In 2021, the entertainment sector was still in slow motion due to a pandemic, but the drama created by its top actors didn’t slow down in the least.
Following a Los Angeles Times investigation, the Golden Globes organization and telecast crumbled. The selection of a new host to replace the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy” was a disaster. In 2019, actor Jussie Smollett of “Empire” was found guilty of lying about an alleged racist and homophobic attack. “The Closer,” a Netflix special by comedian Dave Chappelle, received more boos than chuckles.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died from a gunshot wound on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust” which is one of the year’s most terrible events.
Below are five of the year’s most anticipated dramas, starring some of Hollywood’s greatest names, as they unfolded over the course of the year.
1. Armie Hammer
In January, the Instagram account @houseofeffie posted comments purporting to be from Hammer, detailing kinky sexual fantasies including cannibalism, rape, and other horrific actions. The posts were quite popular. Paige Lorenze, a model, and Courtney Vucekovich, the creator of an app, both recent exes of the actor, offered their own terrible experiences about him.
2. Britney Spears
Spears is a free woman after over 14 years under a conservatorship overseen mostly by her father — but it took her most of 2021 to get there, thanks to the #FreeBritney movement.
Spears originally made headlines in April when her court-appointed counsel requested that she be allowed to speak in front of the judge. In June, her testimony blew the lid off her conservatorship and focused light on conservatorships in general. A handful of highly publicized documentaries added to the intrigue, showing the performer’s intense surveillance and control.
3. Chrissy Teigen
Until May, Teigen was the foul-mouthed snark queen of Twitter. That’s when Courtney Stodden disclosed how the model-turned-influencer had tormented her for a decade on social media, even privately asking the then-teen, who was married to decades-older actor Doug Hutchison, to commit suicide. Teigen promptly expressed regret. Teigen’s apology was accepted by Stodden, but he didn’t trust it. Teigen disabled her Twitter account sometime along the way.
4. Travis Scott’s Astroworld
The Astroworld Festival was created by rapper Scott with the goal of uplifting his hometown of Houston. In the Nov. 5 crowd crush that rushed toward the stage while he and Drake played, ten individuals died after having their breath sucked out of them, and many more were wounded. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against artists, promoters, merchants, Scott’s record label, and even Apple, which broadcasted the event live on the internet. An inquiry has been begun by the federal government.
5. Harry and Meghan and Piers and Sharon
Few could have predicted the fury that would erupt after Oprah Winfrey met with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in March. Meghan told Winfrey that when she had suicidal thoughts, the palace didn’t assist her — she should have asked John Oliver about it beforehand — and that a royal family member had “concerns” about the hue of their son’s skin. The explosives went off, and more than 17 million people tuned in to see the erstwhile royals live.
Source:www.latimes.com