Welcome to Did You Hear…? where we recap the top five pieces of news from the past week in pop culture so you’re always up to speed.
So much has happened in the week leading up to Christmas. Britney Spears announced that she’s working on new music, some of the contestants of MasterChef Australia have been revealed and the stars of And Just Like That … responded to the sexual assault allegations against Chris Noth.
It’s… a lot, so let’s get into it.
Britney Spears is Working On New Music
2022 is already looking up because the queen of pop is making a comeback! Britney Spears revealed she’s working on new music in a post on Instagram while candidly speaking about her feelings toward her family.
It’s been five years since the artist released her last album titled Glory and fans have been eagerly waiting new tunes from her ever since. Of course, a lot has happened since then. Not only did Britney win her conservatorship battle which had a chokehold on her for most of her life, but she also said yes to her fiancé Sam Asghari.
In July, the Baby One More Time singer claimed she was forbidden from having more children, getting married or taking out her IUD during her father’s conservatorship.
Read all about it here.
Top Pop Culture Moments of 2021
2021 was a year full of highs and lows. With 2020 pretty much written-off, this year brought back highly anticipated events such as the Met Gala and live shows, with yes, real people sitting in the audience! But that’s not all, Taylor Swift released her version of Red and Adele dropped her album 30 after six years.
2021 was also the year America elected a new president, with Joe Biden being tasked with one of the most powerful positions in the world. But not everything was great because despite being a new year, countries were still being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, including Australia.
Sydney and Melbourne dealt with gruelling lockdowns due to the Delta variant and now, in the lead up to Christmas, the new Omicron variant seems to be taking over.
But going back to what made us leap with joy, Britney is finally free and it was a huge year for movies, with James Bond No Time to Die released after constant delays and Spider-Man: No Way Home breaking records at the box office.
Take a look back at some of the biggest pop culture moments from 2021 here.
Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler are Reportedly Dating
It’s never easy keeping up with the dating world of hot young talent. Enter the latest celebrity couple to hit the headlines: Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler. A source recently confirmed to People that the model and actor are dating, just a few days after the pair were spotted leaving a yoga class together.
“Austin and Kaia are in fact dating,” the source told the outlet. “All of her friends think they are so adorable and it’s a total step up from her last relationship, and she knows it too . . . She seems really happy. All of her friends think he’s really cute.”
The news comes a month after Kaia and Jacob Elordi reportedly split, following one year of dating.
Read the full story here.
The Cast of And Just Like That Respond to Allegations Against Chris Noth
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis are responding to the sexual assault allegations against their And Just Like That costar Chris Noth. On Monday evening, the actresses posted identical statements to their respective Instagram Stories voicing their support for the women who have come forward. Their joint statement comes a few days after the actor was first accused of sexual assault by two women and “sexually inappropriate” behaviour by another.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth,” the statement reads. “We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”
Read the full story here.
MasterChef Australia Announces Contestants for 2022
We’re still crawling through the rest of 2021 but Channel 10 is wasting no time announcing who will be competing in the 2022 season of MasterChef Australia: Foodies vs Favourites.
The new format will see 12 fresh new faces compete against 12 former contestants, a challenge that we’re sure won’t be easy.
Set to premiere around Easter, the network did confirm back in October that season one winner Julie Goodwin will be returning to the iconic kitchen, and now, we know who the other favourites are joining her.
Judges Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen will be at the helm of the show once again and decide who makes it through and who is sent home.
See who will be competing here.