You may be all too familiar with these stories. But only because you couldn't stop talking
about them this year.
(Hotling Bling audio)
Welcome to watchmojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top Ten Pop
Culture stories of 2015. For this list, we're counting down the pop culture stories that
kept the world abuzz in 2015 for months and months at a time.
(King Kunta audio)
Number ten: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner split.
So, other sources are actually saying it wasn't the drinking and gambling, but just that he's
been super busy and she's been feeling neglected. All good things must come to an end. This
is certainly true in Hollywood. 2015 saw the demise of many a celebrity couple, including
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Halle Berry and Oliver
Martinez, and Kaley Cuoco and Ryan Sweeting... just to name a few. But it's Ben and Jen that
make our list. Just over a decade ago, Bennifer was a normal phrase in the lexicon of pop
culture discussion. However, by 2005, Ben Affleck found love with another Jennifer - Jennifer
Garner, and they seemed to have it all, especially after their family grew to five.
-I birthed babies for him. -Yeah yeah yeah I get it.
-And I still have never seen just the pure joy.
Unfortunately, just one day after their tenth anniversary, the mister and missus announced
their impending divorce. They wanted to wait until the last day of
school, which apparently was Monday, which fit in perfectly with ten years and one day
from their - You broke our hearts, Jen and Ben, but there's
always hope for an emotional reunion. -Stay with me.
Number nine. The launch and fail of Tidal. Right now they writing a story for us. We
need to write a story for ourself. -If you ask Jay-Z about his latest business venture
called Tidal, acquired in March of 2015, he will probably mention that it represents the
future of streaming music, as well as something about the dope high fidelity audio.
("Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" Audio)
With all due respect to H.O.V.A., he and his big business corporate pals haven't exactly
connected with the younger demographic, whether it's due to the heightened monthly premium
fee, or just the concept of how most millennials, or regular people for that matter, actually
listen to music.
I think it's a cool idea but I wouldn't want to pay for it.
Much like Hilary Clinton, Tidal brands itself as something for the people, with the hashtag
#TIDALforALL. However, the business doesn't seem to understand how consumers live out
their daily normal lives.
("Roc Boys" Audio)
Number eight, Deflategate. Brady looking sluggish again today. Not sure what his problem has
been lately. Yeah, definitely not looking as strong and fair as he has in the past,
Tom. It's always been "cute" for the average sports
roob to rip on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Sometimes for legitimate reasons and sometimes
for rather stupid reasons. But all hell broke loose when the Indianapolis Colts accused
the future Superbowl champs of cheating during the AFC championship in January of 2015.
And the New England Patriots are back in the Superbowl again.
Sure. There are probably some bigger concerns within the NFL itself, most notably players
beating on their wives. But for several months, Tom Brady became the focus of unhealthy obsessions
for his unwillingness to succumb to pressure. Continuing accusations about his part in the
tampering of footballs. And guess what? He won.
I dealt with them the best way that I know how and certainly I had so much support from
family and friends.
Brady beat the damn NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell. So all that's left for him to do
is walk on water. Or maybe just win another couple Superbowls.
You're the greatest quarterback in the world, man.
-Hey, I love you man.
Number seven. Taylor Swift versus Apple.
("Bad Blood" audio)
In 2014, the biggest pop star in the world removed her catalog from Spotify. And much
to the surprise of Apple Music this past summer, Taylor Swift looked at the details of the
three month trial plan and essentially said "Aw, hell no. We artists need to get paid."
When she speaks, people listen. That point was made quite clear on Sunday when she took
on tech giant Apple. It's not hard to imagine a group of Apple
executives having heart palpitations. By the following day, the Apple plan had been revised.
Apple Music will pay artists for streaming, even during customers' free trial period.
Just like that, it was resolved. Tay tay. That's power!
It's a lesson to live by. Don't steal from others. And Apple reaped the benefits of their
new terms as Swift decided to make her new album available for streaming just as more
dates were announced for her massive 1989 world tour.
("Shake it Off" audio)
Number six. Charlie Sheen's HIV reveal. I'm here to admit that I am in fact HIV positive.
Coming from a Hollywood legacy and once TV's highest-paid actor, Charlie Sheen has been
in the public eye for much of his life.
Do you have any sense of right and wrong? -Probably not, how was dinner?
The spotlight turned towards him even more glaringly in late 2015 when he disclosed that
he'd been diagnosed with HIV four years earlier. And that he'd been blackmailed into paying
out millions of dollars to keep the story quiet.
Who after a sexual encounter went into your bathroom and with a cell phone took an image
of your anti-retroviral medication. -That's correct, yeah.
-And then threatened to sell that image to the tabloids.
-Yes. Though Sheen had been known for his bad boy
ways and an extravagant lifestyle filled with women and addictions, the reveal made headlines
around the world. With mixed reactions.
Well, sometimes you live a life that's out of balance, it has consequences.
-Well, of course it does.
While Sheen said he doesn't expect to become the face of the disease, he did say he hopes
to lessen the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the public eye.
-And hopefully with what we're doing today, others may come forward and say thanks, Charlie,
thanks for kicking the door open, you know?
Number five, the new Star Wars film. I will finish what you started.
A new Star Wars film directed by J. J. Abrams? Just the thought alone inspired millions of
mind boners. There has been an awakening. Have you felt
it? But, when a new trailer was released during
Monday night football in October 2015, millions of relationships had to be reanalyzed as grown
men and women watched their significant others transform into children in real time.
Woah! Thank you Santa!
There's always some type of epidemic or war to be concerned about, but you can't blame
those who take joy in the latest fantasy stories set in the world created by George Lucas.
Julia. We're home. In fact, the best part of Star Wars is watching
people freak out over new footage. All joking aside, the story of the late Daniel Fleetwood,
a lifelong Star Wars fan who got to see the movie before he died of cancer proved just
how powerful cinema can be. Today Disney made his final dream come true, his grateful wife
wrote on Facebook. A wonderful present that means so much to a man who will not be with
us much longer. May the force be with you, Daniel. Number four. Saying goodbye to Late
Night. You're married, is that right? You have a
family? -My wife is dead.
-I'm sorry to hear that. -High five.
You don't know what you got until it's gone. And in 2015, Late Night TV lost both David
Letterman and John Stewart. Sure, they're not dead, but each provided a certain sense
of security for viewers on a nightly basis, both within the United States and beyond.
You're a major star and yet here you are playing with lint balls.
-Well, I wish you would quit trying to run my life.
Letterman had been around since 1982 with Bill Murray as his first guest. All of a sudden
he was presenting us with the final top ten list in 2015 with Bill Murray as his final
guest.
Dave, I'll never have the money I owe you.
And while John Stewart still seems relatively young, and could possibly become a future
U.S. president, his departure was bittersweet in that he educated the average viewer on
timely topics while comedically pointing out the flaws in the system.
So I say to you tonight, friends. The best defense against bullshit is vigilance. So
if you smell something, say something. Both men left a lasting imprint on pop culture
dialogue and we'll miss all the daily snark.
I'm John Stewart, I'm dumb, I'm stupid, yeah, yeah, yeah. So long, jackass.
Number three, Donald Trump's presidential run.
They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good
people.
Despite what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth, which is usually a bit of verbal diarrhea,
it's clear that a large portion of Americans are taking him seriously in his bid to become
president.
You've called women you don't like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs," and "disgusting animals."
Your twitter account -
Only Rosie O'Donnell.
As Saturday Night Live so brilliantly explained, he's like the Sanjaya Malakar of politics.
You know, a politician who clearly shouldn't be in a position to win, yet mass hysteria
keeps him around.
Some people hate the Donald. And we can certainly understand why. But many just love the guy,
and you know who you are, giggling away watching YouTube clips only to slam Trump in public.
It is time to make a decision. Well, almost.
Look. I'm really rich. I know how to run a business, and I know this: our country's going
to be well off with me.
Number two. Bill Cosby: rape allegations. The only reason Mr. Cosby settled was because
it would have been embarrassing in those days to put all those women on the stand and his
family had no clue. That would have been very hurtful. A little over a year ago, the name
Bill Cosby conjured up images of pudding pops and horrible sweaters.
I'mma talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom! Yeah, it was great living, Bill Cosby.
Crazy German nazis.
But after a Hannibal Buress routine went viral, the internet decided to investigate the alleged
rape allegations against the famous comedian. And in perhaps the worst PR move of the digital
age, the Cosby team asked Twitter to meme Bill Cosby. They certainly did, given the
strange request. By now, dozens upon dozens of women have come forward dating back to
the sixties. When the details of a 2005 deposition emerged, it became clear that Mr. Cosby had
a long history of not only assaulting women, but paying them to keep silent. Allegedly.
And Cosby wouldn't be the only TV personality to face molestation charges this year, with
the revelations accompanying Josh Duggar of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting resulting in the
reality series cancellation and his checking into rehab. Duggar apologized on social media,
writing "I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret." Before
we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
Honey, I can't wait to see our greatest creation yet.
Opening up about the dirty details of daddy duty.
"I've always wanted to be a mother. I love what I do, but I'm excited for this next phase
of my life." How did you manage to keep it a secret?
-Where there is a will, there is a way. Amber Heard is opening up for the first time
about her marriage to Johnny Depp. Number one. The introduction of Caitlyn Jenner. Tall
and arrestingly handsome, he was the ideal male athlete for millions of Americans. At
the beginning of 2015, the world knew this individual as a former Olympic hero and certainly
a star of E's Keeping Up With the Kardashians. But after months of public speculation, Bruce
Jenner decided to open up about his past troubles and his hopes for the future.
I look at it this way. Bruce always telling a lie. She lived a lie, a whole life about
who he is. I can't do that any longer.
In April, he sat down for an interview with Diane Sawyer. And just a few months later,
she appeared on the July cover of Vanity Fair, thus setting the internet afire and changing
the world as we know it. Even though most transgender people don't necessarily have
the same platform to speak out.
How do you feel?
Fabulous.
Regardless, everybody was talking about the introduction of Caitlyn Jenner. And it was
the number one pop culture story of the year.
So thank you, Glamor Magazine, for honoring me tonight. I never in a million years ever
thought I would be here and I'm sure you didn't either, but here I am, baby.
("Stand by Me" audio)
"You're going to have a parliament?" I will tell you that when I have a country.
"I never really doubted you. It was just my silly common sense."
But we also know that we live in the freest, strongest, most generous and prosperous nation
in the history of the world and we're thankful for that.
I'm Harris. I heard you were desperate for a manpiece.
When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer. By how you live,
why you live. And in the manner in which you live.