Welcome to your Daily Lowdown Easter special podcast where we're taking a look back at some of the biggest stories that made headlines in 2023 so far.
From a glittering award season that saw big names like Beyonce and Michelle Yeoh making history, to Prince Harry's explosive memoir and Rihanna's iconic Superbowl Performance – here are some major stories from the world of entertainment that have occurred this year.
Take a listen to the special episode below.
See below for the full transcript...
January kicked off with Prince Harry's explosive memoir. The Duke of Sussex's book Spare, which was released in Spain five days early, revealed some major revelations about Harry's relationship with his family. One story included how Harry and his brother Prince William were involved in a physical altercation at Harry's cottage in Kensington Palace, with Harry branding his older sibling as his arch-nemesis. Other revelations include the details behind Harry's final conversation with the Queen before her death and how the royal brothers asked their father King Charles not to marry Camilla. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace both declined to comment on the book at the time. HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash shared her thoughts on the royal situation.
Hollywood was stunned following the death of Lisa Marie Presley aged 54. The star, who was the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was rushed into hospital in January after suffering a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas and put in an induced coma and given a temporary pacemaker, however, her death was announced by her mother hours later. Priscilla wrote in a statement that her beautiful daughter had left us, and that she was the most passionate, strong and loving woman she had ever known. Stars such as Tom Hanks and John Travolta were one of the first to share their tributes, with the Grease actor saying his heart goes out to Lisa's family, while Tom said his family was heartbroken. Lisa Marie had been seen in public just two days before at the Golden Globes, where she supported actor Austin Butler following his portrayal as Elvis.
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© GettySpeaking of award shows, January kicked off a hugely exciting awards season and Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh certainly came out on top. Although Brendan lost to Austin at the Golden Globes, he was overcome with emotion when he won the award for Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards for his role in The Whale. [Inset audio here]. Brendan would later go on to win the Oscar for the same role. Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh won big at the Golden Globes thanks to her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once and the star also went on to win for the part at the Oscars.
At the beginning of February, there was one star that everyone was talking about, Rihanna. The singer took to the stage at the Superbowl Half Time Show to perform for the first time in five years and it went down a treat with fans. But it wasn't just her iconic set list that had viewers talking, because the singer also debuted her baby bump for the first time and confirmed that she and rapper ASAP Rocky are expecting their second child.
The Brits returned for their annual awards show hosted by Mo Gilligan and welcomed some of the biggest stars in music to London's O2 arena. But although excitement for the show was high, the Brits faced controversy and backlash from some fans and critics when the list of nominees for the Artist of the Year category did not feature any female artists. The Brits decided to make their categories gender-neutral, however, an all-male nominees list did not go down well with fans. Those nominated included Stormzy, George Ezra, and Harry Styles, but it was the former One Direction singer who won big. The Adore You singer swept the board and won four awards across the evening.
© Getty ImagesMuch to the excitement of fans, Beyonce confirmed her huge Renaissance World Tour. The singer confirmed that she will embark on a massive run of concert dates across America, Europe, and beyond from May onwards. Bey heads to Europe first before returning to North America for dates in September and her string of shows comes almost a year after releasing the Renaissance album which won Beyonce plenty of praise from fans and critics.
Speaking of Beyonce, 2023 has been good to the superstar so far because fresh off the back of her tour announcement, the singer made history at this year's Grammy Awards. The superstar won a total of four awards during the ceremony held in Los Angeles, making her now the most-awarded artist in the recording academy's history. Beyonce won in categories including Best R&B Song for her hit Cuff It as well as Best Dance/Electronic Album for her critically acclaimed seventh studio album Renaissance. Beyonce was overcome with emotion as she took to the stage and thanked her husband Jay Z and more.
In March, Ed Sheeran's fans had reason to celebrate when the singer announced his upcoming new album Subtract which will be dropping in May. But it was a bittersweet moment for Ed himself as he bravely opened up about his wife Cherry Seaborn's health. The Bad Habits hitmaker shared the news that he had been working on the new record for a long time before facing a series of setbacks in 2022, including his wife being told she had a tumour while she was pregnant. Ed explained that there was no route for treatment until after the birth, the couple welcomed their second baby in May that year. The singer also cited the death of Jamal Edwards and his copyright court case all contributing to his spiral into depression and anxiety, adding that the new album is how he can express himself, like a trapdoor into his soul. Subtract will be released on 5 May.
Excitement for festival season has started and March also marked Glastonbury Festival announcing the 2023 headliners. Bosses for the annual event held at Worthy Farm in Somerset confirmed that the Arctic Monkeys and Guns and Roses will join the already announced Elton John as main headliners. Alex Turner and the rest of the indie band will be back on the pyramid stage for the third time in their career, while Guns and Roses' set on the Saturday will mark their debut at the iconic festival. Other big names who have been announced include Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey.
And Eurovision is now just around the corner and we are so excited about the UK entry for this year's annual Song Contest. Twenty-five-year-old singer Mae Muller will perform her track I Wrote A Song at this year's annual competition hoping to follow the success of Sam Ryder in 2022. Mae described being named as this year's entry as a dream and said to compete in such a massive competition was simply brilliant. Mae will no doubt hope to score as highly as Sam last year which put the UK in second place. The annual song contest is taking place in Liverpool in May due the conflict ongoing in Ukraine preventing the winning country from hosting.
And March also saw the biggest names in Hollywood head to the Oscars for the ceremony that marked the end of the 2023 awards season. It was a historic night full of surprises and plenty of tears at the Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. But there was one film in particular that came out on top – Everything Everywhere All At Once took home 7 wins including in many of the major acting categories as well as Best Picture and Best Director. Michelle Yeoh made history by becoming the first Asian actress to win an award in Oscars history. Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan also won for their roles in the movie. Meanwhile, Brendan Fraser beat stiff competition to win Best Actor for The Whale. Elsewhere at the glitzy ceremony, Lady Gaga surprised fans when she took to the stage to singer Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, after previously declining an invitation to perform at the awards.
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