The highlights on this second quarter of the year are the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the final bow of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', and the removal of Rebecca Black's video.
- Dec 29, 2011
AceShowbiz - AceShowbiz's look-back at 2011 continues with this second part of Kaleidoscope. Many celebrities shared happy news about marriage, pregnancy or newborn babies, but there were also others who coped with personal woes like divorce, split and health scares. Among those receiving wide coverage, it was the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton which stole the most attention. Oprah Winfrey's star-studded farewell and the removal of Rebecca Black's "Friday" from YouTube also stole the headlines.
In movie business, big studios had already packed their big movies ready for summer releases, so they focused more on the promotions. Still, they got their hands full for fall and next year's projects. The casting departments were busy with securing high-profile actors, and the crew were occupied with production works. That's why casting reports and first-look or sneak-peek stories dominated the movie news during this second quarter of the year.
APRIL
All eyes were on England on Friday, April 29 to witness the union of Prince William and his commoner girlfriend Kate Middleton. The second heir to the British throne looked dashing wearing the famous tunic of an Irish Guards officer, while his bride was radiant in an Alexander McQueen dress which was praised by many for having a timeless quality with its elegant cut. Glowing with happiness after exchanging their vows at Westminster Abbey, the newlyweds shared the joy with the world by kissing not just once, but twice, on the balcony of the Buckingham Palace.
- Other notable events of the month:
- Apr 01: Delta Goodrem and Brian McFadden ended their relationship after seven years of dating.
- Apr 04: Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth officially secured roles in "The Hunger Games".
- Apr 06: Grammy Awards announced new rules and trimmed categories.
- Apr 07: Bravo canceled "The Real Housewives of D.C."
- Apr 10: "Man of Steel" got official title and villain.
- Apr 10: "Glee" and "Modern Family" were honored at GLAAD Awards.
- Apr 13: Catherine Zeta-Jones sought treatment for bipolar disorder.
- Apr 13: Jane Krakowski gave birth to her first son.
- Apr 15: A.J. Cook signed two-year deal to return to "Criminal Minds".
- Apr 18: Simon Cowell was officially out of "The X Factor" U.K.
- Apr 18: Evan Rachel Wood came out as bisexual.
- Apr 19: Demi Lovato exited "Sonny with a Chance".
- Apr 19: Demi Lovato revealed about her bipolar disorder.
- Apr 22: Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 120 days in for violating DUI probation.
- Apr 22: LeAnn Rimes married her actor fiance Eddie Cibrian.
- Apr 25: Eminem announced Bad Meets Evil reunion.
- Apr 27: Kate Hudson confirmed her engagement to Matthew Bellamy.
- Apr 28: "American Idol" announced 2011 summer tour dates.
- Apr 29: Prince William married longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.
- Apr 29: Lady GaGa won double victories at MTV's inaugural O Music Awards.
- Apr 30: Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon welcomed their twins.
MAY
After hosting "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for 25 years, Oprah Winfrey pulled down the curtain and took a final bow on May 25. Taking place at the United Center in Chicago in front of 13,000 people, the final chapter of the show featured appearances of living legends, once-in-a-lifetime performances, and ultimate tribute among other unforgettable things. Supported by a list of high-profile friends like Stevie Wonder, Beyonce Knowles, Tom Cruise and Madonna, the queen of the daytime show closed the star-studded affair in tears. The episode helped the talk show draw its highest rating in 17 years.
- Other notable events of the month:
- May 01: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon renewed wedding vows.
- May 04: Marie Osmond re-married her first husband Stephen Craig.
- May 05: Lady GaGa debuted "Judas" music video.
- May 06: Taylor Swift premiered inspirational music video for single "Mean".
- May 09: Taylor Momsen and Jessica Szhor exited "Gossip Girl".
- May 09: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announced separation after 25 years of marriage.
- May 11: Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko called it quits.
- May 12: Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill tied the knot with Lily Aldridge.
- May 12: Katy Perry broke Hot 100 record by spending the whole year on Top 10.
- May 13: Chris Hemsworth officially joined "Snow White and the Huntsman".
- May 13: Ashton Kutcher officially joined "Two and a Half Men".
- May 14: Miranda Lambert exchanged wedding vows with Blake Shelton.
- May 15: Cali Swag District's M-Bone was shot to death.
- May 16: Arnold Schwarzenegger confessed fathering a love child.
- May 18: Lionsgate uncovered the first look at Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games".
- May 18: Beyonce Knowles released music video for women-empowerment single "Run the World (Girls)".
- May 18: Kim Kardashian got engaged to Kris Humphries.
- May 20: The first look at Tom Hardy as villain Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" was unveiled.
- May 22: "The Celebrity Apprentice" chose John Rich as the fourth season winner.
- May 22: Justin Bieber dominated winner list at 2011 Billboard Music Awards with seven prizes.
- May 24: "Dancing with the Stars" announced Hines Ward as the winner of season 12.
- May 25: "American Idol" crowned Scotty McCreery as the winner of its tenth season.
- May 25: Oprah Winfrey bid farewell to "The Oprah Winfrey Show".
- May 26: Andrew Garfield broke up with Shannon Woodward.
- May 26: The first look at Robert Pattinson in "Cosmopolis" was revealed.
- May 29: Sean Kingston had a life-threatening jet ski accident in Miami.
- May 29: "The Hangover Part II" sets new record on Box Office chart.
- May 30: "The Hobbit" films got official titles and release dates.
- May 31: Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina were signed to Mercury Nashville.
- May 31: Rihanna dropped a controversial music video for "Man Down".
- May 31: Lady GaGa broke Hot 200 record by selling 1.1 million copies of "Born This Way" in its first week.
JUNE
Rebecca Black's viral fame on YouTube was cut short at the beginning of summer 2011, the season when upbeat music like hers became favorites among the party crowd. The teen singer decided to delete her "Friday" clip from the video-sharing website as a protest against Ark Music Factory which rented the music video without her consent. She quickly followed the complaint by accusing the company of copyright infringement which they strongly denied. The video had been viewed by more than 165 million people before being yanked off the web.
- Other notable events of the month:
- Jun 02: Pink gave birth to her first child with motocross husband Carey Hart.
- Jun 05: "The Twilight Saga's Eclipse" dominated full winner list at 2011 MTV Movie Awards with five kudos.
- Jun 05: Nikki Reed made public her engagement to Paul McDonald.
- Jun 06: Cheryl Cole was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger as "The X Factor (US)" judge.
- Jun 06: Chris Brown's "Next 2 You" music video featuring Justin Bieber leaked.
- Jun 07: Leonardo DiCaprio was officially tapped as a sex club owner in "Django Unchained".
- Jun 07: Laurence Fishburne left "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
- Jun 08: Bad Meets Evil's "Fast Line" music video made its way out.
- Jun 08: Taylor Swift got the top honor, Video of the Year, at 2011 CMT Awards.
- Jun 08: Meredith Vieira had tearful farewell on "Today".
- Jun 09: Selena Gomez was hospitalized for malnourishment and exhaustion.
- Jun 09: MTV canceled controversial show "Skins".
- Jun 10: Jennifer Hudson was hospitalized for food poisoning.
- Jun 10: Katy Perry released a geeky music video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)".
- Jun 11: Lily Allen got married to boyfriend Sam Cooper and announced pregnancy.
- Jun 14: Natalie Portman gave birth to her first son.
- Jun 14: Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris canceled their wedding five days before the nuptials.
- Jun 15: Ashlee Simpson and "Boardwalk Empire" actor Vincent Piazza went public with their romance.
- Jun 16: Rebecca Black removed her "Friday" music video from YouTube after falling out with Ark Music Factory.
- Jun 17: First look at long-haired Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages" was released.
- Jun 19: Alyssa Campanella was crowned 2011 Miss USA.
- Jun 19: Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber led winner list of 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards with two gongs each.
- Jun 19: Jazz veteran Clarence Clemons passed away.
- Jun 19: "The Bold and the Beautiful" won Best Drama Series at 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards.
- Jun 20: Ryan Dunn died in a fatal car crash in rural Pennsylvania.
- Jun 20: Paris Hilton called it quits with boyfriend Cy Waits.
- Jun 20: Middle-aged actor Doug Hutchison stirred controversy by marrying a 16-year-old singer Courtney Alexis Stodden.
- Jun 22: George Clooney announced that he and girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis were no longer together.
- Jun 24: "Inception" won big at 2011 Saturn Awards by sweeping five kudos.
- Jun 24: Lauren Conrad parted ways with boyfriend of three years, Kyle Howard.
- Jun 26: Chris Brown and Rihanna were entangled in an awkward BET Award mix-up.
- Jun 26: Chris Brown dominated 2011 BET Awards winner list with five kudos.
- Jun 28: Official "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" trailer was released.
- Jun 29: Joe Jonas debuted a music video for his first-ever solo single "See No More".
- Jun 29: Summit Entertainment announced the official release date for "The Three Musketeers".
- Jun 29: Javier Colon won "The Voice" season 1.
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