Pop Culture in Review for the year 2015

As the year 2015 concluded, it was time to look back at some events that helped shape the year. It was a time when financial, global, and economic crises were at their peak but atleast we had something to cheer ourselves with. The world of television and film kept us distracted. Throughout the miserable year due to the crises, we had plenty of TV shows, movies, and even memes to keep things cool.

Therefore, one could say that 2015 was pretty generous when it came to video games, music and social media, etc. Every year is supposed to have its ups and downs but 2015 kept everything balances. Perhaps this is the only way people are going to remember it. Before we look forward to 2016, let us take one last look at one of the biggest moments that helped shape 2015.

Music

Adelle says Hello

2015 began with a song that would reach billions of views on YouTube in the next few years. It was sung by Adele and titled ‘Hello’. The most amazing thing about the song is that, if you were to hear it today, it would sound like as if it was released yesterday. Everytime you hear it, you could feel the freshness and that pure Adele vibe. Within 24 hours, the music video of ‘Hello’ broke Vevo’s record for the most number of views in a day. Furthermore, it also broke the record of the shortest time taken to reach 100 million views. However, in 2017, Taylor Swift once again took back the record with her song ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.

57th Annual Grammy Awards

In February 2015, the 57th Annual Grammy Awards took place at Staples Center, Los Angeles. Sam Smith was the biggest winner of the night with having won four awards. The event witnessed Kanye West joking about how Beyoncé should have won the Album of the Year award and hopped onto the stage to repeat his 2009 fiasco but left without saying anything. A total of 83 Grammy awards were presented, one more than 2014. Furthermore, Lifetime Achievement awards were presented as well to people like Buddy Guy, Pierre Boulez, and Bee Gees, etc.

2015 i Heart Radio Music Awards

The iHeartRadio Music Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 29, 2015. Jamie Foxx was the presenter of the show. Taylor Swift won three awards while Justin Timberlake was presented with the Innovator award. The event was able to attract more than 75 percent viewers as compared to the last year. Just like other awarding ceremonies, iHeartRadio Music Awards are held every year as well, focusing on crediting young artists producing unique music and albums

Art

When Will You Marry?

Painted by Paul Gauguin in 1892, When Will You Marry Me? Is an oil painting that is amongst one of the most admired artworks in the world. Initially, it was kept in Switzerland before finally ending up with Sheikha Al-Mayassa Hamad Al-Thani. He had bought the painting in February 2015 for close to US$210 million, which made it one of the most expensive works of art known. Some say that the painting was sold for $300 million. Regardless, one can only admire the exclusiveness and uniqueness of the painting.

 The Broad

Located in Downtown Los Angeles, The Broad is a contemporary museum named after philanthropists such as Edythe Broad and Eli. Both individuals financed the building by spending $140 million, which shelters the Broad Art collections. The museum allows free general admission for its collection galleries that are permanent. Opened in September 2015, the Broad attracts a significant number of visitors each year, who adore the efforts of contemporary artists.

Literature

The Bodleian Library acquires its twelve millionth book

The main research library of the University of Oxford, the Bodleian Library acquired its twelve millionth book, which was a unique copy of Shelly’s ‘Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things’. Initially,  the essay was first published in 1811 but was lost since. Then, in 2006 a copy was found and made available in the Bodleian Library in 2015.

Fashion

Givenchy Comes to New York

Paris based brand Givenchy for the first time decided to showcase its collection at the New York Fashion Week instead of Paris. Riccardo Tisci decided to display his Spring 2016 collection at NYFW, which also marked the opening of the brand’s flagship store. It was also intended to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks.

Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid Walk for the First Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

The year ended on a big note for both Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid as they were cast for the first time by Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Victoria’s Secret is known for its women’s innerwear products and attracts millions of customers and viewers at its fashion shows. Furthermore, each time Victoria’s Secret announces a new line of garments, the world stops and shifts its attention to the brand. For years, it has been introducing spectacular collections and takes the lead in setting new trends.

Film

Jurassic World

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the highest-grossing film of the year. It had collected more than $936.7 million in Canada and the United States alone. Furthermore, $1.132 billion was collected in other countries while a worldwide total was estimated to be over $2.068 billion. It was the first installment of the Star Wars Trilogy and its success was not a surprise, surprisingly. With fans numbering billions, the film was sure to be the biggest hit of the decade and one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

Jurassic World

Released in 2015, Jurassic World is the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series. It was the second-highest-grossing film of 2015 with collections grossing $652.3 million in both Canada and the United States. In total, the movie collected $1.019 billion in other countries while a worldwide total of $1.672 billion. Considering its budget of $150 million, the film was a huge success both financially and critically. It was an action-packed movie that gave the fans what they asked for.

Television

Madonna’s Stage Dive

Sure there were several shocking moments in 2015 but this one caught everyone’s attention. Madonna stepped onto the stage wearing an oversize cape. During the performance, a performer was supposed to tug it from the neck. Instead, it failed to release and Madonna was pulled backward down some steps. The singer did not lose focus and kept performing while being applauded by the crowd. However, later she admitted that it was not something major as she was used to falling.

Jon Snow’s Death

Game of Thrown is notorious for killing important characters. But the series took a step ahead when it decided to possibly kill Jon Snow. The last moments of season 5 sparked craziness amongst the fans. It was shown that Jon Snow might have been killed by mutinous members of the Night’s Watch. As soon as the episode ended, fans all over the world were coming out with theories suggesting that Jon Snow could not be killed, it was rather that they did not want to believe.

News

Syrian Refugee Crisis

The Syrian refugee crisis was probably the biggest event that shook 2015. According to the United Nations, the involvement of Syria into conflict has resulted in the loss of more than 220,000 people. Moreover, more than a million people have been left displaces as a result due to President Bashar Assad and his opponents engaging in a bitter war. By December 2015, around 4.39 million Syrian registered refugees were existing in the Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa.

FIFA Scandal

2015 was a bad one for FIFA’s governing body. The U.S Department of Justice had found nine FIFA officials to be corrupt along with five corporate executives. The news came out in May 2015, leaving the entire world shocked to its core. But there was more to come. The defendants were charged with offenses such as racketeering, money laundering, and wire fraud, etc. In addition to that, the DoJ further indicted 16 FIFA officials.

Volkswagen emissions cheating

The auto industry was beyond shocked when it was found that Volkswagen was caught cheating in its emissions test. The manufacturer is known to produce one of the best cars in the world. With so much consumer trust in the brand, people found it almost hard to believe that the company would do such an act. Later, in November 2015, the German automaker announced that there might have been some ‘irregularities’ in around 800,000 vehicles. The estimate was cut down to 36,000 vehicles afterwards.

Sports

Rafael Nadal was beaten by Novak Djokovic            

Rafael Nadal was fighting for his sixth-consecutive French Open title but was denied access by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. By this time, Rafael Nadal had a winning streak of 39 matches, which was broken as well. As a result, since 2004, it was the first time that neither Nadal nor Federer had won the title. Stan Wawrinka defeated Novak in the finals to take his second grand slam home.

Serena Williams wins all except the US Open

The queen of tennis, Serena Williams had won all the titles except the US Open. She was a three-time defending champion but lost against Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals. As a result, Serena lost the opportunity to become the only fourth woman to complete a grand slam calendar year.

Technology

Apple introduces Apple Watch

The tech world had several surprises for tech geeks. To begin with, Apple introduced its Apple Watches. The gadget received a lot of attention and since its introduction has generated significant sales. The introduction of Apple Watches had given a boost to other manufacturers as well as they came out with their wearable watches as well. Today, Samsung, Huawei, LG, and Apple compete head to head in this area.

Tesla introduces Autopilot

The Autoworld experienced a mind-blowing invention when Tesla rolled out its semi-autonomous Autopilot system. The system enabled the car to switch lanes, reduce speed automatically, and parallel park as well. Although Tesla was not the first automaker to introduce the system but it was the first one to implement in such an efficient and aggressive way. The system has been a significant hit amongst critics and Tesla owners as it makes long journeys more comfortable.

Hollywood

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Breakup

After spending 10 years together, couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner decided to break up. They share 3 children and since their marriage, there have been numerous rumors about them splitting up. However, they remained together until it was finally revealed that they were getting a divorce due to Ben Affleck having an affair with their nanny.

Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj Clash

2015 saw Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj clash over MTV awards. This time Taylor Swift was again in the headlines but not with Kanye West. It was Nicki Minaj who had stated that she was upset for not being nominated for the Video of the Year award. She went onto claim that it was because she did not have ‘slim bodies’ in her music videos. Taylor thought this was a jab and responded by saying that Nicki was ‘pitting women against each other’. The Twitter feud was short-lived, but Katy Perry did take a small

Final Word

Concluding, the year 2015 belonged to the tech and music world. One could say that this was the year when technology’s course of history was changed. One of the biggest hit singles and movies were released, giving fans the best of both worlds. At the global front, the world was shocked by FIFA and Volkswagen scandal. But still, it was hoped that the next year brings even more exciting stuff. If there was anything that was left void, the next year was sure to fill it up.

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