Britney Spears Sells Rights to Music Catalogue

FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
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Britney Spears Sells Rights to Music Catalogue

FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo

Pop star ‌Britney Spears has sold her rights to her music catalogue to independent music publisher Primary Wave, the ​latest artist to strike a deal for her work.

Entertainment site TMZ, citing legal documents it had obtained, first reported the news, saying the "Oops!... I Did It Again" and "Toxic" singer had signed the deal on December 30.

According to Reuters, it quoted sources as saying it ‌was "in the ‌ballpark" of Canadian singer Justin ​Bieber's ‌reported $200 ⁠million ​agreement to sell ⁠his music rights to Hipgnosis in 2023.

A person familiar with the situation said news of the Spears and Primary Wave deal was accurate. No further details were given.

Primary Wave, which is home to artists ⁠including Whitney Houston, Prince and Stevie ‌Nicks, did not ‌immediately respond to a request for ​comment. Spears has ‌not commented publicly.

The 44-year-old, one of ‌the most successful pop artists of all time, has topped charts around the world, starting off with "...Baby One More Time" in 1998. The ‌deal includes her songs such as "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Circus", "Gimme More" and "I'm a Slave ⁠4 ⁠U", TMZ said.

Spears' ninth and last studio album, "Glory", came out in 2016.

In 2021, she was released from a 13-year court-ordered conservatorship set up and controlled by her father, Jamie Spears. The arrangement had governed Spears' personal life, career and $60 million estate from 2008 until it was terminated in November 2021.

Spears follows artists such as Sting, ​Bruce Springsteen and Justin ​Timberlake who have struck deals to cash in on their work.



Oscar Nominee Chalamet Woos Chinese Fans Days Before Best Actor Bid

French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Oscar Nominee Chalamet Woos Chinese Fans Days Before Best Actor Bid

French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)

Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet answered to "sweet tea" and praised a table tennis champion as he wooed Chinese fans on Tuesday in Beijing, days before the Academy Awards.

The 30-year-old actor is in Asia promoting Best Picture hopeful "Marty Supreme", in which he plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.

Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor's unique viral campaign, the A24 film directed by Josh Safdie ("Uncut Gems") has become an unlikely global hit.

At an indoor red carpet event, Chalamet delighted fans by calling China's table tennis world no. 1 Sun Yingsha "an amazing player" after earlier purchasing a poster of the reigning world champion from a local shop.

The sport -- which Chalamet spent several years mastering in preparation for the film -- is hugely popular in China.

Dozens of fans squeezed past each other for autographs and selfies with the three-time Best Actor nominee, known affectionally as "tiancha", which means sweet tea.

The rare visit to China by a prominent American actor comes as Hollywood looks to cash in on the country's box office.

China recorded 51.8 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) in ticket sales last year, challenging North America's box office of $8.6 billion.

"I feel like the movie could be as well received here as it was in the States, you know. Hopefully," Chalamet told reporters at the carpet -- colored the same shade of orange the actor has sported across his "Marty Supreme" press tour.

Chalamet also visited Japan and the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu where he was filmed playing table tennis with silver-haired locals.

His Asia tour also comes as he has angered fans over viral comments suggesting "no one cares" about ballet or opera.

"Marty Supreme" officially opens in Chinese cinemas on March 20.


Bridgerton Star Insists Queen Charlotte Really Was Black

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
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Bridgerton Star Insists Queen Charlotte Really Was Black

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)

A Bridgerton star has reignited the controversy over whether George III's wife Queen Charlotte, who is depicted in the Regency-era drama, was black in real life.

Adjoa Andoh said of the royal, played by fellow black actress Golda Rosheuvel, “Queen Charlotte wasn't fictionalized as a woman of color, she was a woman of color. You just have to do your historical research, according to The Daily Mail.

The actress – who in 2023 said the Buckingham Palace line-up after King Charles’ coronation was “terribly white” – said the Netflix series gave viewers “a more realistic version of history.”

The lineage of the German-born Charlotte can be traced and there is one relative of Moorish ancestry, 500 years before she lived.

One fan said: “The chances of me having black ancestry are way bigger than that and I'm not a woman of color.”

“History is full of really interesting actual women of color, so it's time we start making TV shows about them and stop giving credit where there's no credit due,” he added.

Bridgerton is a historical drama and romance series produced by Netflix and set in Regency-era London (1810s).

The series, inspired by Julia Quinn's novels, explores love stories and social intrigue. It has been officially renewed through season 6. The fourth season, focusing on Benedict’s love story, is now streaming on Netflix.


Woman Held Over Shots Fired at Rihanna’s LA Mansion

Barbadian singer and actress Rihanna attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 12, 2023. (AFP)
Barbadian singer and actress Rihanna attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 12, 2023. (AFP)
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Woman Held Over Shots Fired at Rihanna’s LA Mansion

Barbadian singer and actress Rihanna attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 12, 2023. (AFP)
Barbadian singer and actress Rihanna attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 12, 2023. (AFP)

A woman alleged to have fired an assault rifle at the luxury Los Angeles home of Rihanna -- while the pop superstar was inside -- was being held by police on Monday.

Officers in the city said shots were fired towards the mansion in the middle of day on Sunday by a suspect driving a white Tesla, which had stopped across the street.

Aerial footage after the attack showed bullet holes in a gate at the sprawling property, which Rihanna shares with rapper A$AP Rocky and their three children.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was arrested at a shopping complex half an hour after the incident.

Captain Mike Bland told reporters the weapon used was an AR-15-style rifle.

Ortiz was booked on suspicion of attempted murder with bail set at $10.225 million.

Rihanna, one of the world's most popular pop stars, has not publicly commented on the shooting.