Ice Buckets, Breaking the Internet: A Year in Pop Culture
By JOCELYN NOVECK ••
Just for fun, let's try to picture the year in pop culture, all in one image.
We might begin with a singer oddly named Adele Dazeem, belting "Let It Go" from Disney's "Frozen." Suddenly a friend would pour a bucket of ice water over her head. Adele would immediately tweet the moment on her new iPhone 6, hashtag #icebucketchallenge, while Ellen would pop out and take a group selfie that would #BreaktheInternet.
Now let's get more serious. It's always a challenge to capture a year in pop culture, but we try nonetheless. Herewith, our annual, highly selective trip down memory lane:
JANUARY:
PHARRELL WILLIAMS has lots of reason to be happy this month. After a huge 2013, the producer-rapper-singer gets an Oscar nomination for "Happy" on the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack. A week later, he wins four Grammys, including album and record of the year for producing the funk-electronic anthem "Get Lucky." Happy, Lucky ... the guy certainly picks apt song titles.
FEBRUARY:
The ground shifts in the late-night TV landscape: JIMMY FALLONtakes over for JAY LENO and immediately establishes himself as the new king, with a younger, fresher vibe perfect for next-day YouTube viewing of bits like celebrity lip-syncing duels. Kicking off an eventful year in the tech world, FACEBOOKpays a massive $19 billion for WHATSAPP, the popular mobile messaging service favored by teenagers and young adults — who see Facebook as something better suited to their parents. At New York Fashion Week, emerging star LUPITA N'YONGO makes a front-row splash at Calvin Klein.
It's OSCAR time, and this year's show — the most-watched in a decade — gives us a slew of pop culture moments. Introducing IDINA MENZEL, JOHN TRAVOLTAmangles her name in epic fashion, creating a new star: "the one and only ADELE DAZEEM." Ever the Broadway trouper, Menzel doesn't miss a beat as she sings the girl-power anthem "Let It Go." N'YONGO completes her rapid ascent to superstardom with a supporting-actress trophy for "12 Years a Slave," also the year's best picture. And speaking of superstars, ELLEN DEGENERES takes that famous selfie with a gaggle of 'em, causing Twitter to crash for 20 minutes and beating the previous champion for retweets, a photo of BARACK and MICHELLE OBAMA. Time for a new phrase in Hollywood-speak: "CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING," the term used by GWYNETH PALTROW to describe her enlightened split from CHRIS MARTIN. Oh, and OBAMA pitches his health plan to young people via an unusual platform: Zach Galifianakis' comic Web series "Between Two Ferns." Some conservative commentators call it undignified.
Academy Awards host Ellen DeGeneres enlisted a few A-list pals for a selfie that broke Twitter retweet records.
Academy Awards host Ellen DeGeneres enlisted a few A-list stars for an impromptu selfie that broke the record for retweets.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Brad Pitt, left, and Ellen DeGeneres, right, pass out pizza in the audience during the Oscars
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Brad Pitt, left, shares pizza with Meryl Streep in the audience during the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Pharrell Williams Pharell danced with Lupita Nyong'o and Meryl Streep during his performance of "Happy."
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Amy Adams, left, also got on her feet with Pharrell.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Ellen DeGeneres kicked off the show with her opening monologue. She chided Leto ("Boy, is he pretty") and mocked Jennifer Lawrence for falling on her way onto the red carpet, just as she did when she accepted the Oscar last year for "Silver Linings Playbook." "If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar," said DeGeneres to Lawrence, nominated for her performance in "American Hustle." DeGeneres gently mocked Hollywood's insularity, referring to the headlines that have swamped the Los Angeles area lately with a slightly less serious news event. "It has been raining," said DeGeneres. "We're fine. Thank you for your prayers."
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Jared Leto accepts the award for best actor in a supporting role for Dallas Buyers Club. Leto won for his acclaimed, gaunt performance as a transsexual in the Texas AIDS drama. He thanked his mother, his date on the night. "Thank you for teaching me to dream," said Leto. Later backstage, he passed around his Oscar to members of the press, urging them to "fondle" it. The actor, who had devoted himself in recent years to his rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, gravely vowed: "I will revel tonight."
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Lupita Nyongío accepts the award for best actress in a supporting role for "12 Years a Slave" during the Oscars.
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Actress Lupita Nyong'o (C), winner of the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role award for '12 Years a Slave,' embraces brother Peter Nyong'o (C) as actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Angelina Jolie (top L) and actor/producer Brad Pitt (top R) look on during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California.
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Cate Blanchett reacts after winning the award for best actress in a leading role for "Blue Jasmine" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
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Leonardo DiCaprio, left, congratulates Matthew McConaughey for winning the award for best actor in a leading role for "Dallas Buyers Club" during the Oscars.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey accepts the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role award for "Dallas Buyers Club".
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Will Smith, right, presents Brad Pitt with the award for the best picture for "12 Years a Slave" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles.
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Actress/singer Bette Midler performs "Wind Beneath My Wings" during the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Bradley Cooper, left, and Suki Waterhouse appear in the audience at the Oscars.
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Ellen DeGeneres, right, gives Bradley Cooper a lottery ticket during the Oscars.
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Singer Pink performs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" onstage during the Oscars
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The Edge, from left, Bono, Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton of U2 perform on stage during the Oscars.
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Actors Angelina Jolie (L) and Sidney Poitier embrace onstage during the Oscars.
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Director Alfonso Cuaron accepts the Best Achievement in Directing award for 'Gravity' onstage during the Oscars.
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Tyler Perry, from left, Samuel L. Jackson, John Legend, and Christine Teigen greet each other in the audience at the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Karen O, left, and Ezra Koenig perform during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Jim Carrey impersonates Bruce Dern, to Bruce Dern.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Ellen DeGeneres stands in the audience next to Martin Scorsese during the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Darlene Love, center, sings as Janet Friesen, background left, and Morgan Neville accept the award for best documentary feature for 20 Feet from Stardom.
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 02: Host Ellen DeGeneres speaks onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Julia Roberts, left, and Meryl Streep are seen in the audience at the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Pharrell Williams, center, performs "Happy" during the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Angelina Jolie, left, looks on as Brad Pitt shares a slice of pizza with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the audience during the Oscars
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Kevin Spacey, from left, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Degeneres and Jared Leto join other celebrities for a "selfie" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Whoopi Goldberg pays tribute to " Wizard of Oz."
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Ellen DeGeneres performs during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
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Screenwriter/director Spike Jonze accepts the Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen award for 'Her'.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Jamie Foxx, left, and Jessica Biel speak during the Oscars.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Ellen DeGeneres collects money for the pizzas from earlier in the show.
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Presenter Daniel Day-Lewis walks on stage.
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Samuel L. Jackson, left, and Matthew McConaughey embrace in the audience at the Oscars.
APRIL:
Yet more epic shifts in late-night: DAVID LETTERMANannounces he'll retire in 2015. His replacement is Comedy Central star STEPHEN COLBERT, adored by the younger demographic. Letterman quips: "I happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses." And now, we know you were getting antsy for KIMYE news, so here it is: KIM KARDASHIAN and soon-to-be hubby KANYE WEST make the prestigious cover of VOGUE, sparking existential angst among some fashionistas. Kardashian tweets that it's "a dream come true!!!"
MAY:
But the real dream comes when KIMYE ties the knot at a Renaissance fortress in Florence, Italy, following lavish pre-wedding festivities in France. ANGELINA JOLIEmakes a splash as "Maleficent," giving us a new take on the Disney character that's now more superheroine than villainess. Also making a splash: LAVERNE COX, the openly transgender actress on "Orange is the New Black," featured on the cover of Time magazine.
JUNE:
Let's turn to sports: It's WORLD CUP time, and who says America doesn't love soccer? People are glued to their TVs, iPads, phones and other devices for the U.S. games, and a hero is born: TIM HOWARD, the U.S. goalie, who even in a 2-1 defeat to Belgium makes a record-setting 16 saves. He becomes a social media darling — on Wikipedia, he briefly becomes the Secretary of Defense, edging out Chuck Hagel. And he inspires an Internet meme naming all the "Things Tim Howard Could Save." (Example: The dinosaurs from extinction.)
JULY:
A collective "Awwwwww" ricochets 'round the world as Britain's mediagenic royal couple, WILLIAMand KATE, release photos of the equally mediagenic PRINCE GEORGE, upon his first birthday. Turns out his fashion choices — lots of blues, and bib overalls — prove as influential as his mom's. COX, meanwhile, is nominated for an Emmy — the first nomination for an openly transgender person. It's also time for the campy "SHARKNADO 2." A shark in the New York subway? No big deal. Manhattanites have seen rats that big.
AUGUST:
Whoever would have thought a lowly bucket of ice would become a pop culture phenom? Celebs and regular folks alike take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, generating many millions of dollars to fight the disease. Epic screams are heard, but the most entertainingly blood-curdling comes from OPRAH WINFREY. And what would August be without a wedding? BRANGELINAfinally ties the knot, at a small ceremony on their French estate. A very sad note to the month: The death of ROBIN WILLIAMS, whose manic energy graced screens big and small, leaves a gaping hole in the cultural landscape.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Director Bobcat Goldthwait, left, and actor Robin WIlliams from the film "World's Greatest Dad" pose for a portrait in Los Angeles on Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
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Robin Williams, known for his roles in "Good Will Hunting," "Dead Poets Society" and "Good Morning Vietnam," among others, died of apparent suicide Monday. He was 63. Here, he speaks onstage during the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 22, 2013. Click to see more of Williams' life and times.
Flowers are placed in memory of actor/comedian Robin Williams on his Walk of Fame star in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. Williams was a brilliant shapeshifter who could channel his frenetic energy into delightful comic characters like "Mrs. Doubtfire" or harness it into richly nuanced work like his Oscar-winning turn in "Good Will Hunting."
NBC via Getty Images
Here, Robin Williams appears in a revival of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," along with Kim Braden. Williams starred in ABC's "Mork & Mindy" one year later.
CBS via Getty Images
Robin Williams rose to fame as the quirky alien Mork on ABC's "Mork and Mindy," which was a spin-off of the show "Happy Days." He regularly improvised his dialogue on the show.
AP
Robin Williams appears here in a scene from "Mork and Mindy."
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Linda Lavin, Joyce DeWitt, and Robin Williams during 36th Annual Golden Globe Awards at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California in 1979. Williams won for "Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Series."
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Robin Williams, center, takes time out from rehearsal at NBC's "Saturday Night Live" with cast members Eddie Murphy, left, and Joe Piscopo, Feb. 10, 1984. Williams appeared as guest host on the show.
AP
Actor Robin Williams, left, plays a harmonica as singer Paul Simon plays a guitar on the set of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York , Nov. 21, 1986. Williams appeared on "SNL" six times and has been impersonated on the show multiple times.
AP
Williams played disc-jockey Adrian Cronauer in Barry Levinson's comedic drama "Good Morning Vietnam" in 1987. The role led to an Academy Award nomination for the comedic actor.
NBC via Getty Images
Johnny Carson could not stop laughing when Robin Williams made his first appearance on "The Tonight Show," on October 14, 1981. Here Williams appears on the talk show on May 21, 1992, just before Carson retired.
Robin Williams appears here in the kitchen in a scene from the film 'Mrs. Doubtfire', 1993. The movie was a blockbuster hit that has grossed almost half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
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Nathan Lane and Robin Williams appeared in the 1996 movie "The Birdcage." When released, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) praised the film for "going beyond the stereotypes to see the character's depth and humanity."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Williams and Billy Crystal joke with Whoopi Goldberg as they host "Comic Relief 8" in this June 14, 1998 file photo in New York. Comic Relief was one of Williams' philanthropic efforts. He also co-founded the Windfall Foundation, which provides funding to many charities. He also performed for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan and supported the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Williams dips his hands in wet cement at the Mann's Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 in his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. Williams wore a red nose as he did in the movie "Patch Adams."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jack Nicholson, right, and Robin Williams share a laugh as they pose with their Oscars at the 70th annual Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Monday, March 23, 1998. Nicholson won for his role in "As Good As It Gets" and Williams for his role in "Good Will Hunting."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Actor Robin Williams, left, donates blood at the Irwin Memorial Blood Center in San Francisco, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. Thousands of people waited in long lines to donate blood for victims of terrorist attacks in New York and in Washington.
Associated Press
American actor Robin Williams, center, makes a joke as he is escorted by U.S. soldiers at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002. Williams entertained U.S. soldiers with the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne, both out of Ft. Bragg, N.C., as well as reservists and National Guard.
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Actor David Duchovny, right, talks with fellow actor Robin Williams as Williams arrives to join the picket line along with Duchovny and others during the fourth day of a strike by television and film writers, Thursday Nov. 8, 2007 at the Time Warner Center in New York.
AP
Robin Williams, at left, and Tom Hanks arrive to the premiere of Old Dogs on Monday Nov. 9, 2009, in Los Angeles.
FilmMagic
Robin Williams and his wife Sue Schneider arrive to the Los Angeles premiere of "Old Dogs" held at the El Capitan Theatre on November 9, 2009 in Hollywood, California. "This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken," she said in a statement.
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Robin Williams speaks on stage at "Comedy Central's Night Of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert For Autism Education" at the Beacon Theatre on October 2, 2010 in New York City.
WireImage for Tony Awards Produc
Stephen Colbert and Robin Williams attend the Audemars Piguet Green Room and Gift Suite during the 65th Annual Tony Awards at the Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2011 in New York City.
AP
From left, actors Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal arrive for The Face of Tisch Gala to benefit New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 in New York.
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Actor/comedian Robin Williams appears on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno at NBC Studios on November 16, 2011 in Burbank, California.
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Hank Azaria, George Miller, Doug Mitchell, Singer/actress Alecia Moore aka Pink, Robin Williams, Common, Sofia Vergara, Elijah Wood and E.G. Daily attend the "Happy Feet Two" Los Angeles Premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on November 13, 2011 in Hollywood, California.
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Robin Williams performs during the 6th Annual "Stand Up For Heroes" at the Beacon Theatre on November 8, 2012 in New York City.
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Playwright Rajiv Joseph, cast member Robin Williams, and director Moises Kaufman attend the opening night of "Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 31, 2011 in New York City.
AP
AJ Polis leaves a flower alongside a placard and a photo of the late actor Robin Williams as Mork from Ork, as people pay their respects at the home where the 80's TV series "Mork & Mindy" was set in Boulder, Colorado, Monday Aug. 11, 2014. The series was a spin-off from the sitcom "Happy Days."
AP
A man takes a photo of a the marquee of the Laugh Factory with a message in memory of actor Robin Williams displayed, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles Monday, Aug. 11, 2014.
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Robin Williams visits a sick child in a scene from the film 'Patch Adams', 1998. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
SEPTEMBER:
Back to weddings — and in this year of celebrity knot-tying, nothing is bigger than the lavish Venice festivities surrounding the nuptials of the bachelor who said he'd never marry again, GEORGE CLOONEY, and British human rights lawyer AMAL ALAMUDDIN. Think traffic jams of paparazzi on gondolas. This isn't even the only Hollywood celebrity wedding in Italy this month — NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, next year's Oscar host, marries partnerDAVID BURTKA. Big tech news: The new iPhone 6 arrives, with its larger screen and inevitable prestige factor. APPLE also unveils its smartwatch, bringing the features of an iPhone to one's arm, and Microsoft spends $2.5 billion for the company that created the hit game "Minecraft," popular on mobile phones. Sadly, the world loses deliciously tart-tonguedJOAN RIVERS, a trailblazer for women in comedy.
OCTOBER:
More life cycle events: KATE MIDDLETON appears in public for the first time since announcing that she's expecting her second royal heir. As for Hollywood royalty, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, about to make a splash with the latest "Hunger Games" installment, speaks out on the hacking scandal that led to nude photos of her — intended for her boyfriend — being published on websites. "It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime," she says.
NOVEMBER:
Remember when Ellen's selfie sorta broke the Internet? Well, KIM KARDASHIAN (yes, her again), aiming to do the same, poses nude for Paper magazine, and the focus on her posterior leads to all sorts of talk about "the year of the booty." Kudos to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which tweets a photo of a strikingly similar figure from one of its 4000 B.C. statues, noting that they can "BreaktheInternet" too. TAYLOR SWIFT, meanwhile, takes a stand, asking SPOTIFY to stop streaming her music, and setting up an intriguing standoff between the industry's most popular artist and its top music streaming service. On a much more serious note, BILL COSBY, once America's most beloved TV dad, faces a cascade of allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted women decades ago. The comedian's planned return to television is shelved, and his career suffers perhaps irreparable damage.
DECEMBER:
Suddenly it's the only thing anyone in Hollywood is talking about: The devastating SONY hacking scandal. After several weeks of embarrassing disclosures in hacked emails, the focus turns sharply in mid-December to genuine fear, as hackers threaten violence and mayhem at theaters showing "The Interview," the Seth Rogen-James Franco film depicting the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Theater chains pull out, and Sony finally shelves the movie. The fallout is still developing, but it's clearly a sober ending to a dramatic year for the entertainment industry.
