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29/03/2023
Part 46 My Pop Culture Retrospective
Pop Culture in 2020
Film
Top 10 Movies in 2020
Bad Boys for Life - 426.5 Million
Tenet - 365.3 Million
Sonic the Hedgehog - 320 Million
Dolittle - 251.5 Million
The Croods: A New Age - 216 Million
Birds of Prey - 205.3 Million
Wonder Woman 1984 - 169.6 Million
The Invisible Man - 144.5 Million
Onward - 142 Million
Soul - 121 Million
The Covid 19 pandemic shut down movie theaters for the majority of 2020
Bill & Ted Face the Music was released. In the film, Bill and Ted must write a song to unite humanity before space and time is destroyed
The Live Action version of Mulan is released, it received negative reviews from fans of the original and Chinese critics, who criticized the character development, its cultural and historical inaccuracies, and its depiction of Chinese people
Wonder Woman 1984 is released, starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, and Kristen Wiig. Set in 1984, during the Cold War, the film follows Diana and her past love Steve Trevor as they face off against Maxwell Lord and The Cheetah
Soul is released, featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Angela Bassett. It follows a pianist, Joe Gardner, who dies in an accident before his big break as a jazz musician and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body
Birds of Prey is released, starring Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, and Ewan McGregor. The film follows Harley Quinn, who after breaking up with the Joker, is threatened by crime lord, Black Mask, and joins The Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya and form the team, Birds of Prey
Sonic the Hedgehog is released, starring Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Neal McDonough. The film follows Sonic, a blue hedgehog who can run supersonic speeds, He teams up with a town sheriff, to stop the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik
Onward is released, featuring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Set in a world where mythical creatures live regular lives. The film follows two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who set out on a quest to find an artifact that will bring back their deceased father for 24 hours
Kirk Douglas passed away, he was 103. He had over 80 film roles, Best known for playing Spartacus
Brian Dennehy passed away from a heart attack, he was 81. Best known for his villain role in First Blood
Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer, he was 43, Best known for playing T’Challa / Black Panther, as well as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall
Sean Connery passed away from pneumonia, he was 90. Best known for playing James Bond, and his roles in Highlander, The Rock, and Indiana Jones
Tommy Lister passed away from Covid-19, he was 62, best known for playing Deebo in the Friday series, and Zeus in the WWE
Academy Awards
Film - Nomadland
Director - Chloe Zhao - Nomadland
Actor - Anthony Hopkins - The Father
Actress - Frances McDormand - Nomadland
Supporting Actor - Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah
Supporting Actress - Youn Yuh Jung - Minari
Animated Film - Soul
Original Score - Trent Reznor - Soul
Original Song - “Fight for You” - Judas and the Black Messiah
Music
Top 10 Songs
“Blinding Lights” The Weeknd
“Circles” Post Malone
“The Box” Roddy Rich
“Don’t Start Now” Dua Lipa
“Rockstar” DaBaby
“Adore You” Harry Styles
“Life is Good” Future & Drake
“Memories” Maroon 5
“The Bones” Maren Morris
“Watermelon Sugar” Harry Styles
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Whitney Houston
Nine Inch Nails
The Notorious B.I.G.
T. Rex
Grammy Awards
Album - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? - Billie Eilish
Song - “Bad Guy” - Billie Eilish
New Artist - Billie Eilish
Rascal Flatts announced that they would be disbanding at the end of their tour, after 20 years together
Eminem released his new album, Music to Be Murdered By, with no prior announcement, and he became the first artist ever to have 10 consecutive albums to debut at number one
Taylor Swift released Miss Americana, a Netflix documentary based on the singer’s life
After 35 years with the group, Flavor Flav is fired from Public Enemy
Bad Bunny’s second album, Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana achieves the highest peak for a completely Spanish language album, by debuting at number 2, surpassing Shakira’s “Fijacion Oral” and Mana’s “Amar Es Combatir” which both debuted at number 4
Bad Bunny breaks the record for the most Spanish language songs simultaneously charting on the Billboard 100, with 11 songs
In light of the pandemic, many artists decide to live stream performances straight out of their own homes, including Dave Grohl and Billie Joe Armstrong
In light of civil unrest, Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A, and the Dixie Chicks renamed themselves The Chicks, to remove any associations the old names might have had with the Civil War, and slavery
On July 4th, Kanye West announced his 2020 presidential campaign
Taylor Swift released her 8th album, Folklore, with just a one day announcement prior to release, 5 months later she would released her 9th album, Evermore
During the presidential election, many musicians opposed the unauthorized use of their music
42 years after its initial release, Fleetwood Mac’s album, Rumours returns to the top 10, largely due to the song Dreams being used in a viral TikTok video
Bob Dylan announced he has sold all rights to his entire song catalog to Universal
Kenny Rogers passed away from cancer, he was 81, Best known for his song “The Gambler” and duets with other country artist, like Dolly Parton
Bill Withers passed away from heart failure, he was 81. Best known for his songs “Ain’t no Sunshine”, “Lean On Me”, and “Just the Two of Us”
Little Richard passed away from cancer, he was 87. He was an influential figure in music for seven decades. Described as the “Architect of Rock and Roll”, Richard’s most celebrated work dates from the mid-50’s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, frenetic piano playing, raspy shouted vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll, it also played a role in the formation of soul and funk and shaped rhythm and blues for generations. The Beatles used to open for him
Eddie Van Halen passed away from throat cancer, he was 65. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and songwriter for Van Halen, which he co-founded with his brother Alex. He is often regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in rock history, and was well known for popularizing the tapping guitar technique
Neil Peart passed away from cancer, he was 67. Best known as the drummer and primary lyricist for Rush
Television
Top 10 TV Shows
NCIS - 21.5 Million Viewers
The Equalizer - 18.4 Million Viewers
Chicago Fire - 17.5 Million Viewers
Blue Bloods - 16.8 Million Viewers
Chicago Med - 16.7 Million Viewers
Chicago P.D. - 15.9 Million Viewers
9-1-1 - 15.7 Million Viewers
Young Sheldon - 15.2 Million Viewers
This is Us - 15.1 Million Viewers
9-1-1: Lone Star - 14.7 Million Viewers
After 30 years, Hank Azaria announces he will no longer voice the character of Apu on The Simpsons, after the documentary, The Problem with Apu in which it claimed the show portrayed outdated Indian American stereotypes, racial microaggressions, and slurs
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon records an entire episode from a moving subway train in New York
Many TV Shows, Talk Shows, and Films shut down production due to the pandemic
In March, every major sport shuts down until further notice
Due to the pandemic WrestleMania 36 is held over two nights, without an audience
WrestleMania 36: Night 1 aired, In the Main Event, The Undertaker defeated “The Phenomenal” A.J. Styles in a Boneyard Match. In other matches Braun Strowman defeated Bill Goldberg to win the Universal Title, Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler to retain the Raw Women’s Title
WrestleMania 36: Night 2 aired, In the Main Event, Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Title. In other matches Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena in a Firefly Fun House Match, Edge def. Randy Orton in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, and Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley to win the NXT Women’s Title
SNL resumes production on its 45th seasons by having cast members and guest stars performing remotely from their homes
With productions shut down, many networks are airing films during prime time
Many animated series announced that they will no longer have white actors voice non white characters, including Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Big Mouth
Nick Cannon is fired from Wild ‘n Out after 15 years for failing to apologize for anti-semitic comments said on his YouTube show
MLB resumes playing after a 4-month delay
The Ellen DeGeneres Show is put under investigation following numerous complaints from past and present staff members, who say that the host is the opposite of her “Be kind to one another” persona behind the scenes
During a baseball game between Cincinnati and Kansas City, Reds announcer Thom Brennaman is overheard commenting “one of the f** capitals of the world”. He is immediately suspended, and later fired
Cheerleading Coach and Cheer star Jerry Harris was arrested by the FBI and charged for production of child po*******hy
The 2020 NBA Playoffs take place within a bubble inside the ESPN Sports Complex in Florida, to safeguard from the pandemic
Sting makes his AEW debut
Star Trek: Picard debuts on Paramount Plus
Modern Family aired its series finale, it was on for 11 seasons with 250 episodes
Schitt’s Creek aired its series finale, it was on for 6 seasons with 81 episodes
The series Cops was canceled, it was on the air for 34 years with 1,148 episodes
Supernatural aired its series finale, it was on for 15 seasons with 327 episodes
Streaming services Peacock and HBO Max debut
Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash. Nicknamed “The Black Mamba” he led the Lakers to 5 NBA Titles and was an 18-Time All Star and MVP as well, considered one of the greatest players of all time
Jerry Stiller passed away, he was 92. Best known for playing Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, and Arthur on The King of Queens. He was the father of Ben Stiller
Fred Willard passed away from a heart attack, he was 86. He had over 200 film and television credits.
Naya Rivera drowned, she was 33. Best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee
Regis Philbin passed away from a heart attack, he was 88. Best known for hosting Live, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He holds the Guiness World Record for most hours spent on television
Howard Finkel passed away from a heart attack, he was 69. He worked for WWE for 45 years, and appeared on WrestleMania 1 - 32. Also came up with the name for the event, regarded as the greatest ring announcer of all time
John Saxson passed away from pneumonia, he was 83, Best known for Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street 1, 3, and 7, and Enter the Dragon
Conchata Ferrell passed away from a heart attack, she was 77, Best known for playing Berta in Two and a Half Men
Alex Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer, he was 80. He hosted Jeopardy from 1984 until his passing
Pat Patterson passed away from liver failure, he was 79. Best known for being the 1st ever Intercontinental Champion, Coming up with the idea of the Royal Rumble, and being a booker of matches with Vince McMahon
The Oakland Raiders relocate to Las Vegas
Super Bowl 54 - Kansas City Chiefs def. San Francisco 49ers
The Halftime show was performed by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, with guest appearances by J Balvin and Bad Bunny
Tom Brady announces he will not re-sign with New England
World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers def. Tampa Bay Rays
NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers def. Miami Heat
March Madness - Canceled due to the Pandemic
In other news
The biggest story of the year is the Covid-19 pandemic. The first case in the US was confirmed on January 21st. Within 10 days travel bans are established. On February 29th, the first death was reported. By Mid March, most major sports and schools all over the country are shut down. All non essential business employees are to remain home. In April most states put a mask mandate in place. In May, the Trump administration announced a public-private partnership for accelerating a vaccine. By July, vaccine testing is in its final phase. By December, 15 Million cases had been reported, which is 1 out of every 22 Americans having had it. The vaccine is released by mid December
Donald Trump becomes the first president to personally attend the annual March for Life anti-abortion protest
Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft to focus on charitable activities
Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical tech, is shot 8 times, by Louisville police during a no-knock warrant as part of a narcotics investigation
The US faces an invasion of Asian Giant Hornets
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murders George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck, as 3 other officers watch, video of the incident goes viral and the 4 officers are fired, with Chauvin being charged with murder and manslaughter
President Trump threatens to shut down Twitter and other social media platforms, accusing them of bias
Juneteenth is observed as a federal holiday for the first time
The FBI arrests Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein
Apple Inc. becomes the first US company to be valued at over 2 trillion
Joe Biden wins the presidential election, with Kamala Harris as his Vice President
17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse to stand trial on homicide charges, as well as possession of a firearm by a minor and two counts of reckless endangerment
Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, she was 87
23/03/2023
Part 45 of My Pop Culture Retrospective
Pop Culture in 2019
Film
Top 10 Films of 2019
Avengers: Endgame - 2 Billion 797.5 Million
The Lion King - 1 Billion 663.9 Million
Frozen 2 - 1 Billion 450 Million
Spider-Man: Far From Home - 1 Billion 132.9 Million
Captain Marvel - 1 Billion 128.4 Million
Joker - 1 Billion 74.2 Million
Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker - 1 Billion 74.1 Million
Toy Story 4 - 1 Billion 73.3 Million
Aladdin - 1 Billion 51.6 Million
Jumanji: The Next Level - 800.1 Million
First year to have 9 films cross a billion, and 8 out of the 10 films were from Disney
Us is released, Directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss, the film follows a family, who are attacked by a group of doppelgangers
Captain Marvel is released, it is the 21st film in the MCU, starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Annette Bening, and Jude Law. Set in 1995, the story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel, after Earth, is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations
Detective Pikachu is released, it is the first live action Pokemon film, and second film based on a Nintendo property. Ryan Reynolds stars as the voice and facial motion capture of Pikachu. The plot follows a former Pokemon trainer, Tim and his Pikachu as they attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of his father
Avengers: Endgame is released, it is the 22nd film in the MCU, featuring an ensemble cast. In the film, five years later, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos. This will be the final appearances of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America. It is the highest grossing film of all time
Aladdin is released, starring Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud, and Marwan Kenzari. The plot follows the animated film for the most part, with some slight changes and some new songs
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is released, In the film, eco-terrorists release King Ghidorah, who awakens other monsters known as Titans, across the world, forcing Godzilla and Mothra to surface and engage the monsters in a decisive battle
Rocketman is released, a biopic detailing the life of Elton John
Spider-Man: Far From Home is released, it is the 23rd film in the MCU. In the film, Peter Parker is recruited by Nick Fury, along with Mysterio to face the Elementals, while he is on a school trip to Europe.
The Lion King is released, it is a photorealistic computer animated remake of the 1994 film
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is released, Directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Set in 1969 Los Angeles, the film follows a fading actor and his stunt double as they navigate the film industry, as well as the looming threat of the Sharon Tate murder hanging overhead
Terminator: Dark Fate is released, it is the third time that the series is rebooted. It was also a box office failure like the last two
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is released, it follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance’s final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order. Who are now aided by the return of the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine
Other major releases included Glass, The Lego Movie 2, Alita: Battle Angel, Dumbo, Shazam, Hellboy, John Wick 3, Men in Black: International, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Booksmart, Stuber, Always Be My Maybe, Zombieland 2, Rambo: Last Blood, Good Boys, Ready or Not, Jojo Rabbit, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Irishman, Doctor Sleep, Noelle, Dora and The Lost City of Gold, Lady and the Tramp, Cats, Knives Out, Frozen 2, Uncut Gems, and 1917
Peter Mayhew passed away from a heart attack, he was 74. Best known for playing Chewbacca in Star Wars
Academy Awards
Film - Parasite
Director - B**g Joon Ho - Parasite
Actor - Joaquin Phoenix - Joker
Actress - Renee Zellweger - Judy
Supporting Actor - Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Supporting Actress - Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Animated Film - Toy Story 4
Original Score - Hildur Guonadottir - Joker
Original Song - “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” - Rocketman
Music
Top 10 Songs
“Old Town Road” Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus
“Sunflower” Post Malone
“Without Me” Halsey
“Bad Guy” Billie Eilish
“High Hopes” Panic at the Disco
“Truth Hurts” Lizzo
“Dancing with a Stranger” Sam Smith
“Señorita” Shawn Mendes
“I Don’t Care” Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
“Shallow” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are
The Cure
Def Leppard
Janet Jackson
Stevie Nicks
Radiohead
Roxy Music
The Zombies
Grammy Awards
Album - Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves
Song - “This Is America” Childish Gambino
New Artist - Dua Lipa
Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tennille passed away from renal failure, he was 76
6ix9ine admitted to being guilty of all charges related to gang violence and racketeering, he was sentenced to 2 years
21 Savage was arrested by ICE for having an expired visa. It is revealed that he actually is from the United Kingdom
The documentary Leaving Neverland is released causing some radio stations to ban Michael Jackson’s music
Billie Eilish became the first musician born in the 21st century to top the Billboard charts
Motown Records celebrated its 60th anniversary
Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” becomes the longest running rap song at #1 with 13 weeks, surpassing “Lose Yourself” by Eminem which had achieved 12 weeks, it would go on to be #1 for 17 weeks
Slayer played their final concert, disbanding after 38 years
25 years after its release, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” reached #1 on the Billboard charts
After 46 years, Kiss embarks on yet another farewell tour, dubbed “One Last Kiss: End of the Road World Tour”
Vicky Cornell, widow of Chris Cornell, sues the remaining members of Soundgarden, over the legal rights to the remaining tracks he recorded prior to his death. The band believe the songs were meant to be used for Soundgarden and want to release a final album, while Vicky believes they were meant for a solo album
Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot, he was 33. Known for his mixtapes
R. Kelly is dropped from his label, RCA Records, in the aftermath and fallout of the documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, which had already resulted in stores and radio stations pulling his music
Television
Top 10 TV Shows
NCIS - 20.1 Million Viewers
Blue Bloods - 19.3 Million Viewers
Chicago Fire - 19 Million Viewers
This Is Us - 17.8 Million Viewers
Young Sheldon - 17.6 Million Viewers
Chicago P.D. - 17 Million Viewers
Chicago Med - 16.7 Million Viewers
The Good Doctor - 16.5 Million Viewers
9-1-1 - 16.4 Million Viewers
Hawaii Five-0 - 16.2 Million Viewers
Seth MacFarlane confirms Family Guy would no longer write jokes against the LGBT community due to societal changes
Empire actor Jussie Smollett is said to be the victim of an attack by two unknown individuals, police say the suspects yelled racial and homophobic slurs at Smollett, then punched him and poured a chemical substance on him, one of the attackers also put a rope around Smollett’s neck. It was initially investigated as a hate crime. However it was later revealed to all be a set up, and that the actor paid the individuals to stage the attack. He was charged with a felony for filing a false police report
The Simpsons aired its 700th episode
T-Pain wins the first season of The Masked Singer
Alex Trebek announces that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, that he will continue to host Jeopardy for as long as he can
Lori Laughlin, is arrested for her involvement in a bribery scandal centering on college admissions. Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli are accused of paying bribes to get both of their daughters into USC. She is fired from the Hallmark Channel and Netflix. Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy are also part of the scandal
WrestleMania 35 aired. For the first time ever women main evented the show, In the match, Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to win the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Titles. In other matches, Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley to win the Intercontinental Title, Baron Corbin defeated Kurt Angle in a Retirement Match, Triple H defeated Batista in a No Holds Barred Match, Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Title, and Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar to win the Universal Title. As of now this is the last WrestleMania to be one night only.
Disney+ debuts
At 35 years, 198 days, Pat Sajak becomes the longest running game show host in history surpassing Bob Barker’s record
Game of Thrones aired its series finale, it was on for 8 seasons with 73 episodes, it is the most watched series in the history of HBO
Grumpy Cat from the very popular meme passed away, the cat was 7
ABC aired Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and The Jeffersons. A live recreation of the two series. Starring Woody Harrelson as Archie Bunker, Marisa Tomei as Edith Bunker, and Jamie Foxx as George Jefferson
What We Do in the Shadows debuts on FX
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debuts on TNT with their show Dynamite
The Mandalorian debuts on Disney+
South Park aired its 300th episode
Sesame Street celebrates its 50th anniversary
The Big Bang Theory aired its series finale, it was on for 12 seasons, with 279 episodes. It was a top 10 show for 8 of its 12 seasons
“Mean” Gene Okerlund passed away from kidney failure, he was 76. He is considered the best interviewer in pro wrestling history, he worked for AWA, WWE, and WCW
Katherine Helmond passed away from Alzheimers, she was 89. Best known for her role as Mona on Who’s the Boss? And Lois on Everybody Loves Raymond
Luke Perry passed away from a stroke, he was 52. Best known for playing Dylan on Beverly Hills, 90210 and for being in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie
Tim Conway passed away from heart failure, he was 85. Best known for his work on The Carol Burnett show, and his voicework
John Witherspoon passed away from a heart attack, he was 77, Best known for his role in the Friday series, and his role on the Wayans Bros. show and voicework on The Boondocks
Carroll Spinney passed away, he was 85, Best known for playing and voicing Big Bird and voicing Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street, he had just retired from the roles a year before
Harley Race passed away from lung cancer, he was 76. He was nicknamed “King” and “Handsome”. He was an 8 Time World Champion (NWA), and the 1st ever United States Champion
Super Bowl 53 - New England Patriots def. Carolina Panthers
The Halftime show was performed by Maroon 5, joined by Travis Scott and Big Boi
World Series - Washington Nationals def. Houston Astros
NBA Finals - Toronto Raptors def. Golden State Warriors
March Madness - Virginia def. Texas Tech
In other news
Mexican drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is found guilty on drug trafficking, he is sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years
President Trump and Kim Jong Un meet, it is only the second time in history that the US President and North Korean president have a sit down meeting
Kentucky outlaws be******ty
The Supreme Court rules that death row inmates are not guaranteed “painless” executions
Undersea explorer Victor Vescovo sets a new world record for the deepest ever sea dive at 36,000 feet in the Mariana Trench. 4 new species of crustaceans are found and a new species of snailfish is discovered as well
Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein is arrested on federal charges of s*x trafficking. Less than a month later, he died in his jail cell, his death was ruled a su***de by hanging. Epstein’s lawyers have disputed the ruling, and there has been public skepticism about the true cause of his death, resulting in numerous conspiracy theories
A mass shooting occurs at a Walmart near El Paso, Texas, resulting in 23 deaths and 23 injured
The proposed “invasion” by 2 million truth seekers of the classified base known as Area 51 falls short of its goal with only about 1,000 showing up
Democrats in the House of Representatives announce formal charges against President Trump that accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress, making him the 4th president in history to face impeachment
The US Space Force is founded, becoming the sixth military service branch, and first new branch in 72 years
The FDA raises the legal age for to***co, e-cigarettes, and va**ng cartridges from 18 to 21
07/03/2023
Part 44
Pop Culture in 2018
Film
Top 10 Movies of 2018
Avengers: Infinity War - 2 Billion 48.3 Million
Black Panther - 1 Billion 347.5 Million
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - 1 Billion 308.4 Million
Incredibles 2 - 1 Billion 242.8 Million
Aquaman - 1 Billion 148.4 Million
Bohemian Rhapsody - 910.8 Million
Venom - 856 Million
Mission Impossible: Fallout - 791.1 Million
Deadpool 2 - 785.8 Million
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - 654.8 Million
Black Panther is released, it’s the 18th film in the MCU, Directed by Ryan Coogler, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Andy Serkis. In the film, T’Challa is crowned king of Wakanda, following his father’s death, be he is challenged by his cousin, Killmonger, who plans to abandon the country’s isolationist policies and begin a global revolution
Ready Player One is released, Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, and Simon Pegg. The film is set in 2045, where much of humanity uses the OASIS, a virtual reality simulation, to escape the real world. A teenage orphan finds clues to a contest that promises the ownership of the OASIS to the winner, and he and his allies try to complete it before an evil corporation can do so
A Quiet Place is released, Written and Directed by John Krasinski, starring Krasinski and Emily Blunt. The plot revolves around a family, who struggle to survive in a post apocalyptic world inhabited by blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing
Avengers: Infinity War is released, the 19th film in the MCU, Directed by The Russo Brothers. In the film, The Avengers team up with Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and The Guardians of the Galaxy to attempt to prevent Thanos from collecting the six all powerful Infinity Stones as part of his quest to kill half of all life in the universe, unfortunately the heroes fail. In a post credit scene, Nick Fury sends a signal to Captain Marvel
Solo is released, Directed by Ron Howard, starring Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, and Paul Bettany. The film explores the early adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca, 10 years prior to A New Hope, although the film made 400 million it is considered the first Star Wars film to be considered a box office failure
Ant-Man and The Wasp is released, the 20th film in the MCU,
In the film Ant-Man and The Wasp work with Hank Pym to retrieve his wife from the Quantum Realm, in a post credit scene Ant-Man is trapped in the Realm in the middle of Thanos Snap
A Star is Born is released, Directed by Bradley Cooper, starring himself, Lady Gaga, and Sam Elliott. It follows an alcoholic musician who discovers and falls in love with a young singer. It is the fourth filmed version of the story as the original came out in 1937, remade in 1954, and remade again in 1976
Halloween is released, Directed by David Gordon Green, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, it is a direct sequel to the original film, taking place 40 years later
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is released, featuring the voices of Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, and Nicolas Cage. The film follows Miles Morales as becomes the new Spider-Man and joins other Spider-People from various parallel universes to save his own from the Kingpin
Other major released included Proud Mary, Peter Rabbit, Game Night, Tomb Raider, Blockers, Rampage, Ocean’s 8, Tag, The Meg, Crazy Rich Asians, The Predator, Creed 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Mary Poppins Returns, Venom, Christopher Robin, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Bumblebee
Margot Kidder passed away from a drug overdose, she was 69, best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman films and The Amityville Horror
Burt Reynolds passed away from a heart attack, he was 82. Best known for Smokey and The Bandit, he was one of the biggest box office draws in the late 70s and early 80s
Stan Lee passed away from a heart attack, he was 95. He was a comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of Timely Publications, which would become Marvel Comics. He was the primary creative leader for decades, in collaboration with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, The X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, The Scarlet Witch, The Hulk, Ant-Man, The Wasp, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and The Black Widow
Academy Awards
Film - Green Book
Director - Alfonso Cuaron - Roma
Actor - Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
Actress - Olivia Colman - The Favorite
Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali - Green Book
Supporting Actress - Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
Animated Film - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Original Score - Ludwig Goransson - Black Panther
Original Song - “Shallow” - A Star is Born
Music
Top 10 Songs
“God’s Plan” Drake
“Perfect” Ed Sheeran
“Meant to Be” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
“Havana” Camila Cabello & Young Thug
“Rockstar” Post Malone & 21 Savage
“Psycho” Post Malone & Ty Dolla Sign
“I Like It” Cardi B, Bad Bunny, & J Balvin
“The Middle” Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey
“In My Feelings” Drake
“Girls Like You” Maroon 5 & Cardi B
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are
Bon Jovi
The Cars
Dire Straits
The Moody Blues
Nina Simone
Grammy Awards
Album - 24K Magic - Bruno Mars
Song - “That’s What I Like” - Bruno Mars
New Artist - Alessia Cara
The Music Modernization Act, a bill that would reform how music rates are set & how songwriters are paid, is passed
Cardi B released her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, it debuted atop the charts
Eminem released his new album, Kamikaze without any prior announcement, He disses the mumble rap industry on several songs
6ix9ine was arrested by federal agents in relation to racketeering and firearm charges
Hootie & the Blowfish reunite after 10 years
Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin get married
Rapper ###Tentation is murdered in Florida, when he is gunned down. He was 20
Dolores O’Riordan passed away from accidental drowning, she was 46. Best known as the lead singer for The Cranberries and her soprano voice and signature yodel
Aretha Franklin passed away from pancreatic cancer, she was 76. Nicknamed “The Queen of Soul”, with global sales of over 75 million records. Her Biggest hit is “Respect”, she had 112 songs chart on the top 100 throughout her career
Rapper Mac Miller passed away from a drug overdose, he was 26
Television
Top 10 TV Shows
The Big Bang Theory - 20.9 Million Viewers
NCIS - 20.6 Million Viewers
Young Sheldon - 19.6 Million Viewers
This is Us - 18.7 Million Viewers
Blue Bloods - 18.7 Million Viewers
The Good Doctor - 18.5 Million Viewers
Chicago Fire - 17.9 Million Viewers
Chicago Med - 17.9 Million Viewers
Chicago P.D. - 17.4 Million Viewers
NCIS: New Orleans - 17.4 Million Viewers
Stormy Daniels a former p**n star admits to having an affair with President Trump back in 2006
YouTube announces the temporary suspension of Logan Paul citing a pattern of behavior that includes showing a dead body of a su***de victim in a Japanese forest
LeBron James is told to “shut up and dribble” by Fox News
Dan Schneider is fired from Nickelodeon, known as the creator of All That, Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, and iCarly. The termination of the deal comes amid complaints of temperamental behavior towards members of his staff and questions over his treatment of some younger stars of his shows
Heineken removes a commercial for its Light Beer, which depicted a bartender sliding a bottle past women of darker skin color to one with lighter skinned complexion, with the slogan of “Sometimes, Lighter is Better”, the ad came under fire for being racist
Supernatural and Scooby-Doo crossover, when the Wi******er get sucked into an episode of the series
A Jury finds Bill Cosby, guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault that occurred in 2004, he could face up to 30 years in prison
WrestleMania 34 aired, in the Main Event, Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns to retain the Universal Title, In other matches, “The Phenomenal” A.J. Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Title, The Undertaker defeated John Cena, Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, and Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey defeated Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Kanye West causes controversy during an appearance on TMZ when he says slavery was a choice
Chef and TV Personality Anthony Bourdaun, hangs himself in his hotel room, he was 61
Clayne Crawford who played Martin Riggs on the Lethal Weapon TV Show is fired, thus the character is killed off. He is replaced with Seann William Scott
Fox cancels Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but is immediately picked up by NBC, a day later
Roseanne Barr is fired from her sitcom, after making racist remarks on Twitter, The show decides to kill off her character and continue the series with a new name, The Conners
Bob Costas leaves NBC after 40 years
After 27 years, Jerry Springer ends his talk show
In reporting the passing of Aretha Franklin, Fox News shows a picture of Patti LaBelle by mistake
Caroll Spinney, the performer of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street since its 1st episode in 1969, announces his retirement once the 50th season ends
NBC fires host Megyn Kelly from the Today show after she made comments that it was acceptable for white people to dress in blackface for Halloween
Allison Mack, best known for her role of Chloe on Smallville, is arrested on charges of helping recruit people into a s*x cult and then selling them to s*x traffickers
Mark Sailling killed himself, he was 35, Best known for playing Puck on Glee. He had been arrested for possession of child p**n and was awaiting sentencing
John Mahoney passed away from throat cancer, he was 77. Best known for playing Martin Crane on Frasier
Bruno Sammartino passed away from heart failure, he was 82. Known for being a two time WWE Champion, holding the title a combined 11 years (4,040 days). Nicknamed “The Strongman” and “The Living Legend”
Vader passed away from heart failure, he was 62, Considered one of the best big men in the history of wrestling, known for his Vader Bomb and Moonsault. He was a 6-Time World Champion (IWGP 3 / WCW 3)
Stephen Hillenburg passed away from ALS, he was 57, Best known for being the creator of SpongeBob Squarepants
Super Bowl 52 - Philadelphia Eagles def. New England Patriots
The Halftime show was performed by Justin Timberlake
World Series - Boston Red Sox defeated Los Angeles Dodgers
NBA Finals - Golden State Warriors def. Cleveland Cavaliers
March Madness - Villanova def. Michigan
World Cup - France def. Croatia
Former Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is sentenced to 175 years after testimony from 160 of his victims
In other news
President Trump is criticized by the U.N. when he refers to third world countries as sh*tholes
A mass shooting occurs at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, resulting in 17 deaths
The Opioid epidemic is worse than previously thought
The anti-gun violence rally “March For Our Lives” takes place in over 900 cities nation and worldwide
People demonstrate across all 50 states against family separations
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