Celebrity Scoop – 11/07/2018

ARIANA GRANDE NAMED BILLBOARD’S 2018 WOMAN OF THE YEAR – (11/07/2018)

Ariana Grande has been named the 2018 Woman of the Year by Billboard. Grande will be presented with a Woman of the Year award at the 13th annual Women in Music dinner and awards gala in New York on December 6th.

The singer has had an eventful year, releasing her fourth studio album Sweetener in August. The release reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and earned the largest streaming week ever for a pop album by a female artist upon its release.

“Ariana Grande is a star on her own terms, never bending to any particular musical trend or path in the industry,” Billboard’s VP of content Ross Scarano said in a statement. “Certain in her convictions, she consistently stands up for herself and her decisions in a world that often isn’t hospitable to that sort of strength in young women. She’s got guts, she’s making some of the best music of her career, and she’s absolutely deserving of Woman of the Year,” he continued.

Grande joins a list of past winners that include Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Pink, Fergie, Madonna and last year’s winner Selena Gomez.

“Thank u for this honor @billboard,” Grande said on Twitter Tuesday.

Ariana also released a lyric video for her latest song, “thank u, next.” The track features Grande singing about her past relationships with Ricky Alvarez, Big Sean, Mac Miller and Pete Davidson.

The new video displays the words of her song on uneven, faded pink pieces of paper against a matching background, employing a ransom note effect. An occasional lipstick print appears by the lyrics, adding to the vintage feel created by the choppy footage.

SOCIAL HOUSE JOINING ARIANA GRANDE ON HER ‘SWEETENER’ WORLD TOUR: Ariana Grande announced that pop duo Social House will join her Sweetener World Tour, along with fellow opening act Normani. Social House – made up of Los Angeles-based musicians, writers and producers Michael “Mikey” Foster and Charles “Scootie” Anderson – co-produced Grande’s recently released “thank u, next” song. The duo have also written and produced songs for Chris Brown, Steve Malcolm and Jennifer Lopez before releasing their debut single “Magic in the Hamptons” featuring Lil Yachty this past summer. While the two have not announced an album, they recently shared their second single “Higher.” Grande’s 2019 Sweetener World Tour is set to kick off March 18th in Albany, New York.

DEMI LOVATO SPLITTING TIME BETWEEN HALFWAY HOUSE AND L.A. PAD: Demi Lovato isn’t risking her hard-won sobriety, even as she begins to re-enter her old life. The singer is splitting her time between a halfway house and a private home in L.A., TMZ reports. She is reportedly eager to surround herself with counselors and other people in the process of recovery as she eases back into L.A. life. Lovato was hospitalized in critical condition in July after taking drugs laced with fentanyl.

DEMI LOVATO RETURNS TO SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER LEAVING REHAB: Demi Lovato has officially returned to social media after reportedly leaving rehab after her drug overdose over the summer. The 26-year-old entertainer – who is over 90 days sober – posted about voting in the midterm elections on her Instagram account. “I am so grateful to be home in time to vote! One vote can make a difference, so make sure your voice is heard!🗳 🇺🇸 now go out and #VOTE!!!!,” Demi wrote on Instagram, along with her voting photo. Demi’s last post on social media was a message to her fans after her overdose back in August.

LADY GAGA REVEALS SHE’S SECRETLY A ‘BAYONETTA’ GAMER GIRL – (11/07/2018)

Apparently Lady Gaga is one of those secret gamer girls who actually plays quite a bit in her downtime. The singer took to Twitter Saturday to share that she has a thing for the cult-followed hack and slash video game Bayonetta.

“When you beat Chapter IV of Bayonetta and then realize Chapter V is going to kick your ass,” wrote the 32-year-old singer in a tweet. “THE SHADOW REMAINS TOUGH!!!!!!”  

Nintendo, which re-released the original game and its sequel on the Nintendo Switch in February replied, “You got this!”

Fans of the female-fronted action-adventure game went wild with some calling for her to be added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and others hoping she could perhaps do the theme song for Bayonetta 3. “We love legends supporting legends,” one fan tweeted.

JOHN MAYER PERFORMS AT DANIELLE FISHEL’S WEDDING – (11/07/2018)

Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel got married over the weekend, and she and her husband, writer and comedian Jensen Karp, asked their friend John Mayer to perform their first dance song.

In addition to serving as a groomsman at the wedding, John also sang his famous cover of Beyoncé’s song “XO” for the happy couple. Danielle posted some footage of the performance on Instagram, along with a lengthy explanation.

“Jensen brought many new and wonderful friends into my life and the friendship of @johnmayer is at the top of the list. His immense talent is only overshadowed by his humor, his heart, his sincerity, his loyalty, his candor, and his generous spirit,” Danielle writes.

She adds that she is “obsessed” with John’s version of “XO,” adding, “He played it for us live at the Forum last year simply because I told him how much I loved it. Thank you, John, for all of it.”