We are halfway through 2016 and boy, lots of moments have passed by. Normally the the "Top 10 Worst of ___" lists are reserved until the end of said year, but why wait another six months? Let's take a look back at the Top 10 Worst of Mid-2016. Who knows, maybe we'll see some of them again on the official "Top 10 Worst of 2016" list in December.
1. David Bowie and Alan Rickman's Deaths
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Photo Credit: My Memory (UK)
Unfortunately 2016 did not start off with a bang.
On January 10, 2016, David Bowie died from an 18 month battle with cancer at the age of 69. He was known as a legendary artist and singer, reinventing the pop music and culture scene that influenced many musicians such as Queen, Lady Gaga, Jay Z, Nirvana, Madonna and more. Furthermore, David Bowie's androgyny and sexual fluidity broke down many social boundaries, allowing future generations to accept themselves for who they are.
Within the same week, English actor and director Alan Rickman died on January 14, 2016 from cancer at the same age of 69. He was "one of Britain's best-loved acting stars" as he played Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard. He was man of incredible talent and charm with film critic Jason Solomons stating, "He had a gift for being sneeringly withering".
Which is why it was so heartbreaking to not lose one, but two great legends within a short time frame. David Bowie and Alan Rickman were unique in their own ways, although both left their marks either on stage or on the screen for the world to see. These great men will forever be cherished and remembered since they are immortalized within their works that will be shared for future generations to come.
2. Kesha vs. Dr. Luke
Photo Credit: Entertainment Weekly
Back in October 2014, Kesha filed a complaint against famous producer Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Gottwald). In the file, Kesha claims Dr. Luke "emotionally and physically abused her" as well as threatening to "shut her career down" if she spoke out the situation. However, it got to a point where Kesha filed an affidavit in 2015 to grant her a preliminary injunction and writes, "I cannot work with Dr. Luke. I physically cannot."
So when New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich did not allow pop singer Kesha to leave her recording contract with producer Dr. Luke in February 2016, of course social media was outraged. The #FreeKesha movement sparked a wave of support for the "Tik Tok" singer as fans and celebrities criticized the ruling for its insensitivity towards victims of rape and abuse and disregarding Kesha's value as a human.
Photo Credit: Hollywood Gossip
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3. Dog Filter
Photo Credit: Allure
Snapchat released a major update back in February 2016 where they launched seven animated special effects called "Lens," and thus the Dog Filter was born. Like every other hot trend, it becomes overexposed and overused to the point where it is annoying.
Photo Credit: Twitter
Although @MeninistTweet posted a tweet on March 1 accusing women who use the filter of being promiscuous.
Photo Credit: KnowYourMeme
Rude.
Once or twice is fine with me, but if I have to see the animated dog-face on my Snapchat feed for the billionth time in a row, this will happen:
Actually not really since my mom will not buy me another one.
But back to the Dog Filter — some people love it; some people hate it. Will it last for the rest of the year? We'll see, but even though the Dog Filter temporarily disappeared due to X-Men: Apocalypse buying out all of the lenses for the movie, some people thought it was a blessing:
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed
4. Damn Daniel Vine
"Daaaaaaamn, Daniel! Back at it again with the white vans!"
Ah yes, when the "Damn Daniel" vine went viral around February 2016, all the other Daniels were probably hibernating until this new sensation died down. As for everyone else, the words "Damn Daniel" were repeatedly heard throughout February so much so that you thought it was a broken disc. The phrase was said everywhere, from Snapchat to remixes on YouTube. Of course like every hit sensation on social media, the "Damn Daniel" duo appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Photo Credit: NBC/ Via youtube.com
Hilariously Josh, the guy who yells out those famous words, received a surfboard while his friend Daniel got a lifetime supply of vans.
Fair enough.
5. North Carolina House Bill 2
The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as HB2, or a national embarrassment, is an act passed by the North Carolina state legislature that eliminates anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community and also bans people from using public bathrooms that "do not correspond to their biological sex." Dubbed as the most anti-LGBT law in the United States, many public figures such as Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper and U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch have criticized the bill. Businesses such as PayPal and Google Ventures are either pulling their investment plans out or reconsidering their projects with North Carolina after the law was passed.
Furthermore, the people protested against the bill with #WeAreNotThis on Twitter and the response was amazing:
Photo Credit: Charlotte Observer
I'm guessing Gov. Pat McCrory's "common sense" stance is really paying off, huh?
(Hint: Not really)
6) Ghostbusters Reboot Movie Backlash
Photo Credit: MSNBC
After just one trailer, the reboot of the 1984 classic movie has already sparked controversy and criticism. The reason? The all-female cast. Kristen Wiig, who stars in the upcoming film, was shocked by the Ghostbusters backlash, stating, "Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women. It didn't make me mad; it just really bummed me out. We're really honoring those movies."
Many people, specifically male fans, nitpicked the trailer as they complained about the CGI-heavy special effects, the replacement of the original cast and the lack of humor. One movie critic even said he refuses to review the new film.
A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?
Then again this whole backlash towards the Ghostbusters reboot is a mess. Apparently the trailer is the most disliked video on YouTube.
See:
842, 366 haters and counting.
7. Prince's Death
Photo Credit: Style Magazine
2016 took another legend from us.
On April 21, 2016 the iconic artist Prince died at the age of 57. He was one of America's most influential rock musicians whose songs ranged from R&B, pop, funk and soul. Prince was creative, bold and mysterious with music critic Jim Farber calling him a "transcendent figure" who managed to "get to the top of rock radio and MTV playlists as an African-American at a time when other black artists couldn't."
His achievements as an artistic were vast: a seven-time Grammy winner, sold over 100 million records during his career, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain in 1985 and was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Prince was one-of-a-kind, a musician that can never be replaced or mimicked. In the words of President Barack Obama, "'A strong spirit transcends rules,' Prince once said-- and nobody's spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative."
8. Running Man Challenge
Yes, it is another internet sensation that has gone viral among social media. Like the Harlem Shake back in 2013, the Running Man Challenge is a dance craze that uses an old dance and song from 1996 Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo."
The challenge was invented by these two boys on Instagram, however, it wasn't until Marlyand basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley did the challenge that it became mainstream.
And just like every other trend that hits social media, the general public started filming their own Running Man. Videos of people doing the dance were soon everywhere, from Facebook to Snapchat. It got to a point where local morning shows participated in the challenge and eventually was overexposed.
Of course, a viral dance craze is not complete until they visit The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
At least they were not given a life-time supply of vans though.
9. Twerking Nose
Basically what the name implies: people drawing butts on their nose and making it twerk.
I wish I were kidding.
This trend is fairly recent and was started by a Rihanna fan from the Philippines. She drew Rihanna on her nose and made her twerk to the hit song "Work".
The next milestone of this trend before disappearing: getting on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
10. Donald Trump
Photo Credit: Business Insider
Do I really need to explain this one? I mean, even our national animal, the bald eagle, hates him.
See:
'Merica!
