The daily gossip: May 6, 2020

(Image credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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1. Adele turns heads with first Instagram post in months
2. Royal baby Archie celebrates his first birthday
3. Kate Beckinsale slams sexist double standards in powerful interview
4. Grimes blames postpartum typo on being 'barely alive'
5. Lady Gaga announces new release date for Chromatica

published 6 May 2020

1. Adele turns heads with first Instagram post in months

Adele celebrated her birthday week by breaking the internet with her first Instagram post in almost five months. The picture immediately drew widespread attention due to the singer's weight loss: Yahoo Entertainment wrote that Adele "showed off her incredible figure in a tiny black minidress," while Chrissy Teigen replied "I mean are you kidding me" and Rita Wilson exclaimed, "looking gorgeous!" (Vulture, meanwhile, issued the important reminder that Adele's "re-emergence is the only thing we need to celebrate about this photo"). In her caption, the 32-year-old singer paid tribute to "our first responders and essential workers who are keeping us safe while risking their lives," concluding with a relatable dismissal of the whole entire year: "2020 okay bye thanks x."

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday, a reminder of those sweet days of youth when topics like his tradition-breaking name were all anyone was talking about. While parents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have aimed to keep their son out of the spotlight, the family shared a video of Archie reading the book Duck! Rabbit! with his mom for charity. Based on the evidence, Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, doesn't seem to have the whole page-turning thing down quite yet (although he does clearly enjoy his mother's quacking sound effects). Thankfully, People reports his celebrations will also involve the traditional first birthday "smash cake," which I'd guess is much more his cup of tea.

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Honestly, thank goodness for Kate Beckinsale. In an interview with Women's Health U.K., the 46-year-old actress slammed the way critics have taken issue with the age gap between her and her 22-year-old boyfriend, musician Goody Grace. "It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 who's having any fun at all," she told the magazine, adding that she didn't mean "doing drugs and drinking and partying" but simply being goofy "and not going, 'Oh my god, I'm going to sit home and anticipate menopause while crocheting.'" She added, "I witness men constantly doing whatever they like," but that nobody bothers asking them "why hasn't he had more children" or "is he ever going … to become a parent?" Preach!

Grimes tweeted that she is "recovering from surgery and barely alive" after giving birth to a baby named — well, honestly, we're still not quite sure what he's named. On Tuesday, Grimes' partner, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, revealed that their son is called "X Æ A-12." Later, Grimes explained on Twitter that "X" is for "the unknown variable," that "Æ" is her "elven spelling" of "Ai," and "A-12" references the "precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed." Musk replied to correct Grimes, noting that their "favorite aircraft" is actually the SR-71. "I am … barely alive so may my typos b forgiven," Grimes joked in response, noting that her explanation was intended "to be profound" and Musk had ruined it.

You won't have to wait too much longer for Lady Gaga's highly-anticipated sixth studio album! The 34-year-old singer tweeted Wednesday that Chromatica — delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic — will come out more than a month after its intended April 10 release date, on May 29. "The journey continues," Gaga said, posting the announcement along with a heart and crossed-swords emoji. Chromatica (which was maybe once going to be called Adele; probably a good thing Gaga changed it) will include 16 songs, and feature collaborations with Ariana Grande, Elton John, and Blackpink. The first single, "Stupid Love," was released in February.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.