The daily gossip: A not-so-royal wedding, Rust actor recalls 'life-threatening' conditions on set, and more

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1. Princess Mako leaves Japan's royal family to marry college boyfriend
2. 'Rust' actor recalls 'scary' and 'life-threatening' experience on set
3. Britney Spears says her conservatorship is 'about to be over,' but 'I still want justice'
4. 'Squid Game,' the most popular show on Netflix, didn't make its creator rich
5. Olivia Jade says cancel culture makes her feel like she's walking 'on eggshells'

published 26 October 2021

1. Princess Mako leaves Japan's royal family to marry college boyfriend

Japan's Princess Mako is starting a new chapter. On Tuesday morning, Mako, 30, married her longtime boyfriend Kei Komuro, also 30, in a simple ceremony, the Imperial Household Agency said. The couple met while at university in Tokyo, and announced their engagement in 2017. Mako is the granddaughter of Akihito, the 125th emperor of Japan, and under the country's imperial law, a princess must depart the royal family if she marries a commoner (though the media calls Komuro the "Prince of the Sea," after the character he played in a tourism campaign for the city of Fujisawa). The couple's wedding was set for 2018, but was delayed following tabloid reports that Komuro's mother didn't repay her former fiancé $36,000 she borrowed. The wedding of a princess to a commoner has divided Japan, with some believing it's time to change the outdated rules regarding royal women, while others claim that Komuro is only after Mako's money and tradition must be respected.

One of the actors who worked on the Alec Baldwin movie Rust is speaking out about his "scary" experience on set prior to the death of the film's cinematographer. Ian A. Hudson spoke with TMZ about working on the movie after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in an accidental shooting on set, and recalled filming a scene in which his character is shot and killed, explaining "everyone on the camera crew was protected by shields" during it. "That made me question me being in front of the camera and in between all of that fire," he said. "When the rounds were released — when they shot at me — I actually did feel the blanks hitting my face and my body, and I could feel the wind from the shotgun being discharged." Hudson said filming the scene felt "life-threatening" and that his fellow cast members agreed it was "intense" and "scary." Hudson told TMZ he "held my tongue" during the production because "as a new actor, I don't want to cause trouble."

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Britney Spears' conservatorship could be set to end soon, but she's still seeking "justice." The pop star slammed her family on Instagram as she awaits a court hearing in November that's expected to decide whether to end the controversial conservatorship she has been under for 13 years. Spears said she's "tired of being this understanding Mother Teresa" and that if "you're rude to me then I'm done," directing this message toward her family "for hurting me deeper than you'll ever know!!!" Spears added, "I know the conservatorship is about to be over but I still want justice!!!" A judge last month suspended Spears' father, Jamie Spears, from the conservatorship that she has alleged is "abusive." Spears' latest comments on the case come after earlier this month when she called out her family for trying to "f--- with" her, including by allegedly telling her she has to "work around 10 hours a day 7 days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off."

Hwang Dong-hyuk created Squid Game, Netflix's most popular show of all time — but it didn't make him rich. In fact, it ended up costing him six teeth. "I'm not that rich," Hwang explained to The Guardian. "But I do have enough. I have enough to put food on the table. And it's not like Netflix is paying me a bonus" for the show's approximately 142 million views, Hwang added, noting that "Netflix paid me according to the original contract." Hwang said the idea for Squid Game came from his family's situation during the 2009 financial crisis when they had to take out loans. He added that while writing, creating, and directing the show, he was under so much stress he even lost six teeth. "It was physically, mentally, and emotionally draining," he said. "I kept having new ideas and revising the episodes as we were filming so the amount of work multiplied."

Olivia Jade Giannulli — whose parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 to get her and her sister enrolled at the University of Southern California as crew team recruits despite them not playing the sport — said she lives in fear of being "canceled" for speaking about the case. "I'm so hesitant to talk about it because of the trauma," Jade said on her new iHeart Radio podcast, "Conversations with Olivia Jade." The 22-year-old Dancing with the Stars contestant added that she feels like she's walking "on eggshells" but that she wants to "make it clear to people listening that, like, I'm not trying to victimize myself." Previously Jade has gotten backlash for complaining about "public shaming," with commenters pointing out that "it's more like you're floating on water with a life vest and the other person who faces systemic racism and 1000 barriers is drowning."

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.