{"id":1888,"date":"2022-03-25T17:11:57","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T17:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/2021-was-another-difficult-year-these-100-things-made-usa-todays-entertainment-team-happy-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2022-03-25T17:11:57","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T17:11:57","slug":"2021-was-another-difficult-year-these-100-things-made-usa-todays-entertainment-team-happy-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/25\/2021-was-another-difficult-year-these-100-things-made-usa-todays-entertainment-team-happy-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 was another difficult year. These 100 things made USA TODAY's entertainment team happy. – USA TODAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

2021: A bit better. Still not great.
Some might even argue that 2021 felt worse than 2020, when we faced the start of\u00a0a raging pandemic, a renewed\u00a0fight for racial equality, a divisive election and the loss of Alex Trebek<\/a>.
This year\u00a0welcomed us\u00a0with the Capitol Hill riots<\/a> and moved on to\u00a0the Atlanta spa shootings<\/a>, wildfires, a tragedy at the Astroworld festival<\/a>, the losses of Larry King<\/a>, Cicely Tyson<\/a>, DMX<\/a>, Prince Philip<\/a>, Norm Macdonald<\/a> and\u00a0Stephen Sondheim<\/a>,\u00a0and \u2013 despite vaccines\u00a0\u2013 COVID-19 deaths that surpassed the coronavirus death toll in 2020<\/a>.\u00a0
But enough with the bad stuff. You didn’t click on this story for that. You’re here for the good stuff, which surprisingly was there if you look for it. That’s\u00a0the power of entertainment\u00a0\u2013 the music, the television, the movies, the books.\u00a0They are what inspire\u00a0us, lift\u00a0us up and make\u00a0us feel seen when we need it the most.\u00a0
From stars’\u00a0history-making achievements\u00a0to outrageous red carpet looks, here\u00a0are 100 things that brought joy to\u00a0USA TODAY’s Life and Entertainment\u00a0staff in 2021, in no particular order.
Best TV of 2021:<\/strong>We pick the best shows, from ‘Ted Lasso’ to ‘Mare of Easttown’ to ‘Squid Game’<\/a>
Best books of 2021:<\/strong>These 17 titles received four-star reviews from USA TODAY critics<\/a>
1. Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen<\/a> took tequila shots during New Year\u2019s Eve coverage on CNN to say good riddance to a \u201cfecal year.\u201d
2. Adele<\/a> made fans\u00a0feel less alone with her new album, \u201c30,\u201d and her fervent plea for grace in her hit single, \u201cEasy On Me.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0
3. Taylor Swift<\/a> reclaimed her work by re-recording and re-releasing her \u201cFearless\u201d and \u201cRed\u201d albums, which included some new music and a new, longer version of \u201cAll Too Well.\u201d
4. Then Swift sang the song in all its 10-minute glory on \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d<\/a>
5. Swift\u2019s scarf<\/a> re-entered the pop-culture conversation. (\u201cAll Too Well\u201d\u00a0is believed to be inspired by Swift’s brief relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal.) Even Dionne Warwick weighed in on Twitter, telling \u201cthat young man\u201d to return the scarf: \u201cIt does not belong to you. Box it up and I will pay the cost of postage, Jake.\u201d
6. Beyonc\u00e9<\/a> set a new Grammys record for most wins by a female artist.\u00a0
7. She also stunned with her husband Jay-Z in a Tiffany & Co. ad campaign<\/a>, wearing the brand’s iconic 128.54-carat diamond, and becoming only the fourth woman \u2013 and first Black woman \u2013 to do so since the jeweler was founded in 1877.
8. Ariana Grande<\/a> earned her 20th Guinness World Record,\u00a0the most songs to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. South Korean supergroup BTS<\/a> kept us dancing all summer with \u201cButter.\u201d
10. BTS also made Grammy Awards history<\/a> with a nomination for best pop duo\/group performance for “Dynamite,” a first for a K-pop group.\u00a0
11. The K-pop group also gave its first concert<\/a> in two years after the pandemic derailed a\u00a0world tour. It was a big year for the BTS Army.
12. Lil Nas X<\/a> won the VMAs red carpet with his glittery, lavender prom-inspired look.\u00a0
13. Lady Gaga<\/a> nailed singing the national anthem at President Joe Biden\u2019s inauguration.
14.\u00a0Amanda Gorman<\/a> performed her powerful poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration, becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.
15. Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Carole King and other favorites were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame<\/a>.
16. Everything about Dolly Parton<\/a>,\u00a0including the time she soothed a stressed Stephen Colbert<\/a> when she broke out in song during a virtual interview on “The Late Show”\u00a0and the \u201cadorable\u201d throwback pic<\/a> she shared of husband Carl Dean.
17. The return of live music. When the Foo Fighters reopened Madison Square Garden<\/a>, it was \u201ca dream come true\u201d for lead singer\u00a0Dave Grohl. \u201cGoddamn, I missed the attention,\u201d he quipped during the nearly three-hour show.\u00a0
18. The return of Broadway shows<\/a>.
19. The comeback of trick-or-treating! We felt safer congregating for other holidays this year, too, like Rosh Hashanah<\/a>.
20. Demi Lovato<\/a> came out as nonbinary, allowing them \u201cto feel most authentic.\u201d
21. Stars, including John Legend, Halle Berry and Ringo Starr<\/a>,\u00a0got vaccinated and encouraged others to do the same. “Black-ish” actor Anthony Anderson told USA TODAY<\/a> he got vaccinated in March after initially being “on the fence” about it. After speaking to his physicians and a doctor friend, he changed his mind and is encouraging others to do the same.
22. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck<\/a> got back together. They were an early 2000s super couple before both moved onto other love interests \u2013 Lopez with Marc Anthony and Alex Rodriguez and Affleck with Jennifer Garner. Those relationships fizzled out, too, but Lopez and Affleck rekindled their love this\u00a0year, and shared some PDA at events<\/a>.
23. Chlo\u00e9\u00a0Zhao made Oscar history<\/a>, becoming the first woman of color to win best director for her haunting, meditative drama “Nomadland.”
24. Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson also made Oscar history<\/a> as the first Black women to earn awards\u00a0for best makeup and hairstyling.
25. And Viola Davis made Oscar history<\/a>, too, as the most-nominated Black actress of all time.
26.\u00a0Glenn Close did \u201cDa Butt\u201d dance<\/a> at the Oscars. The skit was scripted, but the booty-shaking became a beloved, viral moment.
27. Simi Liu<\/a> gave the Marvel Cinematic Universe the refreshing kick in the face it needed as the franchise\u2019s first lead Asian superhero in \u201cShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.\u201d<\/a>
28. \u201cPose\u201d star Michaela Ja\u00e9\u00a0Rodriguez<\/a> (formerly Mj Rodriguez)\u00a0cried \u201ctears of joy\u201d after she was nominated for an Emmy, making her the first transgender performer nominated in a lead drama category.
29. RuPaul Charles<\/a> also sashayed into Emmys history, becoming the most-awarded Black artist with 11 wins after VH1’s \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u201d won the award for top competition program for the fourth year in a row.\u00a0
30. Michaela Coel<\/a> won an outstanding writing Emmy for HBO limited series “I May Destroy You” and accepted the honor in a powerful speech: “I dedicate this story to every single survivor of sexual assault,” she said<\/a>.
31. \u201cTed Lasso\u201d<\/a> was nominated for a record 20 Emmys and won seven, and we can see why: The unabashedly feel-good show was a pandemic binge-watch.
32. Mother-and-daughter duo Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley<\/a> captured hearts in the limited Netflix series \u201cMaid,\u201d which brought to light issues surrounding generational trauma and poverty.
33. Noodle the pug<\/a> earned our collective love with his oh-so-relatable TikTok predictions of \u201cbones\u201d or \u201cno bones\u201d days, so we knew when to get after it and when to rest and recharge.
34. Netflix kept viewers watching by adding more non-English content<\/a>, like Spanish \u201cMoney Heist,\u201d French\u00a0\u201cLupin\u201d and its biggest hit, South Korea’s “Squid Game,”\u00a0and American audiences fell in love.\u00a0
35. Ed Sheeran returned<\/a> after four-plus years\u00a0and gave us the \u201cShivers\u201d with his new studio album \u201c=\u201d (pronounced \u201cEquals\u201d).
36. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak became musical supergroup Silk Sonic<\/a> and finally released their silky smooth album \u201cAn Evening with Silk Sonic,\u201d featuring nine tracks of nostalgic, bass-heavy rhythms.
37. Mariah Carey<\/a>, the queen of Christmas, blessed us with yet another holiday special.
38. Right before Thanksgiving, when family was top of mind, Disney released the joyous movie “Encanto,”<\/a> which follows Mirabel, a teen who\u00a0finds her way after feeling like an outcast among her large Madrigal family.
39. William Shatner<\/a> and Michael Strahan<\/a> went to space.
40. Leyna Bloom<\/a> became the first transgender woman of color to grace the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue<\/a> since the iconic magazine’s inception of the swimsuit issue nearly 60 years ago\u00a0\u2013 and she understood the assignment.
41. Philippines-born\u00a0influencer Bretman Rock<\/a> also made magazine history as the first gay male cover star of Playboy.
42. Laverne Cox landed a new role<\/a> as host of E!’s awards-show or red-carpet coverage, starting in 2022,\u00a0putting a transgender woman front and center of Hollywood’s biggest events from the Grammy Awards to the Oscars.
43. “13 Reasons Why” star Tommy Dorfman reintroduced herself<\/a> as a trans woman. “This is an evolution of Tommy. I\u2019m becoming more Tommy,” she said.
44. JoJo Siwa<\/a>,\u00a0who came out as a member of the LGBTQ community in January, made history on \u201cDancing With The Stars\u201d<\/a> by competing with a same-sex partner. They nearly won it, but were edged out by former NBA star Iman Shumpert.
45. Women athletes made bold statements<\/a> at the Tokyo Olympics: Simone Biles prioritized her mental health, German gymnasts traded high-cut leotards for full-body unitards and breastfeeding mothers publicly denounced a policy that forbade them from bringing their nursing infants to the event.
46. Rapper Lizzo and actor Chris Evans made us giggle<\/a>\u00a0with a hilarious social media exchange. Lizzo, who has publicly revealed her crush on Evans, sent the “Captain America” star a flirty message while drinking\u00a0and\u00a0Evans gave the best response:\u00a0“No shame in a drunk DM,” he said. Then added: “God knows i’ve done worse on this app lol.”
47. Cardi B and Penn Badgley\u2019s Twitter exchange<\/a> also made our day with their adorable admiration for each other. When a clip resurfaced of the “You” actor praising the rapper, Cardi B responded:\u00a0“HE KNOWS ME !!!OMMMGGGG!!!!!!” The two then swapped their profile pics to pics of each other.
48. Cardi B also welcomed her second child<\/a>, a baby boy. Scarlett Johansson, Pete Buttigieg, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan and more than 100 other celebrities also welcomed babies this year<\/a>.
49. Kids television shows became more diverse<\/a> and taught children about race and LGBTQ issues.\u00a0Netflix animated series \u201cRidley Jones\u201d launched in July featuring a\u00a0non-binary bison named Fred and “Sesame Street”\u00a0introduced\u00a0two new Black Muppets and\u00a0featured its\u00a0first\u00a0recurring, married same-sex couple.
50. Megan Thee Stallion graduated<\/a>! The rapper earned a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University.
51. Kristen Stewart gave a stellar performance<\/a> as Princess Diana in director Pablo Larra\u00edn\u2019s\u00a0brilliant film \u201cSpencer.\u201d
52. Celebrities including Brooke Shields and Angelina Jolie upcycled their red carpet gowns<\/a> through their kids.
53. Amy Schumer<\/a> was dressed in a tampon costume for Halloween.
54. Lizzo walked around Hollywood as Grogu.
55. Ye, formerly Kanye, finally released “Donda.”<\/a>
56. We finally found out what happened to Black Widow<\/a> and James Bond<\/a>.
57. Rachel Zegler<\/a> turned heads as the breakout star of\u00a0Steven Spielberg’s\u00a0\u201cWest Side Story\u201d remake<\/a>, with Rita Moreno in a new role.\u00a0\u00a0
58. Jamie Dornan sang, danced and ripped shirts<\/a> in the movie “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.”
59. Bob Odenkirk is OK<\/a>. The \u201cBetter Call Saul\u201d star scared fans after collapsing on the show’s New Mexico set. Thankfully, he recovered from what was described as a\u00a0\u201csmall heart attack.\u201d
60. Actor Adam Driver was the centaur<\/a> we didn’t know we needed. The actor’s Burberry fragrance ad had\u00a0social media users swooning.
61. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain<\/a> got\u00a0caught in a sultry moment on the red carpet \u2013 which was even sexier in slow motion. Turns out HBO’s “Scenes From a Marriage” stars “were acting” and are just friends, but fans were pleased with the heated exchange.\u00a0
62.\u00a0Peter Jackson made us feel better about The Beatles\u2019 breakup with his “Get Back” documentary<\/a>.\u00a0
63. Steve Harvey\u2019s outfits<\/a> made us look again, especially when he paired three denim pieces together and rocked it.
64. Swedish pop group ABBA returned<\/a> with their first album in 40\u00a0years, “Voyage.”
65. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark<\/a>, revealed her awesome secret girlfriend of 19 years.
66. Hulu\u2019s \u201cOnly Murders in the Building\u201d<\/a> brought joy, mystery and intergenerational fun.\u00a0
67. Matt Amodio broke records<\/a> on \u201cJeopardy!\u201d His\u00a038-game\u00a0streak and\u00a0winnings of $1,518,601 put him second in the game show’s Hall of Fame, just behind GOAT Ken Jennings.
68. Amy Schneider also made waves<\/a> on “Jeopardy!,” sending \u201ca positive message to the nerdy trans girl.\u201d The engineering manager from Oakland, California, became the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for a spot in the Tournament of Champions.
69. Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet charmed<\/a> in his “Saturday Night Live” debut with a coronavirus skit and Harry Styles impersonation. He also starred in three movies this year: “Don’t Look Up,” “Dune” and “The French Dispatch.”\u00a0\u00a0
70. The Met Gala<\/a> and red carpets returned, bringing back outrageous looks.
71. Lady Gaga<\/a> owned the red carpet for the \u201cHouse of Gucci\u201d premiere.\u00a0
72. Michelle Zauner released a powerful memoir \u201cCrying in H Mart.\u201d Goodreads named it the year\u2019s best memoir<\/a>.
73. Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro took stock of humanity with \u201cKlara and the Sun.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0
74. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead returned with twisty crime novel \u201cHarlem Shuffle.\u201d<\/a>
75. Amor Towles gave us a new great American novel with \u201cThe Lincoln Highway.\u201d<\/a>
76. Melissa Lozada-Oliva wrote the super trippy and amazing novel \u201cDreaming Of You.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0
77. Actor Channing Tatum wrote a children\u2019s book<\/a> about being a girl dad\u00a0called \u201cThe One and Only Sparkella.\u201d
78. Original \u201cBlue\u2019s Clues\u201d host Steve Burns gave us a virtual big, warm hug<\/a> when he took to social media just to check in and tell us \u201cwe look great.\u201d Burns also reunited with other former “Clues” hosts\u00a0Donovan Patton and Joshua Dela Cruz at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade<\/a>, which brought even more tears.\u00a0
79. Bad Bunny<\/a> released a song with Julieta Venegas, “Lo Siento BB:\/” and it was everything.
80. Beach House<\/a> finally released new music.\u00a0
81. Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson sang together<\/a> and it was epic.\u00a0
82. Tinashe\u2019s new album<\/a>\u00a0“333” gave us everything.
83. Billie Eilish<\/a> proved yet again why she\u2019s the queen of pop music, with a stellar album \u201cHappier Than Ever.\u201d\u00a0
84. Chloe Bailey had us screaming \u201cLord, have mercy\u201d with new single “Have Mercy.”<\/a>
85. \u201cDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 The Movie: Mugen Train\u201d<\/a>\u00a0premiered in the U.S., and it was the best.\u00a0
86. U.S.-born entertainer, anti-Nazi spy and civil rights activist Josephine Baker was inducted into France\u2019s Pantheon<\/a> and became the first Black woman to receive the nation’s highest honor.
87. Paris Hilton got married<\/a>.
88.\u00a0Lindsay Lohan got engaged<\/a>.
89.\u00a0Britney Spears was released<\/a> from her conservatorship.\u00a0She also got engaged to her boyfriend Sam Asghari<\/a>, complete with a \u201clioness\u201d ring.
90.\u00a0Other stars took their love to the next level<\/a>,\u00a0including Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer, Kate Hudson and Danny Fujikawa, Issa Rae and Louis Diame, and Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. We won\u2019t talk about the breakups, unless those make you happy.
91. Olivia Rodrigo released her first album<\/a> \u201cSour\u201d and immediately became iconic.
92. Black\u00a0queer love stories<\/a> were told more prominently on TV thanks to Lil Nas X, “Master of None” and “Sex Education.\u201d\u00a0
93. The definitive gay holiday Christmas rom-com, \u201cSingle All The Way,\u201d<\/a> arrived.\u00a0
94. Lorde\u2019s new music arrived<\/a>.
95. Netflix’s real-estate reality show \u201cSelling Sunset\u201d<\/a> returned with so much (campy) drama.
96. HBO’s \u201cSuccession\u201d<\/a> finally came back.
97. Netflix dropped new episodes of \u201cOn My Block,\u201d<\/a> and a pretty flawless series finale.
98. Most \u201cSex and The City\u201d characters returned in HBO Max’s “And Just Like That\u2026”<\/a> with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, but not\u00a0Kim Cattrall.
99. Streaming services helped us entertain our kids at home with new movies like \u201cPaw Patrol\u201d<\/a> on Paramount Plus and \u201cBoss Baby 2\u201d<\/a> on Peacock.
100. Manic pixie dream boys\u00a0like Pete Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly<\/a>\u00a0took over our lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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2021: A bit better. Still not great.Some might even argue that 2021 felt worse than 2020, when we faced the start of\u00a0a raging pandemic, a renewed\u00a0fight for racial equality, a divisive election and the loss of Alex Trebek.This year\u00a0welcomed us\u00a0with the Capitol Hill riots and moved on to\u00a0the Atlanta spa shootings, wildfires, a tragedy at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1888"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}