News Mash-up: Celebrities

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Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. conservatorship / kənˈsɜr və tər ʃɪp / (n.) – a legal agreement that allows a person, organization, or company to control somebody else’s finances or properties
    Example:

    My grandmother is under a conservatorship because of her failing memory. My mom manages her properties and bank account.


  2. transition / trænˈzɪʃ ən / (n.) – a change from one condition or state to another
    Example:

    Some young adults might find the transition from high school to college difficult.


  3. fevered / ˈfi vərd / (adj.) – greatly excited, active, or worried
    Example:

    There’s been fevered talk about the possibility of the band releasing a new album.


  4. rekindle / riˈkɪn dl / (v.) – to cause something in the past like a relationship, thought, or feeling to come back or be strong again
    Example:

    Anna and Kate had a big fight in high school, but they rekindled their friendship nine years later.


  5. abruptly / əˈbrʌpt li / (adv.) – in an unexpected and sudden way
    Example:

    The show I was watching ended abruptly when the lead actor had a fight with the director.


Article

Read the text below.

Britney Spears says she doesn’t know whether she’ll ever perform again


Britney Spears says she has no idea whether she will ever perform again.


Spears, who has not performed in public since late 2018 and is under a court-ordered conservatorship, made the statement in a video post on her Instagram page where she answered three questions that she said had been posed by her fans.


“Am I ready to take the stage again? Will I ever take the stage again?” Spears, 39, said in the video posted on June 17. “I have no idea. I’m having fun right now, I’m in a transition in my life and I’m enjoying myself,” she said.


Spears last performed in public in October 2018 at the Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, at the end of her “Piece of Me” world tour. (Reuters)


Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck pictured kissing as ‘Bennifer’ rumors return


Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have been pictured exchanging passionate kisses, apparently confirming weeks of fevered rumors that they have rekindled a romance that dominated celebrity media almost 20 years ago.


Paparazzi photos printed in the New York Post on June 14 showed the two actors kissing while enjoying a meal with members of Lopez’s family at Malibu’s posh Nobu sushi restaurant west of Los Angeles on June 13.


Lopez and Affleck became the most talked-about couple in the celebrity world in the early 2000s and were dubbed “Bennifer.” They abruptly called off their wedding in 2003 and split up a few months later. (Reuters)


These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Britney started her career in 1993, when she was just 11 years old. Do you think she should go back to performing, or should she just enjoy retirement? Why? Discuss.
  • Britney’s last public performance was in October 2018. If she does decide to stop performing permanently, do you think she should do one last performance for her fans? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Paparazzi photos printed in the New York Post showed Lopez and Affleck kissing while enjoying a meal. In your opinion, is it okay for paparazzi to take photos like this? What do you think of magazines/newspapers that publish the photos? Why? Discuss.
  • Lopez and Affleck were dubbed “Bennifer” in the early 2000s. What do you think of this (ex. amusing, stupid)? Do you know any other famous couples that had special nicknames? Discuss.