Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Britney Spears, less than five months after her conservatorship ended, confused some fans when she posted on Instagram that she’s pregnant, and apparently married, with multiple requests for confirmation unanswered by her representative. “I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back,” the pop star said Monday, her message accompanied by a photo of flowers and a cup of coffee. “I thought “Geez … what happened to my stomach???” My husband said “No you’re food pregnant silly!!!” So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby. …” Spears didn’t name partner Sam Asghari as the father. Some, including Paris Hilton, congratulated her. On Monday evening, Asghari added an Instagram post of his own accompanied by a painting of a lion family with three members. “Marriage and kids are a natural part of a strong relationship filled with love and respect. Fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to and i don’t take lightly. It is the most important job i will ever do,” he said. Spears spoke of suffering from perinatal depression in the past, calling it “absolutely horrible” and saying she’s heartened that the condition is now spoken of more freely among women than when she had her 15and 16-year-old sons with ex Kevin Federline. She said “some people considered it dangerous if a woman complained like that with a baby inside her … but now women talk about it everyday … thank Jesus we don’t have to keep that pain a reserved proper secret … This time I will be doing yoga every day!!! Spreading lots of joy and love!!!” The 40-year-old Spears has said she longed for a baby with the 28-year-old Asghari, a personal trainer, but she has said the nearly 14-year conservatorship forced her to remain on birth control. The two met on the set of her “Slumber Party” video in 2016.
■ Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean were the big winners at Monday night’s CMT music awards. They won video of the year and collaborative video of the year for their duet “If I Didn’t Love You,” with fan votes determining the best in country music videos. “This one’s all about the fans, man,” Underwood said as she accepted the belt-buckle trophy for video of the year, a record 25th win for her. “I’m pretty sure I picked the perfect partner for this song,” Aldean said. In another highlight, the Judds made their first major awards show performance in more than two decades, with 76-year-old Naomi and her 57-year-old daughter Wynonna singing their signature 1990 classic “Love Can Build a Bridge.”