Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are married in small private wedding ceremony at her home

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially married.  The couple tied the knot on Thursday, June 9 at Spears’ residence in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at approximately 8:30 p.m.  The couple’s nuptials were performed by Reverend Clint Hufft, who also officiated Paris Hilton‘s 2021 wedding. The 40-year-old Spears and 28-year-old Asghari were engaged in September 2021 after nearly five years of dating.

According to People, there were approximately 60 guests in attendance with famous friends including Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton. Spears’ sons Sean and Jayden, did not attend the wedding, but wished the happy couple the best, according to a statement. Spears’ father Jamie Spears, mother Lynn Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears were also not in attendance. Reportedly, Spears walked down the aisle to Elvis’ classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and wore a Versace gown.

Spears and Asghari’s wedding comes seven months after Spears was freed from her 13-year conservatorship. The couple announced in April that Spears was pregnant, however shared in May they had suffered a miscarriage. Spears wrote on Instagram at the time: “Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all the support. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult moment.”

This is Spears’ third marriage. She was previously married to childhood friend Jason Alexander for 55 hours in 2004, and married to Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007, with whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15.

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3 dead, 1 injured after shooting inside of Smithsburg, Maryland manufacturing facility

Maryland police have confirmed that three people are dead and one critically injured after a shooting at a factory in Smithsburg, Maryland on Thursday afternoon. The factory, Columbia Machine, manufactures concrete products equipment. Smithsburg is about 70 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to reports of an active shooter at Columbia Machine at @ 2:30 p.m., and found the victims. The sheriff’s office said that the alleged shooter fled the scene, but was apprehended by Maryland State Police in nearby Hagerstown based on a description of the suspect. The suspect and a state trooper exchanged gunfire, and both were injured and transported for medical treatment.

Washington County Sheriff spokesperson Sgt. Carly Hose said the alleged shooter is a man, though no additional information on the suspect or a possible motive was released.

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5 Marines dead in military aircraft crash in Southern California desert

The Marine Corps said Thursday that all five Marines on board an Osprey were killed when the aircraft crashed Wednesday afternoon in a remote part of California. The aircraft was based at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, according to officials.

The U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement that the MV-22 Osprey, belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, went down in a desert area near Glamis, California, occurring at around 12:25 p.m. local time. The victims were part of Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, an aviation squadron based in San Diego, according to the statement. Their names were not released.

Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering,  commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said in the statement Thursday:  “We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic mishap. Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they cope with this tragedy.”

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PGA Tour suspends 17 golfers, including Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, who are competing in LIV Golf Invitational Series

The PGA Tour announced on Thursday that they have suspended 17 players who are competing in the first event of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series this week near London, after it warned of potential discipline. Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na, Talor Gooch, Sergio Garcia, Matt Jones, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Hudson Swafford are among the Top 100 players impacted by the ban from PGA Tour play.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan released a memo on the disciplinary measure, saying in part: “We have followed the tournament regulations from start to finish in responding to those players who have decided to turn their backs on the PGA Tour by willfully violating a regulation.” Monahan noted that “the same fate holds true for any other players who participate in future Saudi Golf League events” in violation of PGA Tour regulations, which could potentially impact Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, who are expected to join LIV Golf later this season.

LIV Golf released a statement hours later and called the PGA Tour move “vindictive,” adding: “It’s troubling that the Tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing. This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond.”

LIV Golf Invitational London teed off Thursday and runs through Saturday at the Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, England. The suspension also bars the players from the Presidents Cup and other tours sanctioned by the PGA Tour, in addition to this season’s primary tournaments.

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CMA Fest holds first LGBTQ+ ‘Country Proud’ showcase

CMA Fest showcased LGBTQ+ artists as part of Country Proud, the fest’s first LGBTQ activation, which took place Thursday, June 9 at Assembly Food Hall in Nashville. Among the performers were Shelly Fairchild, Sonia Leigh, Lila McCann, Harper Grae, The Kentucky Gentleman, Breann Young, Jessica Rose, Chris Housman, Maia Sharp, Gina Venier, Steff Mahan and more.

CMA Fest runs from June 9 through June 12 in Nashville, and will feature performances from Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and many more. Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Mickey Guyton, Midland, Nelly, Tyler Hubbard and more will perform at Spotify’s four-day showcase, Spotify House, at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red in downtown Nashville.

For more information, head to cmafest.com.

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13th annual ‘Darius & Friends’ benefit raises $516,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Darius Rucker held his 13th annual “Darius & Friends” benefit on June 6 at the Ryman Auditorium, bringing together a sold-out audience with at-home fans watching via live stream. The concert was benefit concert followed by his corresponding golf tournament and silent auction on Tuesday, June 7.

This year’s event raised an all-time high of $516,000, bringing the total raised to over $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Rucker shared with the sold-out crowd, “I’m talking to one administrator and she said, ‘When you bring your kid to St. Jude, we fly you in, we put you up, we feed you and we never send you a bill.’ I started talking to people there and it’s true. That day I said, I want to do something to help. I’m doing this for St. Jude–thank you guys for coming out!”

The benefit concert is famous for its surprise lineup of stars, and this year’s performers included Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack.

Darius Rucker surpasses $3m raised for St Jude

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First footage is released from the Amazon reboot of ‘A League of Their Own’

Amazon has shared the first footage of its forthcoming reboot of Penny Marshall’s beloved classic A League of Their Own. The eight-episode drama, from creators Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham and Sony TV, will debut its entire first season on Friday, Aug. 12.

The minute-long teaser, set to Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” offers a glimpse at the cast — including Jacobson, Chanté Adams, D’Arcy Carden and Melanie Field.

Check out the footage for A League of Their Own – here.

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Grammy Awards announce 5 new categories, including Songwriter of the Year

The Recording Academy announced five new Grammy Awards categories that will be introduced in 2023. Among them are Songwriter of the Year, Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, Best Spoken Word Album, Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Americana Performance. In addition, the Recording Academy will present a Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change, which will be determined by a Blue Ribbon Committee and celebrate music that addresses timely social issues.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement: “We’re so excited to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and collaboration. The Academy’s top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry.”

There will be a total of 91 trophies at next year’s Grammy Awards ceremony including the new categories. The Songwriter of the Year award will honor musicians who have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited only as a songwriter or co-writer, and not as the artist or producer.

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Boston Celtics beat Golden State Warriors 116-100 to take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals

The Celtics Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Jayson Tatum added 26, helping Boston defeat the Warriors with a 116-100 win, and giving them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Marcus Smart added 24 points and Al Horford added 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists to bring the Celtics to victory.

The Warriors Steph Curry scored an impressive 31 points, despite the loss. Curry has 94 points in three games, but an ankle injury suffered late in the fourth quarter may affect his availability for Game 4.

Game 4 between the Warriors and Celtics will take place this Friday, June 10th at 9 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston.

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Police arrest armed man near Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on attempted murder charges

Police arrested an armed man near the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh just before 2 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. Authorities noted that the man, identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California, said that he wanted to kill Kavanaugh, and had called 911 on himself. During the call, police said Roske told them he’d had homicidal thoughts and traveled from California to attack Kavanaugh.

According to a FBI affidavit filed on Wednesday, Roske was carrying a suitcase and backpack filled with a tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol, two magazines, ammunition, pepper spray and zip ties. He also had on hand a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crowbar, pistol light and duct tape. Roske told law enforcement he had traveled from California to kill “a specific United States Supreme Court Justice.” The affidavit said Roske was upset about the leak of the Supreme Court opinion related to abortion rights, an upcoming gun control case and the school shooting last month in Uvalde, Texas.

The incident comes at a time of heightened concern for for justices of the Supreme Court, stemming from an impending decision on legalized abortion.  A leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court about a month ago indicated the conservative-majority court is preparing to overturn the landmark abortion ruling in Roe vs. Wade. The court’s decision on abortion will be delivered sometime before the Supreme Court’s term ends later this month. At the end of the term, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer will retire and will be succeeded by Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s first high-court appointee.

The 57-year-old Kavanaugh has been a controversial justice since he was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018. He faced accusations of sexual misconduct at his Senate confirmation hearings, but narrowly won confirmation by a vote of 50-48.

Roske appeared in a Greenbelt, Maryland, federal court Wednesday and agreed to remain in jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 22.

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