What to Watch: They Were, They Are – Culture News to Watch in 2024
They revealed their divorces, they went on strike, they made pink the most popular color on the movie premiere circuit (and almost everywhere else), they stood trial for a ski accident and so much more. Celebrities, they’re really just like us?
The past year’s highlights include “Barbenheimer,” Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance, the wins of young tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff, the summer of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé tours and more. Crowd favorites to watch on the red carpet included Pedro Pascal and Jacob Elordi, neither of whom are going away anytime soon. Low points, if we may, were the bedbugs at Paris Fashion Week, the cockroach at the Met Gala (#RIP), the first Sunday night without an episode of “Succession” following the finale and, for many, the demise of their favorite celebrity couple.
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Last year saw an unprecedented number of celebrities part ways, including Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, Hugh and Deborra-Lee Jackman, Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth and Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson, while Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and Meryl Streep and Don Gummer each revealed they’ve been secretly separated for years.
With their personal lives playing out in the public eye, actors unfortunately had more time than ever to dwell on things when SAG-AFTRA went on strike in mid-July.
While 2023 saw the dissolution of some favorite celebrity couples, the year also delivered several new pairings. Most notable is Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, an unexpected football-pop crossover that has seen many Swifties tuning in for “the game.” All eyes will be on the end zone come February, when the Super Bowl will at least deliver a win for throwback halftime performer Usher. And of course, the Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding looms large. Will 2024 be the year they make it truly official?
Barbiecore will get its last hurrah heading into awards season, with 12 Grammy nominations, nine Golden Globe nominations and 18 Critics’ Choice Awards. With the Oscar nominations set to be unveiled on Jan. 23, we’ll see how “Barbie” squares off against “Oppenheimer” one last time. And the Emmy Awards, rescheduled from its original September date, will finally dole out its honors on Jan. 24.
Which of the coming blockbusters will dominate our psyche (and social feeds)? The year’s anticipated releases include “Dune: Part 2,” pushed back to March due to the strike. Also out in March is “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho’s next film “Mickey 17,” followed in April by Luca Guadagnino’s Zendaya-led “Challengers”
Since the strike pushed the production of many beloved series back several months, fans can expect the return of shows like “Emily in Paris” later this year; other series, like the final season of “Stranger Things,” aren’t expected until 2025.
While the Sussexes continue to stir up drama with the release of Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare,” there will be a new royal-tangent memoir this spring to deflect some of the attention. Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer’s memoir “A Very Private School” comes out in March. Other anticipated book releases this spring include Salman Rushdie’s memoir “Knife” and “Wandering Star,” the second novel by Pulitzer-nominated author Tommy Orange.
Heading into summer, the Met Gala will return with its 2024 exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties.” And then, come July, it’s off to Paris for the Summer Olympics. Let the 2024 (culture) games begin.
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