BRITNEY SPEARS CHECKS INTO ‘WELLNESS FACILITY’ – (04/04/2019)

Britney Spears is taking some time to focus on her well-being as she deals with her father’s illness.

The 37-year-old singer is “distraught over her dad’s illness,” TMZ reports. Britney announced a hiatus early this year after it was revealed that her father, Jamie, had suffered from a ruptured colon. The publication is reporting that his condition is “quite serious and not getting better.” He has reportedly had two surgeries with the second being recent, but he’s been having complications.

Britney reportedly checked herself into the facility last week and will remain there for 30 days. Moments before that news broke, Britney took to Instagram to post a quote that read “Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body and spirit.” She captioned the post, “We all need to take time for a little ‘me time.’ :)”

A source close to the Spears family tells People that Britney has been having a tough time dealing with her father’ illness following his hospitalization late last year. “Her dad being sick has taken a toll on her,” the source says. “He nearly died and actually had another surgery a few weeks ago. He’s not doing well. They’re so close and it has been a lot.” The insider adds, “There is nothing dramatic going on with her — she just realized she needs to make sure to take time to care for herself.”

Back in January, Britney announced that she would be cancelling her Britney: Domination Las Vegas residency and putting her career on hold to be there for her dad.

Britney’s boyfriend Sam Asghari shared a message of strength and support for the singer. The 25-year-old fitness guru and trainer posted a message on his Instagram saying: “It isn’t weakness, it’s a sign of absolute strength, people should only be inspired by this, at least I am,” he wrote.

SUGAR RAY’S MARK MCGRATH REVEALS HE’S GOING DEAF – (04/04/2019)

Mark McGrath has revealed that he is going deaf, and that it “absolutely” worries him.

The Sugar Ray frontman shared the news during an interview with Daily Mail TV, saying, “I’m deaf now. I cannot hear anymore.” He said:

[“It’s years and years of being on the road and being two feet in front of symbols and drums. So high frequencies I can’t hear anymore.”]

“I’ll be listening to people and they’ll tell me their names and I can’t hear anymore. It’s scary because my job is hearing,” he went to say.

“Even Huey Lewis and the News has recently had to stop touring because of the ears,” McGrath added, referring to how the ‘80s rocker before recently suffered a similar fate.

McGrath said that his doctors urged him to use in-ear monitors to protect his ears from further damage, but he did not heed their warnings. “Fortunately for the new generation, they have in-ears. I’m dumb enough not to use them though. I still need the sight sounds and smells of a concert and that includes the auditory part, but unfortunately, mine’s going,” McGrath admitted.

“You can’t repair your hearing. Once it goes, it goes. You can hope to stop the damage. It’s absolutely a worry of mine,” he continued. “I mean no one’s ever coming to hear a high C like a Mariah Carey show from me, thank God. So I’m slowly adding one in-ear at a time and taking efforts, but you’re right, it’s either pay me now, or pay me later.”

McGrath, who is still currently touring and has live performances scheduled through the end of the year, explained that he’s been urged by audiologists to wear in ears, a type of hearing aid, while he continues to perform.

The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant went on to joke that he pursued music so he wouldn’t have to worry about his health, but his perspective has shifted in the past year. “It’s funny, I got into music and rock n’ roll not to worry about any of this: business, mindsets, health. I wanted to party, I’m in a band, that’s what you do,” he said. “And then life catches up to you and reality happens and by the grace of God we became a band, also, I found myself running a multi-million dollar corporation.”

MILEY CYRUS CRITICIZED FOR CLIMBING FRAGILE JOSHUA TREE IN CALIFORNIA – (04/04/2019)

Miley Cyrus is under fire for posting two photos of herself sitting in an endangered Joshua tree.

The singer posted pictures of herself wearing a floral bodysuit and climbing a protected Joshua tree in Palm Springs. In one photo, she hangs on a branch and captions it “Monkey Bizzzzznassssss.” In another, she sits in the tree while looking down at the camera, writing, “Looking down at all the petty drama like….”

Now, she’s being criticized by members of the local community because the Joshua trees are endangered and fragile. Many called for Miley to remove the photos from her social media so she doesn’t inspire anyone else to climb on the trees.

Mojave Desert Land Trust executive director Geary Hund said Joshua trees have a shallow root system and that any extra weight can damage tree branches. Miley has yet to remove the photos, but her comments on the pics have since been disabled.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, Joshua trees are not trees but succulents – “a type of plant that stores water.” The plant can grow up to 9 feet tall before it branches. They are most commonly found in the Mojave Desert in southwestern region of the United States. The plants have a long life and one tree located in California is believed to be more than 1,000 years old.

IMAGINE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS & WIFE AJA EXPECTING FOURTH CHILD; LAUNCHES MONSTER PAIN THE AS – (04/04/2019)

Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds and his wife Aja Volkman are expecting their fourth child together, just two months after they decided to reconcile.

“I’ve been on the road for a decade now. I’m looking to take a little bit of time off. I have three little girls, and well, I have one on the way,” the 31-year-old singer told People. “I actually haven’t told anybody that. There it is. The news is out. We just found out we’re having a boy [in] October.”

The couple share twins Gia James and Coco Rae, 2, and big sister Arrow Eve, 6. Their son will likely be the last child for the spouses, Reynolds explained, joking that “four already feels like a million kids,” adding, “I think we’re done.”

Back in April of 2018, Dan and his wife announced they were separating after seven years of marriage. Then, this past January, they announced they were reconciling. Reynolds and the Nico Vega frontwoman, 32, tied the knot in 2011 and started growing their family one year later.

Amid the happy news of a new baby on the way, Reynolds launched Monster Pain the AS on Wednesday – a national campaign to raise awareness of a disease he has been battling for more than a decade called ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The chronic inflammatory condition of the joints can lead to extreme pain and in worst cases, spinal fusion. Reynolds is one of the estimated 2.7 million people in the U.S. thought to have AS and is using his voice in hopes of encouraging others living with persistent, unexplained back pain to seek diagnosis and care. His brother also suffers from the debilitating disease.

To make AS “mainstream,” Reynolds is partnering with the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation on their Monster Pain in the AS campaign. “I want people to get started on this process and go to website [monsterpainintheas.tumblr.com] where they can take a three-minute quiz to see if they have AS and hopefully get started on the process that took me years to figure out,” he says. “My diagnosis has been life-changing in every possible way just because I saw a rheumatologist. That’s why those three minutes of taking the quiz are so important.”

“It’s like a monster that’s just on your back. Just continually dragging you down [and] pulling you down,” he said of the campaign’s “cheeky” slogan.

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