Celebrity Scoop – 08/15/2018

DEMI LOVATO IS DOING ‘MUCH BETTER,’ SOURCE SAYS – (08/15/2018)

Three weeks after the overdose which put her in the hospital, Demi Lovato is on the long road to recovery.

A source tells E! that Demi “will be in rehab for several months and is doing an extensive program to ensure she gets the help she needs.” The 25-year-old singer is reportedly in Chicago working with a therapist who specializes in sobriety and mental health.

The source adds that Demi “hasn’t been in communication with anyone and is really focusing on herself.” While her ex-boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama is in contact with Demi’s family and “has been checking on [her] status,” the insider says that he hasn’t been able to speak with her because her family “is trying to make sure they eliminate all distractions.”

The good news is that Demi is “doing much better,” the source says. Since she’s begun to understand that she “almost died,” she’s “become more open and is happy she is getting the help she needs.”

At the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Demi’s friend Lauren Jauregui told ET, “I have spoken with her and honestly, I just send so much love.”

Meanwhile, Demio’s near-fatal overdose on July 24th happened after she texted a drug dealer to come to her house, sources tell TMZ. When he arrived, he and Lovato reportedly freebased Oxycodone on tin foil. The batch was reportedly laced with Fentanyl – the same drug that killed Prince and Lil Peep.

The dealer reportedly left after noticing Demi was in bed breathing heavily. She was found at 11:30 am on the 24th and revived with Narcan.  

DEMI LOVATO’S ALLEGED DEALER BUSTED MONTHS AGO? The man who allegedly gave Demi Lovato the drugs that led to her overdose was busted with guns and drugs a month prior to that, TMZ reports. Brandon Johnson was arrested in March carrying narcotics, guns and $10K in cash; a search of his home then turned up more. Then in June, he was nabbed for a DUI and cocaine possession. TMZ reports that the D.A. has not yet charged him for the March arrest.

TAYLOR SWIFT ADDRESSES GROPING TRIAL ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF VERDICT – (08/15/2018)

Taylor Swift was in a courtroom one year ago for her groping trial, in which a jury ruled that she was assaulted by former radio host David Mueller during a 2013 meet and greet.

The 28-year-old singer choked up while talking about the trial on the one-year anniversary of the verdict on Tuesday during her Reputation Stadium Tour stop in Tampa, Florida.

“A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa, I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado,” Taylor told the crowd. “Honestly, I was there for a sexual assault case. And this day a year ago is day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me.”

“I guess I just think about all the people that weren’t believed and the people who haven’t been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won’t be believed,” Taylor said. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn’t believed because I don’t know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn’t believe me when I said something had happened to me.”

“So I just wanted to say we have so much further to go, and I’m so grateful to you guys for being there for me during what was really a horrible part of my life,” Taylor continued. “I wanted to thank you for just kind of… I mean I know when I meet you guys at meet-and-greets and after the shows, you guys tell me about the hard times that you’ve gone through in your lives and I really appreciate you trusting me with that information.”

“And you know you guys have seen me go through so many ups and downs in my life just due to the public nature of the way my life is, and I wanted to say that I’m so happy to see you and to have you and know you through the ups and the downs in my life… Sorry I just haven’t really talked about it, and so I’m just not composed at all,” Taylor concluded.

Fans in the audience held up $1 bills during the speech to mark the symbolic amount that Taylor was awarded in the case.

ARIANA GRANDE, JAMES CORDEN PERFORM LIVE, MUSICAL VERSION OF ‘TITANIC’ – (08/15/2018)

James Corden and guest Ariana Grande performed a live, musical version of Titanic using 13 different songs Monday on The Late Late Show.

The late night host and singer kicked off the skit by performing Styx’s “Come Sail Away” as the pair boarded the boat as Jack and Rose, the characters famously portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic.

The film’s signature scene on the bow of the boat featured Corden and Grande singing “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters. Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” was used for the iconic scene of the Titanic hitting the iceberg and NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” was the song used for Jack’s death.

Grande ended the musical by performing “My Heart Will Go On,” the hit song from the soundtrack of Titanic.

All together the duo performed 13 songs across nine different scenes including “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates, “The Way I Are” by Timbaland, “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, “Steal My Girl” by One Direction, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran, “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly, “Timber” by Pitbull featuring Kesha, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.

Grande’s fourth studio album Sweetener is set for release Friday. The project will include the singles “No Tears Left to Cry,” “The Light is Coming” featuring Nicki Minaj and “God is a Woman.”

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK TO CELEBRATE ‘HANGIN’ TOUGH’ AT APOLLO THEATER – (08/15/2018)

New Kids on the Block are set to return to the famed Apollo Theater in New York City for a special performance in celebration of their hit album, “Hangin’ Tough.” The one night only event, set to take place on October 7th, will commemorate the 30th anniversary of “Hangin’ Tough,” which was released in 1988.

The album, the boy band’s second, featured chart-topping hits such as “Please Don’t Go Girl,” “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” and “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever).” Tickets go on sale for Block Nation members on Thursday.

New Kids on the Block released a teaser trailer for the Apollo performance on Twitter featuring the group throughout the years performing onstage.

BACKSTREET BOYS, BAZZI AND BRYCE VINE TO PERFORM AT MTV VMA PRE-SHOW: Backstreet Boys, Bazzi and Bryce Vine will all be performing live during the lead-in to MTV’s Video Music Awards on August 20th. The event – held outside New York’s Radio City Music Hall – will be hosted by, among others, Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore Family Vacation. The event will also include a PUSH Artists Stage, where rising stars like Hayley Kiyoko, Jessie Reyez, Juice WRLD and PRETTY MUCH will perform. Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Logic with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and Post Malone will all perform. Jennifer Lopez will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and perform on the telecast for the first time since 2001.