In weather terminology, they call it 鈥渞apid intensification鈥� 鈥� the process by which a storm strengthens dramatically in a short period.
In pop culture terminology, they call it
滨迟鈥檚 not like Swift didn鈥檛 have big 鈥� huge! 鈥� years before this. But 2023? This was ridiculous.
From the blockbuster 鈥淓ras鈥� tour that conquered the United States before a to the on the road to to the to becoming a billionaire 鈥� and yeah, 鈥� it all made for a year you could reasonably call 鈥�2023 (Taylor鈥檚 Version).鈥�
There were, of course, non-Swiftian developments in pop culture. Beyonc茅, ever the superstar, had a and ruled the box office with Speaking of renaissance, look no further than Barbie 鈥� technically age 64 but now living her most fantastic life in plastic, thanks to Through mere coincidence of timing, paired to fuel that singlehandedly revitalized the multiplex.
There were comebacks, as always. The Rolling Stones never left, surely, but in decades. Even the Beatles . On TV, Samantha even made it back 鈥� for a minute 鈥� to the 鈥淪ex and the City鈥� franchise. A pregnant soared (literally) at the Super Bowl, and again showed us that nobody makes a more glamorous, more fashionably late Met Gala entrance.
Our very selective (and this year, very Swift-centric) stroll down pop culture memory lane:
JANUARY
If anyone needs a comeback, it鈥檚 The year begins with comic JERROD CARMICHAEL quipping, 鈥淚鈥檓 here because I鈥檓 Black鈥� 鈥� a nod to plaguing the awards. Speaking of scandal, nobody does it better than the royals: sells more than 3.2 million copies in one week. Also breaking records: 鈥淏ZRP Music Session #53,鈥� in which she bitingly sings of her ex, January (Taylor's version): about its
FEBRUARY
At the Super Bowl, above the 50-yard line in a bright red jumpsuit 鈥� and 滨迟鈥檚 her in seven years and her first since nine months earlier. Now鈥檚 the time to learn things we didn鈥檛 know about whose memoir 鈥淟ove, Pamela鈥� drops, joining At it's a decidedly mixed bag for BEYONC脡, who for career wins, but is shut out in the top categories. bests her for album of the year, with his acceptance speech.
MARCH
滨迟鈥檚 And nobody gets slapped! 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� sweeping nearly every major category. This feel-good night proves a huge moment for Asians and 鈥淢y journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp,鈥� says an emotional winning best supporting actor. Some may have skipped the Oscars entirely 鈥� namely catching the finale of Longtime Bravolebrities Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix break up when it鈥檚 revealed Sandoval has been having an affair with their 鈥淰anderpump Rules鈥� co-star, a development soon In a Utah courtroom, a battle over a ski collision, but also nabs the fashion award. And the 鈥淓ras鈥� era begins: SWIFT
APRIL
Back to the courtroom for a sec: have you seen The sticks the landing. Somehow, regular guy RONALD GLADDEN never figured out that everyone else doing jury duty was an actor, including playing a deliciously conceited 鈥� JAMES MARSDEN. And back to SWIFT watch: Neither confirms it, but reports say she and longtime boyfriend JOE ALWYN have split.
MAY
If Samuel Beckett had attended he鈥檇 surely have written 鈥漌aiting for Rihanna.鈥� Most guests come in time for cocktails; closer to dessert, but makes it worth the wait. This is the year but still the animal world is most memorably represented by A real one, who walks the carpet and entertains media waiting for Rihanna, until, squish! Bye, cockroach 鈥� and bye also to the ROY kids, aka KENDALL, ROMAN and SHIV, who self-destruct gloriously in the Leave it to Hollywood's writers, to have the cleverest signs: 鈥淗BO Max Pays HBO Minimum,鈥� reads one. They will remain on strike for nearly 150 days, in July.
JUNE
We'll keep this one brief: Heard of the at McDonald's? 滨迟鈥檚 all the rage on TikTok. A new group of luminaries is invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among them DAVID BYRNE, AUSTIN BUTLER, KEKE PALMER, KE HUY QUAN 鈥� and yes, SWIFT.
JULY
Take one famous doll with a complicated history. Add a talent like GERWIG, get to star, bring in to chew the scenery, and you have 鈥淏ARBIE,鈥� the biggest movie of 2023 and a Now stir in and the rest is Speaking of history, one famous bird is no more 鈥� drops a longtime logo and decrees TWITTER will henceforth Also history: SWIFT now has than any woman, eclipsing From eclipse to earthquake: Scientists report they've detected seismic signals roughly akin to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake under Swift's Seattle show.
AUGUST
Guess who has 277 million Instagram followers? You know who. Guess who has almost double that? that鈥檚 who, with 493 million. The Argentine soccer god, in his first month thrills fans and gives a makes a very quick return to the 鈥淪ex and the City鈥� reboot.
SEPTEMBER
Now that summer is over, let's inspect the damage 鈥� by which we mean all the recent celebrity splits: ARIANA GRANDE and DALTON GOMEZ, SOFIA VERGARA and JOE MANGANIELLO, among others. But hey, someone's looking for love: Retired widower GERRY TURNER, begins his search on ABC. Also, this month for one tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, by some 400%. So weird, any idea why? In unrelated news,
OCTOBER
滨迟鈥檚 a good month to be 80! becomes a TikTok star via daughter Francesca's and presents one of his most ambitious films yet, Also 80, MICK JAGGER joins slightly younger ROLLING STONES bandmates KEITH RICHARDS (79) and RONNIE WOOD (76) in producing the crackling new album In a BRITNEY SPEARS details her heartbreaks and her struggles, her relationships and her . SWIFT reaches billionaire status 鈥� and throws a Hollywood premiere for her which will become the of all time.
NOVEMBER
Hollywood鈥檚 writers and actors are back to where they once belonged. Which brings us to the BEATLES: No, they aren鈥檛 getting back together. But six decades after Beatlemania ruled, a new and final tune, is released, thanks to artificial intelligence. Cast members of 鈥淔riends鈥� gather to mourn at his funeral. The 鈥淓ras鈥� tour goes international, packing stadiums with more to go in 2024.
DECEMBER
SPOTIFY announces 2023鈥檚 鈥� it鈥檚 SWIFT, dethroning BAD BUNNY. BEYONC脡 on opening weekend Is it a foregone conclusion, finally, that SWIFT would close out her year staring at us from magazine covers as in a year her fame achieved something akin to 鈥渘uclear fusion鈥�? Which brings us to our final question: How long can a storm rapidly intensify? Fact is, though, SWIFT seems to always be rewriting the rules.
Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
