Tiger King. Live stream concerts. We are embarrassed to learn TikTok dances.
When COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic on Thursday a year ago, many turned to pop culture for the normality and distraction of uncertainty. The pandemic isn’t over yet, but the entertainment industry has generated new obsessions over the past year.
We look back at the entertainment we consumed when the pandemic became official compared to the pop culture moments we look forward to in the present and in the near future.
Then: “Tiger King”
Netflix’s wild crime documentaries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” were at the top of the list at the start of the US COVID-19 lockdown. The story of Joe Exotic versus Carole Baskin and all the other equally eccentric supporting characters sparked memes, Halloween costumes, spin-off series and currently helping people escape the “chaos” in real time that is happening amid the pandemic.
Review of ‘Tiger King’:Joe Exotics Journey from Big Cats to Big House after Murder to Rent
Remember that? Carole Baskin makes “Dancing with the Stars” debut for “Eye of the Tiger”
Now: “Britney Spears frame”
From one speaker documentary to the next, the New York Times foray into the controversial Britney Spears Conservatory made fans think of early 2000s pop music and, more importantly, sparked important conversations about how young female stars were portrayed in the media.
More:‘Framing Britney’ reveals a problem bigger than Britney
More:Kim Kardashian West sympathizes with Britney Spears and calls tabloids for “bullying” while pregnant with North
Then: TV and movie zoom reunions
Lockdown originally shut down movie and TV sets, which meant it was harder to get new content from traditional media (see: Our Obsession with TikTok). But celebrities didn’t let that stop them from banding together for provisional reboots and reunions through Zoom. Some of our favorites were “Parks and Rec”, “Mean Girls” and “Back to the Future”.
Now: New TV episodes with COVID-19 storylines
Some devices have since been reopened with existing COVID security protocols. The resurgence of our favorite TV shows and new movies has ushered in an era of COVID storylines as featured in This is Us, Superstore, Grey’s Anatomy and Love in the Time of Corona.
Then: Live streaming concerts at home
After the concert venues closed, musicians turned to the internet via livestream to cut down on shows at home. Some were charitable, like the #TogetherAtHome series starring Coldplay, Common, and Hozier’s Chris Martin; Some were big star fights, like Verzuz’s shows Nelly vs. Ludacris and Brandy vs. Monica; and others were artists like Pink, John Legend, Katharine McPhee, and David Foster who just jam on their own. It felt all the more special to have a live event to prepare for.
More:Top 10 Livestream Concerts You Must See Including Garth Brooks, Pink, and John Legend
Now: Live (and socially distant) appearances at the Grammys
Aside from a handful of drive-in concerts (and a few CDC-challenging shows), the world of live music hasn’t really opened up yet. Music lovers are all the more looking forward to Sunday’s Grammy Awards, where a variety of our favorite stars, including Taylor Swift, BTS, Bad Bunny and Harry Styles, take the stage for live and socially distant performances.
Grammys 2021:How to watch, how to play and what happens during the music awards
Then: “Don’t start now” by Dua Lipa
This anthem of saying “good break” to ex-lovers seemed to be everywhere in the first few months of 2020, although it was first released in late 2019. The “Don’t show up, don’t come out” lyrics took on a new one, that is, amidst stay-at-home orders, but most fans loved having a bop to sing along with with no place to show up.
Now: “Driving license” from Olivia Rodrigo
If you haven’t shouted this song out loud at least once, you’re doing wrong in 2021. The breakout (and breakup) single from 18-year-old “High School Musicals: The Musical: The Series” star Rodrigo is perfect for remembering the high school drama and features a gripping alleged Disney love triangle.
More:What we know about Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and the drama “Drivers License”
Then: TikTok is dancing
When Gen Zers (and some super cool millennials too) first got a feel for quarantine, it’s safe to say that many were “bored in the house” and “bored in the house”. The solution: TikTok viral dances that video social media app users tried to learn – some of us better than others. Some favorites in the early stages of quarantine: Jason Derulos “Savage Love”, Benees “Supalonely” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage”.
Now: Celebrities on TikTok
We regulars weren’t the only ones who joined the TikTok train last year – it’s now common for big stars like Lizzo, Miley Cyrus and John Mayer to appear on the “For You Page”. (Jason Derulo earns extra points for being the first big star to captivate fans with over-the-top, quality content before most of the rest of the time.)
Then: John Krasinski’s “Some Good News”
Another early quarantine fix for the lack of new shows: “The Office” star John Krasinski made his own. The online talk show he shot at home to lift people’s spirits with only positive stories gained a huge following in the two-month shows and welcomed (virtually) high-profile guests like Brad Pitt, Chance the Rapper, Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey.
Now: John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place Part II” and a possibly normal summer cinema cast
Some states have started reopening theaters, and studios are releasing some blockbuster titles the old-fashioned way (like not online) over the next few months, which means hopeful moviegoers may have a chance at a summer full of movies that tend to be like that look what we are used to. (Though wearing masks, social distancing, and the like are still important.) Among the big titles to be released soon: Marvel’s “Black Widow” (May 7th), “A Quiet Place Part II” (May 28th ) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (July 2nd).
15 films that we will (hopefully!) See in a cinema in 2021, from ‘Suicide Squad’ to ‘Top Gun 2’
More:It’s been a year since I’ve been to a movie theater and I’m not doing well
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