2022 brings drama, from cringe-worthy trials to superstar breakups, not to mention a year full of new music and Academy Award nominations. Here’s a look back at this year’s entertainment.
“Top Gun: Maverick” felt the need for speed and smashed box office records. The film made $126 million in its opening weekend and went on to make $1 billion worldwide.
Thirteen years later, the sequel to Avatar returns, with director James Cameron taking audiences on an epic adventure back to the world of Pandora in Avatar: Way of Water.
Marvel’s “Black Panther: Forever Wakanda” held the No. 1 spot for five weeks in a row, paying homage to late star Chadwick Boseman.
Awards season ended with a slap in the face from Chris Rock. Will Smith punched the comedian onstage after telling a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at the 94th Academy Awards.
Weir, who later won Best Actor for his role in “King Richard,” has since resigned from the Academy. He was also banned from participating in events for 10 years.
The film “End” made history at the Academy Awards for best picture as it was the first film to win the award with a predominantly deaf cast, and actor Troy Kosur was the first deaf male to win an Oscar actor.
The high-profile trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard dragged on for up to six weeks, with jurors in a $50 million defamation suit Ruling in Johnny’s favour. At its core are a 2018 Washington Post op-ed and allegations of attacks on both sides.
Johnny was awarded $10 million in damages, and a jury upheld Amber’s counterclaim, awarding her $2 million.
The year saw new music from Taylor Swift, as well as her album, Midnight. The tunes on her 10th album made her the first artist in history to have all of the top 10 hits on the Billboard hot 100 at the same time.
Ticketmaster quickly became the Swifties anti-hero, as fans trying to get advance tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour saw the site crash, as well as cancel the general sale.
Later, Ticketmaster, at the request of Taylor’s team, offered verified fan pre-sale participants another chance to see Tay in concert.
Beyoncé also dropped some new tunes on her album “Renaissance.” The album quickly topped the Billboard 200 in all genres.
Queen Bey will be the top nominee for the 2023 Grammys with nine nominations.
The year saw plenty of breakups and reorganizations among Hollywood’s elite.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen announce split after 13 years of marriage while the world watches power couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (Jennifer Lopez) — wow, still cute — reunited and tied the knot.
In 2022, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West finalized their divorce settlement.
Kanye’s name made headlines throughout the year for his anti-Semitic comments, which got him suspended from Instagram and Twitter, while brands like Adidas dropped him in full swing.
He was allowed back on Twitter…before violating Twitter’s rules for another anti-Semitic post and inciting violence.
Happy new year!
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