Taylor Swift was up. Elon Musk was in, out, in and maybe out again. Tom Cruise was back. BTS stepped aside, and so did Serena Williams, and Tom Brady too 鈥� oops, scratch that.
But the slap? was everywhere.
Ok, so maybe it wasn鈥檛 on the level of a moon landing, or selection of a pope. But henceforth all you need say is 鈥渢he slap鈥� and people will know what you mean 鈥� that moment Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars and a global audience said, 鈥淲ait, did that happen?" 鈥� maybe especially in the room itself 鈥� there was a sense everyone had imagined it, which helps explain why things went on as normal, for a bit.
The pandemic was over, phew! Well, of course it wasn鈥檛. But live entertainment pushed forward in 2022, with mask mandates dropping and people rushing to buy things like, oh, Taylor Swift tickets!
We鈥檒l take any segue to mention Swift, who already had a big year in 2021, but just got bigger 鈥� heck, she and then she . (No word if she got her scarf back).
It was a year of celebrity #MeToo cases like (again), (again), , , . And the defamation trial, its every excruciating turn captured on TV.
On the big screen, there were big comebacks. Mourning its dearly missed star, , 鈥淏lack Panther: Wakanda Forever鈥� was a . James Cameron鈥檚 鈥淎vatar鈥� made a splashy December return.
Then there was Cruise, turning 60 in 鈥�22 just like the Rolling Stones, with his and showing, like those still-touring rockers, that when they tell you 鈥淭he end is inevitable,鈥� as they do in 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick,鈥� you can always reply: 鈥淢aybe so, sir, but not today.鈥�
Will audiences one day find Cruise 鈥� or the Stones, for that matter 鈥� too wrinkled and past the sell-by date? Maybe so, but not this year.
Our annual, totally selective journey through a year in pop culture:
JANUARY
It鈥檚 GOLDEN GLOBES time. But is , boozy celebs or red carpet a Globes at all? The embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association, reeling from , holds a and plans a comeback next year. Hey, remember the original wardrobe malfunction? Well, JANET JACKSON says she and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE , and so should we. The New York Times and we鈥檙e all thinking in five-letter words (though W-O-R-D-L-E is six, just saying.) Meanwhile, it鈥檚 a month of loss, heading off a year of loss: pioneering Black actor, director and activist at 94.
FEBRUARY
What would a year in pop culture be without BRITNEY? Just months after her , Spears is reported to have signed , but at year's end we're still waiting for news. RIHANNA is pregnant! TOM BRADY retires! (Stay tuned, on that one.) TAYLOR watch: JAKE GYLLENHAAL speaks out, saying he really
MARCH
Quick, who wins Oscars this month? Well, a feel-good drama with a largely deaf cast, and to win an acting Oscar. Alas, all anyone can talk about is 鈥� you know. SMITH, who not long after slapping Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, won鈥檛 truly address the issue until the end of the year, so keep reading. KARDASHIAN watch: in her ongoing divorce with YE, the rapper formerly known as KANYE WEST. And BRADY, retired for 40 days, says,
APRIL
It鈥檚 GRAMMY time, and , taking five statuettes. The musician's huge year will later include performing at the of the Biden administration, for French President Emmanuel Macron. The next day (thanks for the segue, Monsieur le President) who this month, leading to untold 鈥� and still unfolding 鈥� changes at the social media giant.
MAY
So imagine you鈥檙e sipping and a musician comes sauntering through, playing the melodica 鈥� of course it鈥檚 BATISTE, because the Met Gala鈥檚 that kind of crazy party. The biggest splash of the night, though, is KARDASHIAN, on the arm of boyfriend PETE DAVIDSON, wearing to sing 鈥淗appy Birthday鈥� to JFK in 1962. In movies, , and his first to surpass $100 million on opening weekend. HARRY STYLES fans rejoice! His album, 鈥淗arry鈥檚 House,鈥� is here.
JUNE
Stunning news for the global fanbase of BTS as the K-pop to focus on members鈥� solo projects. On the legal front, a in his very messy libel case over allegations of domestic abuse, finding that former wife HEARD defamed him in a 2018 op-ed. On a happier note,
JULY
Only one wedding, Britney? BENNIFER has two! Maybe what happens in Vegas usually stays in Vegas, but not when you have 227 million followers on Instagram. With a winking reference to being a 鈥淪adie鈥� (married lady) JENNIFER LOPEZ directs fans to her newsletter where she shares pics of . 鈥淟ove is beautiful,鈥� she writes. 鈥淎nd it turns out love is patient.鈥� Speaking of patience, fans of BEYONC脡 are rewarded for theirs with the release of her long-awaited her first solo album in six years.
AUGUST
So, we were saying ... on Affleck鈥檚 compound in Georgia, is bigger and fancier. One wedding, one split: KARDASHIAN and DAVIDSON are no longer. In other summer news, the world remembers PRINCESS DIANA, whose shocking death , and whose life is being rehashed for a new generation in the current season of 鈥淭he Crown." Only days after the anniversary, that same Netflix series will pause production as a mark of respect for QUEEN ELIZABETH II as Britain 鈥� and the world 鈥� mourn the beloved monarch, who dies at age 96 after more than 70 years on the throne.
SEPTEMBER
Mounting political intrigue in Europe, and by that we mean, did spit fly Either way the movie, directed by OLIVIA WILDE and starring her boyfriend (alleged spitter STYLES), is saddled 鈥� or blessed? 鈥� with more than its share of extracurricular drama. At the EMMYS, behold and schools the crowd on the power of dreams and self-belief. 鈥淭his is what believing looks like,鈥� she says. You know what else believing looks like? Rachel Berry from 鈥淕lee鈥� in 鈥淔unny Girl鈥� on Broadway. In sports, with four rueful words that resonate with working moms everywhere, from tennis, because 鈥渟omething鈥檚 got to give.鈥�
OCTOBER
The second in Los Angeles. part of a cascade of companies that will sever ties with the rapper over his antisemitic and other troubling comments. The as the world鈥檚 richest man carries a sink into the office, to 鈥渓et that sink in.鈥� is a slimy, glistening rain worm. But before the month worms away from us, let鈥檚 cede it to SWIFT for dropping her new album, 鈥淢idnights鈥� (Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day), then adding , then becoming the . Let THAT sink in! P.S. Celebrity divorce watch:
NOVEMBER
Did we say LAST month was Taylor Swift month? Well now, millions of eager fans crowd a presale for her much-awaited Eras Tour, resulting in crashes and endless waits. citing insufficient stock. Multiple state attorneys general Takeaway: People want Taylor Swift tickets. At the multiplex, they "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever鈥� meets the double challenge of following up one of the biggest blockbusters in history and
DECEMBER
Love 'em or hate 鈥檈m, here come HARRY and MEGHAN again, watched very closely by royalty across the pond. Over at Twitter, MUSK says he'll step down as CEO 鈥� after polling users 鈥� once he finds someone 鈥渇oolish鈥� enough to replace him. finally appears, 13 years after the original broke records, and yes, moviegoers flock to Pandora once again. And bringing the year full circle, SMITH emerges to promote his hoping people will forget about 鈥� what was it? 鈥� at least enough to check out the movie.
In this year of comebacks, will Smith鈥檚 be the biggest?
Check back with us in 2023.
Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
