The daily gossip: June 18, 2020

(Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

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1. Raven-Symoné marries partner Miranda Maday in surprise backyard ceremony
2. Vanessa Bryant urges Congress to pass new helicopter safety bill named after Kobe and Gianna
3. Phoebe Bridgers surprise-releases her second album with the message 'abolish the police'
4. Jennifer Lawrence finally has a public Twitter account
5. Lady Gaga gives her jacket to a fan while grocery shopping

published 18 June 2020

1. Raven-Symoné marries partner Miranda Maday in surprise backyard ceremony

Raven-Symoné married her partner, Miranda Maday, in a surprise ceremony this week. The That's So Raven star had teased on Instagram that "something happened" that "has changed my life FOR THE BETTER" before posting a photograph of the couple embracing. "I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home," Raven-Symoné, 34, wrote. "I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday!" Based on photos shared by Raven-Symoné and Maday, the pair celebrated their nuptials with an intimate backyard wedding. Added Raven-Symoné, "Thank you to all those who helped and for those who understand why it was small this time."

Kobe Bryant's widow is urging lawmakers to pass a bill she believes would "save countless lives." Democrats in Congress on Thursday introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act, named after the late Los Angeles Lakers legend and his 13-year-old daughter who were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in January. The bill, according to CNN, would "require all helicopters certified to carry six or more people to be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder, and a cockpit voice recorder." Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's wife, said in a statement that "I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment" that it requires.

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It's a big week for music! Neil Young dropped his "lost" album, Homegrown, on Wednesday. Nobel Prize laureate Bob Dylan's first album of new music in eight years is out tomorrow. And on Thursday, Phoebe Bridgers surprise-released her sophomore album, Punisher, early by 15 hours. "I'm not pushing the record until things go back to 'normal' because I don't think they should," she wrote in a Twitter post announcing that the album is now available. "Here it is a little early. Abolish the police. Hope you like it." The LP features collaborations with Conor Oberst, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, her Boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, and many others. Rolling Stone describes it as a "visionary emo-folk album" and you can listen here.

Jennifer Lawrence has finally created a public Twitter account — evidently just so she can tweet her passionate support of the Black Lives Matter movement. "For three months since her murder, Breonna Taylor's family, the people of Louisville, Americans across the country, and many around the world have called out for justice," the Hunger Games actress wrote in what is only her second post. "And yet, those calls have gone unanswered … As a Louisvillian, as a human being, I cannot be silent." While Lawrence clearly created her verified account to promote an important cause, she's no stranger to Twitter: in 2018, the actress confirmed to InStyle that she was on social media but "I'm a voyeur: I watch, I don't speak. There's always so much backlash."

Lady Gaga was so moved by a fan's story that she handed over the jacket off her back. Shannon McKee, 27, was grocery shopping in Malibu, California, when the singer's attire caught her eye. "I was like, 'Hey, that's a really bada-- jacket you got on," McKee recalled. "And she said, 'Thank you.'" McKee realized who she'd just complimented, and returned to tell Gaga, "My best friend back in high school was a huge fan of yours. And you're the reason he actually came out to me … So I just wanted to say thank you for being such an incredible ally." McKee said Gaga was so moved she "took off her jacket and was like … 'You be bada-- with it now.'"

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.