From Miley to Robin Thicke, from Lady Gaga to Beyonce, 2013 offered us a plethora of shocking, sad, inspiring and more than entertaining pop culture happenings! But what were the year’s top stories that defined pop culture? Welcome to the Pop Campus Blog’s Top Pop Culture Stories of 2013, reminding you of the best – and absolute worst – of music, movies, and more!
Harlem Shake Takes World By Storm
2013 began with a new sensation that had crowds of up to thousands of people gathering to dance their hearts out. The original Harlem Shake video, set to Baauerâs âHarlem Shake,â grew into a movement almost overnight that had families, athletic teams, soldiers and just about everyone going berserk for a good 30 seconds. By late February, it had also become cool for colleges to film their own Harlem Shake videos, the best of which can be found here and around YouTube.
Angelina Jolie Reveals Her Double Mastectomy
In May, Angelina Jolie revealed that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy to significantly reduce her chances of breast cancer due to a defective BRCA1 gene. Though Jolieâs op-ed did relate her personal story, the actressâ main goal was to encourage women to seek out all possible options for serious health risks. Surgeons reported a noticeable increase in inquiries about BRCA screenings, but critics pointed out that Jolie could mislead patients as her situation is rare and not all women with the gene need or can have the operation.
Kim Kardashian Gives Birth to Baby Girl
Kimyeâs made pop culture headlines multiple times this year whether separately or as a couple, but baby North West definitely took the cake. Kim Kardashian gave birth to the healthy baby girl in June, beating everyone but Kate Middleton in the mediaâs baby hype (because who can beat the Royal Baby?).
Food Network Star Paula Deen Faces Lawsuit Over Racial Discrimination
Celebrity chef Paula Deen made her way from the Food Network to primetime cable news when a former restaurant employee filed racial discrimination and sexual harassment charges against Deen and her brother. The case was eventually dropped, but not before the Food Network put an end to Deenâs contract and her shows. To make matters worse, Smithfield Foods (among other companies) ceased contact with their celebrity endorser while Wal-Mart and Target refused to sell her products.
Boston Marathon Bomberâs Rolling Stone Cover Incites Outrage
April 15âs Boston Marathon bombing was the biggest attack on U.S. civilians since 9/11, which only made Dzhokhar Tsarnaevâs appearance on the Rolling Stoneâs cover even more appalling in many peopleâs eyes. The then 19-year-old Tsarnaev was featured on one of the Rolling Stoneâs July editions with a cover that seemingly glamorized him and paid tribute to the rock stars of old. The magazine editors defended their decision, stating that the cover followed the Rolling Stoneâs âlong standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day.â
Robin Thicke and the âBlurred Linesâ of Rape
Robin Thickeâs summer smash hit âBlurred Linesâ dominated the music charts, but it also conquered the Internet for reasons that diverged from Thickeâs true intentions. The song set off a wildfire of accusations that âBlurred Linesâ over-sexualized women and portrayed rape culture in a positive light. Feminist parodies combined with furious op-eds, blog posts and accounts from victims to question society and pop cultureâs approach in addressing all forms of sexual assault.
The debates both for and against Thicke raged on for months even after âBlurred Linesâ faded from the Top 10. But unfortunately for Thicke, the song turned out to be only one of TWO controversies involving him that summer.
Miley Cyrusâ VMA Performance
The second Thicke controversy came at the VMAs when he took the stage with Miley Cyrus for a performance that made âtwerkingâ part of mainstream vocabulary. Tongue out in a nude leotard, Cyrus strutted all over the VMA stage in her own interpretation of âratchetâ culture that did not go over with, well, pretty much everyone. Enraged columnists and bloggers attacked Cyrusâ notion of âblackâ pop culture while viewers cringed at the sight of her dancing bears and bent over âtwerkingâ on none other than singer Robin Thickeâs groin.
And then came âTwerk,â a collaboration between Cyrus and Justin Bieber. âCanât Stop, Wonât Stopâ indeed.
‘NSYNC Reunites at VMAs
But for all the awkward moments at this yearâs VMAs, âNSYNC more than made up for every single one of them. Joining Justin Timberlake onstage were our old crushes Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez and Lance Bass as they hit the stage to perform âBye, Bye, Byeâ for the first time in years. While âNSYNC hasnât brought up the possibility of a reunion tour, one can only hope that maybe the boys will at least be singing together more often.
Daft Punk Stages Comeback with âRandom Access Memoriesâ
Years after their last album, years after their Coachella set that made us bow down and years after crushing rumors of possible performances, legendary French electronic music duo Daft Punk returned to show us how the genre is REALLY done. âRandom Access Memoriesâ caused a huge stir among electronic music fans and non-fans alike with âGet Luckyâ as one of this fallâs biggest hits. Tracks like âGiorgio by Moroderâ and âLose Yourself to Danceâ also reminded us that no, that âTronâ soundtrack really did not show the full extent of Daft Punkâs musical skill.
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Pop Queens Return: Album Releases by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry
After much anticipation, Katy Perry decided to “Roar” back this year while Lady Gaga sought some “Applauseâ from her little monsters with two pop albums. But while their own fans devoured each and every tune, critics were mixed about the results. Nevertheless, Perry and Gaga are still embarking on their own respective tours, which both promise to be a blast!
Passing: Roger Ebert, Cory Monteith, Paul Walker, Peter OâToole
Every year, a few iconic stars pass away and leave us with nostalgic memories of times gone by when we would sit in awe of their talents. Among the deaths this year, none were as discussed as those of film critic Roger Ebert, âGleeâ actor Cory Monteith, âFast and Furiousâ actor Paul Walker and the one and only Lawrence of Arabia, Peter OâToole. While Ebert passed away from cancer and OâToole from an illness, Monteithâs death followed a deadly combination of heroin and alcohol as Walker horrified news audiences with the fiery crash that took his life.
Beyoncé Surprise Album
What better way to top the year off than to have Queen Bey (or, dare we say, Beysus?) drop a surprise visual album that basically interrupted workplace and school productivity. âBeyoncĂ©â sold over 617,000 on iTunes in three days alone, setting album sales records while fans of the Beyhive enjoyed 17 videos and 14 new songs. How BeyoncĂ© managed to keep 17 videos and 14 songs secret, we donât know, but all that matters is that Queen Bey has swept everyone else off the table and onto the floor.