Rolling Stone

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Rolling Stone covers pop culture, sports, and entertainment in the United States and internationally,

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2015 Year in Review

 

Music - The Grammy for Record of the Year went to Mark Robinson and Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk'  and Album of the Year went to Taylor Swift's '1989'. The Grammy for Best New Artist went to Megan Trainor and Best Rap Album went to Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly'. The CMA's Entertainer of the Year was Luke Bryan and Album of the Year went to Christ Stapleton's 'Traveler' . The top two placements on the Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2015 was Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' in the number 1 spot and Adele's '25' taking second. 

 

Television - 'NCIS' was the most-watched television series in 2015 with 'Big Bang Theory' and 'Empire' in the top five. The Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series was 'VEEP' and the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series was 'Game of Thrones'. The Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series was a milestone for television as Jeffrey Tambor won for his portrayal of a trans woman in 'Transparent' produced by Amazon. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series was Viola Davis for "How to Get Away with Murder' and Peter Dinklage won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in 'Game of Thrones'. 

 

Cinema - Leonardo DiCaprio finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "The Revenant' and Best Picture went to the masterful storytelling film on the journalists who exposed sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the form of 'Spotlight'. Best Actress was won by Brie Larson for 'Room' and Disney went home with another Academy Award with their Best Animated Picture Award for 'Inside Out'. The Best Foreign Language Picture stoking thought-provoking conversation about a Hungarian prisoner at Auschwitz went to 'Son of Saul' and Best Documentary sparked attention towards Pakistan's honor killings with 'A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness'. 

 

Sports - Super Bowl XLIX was played on February 1, 2015 and was won by the New England Patriots over the Seattle Seahawks by a vote of 28-24. The Super Bowl Halftime Show was Katy Perry, featuring Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott, and the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. The 2014–15 NBA season was won by the Golden State Warriors over the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 with Season MVP being Stephen Curry. The Kansas City Royals emerged as the World Series Champions of the MLB over the New York Mets for the 2014-2015 season. The Stanley Cup went to the Chicago Blackhawks for the NHL and the 2015 British Open was won by American Zach Johnson. Athletes around the world are gearing up for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

Pop Culture - 'Hotline Bling' by Drake was the defining song of the summer and the Lee Daniel's created 'Empire' quickly became one of the most-watched on television. Amy Schumer has found herself at the peak of her comedy career and 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sparked controversy from conservative family organizations. Taylor Swift's '1989' World Tour was a resounding success, with many wondering if she could achieve an even more successful tour in eight years, and 'Hamilton' depicting the life of Treasury Secretary and revolutionary Alexander Hamilton quickly became a Broadway sensation and boosted the stardom of Lin Manuel Miranda. The death of Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones' shocked fans worldwide and Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world as a transgender woman. Netflix is on the rise as streaming platforms become more popular and 'Star Wars The Force Awakes' brings fans to the theaters all around the globe in a resurgence for the franchise. TIME Magazine's Person of the Year was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Nobel Peace Prize went to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet.

 

Social Media - Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp continued to dominate as the three most used apps globally. Snapchat is in its infancy while Pinterest and Tumblr find strong followings. YouTube has continued to grow exponentially and both Vine and Instagram becomes hits with young people. GIFs, Emojis, and filters become available across various platforms. Social media usage is on the rise across all demographics.

 

In Memoriam - Stuart Scott (age 49), Natalie Cole (age 65), Leonard Nimoy (age 83), Beau Biden (age 46), Fred Thompson (age 73), Bobbi Kristina Brown (age 22), Mario Cuomo (age 82), Alex Rocco (age 79), Omar Sharif (age 83), Bob Simon (age 73), Christopher Lee (age 93), B.B. King (age 89), Suzanne Crough (age 52), Ben E. King (age 76), Lesley Gore (age 68), 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper (age 61), Julian Bond (age 75), Yogi Berra (age 90), Scott Weiland (age 48), Helmut Schmidt (age 96), Denis Healy (age 98), Wes Craven (age 76), Saud al-Faisal (age 75), Lee Kuan Yew (age 91), King Abdullah (age 90).