Top 10 Entertainment Headlines of 2015
As 2015 nears an end, Yahoo Singapore looks back at some of the year’s top headlines.
Image: Star Wars/ Facebook
10. Bill Cosby sex sandal
More than 40 women came forward to accuse legendary comedian Bill Cosby of rape, abuse and sexual assault in 2015. The charges – with the earliest incidents said to have taken place in the 1960s – are especially ironic, given that Cosby is best known for making “family values” a by-word in the 1980′s with his long running sitcom The Cosby Show. While the 78-year-old has admitted to casual sex, he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime. Because of this, seven of his accusers filed a lawsuit against Cosby, claiming that his continued denials have branded them liars and hence defamed their characters.
But the aging funnyman has struck back against his accusers: On Dec 14, Cosby countersued. “Mr. Cosby now requests that the federal court provide him relief from the defendants’ intentional campaign to assassinate his character for their own financial gain,” his lawyer Monique Pressley stated. She did not indicate how much Cosby was seeking in compensation.
Since the scandal broke in early 2015, numerous organisations have cut ties with Cosby, while many of his previously awarded titles by colleges and university have also been revoked.
9. Death of Bobbi Kristina Brown
The daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown died in July 2015, six months after being placed in a medically-induced coma, following injuries sustained at her family home in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 22-year-old reality television star was found face down in a bathtub on Jan 31. Three years earlier, her late mother was also discovered in similar circumstances – facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub of water.
While drugs and alcohol abuse have been blamed for the starlet’s death, authorities have yet to confirm this.
“The Fulton County Medical Examiner has classified the cause and manner of Bobbi Kristina Brown’s death,” said the office in a September 25 press release. “However, a Fulton County Superior Court Order dated September 25, 2015 has been received Sealing the Autopsy Report and ordering the Medical Examiner to not release any further information to the public.”
8. Taiwanese prostitution ring scandal
On Nov 4, Taiwanese entertainment magazine Next dropped a bombshell: It released the initials of major entertainers, alleging them to be involved in an international prostitution ring.
Next Magazine said it had obtained lists of those supposedly involved, but only published initials, nicknames and descriptions. Four A-list stars supposedly charge NT$2 million (S$87,000) or more for sexual services, it reported. Among them are “Big Sister L”, a model and movie actress, and “Y”, a model who has acted in many idol dramas. Taiwanese actress and model Lin Chi-ling, 40, is one of those implicated. She has denied the allegations and is threatening to sue the weekly, reported Hong Kong entertainment tabloid Apple Daily. Taiwanese police are investigating.
7. Kanye West for US President?
He’s been known to make wild claims. But in September, hip-hop star Kanye West made his biggest statement yet: He is running for US president in 2020.
And it’s no joke either. Speaking with Vanity Fair, West said he ‘definitely’ plans on running in 2020.
What makes him qualified for the highest office in American politics?
Simple. His parents have the credentials. He is working on getting himself higher education too.
“I’ve got five years before I go and run for office and I’ve got a lot of research to do, I’ve got a lot of growing up to do,’ he said in the interview.
“My dad has two masters degrees. My mom has a PhD, she used to work at Operation PUSH (a U.S. non-profit organization focusing on social justice, civil rights and political activism). Somehow, the more and more creative I get, the closer and closer I get to who I was as a child. When I was a child, I was holding my mom’s hand at Operation PUSH. I think it’s time.”
West added: “I’m not a politician at all. I care about the truth and I just care about human beings. I just want everyone to win, that’s all I can say, and I think we can.”
6. Taylor Swift vs Katy Perry
Of all of Taylor Swift’s friendships, feuds and ex-boyfriends, perhaps the most infamous is her seemingly ongoing rift with the extremely vivacious Katy Perry.
None of them has spoken outright about the feud. But the clues are there.
First, some background: The two ladies have been friends since 2008, but the alleged drama supposedly started around 2012-2013.
Swift first mentioned it in her Rolling Stone interview in August 2014 when she spoke about an unnamed artist who was the inspiration behind her hit song "Bad Blood.” Then in July, Perry made comments about Taylor’s Twitter feud with Nicki Minaj about the MTV Video Music Awards.
Ready to take it all back to the beginning? We’re inspecting every aspect of their relationship, from square one. Don’t expect this to end any time soon.
5. Adele scores big
Image: Adele/ Facebook
Everyone keeps going on about the sorry state of music these days.
This does not include English songstress Adele, obviously. Her third album 25 is one of the best selling albums of 2015. Released on Nov 20, it has now sold more than five million copies, reported American music magazine Billboard.
The 27-year-old singer has more reason to celebrate: Her upcoming 56-date US tour – which was announced earlier this week (Dec 14) – sold out in minutes.
According to Billboard, Adele’s album is also responsible for the most sales in one week of a particular record since the Nielsen agency started keeping track of point-of-sale album purchases in 1991.
Back in November, Adele thundered by the previous record holder, boy band NSYNC, who sold 2.42 million copies of “No Strings Attached” in one week back in 2000.
4. Charlie Sheen announces he is HIV Positive
On Nov 17, hard-partying Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen revealed on American talk show Today that he was HIV-positive.
The 50-year-old actor - who rose to fame with films like Platoon, Young Guns and Wall Street - said he made the announcement to end a smear campaign and extortion efforts.
“I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.
Sheen has never made his wild side a secret. His battle with substance abuse and sexual dalliances are widely documented.
In 1995, Sheen – then 29 years old – admitted in videotaped court testimony that he hired “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss’ prostitutes at least 27 times between 1991 and 1993, costing him than US$53,500 in total.
In 2010, the actor was briefly hospitalised after security at a New York hotel found him highly intoxicated and naked in a trashed room.
3. Miss Universe mistake
On Sunday (Dec 20), Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, was crowned Miss Universe 2015.
But for a brief moment, it looked as if Colombia would bag yet another pageant win, when the pageant host made a major blunder.
Pageant host Steve Harvey mistakenly named Colombia contestant Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo as this year’s winner, in one of the most awkward televised moments to date.
Later on, Harvey apologised on Twitter, but made another misstep by misspelling both Colombia and the Philippines. The tweet was later deleted and replaced with a second post.
2. Caitlyn Jenner
Image: Caitlyn Jenner/ Facebook
Journalist Barbara Walters named her one of the most Fascinating People of 2015.
Caitlyn Jenner, or the athlete and reality TV star formerly known as Bruce Jenner, came out as a trans woman in April 2015. Since then, the 66-year-old has been called the most famous openly transgender woman in the world.
Jenner’s gender transition was the subject of I Am Cait, initially an eight-part TV documentary series, which premiered in July 2015 to an audience of 2.7 million viewers.
Not that the transformation hasn’t ignited controversy. In November, Jenner was also presented with Glamour Magazine’s Woman Of The Year Award. But her critics saw red. Why? The award was given to her not even six months after she came out as transgendered.
1. The Return Of Star Wars
When creator George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise in 2012, there was a rumbling in the Force. Could the Mouse House do it justice? More importantly, could the new movies be better than the universally reviled prequels?
The answer, it seems, is yes.
Fans reacted positively when director JJ Abrams was charged with helming the new entry The Force Awakens. When news hit that original stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were returning, fans went wild.
The film, which was released on Dec 14, is already a major box office success.
According to Variety, the movie is headed for a US$700 million gross at the global box office and is expected to move past US$1 billion by the end of the week.
Reviews have also been overwhelming positive, with critics praising the story and millions of fanboys crying out with glee, pleased that Jar Jar Binks has been exorcised from the Star Wars memory.
Yes, the Force is still strong with this franchise.
