2017 Year in Review: Day 6 | Pop Culture (Music and Trends)

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT: This is Funky Nurd's 100th post. 

I just want to say that it's been a real pleasure writing for and designing this blog over the past five years. It has gone through its own evolution as I have within that short, yet long amount of time. It has been an outlet, a platform for me to express my opinions, changing and growing beliefs, and ideas. Over the years, I have started to solidify what exactly I want to blog about and I'm doing just that, incorporating elements of journalism and programming that I continue to improve on. This paralleled development between Funky Nurd and I are very profound and, well, things are just going to get better from here. Just you see. I have a lot of plans and ideas up my sleeve, so look out. I am Funky Nurd and all you Nurds who have followed me through my journey of transition, mental illness, and so much more are to await a blossoming, an evolution.

Without further ado, here is what you actually came to read about: Pop Culture in 2017.

2017 Year in Review: Day 5 | Pop Culture (Movies, TV Shows, Art, Literature, and Sports)

6-word Summary of movies and tv shows in 2017: Our discussions and diversity say it all.

• Here's a list of Reboots and Spinoffs that came out this year. Let's just say that some are flops (we're talking about you Dirty Dancing) and some were considerably successful (Will and Grace, you'll suffice).
• Disney has confirmed that a live-action The Lion King movie will be released some time next year and it will star Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Alfre Woodard, and Seth Rogan.
• The Houston Astros have finally become World Series champs, even beating the Dodgers!
• Legendary actors and singers, such as Mary Tyler Moore, Tom Petty, and singer-actor David Cassidy have died this year.
• A Lord of the Rings series will air on Amazon Prime TV next year.
• Hundreds of actors protested and spoke at the women's march. 
• #MeToo movement from vocal victims of sexual assault and misconduct.



Left: Wonder Woman, Right: Beauty and the Beast | Courtesy of Variety

• Multiple actors, politicians, and businesspeople have retired or have been fired for allegations against them. Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Ben Affleck, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, are just several examples.
• Three UCLA students were found stealing from a Louis Vatone store in China. Trump released them and then accused one of their parents of being ungrateful for his helping them out.
• Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," his last painting is officially the most expensive painting ever sold, costing $450 million.
• Mean Girls: The Musical
• Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird is getting Oscar and Grammy buzz - female director, a relatable story regarding finding yourself - seems like a reasonable contender.
• Stranger Things 2 and that ending? Hmm.
• March 18, 2017: SNL was live nation-wide for the first time ever and you best believe no one other than Melissa McCarthy hosted.
• Long-time search for the actor who will play Aladdin in the live-action movie of the popular 90s Disney movie of the same title. The movie will also star Will Smith, who will succeed the iconic genie role, originally brought to life by the late Robin Williams.

  

  Left: The Handmaid's Tail, Right: 13 Reasons Why |
  Courtesy of Idobi

• 13 Reasons Why and the controversy associated with it - while many believed the show glamorized suicide, others argue the show accurately depicts assault, depression, high school culture, and suicide. Regardless, the show sparked conversations about teen suicide.
• Fixer Upper, the HGTV home remake reality TV show is ending, according to Chip and Joanna Gaines.
• Apparently, Kylie Jenner is pregnant after MONTHS of speculation following the reality TV show star and fashion icon. How she managed to dodge the questions surrounding this supposed pregnancy is beyond many. In other news, half-sister Khloé is also pregnant.
• Actress Nicole Kidman gave a long, comprehensive speech regarding domestic abuse when she accepted her first Emmy for the HBO mini-series Big Little Lies.
• "Donald Glover became the first person of color to win an Emmy for best actor in a comedy in 32 years," according to Buzzfeed News.

  

  Courtesy of IMDb

• Demi Lovato's documentary, entitled Simply Complicated, delves into the background of her history with drug use, relationships, eating disorder, and acting and music pursuits.
• Riz Ahmed became the first Asian man to win an Emmy in an acting category.
• The Handmaid's Tale received five Emmy's, including Outstanding Drama Series, which is a win for Hulu as the show is the first streaming service to win an Emmy.
• Former engineer Katherine Johnson presented with actresses Taraji P. Henson (who played Johnson in the movie Hidden Figures), Janelle Monaé, and Octavia Spencer at the 89th Academy Awards.
• Lena Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for the comedy writing category, especially for an episode about her character coming out as gay to her family, which she wrote with actor, comedian, co-star, and Producer Aziz Ansari for their show Master of None.
• La La Land won for best movie of the year at this year's Oscar's. Nope, sorry, that's fake news. It was revealed soon after by La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, who pointed out that Moonlight actually won in that category.
• Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi | The late Carrie Fisher's dog, Gary, reportedly would perk up his ears every time she appeared on the screen.

  

  Mean Girls: The Musical | Courtesy of Youtube

• Girl Meets World was canceled earlier this year and with much fan-run action to get the show on another channel or service, though Netflix, Hulu, and FreeForm have passed.
• Serena Williams was pregnant when she won the Australian Open.
• Emma Watson won the first ever gender-neutral acting award for her role in Beauty and the Beast at the MTV movie awards.
• Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome who play teen Chiron and Kevin, respectively, in Moonlight, won Best Kiss--the first queer characters to win in this category--at the MTV movie awards.
• An uproar arose around destroying statues and other cultural and national memorabilia displaying offensive historians, most notably a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This did not sit well with white supremacists.
• On top of being an empowering movie, Wonder Woman set the record for the most earned money at the box office for a female director ($100.5 million), upon debut. Additionally, the movie became the most searched DC character in 2017.

2017 Year in Review: Day 4 | Social + Civil Rights

6-word summary of social rights movements in 2017: Progress and plenty of persistent push-back (one-word)

• Here's a comprehensive list of all of the male actors, businessmen, and politicians accused of sexual assault. It's an exhaustive list, but that comes to show how common sexual assault is, not only in the entertainment and political industries but also anywhere, any industry, any neighborhood. Let's do something about that.
• This arose the #MeToo movement, encouraging victims of sexual assault to share their stories, because their stories are important and justice needs to be served to their assaulters. Very vocal victims of sexual assault were on the cover of TIME magazine and featured as the person of the year in their 2017 issue.
• Australia and Germany voted "yes" on same-sex marriage. Additionally, Taiwan has become the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. That is so fetch!

  

  Courtesy of Top Draw Inc.

• The number of Syrian children dying or being forced to fight for their country has been the most they have ever been in 2016, according to a UNICEF report.
• Legislation that'd ban LGBTQ+-related discrimination is being proposed by Democrats in Congress.
• The Chechenya government has reportedly lynched gay man, as speculated from the disappearance of gay men. A government official justified this by saying, "You cannot arrest or repress people who just don't exist in the republic," suggesting that the Chechen government doesn't believe in gay men, as if they are Santa or a fairy tale. 
• LGBTQ+ men in Uganda, which had illegalized LGBTQ+ rights, and specifically Tanzania, are being violated by police and medical officials in an effort to forcibly decrease HIV/AIDS.  
• The fight to end female genital mutilation (FGM).
• The body of a female Muslim judge was discovered by the New York's Hudson River. 
• Trump de-funded family planning from Planned Parenthood.

Women's March

• 3 times as many people protested in the international women's march than attended Trump's inauguration, according to the New York Times. Oh, snap!
• The Washington Post estimates that 4,465,169 people protested internationally, with 4,157,894 or 1 in 100 Americans marching. This spanned not only in major cities but also in all states, even red states, and other nations (with about 261 sister marches occurring internationally).
• And aren't the pink pussy beanies cute? 

2017 Year in Review: Day 3 | Economics, Business, and STEM

6-word summary of business, economics, and STEM in 2017: Booming economy/sexual allegations slow businesses.

• Scientists urge that more people in STEM should run for office and the also had a march to protest Brexit and Trump.
• Apple has delayed the release of their HomePod, which is a competitor to Amazon's Echo and Google Home, until 2018.
• Twitter expanded its word limit to 280 characters, a step up from the 140-character limit the site launched with.
• NASA has delayed their plans to launch a rocket to 2019.
• Cyperransom became a thing.
• Apple patented its own pizza box design.
• House Republicans passed a bill that'd dismantle the strict banking laws introduced after the financial crisis.
• Youtube TV
• The FCC repealed net neutrality.
• Facebook has hired many people to monitor violence on their site, while companies like Uber have fired employees who have been accused of sexual assault.

  

  Courtesy of Youtube

• Twitter has developed Twitter Lite for developing nations who have slow internet connections on cheap phone devices.
• Amazon has devised a system to help parents monitor their children's browsing--parental controls.
• Trump has defunded family planning for Planned Parenthood.
• Ikea + pet furniture = furry fun
• Congress has increased funding for medical research by $2 billion.
• Youtube is on the crackdown of videos that exploit children in inappropriate or suggestible situations or positions, especially with adults, even from their own site's verified channels.
• U.S. wars have cost an average of $23,386 since 9/11.
• Twitter has developed a bot to listen to the comments, complaints, and suggestions of their users in order to improve their site.
• Google has developed AutoDraw to edit drawings and other images.
• Corporate landlords are listing thousands of apartments on Airbnb.

  

  Courtesy of Egypt Innovate

• Uruguay is the first nation in the world to sell recreational cannabis. 
• Banks are increasing rates for taking out loans and credit cards.
• In other news, for-profit colleges are beginning to suck? Did I say "beginning"? Yeah, they've been sucking since they've been conceptualized. As a result, the U.S. Education Department is converting such colleges as Kaplan University and the Art Institutes into non-profit colleges.
• Women of color are booming in the cosmetics industry.
• The 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to three scientists who discovered more about gravitational waves.
• According to CNN Money, the unemployment rate is 4.1%, a record low for 84 consecutive months, the longest streak in U.S. history. Additionally, wages and inflation haven't increased as much as economists and data analysts have expected.

2017 Year in Review: Day 2 | Environment

6-word summary of environmental phenomena in 2017: Trump says climate change isn't real?

• Arctic Sea ice this winter was both thinner and scanter than ever before, approximately 8% less ice than usual.
• Trump signed an executive order to stop funding for EPA's plan to limit  coal-burning power plants
• There have been 64,610 fires this past year, burning a total of 9,574,533, the National Intervention Fires reported. The average number of fires in this past decade is 67,940 with an average of 6,531,605 acres burning. The LA Times declares Thomas fire as "the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California history."

Hurricane Report

Hurricane Maria | Photo courtesy of WPLG Local 10

• Total hurricanes: 17 -- Maria was the strongest among the top three major storms (Maria, Irma, Harvey).
• This year has been the most expensive season to recover from, with more than $369.86 billion in damages.
• More than 882 casualties.
• This year has been one of six years to have multiple Category 5 hurricanes, with six of the hurricanes being Category 3 or higher this year.

Earthquake Report

• Total casualties: 1,231
• Top 5 strongest: 
• 1) México (8.2 M -  92 fatalities - September)
• 2) Papua New Guinea (7.9 M - 3 fatalities) - January)
• 3) Russia (7.7 M - 0 fatalities - July)
• 4) Philippines (7.3 M - January - 0 fatalities) and Iran/Iraq (7.3 - November - 630 fatalities).
• 5) México (7.1 - September - 370 fatalities)
• Top 5 deadliest: 
• 1) Iran/Iraq
• 2) México (7.1 M - September 19 - 370 fatalities) - on the same day as the 32nd anniversary of México's previously strongest quake, the 1985 earthquake.
• 3) México (8.2 M - September 8 - 98 fatalities)
• 4) Italy (5.7 M -  January - 34 fatalities)
• 5) China (6.5 M - August - 25 fatalities)

Earthquake in México, Sept. 7, 2017 |  Courtesy of KTLA

Other Natural Disasters News*

1. Zimbabwe - early 2017 - severe rains and a cyclone in - 117+ casualties and thousands homeless
2. China - January to June - severe floods - 144+ casualties, 56 of which died in early July within just a couple of days | According to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, other natural disasters have killed over 70 more people. Overall, 1 million people have sought shelter elsewhere and approximately 31,000 homes have been destroyed.
3. Peru - July - unusually warm water from the Pacific Ocean, which caused major flooding - 150 casualties
4. Afghanistan and Pakistan - winter - avalanches - 156 casualties, especially women and children
5. The Democratic Republic of Congo - August - landslide - 174 casualties, leaving approximately 280 children orphaned.
6. Sri Lanka - May - strong rainfall and monsoon wind which caused flooding and landslides - 250 casualties and counting
7. Colombia - April - massive landslide - 300+ casualties | Subsequent landslides have affected many impoverished Colombian towns, which fail to come up with their own relief without international support.
8. Sierra Leone - August - mudslide caused by heavy rainfall and flooding  - 600+ casualties
9. Bangladesh, India, and Nepal - summer - flooding and landslides - 1,200+ casualties

*According to U.S. News

2017 Year in Review: Day 1 | Politics

6-word summary of global politics in 2017: Time-travel (one word) to pre-Civil War is possible?

Here we go!

The Wall

Trump is still optimistic, but the experienced businessman he is, he ironically doesn't realize how unrealistic the costs to build the will are.

In other words, it didn't happen. Period.

Missile roundup

North Korea has launched 23 nuclear missiles, the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being fired on July 4 (perfect in time for the U.S. Independence Day--nothing says "independence" than nuclear fireworks). One in September, was a "success," having reached a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter earthquake scale and spanning over 1,000 kilometers or roughly 620 miles toward Japan. Here's a summary of the country's missile launches this year and everything you need to know, from how concerned you should be to emergency procedures. Trump responded to North Korea's unabashed nuclear threat by saying that the nation "will be met with fire and fury."

Russian Collusion

Here's everything we've found out and you need to know about the Trump administration's collusion with Russia, all in one video. You're welcome.

Terrorism

To date, there have been 1,096 attacks and 7,456 casualties internationally.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2017 edition (you can find a PDF of this online) though it contains data from 2016. Data regarding terrorism in 2017 will be issued next year.

You can also see a visual, a map of the magnitude or amount of impact per nation, all compiled in one map.

DACA

Trump threatened to revoke DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which the Obama administration passed in 2012, and the benefits it offers undocumented children. Nothing has been set in stone, so DREAMers will have to wait for a decision from legislators after the winter vacation, in January. Multiple schools have provided shelters for families and sued Trump for the inconvenience that the revocation has on the families. According to an advocacy group, 122 immigrants lose their DACA protection every day.

Roundup of Politicians Who Resigned Due to Sexual Assault Allegations

1. Minnesota Sen. Al Franken (DFL)
2. Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold (R)
3. Oregon Former Senator Bob Packwood (R)
4. Washington Sen. Brock Adams (D)
5. Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas (R)
6. Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson (R)
7. Oregon Rep. David Wu (D)
8. Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R)
9. NY Rep. Eric Massa (D)
10. Former president George H.W. Bush (R)
11. Georgia 2012 presidential nominee Herman Cain (R)
12. Michigan Rep. John Conyers (D)
13. Florida Former Rep. Mark Foley (R)
14. CA State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D)
15. Illinois Former Rep. Mel Reynolds (D)
16. Majority whip for CA State Assembly Raul Bocanegra (D)
17. Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore (R)
18. Nevada Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D)
19. Arizona Rep. Trent Franks (R)

Roundup of Everyone Trump Has Fired

Here's a summary from the Washington Post. It gives a visual and reasons as to why Trump fired or threatened to fire his employees. Long story short, does he really have reasons when he doesn't really know why he's doing and talking about? Yeah, there's not as much reason as there is a tantrum.

2014: Year in Review | Day 5

Mean Girls!!

Before

After

hgfh

Funny Clips + More!! ;)

2014: Year in Review | Day 4

Fancy ~ Iggy Azalea

This hit song by the Australian singing/rap sensation brought her to fame.
Besides the controversy as to if the artist is "rap" or not is pure bologna when one can just listen to her songs for its own sense.
The song has attributed many parodies by people with plenty of time and Youtube subscribers apparently.

My Opinion

Personally, I'm not a fan, but my brother who absolutely loves her, replays her songs (that really don't make much sense to me) in several different ways, including ringtone, by pleasure, alarm, etcetera, etcetera.

Her butt? IT DOESN'T MATTER!! It's a butt! Whether she gets implants or whether it was  miraculously natural is on her. When did media become a topic of body parts? Her butt serves as  many of its functions just as the next person, which is disturbingly weird to discuss.

On another note, she should not be seen as a sexually appealed person, and I believe no one should.

2014: Year in Review | Day 3

2014: Year in Review | Day 2

Whoopi Goldberg Reacts to death of Mike Nicholls

2014: Year in Review | Day 1

Hey, hey, hey *I say like Fat Albert over the interweb*

It is without a doubt that there have infinities within each day, hour, minute, and second. Golly there is so much to talk about that I had to blog about each as the occurred throughout the year. (That's literally where all my blogging time went throughout the year--*haha snicker*)

Well, where do we start?

Ten Year Anniversary

• Friends finale
• Mean Girls
• 13 Going on 30: A personal fave. In person, you can often find me quoting the movie and grooving to the glazy 80s jams. One thing I absolutely love about the movie is the impeccable movie scores by the likewise impeccable Theodore Shapiro (Find him at............)
• Lost premiere: The seven-season ABC7 that ended on May 23rd 2010 (I just know by fact)

Celebrity News

• Joan Rivers' death: gfoj
• Bill Cosby accusations: uygougpu
• Robin Williams' death: lgugp
• Mike Nicholls' death: What a tragedy! I love Diane Sawyer and to think of this happening to her is well, I don't know. Know one could have seen this so soon. Sawyers is a strong women, and wish her best of luck. Nicholls is renowned for being a produced of theater and movies, and is also known for discovering such artists as Whoopee Goldberg, whom I also adore!
• Amanda Bynes:
• Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's baby!
• Connor Franta's coming out
• Rosie O'donnel returns to The View: Following the feud with Elizabeth Hasselback, she returns to the long-running show to add her perspectives and inputs on the show. Personally, Hasselback was never a favorite of mine because I always found her defending and arguing over simple things--kinda like my sister (luv ya sis! <3 li="">
• Barbara Walters retires: She retired from ABC entirely and while its odd to not see her all of the time (which kinda got annoying while she was on air), I still respect her for being the first known woman to stand as a female anchor. She return for her Barbara Walter's 10 Most Fascinating 2014.
• Drew Barrymore's birth of her second child, Frankie Barrymore Kopelman.
• Maya Angelou's death.: Will always love your writing; luckily I can't to live in the same world and at the same time as you~

Premieres

• Girl Meets World: Oh, dear, who could ever forget Corey and Topanga (that's why I added this first.)? I watch every episode quietly to re-encounter the journey through C+T's two children. I especially love the tension between Riley and Lucas, the Topanga of this new generation! Sabrina Carpenter brings the Shawn to the show as Maya, the rebellious yet loyal friend, while Minkus' son (Farkle) could be overcame with friendliness over his own self-involvement. I highly recommend watching the show if you love Boy Meets World whether you weren't born when the show ended or if you lived through the tears, emotion, and moralistic nature of the prequel.
• Forever: Another mystery show, but about a doctor who's seen everything in the book--because he lives forever! I highly recommend it if you love mystery and crime shows, as I do, but to some, it may seem like another generic and predictable show of the genre! Your choice!
• The Fault in our Stars
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1:
• Interstellar
• Begin Again: I WILL RIGHT A SEPARATE ARTICLE ON THIS PARTICULAR MOVIE
• The Maze Runner: l I just didn't like: I am more of a person who empathizes with women (obviously), so to see a Katniss or whatever as a male just doesn't suit me. I'm sorry. On another note, I fell asleep reading the summaries of the upcoming book renditions.
• X-Men: Days of Future Past: pi I can't emphasize enough how much I love Marvell--seriously since birth--so the fact that The Avengers II will come out soon is so surreal.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: oihpioj[ Marvel, again! Howevery, this movie depicts people not necessarily with powers, but abilities to manipulate chemistry (so I believe from my current Chemistry class that I don't care for). It's also different, because it primarily occurs in the galaxy, unlike, well, any of the Marvel movies.
• The Lego Movie: kjhij[p OMG: this movie was just so OMG!! It was so cute that I found myself screaming AWWWW the entire time through its hilarity and sympathetic moments.
• Maleficent: A movie I am yet to see.
• Dumb and Dumber To:
• Godzilla:
• Gone Girl: ho The movie and book sound a little too graphic for my tastes, but nonetheless, I love a twisted something something!
• Big Hero 6
• Lucy: jhpi I initially wanted to see this movie until I started AP Psych, realizing how scientifically incorrect it was. But the plot sounds good, I need more feedback!
• This is Where I Leave You: I bought the book, not knowing it would be a movie....so I need to catch up~
• The Interview:
• Into the Woods: a movie I am yet to see--looks good, though!
• Laggies
• Boyhood: A movie I personally want to see as it follows a boy from over several years, growing up. This same boy filmed this; I mean he actually starred and filmed his life in this indie movie that you must see!
• What if: giuhp
• Jersey Boys
• Sex Tape

Controversy

• Ebola

Cancellations and Renewals:

http://www.tv.com/news/canceled-renewed-tv-shows-summer-2014-140855672322/

Rising Stars

• Iggy Azalea
• Sam Smith
• 5 Seconds of Summer

Music Hits

-Just: All About That Bass) no question about it, please!

Find me updating quotes, clips, and pix of loveable and informative memories of 2014 throughout the week. Don't miss anything!