This Week in Pop Culture : March 9 - 15, 2019

Captain Marvel had a huge opening weekend, taking in $153 Million at the box office. This is the biggest movie opening of 2019 so far, and the 18th biggest opening of all time. Reviews of the movie were generally positive, with critics picking out lead Brie Larson for praise in particular.

There has been a little hiccup in Ariana Grande’s endorsement of the new Starbucks drink, the Cloud Machiatto. Grande is a well-known vegan, but she’s been on social media touting the beverage made with soy milk, implying that that version of the drink was vegan. The problem is that the drink cannot be vegan, because egg whites are used in the cloud-like foam. Whoops.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is losing another key staffer. Amy Pickerill, the Duchess’ assistant private secretary, will leave her position soon after Markle gives birth. Although it is said that the departure is amicable, this is the second major staff departure in the short time Meghan has been Duchess. Her Chief of Staff, Amy Cohen, also announced that she is leaving. Staff shake-ups like this fuel tabloid reports that Markle is difficult to work for.

Looks like Britney Spears is getting her very own musical, built around 23 of her pop hits. Early details reveal that the plot involves famous fairytale princesses who somehow embrace feminism to help them out of their predicaments. Which makes complete and total sense, right? The musical is currently in development and will have a tryout in Chicago before a potential run on Broadway.

Chance the Rapper, married his girlfriend of five years, Kirsten Corley, this week. The wedding made some headlines because Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were late to the ceremony and arrived right as the couple were exchanging vows. Didn’t they do that at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris last year, too? Chance later said that he forgave Kanye for his lateness.

Once upon a time, Taylor Swift had a group of female friends and supporters that she called her Girl Squad. Alas, the Girl Squad did not live happily ever after, and Taylor tells the story of its demise in an essay written for Elle Magazine. Swift, whose friends included Karlie Kloss and Selena Gomez, details how and why friendships can fall apart in the essay without naming specific people or incidents. Probably a good call.

Jordan Peele’s follow up to his hugely successful debut film Get Out premiered at the SouthXSouthwest festival in Austin, Texas. Early reviews of Us are extremely positive as a whole, and especially positive for Lupita Nyong’o’s performance in particular. A doppelgänger is a person’s double, and a malevolent doppelgänger is like an evil twin that wants to hurt you, which makes sense because we’re talking about a horror movie.

Actress Felicity Huffman is among the more than 50 people charged in what authorities are calling the biggest college admissions fraud case ever. Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to a man who rigged an SAT testing center so that a corrupt proctor could correct Huffman’s daughter’s answers. Actress Lori Loughlin is accused of paying the same man to create a false athletic background for her daughter, who was accepted as a recruit for the USC crew team even though, um, she never rowed before.

Justin Bieber is reaching out to his fans for support as he grapples with depression and substance abuse. Bieber, who recently married model Hailey Baldwin, asks his fans to pray for him in an Instagram post, and details his struggles in an interview in the February issue of Vogue magazine.

Jennifer Lopez announced that she is engaged to former Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez. J-Rod has (or is it “have”?) been dating for two years. This will be the second marriage for A-Rod and the fourth for J-Lo. No wedding date has been announced.