Justin Bieber is all over the news right now, from concerns about his health (which seem less like genuine concerns and more like a way for outlets to analyse his every move under the guise of ‘concern’) and money issues.
This new report from TMZ is interesting because it’s specific; we know Scooter has been dealing with TMZ for a long time. This alleges that with the cancellation of the Justice tour, Justin owed money on an advance. Scooter’s company covered that repayment, which Justin then agreed to pay back. Justin did not. Then both sides ordered audits, with both sides claiming they are owed money (Justin was then with manager Lou Taylor, who was heavily involved in the Britney conservatorship).
Justin’s side said Scooter was overpaid by $26 million, and Scooter’s side said he was underpaid by $1 million. Hybe then hired Pricewaterhouse for an independent audit; TMZ says they reviewed documents that say Justin owes $8 million. Oh and Justin fired Lou around this time last year and has reportedly conducted an audit as well, which TMZ did not know the details of (meaning, Justin doesn’t want to engage with them). OK, $8 million is a lot of money. It is more money than 99.9% of us will see in our lives. But for a pop star like Justin, $8 million should not be life-ruining money. To Scooter, who is worth about half a billion, this is like $5000. Again, I’m not trying to downplay the huge amounts or say $5k isn’t a lot to a normal person, but this should be fairly simple to deal with by negotiating a rate and a payment plan. The fact that it hasn’t been means one side is holding out on having the conversation. That leads me to believe there is a lot of emotion mixed up in this money.
Reese Witherspoon’s first book (co-authored with Harlon Coben) is nearly ready for release. Reese’s business is books so there will be no surprise when this is turned into a movie for Hello Sunshine, but I wonder if that helped or hindered the creative process. Does writing it knowing that it will be turned into a movie down the line impact the choices for characters? Then there’s charting. This will be a NYT bestseller but the question is how high will it get and how long will it stay there.
My current author obsession is Dolly Alderton, I’ve read all of her books and now I am waiting on an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice she adapted for Netflix. In the meantime, pick up Good Material if you haven’t already.
Simu Lui is engaged to Allison Hsu and between the flowers and high-quality photos, this took some planning. Look at her nails, she knew this was coming and they were both prepared. Not to be cross but wow, that ring is no joke. It’s huge. Katy Perry can see it from space.
