2023 Pop Culture: A Year of Records and Revelations

Aretha Franklin topped Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list, published on Jan. 1, 2023. Followed by Whitney Houston (no. 2) and Sam Cooke (no. 3), the list rounds up its top five singers with Billie Holiday (no. 4) and Mariah Carey (no. 5). While Lana Del Rey (no. 175) and many other international stars made it to the chart, Canadian superstar Celine Dion is not on the magazine’s updated list.

For her first full concert since 2018, Beyoncé performed for invited journalists and influencers at the new Atlantis – The Royal Resort in Dubai on Jan. 21, 2023. The set included 19 songs and a duet with her oldest daughter, 11-year-old Blue Ivy, “Brown Skin Girl.” There were similar live debuts for songs from “The Lion King” soundtrack album, but no songs from her Grammy-nominated “Renaissance” album from 2022.

Beyoncé won a record-breaking 32nd Grammy Award, overtaking Hungarian-British conductor George Solti, whose record of 31 Grammys had stood for more than 20 years.

Bad Bunny performed as the opening act at the 2023 Grammy Awards, replicating a Puerto Rican fiesta in the aisles of Los Angeles’ Crypto.com arena.

Harry Styles won all four Brit Awards he was nominated for at the Feb. 11, 2023, ceremony, including best artist, album, song, and pop/R&B act. Shania Twain presented Styles with his song of the year award for his hit As It Was, and Styles’ collaborator Kid Harpoon won best songwriter. Styles, who also won three Grammy awards this year, thanked his former One Direction bandmates and his mother in his speech.

Taylor Swift achieved this feat with her latest release, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” which debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 22, 2023, with 716,000 equivalent album units. Her other three albums in the top 10 were “Midnights” (No. 5), “Lover” (No. 7), and “Folklore” (No. 10). The last living artist to have four albums in the top 10 simultaneously was Herb Alpert in 1966. Prince did it posthumously in 2016.

Fun Fact: She also surpassed Barbra Streisand as the female artist with the most #1 albums in history, with 12.

At the star-studded VMAs held on Sept. 12, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Taylor Swift not only danced away with a whopping nine awards. She also set a record by becoming the first artist to win the Video of the Year award two years in a row. This time, it was “Anti-Hero.” And if you’re counting, this was her fourth win in this category. With her wins this year, Swift’s career VMAs tally reached 23, making her the second-most awarded artist in the show’s history, right behind Beyoncé, who has won 30 VMAs.

When Swifties worldwide were challenged to solve 1989-themed puzzles on Google to unlock the vault tracks of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on Sep. 19, 2023, search interest in Taylor’s name tripled in just an hour. But, alas, Google’s vault puzzle jammed, and the tech giant found itself in a self-described “fix-it era.” Who would’ve thought that Google, the kingpin of search engines, would get starstruck by Taylor Swift?

Swiftly making her mark in Grammy history, Taylor Swift became the first songwriter to score seven nominations in the Song of the Year category at the 2024 Grammys, announced on Nov. 10, 2023, where she was nominated for her songwriting on “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film).” With this achievement, Swift overtook the historic nominations of Sir Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie, each with six nominations in the category.

Fun fact: Beyoncé led the 2024 Grammy nominations with nine nods, making her the most nominated artist for the year. With these nominations, Beyoncé tied with her husband, Jay-Z, for the most Grammy nominations in history, each with 88 nominations. Other top nominees included Kendrick Lamar with eight nominations; Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven; and Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Future, The Dream, and Randy Merrill with six.

The “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” concert film, set to dazzle audiences in over 100 countries starting Oct. 13, has a 2-hour and 45-minute runtime. Interestingly, this is shorter than the actual concert duration, even though no songs from the setlist were left on the cutting room floor. Captured during Taylor’s electrifying six-night run at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in August, the film promises a Swiftie experience like no other. And speaking of numbers, AMC Theatres, handling the film’s global rollout, reported a whopping $26 million in ticket sales on the first day of the presale.

Fun Fact: Swift emphasized that concert etiquette, not traditional film etiquette, will be the norm during screenings. This means fans are encouraged to wear “Eras attire,” sing, and dance.

“Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” announced right after the tour’s final bow in Kansas City, Mo, on Oct. 1, 2023, is a comprehensive documentary that chronicles the entire journey of the 2023 Renaissance World Tour. From its grand opening in Stockholm in May to its finale in October, the film promises to deliver not just the high-energy performances from various shows but also a sneak peek into Beyoncé and her team’s behind-the-scenes world, including preparations and intimate moments with her family. The film’s release date is Dec. 1, 2023.

In a historic turn at the 2023 CMAs, Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit “Fast Car,” given a new lease on life with Luke Combs’ cover, sped past the competition to win Song of the Year. This made Chapman the first Black songwriter ever to snag the award. This win came 35 years after the song’s debut. The CMAs aired on ABC on Nov. 8, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Chapman was not present at the ceremony but sent a prepared statement that presenter Sara Evans read.

30,000 Swarovski crystals and red body paint adorned Doja Cat’s head-to-toe look at Schiaparelli’s Couture Spring-Summer 2023 runway show in Paris on Jan. 23, 2023. The show was inspired by Dante’s “Inferno” and the nine circles of hell. It took almost five hours to complete this look.

Kanye West claimed he liked Jewish people again after watching Jonah Hill’s acting in the 2012 film “21 Jump Street,” in an Instagram post accompanied by a photo of the movie poster. He added, “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people… Thank you, Jonah Hill, I love you.” West had previously made multiple anti-Semitic remarks, leading to him being temporarily removed from social media and losing multiple business deals. He returned to Instagram on March 25, 2023.

The Las Vegas Sphere is not just a venue. Standing tall at 366 feet and stretching wide at 516 feet, it’s arguably the world’s largest spherical structure, built for an estimated $2.3 billion. But it’s not just about size. Inside, it boasts a whopping 160,000 square-foot wraparound LED display of 260 million video pixels that’s so lifelike, you might forget you’re in Vegas. And if that’s not enough, the Sphere’s sound system has roughly 1,600 loudspeakers delivering crystal-clear audio. On Sept. 30, 2023, U2 marked the Sphere’s debut with a spectacular performance.

Britney Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” which delves into her journey from pop stardom to conservatorship, was written by the pop icon with the help of three accomplished writers: Ada Calhoun, who initiated the first draft; Sam Lansky, a former Time magazine editor, who came in after Spears felt the writing was not in her voice; and Luke Dempsey, who has worked with Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley in the past. Lauren Spiegel, an editor at Gallery Publishing, was also a constant collaborator.

Known for his fashion statements, Harry Styles turned heads with a new hairdo – or lack thereof. On Nov. 8, 2023, at a U2 concert in the Las Vegas Sphere, Styles debuted his buzzcut, starkly contrasting to his famous hairstyle. Accompanied by actress Taylor Russell (Netflix’s Lost in Space), with whom he’s been romantically linked since July, this hair-raising (or hair-falling) event marks another chapter in Styles’ ever-evolving style saga.

In 1998, George Michael was arrested by an undercover police officer for engaging in a lewd act in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, California. The arrest led to him being outed as gay by the tabloids, who had been trying to expose his sexuality for years. As a result of the scandal, Michael released Outside, which featured him dressed as an LAPD cop dancing in a bathroom. The incident and its aftermath are explored in the documentary Outed. It aired on Channel 4 in the UK on March 6 and 7, 2023, followed by an American broadcast on March 13 and 14 on HBO. Watch the trailer.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on April 17, 2023, that September 23, the day Bruce Springsteen was born in 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey, will be officially recognized as Bruce Springsteen Day throughout the state. Murphy announced this at the inaugural American Music Honors event, held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa attended the event by video after testing positive for Covid-19 following a sold-out concert in Newark a day earlier. They are on tour with the E Street Band and will resume their European leg in two weeks, followed by a North American stadium leg in August. Springsteen will turn 74 on the first New Jersey Bruce Springsteen Day.

Elton John started his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in 2018 and announced that it would be his final tour after more than 50 years of performing live. The tour had 330 shows across five continents and grossed over $887 million as of May 2023, making it the highest-grossing tour ever. The tour’s highlight was his performance at the Glastonbury Festival on June 25, 2023, with 120,000 people in the audience and a record 7.3 million people watching live on BBC One. Elton John ended his tour in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 8, 2023.

Billy Joel started his monthly residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in January 2014. On June 1, 2023, he announced he would play his final show in July 2024. Joel sold 1.6 million tickets during his residency. With 150 shows, Joel holds the record for the most lifetime performances by any artist at the venue.

On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc held a party in the recreation room of an apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York City. He introduced his technique of extending record drum breaks by switching between two turntables, creating a continuous rhythm loop. This event is considered the birth of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023 with performances by Lil Uzi Vert, Latto, Big Daddy Kane, and others at the June 25 BET Awards.

This Barbie is modeled after Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. Unveiled on Oct. 1, 2023, during a performance at Madison Square Garden, this miniature rock icon, which was available for $55 and rapidly sold out, is a nod to Nicks’s look from the 1977 “Rumours” album cover. Mattel went to great lengths to ensure this Barbie’s authenticity, utilizing Nicks’s original attire and boots as a reference during the design process. Stevie Nicks has warmly embraced the doll. However, in an interview promoting her new Barbie, Nicks told Vulture that Fleetwood Mac would not perform again after Christine McVie’s death. “When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to“, she explained.

In “Avatar: The Way of Water,” Jake and Neytiri are the proud parents of five children. One of these children is played by Sigourney Weaver, and the film focuses on the family dynamic as they navigate their new roles as parents.

The Academy awarded 11 2023 Oscar nominations, including best picture, to Chen-Wen Lo’s science-fiction movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The film tells the story of a Chinese immigrant struggling to finish her taxes and her multiverse adventures. It also earned four acting nominations.

“Air” is Ben Affleck’s 2023 directorial effort about Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan and the birth of the Air Jordan brand. Ben Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the movie, which hits the theaters on April 5, 2023, before heading to Prime Video. The movie is a collaboration between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, and Mandalay Pictures.

The fifth “Indiana Jones” came out on June 30, 2023. As the 1981 first Indiana Jones film occurred in 1936, Harrison Ford was digitally de-aged to transport back to 1944 for 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” opening scene. James Mangold directed this movie set mainly in 1969 as Indiana Jones fights a Nazi resurgence during the space race. Watch the trailer.

How did they de-age Ford?

With the latest visual effects technology, including artificial intelligence, Ford was made to look the same age as when he played Indiana Jones for the first time in the 1980s. A unique AI program accessed all the footage Lucasfilm had of Ford, including footage that was never printed.

In “The Flash,” released in June 2023, Sasha Calle plays Supergirl (“My name is Kara”). It’s the first official look at Calle’s Supergirl/Kara Zor-El, marking her debut in DC superhero films. The film stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash alongside Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman. The film is part of DC’s foray into the idea of a multiverse, a plot device that its rival Marvel has used in several of its latest movies.

On Feb. 19, 2023, Netflix’s German-language film All Quiet on the Western Front won seven awards at the 2023 BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars, including for best film and best director. Based on a 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, the antiwar film is set during World War I.

Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She dedicated her award to her father, who passed away last year. Yuh-Jung Youn won Best Supporting Actress in 2021 for her performance in “Minari.”

“Pinocchio,” a stop-motion animated film directed by Guillermo del Toro, won Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. The film is a dark and twisted version of the classic tale by Carlo Collodi, set in fascist Italy during the 1930s.

The Oscars laid a champagne-colored carpet instead of the usual red one, presumably to add some sparkle to the ceremony. However, the choice also led to some last-minute scrambling after a rainy weekend. This left organizers cutting up sections of the carpet ruined by bad weather and dirty shoe soles.

In John Wick 4, Keanu Reeves speaks just 380 words in 2 hours and 49 minutes, as reported by Wall Street Journal. John Wick fans can rejoice as Lionsgate motion picture group chair Joe Drake told The Hollywood Reporter on March 26, 2023, that a fifth John Wick movie is back on the table. This follows the recent movie’s series-record opening at the global box office. Keanu Reeves will return to the character in the future, but not necessarily in the lead role. He will appear in Ballerina, the series’ first spinoff starring Ana de Armas. (This explanation is 100 words long.)

After working together on several Marvel films, Chris Hemsworth, the Russos, and Sam Hargrave decided to branch out and make their own action franchise for Netflix. Hemsworth (Thor) stars in the Extraction franchise as Tyler Rake, a mercenary who can take down an army of bad guys with his bare hands, one of them flaming. Anthony and Joe Russo are the producers and writers who came up with this original story based on a graphic novel they also co-wrote. And Sam Hargrave is the director who was a stuntman and stunt coordinator for Marvel films before turning director with Extraction in 2020. The entire pack is back for the sequel, Extraction 2, streaming on Netflix starting June 16, 2023. Watch the action-packed trailer.

Mario and Luigi are the main characters of Nintendo’s Mario video game series, which debuted in 1981 with Donkey Kong. They are also the protagonists of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a 2023 computer-animated film produced by Illumination, Universal Pictures, and Nintendo.

What’s the Mario movie about?

The film features an origin story for the brothers, who are transported to an alternate world. It was released in the US on Apr. 5, 2023, and is scheduled for Japan on Apr. 28. Watch the trailer.

How did it do?

On its opening weekend, the Super Mario Bros Movie took $377m (£304m) worldwide. US cinemas recorded $204.6m in box office sales. This means the Mario movie has broken the record for opening weekends for both video game adaptations (beating Warcraft’s $210m) and animated films (beating Frozen 2’s $358m). It also makes it the second biggest three-day US animated opening (behind Finding Dory).

Fun Fact: The film’s post-credits scene hints at a sequel featuring a cracking Yoshi-Egg.

Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, set for release on May 26, 2023. She is best known as half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe Bailey. She also stars as Sky Forster on Grown-ish, an ABC spin-off of Black-ish. She is the first Black actress to play Ariel in a Disney adaptation of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Get the essential Little Mermaid trivia facts here.

In an interview with ET Canada on May 9, 2023, Robert De Niro revealed that he had just welcomed his seventh child at 79. The baby’s mother is reportedly martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen, 35 years younger than De Niro. De Niro has six other children from previous relationships: Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46, with first wife Diahnne Abbott; Aaron and Julian, 27, with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith; and Elliot, 25, and Helen, 11, with ex-wife Grace Hightower. De Niro is promoting his 20th movie in ten years, “About My Father,” which opens on May 26.

The Spider-Verse concept involves multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that have appeared in various media, all under attack by a family of interdimensional vampire-like beings called the Inheritors. The most recent Spidy movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, was released on June 2, 2023, and featured Miles Morales as he teamed up with Gwen Stacy and other spider heroes to face a new threat. Watch the trailer.

The 2023 movie “The Flash” features three cameos from different Superman versions (and many other superheroes) across the DC multiverse. Nicolas Cage portrays the most surprising Superman. He finally got to wear the cape and tights after being cast in Tim Burton’s scrapped “Superman Lives” project 25 years ago. The second Superman is played by George Reeves, who starred in the 1950s TV show “Adventures of Superman.” His black-and-white footage was digitally inserted into the movie as an homage to the classic hero. Christopher Reeve’s Superman is also featured in The Flash, but very briefly. Henry Cavill’s Superman was famously cut from the film, and his face is not seen in the movie. All in all, the movie features three Supermen and four Batmen.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. In this film, Ethan (Tom Cruise – as usual, performing his stunts) and his team must track down a dangerous experimental AI called Entity, which can hack into any system. Paramount Pictures released the film in the US on Jul. 12, 2023. It is one of the most expensive films ever made, with an estimated $291 million budget.

AFTRA is a labor union representing US performers, broadcasters, and other media professionals. It merged with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in 2012 to form SAG-AFTRA, the largest actor union in Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA declared a strike against major studios and streamers over issues such as residuals, streaming royalties, artificial intelligence, and diversity on July 14, 2023. The SAG-AFTRA and writers’ guild strikes halted most film and TV production in the US for 191 days.

Fun Fact: SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, best known for her role in the ’90s sitcom The Nanny, has led the strike with fiery speeches against corporate greed and exploitation. She has also called Bob Iger, former Disney CEO, a “medieval land baron” for his comments on union demands.

Lebanon’s Culture Minister, Mohammad Mortada, announced in August 2023 that the Barbie movie would be banned. The reason? The film was perceived to “promote homosexuality and champion gender fluidity,” which was seen as contradicting religious values. The radical Shia Muslim armed group, Hezbollah, backed this move. But Lebanon wasn’t alone in its cinematic critique. Kuwait also announced its ban on the film in the same month, citing that the movie promotes “ideas and beliefs alien to Kuwaiti society.” Meanwhile, on the global stage, Barbie laughs all the way to the bank. In three weeks since its debut on July 21, 2023, the film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has raked in over $1 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide.

“Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan and starring the enigmatic Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer (you know, the atomic bomb guy), exploded onto the scene on July 19, 2023, and by September, amassed a whopping $912 million worldwide. This atomic achievement made it the highest-grossing biopic, leaving “Bohemian Rhapsody” in second place.

Fun Facts: “Oppenheimer” is also Universal Studio’s highest-grossing R-rated film, currently the third-highest-grossing film of 2023, behind “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” It’s also Christopher Nolan’s third highest-grossing film, after “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

On Oct. 16, 1923, Walt Disney, alongside his brother Roy Disney, put pen to paper, signing contracts with Margaret Winkler, a New York cartoon distributor. These contracts were the very foundation of what would become The Walt Disney Company. These contracts led to the creating of the “Alice Comedies,” a series about a real-life girl named Alice adventuring in a cartoon wonderland. Disney introduced Mickey Mouse with “Steamboat Willie” five years later, in 1928.

Besides Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, Paul Rudd stars in the 2023 installment of the Ghostbusters franchise, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” a chilly sequel to the warm reception of 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” In this frosty follow-up, Rudd and the gang return to the iconic New York City firehouse, where the original Ghostbusters have been cooking up some top-secret ghost-busting tech. Set to hit theaters on March 29, this movie promises to bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘cold open.’

Anxiety is the new character in Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” voiced by Maya Hawke. She joins Riley’s brain’s emotional lineup in the sequel to the 2015 hit film. The “Inside Out 2” trailer set the record for the biggest animated trailer launch in Disney history, with 157 million views, including 78 million on TikTok, within 24 hours. The film hits theaters on June 14, 2024.

HBO premiered its big-budget version of gaming sensation “The Last of Us” on Jan. 15, 2023. The series’ creators, Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (a creator of the video game) incorporated a scene before the opening credits in which a scientist explains that a mind-controlling fungus could thrive on a warming planet.

Is there a zombifying fungus?

When the zombie-ant fungus, AKA Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, infects a carpenter ant, it grows through the insect, hijacking its mind, and forcing it to lock its mandibles around a leaf forever. It takes about a week for the ant to leave the safety of its nest and climb a nearby plant stem. When the ant climbs a leaf that overhangs its colony, fungal spores fall onto its sisters below and infect them.

Nick Offerman, best known for playing Ron Swanson in Parks & Recreation, plays Bill on HBO’s The Last of Us. Bill’s character in the video game that inspired the show cannot soften or change his harsh exterior. In contrast, critics praised Offerman’s Bill’s profound emotional journey in the TV series, showing both Bill’s tough edges and his deeply sensitive, long-suffering heart.

Giancarlo Esposito, who was the unforgettable Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, plays the main antagonist of The Mandalorian, Moff Gideon. The third season starts on Disney+ on Mar. 1, 2023. Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung and Black Panther’s Rachel Morrison will helm some new episodes. Watch the trailer.

In Apple TV’s “Shrinking,” Jason Segel and Harrison Ford are therapists working together in a mental health practice. Ford plays Segel’s cranky colleague and mentor. Watch the trailer. The show started streaming on Jan. 27, 2023, earning Segel his first Emmy nomination.

Fun Fact: In the pilot script, showrunner Bill Lawrence introduced a character as a “Harrison Ford-type.” Having read the script, Ford agreed to portray the tough therapist.

“History of the World, Part I” was a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks, who also played five roles in the film. The film consisted of five shorts that spoofed different periods of history, such as the Roman Empire and the French Revolution. The film also teased a sequel with segments like “Hitler on Ice” and “Jews in Space,” which were never made until 2023, when Brooks collaborated with current star comedians to finally create “History of the World, Part II” for Hulu. The series debuted in the US on March 6, 2023, and has a March 13 airdate in the UK. Watch the star-studded trailer.

This image shows Lizzo and Jack Black as the Duchess and Captain Bombardier of Plazir-15, a fictional planet in the Star Wars universe. They appeared as guest stars in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6/Chapter 22, released on April 5, 2023, on Disney+. The episode also featured another celebrity cameo by Christopher Lloyd as Commissioner Helgait, Plazir-15’s head of security. Lizzo and Jack Black celebrated their Star Wars debut on social media by posting photos of themselves with Grogu merchandise and each other.

Logan Roy, played by renowned Shakespearean stage actor and Emmy winner Brian Cox, is the founder and CEO of the fictional Waystar-Royco, the global media and entertainment conglomerate on HBO’s Succession. He is also the father of four children – Kendall, Shiv, Roman, and Connor – who constantly vie for his approval. Cox and the actors portraying Kendall, Shiv, and Roman were all nominated for the 2023 Emmys.

SPOILER: The character died unexpectedly in the third episode of Succession’s final season, which aired on April 9, 2023.

Tucker Carlson found out about his firing 10 minutes before it was announced on Monday, April 24, 2023. He was reportedly fired by Rupert Murdoch, Fox News’ owner, following input from senior Fox officials. According to several sources, Carlson’s exit was related to a lawsuit by a former producer who accused him of sexism. It was also related to the Fox defamation lawsuit settled for a record $787.5 million. Get all the Tucker Carlson exit facts you need here.

Black Mirror season five was released in June 2019. The next season, season six, premieres in June 2023. That means fans had to wait four years for upcoming dystopian sci-fi anthology series episodes. The new season will feature a star-studded cast, including Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Michael Cera, Salma Hayek Pinault, and many others. Watch Black Mirror’s season 6 trailer on YouTube. Get a dose of Black Mirror season 6 trivia facts here.

Egyptian officials have complained that Netflix’s docudrama series “African Queens: Queen Cleopatra,” which depicts Cleopatra as a Black woman played by British actress Adele James, erases Egyptian identity and falsifies history. They argue that Cleopatra was of Greek origin and had light skin and Hellenistic features, as confirmed by statues and coins. A lawyer named Mahmoud El-Semiry has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and demanded its ban in Egypt. State-owned broadcaster Al Wathaeqya has announced plans to produce its own documentary about Cleopatra’s true story.

Fun fact: Gal Gadot’s Cleopatra is still in pre-production limbo. The film’s announcement has faced backlash from Egyptians who accused it of whitewashing, as Gadot is of Israeli and European descent. Gadot defended her casting by saying Cleopatra was Macedonian. The film is not to be confused with another Cleopatra project by Sony Pictures with director Denis Villeneuve, which has been in development for over a decade.

Kate Winslet won the Bafta TV Award for Leading Actress for her performance in Channel 4’s I Am Ruth on May 14, 2023. She previously won three Bafta Film Awards for Sense and Sensibility, The Reader, and Steve Jobs. The Reader also won her an Oscar. Winslet starred in Mare of Easttown, another TV drama that did not win her a Bafta TV Award but did get her an Emmy.

The Queen’s Paddington Bear skit won the Most Memorable Moment Award at the Bafta TV Awards on May 14, 2023. The skit was created as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and featured the Queen and Paddington Bear having a dance-off. It marked the first time a royal won the public vote at the Bafta TV Awards.

In a twist of events that could only be expected in the world of Succession, Tom “The Underdog” Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) ascends to the throne of Waystar Royco as CEO in the series finale, titled “With Open Eyes,” which aired on May 28, 2023. Shiv Roy, initially considered the favorite for the CEO position, was sidelined when tech mogul Lukas Matsson had a change of heart and saw Tom as a more pliable choice. Meanwhile, Kendall Roy was left staring blankly at the water.

Samantha Jones was played by Kim Cattrall, who won a Golden Globe for her performance in 2002. She was one of the four main characters of the show, along with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis). The show ran for six seasons and spawned two feature films. However, Cattrall declined to participate in a third film or the reboot series And Just Like That…, citing personal issues with Parker. The good news: In June 2023, Cattrall filmed a cameo scene as Samantha for the second season of the reboot series. The scene involved a video conversation with Carrie and was filmed without meeting any of the cast.

The Walking Dead: Dead City is a post-apocalyptic horror drama series created by Eli Jorné for AMC, based on The Walking Dead characters Maggie and Negan. It is the fourth spin-off and overall fifth series in The Walking Dead franchise and the first sequel to The Walking Dead TV series. The series follows Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan cut off from the mainland to find Maggie’s kidnapped son, Hershel. The six-episode series premiered on June 18, 2023.

Fun Fact: Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are expected to appear in another series set in The Walking Dead universe, premiering in 2024. Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) will also have their own spin-off series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

In episode 8 of Squid Game (SPOILERS AHEAD!), it is revealed that the masked leader, known as Front Man, is actually Hwang In-ho, the brother of Detective Hwang Jun-ho, who infiltrated the games to find him. In June 2023, Netflix announced that Lee Byung-hun, who portrayed Front Man, will return for season 2 of Squid Game along with other cast members. They just didn’t say when. Netflix did announce that the reality spinoff Squid Game: The Challenge will premiere in November 2023.

According to director and executive producer Ali Selim, Marvel’s Secret Invasion intro sequence was designed by Method Studios using artificial intelligence. The opening credits show a watercolor rendering of Secret Invasion’s key players and themes. The series follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he uncovers a covert invasion by the shapeshifting Skrull population on Earth. The AI-generated credits sparked backlash online and criticism that the controversial technology might cost artists their jobs. The series debuted on Disney+ on June 21, 2023.

American Idol host and producer of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Ryan Seacrest, will take over the iconic game show Wheel of Fortune. He will replace Pat Sajak, who has hosted it since 1981. Sony Pictures Television, which owns Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, announced on June 27, 2023, that Seacrest had signed a multiyear deal to anchor the show starting with Season 42 in September 2024. Seacrest said he looked forward to working alongside Vanna White, who will remain co-host. Seacrest will also continue to host his radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest and produce various TV shows through his company Ryan Seacrest Productions. After six years of co-hosting, he left his Live morning show with Kelly Ripa in May 2023.

John Oliver’s show, Last Week Tonight, has been moved to another category in 2023 — outstanding scripted variety series. The Television Academy changed its rules to define variety series as “unscripted or improv-based.” Since Oliver’s show is mainly scripted and pre-recorded, it no longer qualifies for the previous category. The new category also includes Saturday Night Live. Oliver’s former Daily Show colleagues, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, The Problem with Jon Stewart, and the actual The Daily Show with Trevor Noah were competing against late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers in a different category, where Trevor Noah’s final season grabbed the trophy. The ceremony on Fox, initially scheduled for Sept. 18, was postponed to Jan. 15 due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike. The 2023 Emmy Awards nominations were announced on Jul. 12, 2023. Oliver won his new category.

In the seventh season of “Rick and Morty,” the iconic voices of the titular characters, originally voiced by the show’s co-creator Justin Roiland, changed as Roiland parted ways with the show. Adult Swim has found sound-alike voices to continue our favorite dysfunctional duo’s adventures. So, when you tune in on Oct. 15 for the new season’s premiere, listen closely. The characters might sound slightly different.

Dr. Frasier Crane, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer, became a household name through the sitcom “Cheers,” which aired its first episode in 1982. Set in a Boston bar, “Cheers” was where Frasier, a psychiatrist, often shared his woes and wisdom with a lively bunch of regulars. The character later received a spinoff show, “Frasier.” Two decades after “Frasier” concluded, Dr. Frasier Crane returned to the screen, navigating through new adventures in a reboot of the iconic show, airing on Paramount+ starting Oct. 12, 2023.

Fun fact: Bebe Neuwirth and Peri Gilpin return to “Frasier” as Lilith and Roz. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves, who played Niles and Daphne, respectively, declined to return for the reboot.

The correct answer is “Nada Más Que Decir,” (AKA Nada) meaning “Nothing More to Say.” This Argentine TV series marked Robert De Niro’s small-screen debut. In this series, De Niro plays an American writer who visits his friend Manuel, a food critic, in Buenos Aires. The series premiered on Oct. 11, 2023, on Star+ in Latin America, Hulu in the US, and Disney+ in Europe.

Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani, two of the main characters from the legendary sitcom “Friends,” owned a rooster named “The Chick” (later realizing it wasn’t a chick) and a duck named “The Duck.” Matthew Perry, who brilliantly portrayed Chandler, died at 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles. Perry’s death was an accident caused by the “acute effects of ketamine.”

Fun Fact: Perry released a memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” in 2022, which became a bestseller.

Nine years after resigning for the first time in 600 years, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on Dec. 31, 2022. Benedict resigned on Feb. 11, 2013, saying he was “lacking the strength of mind and body” because of his advanced age. His resignation was the first by a pope since Gregory XII in 1415 and the first on the pope’s initiative since Celestine V in 1294.

Anita Pointer, one of four siblings who won Grammys and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, died at 74 on Dec. 31, 2022. Her publicist didn’t give a cause of death. Between 1973 and 1985, the group had 13 hit songs on the US top 20, won three Grammys, and recorded hit songs like “I’m So Excited.” The Pointer Sisters performed in different lineups, including younger family members, through 1993.

Barbara Walters was known for asking intimate questions during her interviews, including asking President Jimmy Carter if he and his wife slept separately. The first female co-host of “Today” and first female anchor of a network evening news program, Walters died at her Manhattan home on Dec. 30, 2022. She was 93.

Lisa Marie Presley, the singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley, died on Jan. 12, 2023, in Los Angeles. She was 54. In 1977, at age nine, she lost her father, one of the most celebrated performers in music history. In 2020, her only son, Benjamin Keough, committed suicide.

Lisa Marie Presley Facts

She married the singer and songwriter Danny Keough in 1988. From 1994 to 1996, Presley was married to Michael Jackson. In 2002, Presley married Nicolas Cage, and in 2006, she married Michael Lockwood, a guitarist who produced her 2005 album. The two divorced in 2021. She leaves her daughter with Keough, actress Riley Keough, and her twin daughters with Lockwood, Harper, and Finley.

NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street premiered in 1993, with Richard Belzer playing John Munch. In 1999, after Homicide was canceled, Belzer was offered a regular role on the Law & Order spinoff Special Victims Unit. Munch has appeared in ten series on five networks. He retired after his 22nd season, making him the second longest-running regular character on American TV behind Mariska Hargitay’s character Olivia Benson. Belzer died at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France, on Feb. 19, 2023, after reportedly suffering from circulatory and respiratory issues for years.

Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, UK, in 1948 to a Welsh father and a German mother who had fled Nazi Germany. She moved to Australia with her family when she was five and later became a dual citizen of both countries. She did not come from Greece, despite playing Sandy in Grease.

Is Olivia Newton-John dead?

A state memorial for Olivia Newton-John took place on Feb. 26, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia, with family and friends paying tribute to the late singer and actor, who died in Aug. 2022 at 73 after a long battle with breast cancer. Newton-John was known for her music, film, and philanthropic work, especially in cancer research and wellness.

Fun fact: Queen Elizabeth II made her a dame in 2019.

“Sweet Home, Alabama” was written by Gary Rossington, Ed King, and Ronnie Van Zant, who was the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd and died in a plane crash in 1977. The song was a response to Neil Young’s songs Southern Man and Alabama, which criticized the South for its history of slavery and segregation. The song also references the Watergate scandal and Alabama governor George Wallace. It became one of the band’s most famous hits and a symbol of southern pride. Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member and guitarist of the band, died at 71 on Mar. 5, 2023.

Barry Humphries was born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 17, 1934. He created the character of Dame Edna Everage, a condescending and snobbish housewife in the mid-50s. Humphries died on April 22, 2023, at 89, in a Sydney hospital due to complications following hip surgery.

Fun Fact: He won a Tony Award in 2000 for his Broadway show “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour.” More Barry Humphries trivia facts here.

Jerry Springer, who died on Apr. 27, 2023, at 79, hosted America’s Got Talent for two seasons, from 2007 to 2008. He replaced Regis Philbin, who hosted the first season and was succeeded by Nick Cannon, who hosted from 2009 to 2016. Springer was best known for his scandalous daytime talk show, which ran for 27 years.

Fun Fact: In 2022, Springer participated in the eighth season of The Masked Singer, another popular competition show, where he was unmasked as “Beetle.” You can find more incredible Jerry Springer trivia facts here.

Pelé, who won three World Cups with Brazil and scored over 1,000 goals in his career, died on Dec. 29, 2022, at 82. His body was placed in a golden casket and laid to rest in a mausoleum in Santos, where he played most of his club soccer.

Fun Facts: The mausoleum has two golden statues of Pelé, artificial grass, images of fans in a stadium, and an endless soundtrack of cheers. It opened to visitors on May 15, 2023. Fans visiting the mausoleum must book a time on the Memorial Cemetery website.

Ted Kaczynski was an American domestic terrorist who killed three people and injured 23 others with mail bombs from 1978 to 1995. He was motivated by a radical anti-technology ideology and wanted to stop industrial society from destroying nature and human freedom. He mainly targeted professors, scientists, and executives in engineering, computer science, psychology, and genetics. Before his identity was revealed, the FBI gave him the case name UNABOM, for University and Airline Bomber. The media adopted this name and called him the Unabomber. He was finally captured in 1996 after his brother David recognized his writing style in a manifesto published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He pleaded guilty in 1998 and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. He died by suicide in prison on June 10, 2023, at 81.

Silvio Berlusconi was Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister, serving three non-consecutive terms: 1994-1995, 2001-2006, and 2008-2011. He was known for his lavish lifestyle, controversial policies, and numerous legal troubles. In 2013, he was found guilty of tax fraud in a case involving his media empire. He was sentenced to four years in prison, later reduced to community service. He was also barred from holding public office for six years. He died on June 12, 2023, at 86, two months after being diagnosed with leukemia.

Treat Williams starred as George Berger, a charismatic hippie, in the film, directed by Milos Forman and based on the Broadway musical Hair. Some of his other notable appearances include Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Deep Rising, and TV’s Everwood. Williams died on June 13, 2023, at 71, after a motorcycle accident in Vermont, where he lived. He posted a photo of his lawn mower on Twitter hours before he died.

Cormac McCarthy was a celebrated US novelist who wrote acclaimed books such as The Road, No Country for Old Men, and Blood Meridian. He died of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on June 13, 2023, at 89. Stephen King tweeted his tribute to McCarthy, calling him “maybe the greatest American novelist of my time.” McCarthy was known for his bleak and violent visions of the American South and West and his sparse prose that influenced many other writers.

Alan Arkin’s performance as George Aaronow in Glengarry Glen Ross was memorable but did not award him an Oscar. He died on June 29, 2023, at 89. Arkin won an Oscar in 2006 for his performance in Little Miss Sunshine, for which he also won the BAFTA award, and was nominated for three other Oscars and six Emmys in his career. He was also a Tony Award-winning actor and won a Golden Globe award in 1967 for his first major film role in “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.”

The Birkin Bag is one of the world’s most coveted and expensive handbags, created by French luxury house Hermès. It was named after British actress and singer Jane Birkin, who died on July 17, 2023, at 76. Birkin sketched the bag design in 1984 on an airplane sickness bag while sitting beside Jean-Louis Dumas, former Hermès chairman. She complained that she couldn’t find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother. The bag included a dedicated space for baby bottles in the spacious rectangular pouch with a burnished flap and saddle stitching.

Fun Fact: The Birkin Bag is also considered one of the hottest luxury investments. Its value increased by 38% in 2020, eclipsing stock market returns.

O’Connor protested against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, but many viewers were outraged by her gesture and boycotted her music. She was also banned for life by NBC, the network that aired Saturday Night Live, where she performed the stunt. O’Connor converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat in 2018. She was found dead at her London home on July 26, 2023. O’Connor died at 56, 18 months after her son Shane.

Tina Turner was 44 when she released her first solo album, “Private Dancer” in 1984. The album sold five million copies and launched her tour career, which made her a worldwide phenomenon. At the 1985 Grammys, the album won her three awards for “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and a fourth award for “Better Be Good To Me.” Turner died on May 24, 2023, at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich. She was 83 years old.

Fun Fact: The title song from “Private Dancer” was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.

Tim Burton directed “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” in 1985. This was before he became the go-to guy for all things delightfully macabre, like “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and the recent Netflix series “Wednesday.” Sadly, Paul Reubens, who brought Pee-wee Herman to life, passed away on July 31, 2023, after a private battle with cancer.

The sun-soaked Jimmy Buffett had fans so devoted they even had a name – Parrot Heads! With hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” who wouldn’t want to be part of that flock? Sadly, on Sept. 1, 2023, Jimmy flew off to the big beach in the sky. He died at 76 of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer.

The catchy tune “All Star” that had us all humming, “Hey now, you’re an all star,” was the masterpiece of the band Smash Mouth. This Grammy-nominated pop rock band, led by Steve Harwell, made waves in the late ’90s and early 2000s with hits like “Walkin’ on the Sun.” Sadly, the music world recently mourned Harwell’s death, who died at 56 in Boise, Idaho, on Sept. 4, 2023, from liver failure. Harwell retired from Smash Mouth in 2021 due to severe health issues.

Screenshot: The New York Times YouTube Channel

Born in 1996 and announced in 1997, Dolly, the sheep, was the world’s first mammal cloned from an adult cell. Sir Ian Wilmut, the mastermind behind this groundbreaking achievement, died on Sept. 10, 2023. Wilmut was knighted in 2008 for his services to science. His research has paved the way for advances in stem cell treatments that could cure degenerative conditions in the future.

Fun Fact: Dolly was named after country singer Dolly Parton. We’re too embarrassed to say why.

Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani, two of the main characters from the legendary sitcom “Friends,” owned a rooster named “The Chick” (later realizing it wasn’t a chick) and a duck named “The Duck.” Matthew Perry, who brilliantly portrayed Chandler, died at 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles. Perry’s death was an accident caused by the “acute effects of ketamine.”

Fun Fact: Perry released a memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” in 2022, which became a bestseller.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on April 17, 2023, that September 23, the day Bruce Springsteen was born in 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey, will be officially recognized as Bruce Springsteen Day throughout the state. Murphy announced this at the inaugural American Music Honors event, held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa attended the event by video after testing positive for Covid-19 following a sold-out concert in Newark a day earlier. They are on tour with the E Street Band and will resume their European leg in two weeks, followed by a North American stadium leg in August. Springsteen will turn 74 on the first New Jersey Bruce Springsteen Day.

Announcing her resignation on Jan. 19, 2023, Jacinda Ardern will not run in New Zealand’s Oct. 14, 2023, general election. She’ll be a lawmaker until then. Ardern was a role model for women worldwide after becoming Prime Minister in 2017 at 37. Despite being lauded globally for her handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, Ardern faced growing criticism at home.

Fun Fact

Ardern is the second world leader who has given birth while holding office.

Michelle Yeoh, a former Miss Malaysia and a stuntwoman landed her first role in a Hollywood film at 59. On the other hand, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took 95 years to recognize an Asian actress in its leading actress category. However, some recordkeepers consider Merle Oberon and Vivien Leigh, born in British-colonized India but white-passed, to be the first Asian best actress nominees.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the first child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, was born on May 6, 2019, in London, England. He is seventh in line to the British throne but does not have a royal title. Archie’s fourth birthday coincides with the coronation of his grandfather, King Charles III, who will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. Although they officially received an invitation on Mar. 5, 2023, it is not yet confirmed whether Archie and his parents will attend the ceremony or send their best wishes from afar.

Fun Fact: Harry appeared in a pay-per-view live-streamed conversation with author and therapist Gabor Maté on Mar. 4, 2023, where he said he felt “free” after the release of his memoir and “strange” being in the royal family.

Born in 1955, Bruce Willis is about the same age as Kevin Costner and Rowan Atkinson. For the first time after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Willis celebrated his 68th birthday with his family on March 19, 2023. During a video shared by Demi Moore to raise awareness of the disease, the Hollywood star sang happy birthday with his daughters and wife, Emma Heming. He then blew out two candles. Over the past four decades, Willis has starred in over 100 movies, including Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, and The Sixth Sense.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born on July 6, 1935. He is Tibet’s spiritual leader and describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. On April 10, 2023, the 87-year-old Dalai Lama apologized for asking a boy to “suck his tongue” at a public event in India in late February.

What happened exactly?

In a video that has become viral, a young student approached a microphone at the event and asked the Dalai Lama: “Can I hug you?” The Dalai Lama told the boy to come up to the stage. After the child kisses the Dalai Lama on the cheek and hugs him, the Dalai Lama holds onto the boy, saying, “I think here also,” kissing his lips. “And suck my tongue,” the Dalai Lama added, sticking out his tongue forehead to forehead with the young student. When the boy moved away, the Dalai Lama pulled him in for another hug as the audience laughed. The controversy prompted an apology from the Dalai Lama’s office, which said his behavior was “innocent and playful,” adding, “His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family… he regrets the incident.”

Willie Nelson was born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas, turning 90 in 2023. He celebrated his 90th birthday with a two-night tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29 and 30, 2023, featuring Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, and Norah Jones. Nelson was honored by the night’s emcees, including Owen Wilson, Helen Mirren, Ethan Hawke, and Jennifer Garner. He joked that he wanted to thank all the artists who came out to celebrate “whatever it is we’re celebrating.” Get a load of Willie Nelson trivia facts here.

Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, after the British mandate over Palestine ended. This year, according to the Hebrew calendar, Israel marks its 75th anniversary on April 26, 2023. However, the celebrations are overshadowed by a political crisis that has divided the country for months.

What’s Israel’s political crisis?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces widespread opposition and protests over his attempt to overhaul the judiciary and his alliance with far-right and religious parties. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has boycotted the main state ceremony for Independence Day, and some bereaved families have asked politicians to stay away from military cemeteries on Memorial Day.

President Biden delivered this joke at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 29, 2023. The 80-Year-Old Biden said that Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul who owns Fox News, makes him look like former One Direction member Harry Styles in comparison. He joked about his age and his critics who think he is too old to run for re-election. Biden also addressed serious issues at the event, such as press freedom and Americans wrongly detained abroad. Get the essential White House Correspondents’ Dinner trivia facts here.

Martha Stewart was born August 3, 1941, in Jersey City, New Jersey. In May 2023, she made history as the oldest model to grace the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cover at 81. She posed for nine bathing suits in different styles and colors in the Dominican Republic.

Bobi is a 31-year-old Rafeiro do Alentejo, a purebred livestock guardian dog who lives in Conqueiros, a rural village in Portugal. He was born on May 11, 1992, and declared the world’s oldest dog by Guinness World Records on February 2, 2023.

Fun Facts: Bobi celebrated his 31st birthday on May 11, 2023, with a traditional Portuguese party that included local meats and fish, a dance troupe, and over 100 guests. His owner, Leonel Costa, said Bobi only eats human food and lives peacefully surrounded by other animals and nature. Bobi has also broken the record for the oldest dog ever. This record was previously held by Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived for 29 years and 5 months from 1910 to 1939.

Only weeks after 79 years-old Robert De Niro announced he had just had his 7th child, 83 years-old Al Pacino confirmed on May 31, 2023, that his 29-year-old girlfriend, Noor Alfallah, is 8 months pregnant with his fourth child. According to TMZ, who broke the news, Alfallah has been linked to Pacino since April 2022 and had a previous relationship with Mick Jagger in 2018. The boy, Roman, was born on June 15, 2023.

Kylie Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, on May 28, 1968. On May 21, 2023, at 55, she released a new single inspired by French singer Édith Piaf’s 1951 hit, Padam Padam. The song became a hit on social media, mainly on TikTok, and Minogue’s highest-charting single since 2014.

Ariana Grande was born June 26, 1993, in Boca Raton, Florida. She celebrated her 30th birthday in 2023 with an Instagram post featuring a birthday message to her younger self wearing a Dorothy costume from “The Wizard of Oz.” She also shared some photos from the set of her upcoming film “Wicked: Part One,” where she will star as Glinda the Good Witch. The film is scheduled to be released in November 2024, followed by the second installment in 2025.

Mark Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984. Elon Musk was born 13 years earlier, on June 28, 1971. Zuckerberg shared a photo of him training with UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanvski at his home in Northern California on July 11, 2023. Musk has been taunting Zuckerberg on social media and said he would donate $1 billion to charity if Zuckerberg wins a UFC-style cage fight against him.

Priscilla Beaulieu was just 14 years old when she first met the legendary Elvis Presley. The setting? Germany, of all places, where Elvis served in the army. Fast forward to September 2023, and this intriguing chapter of Priscilla’s life has been captured in Sofia Coppola’s film, “Priscilla,” which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film, set to hit theaters on Oct. 27, is adapted from Priscilla’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me.” While Presley emphasized the connection was based on a deep emotional bond rather than physical attraction, the movie depicts Elvis’s grooming of Priscilla and his controlling behavior towards her. Cailee Spaeny, who played the former wife of Elvis Presley in the biopic, won the top acting awards at the 2023 Venice festival.

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born on Sept. 4, 1981. On Sept. 4, 2023, the iconic “Queen of Pop” celebrated her 42nd birthday. She marked the occasion with a grand show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as part of her Renaissance World Tour. Hollywood’s “who’s who,” including Diana Ross, graced the event. Ross even serenaded Beyoncé with a “Happy Birthday” song. Celebrity guests like Timothée Chalamet and Prince Harry added glamour to the glitz. Here’s to many more chart-topping years ahead!

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia. The League of Nations Assembly adopted the Geneva Protocol a day after his birth. This protocol prohibited using chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. On Oct. 1, 2023, Carter celebrated his 99th birthday at his presidential library and museum in Atlanta. Carter is the longest-lived US president ever, and his wife, 96-year-old Rosalynn Carter, is the second-longest-lived first lady after Bess Truman.

Fun Fact: Jimmy Carter, whose full name is James Earl Carter Jr., was the first American president born in a hospital.

King Charles III, the monarch who witnessed the world change in countless ways, celebrated his 75th birthday on Nov. 14, 2023. This regal occasion was marked with a slice of cake and the launch of the Coronation Food Project, a noble initiative to tackle food waste and meet food needs. His birthday, a day of royal cheer, was celebrated one day early on Nov. 13, 2023, with a three-tiered cake.

Gordon Ramsay, the fiery and famed chef, turned 57 on Nov. 8, 2023. Known for his culinary expertise and dynamic television presence, Ramsay celebrated his latest birthday with a special gift – the birth of his sixth child, Jesse James Ramsay, a “7lbs 10oz whopper,” as he fondly described. With marriage to cookery book author Tana Ramsay, 49, since 1996 and a brigade of six children, his statement, “3 boys, 3 girls…. Done,” suggests that this latest addition completes the Ramsay family recipe.

Joe Biden was born on Nov. 20, 1942, just days before the classic film “Casablanca” premiered. Biden, stepping onto the world stage in Scranton, Pennsylvania, became the oldest President of the United States. He celebrated his 81st birthday with the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon.

The Palace of Versailles was originally a modest hunting lodge built by King Louis XIII in 1623. It was later expanded and transformed into a lavish royal residence by his son Louis XIV, who moved the court and the government there in 1682. The palace witnessed many historical events, such as the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I in 1919. To celebrate its 400th anniversary, the palace has opened a gallery that retraces its history with over 120 works. President Emmanuel Macron held a grand dinner in the Hall of Mirrors for King Charles III and Queen Camilla to celebrate the occasion on Sept. 20, 2023.

The traditional “Korean age” system considers the time spent in the womb as one year and adds another year every January 1, regardless of the actual birthday. This means some Koreans can be two years older than their international age. However, this system changed starting June 28, 2023, when South Korea adopted the international age system for all official documents. This means more than 51 million people have become younger overnight.

Giancarlo Esposito, who was the unforgettable Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, plays the main antagonist of The Mandalorian, Moff Gideon. The third season starts on Disney+ on Mar. 1, 2023. Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung and Black Panther’s Rachel Morrison will helm some new episodes. Watch the trailer.

According to a New York Times Jan. 20, 2023, article, the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have re-engaged with the company to help with its AI strategy. Google has been worried about ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, as it could potentially disrupt its search business. According to a slide presentation reviewed by the New York Times, the search giant plans to debut more than 20 new AI products and showcase a version of its search engine with chatbot features in 2023.

Are layoffs part of Google’s strategy for 2023?

Alphabet (Google’s parent company) cut 12,000 jobs in Jan. 2023. In a memo on Jan. 20, 2023, Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s CEO, said that the layoffs ensure that “our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities.”

Nick Offerman, best known for playing Ron Swanson in Parks & Recreation, plays Bill on HBO’s The Last of Us. Bill’s character in the video game that inspired the show cannot soften or change his harsh exterior. In contrast, critics praised Offerman’s Bill’s profound emotional journey in the TV series, showing both Bill’s tough edges and his deeply sensitive, long-suffering heart.

The “Road House” remake features Jake Gyllenhaal as an ex-UFC fighter. On March 4, 2023, he staged a weigh-in and fought former UFC fighter Jay Hieron at UFC 285, where he knocked him out with a flying knee and kept hitting him.

Bonus Fact: Patrick Swayze played the bouncer with a mysterious past (including killing a man), now hired to clean up a rough bar in the 1989 original “Road House.”

Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She dedicated her award to her father, who passed away last year. Yuh-Jung Youn won Best Supporting Actress in 2021 for her performance in “Minari.”

Maria Lvova-Belova is a Russian politician and the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. She is accused of unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine to Russia during the invasion. The EU and Japan have sanctioned her, and the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against her and Russian President Putin on March 17, 2023. Lvova-Belova has five biological and eighteen adopted children with her husband, Pavel Kogelman, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church and formerly a programmer, who she married in 2003.

Lady Gaga filmed scenes for the upcoming Joker sequel, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, dressed as Harley Quinn, in New York City on March 25, 2023. The sequel is a musical scheduled for release on October 4, 2024. The original “Joker” was nominated for 11 Oscar awards in 2020 and won two.

Fun Fact: Margot Robbie played the Harley Quinn character in 2016’s Suicide Squad and its two spin-offs, 2020’s Birds of Prey and 2021’s The Suicide Squad, and even sang a short rendition of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the role. She plays Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 comedy.

Ari Emanuel is a big-shot Hollywood agent and the co-founder of Endeavor Talent Agency, which merged with William Morris Agency in 2009. He is also the real-life inspiration for Ari Gold, the charismatic agent on HBO’s Entourage. On Apr. 2, 2023, he announced a $21 billion deal to acquire WWE from Vince McMahon and combine it with the UFC to create a combat-entertainment powerhouse.

Fun Fact: He is also the brother of Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and White House chief of staff under Barack Obama.

Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, set for release on May 26, 2023. She is best known as half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe Bailey. She also stars as Sky Forster on Grown-ish, an ABC spin-off of Black-ish. She is the first Black actress to play Ariel in a Disney adaptation of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Get the essential Little Mermaid trivia facts here.

Johnny Logan at Eurovision 1987

Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland twice: in 1980 with “What’s Another Year” and in 1987 with “Hold Me Now.” He also wrote the winning song for Ireland in 1992, “Why Me?” performed by Linda Martin.

Loreen matched his record by winning for Sweden in 2012 with “Euphoria” and in 2023 with “Tattoo,” bringing the contest back to Sweden for the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s win in 1974 with “Waterloo,” and becoming the first female singer to achieve the feat.

Kim Yo Jong is a high-ranking official of the Workers’ Party of North Korea and a member of the State Affairs Commission of the isolated nation. Oh, and she’s Kim Jung Un’s sister. She manages her brother’s image and promotes his diplomatic outreach. On June 2, 2023, she slammed the UN Security Council for denouncing a failed North Korean satellite launch earlier that week. She also promised to put a military spy satellite into orbit soon. The Malligyong-1 satellite rocket crashed into the sea on May 31. The launch was widely criticized by South Korea, Japan, the US, and the UN as violating Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.

Changpeng Zhao is the co-founder and CEO of Binance, which he launched in 2017 after raising $15 million through an initial coin offering. Binance offers various services to crypto enthusiasts, such as trading, stakes, lending, mining, and launching new tokens. In March 2023, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a lawsuit against Binance and Zhao in Illinois, claiming they breached derivatives rules and operated a “web of deception.” On June 5, 2023, the SEC joined the legal attack with 13 charges against Binance and Zhao. The SEC said Binance had mixed “billions of dollars” in customer funds and secretly sent them to a separate company controlled by Zhao. Zhao has vowed to defend his platform vigorously and said Binance is not a US exchange.

The Binance Trial’s Result

By Nov. 21, Zhao pleaded guilty to Violating Money Laundering Rules. He will pay a $50 million fine and step down as CEO. Binance had agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines as part of a guilty plea.

Novak Djokovic is the only male tennis player to achieve this feat. He won his third French Open title on June 11, 2023. He also holds the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player with 23. Djokovic is also the only male player to win all nine Masters tournaments and has done so twice. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players ever. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least once, but not three times.

xQc, whose real name is Félix Lengyel, is a popular Twitch streamer who plays video games and hosts shows for almost 12 million followers. Many consider him Twitch’s most popular streamer. On June 17, 2023, he announced his departure from Twitch for Kick, a rival streaming platform. He signed a two-year non-exclusive contract worth roughly $70 million, with incentives that could bump that to $100 million. Kick is backed by online gaming and gambling sites in Australia and offers streamer-friendly policies such as lower subscription fees, non-exclusive contracts, and more creative freedom. xQc plans to continue streaming on Twitch and appearing on YouTube and TikTok, but he aims to focus on Kick. His agent, Ryan Morrison, said his deal was “one of the highest deals in entertainment, period.“

Sarah Ferguson and Sarah Thomson co-host this weekly podcast that promises to spill the tea on life’s roller coaster with candid conversations, special guests, and personal insights. Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, is the Duchess of York and former wife of Prince Andrew. She is also an author, film producer, and, recently, a breast cancer survivor. She underwent surgery at King Edward VII Hospital in June 2023 and is now recuperating with her family in Windsor. Sarah Thomson is an entrepreneur who founded First News, a news organization aimed at children. The podcast debuted in May 2023 on all streaming platforms.

Hugh Grant plays one of the Oompa Loompas, the mysterious workers of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, in the upcoming musical sequel Wonka. The film, directed by Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Willy Wonka, explores how he met the Oompa Loompas on one of his earliest adventures. Wonka is scheduled to be released on Dec. 15, 2023. Watch the trailer!

Nicolas Cage grapples with unexpected fame in the surreal comedy “Dream Scenario” by A24. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a college professor who suddenly becomes the star of millions of strangers’ dreams. The trailer for this dreamy (and nightmarish) tale dropped on Sept. 19, 2023. The film, co-starring Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, and Tim Meadows, debuts in select theaters on Nov. 10 and on a wide release on Nov. 22.

On Oct. 3, 2023, the US House of Representatives witnessed an unprecedented event. Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his lofty perch as Speaker of the House. He became the first individual to experience such a fate through a resolution to remove them. The vote was a nail-biter, tallying 216 to 210, with a twist of eight Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, voting to boot McCarthy. Amidst the turmoil, McCarthy declared he would not seek the Speaker’s gavel again, leaving the House in a frantic search for a successor and political spectators grabbing their popcorn.

Donald Tusk, a prominent figure in Polish politics and former president of the European Council, secured a majority in the Sejm following the Oct. 15 elections along with his Civic Platform and other opposition parties. As a result, Tusk is widely tipped to become Poland’s next prime minister. This development is a positive sign of improved relations between Poland and the European Union. This is especially after years of strained relations under the PiS-led government.

In a historic turn at the 2023 CMAs, Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit “Fast Car,” given a new lease on life with Luke Combs’ cover, sped past the competition to win Song of the Year. This made Chapman the first Black songwriter ever to snag the award. This win came 35 years after the song’s debut. The CMAs aired on ABC on Nov. 8, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Chapman was not present at the ceremony but sent a prepared statement that presenter Sara Evans read.

Rashida Tlaib, the trailblazing Michigan congresswoman and sole Palestinian American in Congress, has recently made waves with a video accusing President Joe Biden of backing what she termed the “genocide of the Palestinian people,” a statement as subtle as a sledgehammer and as well-received. This political firecracker was dropped on social media on Nov. 3, 2023. With her pointed phrase “from the river to the sea,” Tlaib has united Democrats and Republicans, though not in the way one might hope—both sides are equally annoyed.

Swiftly making her mark in Grammy history, Taylor Swift became the first songwriter to score seven nominations in the Song of the Year category at the 2024 Grammys, announced on Nov. 10, 2023, where she was nominated for her songwriting on “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film).” With this achievement, Swift overtook the historic nominations of Sir Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie, each with six nominations in the category.

Fun fact: Beyoncé led the 2024 Grammy nominations with nine nods, making her the most nominated artist for the year. With these nominations, Beyoncé tied with her husband, Jay-Z, for the most Grammy nominations in history, each with 88 nominations. Other top nominees included Kendrick Lamar with eight nominations; Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven; and Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Future, The Dream, and Randy Merrill with six.

Known for his fashion statements, Harry Styles turned heads with a new hairdo – or lack thereof. On Nov. 8, 2023, at a U2 concert in the Las Vegas Sphere, Styles debuted his buzzcut, starkly contrasting to his famous hairstyle. Accompanied by actress Taylor Russell (Netflix’s Lost in Space), with whom he’s been romantically linked since July, this hair-raising (or hair-falling) event marks another chapter in Styles’ ever-evolving style saga.