Pop Culture’s Best Moments of 2015

Can you believe it? It’s almost a new year. As always, and I’m sure many people say this, this year went by so fast. 2016 is around the corner and I’ve already claimed that year to be the year of “Milestones,” but before we embark on a new year we must reflect on the year’s past. Glambergirlblog is presenting our traditional “Best Of” moments in a two-part feature. Last week, GGB shared its personal favorite/best moments of 2015 and today it’s time to share the top pop culture stories of the year. The top 15 moments, in no particular order, based on trending topics, the stories we couldn’t stop talking about, and the ones that became pop culture references. Without further adieu, check out Pop Culture’s Best Moments of 2015 and be sure to revisit Glambergirlblog’s Best of 2015.

1. Fifty Shades Obsessed – “Fifty Shades of Grey” was the book everybody couldn’t stop talking about and not even a little bit ashamed to read it in public. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson brought E.L James’ Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele to life and to the big screen in the film adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey book series this past Valentine’s Day. The obsession for every woman to find her Mr. Grey commenced, but not without the naysayers bashing the book and film saying it was demeaning to women. No pop culture phenomena is complete of course without a spoof, so get ready for “Fifty Shades of Black” next month.

2. Zendaya Vs. Giuliana Rancic – To kick off award show season Giuliana Rancic put her foot in her mouth when she made some controversial comments about singer-actress Zendaya regarding her appearance at the 2015 Oscars. Zendaya rocked faux dreadlocks and Rancic commented on E! Fashion Police that it looked like she smelled of  “patchouli oil or weed.” Well those comments sparked a prolonged back and forth between the two and Rancic leaving E! News as anchor, although this drama may have not been the cause, it sure didn’t help her career after.

3. R.I.P. Bobbi Kristina – Tragedy struck at the top of the year when 22-year-old Bobbi Kristina, the daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found unresponsive in a bathtub, rushed to the hospital, and placed in a coma. Rumors made headlines for months concerning the nature of how Bobbi Kristina ended up in the unfortunate situation and sadly everyone’s worst fears came to fruition in July when she was pronounced dead. R.I.P.

4. Rachel Dolezal – Rachel Dolezal brought new meaning to cultural identity when she was exposed as disguising herself as a black woman. The Washington NAACP chapter president had went on record that she was claiming to be African-American, had African-American parents, children, the whole nine yards. When she was exposed a media circus exploded with trending topics, memes, hell even Halloween costumes.

5. “Straight Outta Compton” to A Blockbuster Film – “Straight Outta Compton” and straight into out hearts. The story of the rise of N.W.A. aka  Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and the late Eazy E became a pop culture staple to a new generation who may have not been familiar with the rap group, their music, or their message. In promotion for the film a huge “Straight Outta…” campaign went viral with fans and celebs alike got to rep where ever they were from. It was a great way to promote the film and show pride in where people came from. Not to mention O’Shea Jackson Jr basically became a heart-throb following the film’s release. This film was huge this year.

6. Kermit and Miss Piggy Break Up – Love is lost. There were a lot of celebrity break ups this year, but the one no one saw coming was the split between beloved muppets Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Things got even messier when Kermit was spotted with another pig, who was working on the former couple’s ABC’s series.

7. Madonna and Drake Make Out – It’s always something memorable that happens at Coachella and this year was no different. During Drake’s set Madonna joined the rapped on stage to perform a few songs, but that’s not the major moment. The major moment came when Drake decided to plant a big, wet one of the “Hotline Bling” rapper. And the moment got even bigger following the kiss when Drake made a facial reaction that some took as a look of disgust, while others took as disbelief that the moment actually happened. Either way the memes were crazy.

8. And Now We Got “Bad Blood” – One of the biggest records of the year has to be Taylor Swift‘s “Bad Blood.” The anticipation of the music video alone sparked a viral social media campaign with fans channeling their alter egos and started the base of Swift’s “squad.” The music video featured many of Swift’s close gal pals, plus Kendrick Lamar, and was kicked off the year of T.S. Her 1989 world tour brought out more celebs than the major award shows combined. Everybody wanted to be on Swift’s bestie list this year.

9. Presidential Candidates and Kanye – I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the politics girl. I don’t know about the issues, nor am I as invested as I should be as an American, but all I do know is Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton announcing their run for the 2016 presidential election has gotten more press than when our beloved Barack Obama announced his campaign and won, TWICE! I’m going to miss that beautiful Obama family in the White House. But back on track, the only thing more bizarre than Donald Trump running is Kanye West‘s bid to run in 2020.

10. Drake vs. Meek Mill – Who really got the juice is the question that was asked when a random beef between Philly native rapper Meek Mill and Canadian lyricists Drake erupted during the summer. There were diss tracks, claims of ghostwriting, and of course MEMES. Life would be so boring without memes.

11. Miley, What’s good? – Another month, another beef. While the beef with Drake and Meek Mill seemed to brew out of no where so did the awkward moment with Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. Cyrus served as host this year and was caught off guard by Minaj’s comments to her while accepting the award for Best Hip Hop music video. Minaj’s speech was very calm until she turned to the host who was on a stage a little further down asking her “What’s good,” but in a more aggressive way. Apparently Cyrus said some comments about Minaj in a recent interview and the “Anaconda” rapper picked that moment to confront her. It was a strange moment.

12. What Color is The Dress – The topic so big it made both of GGB’s Best of 2015 lists. This social media viral sensation took over the internet at one point and it still trips me out. As I write this the damn dress was changing right before my eyes. The sorcery.

13. My name is Cait – From the moment Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner and made her debut on the July issue of Vanity Fair it seems it was Cait’s world and we were just living in it. Following her E! docu-series about making her transition, Jenner was named ESPY’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipient, won Social Media Queen award at the Teen Choice Awards, was on Time’s ‘2015 Person of the Year,’ named one of Barbara Walters’ ‘Most Fascinating Person of 2015,’ and the list goes on. What will the new year hold for Cait, we’ll have to wait and see.

14. Raven Symone Shares Her View – Raven Symone has grown from adorable child star, to relatable teen star, and now opinionated and often hated television personality as co-host on The View. The rise of the Raven Symone side-eye campaign kind of started in 2014 when she didn’t want to talk about labeling herself during a Oprah Winfrey interview. The tension started to rise when she commented that she’s from “every continent in Africa” and didn’t identify as African-American. When she landed a permanent seat as co-host on The View all the poo hit the fan. It seemed every topic discussed, Raven’s comments did not sit well with people, but it made for great pop culture moments.

15.Charlie Sheen’s Health Announcement – It shocked many when Charlie Sheen revealed to the world that he was HIV positive last month. On The Today Show he shared with Matt Lauer, kind of, how he came to know of his status and why he chose to come out with his announcement now. It was an emotional time.

What do you think were the best pop culture moments of 2015? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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