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    • 2023 (Taylor's Version): The year in pop culture

    Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File) Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
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    In weather terminology, they call it 鈥渞apid intensification鈥 鈥 the process by which a storm strengthens dramatically in a short period.

    In pop culture terminology, they call it Taylor Swift.

    It鈥檚 not like Swift didn鈥檛 have big 鈥 huge! 鈥 years before this. But 2023? This was ridiculous.

    From the blockbuster 鈥淓ras鈥 tour that conquered the United States before a planet-vanquishing international leg, to the re-release of more albums on the road to reclaiming her catalogue, to the record-smashing concert film, to becoming a billionaire 鈥 and yeah, that thing with 鈥渢he guy on the Chiefs鈥 鈥 it all made for a year you could reasonably call 鈥2023 (Taylor鈥檚 Version).鈥

    There were, of course, non-Swiftian developments in pop culture. Beyonc茅, ever the superstar, had a huge tour herself, and ruled the box office with 鈥淩enaissance: A Film by Beyonc茅.鈥 Speaking of renaissance, look no further than Barbie 鈥 technically age 64 but now living her most fantastic life in plastic, thanks to Greta Gerwig鈥檚 record-shattering 鈥淏arbie." Through mere coincidence of timing, Gerwig's candy-coloured creation paired with 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥 to fuel 鈥淏arbenheimer,鈥 a phenomenon that singlehandedly revitalized the multiplex.

    There were comebacks, as always. The Rolling Stones never left, surely, but produced their best new music in decades. Even the Beatles released a new song. On TV, Samantha even made it back 鈥 for a minute 鈥 to the 鈥淪ex and the City鈥 franchise. A pregnant Rihanna soared (literally) at the Super Bowl, and again showed us that nobody makes a more glamorous, more fashionably late Met Gala entrance.

    Our very selective (and this year, very Swift-centric) stroll down pop culture memory lane:

    JANUARY

    If anyone needs a comeback, it鈥檚 the GOLDEN GLOBES.

    The year begins with comic JERROD CARMICHAEL deftly navigating host duties, quipping, 鈥淚鈥檓 here because I鈥檓 Black鈥 鈥 a nod to the diversity scandal plaguing the awards.

    Speaking of scandal, nobody does it better than the royals: PRINCE HARRY鈥橲 "Spare" sells more than 3.2 million copies in one week.

    Copies of the new book by Prince Harry called "Spare" are displayed at Sherman's book store in Freeport, Maine, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Also breaking records: SHAKIRA'S 鈥淏ZRP Music Session #53,鈥 in which she bitingly sings of her ex, former soccer star GERARD PIQU脡.

    January (Taylor's version): U.S. senators grill Ticketmaster about its mega-breakdown selling SWIFT tickets.

    FEBRUARY

    At the Super Bowl, RIHANNA floats above the 50-yard line in a bright red jumpsuit 鈥 and reveals a baby bump! It鈥檚 her first solo performance in seven years and her first since becoming a mother nine months earlier.

    Now鈥檚 the time to learn things we didn鈥檛 know about PAMELA ANDERSON, whose memoir 鈥淟ove, Pamela鈥 drops, joining a Netflix documentary.

    At the GRAMMYS, it's a decidedly mixed bag for BEYONC脡, who breaks the record for career wins, but is shut out in the top categories.

    HARRY STYLES bests her for album of the year, stoking controversy with his acceptance speech.

    Rihanna performs during the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

    MARCH

    It鈥檚 OSCAR time! And nobody gets slapped! 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥 lives up to its title, sweeping nearly every major category. This feel-good night proves a huge moment for Asians and Asian Americans in Hollywood.

    "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp,鈥 says an emotional KE HUY QUAN, winning best supporting actor.

    Some may have skipped the Oscars entirely 鈥 namely PEDRO PASCAL fans, catching the finale of 鈥淭he Last of Us.鈥

    Longtime Bravolebrities Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix break up when it鈥檚 revealed Sandoval has been having an affair with their 鈥淰anderpump Rules鈥 co-star, a development soon dubbed 鈥淪candoval.鈥

    In a Utah courtroom, GWYNETH PALTROW wins a battle over a ski collision, but also nabs the 鈥渜uiet luxury鈥 fashion award. And the 鈥淓ras鈥 era begins: SWIFT opens her tour in Arizona.

    APRIL

    Back to the courtroom for a sec: have you seen 鈥淛URY DUTY鈥? The TV sleeper hit sticks the landing. Somehow, regular guy RONALD GLADDEN never figured out that everyone else doing jury duty was an actor, including JAMES MARSDEN, playing a deliciously conceited 鈥 JAMES MARSDEN.

    And back to SWIFT watch: Neither confirms it, but reports say she and longtime boyfriend JOE ALWYN have split.

    MAY

    If Samuel Beckett had attended the MET GALA, he鈥檇 surely have written 鈥漌aiting for Rihanna.鈥 Most guests come in time for cocktails; RIHANNA shows up closer to dessert, but makes it worth the wait.

    This is the year JARED LETO dons a giant cat suit, but still the animal world is most memorably represented by 鈥 a COCKROACH! A real one, who walks the carpet and entertains media waiting for Rihanna, until, squish! Bye, cockroach 鈥 and bye also to the ROY kids, aka KENDALL, ROMAN and SHIV, who self-destruct gloriously in the final episodes of 鈥淪uccession."

    This combination photo shows Jared Leto dressed as Choupette the cat upon arrival at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" exhibition on Monday, May 1, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

    Leave it to Hollywood's writers, now striking, to have the cleverest signs: 鈥淗BO Max Pays HBO Minimum,鈥 reads one. They will remain on strike for nearly 150 days, joined by the actors in July.

    JUNE

    We'll keep this one brief: Heard of the GRIMACE SHAKE at McDonald's? It鈥檚 all the rage on TikTok.

    A new group of luminaries is invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among them DAVID BYRNE, AUSTIN BUTLER, KEKE PALMER, KE HUY QUAN 鈥 and yes, SWIFT.

    JULY

    Take one famous doll with a complicated history. Add a talent like GERWIG, get MARGOT ROBBIE to star, bring in RYAN GOSLING to chew the scenery, and you have 鈥淏ARBIE,鈥 the biggest movie of 2023 and a milestone for female directors.

    Now stir in CHRISTOPHER NOLAN鈥橲 superb 鈥淥PPENHEIMER,鈥 and the rest is box office history.

    Speaking of history, one famous bird is no more 鈥 ELON MUSK drops a longtime logo and decrees TWITTER will henceforth be called 鈥淴."

    Also history: SWIFT now has more No. 1 albums than any woman, eclipsing BARBRA STREISAND.

    From eclipse to earthquake: Scientists report they've detected seismic signals roughly akin to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake under Swift's Seattle show.

    AUGUST

    Guess who has 277 million Instagram followers? You know who. Guess who has almost double that? LIONEL MESSI, that鈥檚 who, with 493 million.

    The Argentine soccer god, in his first month with Inter Miami, thrills fans and gives a jolt of adrenaline to soccer in the United States.

    KIM CATTRALL makes a very quick return to the 鈥淪ex and the City鈥 reboot.

    SEPTEMBER

    Now that summer is over, let's inspect the damage 鈥 by which we mean all the recent celebrity splits: JOE JONAS and SOPHIE TURNER, ARIANA GRANDE and DALTON GOMEZ, BRITNEY SPEARS and SAM ASGHARI, SOFIA VERGARA and JOE MANGANIELLO, among others.

    But hey, someone's looking for love: Retired widower GERRY TURNER, 鈥淭he Golden Bachelor,鈥 begins his search on ABC.

    Also, jersey sales rapidly intensified this month for one TRAVIS KELCE, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, by some 400%. So weird, any idea why? In unrelated news, SWIFT attends a Chiefs game.

    Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce comes off the field after a play against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

    OCTOBER

    It鈥檚 a good month to be 80!

    MARTIN SCORSESE becomes a TikTok star via daughter Francesca's silly videos and presents one of his most ambitious films yet, 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon.鈥

    Also 80, MICK JAGGER joins slightly younger ROLLING STONES bandmates KEITH RICHARDS (79) and RONNIE WOOD (76) in producing the crackling new album 鈥淗ackney Diamonds.鈥

    In a much-awaited memoir, BRITNEY SPEARS details her heartbreaks and her struggles, her relationships and her nearly 14-year conservatorship.

    SWIFT reaches billionaire status 鈥 and throws a Hollywood premiere for her 鈥淓ras鈥 movie, which will become the most successful concert film of all time.

    NOVEMBER

    Hollywood鈥檚 writers and actors are thankfully back, back to where they once belonged.

    Which brings us to the BEATLES: No, they aren鈥檛 getting back together. But six decades after Beatlemania ruled, a new and final tune, 鈥淣ow And Then,鈥 is released, thanks to artificial intelligence.

    Cast members of 鈥淔riends鈥 gather to mourn co-star MATTHEW PERRY at his funeral.

    The 鈥淓ras鈥 tour goes international, packing stadiums in Argentina,then Brazil, with more to go in 2024.

    DECEMBER

    SPOTIFY announces 2023鈥檚 most-streamed artist 鈥 it鈥檚 SWIFT, dethroning BAD BUNNY.

    BEYONC脡 conquers the box office on opening weekend with her 鈥淩enaissance鈥 film.

    Is it a foregone conclusion, finally, that SWIFT would close out her year staring at us from magazine covers as Time鈥檚 person of the year, in a year her fame achieved something akin to 鈥渘uclear fusion鈥?

    Which brings us to our final question: How long can a storm rapidly intensify? Fact is, though, SWIFT seems to always be rewriting the rules.

    CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

    The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    Canada

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • In the middle of the small crowd 鈥 near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table 鈥 stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani. 'When I say 'tenant, you say 'power,'' she commanded to several dozen tenants, who chanted back with gusto. What looked like a summer block party in front of two north-end Toronto apartment buildings last month was a celebration of what renters who withheld payments for months called a 'huge victory.'

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • The head of a committee monitoring the government's response to the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass killing says she's pleased with progress made so far.

    • The University of Ottawa's special advisor on antisemitism says he has resigned following posts he made on social media celebrating the pager explosions in Lebanon this week.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Lawyers representing the producers of 'Russians at War' say they may pursue legal action against Ontario's public broadcaster for pulling support for the controversial documentary amid outcry from the Ukrainian community and some Canadian politicians.

    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he's been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season's playoffs.

    • Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

    • The plant was expected to produce batteries for a million electric vehicles a year. Once up and running, it was supposed to create hundreds of permanent jobs in a small southeastern Ontario municipality. But two years later, spending on the construction of the Umicore plant has been delayed in what the company calls a "significant worsening of the EV market context."

    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

    • B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • The 'Namgis First Nation says a fish farm it owns near Port McNeill shows the potential of land-based aquaculture in B.C.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • In the middle of the small crowd 鈥 near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table 鈥 stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani. 'When I say 'tenant, you say 'power,'' she commanded to several dozen tenants, who chanted back with gusto. What looked like a summer block party in front of two north-end Toronto apartment buildings last month was a celebration of what renters who withheld payments for months called a 'huge victory.'

    • Defence counsel for accused murderer John-Christopher Arrizza argues he was in an 鈥渁ltered state of mind鈥 due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating, when he fatally stabbed a man at a Banff nightclub in 2022.

    • The Parole Board of Canada says a man who assaulted a young pregnant woman and left her for dead remains too dangerous to be released into the community.

    • Five bison are dead at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton following an early Thursday morning collision.

    • BREAKING NEWS

      BREAKING NEWS

      A man has been taken to hospital in life-threatening condition following a stabbing incident that happened on Baseline Road in the early hours of Friday morning, according to the Ottawa Paramedic Service.

    • Police say a man who was taken to hospital in critical condition after being shot Thursday night has died.

    • Higher than average temperatures are in the forecast for Ottawa this Friday.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • Premier Fran莽ois Legault's approval rating continued to rise this summer, according to the Angus Reid Institute. After reaching a low at the end of 2023, his support rose by three percentage points over the summer to 39 per cent.

    • Five bison are dead at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton following an early Thursday morning collision.

    • A mother and daughter say they woke up to flames encroaching on their third-floor apartment near Commonwealth Stadium early Friday morning.

    • An Edmonton man who is charged with sexually assaulting a teen boy is a member of the Alberta sheriffs, CTV News Edmonton has confirmed.

    • Gas prices increased in all three Maritime provinces for the first time in more than a month.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes "indescribable" pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • A section of Herring Cove Road in the Spryfield area of Halifax is closed to traffic in both directions following a single-vehicle collision Friday morning.

    • A Winnipeg pet rescue is putting out a warning to dog owners across the city about a possible parvovirus in the province.

    • Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn鈥檛 been seen since Wednesday morning.

    • Manitobans are continuing to mop up after a deluge of rain hit southern Manitoba earlier in the week.

    • A social media post of purple apples 鈥済rowing鈥 in Saskatchewan has sparked a lot of attention. However, garden experts say there's no such thing.

    • A case involving stolen funds from a Saskatchewan business being used to purchase cryptocurrency will be heading back to the courts, thanks to a new decision by Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal.

    • Amber and Adam Brueckner have a pool-shaped hole in their backyard 鈥 and their wallets.

    • New details have been shared about a missing family that was last seen on Sept. 1 in Kitchener, Ont.

    • Police are trying to identify a man who approached a woman and child in Wellesley.

    • A gym teacher at a private Christian school in Saskatoon has been charged. Terra MacEwan, 44, is charged with assault with a weapon. A Saskatoon mother who spoke with CTV News says her autistic son was MacEwan's victim.

    • Thomas Hamp says he believed secret police were out to kidnap, torture, and kill him when he fatally stabbed his girlfriend Emily Sanche in February of 2022.

    • A social media post of purple apples 鈥済rowing鈥 in Saskatchewan has sparked a lot of attention. However, garden experts say there's no such thing.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • As northern Ontario gets ready to welcome autumn this weekend, it鈥檚 still feeling a lot like summer as provincial forest fire crews continue to battle blazes.

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Police say just before 7:00 p.m. four teens entered a business in the 1000 block of Adelaide Street North.

    • Police were focusing their attention on the northeast corner of Richmond and Horton, with members of the emergency response unit taking up positions at the scene.

    • An Elgin County community is expected to double in size as plans for multiple residential developments loom. The Township of Southwold expects shovels in the ground as early as 2025.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    • Ontario Provincial Police executed a search warrant in Walkerton.

    • On Thursday, just after 9:30 a.m., a man was found and taken to police headquarters, where he was released with conditions and a future court date.

    • Standing up, speaking out, and showing solidarity 鈥 survivors and supporters gathered in the core to take back the night in Windsor. The city is just one of a growing list of communities that have declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic.

    • The Windsor Police Service (WPS) has seized over $56,000 in drugs and have arrested one suspect.

    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan 鈥 drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • To appreciate why Mimi Vandermolen is so pleased to notice one particular vehicle she鈥檚 walking past, you need to know that seeing this many cars in one place would have been unimaginable when she was growing-up in the post-war Netherlands.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls 鈥 including one that gave birth to 10 puppies 鈥 from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    • North Bay Police Service says one person has died following an industrial accident at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Rail Yard on Tuesday.

    • Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.

    N.L.

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