. Dr. Luke’s attorney, although nodding to the evidentiary burden, suggested that her client’s substantive rights were violated.

After Schecter’s decision, Dr. Luke’s attorney issued a statement: “Today’s court hearing was only about a technical legal issue: the burden of proof. At trial, Dr. Luke will prove to the jury, as he has always maintained, that Kesha spread a vicious lie to get out of her contracts. Kesha refuses to make any claim against Like that she would have the burden of proof on—because she knows she would lose and that she is lying.”

Dr. Luke’s camp scored many advantages back in February 2020 when the summary judgment, including the judge’s conclusion that he wasn’t a public figure and that Kesha published a false statement claiming that he had raped her, as well as molesting Katy Perry. On an appeal, the New York appeals court also stunned legal observers and the press by agreeing that Dr. Luke is a private entity.

The new court decision is a breakthrough win for Kesha and her camp. The singer’s attorney Leah Godesky recently released a statement on their goal of pursuing a counterclaim: “As everyone knows from the beginning, this is a he-said-she-said case where the evidentiary burden matters.”

New York’s recently passed law called the Anti-SLAPP statute protects free speech from frivolous accusations. Thanks to the statute, private figures now have to demonstrate actual malice in certain situations, such as Kesha’s defamation case against Dr. Luke. To prevail in this defamation trial, the producer will now “need to show more than just a preponderance of the evidence that there was no rape; he’ll need to show that the pop star, who alleges she was drugged before the rape, had knowledge of falsity or recklessly disregarded the truth.”

Previously, Kesha and Dr. Luke had disputed in court when the singer broke ties with Dr. Luke and his record label over the alleged withholding of funds and Kesha’s original sexual assault charges, which the artist dropped in 2016.

The counterclaim case still has no trial date, but it could take place in the coming months. 

Source: GQ

June is widely celebrated as Pride Month globally, allowing the LGBTQ+ community to hold various events and parades and celebrate their individuality. Celebrities often join in the celebration, encouraging many to embrace and celebrate their identities. Among the latest line of actors to celebrate the special month is Disney star Joshua Bassett.

Joshua Bassett’s career started to pick up when he landed the role of Aiden Peters in the comedy series, Stuck in the Middle. However, he rose to prominence when he took the leading role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Since then, Bassett has enjoyed the spotlight, participating in several interviews. 

During his interview with GQ, he discussed his “coming out” video in May, which had gone viral. Speculations arose when the young actor was asked about singer Harry Styles in an interview to which he expressed respect and admiration before describing styles as “hot.” The internet exploded, curious about the legitimacy of his comment and if he had given himself a label. Bassett attended to all the curious fans on social media with a message of love and rainbow emojis.

“Love who you love shamelessly,” he wrote, “It’s okay to still be figuring out who you are. Life’s too short to let ignorance and hatred win. I choose love.” Bassett supported his words by confirming that he was not joking and stood behind every word he said. 

Joshua Bassett later said that he is “anti-coming out in the sense that there’s no need to.” He elaborated by talking about his childhood. Back then, others would attempt to label him as either gay or straight, refusing to believe him when speaking about his sexuality. “There are plenty of letters in the alphabet,” Basset said, “Why bother rushing to a conclusion? Sometimes your letter changes, sometimes you try a different one. Other times you realize you’re not what you thought you were, or maybe you always knew. All of these can be true. I’m happy to be part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all. Don’t let anyone tell you love isn’t love. They’re the ones who probably need it the most.”

The interview only served to add fuel to the fire of speculations as many fans have been curious about his love life centering around an alleged love triangle with co-star Olivia Rodrigo and former Disney star Sabrina Carpenter. Following the release of Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and “Deja Vu,” Bassett has avoided discussing any drama in depth despite the media pressure. 

Bassett recalls how he felt watching co-stars Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez, who play a gay couple in the Disney show, dance together in the homecoming episode. “I didn’t connect the dots until recently…the reason that made me so emotional,” admitted the young actor, “I’m getting so emotional because they were speaking their truth despite the inevitable reaction they were going to get.”Joshua Bassett hopes that the current generation can feel more at ease when talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and losing the urgency to have it all figured out. “I didn’t necessarily have that when I was younger,” Bassett shared. “I didn’t have a me saying stuff like this. I’m very at peace. I’m celebrating Pride all month long.”