Celebrity Scoop – 04/15/2019

TAYLOR SWIFT BEGINS COUNTDOWN CLOCK SET FOR APRIL 26TH – (04/15/2019)

Taylor Swift shared a mysterious countdown clock that ends on April 26th on her Instagram Stories. April 26th is 13 days from the day the clock was posted. Thirteen is Swift’s lucky number.

When the clock struck midnight on Friday, the Grammy winner, 29, swapped her Instagram, Twitter and Facebook photos to a pastel sky and clouds and included the date “4.26” in her bios.

Her website is also now featuring the countdown clock.

She also teased the same date on Instagram Saturday, posting a cryptic picture of a pink heart made of diamonds. On Sunday, Swift posted an image of a pair of hands adorned with several rings and spring-ready pastel nails.

The mysterious countdown popped up all over the world, including New York’s Time Square, London, Melbourne, Australia, Tokyo, Japan and Delhi, India, sending curious Swifties into a frenzy.

Taylor didn’t specify what would be happening on the 26th, fans have been speculating that she’s getting ready to release new music for months. Last month, Taylor addressed the rumors surrounding her new music and was even spotted leaving a recording studio.

ARIANA GRANDE SHARES BRAIN SCAN SHOWING PTSD – (04/15/2019)

Ariana Grande is sharing her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 25-year-old singer illustrated her struggle with the condition Thursday by posting a brain scan on Instagram Stories showing her high levels of PTSD.

Grande shared a screenshot of a group text message. She sent a photo of a normal brain scan, which was largely dark, a scan of a brain with PTSD, which had some highlighted areas, and her own scan, which was mainly light.

“hilarious and terrifying,” the star captioned the post. Later she apologized for freaking her fans out with the post.

In a note posted on her Instagram Story, Ari wrote, “Didn’t mean to startle anyone with my brain thingy. it just blew me away. i found it informative and interesting and wanted to encourage y’all to make sure you check on your brains/listen to your bodies/take care of yourselves, too.”

“i love science and seeing the physical reality of what’s going in there was incredible to me,” she continued. “i mean, i feel it all the time but seeing it is totally different and super cool.”

Grande said in the July issue of British Vogue she was experiencing “signs of PTSD” following the Manchester bombing in May 2017. A suicide bomber killed 22 people and wounded 139 at Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena in Great Britain.

“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing,” the singer said. “I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well.”

“Time is the biggest thing,” she added. “I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”

Grande has been open about her mental health following the bombing as well as the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller in September.

Grande will return to Manchester in August to headline Manchester Pride. She last released the single “Monopoly” with Victoria Monét this month.

She is currently on her Sweetener international tour, and this weekend, she is set to become the youngest female artist to headline at Coachella.

In April, Grande released “No Tears Left to Cry,” the first song off her album Sweetener. At a concert Saturday, she teased another new track, “The Light Is Coming,” which will feature Nicki Minaj and is set to arrive June 20th.

Grande’s supporters have expressed concern for the 25-year-old on social media. Many are urging her to take time away from the spotlight to heal.

SELENA GOMEZ JOINS CARDI B & DJ SNAKE FOR ‘TAKI TAKI’ AT COACHELLA: Selena Gomez surprised fans at Coachella Friday by joining Cardi B and Ozuna to sing “Taki Taki” during DJ Snake’s set. It was Selena’s first onstage appearance since last May, when she joined her pal Taylor Swift onstage during Taylor’s Reputation tour to sing her hit “Hands to Myself.” Cardi B posted a photo on her Instagram story of Selena, Snake and herself with the caption “Coachella and I love them.” There’s also video of the trio. Last month, Selena told fans during an Instagram Live session that she’s been in the studio working on her long-awaited album and is “super, super happy.” On April 25th, Selena will appear at California’s WE Day, a youth empowerment event she’s been participating in for the past seven years. She also has a new film, The Dead Don’t Die, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

BTS MAKES ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ DEBUT; TO PERFORM AT THE 2019 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS – (04/15/2019)

BTS made history on Saturday night, becoming the first K-pop group to perform as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Their set included their latest song, “Boy with Luv,” as well as their hit, “Mic Drop.”

The K-pop group’s performance was highly anticipated, with passionate fans – coined “The Army” – reportedly camped out in front of the studio days in advance in hopes of meeting them.

Guest host Emma Stone noted the band’s popularity in her monologue, saying she wanted to test the sound levels by telling the studio audience that BTS would sing later in the show, then waiting for their reaction. The announcement was met with ecstatic cheers and applause. “OK, we’re good to go,” Stone quipped.

The seven-member boy band released their new EP Map of the Soul: Persona on Friday. This is their first new collection of music since they completed the Love Yourself album trilogy last August.

Meanwhile, BTS has shattered a major YouTube record. The band has broken the record for most views within the first 24 hours with their new single “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. As of 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, “Boy With Luv” had racked up over 92 million views. This smashes the previous record, set one week ago by K-pop girl group Blackpink’s “Kill This Love,” which earned over 56 million views in its first 24 hours, beating out Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next.”

BTS’s “Boy With Luv” YouTube video also garnered 2 million comments in the first 24 hours.

The band will kick off their international Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour on May 3rd.

In other news, BTS and Halsey are teaming up to perform “Boy With Luv” live at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, producers revealed.

The two join previously announced performers including Kelly Clarkson, Lauren Daigle, Khalid, Panic! At The Disco and Sam Smith and Normani, plus a special performance by 2019 Icon Award recipient Mariah Carey.

The 2019 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live on NBC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1st.

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