Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose trial for the conspiracy to murder her abusive mother was the subject of documentaries on Hulu and HBO, has been released early from prison.

She had pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Dee Dee Blanchard in Missouri in 2015.

She plotted with her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mother following years of abuse. Godejohn had stabbed Dee Dee Blanchard to death with a knife her daughter had given him. They were later arrested in Godejohn’s home state of Wisconsin. He is serving a life sentence without parole.

Dee Dee Blanchard had Munchausen’s by proxy and forced Gypsy Rose Blanchard to pretend for years that she was suffering from leukaemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses, even forcing her to use a wheelchair and feeding tube.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released on Thursday (December 28) after serving seven years of her 10-year sentence.

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While in prison, she gave a number of interviews detailing her mother’s abusive behaviour and wrote a memoir, Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, which is due to be published in January.

In a recent interview with People she said: “Nobody will ever hear me say I’m glad she’s dead or I’m proud of what I did. I regret it every single day.”

Blanchard told TMZ that she hopes to meet Taylor Swift. She revealed that she and her husband Ryan Scott Anderson, who she married while in prison, have tickets for the Kansas City Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 31, in hopes of seeing Swift there to support boyfriend Travis Kelce. She has made multiple appearances at his games since September.

The case was the subject of the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, the 2019 Hulu miniseries The Act and an upcoming Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confession of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.

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Mexican popstar Gloria Trevi has issued a lawsuit against her former manager Sergio Andrade, saying she suffered “horrific abuse” at his hands.

The claims, filed in Los Angeles this week (via Rolling Stone) allege that the abuse was reinforced by Trevi’s place as “the most valuable asset” in Andrade’s “sadistic” sex ring, and that the abuse was so “grotesque” that Trevi was suicidal.

The news comes in response to a complaint filed in January this year, when Trevi herself was accused of “grooming” and exploiting underage girls in the early ‘90s for the benefit of Andrade.

In that case, two unidentified women alleged that Trevi and Andrade used their “role, status, and power” in order to initiate sexual contact with them over the course of several years.

The accusers were aged 13 and 15 years old respectively when Trevi is said to have approached them in public for what they claim was a violent sex cult.

Per a complaint that was filed in Los Angeles County on December 30, 2022, the two women are “survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual battery, assault, molestation, and abuse” at the hands of the defendants.

That filing stated that the alleged victims have since suffered “substantial emotional distress, anxiety, nervousness, anger and fear” as a result of the abuse.

Trevi and Andrade were not named in the suit, which instead identified the two subjects as Jane Does. The documents do describe Trevi as a “famous and popular pop star, and one of the most highly compensated female artists in Latin America”, while Andrade is said to be “one of the most successful music producers in Mexico”.

In January, Trevi issued a statement in which she vehemently denied those allegations.

“Being a victim of physical and sexual abuse is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being,” she wrote. “I say it, and I know it, because I am a survivor. And my thoughts go out to anyone who, like me, has ever been the victim of any kind of abuse.

“But I will not remain silent while I am unfairly accused of crimes I did not commit. These false accusations, which were first made against me more than 25 years ago, have been tried in various courts and, in all instances, I have been completely and totally acquitted.”

As the star referred to in the post, she and Andrade were arrested in Brazil back in 2000. The pair spent four years in detention awaiting trial on criminal charges relating to the alleged child sex ring.

Now, in Trevi’s own suit against Andrade, she claims that Andrade went to great lengths to cover up his abuse of Trevi, and that she too was a “prisoner” of his.

She claims Andrade “beat her with closed fists and whipped her with belts or cables”. She says he spied on her, raped her repeatedly and exploited her talent for profit.

The suit states: “There were many other women and girls that Andrade controlled and abused over the years, but Ms. Trevi was his true star — and, thus, the girl he most needed and wanted to dominate and control.”

“Instead of living the lifestyle of the rich and famous that one might expect of the ‘Mexican Madonna,’ Ms. Trevi, in private, was often dressed in old rags, sometimes forced to sleep naked for days on a cold bathroom floor.”

“There was a sadistic game that Andrade would play with such beatings: a preset number of blows had to be endured and accepted by Ms. Trevi in silence,” it continues. “If Ms. Trevi were to cry out, gasp, or make any other sign of distress, Andrade would treat that as a new punishable offense, and the beating would start all over again from the beginning.”

“During the course of the beating in question, Ms. Trevi passed out. She regained consciousness on the ground, to find Andrade on top of her, sexually assaulting her. The mental, sexual, and other abuse inflicted by Andrade eventually drove Ms. Trevi to attempt suicide.”

Trevi also claims that she was once forced to travel to the United States for an abortion, “to maintain the secrecy of [Andrade’s] abuse.”

Andrade has not responded to invitations to respond to the new allegations.

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Colman Domingo has said that he was turned down for a role in Boardwalk Empire because he was not light-skinned enough.

The actor, known for his roles in Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead, has said that he was auditioning for a role in the HBO show in 2014 when he was still seeking a breakthrough in his screen career.

The role in question was a maître d’ in a Black-owned nightclub, and Domingo has explained that despite feeling that he had impressed the casting agents, he was later enlightened about a possible reason for his rejection by one of the show’s researchers.

In an interview with the New York Times, Domingo says that a historical researcher articulated to Domingo’s agent that maître d’s in the sorts of nightclubs in question were typically more light-skinned than Domingo.

“That’s when I lost my mind,” Domingo is quoted as saying. “I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.”

Domingo would eventually land the role of the recovering drug addict Ali on HBO’s Euphoria, and he is currently starring as the title character in Rustin, a biographical drama about the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. The film is streaming on Netflix now.

He also appeared in all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead, and is appearing in the new film version of The Color Purple.

Last month, Domingo said that he believed the controversy surrounding Euphoria director Sam Levinson had been “blown out of proportion”.

The show has been hit by claims that some cast members felt uncomfortable about the level of nudity and sexual content.

“Honestly, in my experience, there was none of that,” Domingo said. “I think there’s a lot of talk around it. And I think things get blown out of proportion.”

He went on to describe Levinson as “one of the kindest, open-hearted director-writer-producers that you could ever ask for. There’s just noise because it’s popular and it’s in the zeitgeist. You can’t have a successful show without people wanting to tear some things down.”

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Pierce Brosnan has been ordered to appear in court in January after being charged with trespassing in Yellowstone National Park.

According to the BBC, the former James Bond actor, 70, has been charged by US National Park Service rangers for going off trail near Mammoth Hot Springs in the Wyoming section of the park.

He will be required to appear in a Wyoming court on January 23, after reportedly straying into the off-limits area on November 1. He is alleged to have entered an out-of-bounds, ecologically sensitive area on foot.

Brosnan has not commented publicly about the charges.

He had been in the area filming Unholy Trinity, an upcoming film in which he will appear alongside Samuel L. Jackson.

The area of Yellowstone in question contains hot springs, geysers and mud pools, and more than 20 people are known to have died after falling into the park’s most dangerous geological features. The national park also says that in certain zones, the ground is brittle and thin, and can collapse, leading way to hot acid pools beneath.

Brosnan played Bond in four films between 1995 and 2002. He had previously risen to fame on the TV show Remington Steele, and also starred in films including Mrs. Doubtfire, The Thomas Crown Affair and Mamma Mia!

Last year, Brosnan opened up about the “stupid” comment that he thinks led to him losing the role of Batman.

He auditioned for the role during Tim Burton’s directorial reign over the caped crusader’s films, and revealed that a quip he made that he thought would win him the role did just the opposite.

“I remember saying something stupid to Tim Burton,” Brosnan said. “I said, ‘You know I can’t understand [why] any man who would wear his underpants outside his trousers.’” Michael Keaton would ultimately land the role.

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A private funeral has taken place for South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who was best known for his roles in films such as Parasite and A Hard Day.

The service took place today (December 29) and was attended by the late actor’s family, close friends and colleagues, with the Korean media shut out of the event. His family had appealed to the media to stop making “painful and abrupt” visits to Lee’s home and agency as well as the service following months of intrusion into his personal life while he was under investigation for drugs use.

The media had also been criticised for publishing his alleged last note to his wife.

Lee is said to have been found dead in a car located in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday with a “charcoal briquette” in the passenger seat in what is believed to have been a suicide. Lee had also reportedly written “memo akin to a suicide note” prior to being found.

He was most recently spotted returning home on Christmas Eve (December 24), following a 19-hour police questioning over his alleged drug use.

At the time, Lee said, per Yonhap News Agency: “I’ve finished the questioning by the police about the blackmail case. I hope the police wisely determine which statements are more reliable between mine and the blackmailers.”

Lee Sun-kyun started his acting career in 2001 with stage roles in plays and musicals, before breaking into mainstream popularity with roles in the 2007 K-dramas White Tower and Coffee Prince.

In the following years, the actor would transition to film, with roles in several projects by Hong Sang-soo. These included 2008’s Night and Day, Oki’s Movie in 2010 and 2013’s Nobody’s Daughter Haewon.

In 2014, Lee would go on to star in the critically acclaimed feature film A Hard Day, before returning to television in 2016’s Listen to Love. He also led the 2021 Apple TV+ original series Dr. Brain.

The actor is perhaps best known for his role in Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Award winning 2019 film, Parasite, for which he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

For further help and advice on mental health:

• ‘Am I depressed?‘ – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next
• Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians
• Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues
• YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
• CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
• TONIC – Peer led support on mental health in the music industry
• The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day

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Christine & The Queens has put his own spin on The Bee Gees‘ hit ‘Stayin’ Alive’.

• READ MORE: Christine and the Queens live in Paris: a surreal and fantastic voyage into Redcar’s world

The artist had played the disco classic live during a performance at the Cannes Film Festival this summer and a studio version is now available to stream. It is accompanied by a music video directed by Chris himself.

“Art heals! Brings us all together again and again! Art is the experience of humanity, the joyful boat of the imagination, the fireside where we reinvent together – childhood,” the artist said in a press release.

“My masters use art as a magical refuge and I, in turn, take them along, masked, free of themselves into the sovereign realm of their own dreams.

“Made in a few days, in an emergency with fabulous friends, generous strangers, the inhabitants of Venice the beautiful, this is our fond farewell to 2023. Our PUNK gesture for a better future.”

Check out the ‘Chris version’ of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ below:

The French singer-songwriter released their most recent album ‘PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE’ in June of this year and featured the likes of Madonna, 070 Shake and Mike Dean.

In a three-star review of the album — a follow-up to 2022’s ‘Redcar les adorables étoiles’, NME wrote: “the French artist’s fourth studio album is often weighed down by its own folly.”

In October, he was forced to cancel all remaining tour dates for 2023 due to an undisclosed illness on the advice of his doctor.

He also performed at this year’s Glastonbury festival, joining the line-up alongside the likes of Lil Nas X, Lana Del Rey and Wizkid, among others. Christine and the Queens’ also releasd a remix of the ‘PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE’ track ‘To Be Honest’, in August, and featured SG Lewis.

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Lil Baby celebrated his birthday with a hometown Atlanta show this week (December 27), being joined on stage by J. Cole and Quavo for the occasion.

• READ MORE: Lil Baby – ‘It’s Only Me’ review: a few notches shy of greatness

It was the third year in a row that the rapper has thrown a gig at the city’s State Farm Arena. Check out the footage below.

J. Cole performed a version of ‘Middle Child’, from his 2019 album ‘Revenge of the Dreamers III’, while Quavo joined Lil Baby for ‘Hotel Lobby’, in tribute to the late Migos member Takeoff.

J. Cole popped out at Lil Baby’s show last night in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/zHzF6gsEDC

— Team DREAMVILLE (@TeamDreamville) December 28, 2023

Lil Baby brings out Quavo at his birthday concert in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/sTkZrTjloD

— Wave Check (@thewavecheckk) December 28, 2023

Last month, Quavo joined forces with Offset to pay further tribute to Takeoff on the first anniversary of his death. Takeoff was shot dead in an alleged dice game gone wrong in Houston on November 1, 2022.

J. Cole is set to begin 2024 with a run of US co-headline shows with Drake, an extension of the latter’s ‘It’s All a Blur’ tour.

On September 7, a man was wounded and taken to hospital after a shooting at a Lil Baby show in Memphis. A month later, the Memphis Police Department confirmed that a man had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Kevin Young, 22, was arrested on charges including reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of weapons and drugs at a home in Memphis.

Earlier this year, Lil Baby took part in The Grammys’ star-studded celebration of hip-hop  in honour of the 50th anniversary of the genre.

In 2022, the Atlanta rapper released his third studio album, ‘It’s Only Me’. In a three-star review, NME wrote: “If the trimmings were removed from ‘It’s Only Me’, it might rival his previous releases – instead it’s a few notches shy of greatness.”

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Gary Oldman has revealed that he believes his work in the Harry Potter film franchise was not up to his own standards. 

Oldman played Harry’s godfather Sirius Black across four of the films, starting with 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and winding up with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007.  

But now, in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he has said that he is not especially proud of his contribution to the films. 

“I think my work is mediocre in it,” he said. “No, I do. Maybe if I had read the books like Alan [Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently.” 

“I’ll tell you what it is. It’s like anything, if I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My god, I’m amazing,’ that would be a very sad day, because you want to make the next thing better.” 

Just earlier this month, Oldman took time to explain how the Potter films, as well as the Dark Knight trilogy, “saved” him when he became a single father. 

“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of these boys,” he says. “So that was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in], it was Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places.” 

“Thank God for Harry Potter,” Oldman added. “I tell you, the two – Batman and Harry Potter – really they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.” 

Oldman is currently starring in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, which released its third season last month. The show was renewed for a fourth season in June last year. 

In a five-star review of season three, NME wrote: “The sad thing about Slow Horses is how few people are watching it on Apple TV+ in the UK. Far fewer are subscribed versus the other streaming giants. However, this season could change all that as the buzz around the show becomes impossible to ignore: it’s the best show on TV right now.” 

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Ariana Grande has looked back on her 2023, admitting that while she has “never felt more pride or joy or love”, she has also felt “so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me”.

• READ MORE: Ariana Grande – ‘Positions’ review: lots of banging, fewer bangers 

Grande has largely been away from the spotlight for much of 2023 while she’s been working on the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Positions’ but earlier this year addressed fans’ “concerns” over her body by urging them to be kinder to others and remember that “healthy can look different”.

In a new post on her Instagram story, Grande wrote that 2023 was “one of the most transformative, yet most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life. there were so many beautiful and yet polarised feelings.

“I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I’ve never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment. I gave everything I could have possibly given of my heart and of myself to the projects I was fortunate enough to be a part of and learned so much from every brilliant, beautiful soul that I had the privilege of creating art with and crossing paths with this year.

She continued: “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life. I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other.

“i have never felt more tightly held or fiercely protected by those who love and understand me (friends, family and fans alike), I fel safe, even amongst things I’d usually be afraid of. I am listening to and trusting myself, even when fear or trauma tells me not to.”

“i am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that are not.”

Meanwhile, Grande has been teasing her seventh album by sending a package and a note to fans.

The package contained a red lipstick from Grande’s beauty brand r.e.m and a photo featuring a close-up of her mouth in which she appears to be wearing a similar shade of lipstick. It was accompanied by a note reading ‘See you next year’, which also seems to have been written in lipstick.

A photo Grande shared to Instagram confirmed that producer Ilya Salmanzadeh had worked on the album. He had previously produced numerous hits for Grande, including ‘Problem’, ‘Bad Idea’, ‘breathin’ and ‘Santa Tell Me’.

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Barack Obama has published his annual favourite songs of the year list, with Beyoncé, Stormzy, Mitski and more making the cut in 2023.

• READ MORE: The 50 best songs of 2023

Beyoncé’s ‘America Has a Problem’ remix featuring Kendrick Lamar, Stormzy’s ‘Toxic Trait‘ featuring Fredo and Mitski’s ‘My Love Mine All Mine’ all feature on the list, which also includes songs by Dave and Central Cee, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla, Burna Boy and 21 Savage, Blondshell and more.

“Here are some of my favorite songs from this year,” Obama wrote on Twitter/X today (December 29). “Let me know if there are any artists or songs I should check out.”

The former president included more releases by Big Thief, Tems, Asake, Victoria Monét, 6LACK, Jon Batiste, Karol G and Shakira.

Here are some of my favorite songs from this year. Let me know if there are any artists or songs I should check out. pic.twitter.com/8BaeGxWUsv

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2023

The full list of tracks on Barack Obama’s ‘Favorite Music Of 2023’ playlist is:

1. Karol G & Shakira – ‘TQG’
2. Zach Bryan [ft. Kacey Musgraves] – ‘I Remember Everything’
3. Dave & Central Cee – ‘Sprinter’
4. 6LACK – ‘Since I Have A Lover’
5. Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Cobra’
6. Blondshell – ‘Joiner’
7. Alé Araya Feat. Joseph Chilliams – ‘Midnight Gospel’
8. Beyoncé [ft. Kendrick Lamar] – ‘America Has A Problem’
9. Tyla – ‘Water’
10. Allison Russell – ‘The Returner’
11. Davido [ft. Musa Keys] – ‘Unavailable’
12. Mitski – ‘My Love Is All Mine’
13. Burna Boy [ft. 21 Savage] – ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’
14. Big Thief – ‘Vampire Empire’
15. Indigo De Souza – ‘Younger & Dumber’
16. Stormzy [ft. Fredo] – ‘Toxic Trait’
17. John Summit & Hayla – ‘Where You Are’
18. Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – ‘La Bebe (Remix)’
19. Victoria Monét – ‘On My Mama’
20. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – ‘Cast Iron Skillet’
21. Brent Faiyaz – ‘WY@’
22. Asake & Olamide – ‘Amapiano’
23. Teddy Swims – ‘Lose Control’
24. Rita Wilson & Keith Urban – ‘Crazy Love’
25. Gabe Lee – ‘Drink The River’
26. Lenny Kravitz – ‘Road To Freedom’
27. Jon Batiste – ‘It Never Went Away’
28. Tems – ‘Me & U’

Earlier this year, Obama confirmed that his end of year playlists are actually created by him. Shortly after, he shared his summer playlist, which included Boygenius, Janelle Monaé, Ice Spice, Bob Dylan, SZA and more.

Last year’s end of year list, meanwhile, featured Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Burna Boy, Ethel Cain, Rosalía and more.

This week also saw the former president share his favourite films of 2023.

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