What a spring and summer we had! things kicked off with Hines Ward holding aloft the mirror ball as “Dancing with the Stars” champion, then Batman and snow came to Pittsburgh streets for the filming of “The Dark Knight Rises.”
In late spring, Harry Potter’s Hermione, Emma Watson, was in Pittsburgh filming “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” from that point and for the next few months — from mr. Ward and partner Kym Johnson’s win on May 25, to “American Idol” auditions that brought thousands of wannabes to Heinz Field in July, to “Antiques Roadshow” and the Batman film shoot that ended in August — you could argue that Pittsburgh was at the center of the pop culture universe.
Not that we’re ever far from being tops in pop, what with the Andy Warhol Museum bringing in exhibitions such as Alex Ross’ comic-book paintings, the ToonSeum expansion in the Pittsburgh Cultural District and Pittsburgh Dad becoming a YouTube sensation. this fall, Tom Cruise was roaming local streets, shooting “One Shot,” then promoting the opening last week of “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.” Suri Cruise may be the darling of the paparazzi, but our own little ambassador/angel, 11-year-old Jackie Evancho, was recently designated as a distinguished Pittsburgher by the Heinz History Center.
Also bringing international attention to the city is rapper Mac Miller, following in fellow Allderdice High grad Wiz Khalifa’s footsteps by naming songs for places many of us know, like “Blue Slide Park,” and soaring on the Billboard charts. Wiz’s hometown anthem “Black and Yellow” was the no. 1 Ringtone of 2011, according to Billboard’s Year in Music issue.
Those are just some of Pittsburgh’s contributions to pop culture in 2011. Here are other pop phenomenons of the year:
Highs and lows
People begin 2011 planking — getting on the ground face down, arms straight at sides, feet together, in public — and end it Tebowing — a la Denver Broncos prayerful quarterback Tim Tebow.
Pop culture on the lowbrow end is about how low can you go. the cry of “Winning!” by the man, er, warlock with tiger blood, Charlie Sheen, is part of an epic meltdown in front of a fascinated world that revels in human train wrecks. both #winning and #tigerblood become trending hashtags as Twitter, tweeting and trending continue a run as the three “T’s” of 21st-century pop culture.
Still on the lowbrow theme, King of Tweets Ashton Kutcher, who replaces mr. Sheen on the hit CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry have “oops” moments in the same week: mr. Kutcher defends Joe Paterno without the facts; mr. Perry forgets which cabinet-level department he would eliminate if he became president.
Mr. Kutcher apologizes, and his handlers persuade him to have all tweets from here forward screened.
In an unrelated event in mr. Kutcher’s hectic life, his wife, Demi Moore, files for divorce in November.
More from the campaign trail
• to go along with his “oops” moment, a video of Rick Perry whooping it up emerges, along with a racial slur found to be written on a rock on his ranch.
• Michele Bachmann addresses the wrong camera during her tea party-sponsored response to the State of the Union address, and a “Saturday Night Live” running gag is born.
• Herman Cain’s bizarre commercial with a spokesman smoking for the camera precedes allegations of sexual harassment issued by several women. he eventually suspends his campaign.
• Newt Gingrich surges in the Republican primary polls after blasting the media during a debate.
in and out of court
• Casey Anthony is found not guilty in the murder of her daughter, Caylee. A Lifetime movie is in the works, and a costume of the accused is a big seller for Halloween.
• Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
• Lindsay Lohan’s in-and-out of court saga finds her doing community service at a morgue. in an unrelated move, she finishes the year with a Playboy pictorial.
• A paternity suit against Justin Bieber is quickly retracted, but the teen pop star insists on taking a DNA test to further prove he’s not a dad. he jokes, “If it was up to me, it would’ve been a better story — like Justin Bieber went off to South America with this 27-year-old supermodel. that would’ve been an awesome rumor.”
That’s entertainment
• the Harry Potter movie franchise closes its run; “The Twilight Saga” is one film from the end; and “The Hunger Games,” the next big young adult movie adaptation, offers a first-look trailer in November.
• Director Brett Ratner lures Eddie Murphy back to the big screen, scores the producing gig at the Oscars and then gets mr. Murphy to host and … blows it all by unleashing a gay slur and bad-taste rant on Howard Stern’s radio show. Riding to the rescue: Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal.
• Simon Cowell leaves “American Idol” for “The X Factor,” and the “AI” team of Jennifer Lopez (high-profile divorce!), Steven Tyler (fall from stage!) and Randy Jackson (he’s still there!) plays on.
• DC Comics reboots 52 titles and starts them at no. 1.
• so bad it’s good: Teenager Rebecca Black’s YouTube video of catchy-annoying song “Friday” goes viral and becomes the most-watched video of 2011.
• Alec Baldwin is tossed from an American Airlines flight for refusing to power down his cell phone while playing Words with Friends. he spoofs the incident on “Saturday Night Live,” where he appears as a pilot apologizing to Alec Bald… well, himself. American Airlines responds by saying it may pull the star’s TV series, “30 Rock,” from its in-flight offerings.
• Broadway’s mega-expensive musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” continues to make millions despite technical difficulties and critical drubs, and original director Julie Taymor sues for money owed.
• Sonny and Cher’s daughter, Chastity, becomes a man named Chaz Bono and ignites controversy as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” Veteran J.R. Martinez wins the most recent round of the show.
• the queen of daytime talk, Oprah Winfrey, leaves the air, and 80-year-old Regis Philbin gives his last “Live!” performance. the ABC soap opera “All My Children” is canceled after more than 40 years on air, as is “One Life to Live.”
Weddings and break-ups
• in the wedding of 2011, Kate Middleton exudes class in becoming the Duchess of Cambridge and wife to Prince William. the wedding seen ’round the world also brought her sister, Pippa, to the attention of millions, while bringing sexy back to the British royal family: several websites are now devoted to the subject of Ms. Middleton’s “bum.”
• It’s revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child with the family’s maid, and wife Maria Shriver splits.
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony split after seven years of marriage, and, as the year comes to an end, US Magazine suggests a custody battle is brewing over their twins.
• Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were wed for 72 days before Kim filed for divorce, keeping the Kardashian clan front and center in gossip circles. in Parade magazine’s 2011 pop culture poll of most annoying celebrities, Kim Kardashian (29 percent) and Charlie Sheen (27 percent) finish just ahead of “Jersey Shore’s” Snooki (21 percent).
first published on December 27, 2011 at 12:00 am
The year in pop culture: Meet the most annoying celebrities of 2011 …
December 12th, 2011 
admin 
Comic Book fans have much to be thankful for in the past year and a lot to look forward to in the coming year.
