• Justin Bieber's record-breaking pop hits from "Baby" to "Sorry" are no longer his after he sold the rights to all his early music. Financial details were not disclosed, but Billboard Magazine reported that the sale was worth an estimated $200 million. The Canadian-American pop star's six albums, including the most recent one, "Justice," are part of the catalog sale to Hipgnosis, a U.K-based music investment company. Top artists including Sting, Bob Dylan and Shakira have in recent years sold rights to their catalogs for large sums, but at 28, Bieber is the youngest to do so. His publishing copyrights, songwriter's ownership, master recordings and all rights of his entire catalog of recordings made through 2021 are now owned by Hipgnosis. That covers 290 titles, including hits like "Peaches," "Beauty and the Beat" and music that Bieber has been releasing since he was 13. "Justin is truly a once in a generation artist and that is reflected and acknowledged by the magnitude of this deal." said Scooter Braun, his longtime manager. All of Bieber's six studio albums have been certified platinum or multiplatinum -- 1 million or 2 million in sales -- by the Recording Industry Association of America, and he's recorded 33 singles that have reached that status globally. Bieber is the eighth-most-listened-to artist in the world on Spotify, with 69 million monthly listeners and 30 billion streams. His video for "Baby" has been streamed 2.9 billion times on YouTube. "The impact of Justin Bieber on global culture over the last 14 years has truly been remarkable," said Merck Mercuriadis, the founder of Hipgnosis Song Management. He said Bieber is a defining artist in the streaming age, and said this acquisition "ranks among the biggest deals ever made for an artist under the age of 70."
• Jennifer Coolidge, who saw a career resurgence with her Emmy-winning turn as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt in the HBO series "The White Lotus," was named 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the nation. Coolidge, who also played the sultry mom in "American Pie" and sage manicurist Paulette in the "Legally Blonde" movies, grew up in the Boston area. "We are so excited to welcome Jennifer Coolidge back to her hometown and to Harvard, the iconic setting of Legally Blonde," awards coordinator Maya Dubin said. "Her glittering personality and comedic presence are so Pudding." Coolidge will be honored with a parade through Harvard Square on Feb. 4, followed by a roast where she'll be presented with her Pudding Pot. Her film credits also include roles in "Best In Show," "A Mighty Wind" and "Shotgun Wedding," and she's appeared in such television shows as "Seinfeld," "2 Broke Girls" and "Nip/Tuck."
Jennifer Coolidge arrives at the premiere of "Shotgun Wedding," Wednesday, 18, 2023, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)