Vanessa Bryant emerges victorious… Nicole Scherzinger engaged… David Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill… “Eras Tour” is on track… and Ryan Seacrest named new host of “Wheel of Fortune”

Listen to “Showbiz – June 28, 2023” on Spreaker.

Back in 2013, Kobe Bryant plunked down $6M for a 10% interest in BodyArmor. Several years later, the company sold to Coca-Cola for a whopping $5.6B, and Kobe’s investment reportedly earned him $400M! Molly Carter, who served as president of Kobe Inc. at the time, claimed Kobe promised her 2% of his cut, which would be $8M. Kobe called BS, saying he would never make a promise like that. So Molly sued. Six months later, Kobe died in a tragic helicopter crash. So Kobe’s widow Vanessa was left to defend her husband’s word. She also filed a counterclaim, alleging that Molly violated the duty of loyalty and the non-disparagement clause in her employment contract by trash-talking Kobe and his family. It was some pretty awful, racially-charged smack talk, too. The case finally went to arbitration and Vanessa prevailed! She was also awarded more than $1.5M in attorney’s fees.

ICYMI: Vanessa Bryant Wins Big in Kobe's BodyArmor Lawsuit https://t.co/OWSalMHWQm
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 27, 2023

Congratulations to Nicole Scherzinger! Her longtime boyfriend Thom Evans proposed on the beach during a trip to Nicole’s home in Hawaii. Back in February, there were rumors that the couple had broken up, but they both posted on their IG Stories, “Wow this is news to us What a joke.” Now here we are 4 months later, and Thom put a ring on it! Thom is a former professional rugby player whose career ended after a catastrophic neck injury. He went on to have a successful career as a model and television personality. Thom met Nicole on the set of “The X Factor: Celebrity” when he was a member of the Try Star “boyband” made up of 3 former rugby players. But Thom actually did have some experience in a legit boyband. He was a part of Twen2y4se7en, which opened for Westlife and Peter Andres’ tours.

SHE SAID YES… Nicole Scherzinger and Thom Evans are engaged! 💍 pic.twitter.com/NxJqh9lfv0
— E! News (@enews) June 28, 2023

He’s not a household name yet, but he will be! The Hollywood Reporter has announced that David Corenswet is our next Man of Steel in James Gunn’s upcoming “Superman: Legacy.” Rachel Brosnahan from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” has been cast as Lois Lane. Henry Cavill has worn that leotard and cape for the past four DC Extended Universe films, starting off with the 2013 movie “Man of Steel.” Back in October, Henry said he would be back as Superman in DC movies moving forward. Two months later, Henry announced that was no longer the case. In making the announcement, Henry was very gracious, saying he respected DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran’s decision to let him go. He said, “The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

David Corenswet has been cast as the next Superman. pic.twitter.com/Lf58eakn7F
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 27, 2023

Taylor Swift is not only on track to break Elton John’s current record of having the highest-grossing tour, she could potentially be the first artist to gross $1 BILLION in tour revenue! Her previous stadium tour in 2018 reportedly grossed around $345M across 53 shows. Not bad….At that time, Ed Sheeran was on his “Divide Tour” — which ran from 2017-2019 — and he held the record for highest-grossing tour. But Elton’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” — which began in 2018 and ends next month — now holds the record with $887M. We have a long way to go before we know Taylor’s final total. She wraps up the US leg of her tour in August and then heads overseas to perform 54 shows through next summer. That number could increase, though, because she’s been adding more shows to her schedule lately.

Taylor Swift’s epic “Eras Tour” is on track to become the biggest in concert history, with the potential to gross over $1 billion. Here’s the breakdown of how much money the singer is generating on tour. https://t.co/aoBeixm5ma
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 26, 2023

Seems a little soon to make a decision this huge, but Ryan Seacrest will take over as host of “Wheel of Fortune” when Pat Sajak retires at the end of the upcoming season. Ryan said, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. It’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years…Making us smile every night and feel right at home with them. One of my first jobs was hosting a little game show called ‘Click’ for Merv Griffin 25 years ago, so this is truly a full circle moment for me and I’m grateful for the opportunity.” In case you didn’t know, Merv Griffin created “Wheel of Fortune,” which premiered on Jan. 6, 1975. The show was originally hosted by Chuck Woolery with Susan Stafford flipping those letters. Pat Sajak became host in 1981 and Vanna White joined him a year later. By the way, what’s going to happen to Vanna White in this Ryan Seacrest equation? She’s reportedly lawyered up! According to Puck News — anyone every heard of them? — Vanna has made the same $3M a year salary since 2005. Even though she hasn’t gotten a raise, she reportedly gets bonuses. Now the New York Post says Vanna has hired the aggressive powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman to look out for her interests in the upcoming transition.