What a year it’s been. 2014 has been packed with monumental pop culture moments — both good and bad. Read CNN’s list of 2014’s best and worst pop culture moments:
Best: The guiding light for sartorial iconoclasts everywhere, Pharrell Williams proved in 2014 he doesn’t give a fig what you think about his fashion. Why should he? He makes pretty much every song you want to dance to. He even made you “Happy.” So if he feels like wearing Smokey the Bear’s hat, he will. Also? He can wear Uggs to the BET Awards and short pants to the Oscars. Because he is Pharrell, and you will deal with it.
Worst: No grudge against Justin Bieber — or this mug shot, which is one of the better ones — but 2014 didn’t need another story of a mega-popular young star felled by a wild night and bad decisions. He was arrested for DUI in January, but that was by no means the end of his spiral. There was an assault charge, an egging case, disruptive house parties — and do we need to mention those racist videos again? Didn’t think so.
Best: The insane amount of attention paid to the grandiose wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in May was off-putting, no argument here. And we’re still not so sure about the couple landing on the cover of Vogue. But these two looked as happy as top-shelf clams in their wedding photos, and c’mon, they’re the parents of North! North is always the best.
Best: During awards season, Lupita Nyong’o won moviegoers’ hearts, dazzled on the red carpet and took home a bunch of acting awards, including the best supporting actress Oscar for “12 Years a Slave.” The gifted actress was also People magazine’s “Most Beautiful” person, and she’s been cast in “Star Wars: Episode VII.” Nyong’o’s only worry may be that no other year can compare with 2014.
Best and worst: We don’t know what’s going on in Jay Z’s and Beyonce’s personal lives, and we’ll likely never know, because the couple are just that untouchable. After unveiling her surprise visual album at the end of 2013, Beyonce teamed up with the hubby on an entertainment takeover, going from stadium to arena proclaiming how “Drunk in Love” they are. That video of the elevator fight between Jay Z and Bey’s sister Solange was disturbing, but the family has glossed over it, and the couple have been “On the Run” like it never even happened.
Best: Jimmy Fallon took over for a retiring Jay Leno in March, part of one of the many changes on late-night TV — including Seth Meyers leaving “SNL” to join “Late Night.” Since the takeover, Fallon has routinely provided some of the Web’s most viral videos, and he’s held on to his spot as the No. 1 late-night show.
Worst: In September, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of “The Cosby Show.” Weeks later, we were left conflicted in our adoration of the seminal series as its creator and star, Bill Cosby, was awash in accusations from numerous women. As the saga continues, many of us are left wondering how to separate the scandal from a series that brought so much joy.
Worst: Kim, c’mon. You released one of the biggest apps to hit the Apple store this year, stayed in steady rotation on E!, and married the man of your dreams in a blowout wedding. Did you really need to grab for more publicity with the over-reaching Paper magazine covers? The answer here is “no.”
Best: Consider Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt the anti-Kimye. Instead of trying to upstage all of the recent royal weddings like some people we know, they quietly tied the knot in France in August — so quietly, in fact, that no one even knew they were having a ceremony. It kicked off a stream of other famous weddings, including the union of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, and Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.
Source: CNN
