Articles by Brenton Blanchet

Technology

Taylor Swift, Whose Music Backed “The Summer I Turned Pretty”, Finally Weighs in on Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah

Taylor Swift has a message for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The 14-time Grammy winner, 35, dished on her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, during her Tuesday, Oct. 7 On Air with Ryan Seacrest appearance — and she even gave some clarification as to where she stands on the whole Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah debate. After being asked which side she gravitates toward, Swift — whose music has been featured on the Prime Video series — shared that she's ultimately "Team Summer I Turned Pretty." "Because this show has, when I tell you that this show has completely used my music in the most thoughtful, beautiful ways and with these important moments in Belly's life. I'm just, I'm here for whatever is next," Swift said. "I support your choices, girl." "I feel like my music comes from inside her mind," she added of Belly, who is played by Lola Tung. "So I'm like, I'm really with her no matter what she goes with. I know that sounds — but I promise that I thought about this." As fans may recall, the beloved Prime Video show concluded with Belly picking Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) once and for all after three seasons of navigating a complicated love triangle that involved his brother, Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). After the finale aired, Prime Video announced a movie was in the works to continue Belly's story. Swift's music has served as soundtrack for many of the series' most memorable moments. The show's series finale featured tracks "Out of the Woods" and "Dress," as author and showrunner Jenny Han told PEOPLE that she "had that thought of" using "Out of the Woods" early on and was "really excited to use" "Dress" on the hit series. Hahn previously shared with Jenna Bush Hager on her podcast, Open Book, on Jan. 9 that one Swift song in particular was important for her to use in the show. As she explained, Swift's "The Way I Loved You" plays during the 2022 season 1 finale of the show, and she even "knew what song I wanted" as she was "pitching out the season." "I was kinda trying to, like, inception it into everyone's heads that this is what we — that we need this," she said, adding she was willing to do "whatever it took to get it." She ended up writing a handwritten note to Swift, explaining "how much it would mean — not just to me, but I thought to the fans. That was the gift I really wanted to give, because I'm like, they're gonna go crazy for this." Ultimately, the Taylor's Version of the Fearless song was used, and Han said she was "so lucky to get more than one" track. "She really — I felt like she is someone who bets on women. And I felt like she bet on me," the author said of Swift. "And I can't say enough how thankful I am that she let us use her music. And I think she knows, too, her fans would like the show." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Prime Video.

Technology

“Southern Charm” Alum Kathryn Dennis Sued by Driver Who Claims He Was Injured in 2024 DUI Crash

Kathryn Dennis is being sued following her 2024 DUI arrest. The Southern Charm alum, 34, was named in a lawsuit filed in August by a man who claims he was injured in a collision involving three vehicles on May 20, 2024, in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Dennis — who was booked in Berkeley County, S.C., earlier this month and sentenced to 30 days in jail, per NBC Affiliate News 2 and Page Six — is facing a lawsuit from a driver who says he "suffered serious bodily injury, pain and suffering, and mental anguish" as a result of a crash she allegedly caused, per a complaint obtained by PEOPLE. The driver claims he was behind the wheel of a 2012 Honda in May 2024 when the reality star (who was allegedly driving a 2018 GMC pickup truck) "failed to slow her vehicle" and struck a 2017 Nissan pickup truck in the rear. That car, "in turn, caused the Nissan to strike the Plaintiff’s vehicle in the rear," per the document filed on Aug. 14. PEOPLE reached out to Dennis for comment on Tuesday, Oct. 7, but did not receive an immediate response. A lawyer for the plaintiff declined PEOPLE's request for comment. "As a result of said accident, which was solely due to the negligent and wanton, willful recklessness of the Defendant in that she made the conscious decision to drive a motor vehicle on a public roadway while under the influence and intoxication of alcoholic beverages, and/or other controlled substance(s), the Plaintiff suffered serious bodily injury, pain and suffering and mental anguish, and will continue to do so in the future. Further, that the Plaintiff’s vehicle suffered property damage," the complaint reads. The complaint also alleges that Dennis did not maintain proper lookout, did not keep her vehicle under proper control, did not apply her brakes, and did not utilize the last clear chance, in addition to driving under the influence. In the complaint, the driver said he's asking for “just and proper” relief in relation to “property damage, punitive damages,” as well as “the costs of this action.” Per the Supreme Court of South Carolina's online database, Dennis’ insurance company, State Farm, was later added as a co-defendant in September before denying the allegations. On May 20, 2024, Dennis was initially stopped by the Goose Creek Police Department (GCPD) in South Carolina just after 10 p.m., per a press release provided by authorities at the time. A responding officer told a colleague that Dennis was "possibly impaired" upon stopping her, and another officer wrote in a report that she "had glossy eyes and an odor of alcohol coming from her." She was then arrested for driving under the influence. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On Friday, Oct. 3, according to public records from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BSCO), Dennis was later booked in Berkeley County, S.C., on charges of driving under the influence and transporting a container of alcohol in a motor vehicle with the seal broken. Dennis' 2024 incident came less than a year after a vehicle registered in her name was involved in an alleged hit-and-run incident in South Carolina in October 2023, as PEOPLE confirmed at the time. A source told PEOPLE that the star was involved in the alleged incident, though the South Carolina Highway Patrol did not confirm who was driving the car.