Katy Perry will return to ‘American Idol’… Kevin Spacey’s not guilty verdict… Sinéad O’Connor passed away… Tori Kelly health update… and Ariana Grande’s boyfriend Ethan Slater is filing for divorce

Listen to “Showbiz – July 27, 2023” on Spreaker.

 

Despite cries for her beheading — or at the very least, she should be fired — Katy Perry is back as a judge on “American Idol.” In fact, the whole lineup stays the same, with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie back as judges and Ryan Seacrest back as your charming host. Virtual auditions for the VIP first 700 are on Aug. 2, and everyone else who wants to shoot their shot can sign up for a time slot based on your location or musical genre. For instance, on Aug. 9, people in Texas will audition virtually. On Aug. 11, auditions are open for singers and songwriters. People in Louisiana are up Aug. 16, while country and rock singers will audition on Aug. 25. Every state is featured, so go get signed up. Season 22 of “American Idol” is set to return this coming spring.

Kevin Spacey sobbed tears of relief after a London jury found him not guilty of 9 sexual assault charges. Four men had accused him of assaulting them between the years of 2004 and 2013, while Kevin served as the artistic director at London’s historic Old Vic theater. Under oath, Kevin admitted that he was a “big flirt” who had consensual relationships with these men. While he did admit to touching one of the men’s private areas while making a “clumsy pass,” he said that was it. His defense lawyer said these men jumped on the #MeToo bandwagon and saw dollar signs, so they “reimagined” their encounters with Kevin, adding “a sinister spin.” Kevin testified that because of a rush to judgment, he lost everything — his job, his reputation — everything. Now that he’s been cleared of these charges, Kevin is confident he will work again. Prior to this trial, Kevin told a German magazine that there were a lot of people ready to hire him the moment he was cleared of these charges.

Sinead O’Connor was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at her home in London yesterday. She was only 56. No cause of death has been revealed, but police say they are not treating the death as suspicious. We do know that Sinead had attempted to take her life multiple times, and she was deeply grieving the loss of her 17-year-old son, who died in January of last year. He had been in a hospital on suicide watch when he escaped and took his life. On July 17, Sinead posted her last tweets in Shane’s honor: #lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022. Been living as undead night creature since. . He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.” She also posted the Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra “for all mothers of suicided children.” But her fans were hoping that Sinead was doing better because she sounded very upbeat on her Facebook, posting about how she planned to write new music, hinted about an upcoming album, and hoped to go on tour next year. Sinead is survived by three children, 36-year-old son Jake, 27-year-old daughter Roisin, and 16-year-old son Yeshua.

Andre Murillo gave us an update on his wife Tori Kelly’s health. This past weekend, Tori was having dinner with some friends when she complained that her heart was racing and then passed out. They quickly drove her to the hospital where doctors discovered she had blood clots in her legs and around her vital organs. Things were sounding very grim, but now Andre has a positive message for Tori’s fans. He posted on Instagram, “Tori is smiling again and feeling stronger. Not fully out of the woods but we see the sun. Just waiting on a few more answers. Your love and kindness has been overwhelming. Thank you so so much!”

That Ariana Grande Kool-Aid is strong! Ethan Slater took one sip, got drunk, and now he’s willing to give up EVERYTHING for her. Ethan has filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay — his high school sweetheart and wife of 5 years who gave birth to their son Ezra last August. In fact, on Mother’s Day, Ethan posted a lovely first Mother’s Day message to Lilly and ARIANA LIKED IT. Since news of their affair broke, Ethan has made his Instagram private. A source told Page Six that Lilly was blindsided by Ethan’s affair and that she’s a wreck. The source said Lilly feels like Ethan completely turned his back on his family to be with Ariana, but other sources — aka, people on Ariana’s team — say the claims are completely untrue.

 

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