Entertainment Roundup: What Happened in April

Some of the most unbelievable, jaw-dropping stories find their way onto our screens from the streets of Tinsel Town. April’s biggest headlines in entertainment offered up no shortage of drama. Today, we celebrate the month’s most buzz-worthy entertainment stories from a live television nightmare, to the newest members of Hollywood, and the life and loss of a music legend.

Coachella Cool

Source: Getty

As springtime progresses, and the cold winds down, Hollywood’s elite are gearing up for festivals. Coachella, which kicks off the season with a two-weekend concert event, is one of the few festivals in the country that gets people talking less about the performers, and more about the attendees. As the years pass, the audience and line-ups get bigger and better, and 2016 did not disappoint. This year’s festivities brought out models like Alessandra Ambrosio and Kendall Jenner, actress Ashley Benson, and many more. Vanessa Hudgens, who is a regular at the Indio-held event, made multiple appearances at the grounds, while singer Sia wowed the crowds with a killer performance of her single “Elastic Heart”. Other stars that stopped by the already-packed affair included The Weeknd and model girlfriend Bella Hadid, Katy Perry, Lorde, and featured a newly bleach-blonde Taylor Swift with DJ beau Calvin Harris.

Oh, Baby!

Source: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for A+E Networks

If there’s one thing we love than beautiful couples in entertainment, it’s beautiful couples in entertainment making even more beautiful babies. And boy, has Hollywood been busy. Model Chrissy Tiegen and musician hubby John Legend welcomed their baby girl Luna to the world on April 17. The gorgeous couple debuted their new bundle of joy on their respective Instagram accounts. Joining the first-time parents club are Maroon 5 rocker, Adam Levine, and wife, Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo. April also gave us plenty to look forward to from our favorite celeb parents. Joining their first borns, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, and Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudekis, are all expecting their second children as couples, and individually. Congrats to all the happy and beautiful couples!

Live! With Kelly and …..?

Source: ABC

What started as a seemingly easy month for Live! host and actress, Kelly Ripa, quickly turned into a soap opera when Ripa’s co-host of four years, former NFL star Michael Strahan, announced his departure from the morning show. Audiences and fans weren’t the only ones who were shocked by the news. After taping their show on Tuesday, April 19, Ripa herself was reportedly “livid” after learning Strahan would be leaving the show in September. Her frustration allegedly stems from ABC network’s decision to keep her in the dark on the matter until the announcement was made public knowledge. Understandably upset, Ripa called in sick on Wednesday, April 20, which left Live! producers scrambling for a replacement host, ultimately settling on Erin Andrews and Shay Mitchell to fill the gap. While Ripa had a planned vacation with hubby Mark Consuelos over the weekend, she returned to the talk show this Tuesday and walked out hand-in-hand with Strahan. She delivered a heart-felt ‘thank you’ to the audience, and explained her absence from the show with as much honesty as one could hope for. And if you were wondering whether or not there was bad blood between Ripa and Strahan, the two showed a united front. However, according to audience members and Scandal‘s Bellamy young (the first guest on the show since Ripa’s return), the two were silent and distant from each other when cameras weren’t rolling. Strahan is now set to exit the show on a much earlier date, May 13.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Source: Parkwood/Columbia Records

Nobody knows the phrase better than Queen Bey herself. This month, Beyonce both surprised and wowed fans and critics alike with the debut of her latest album, Lemonade. The “Flawless***” singer gave fans more than what they bargained for when HBO premiered her latest visual album effort. The film, also titled Lemonade, spanned at 1:05 minutes and aired to a healthy 787,000 viewers Saturday night. The album and film have both received rave reviews from audiences and critics, with Rolling Stone magazine calling it her most “powerful, ambitious statement yet.” The album is 13 tracks long, and touches on heavy subjects, such as infidelity and equal rights. Much of the project’s discussion has been among the songstress’s lyrics depicting a cheating husband and his lover. Many believe the tracks to be aimed at an alleged affair between Knowles’ husband, rapper Jay Z, and an unknown woman. Fans have been in a tizzy attempting to learn the identity of the ‘other woman’ by looking into the album’s lyrics. The line in particular that has the most tongues wagging? ‘You better call Becky with the good hair.’ The line has fans creating theories and campaigns against women they believe to be ‘Becky’. Theories sway between designer Rachel Roy (who many believe to be the cause of the infamous elevator smackdown between Jay and Beyonce’s sister, Solange at the Met Gala), and signer Rita Ora. Both women have denied their involvement in the A-listers’ marriage. We may never know who Becky really is, but one thing is for sure: Adele’s 25 will have tough competition at the 2017 GRAMMYs, where it will surely be nominated alongside Lemonade for Album Of The Year.

Purple Reign

Source: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

What seems to be the saddest, and most shocking news in April, was the loss of music icon, Prince. The legendary singer/songwriter/performer was found lifeless in the elevator of his home Paisley Park in Minnesota. He was 57 years old. One week prior to his untimely death, the icon made an emergency landing in Illinois so he could reach a hospital after what would be his final show in Atlanta, GA. Since his passing, much speculation has surrounded the reason why. From a drug overdose to an AIDs diagnosis, Prince’s family, friends, and legions of fans anxiously await the results from the recently-performed autopsy. While most of us are still in mourning, late night hosts, performers, and talk shows are all paying tribute to the late legend. While Saturday Night Live debuted a compilation of Prince’s greatest performances on the sketch show, Jimmy Fallon and Quest Love traded personal stories of their time with the singer on The Tonight Show, and FOX re-aired the episode of New Girl in which the legend guest starred, on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the entertainment world lost another iconic force after Everybody Loves Raymond actress, Doris Roberts, passed away last week. Rest in peace to both legendary entertainers.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for checking out this month’s Entertainment Roundup. Don’t forget to come back next month for a brand new batch of stories from Hollywood’s stars. For more stories just like this, follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook!