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Paris names a street after David Bowie celebrating music icon's legacy

PEOPLE
David Bowie

PARIS — Paris immortalized late British music icon David Bowie by naming a street after him in the city’s southeast on what would have been his 77th birthday on Monday.

The inauguration of rue David-Bowie was first announced in 2020 by Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the 13th arrondissement. Bowie died of cancer in 2016.

The tribute celebrated Bowie’s first Paris performance in 1965 — his first outside the United Kingdom — and his lasting impact on music, fashion and culture. Bowie’s influence on music, with hits like “Space Oddity” and “Let’s Dance,” and on fashion, are now permanently recognized in the Paris city landscape.

The inauguration featured a concert and an exhibit.

The street is roughly between the Jardin des Plantes botanical gardens and the National Library. It is situated between two modern office buildings, including the headquarters of news publications Le Monde and L’Obs, opens onto avenue Pierre-Mendes-France and will connect to a future bridge linking the avenue to boulevard de l’Hopital, near Austerlitz train station and Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital.

The development reflects the ongoing transformation of the district, which now celebrates the legacy of Bowie along with other notable figures.

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s sexuality is the subject of a controversial New York Times opinion piece. The 5,000-word article, published Thursday, asserts that Swift is a closeted gay person, based off of various LGBTQ references found in her songs and performances.

“There seems to be no boundary some journalists won’t cross when writing about Taylor, regardless of how invasive, untrue, and inappropriate it is — all under the protective veil of an ‘opinion piece,’” a person close to the situation told CNN on Saturday.

“This article wouldn’t have been allowed to be written about ... any male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans,” the source added.

Times editor Anna Marks, who penned the piece, suggests the references in her songs are intentional hints from Swift.

Marks writes of the idea of “‘dropped hairpins,’ or the covert ways someone can signal LGBTQ identity to those in the know while leaving others comfortable in their ignorance.”

Aside from other hints such as “frequently depict(ing) herself as trapped in glass closets or, well, in regular closets ,” Marks suggests the singer’s current relationship with NFL tight end Travis Kelce is not all it might seem to be.

She writes that the relationship could simply be an “attention-grabbing, if not lucrative,” partnership that reinforces fans’ obsession with Swift’s romantic life.

Swift has been an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ community in the past, but has denied she herself is a member of the community.

Swift has yet to publicly comment on the piece.

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Kelly Clarkson

If Kelly Clarkson had her druthers, she never would have married Brandon Blackstock.

The multiple Grammy and Daytime Emmy Award winner has opened about her ill-fated marriage to her former husband-manager, from whom she finalized her divorce in 2022.

The “American Idol” alum first filed for divorce in 2020 after seven years of marriage.

“I never wanted to get married the first time,” she told People in an interview published this week. “[Brandon] had children, a religious background, and it was important, I think, for him. But I’ve never been that person. Because I’ve been through a couple divorces in my family, I just don’t like to put any weight on it.”

“It can happen; it doesn’t have to happen,” she said, when asked if she’d consider getting married again. “For my kids, I definitely would never even think about it until they’re out of my house.”

The exes share two young children — daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington Alexander, 7.

On a 2020 episode of her eponymous daytime talk show, Clarkson said she “definitely didn’t see anything coming that came,” in her regards to the end of her marriage.

“Divorce is never easy, and we’re both from divorced families, so, you know, we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts,” the “Stronger” singer said at the time.

In March 2022, Clarkson was ordered to pay her ex a one-time payment of just over $1.32 million, monthly installments of $115,000 in spousal support until Jan. 31, 2024, and $45,601 monthly in child support for their kids.

But in November 2023, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement ruled that Blackstock had to return more than $2.6 million to Clarkson for fees he took out from her projects when he was her manager.

Blackstock, the former stepson of country music star Reba McEntire, is reportedly weighing options to appeal that decision.

As far as her future love life is concerned, Clarkson isn’t ruling out romance again — but it will be on her terms.

“I told a friend [that a potential partner] would have to be an individual that brings their own life to the table without needing anything from me,” she shared.

From combined wire services

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