Welcome back, my fellow Brandeisians-and a special welcome to our new midyears! To kick off this semester's first Pop Culture, here's a taste of what you might have missed this week while you were caught up in your return to 'Deis.
A rep. for Hilary Duff announced that the former Disney star has separated from former professional hockey player Mike Comrie. Confirming the news to People magazine, Duff's rep. calls it an "amicable separation." Duff, 26, and Comrie, 33, wed back in August 2010, and in March 2012, Duff gave birth to their son Luca Cruz.

If you're looking for some scandalous or dramatic reason for the split, you're not going to find one. Sources close to the couple have expressed that the two simply have drifted apart. Duff has even gushed about Comrie's parenting skills to the media in recent months, a true sign of respect between the two of them. Only time will tell if there really is such a thing as an amicable separation in the world of Hollywood.

With news of this celebrity split came news of another Tinseltown marriage. Unlike Duff's split, this marriage does bring a bit of drama along with it. On Friday, Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late Whitney Houston, confirmed to TMZ that she has married her fianc?(c)e Nick Gordon. The couple had announced their engagement in October 2012, and apparently wed in a small, secret ceremony back in November.

So where does the scandal come in? Since the age of 12, Gordon grew up with Bobbi Kristina. Though Houston never officially adopted him, she raised him like one of her own children. It's this bizarre scenario that has been raising eyebrows.

Nonetheless, Brown, 20, and Gordon, 24, plan on having another, more elaborate, marriage ceremony this upcoming year.
Adding to the drama quota this week, news outlets report that singer Ke$ha's mother has joined her daughter in rehab. On Jan. 3, Ke$ha had entered rehab for an eating disorder. Reportedly, the 26-year-old "Timber" singer is being treated at the Chicago-area Timberline Knolls facility, the same rehab center that treated singer Demi Lovato.

Ke$ha's mother, Pebe Sebert, 57, announced on Saturday that she has also checked herself into Timberline Knolls for post-traumatic stress disorder. Sebert has allegedly been so affected by her daughter's struggles and actually entered treatment at the urging of her daughter. In recent weeks, Sebert has publicly blamed Ke$ha's producer, Dr. Luke, for fueling the singer's eating disorder with comments he has made.

Last of all, if you caught the Golden Globes Sunday night, you likely saw Hollywood's royalty out on the red carpet, dripping in lavish jewels. But, one actress's bling caught the media's attention in particular. Newly engaged American Horror Story: Coven actress Emma Roberts showed off a big, pink gold and diamond sparkler on her finger. 

Her beau, actor Evan Peters, popped the question over the holidays. Back in July, Roberts, 22, was arrested in Montreal for allegedly attacking Peters, 26, in a hotel room they shared. At the time, their reps called the disturbance a "misunderstanding." If the ring is any proof, it sure looks like they have moved past that incident.

That's your pop-culture breakdown for this week, Brandeis. Have a great first week of classes (how is it already second semester?)!
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