The daily gossip: Justin Timberlake tweets 'support' of Britney Spears, Rihanna got carded, and more

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1. Twitter shut down Justin Timberlake after he tried to 'support' Britney Spears
2. A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have trouble getting into Barcade for date night
3. Snooki told her kids she's an actress and Jersey Shore is fake
4. The Sussexes benevolently spared Archie the title of 'Earl of Dumbarton'
5. Over a third of Texans 'haven't heard enough' about Matthew McConaughey

published 24 June 2021

1. Twitter shut down Justin Timberlake after he tried to 'support' Britney Spears

On Wednesday, Britney Spears appeared before a court in Los Angeles and gave a heart-wrenching testimony begging the judge to end her "abusive" conservatorship. "I just want my life back," said the 39-year-old singer, whose father and lawyers have controlled her decisions since 2008, including preventing her from getting married or having another child. Justin Timberlake, Spears' ex, tweeted afterward, "we should all be supporting Britney at this time." But fans weren't letting that slide: "This man slut-shamed her for years, bragged about taking her virginity, called her crazy on stage while she was already under conservatorship," tweeted one. "You're absolutely right but be quiet cause you ain't innocent & we ain't forgot," another replied. Or, as someone else said, "Do Janet next, chump."

Apparently it's harder to get into Barcade (yes, a chain bar/arcade) than one might think. A$AP Rocky and Rihanna strolled up to the bar's SoHo location in New York City on Wednesday for date night, but they almost didn't make it inside. Despite both being mega-famous musicians, the bouncers either didn't recognize them or were doing their due diligence in ID'ing them. It seemed as though Rihanna didn't have an ID, and Rocky tried to reason with the bouncer. Whatever the issue was, it was eventually resolved and the pair spent the night showing PDA and playing games — like any young couple, only better dressed, cooler, hotter, more talented, and far wealthier.

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Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi shot to fame by just being herself and hanging out on the Jersey Shore, despite famously not being able to find the beach. Her 20s were documented for the world to see, from bar fights and arrests, to countless faceplants and grinding in a bunny suit. But now, she's in denial, at least to her three kids. "I tell them that it's not real. I'm just acting," she said of her time on Jersey Shore. She plans to confess when they are teenagers: "Like, 'Listen, Mommy had some crazy years before she was a mommy. She let loose. So whatever you see on TV back then, just do the opposite of what I did,'" she said. If nothing else, Jersey Shore is full of teachable moments.

British titles can be silly: there's been a Baroness of Frognal, an Earl of Sandwich, a Marquess of Bute. But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had to draw the line at passing on the Scottish subsidiary title given to Harry by the Queen to their firstborn son, Archie … since being the "Earl of Dumbarton" would probably have resulted in some irresistible schoolyard bullying in America. "They didn't like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word 'dumb,'" one source told The Telegraph, as if the parents' hesitation needed any further explanation — even the hosts of BBC Radio 4's "Today" show couldn't help but laugh when trying to report the story. Archie, instead, is being raised without a title, so he'll only have his comic book character name to overcome on the playground once he reaches third grade.

Some Texans have been sleeping on The Beach Bum, and it shows. In a new Quinnipiac poll published Wednesday, actor Matthew McConaughey scored the second-highest favorability rating — 42 percent — among Texas elected officials, candidates, potential candidates, or Academy Award-winning actors who are openly flirting with a gubernatorial vanity run. But while it might sound impressive that McConaughey, whose politics are basically a complete unknown, ranked only behind current Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, it's important to take into account that over a third of Texans, at 36 percent, "haven't heard enough" about McConaughey to have formed an opinion of him. Let us help: Start with Dazed and Confused, move on to his Oscar-winning role in Dallas Buyers Club, and don't fail to swing past his small but memorable performance in Wolf of Wall Street after that.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.