Nevaeh Modlin, Senio
Goodbye 2018 and hello 2019! The year 2018 was filled with diversity and stardom. Here are some of the best things to come out of pop culture in the past year.
Movies
Movies in 2018 were filled with box office hits and so much diversity, laughter, and creativity. The movies listed below were some of the most talked about movies this year
Black Panther
Black Panther burst into the movie scene breaking box office history. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the movie made a whopping $1 billion. Black Panther is now considered to be the fifth highest grossing Marvel superhero movie. Critics say Black Panther was one the most “defining moments of Black America.” A New York Times article states that “The black Internet was, to put it mildly, exploding. Twitter reported that “Black Panther” was one of the most tweeted-about films of 2017, despite not even opening that year.” Throughout the Internet hashtags such as #BlackPantherSoLit and #WelcometoWakanda became a hit.
Crazy Rich Asians
First a book and then later turned into a movie, Crazy Rich Asians wrote by Kevin Kwan and directed by Now You See Me 2 director Jon M. Chu was a blockbuster hit. Earning a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, Crazy Rich Asians was a huge hit for the Asian community, making it on the list as one of the best representation movies in 2018.
A Star is Born
Directed by and starring Bradley Cooper as well as pop star Lady Gaga, the movie A Star is Born became a huge hit this year. Being nominated for four awards at the upcoming Golden Globes proves its widespread success. The original a Star is Born was made in 1954 starring Judy Garland and James Mason. Decades later in 1976, the movie was brought back to life starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
Avengers: Infinity War
Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War was amazing. With a budget of at least $316 million, the movie rang up $2.049 billion at the box office. After the release of the movie, Avengers became the biggest worldwide film opening since 2002.
Celebrities
Before the New Year, Google released a list of the most googled people of 2018. From political controversies to pop culture, the names on this list have been trending this year in the media.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle became the talk of the town when she and Prince Harry announced their engagement early in the year. This wedding was considered to be the biggest star-studded wedding with a guest list consisting of Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams. Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, she was an actress on a television show called Suits.
Demi Lovato
Other than her amazing singing voice, Grammy-nominated singer Demi Lovato made headlines this year after she was hospitalized after a suspected overdose. After the news, her fans and celebs reached out through social media sharing their wishes for her to recover and get healthy.
Cardi B
In 2018, Cardi B became a household name with many of her hit songs such as Bodak Yellow and Be Careful. Sources say “Cardi B is the first female rapper to rule without any other billed acts since Lauryn Hill in 1998,” with her hit single Bodak Yellow.
Music
2018 was filled with some great music this year, from Beyonce and Jay-Z to Drake and Childish Gambino.
Childish Gambino: This is America
When the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino released the song, it was known to have multiple symbols involved in the music video. The song is known to be powerful and more than one meaning. The video has a mix of powerful dance moves and political symbols all throughout.
Ariana Grande: “No Tears Left to Cry”
After the shooting, Ariana Grande made a comeback with “No Tears Left to Cry”. This song comes right after the Manchester bombing in 2017. The song was known to have an emotional meaning.
Marren Morris, Zedd, and Grey: “The Middle”
This song played everywhere on the radio nonstop. Before, Marren Morris became the main singer on the track Variety state that the song “had been recorded by no fewer than 12 top female singers”. This song was No.1 for three weeks straight on pop radio.
The Carters: “Ape****”
After speculation of the power couple coming together and releasing an album, they come out with “Ape****”. This song is explained to be about black excellence. The music video is art within itself because they decided to film the video at the Lourve in Paris.
Trends
The Kiki Challenge
Everyone and their mom were involved in the Kiki Challenge. All throughout social media, there were videos circulating of celebs and fans dancing along to Drake’s “In My Feelings” song. The challenge started with theshiggyshow dancing to the song, the Instagram video was viewed over 7 million times. The challenge made the song even more popular. Drake also invited Shiggy the dancer who created the challenge to dance on his tour for a show and he also danced in the music video.
Tiny 90s Sunglasses
In 2018, fashionista’s and celebs around the world were participating in the 90s inspired tiny glasses. Everyone from Kim Kardashian to Bella Hadid was wearing these glasses. This trend started back up again at the very famous indie music festival Coachella.
Grady, Constance. “The Meaning behind the Classical Paintings in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's ‘Apeshit.’” Vox.com, Vox Media, 19 June 2018, www.vox.com/culture/2018/6/19/17476212/apeshit-video-beyonce-jay-z-carters-portrait-negresse-benoist.
Halperin, Shirley. “'The Middle' Is a Hit for Maren Morris, After Demi, Camila, Bebe Don't Make the Cut.” Variety, Variety, 25 Apr. 2018, variety.com/2018/music/news/zedd-the-middle-singers-maren-morris-camila-cabello-demi-lovato-carly-rae-jepsen-1202778917/.
Maher, David. “What Is the Kiki Challenge and Why Are Police Clamping down on It?” CTVNews, 4 Aug. 2018, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/what-is-the-kiki-challenge-and-why-are-police-clamping-down-on-it-1.4039796.
Meyers, Laura Marie. “16 Trends That Will Be HUGE in 2018.” POPSUGAR Tech, 6 Feb. 2018, www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Biggest-Trends-2018-44437689#photo-44474708.
Parker, Brinton. “Love It or Hate It, There's No Denying That Tiny '90s Sunglasses Are Back.” POPSUGAR Tech, 17 Aug. 2018, www.popsugar.com/fashion/Small-Sunglasses-Trend-43443668.
Trust, Gary. “Cardi B 'Moves' to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 With 'Bodak Yellow,' Post Malone Debuts at No. 2 With 'Rockstar'.” Billboard, Billboard, 25 Sept. 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7973958/cardi-b-no-1-hot-100-post-malone-portugal-the-man.
Wallace, Carvell. “Why 'Black Panther' Is a Defining Moment for Black America.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/magazine/why-black-panther-is-a-defining-moment-for-black-america.html. Willman, Chris. “Song Review: Ariana Grande's 'No Tears Left to Cry'.” Variety, Variety, 20 Apr. 2018, variety.com/2018/music/news/ariana-grande-no-tears-left-to-cry-review-1202770171/.
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