Names and faces
■ Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ’Em” debuted in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart — which tallies streaming, airplay and sales. According to Rolling Stone, the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman holds the distinction as “the first Black woman artist ever to top [the chart] in the modern history of country music.” “16 Carriages,” which also dropped after the premiere of Beyonce’s Verizon commercial during Super Bowl LVIII — entered the ranking at No. 9. As buzz builds for the March 29 release of Beyonce’s country album, “Renaissance: Act II,” controversy has also ensued. “Every dog has to mark every tree, right? So that’s what’s going on here,” former “Dukes of Hazzard” actor John Schneider said during an appearance on One America News. The BeyHive quickly stormed to social media to denounce Schneider’s remarks as “racist and hateful.” But Beyonce’s two new songs aren’t her first foray into country music. Her critically acclaimed 2016 album, “Lemonade,” spawned the hit single “Daddy Lessons,” which she later performed with The Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards.
■ A judge has declared that Kevin Costner and his wife of nearly two decades, Christine Baumgartner, are now legally divorced, according to court records filed Tuesday. The couple’s marriage ended Friday, nine months after she filed for divorce, a judgment entered in Santa Barbara County court showed. In the first months after their split, Costner and Baumgartner fought in court over child custody and support payments and appeared to be headed for a contentious trial. But they reached a settlement agreement in September that allowed them to avoid it. The two will have joint custody of their sons, ages 16 and 15, and daughter, age 13. A judge in September ordered Costner to pay about $63,000 per month in child support, after she had sought about $175,000 per month. Costner, 69, and Baumgartner, 48, a model and handbag designer, began dating in 1998 and married at his Colorado ranch in 2004. It was the second marriage for Costner, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning star of TV’s “Yellowstone” and films including “Dances With Wolves,” “The Untouchables” and “Bull Durham.” He also has four adult children from previous relationships.