Bye, Zayn: 15 Of The Biggest Celebrity Moments Of 2015
Here we are at the end of another year full of big hits and sometimes even bigger flops, of breakups and reunions and a whole lot of surprises.
The entertainment industry had some major news this year that rocked our pop culture loving worlds.
Here are some of the biggest headlines we saw this year:
1. Zayn Malik Leaves One Direction
Early on in 2015, One Direction started their colossal "On the Road Again" World Tour.
Starting in South America before moving to Australia, it seemed like the meteoric group was doing swell.
That is, until photos came out of Zayn with a woman who was not his fiancée and a media storm ensued.
This led to a swift departure in the dead of night by the singer, leaving many to wonder what was next.
Joke's on you, bro.
Things are going just fine and the band's latest album, Made in the AM, debuted at number two.
They've proved they're more than capable to go on without you.
2. Lady Gaga Joins "American Horror Story: Hotel"
Lady Gaga has taken a much more lax approach to her music lately.
She hasn't put out her own album in a few years, but has put out a duets album with Tony Bennett with a subsequent, sold-out tour.
Additionally, she gave a stunning rendition of "Sound of Music" on the Oscars ,and participated in this past weekend's Sinatra tribute concert.
However, the biggest news for this star this year was that she would be joining Ryan Murphy's massive "American Horror Story" in not only a starring role, but as a villain.
News of her casting spread like wildfire and had fans of her music and the show alike freaking out. This could be the start of another crossover career, people!
3. Adele Says "Hello"
I'm sorry, but one of the most important news stories from the entertainment industry this year was the news that we would be getting new Adele music.
Tearing a page out of Beyoncé's book, Adele casually released a new song as if it wouldn't set the world on its head.
Even better?
This new song was just the beginning of AN ENTIRE ALBUM OF SONGS.
A whole new album!
It's been a few years since the release of 21, and we were all in need of new tunes to cry and eat ice cream to.
Not only that, but once 25 hit the charts, it was the fastest selling album in the US reaching three million copies in the first week. Her record shattered *NSYNC's.
That's a major feat in the time of the digital download. If anyone could do it, it would be our girl Adele.
4. Drake Dances Like A Dad In "Hotline Bling"
While his fans were excited to hear new Drake, it was the rest of the world that was stoked about every single video that came out afterward.
This song, while totally catchy, gave your Vine and Facebook loving friends some of the most hilarious spoofs of the real music video.
We experienced everything from Drake decorating cakes, carving pumpkins, dribbling a basketball, playing tennis to Tiny Belcher from "Bob's Burgers."
It even prompted a "Saturday Night Live" spoof, making fun of his dance moves (ahem, dad dancing) in the video.
It was a bigger phenomenon than Drake likely expected.
I hope he has a sense of humor about it.
5. "The Force Awakens" And So Does Harrison Ford
While we knew what was coming, it was the anticipation of the first trailer that had us rapidly staring at our screens.
I mean, for some fans, it was the first time that they had ever watched a football game.
Once the trailer dropped, it was the first trailer to hit a million views within 24 hours and tickets were selling out around the country faster than the page would load.
It also incited many hashtags and even a bit of controversy over John Boyega being a black storm trooper.
To be honest, we all know that best part of the trailer was seeing Harrison Ford back in all of his Han Solo glory. Thank goodness.
6. Eddie Redmayne Expands Potter Universe
In November, Entertainment Weekly released the first images of Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in JK Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
This set the Potter fanbase into a tizzy of excitement.
This is the first foray into the world that does not directly focus on Harry and his sometimes questionable adventures, but rather decades before, giving us a different insight to the wizarding world.
It also takes place in America!
As one of the seemingly few British actors that did not make it into the original series, Redmayne takes on the spin-off and one of the most highly anticipated cinematic adventures of 2016 head-on.
Also be on the lookout for Redmayne in "The Danish Girl" about an artist, his wife and his groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
I smell another Oscar nomination in his future.
7. And JK Rowling Brings It Back
It was announced this summer that the clandestine play JK Rowling was working on was "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
When asked to give a synopsis of the play, Rowling said that the play would focus on Harry and his son, Albus Severus, and was essentially the eighth book in the series, one we were all hoping for but assumed we would never get.
This had the hearts of Potterheads exploding around the world. First we get a spinoff, and now we get a new two-part play involving Harry?
This is just too much!
The play is set to open next summer in London.
8. The Cast Of "Hamilton" Takes The Stage
For those of us in love with theatre, you could scarcely get through anything without hearing about the new smash hit, "Hamilton."
It has a killer soundtrack that is on everyone's iPod, and an amazing cast telling the story of this great nation's founding fathers.
I mean, it's even been mentioned by Kate McKinnon's Russian character on "Saturday Night Live."
If you're looking for this year's "Book of Mormon," here it is.
9. Amy Schumer Rises To Fame
While the comedian has been around and displaying her hilarious antics on Comedy Central's "Inside Amy Schumer" since 2013, it was this year that she shot to mega fame.
A few sketches from the show made their Internet rounds, but it wasn't until her movie "Trainwreck" hit theaters that we were all about Amy.
It was a hit at the box office and we all wanted more.
We saw her out with new BFF Jennifer Lawrence, and wondered why she wasn't our best friend, as her comedy special proved she is literally us -- but just with a much bigger bank account.
She even made it into the 2016 Pirelli Calendar, which aimed to focus more on the strength and power of women rather than just sexuality.
Talk about badass.
10. Viola Davis Wins the Emmy
In the nearly seven decades that the primetime Emmys have been awarding Hollywood's best and brightest for their work on television, this year's best actress in a drama series made history.
Yes, the stunningly perfect Viola Davis took home the trophy for her work on ABC's "How to Get Away With Murder," making her the first African American woman to do so.
Her speech was illuminating and inspiring.
She thanked not only those that are giving African American women the roles they deserve, but those who are helping her steer the ship toward a better horizon.
She shouted out Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington and Halle Berry, among others.
It was a beautiful speech, a moving moment and a wonderful time in history.
11. Selena Gomez Brings Sexy Back
After her very public breakup and hiatus from the entertainment industry, Selena Gomez brought sexy back this year with her new album, Revival.
She showed us that she's a grown woman with purpose, and can deliver powerful songs about heartbreak and finding yourself and accepting that you can't fix everything.
With performances at the American Music Awards and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Selena Gomez proves she's back and not going anywhere.
12. Gal Gadot and Krysten Ritter Slay The Superhero Game
The year 2015 has been the year of the superhero.
Marvel dominated the industry on both the big and small screen.
It released "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in the spring, a trailer for the hotly anticipated "Captain America: Civil War" and "Daredevil."
"Jessica Jones" was also recently released, starring Krysten Ritter. It completely tore up Netflix and people are hooked.
Additionally, DC Comics has been flooding us with promotion for "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice."
The most important takeaway from that is that Gal Gadot slayed as Wonder Woman and proved this isn't a place just for the boys.
13. Lebron James Says “Forever and Always” to Nike
In an unprecedented deal, Lebron James knew where the money was and signed a lifetime deal with Nike.
Very few athletes have managed to strike such a deal and this is the longest commitment Nike has ever brokered.
This is huge news for someone who is already so heavily into endorsements, and is one of the highest paid players in the league.
And he's only 30!
It's a huge accomplishment for someone so young and a terrific insurance policy for when he's no longer able to play.
Other athletes that have struck similar deals are David Beckham with Adidas and Allen Iverson with Reebok.
Michael Jordan was never offered a lifetime contract, but it's pretty de facto.
14. Britney Extends Her Vegas Stay
You all know you can't help but root for Britney Spears, especially since you're starting to better understand her 2007 breakdown, the closer you get away from your last year of college.
Brit-Brit knew what was working and she decided to extend her stay at the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for another two years.
Although the stay started out a little rocky, Brit-Brit has proved that she is back and better than ever.
She's working on new music and giving everyone a better reason to go to Vegas other than getting drunk by the pool and shopping.
You go, girl.
15. Gigi Hadid Becomes The "It Girl"
While Gigi has been rising in the ranks of the modeling world, it wasn't until this year that she showed just how deserving she is of the antiquated title of Supermodel.
In a time when the digital world makes it easy for anyone to be a successful model, Gigi has gone above and beyond her peers and hustled harder than them all. (Okay, Kendall worked just as hard.)
She's secured campaign after campaign from high fashion labels, such as Tom Ford and Balmain, to makeup mainstay Maybelline, and finally nabbed one of the coveted spots in this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
It's hard to open a magazine, open your inbox or turn on your TV without seeing this Dutch/Middle Eastern beauty.
She truly deserves the titles "It Girl" and Supermodel.
We haven't seen the last of this girl and we won't for quite a long time.
This year was full of some major celebrity breakups and even more new hookups.
We also got a new Kimye baby with an absurd name (sorry not sorry, Saint), reboot wins with "Jurassic World" and losses with "The Fantastic Four," a new Bieber album full of bangers and a catastrophic Grammy nominees list that seems more focused on popularity rather than quality.
I can only imagine what 2016 has in store.
Please say it's an Adele tour that I can actually get tickets to.
Citations: Black Storm Trooper Response (NY Daily News), "Hamilton" Success SNL (Playbill), Britney Spears Vegas (E Online)
