Hamptons Celebrity Year in Review 2019: Alec Baldwin, Beyoncé and More

This year, South O’ the Highway was filled with exciting, juicy celebrity news and gossip. From musicians to authors to actors and everyone in-between, check out these great celeb moments from 2019.

January 11: Beyoncé and Jay-Z are good for business. After the East Hampton power couple featured the Louvre in their “Apes—t” video, the Paris museum welcomed 10.2 million visitors in 2018, a 25% increase from the previous year. Crediting Bey and Jay-Z with the boost, the museum launched a 90-minute “Jay-Z and Beyoncé at the Louvre” tour in July.

January 18: Amagansett’s Gwyneth Paltrow is kicking off 2019 with a new book. The Clean Plate: Eat, Reset, Heal, featuring more than 100 healthy recipes designed to detox, hit shelves this week. Dishes include Turkey Meatball Pho, Butternut Squash Tacos, Cashew Turmeric Iced Lattes and more. Said Publisher’s Weekly, “Partnering with nutrition experts and doctors, Paltrow focuses on adrenal and heart health…providing instruction for a heavy metal detox and fat flush to cleanse the liver…Goop fans will no doubt flock to this.”

January 25: Madonna fans can see another side of the Bridgehampton resident in Madonna and the Breakfast Club, an upcoming film about the singer’s pre-fame life. The docudrama explores the Material Girl’s early days in New York City. Madonna and the Breakfast Club will release via digital and on-demand platforms on March 12.

February 1: Water Mill resident Alan Alda received the Screen Actors Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the 25th Annual SAG Awards in Los Angeles last Sunday. After a moving introductory tribute by Tom Hanks, Alda said in his acceptance speech, “My wish for all is, let’s stay playful, let’s have fun, and let’s keep searching. It can’t solve everything, but it wouldn’t hurt.”

February 1: Shelter Island resident and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen celebrated the pending arrival of his first child with a star-studded baby shower last Saturday. Held at The Palm Beverly Hills, the bash was attended by Real Housewives stars Kyle Richards, Vicki Gunvalson, Ramona Singer, NeNe Leakes and others. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice organized and hosted the event.

February 8: Marisa Tomei and Montauk resident Julianne Moore are cousins! The connection was discovered when Tomei recently appeared on the PBS show Finding Your Roots.

February 15: South Fork supermodel Christie Brinkley took her first runway walk with daughter Sailor during New York Fashion Week. The pair participated in Elie Tahari’s show celebrating his 45th anniversary.

February 22: South Fork supermodel Christy Turlington recently returned to the runway after a 25-year break. Turlington surprised fans by closing out Marc Jacobs’ New York Fashion Week show in a black feather dress. Her last Marc Jacobs show was in 1993.

March 1: East Hampton’s Steven Spielberg has acquired film rights to The Spire in the Woods, a popular ghost story by Tony Lunedi. The tale, originally released in 10 Reddit posts in 2013, follows a teen as he tries to solve the mystery of his friend’s death—and finds himself in spooky trouble.

March 15: Congratulations, Jennifer Lopez! The actress, singer and Water Mill resident became engaged to former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez last weekend. The happy couple has been dating for two years.

March 22: East Hampton’s Hugh Jackman will return to the Great White Way for The Music Man. Jackman, who earned a Tony Award for his performance in The Boy From Oz, will play Harold Hill, a sneaky salesman who poses as a marching band organizer to sell instruments and lessons to unsuspecting townsfolk. The Music Man hits Broadway October 22.

March 29: Martha Stewart, who has published almost 100 books to date, is now working on her autobiography. She expects it to hit shelves “in about three years,” when Stewart will be 80.

April 5: Alec Baldwin will play John DeLorean in an upcoming documentary. Framing John DeLorean will use archival footage and reenactments to tell the famed automaker’s fascinating story. Framing John DeLorean hits theaters June 7.

April 26: Material Girl fans, rejoice! Bridgehampton’s Madonna announced last week that a new album, Madame X, is in the works. Teased Madonna in an Instagram post, “Madame X is a secret agent traveling around the world. Changing identities. Bringing light to dark places. Madame X is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. An equestrian. A prisoner…I’m Madame X.” Madonna’s last album, Rebel Heart, was released in 2015.

May 3: Congratulations, Ethan Greenridge! The Riverhead High School alum was signed by the New Orleans Saints during the 2019 NFL Draft last weekend. Greenridge played 43 games as an offensive tackle during his four years at Villanova University.

May 9: Sag Harbor resident Billy Joel turned 70 years old today, but rather than lie back and take in the milestone moment at home, he’s celebrating his birthday with thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden. The sold-out show marks his 64th consecutive concert at the NYC venue, part of his once-a-month residency which began there in January 2014. This May 9 show is also Joel’s 110th all-time performance at The Garden.

May 24: Paris Hilton recently released a new song called “Best Friend’s Ass.” The music video, which has not been released yet, will feature Kim Kardashian. The heiress has been making headlines left and right. On East Ender Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, Hilton called Lindsay Lohan “…lame and embarrassing.”

May 31: Happy Anniversary, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick! The longtime Bridgehampton residents celebrated more than two decades of marriage on May 19. Posting a throwback photo on Instagram, Parker said, “22 years, 8,030 days. And a billion memories. Happy anniversary baby. X, SJ.”

June 14: There’s no chart East Hampton’s Jay-Z can’t climb. According to Forbes, the hip-hop mogul and businessman is now the first billionaire rapper. In addition to an impressive music catalog, the title was earned thanks to Jay-Z’s many investments, including a $70 million stake in Uber, a $70 million art collection, Roc Nation, his sports management company, Tidal, his streaming service and more.

July 7: Fans of Sagaponack’s Jimmy Fallon know that the host of The Tonight Show on NBC loves to play original, wacky games with his celebrity guests. Toy company Hasbro has announced that some of the games Fallon has played on the show will soon be available on store shelves, including Box of Lies, The Face It Challenge and The Best Friend Challenge.

July 12: Hamptons regular Colson Whitehead recently graced the cover of TIME magazine. In an accompanying article, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author shares the inspiration for his books, including Sag Harbor, his 2010 novel. Said Whitehead, “The intent is for me to figure out through my art how America works, how people work, and hopefully readers come along for the ride.”

July 26: Scarlett Johansson will officially star as the title character in Marvel’s Black Widow, the first film in “Phase 4” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, set to be release May 1, 2020.

August 30: Farewell, Bethenny Frankel! The Bridgehampton businesswoman and longtime star of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City announced last week that she’s leaving the show. Frankel was an original castmember for the series’ debut season in 2008. She left during the third season to film her own spin-off, Bethenny Getting Married, and rejoined Housewives for its seventh season in 2014.

September 13: Jimmy Buffett made a surprise appearance at the Surf Lodge in Montauk on Labor Day. The North Haven singer joined Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas, onstage for a few songs. Delighted audience members included Anjelica Huston, Lorraine Bracco and John Varvatos.

September 20: The show must go on! Sailor Brinkley-Cook has had to step in for mom Christie Brinkley on the new season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars after Christie suffered a major arm injury during rehearsals.

October 18: Drew Barrymore is coming to the small screen. After filming a daytime talk show pilot last summer, the North Haven actress has received the green light from CBS Television Distribution. Said Barrymore in a statement, “It is beyond my wildest dreams to have this opportunity for a daily talk show. I’m truly thrilled and honored to be creating this show with CBS.”

November 1: After several name changes over several years, Sean “Diddy” Combs has decided on another. The East Hampton hip-hop mogul submitted a petition in Los Angeles County court last week to legally change his name to Sean “Love” Combs.

November 8: Showtime’s The Affair aired its series finale on November 3. The episode was set entirely in Montauk in both the present and future. The Affair aired for five seasons.

December 20: The game ball goes to Quogue’s Eli Manning. The New York Giants quarterback walked off the field at MetLife Stadium with a win over the Miami Dolphins on December 15 in what was likely his final home start for Big Blue. The potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer celebrated with his wife and four kids, who greeted him with open arms in the stadium tunnel after the game.