Sept. 2023 Entertainment Quiz: How old is Beyoncé?

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born on Sept. 4, 1981. On Sept. 4, 2023, the iconic “Queen of Pop” celebrated her 42nd birthday. She marked the occasion with a grand show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as part of her Renaissance World Tour. Hollywood’s “who’s who,” including Diana Ross, graced the event. Ross even serenaded Beyoncé with a “Happy Birthday” song. Celebrity guests like Timothée Chalamet and Prince Harry added glamour to the glitz. Here’s to many more chart-topping years ahead!

At the star-studded VMAs held on Sept. 12, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Taylor Swift not only danced away with a whopping nine awards. She also set a record by becoming the first artist to win the Video of the Year award two years in a row. This time, it was “Anti-Hero.” And if you’re counting, this was her fourth win in this category. With her wins this year, Swift’s career VMAs tally reached 23, making her the second-most awarded artist in the show’s history, right behind Beyoncé, who has won 30 VMAs.

When Swifties worldwide were challenged to solve 1989-themed puzzles on Google to unlock the vault tracks of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on Sep. 19, 2023, search interest in Taylor’s name tripled in just an hour. But, alas, Google’s vault puzzle jammed, and the tech giant found itself in a self-described “fix-it era.” Who would’ve thought that Google, the kingpin of search engines, would get starstruck by Taylor Swift?

On Sept. 16, 2023, Russell Brand, the British comedian known for his wild hair and even wilder antics, preemptively denied sexual misconduct allegations. A joint investigation by the Times of London, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches, published later that day, detailed these shocking allegations, spanning from 2006 to 2013, a period when Brand was, in his own words, “transparently very, very promiscuous.” Since these claims were made public, London’s Metropolitan Police Force received a report of a separate sexual assault dating as early as 2003. YouTube blocked him from monetizing his online channel, and the BBC removed some of his material from its streaming archive.

Lebanon’s Culture Minister, Mohammad Mortada, announced in August 2023 that the Barbie movie would be banned. The reason? The film was perceived to “promote homosexuality and champion gender fluidity,” which was seen as contradicting religious values. The radical Shia Muslim armed group, Hezbollah, backed this move. But Lebanon wasn’t alone in its cinematic critique. Kuwait also announced its ban on the film in the same month, citing that the movie promotes “ideas and beliefs alien to Kuwaiti society.” Meanwhile, on the global stage, Barbie laughs all the way to the bank. In three weeks since its debut on July 21, 2023, the film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has raked in over $1 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide.

“Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan and starring the enigmatic Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer (you know, the atomic bomb guy), exploded onto the scene on July 19, 2023, and by September, amassed a whopping $912 million worldwide. This atomic achievement made it the highest-grossing biopic, leaving “Bohemian Rhapsody” in second place.

Fun Facts: “Oppenheimer” is also Universal Studio’s highest-grossing R-rated film, currently the third-highest-grossing film of 2023, behind “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” It’s also Christopher Nolan’s third highest-grossing film, after “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Priscilla Beaulieu was just 14 years old when she first met the legendary Elvis Presley. The setting? Germany, of all places, where Elvis served in the army. Fast forward to September 2023, and this intriguing chapter of Priscilla’s life has been captured in Sofia Coppola’s film, “Priscilla,” which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film, set to hit theaters on Oct. 27, is adapted from Priscilla’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me.” While Presley emphasized the connection was based on a deep emotional bond rather than physical attraction, the movie depicts Elvis’s grooming of Priscilla and his controlling behavior towards her. Cailee Spaeny, who played the former wife of Elvis Presley in the biopic, won the top acting awards at the 2023 Venice festival.

Released in 2000, “Chicken Run” not only had chickens plotting an escape but also managed to soar high, becoming the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time, raking in over $225 million. And guess what? These chickens are back in the coop with a sequel, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” set to premiere on Netflix on Dec. 15, 2023. But not without some drama! Julia Sawalha, the original voice of Ginger, claimed she was dropped from the sequel in 2020 because her voice was deemed “too old.” She was replaced by Thandiwe Newton. Mel Gibson, who voiced Rocky in the classic film, was replaced by Zachary Levi.

In 2023, the Venice Film Festival was set ablaze by the film “Poor Things.” This gothic, sex-charged comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a woman reanimated after a tragic end. And who was the genius behind this resurrection? A mad doctor who gave her the brain of her unborn child. If that doesn’t scream “Frankenstein vibes,” what does? This electrifying performance helped “Poor Things” snatch the prestigious Golden Lion award.

Nicolas Cage grapples with unexpected fame in the surreal comedy “Dream Scenario” by A24. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a college professor who suddenly becomes the star of millions of strangers’ dreams. The trailer for this dreamy (and nightmarish) tale dropped on Sept. 19, 2023. The film, co-starring Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, and Tim Meadows, debuts in select theaters on Nov. 10 and on a wide release on Nov. 22.

The sun-soaked Jimmy Buffett had fans so devoted they even had a name – Parrot Heads! With hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” who wouldn’t want to be part of that flock? Sadly, on Sept. 1, 2023, Jimmy flew off to the big beach in the sky. He died at 76 of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer.

The catchy tune “All Star” that had us all humming, “Hey now, you’re an all star,” was the masterpiece of the band Smash Mouth. This Grammy-nominated pop rock band, led by Steve Harwell, made waves in the late ’90s and early 2000s with hits like “Walkin’ on the Sun.” Sadly, the music world recently mourned Harwell’s death, who died at 56 in Boise, Idaho, on Sept. 4, 2023, from liver failure. Harwell retired from Smash Mouth in 2021 due to severe health issues.

Madonna has six children: two biological and four adopted. She gave birth to her daughter Lourdes in 1996 and her son Rocco in 2000 before adopting four children from Malawi: David in 2006, Mercy in 2009, and twins Estere and Stella in 2017. Madonna recently recovered from a bacterial infection that forced her to postpone her Celebration tour. She thanked her children, friends, and fans for their support on Instagram. She also posted a video of her dancing to her first album on August 1, 2023.

In 2009, Taylor Swift released “Love Story,” echoing the timeless tale of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, with all its balcony drama and star-crossed love. Fast forward to 2023, and Swift’s lyrical prowess inspires an entire university course in Belgium. The University of Ghent is set to launch “Literature (Taylor’s Version)” this autumn, where students will dive deep into literary classics, all through Swift’s songs. This elective course is considered the first of its kind in Europe. New York University’s Clive Davis Institute introduced a Swift-inspired course in 2022, focusing on her impact on country music.