The highs and lows of pop culture in 2018

While some things in the world could be going better, it was at least another fascinating year in pop culture. A yodeling boy from a Walmart aisle 3 went viral, the people behind the charming “Crazy Rich Asians” got crazy rich and The Rock took a breather by only releasing 16 projects. In a nod to Brett Kavanaugh, let’s flip back through our calendars and revisit the highs — and yes, some lows — of TV, movies, music and celebrities this past year. Jan. 28 Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Kesha at the Grammys The singer is joined onstage by dozens of white-clad female singers for a buzzworthy #MeToo tribute. Too bad the show was broadcast on CBS. Feb. 4 Justin Timberlake flops at Super Bowl LII Justin Timberlake returns to the big game’s halftime show after the notorious 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” and underwhelms with a milquetoast medley. They should have just had the Prince hologram perform the whole thing. Jack’s death revealed on “This Is Us” Crock-Pot cooked when it’s forced to defend itself after a very special episode of the weepy drama finally clears up a long-running mystery, revealing that a fire caused by a slow cooker led to Jack’s demise. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Nor would you want to. Feb. 16 [embedded content] “Black Panther” storms theaters A film about a third-tier character, who’s had trouble even sustaining his own comic book title over the years, goes on to become the year’s biggest domestic earner. Man, studios should really start making some superhero flicks. Feb. 18 [embedded content] Fergie botches the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game The singer shoots the vocal equivalent of an airball with a slowed-down, sexed-up version. The NBA hasn’t been party to a musical travesty this bad since the last time Knicks owner James Dolan’s rock band performed. March 16 “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens on Broadway The red-hot London import bows on Broadway, and audiences watch as their money disappears, with scalped seats to see the original story about the adult wizard asking as much as $5,000. March 27 Adam Rose/ABC via AP “Roseanne” returns ABC revives the blunt-force sitcom after a nearly 21-year hiatus, giving the network enough time to plan for absolutely every factor that could affect the show’s success. Absolutely every one. April 16 Kendrick Lamar wins a Pulitzer Prize In a curveball, the awards committee hands the prestigious prize to the rapper for his album “DAMN.” The honor comes with a $15,000 prize. “Do you have change for a $30,000?” Lamar asks the committee. April 28 Reuters Michelle Wolf stirs controversy at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Wolf roasts Donald Trump, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the media so ferociously, it forces the hosting body to actually rethink the dumb event. May 18 Peter steals “Deadpool 2” Despite all the new characters crammed into the sequel, it’s Peter, the dad-bod everyman member of X-Force played by Rob Delaney, who is the breakout. His eventual Disney ride will allow visitors to sit in a comfy chair and compute their earned income tax credit. May 19 AP Prince Harry weds Meghan Markle The British heir marries mixed-race American Meghan Markle, leading to endless speculation about whether Harry’s family will accept someone so different. After all, Markle is only cable-TV-star-rich. June “Fortnite” continues to dominate screens In June, the video-game maker announces it has attracted a whopping 125 million players — though most of us are no closer to knowing what the hell it is. June 15 Wretched “Gotti” opens The biopic starring John Travolta as the infamous mob boss gets whacked by critics, earning a 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers might rather spend a year in a maximum-security federal prison. June 21 [embedded content] Paul McCartney goes for a “Carpool Karaoke” In arguably the greatest installment of the long-running late-night segment, the former Beatle returns to Liverpool, stopping by his childhood home and rolling down Penny Lane. All the while, Paul makes sure to introduce himself to stunned locals, as if they don’t know who he is. That’s for Ringo. June 29 Drake acknowledges secret child on “Scorpion” After weeks of rumors, the rapper steps up nobly and confirms that he has a son with a French woman. “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world/I was hiding the world from my kid,” he raps on the album. Might want to hide those old episodes of “Degrassi” from him, as well. Sept. 20 Disney chief announces pull-back on “Star Wars” After the summer’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” fizzles, Disney’s Bob Iger admits in an interview that the amount of “Star Wars” material may have been “a little too much.” Bad news for people hoping for a trilogy about how Greedo got his vest. Oct. 11 CNP/startraksphoto.com Kanye West visits the White House Ye stops by the Oval Office and launches into a rambling 10-minute monologue that is so incoherent, he nearly lands a position in Trump’s cabinet. Oct. 14 Celebrity couple-of-the-moment Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson split Who’d have thought we’d ever live in a world where two kids who moved in together, got matching tattoos and got engaged a few weeks after meeting don’t last? Nov. 12 Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Stan Lee dies The world, and fanboys, mourn after pop-culture force Lee passes away. On the plus side, he accomplishes something that’s unheard of at Marvel: actually ending a story. Dec. 16 Kentucky radio station plays “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for two straight hours The station says the song captures what the holidays are truly about: providing gathered families with petty culture-war ammunition to argue about around the tree. 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