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BEST + WORST

BEST + WORST The Year That Was

WE SAID GOODBYE TO DON Draper and hello to . Doughnuts were licked, and dinos were van- quished. And whether we were getting to know Supergirl or supervillains (looking at you, Robert Durst), 2015 turned our emotions Inside Out. So join us as we revisit the year’s most unforgettable moments—for better or worse. (By the time we’re through, maybe we’ll finally have our invitation to join Taylor’s #squad.)

ILLUSTRATION BY LÆMEUR

2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 27 BEST + WORST he Y That Was

THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... ABRAMS There are ABRAMS But are you stakes! In the run-up to not entertained? A DRAMATIC Avengers: Age of beatdown in a regular I Made Emmy History— Ultron, we thought the flick is just a scuffle, DOUBLE TAKES Maximoff twins were but in a superhero film members of the it can reach levels and Winged a ACTORS ARE USED TO TRANSFORMING FOR ROLES, team, but—twist!— of epic proportions. BUT THIS YEAR’S MAKEOVERS WERE TRULY INSPIRED Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) died a HIBBERD I’d rather Speech for the Ages hero in the last act. watch Mad Max: Fury Road, where by Viola Davis HIBBERD I’m sure he’ll every stunt was done re-spawn faster than for real, than another I’VE GIVEN 50 MILLION SPEECHES IN 50 MILLION you can say “Agent CG fight that doesn’t different situations. So I relied on experi- Coulson.” Nearly every even mess up recent Marvel film has Captain America’s hair. ence and I didn’t write anything down for a character death— Besides, there are this. But it was the first time a woman of Groot, Nick Fury, Loki, too many of these CHARLIZE THERON the X-Men—followed buffed-up avengers color has won an Emmy for best actress in a For Mad Max: Fury Road, the star embraced IT’S A BIRD! by a resurrection. at this point. drama. Earlier this year, my [co-producers] the clippers to rock a hair-raising make-under. When Luke Skywalker Scarlet Witch, really? IT’S A PLANE! lost a hand in Star on a Harriet Tubman project I’m developing IT’S Wars, it meant some- ABRAMS The more sent flowers with a quote by Harriet on the OV thing. When Loki cut the merrier! When one ERKI off Thor’s hand in The superhero succeeds, card: “In my vision, I see a line. I see green L Dark World, superhero it bodes well for …OR IS IT? EW’S JAMES HIBBERD LAND NATALIEL ABRAMS FIGHT TO L magic quickly brought everyone else—and fields and lovely flowers.” They added, THE DEATH (OR MILD EXHAUSTION) OVER THE OBSESSION WITH LEAGUES OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN AND WOMEN. it back. It became a lately has led to more “Here’s to taking Harriet over that line.” I meaningless incident screen time for strong burst into tears. When you’re at a deficit, you’re always with no lasting impact. female role models. JAMES HIBBERD There NATALIE ABRAMS But The Walking Dead, On TV, Arrow begat wanting to cross that line, to get to that glass ceiling. We ABRAMS The Flash, which EDDIE REDMAYNE are 10 superhero no one wants to sit but most Marvel and Loki never just want to be seen on the same level as our Caucasian shows on TV right now, around and watch DC creations are not actually cut off Thor’s begat Supergirl, all of Redmayne (and his cheekbones) finessed the and in the next two a straight drama about characters that hand! The master illu- which in turn have led : counterparts. That quote was the perfect lead-in. And femme, going transgender in The Danish Girl. years no fewer than anymore. We want grow, change, and sionist only made it us to DC’s Legends

IN THE IN appear that way—liter- of Tomorrow. They all then I had to drive home the fact that talent and oppor- FARGO 15 superhero films are relatable stories with perish—they’re inde- scheduled. But I’d be a heightened twist fatigable cartoons ally a sleight of hand. have kick-ass ladies— tunity are two completely different things. Just because okay with not seeing through the lens pummeling dispos- Besides, Marvel and the latter two in you don’t see the lead roles out there doesn’t mean you another cape and cowl of someone unlike able villains. There DC have created inter- leading roles. The for a long time. Actors ourselves—like a are roughly 27 connected universes same goes for Marvel: can’t play them. It’s just that a lot of times we haven’t in primary-color body superhero. Spider-Man movies, across projects, full of Daredevil dovetailed been given the opportunity. And I wanted to acknowl- stockings waving and none has a Easter eggs, turning into Jessica Jones. : CHRIS: HASTON/NBC; at CG villains feels HIBBERD I’m all for plot beyond “Spider- viewers into detectives. Especially on the small edge the women of color who are up there leading the like a trend that’s fantastic storytelling Man loses family, screen, these stories charge, trying to change , fighting the good peaked—creatively, in franchises like The woos girl, and HIBBERD Complexity are finding ways to NICK OFFERMAN if not financially. Hunger Games or defeats lizard.” is great, but you touch upon sexism, fight. I said, Okay, if I can get those ideas out in the limited shouldn’t need your race, and other With longer locks—and no Ron Swanson ’stache— time span that I have for a speech, I think that’s marking living-room wall hot-button issues. Offerman evoked a ’70s aesthetic for Fargo. covered in photos, It’s all about taking PARKS AND RECREATION AND PARKS the moment pretty well. —AS TOLD TO NATALIE ABRAMS marker lines, and risks. It’s like asking news clips like Carrie whether Superman Mathison gone off her will always defeat lithium to keep track Lex Luthor—you never THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... of what’s happening. know until you try. : MARY: CYBULSKI; HEMSWORTH: VICTOR CHAVEZ/WIREIMAGE.COM; THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN WAS A RUN- AWAY BEST-SELLER—AND REVEALED TRAINWRECK

TILDA SWINTON MY DARK THOUGHTS TO THE WORLD The avant-garde icon’s tanned, tawdry Train- by Paula Hawkins

wreck editor was a far cry from pale and edgy. PARTS OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY astounded by the speed with the things you thought up. You do year still seem quite unreal to me. which the film got going. When it feel vulnerable, with people know- I’m now financially secure, which is was optioned, everyone said, “It’ll ing how you think. You pour your a very pleasant change. But at the be years; they might not even do darkest thoughts onto the page,

: JASIN: BOLAND; REDMAYNE: DAVID LIVINGSTON/GETTY IMAGES; same time, I still live in the same it.” And in less than a year I found and millions of people can see house, I still see the same friends. myself visiting the movie set. They how weird the inside of your mind It’s a different thing when one actually made Emily Blunt look like is. I’ve even seen people reading becomes famous as, say, an a woman who’s let herself get into my book a couple times on the : WARNER: BROS. PICTURES; SPIDER-MAN: NIKO TAVERNISE; THE FLASH, GREEN ARROW: CAMERON/THE CATE CW (2); JESSICA JONES: actress, because you’re instantly a complete mess. I don’t know that train. I kept trying to sneak glances recognizable. As an author, you she ever could be ugly, she’s got at one woman to see if she looked MAD MAX: FURY ROAD FURY MAX: MAD CHRIS HEMSWORTH ; can still carry on your completely such a beautiful bone structure. interested or bored. She probably For In The Heart of the Sea, the hunk shed his normal life and no one bothers But she looked really authentic. It’s thought I was some weirdo.

Marvel muscles to play a shipwrecked sailor. DAVIS: CRAIGBARRITT/GETTY IMAGESFOR WIF; EMMYS: DAVISAT KEVIN WINTER/GETTYGLAMOUR IMAGES; THERON: DIMITRIOSKAMBOURIS/GETTY CHRIS LARGE/FX; IMAGESFOR SWINTON: DARRENSEA GERRISH/WIREIMAGE.COM; THE OF HEART MYLES ARONOWITZ/NETFLIX; SUPERGIRL: MATTHIAS CLAMER/CBS;THOR: MAIDMENT; JAY LOKI: HAWKINS: ZADE ROSENTHAL; ANNA HUIXFOR CAPTAIN AMERICA: 2014 © MARVEL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; you, which is lovely. I’ve been strange to see people acting out —AS TOLD TO ISABELLA BIEDENHARN

2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 29 BEST + WORST The Year That Was

Taylor Swift H a d a B e t t e r THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... Year Than I PLAYED THE KING IN FRONT OF Yo u — and THE PRESIDENT— E v e r y o n e AND QUEEN B Else by Jonathan Groff TAYLORSWIFT.TUMBLR SEPTEMBER: (2); MAY: JANUARY, @TAYLORSWIFT IN SWIFT IMAGES; KAMBOURIS/GETTY DIMITRIOS GROFF: GLIKAS/FILMMAGIC.COM; BRUCE BEYONCE: AND JAY GROFF, Z, JANUARY 1.7M Likes FEBRUARY 1.6M Likes MARCH 1.3M Likes APRIL 1.1M Likes

I THOUGHT I WAS JUST Hanging with BFFs the Haim sisters in Maui, New bud (here at the U.K. Elle Style She played with at the iHeartRadio With the Kings of Leon and pals at a friend’s going to do Hamilton before announcing they’d be touring with her Awards) has gushed, “ is amazing!” Awards, tagging #MyFangirlLife on Tumblr. Nashville birthday party (we have #FOMO) for fun; I didn’t realize that I was stepping AND SHE into a historic piece POSTED ZILLIONS OF SOCIAL-MEDIA of theater. I mean, PICS TO PROVE President Obama IT. WHETHER came to the fifth SHE WAS WALK- preview of the show— ING RED CARPETS we hadn’t even WITH HER SQUAD opened yet! We had OR JAMMING ON heard three days STAGE WITH before that he was it’s been that silent LEGENDS, THIS WAS THE YEAR WE going to be in the was for Obama…and REALIZED IT’S audience, and every- Beyoncé, who came TAY’S WORLD— one had received an with Jay Z. Everyone WE’RE JUST email saying, “Please rushed to meet her, LIVING IN IT… show up to Hamilton so I was like, “Okay, VICARIOUSLY, as though it was air- I probably won’t get THROUGH HER port security.” We to shake her hand, INSTA. were on lockdown but as long as I can, MAY 1.8M Likes JUNE 2.1M Likes JULY 2.5M Likes AUGUST 1.5M Likes until the president like, breathe the She won eight Billboard awards, and cried out Boating along the Thames with Joe Jonas, Gigi Cavorting with a buff Harris: “Friendly rela- Crowding the red carpet with her glam gang: got there. When he same air, it’s fine.” on stage, “This is such a good night! What even!” Hadid, Karlie Kloss, and DJ tions between Scotland and America,” she wrote. “Being ourselves at the VMAs” came backstage, And then she looked he said, “A lot of peo- at me and said, “Were ple make really great you the king? You things and they never were f---ing incredi- get recognized. You ble!” She told me she guys should really was going to steal enjoy that you’ve my walk, and did an made something impersonation of great and it’s being the walk I do when embraced from I enter the stage. And the very beginning.” then she looked He shook everyone’s me up and down and hand. We were in said, “I saw every- awed silence. The thing.” That’s when only two times that the ground opened someone of note has up and I fell into my come backstage and grave and died. A tombstone went up and it said, “Cause SEPTEMBER 1.7M Likes OCTOBER 2.4M Likes NOVEMBER 2M Likes DECEMBER 1.9M Likes of Death: Beyoncé.” —AS TOLD TO Strutting to “Satisfaction” with Rolling Stones With one of her beloved cats, Meredith, Performing “Let It Go” with Idina Menzel “and During a break from her tour, she kicked back

MARC SNETIKER frontman Mick Jagger in Nashville FEBRUARY, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER: TAYLORSWIFT.TUMBLR (3); MARCH, APRIL, JUNE, AUGUST, JULY, DECEMBER: @TAYLORSWIFT (9) who’s “allergic to joy,” joked Swift 55,000 people…nearly took my breath away.” with a cockatoo in Australia. #squawkgoals

2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 31 BEST + WORST The Year That Was

I SUGAR-BOMBED ADAM LEVINE

The thing about being sugar is that you never quite know THIS where you’re going to end up. It was flattering to be used to powder-bomb one of my favorite singers. But what they forget to tell you about is the identity crisis afterward. Sure, I started life outside of Jimmy Kimmel Live, but now I continue it as vagrant dust, aimlessly wandering L.A., looking for a purpose, WAS hoping for something to make this simple sugar feel complex. I GOT BLAMED FOR MAKING MADONNA THE TUMBLE

My silk was spun in China. YEAR I was woven in Bordeaux. My ancestors have dressed Valentino, Gabbana, and three of the Jolie-Pitts. But I did not THAT... soak for nine years in a bath of dyes and rare spices to share a stage with Madonna and be so discourteously assaulted. She mauled me— and I am blamed! I have THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... nothing to apologize for. I knew my space. I knew I EXPERIENCED my choreography. Do not I GOT LICKED BY blame the material, girl. DEJA EWWW by Tina Jordan

I’ve only ever believed that you’re YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE? FICTION born into one fate, and when I was recycling. I’m not talking about baked into this world, I intended sequels; I mean writers who to live as my father before me did: do nothing other than switch glazed and humbled. But when some- up character perspectives or thing called an Ariana Grande licked me this summer, I found a new call- genders and bill the result as a ing and was thrust into a glitzy world I CARRIED BRYCE brand-new novel. This year’s of celebrity, scandal, and Internet prime offender: E L James, who think pieces. Did I want the attention? DALLAS HOWARD turned Fifty Shades of Grey No. But now that I have it, I’m build- THROUGH into Grey, told from Christian’s ing an empire for my doughnut holes I PHONED IN JURASSIC WORLD point of view. James may not be and their grandholes. Expect my a skilled writer, but she’s got a memoir in 2016 and a limited series A CAMEO ELNUR SHOE: DYSON/WIREIMAGE.COM; JIM MADONNA: IMAGES; RYAN MCVAY/GETTY PHONE: CELL great imagination, which makes on Fox next year after Scream Queens. WITH ADELE @EONLINE; LEVINE: ADAM IMAGES; GETTY SUGAR: IMAGES; HURST/GETTY DANIEL DOUGHNUT: What hurts the most is that the union did nothing to get us on the poster. the sheer laziness of Grey even Without us, Bryce would have had more disappointing. She didn’t

‘Ello. It’s me. Yeah, I’m IMAGES; AMIKISHIYEV/GETTY no arch support during her jungle just recycle her plot and set- the f---in’ flip phone you runs. But hey, we knew we couldn’t tings, she copied, verbatim, all decided to trash when you complain. When you’re a flat trying the emails and some of the saw me in the “Hello” video. to become a stiletto in this business, connective tissue from the first That’s right, mate, I landed you can’t step into Hollywood and book. Stephenie Meyer also the most posh music-video expect to keep your sole intact. lifted lines straight from Twilight gig this year, but all you can —AS TOLD TO MARC SNETIKER do is chin-wag behind my for Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, which swapped carbon-fiber back about how JURASSIC WORLD outdated and obscure I her main characters’ genders— am. But guess what, mate? Bella become “Beau” and I never f---in’ left. I know the Edward “Edythe.” Granted, s--- you call a phone today, Meyer acknowledged that she but I’m f---in’ vintage, PICTURES/PHOTOFEST : UNIVERSAL considered the project to be and when you’re spendin’ nothing more than bonus your f---ing paycheck on another annual brick, I’ll be material, not even a real book. in Waikiki with my eight- But she sure was charging color display and limited for it like it was a real texting and all my Adele book. What’s next—turning residual money. Hello from the Red Room yellow or the the other side, motherf---ers. vampires into werewolves and vice versa? Please. Ladies. Come up with something new.

2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 33 AVOID BEST + WORST The Year That Was UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS PALMER’S® COCOA BUTTER FORMULA® BODY & FACE LOTION FOR MEN

JASON MCCOURTY DEVIN MCCOURTY Professional football playing cornerbacks and identical twins 2015 by the Numbers

$135 MILLION ’ S EARNINGS, MAKING HER THE HIGHEST- PAID WOMAN IN Number of episodes of Unbreakable MUSIC ON FORBES’ Kimmy Schmidt it takes for a viewer to 2015 LIST. get hooked, according to .

THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... I sang as Adele—in front ZLOTNICK CHUCK :

of the actual Adele WORLD JURASSIC by Talullah Windmill B:10.75” T:10.5” S:10” 13MILLION I’VE BEEN AN ADELE IMPERSONATOR FOR LITERS OF KEROSENE USED TO CREATE almost five years and I got an email from SPECTRE’S 7.5-SECOND-LONG BLAST, the BBC saying that they wanted to make a DOWNLOADS SETTING A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST FILM EXPLOSION EVER. documentary about tribute artists and the OF THE GAME pilot would be about Adele. The bit was OF THRONES SEASON 5 filmed in the beginning of October and at PREMIERE, the time nobody knew she had recorded a A RECORD new album. I was in the back of the queue TV-PIRACY HIGH. to sing, and the real Adele—wearing those MILLION prosthetics—was right next to me. She was 80 52MILLION doing this whole nervous thing and I was ROBERT DOWNEY JR. ’ S JENNIFER LAWRENCE ’S like, “Oh, this poor thing! I’ll try to chat and she’ll calm EARNINGS FOR A YEAR, EARNINGS FOR A YEAR, % MAKING HIM THE WORLD’S PUTTING HER AT THE 16 down so she won’t be so nervous.” I did think she was HIGHEST-PAID ACTOR TOP OF FORBES’ HIGHEST- strange. She said she’d been doing “Adele” for four 3 YEARS IN A ROW. PAID ACTRESS LIST. years, but she was wearing these big long gloves and Adele had never worn gloves like that. You’d never think someone’s face is not their face! When she opened her 540 MILLION mouth and started singing, you can see me jump NUMBER OF TIMES SPOTIFY USERS LISTENED Number of NUMBER OF LIKES ON THIS forward in my seat like, “WHAT?!” As soon as I heard 2014–15 TV 3.2 KENDALL JENNER TO MAJOR LAZER’S “LEAN ON,” SPOTIFY’S episodes directed MIL SHOT, THE MOST LIKED

her voice, I knew something was up. We were all just so WINDMILL TALULLAH COURTESY WINDMILL: MOST STREAMED SONG OF ALL TIME. by women. PHOTO EVER. surprised but in a really positive, appreciative way. It was quite a magical moment. Adele’s not intimidating—she’s $208.8 so cool and normal. We just had a massive laugh. Graham MILLION Norton came out after and we all realized the filming Jurassic World’s earnings in was for a segment in Adele’s BBC special. I would never, its domestic ever be the type of person to think this would happen debut, the , , biggest open- 12 000 000 to me. It was magical, and it gives me a little more faith ing weekend ® VIEWS OF THE STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS TRAILER WITHIN 24 HOURS OF ITS OCT. 19 RELEASE. in the world. —AS TOLD TO JESSICA GOODMAN DOWNEY: KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE.COM; LAWRENCE: CHINAFOTOPRESS/GETTY IMAGES; PERRY: MICHAEL BEZJIAN/GETTY IMAGES; JENNER: @KENDALLJENNER; of all time. www.palmers.com © 2015 E.T. Browne Drug Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.

COMPILED BY DEVAN COGGAN 2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 35 BEST + WORST

THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... I HELPED INTRODUCE CAITLYN JENNER TO THE WORLD MEMES GONE WILD

by Jeff Olde A SHORT VIDEO OF A SUPER-RODENT? A JOKE THAT BECAME PART OF EVP, PROGRAMMING & THE LEXICON? THESE ARE JUST A FEW MEMES THAT CRUSHED THE INTERNET THIS YEAR. DEVELOPMENT FOR E!

PIZZA RAT NETFLIX AND CHILL ORIGIN In September, a video of ORIGIN The phrase that once a rat dragging a giant slice of pizza innocently meant binge-watching down the stairs of a TV became comically sexualized subway station amassed more than when Twitter memes and Vines riff- 8.5 million views on YouTube ing on the saying went viral. Now and spawned the hottest Halloween it’s the most frequently used come- IT’S AMAZING THAT costume since “sexy witch.” on since the old standby “u up?” one of the most famous people in the world would be dealing with a gender transition. What are the chances that she and this family would be involved in this story at this moment, when the struggle for PRATTKEEPING SHIA LABEOUF: “JUST DO IT” IMAGES SPRECHER/AP M. AARON PERRY: ARAYA DIAZ/WIREIMAGE.COM; OLDE: ENTERTAINMENT; WHITE/E! JAMES JENNER: trans rights was coming to the public ORIGIN In Jurassic World, Chris ORIGIN For a student video art front? For all of us she recognized that if Pratt’s character spread his arms project, actor Shia LaBeouf was associated with she didn’t tell it from and legs wide in front of raptors to filmed motivating viewers by Caitlyn, we really felt her point of view it tame them, much to the amusement screaming, “Just do it!” Fortunately a responsibility at a would be told wrong of zookeepers around the world, for the Internet, the video’s back- personal level, not and it would be who mimicked the pose with decid- ground was a green screen, making just a professional distorted. This was edly less threatening animals—like it easy to Photoshop the actor freak- level, to get this right her choice. She knew penguins, pigs, and tortoises. ing out in places like outer space. and make a show that the moment she that felt true to her publicly confirmed and to do some good her transition, she in creating aware- would become ness. Talking with the most famous Caitlyn, just sort transgender person of understanding ever. But from her her journey, I think point of view, she that she would say really needed to this: She would have educate herself. She preferred to be able didn’t know enough. to do this privately I thought that was HOTLINE BLING LEFT SHARK and quietly. But that a really interesting was not going be an thing to do not only ORIGIN He’s got the moves like…Dad? ORIGIN During the Super Bowl half- option. To her credit, socially but also for ’s peculiar dance steps in time show in February, Katy Perry a TV show, because the video for his hit song made for performed with dancers in shark most of the audience one of the funniest memes of October, costumes—one was out of sync, needs to learn the with social-media users Photoshop- sparking the trend #leftshark and same things. —AS ping everything from tennis racquets turning the character into a mascot TOLD TO LYNETTE RICE to lightsabers into his hands. for iconoclasts. —DYLAN KICKHAM

36 EW.COM 2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL BEST + WORST

Real Stunts and SFX Steal the Scenes EVER SINCE JAR JAR BINKS AMBLED THROUGH STAR WARS: EPISODE I—THE PHANTOM MENACE, CGI HAS DOMINATED MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS. REFERSHINGLY, 2015 SAW A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT REVIVAL OF THE PRACTICAL, TACTILE, AND (ESPECIALLY FOR TOM CRUISE) SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION Director George Miller’s return to his apocalyptic wasteland The fifth installment of the series begins with Tom Cruise’s Ethan

featured real cars, real explosions, and real bodies—and real Hunt boarding a plane the hard way—by chasing it down and hanging MAD MAX: FURY ROAD injuries, too. “You see people rolling cars, flying off things, on to the side during . “[Cruise] said he wanted to feel like he breaking things, breaking legs,” star Tom Hardy tells EW. “We had didn’t have any safety on him whatsoever,” says stunt coordinator one motorbike rider fly through the air and put his teeth right Wade Eastwood of the decision to secure Cruise with a single harness. through the handlebars on the landing. It was pretty nasty.” “He said [the danger] would come across in his performance.” : JASIN BOLAND; : JASIN MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON As the newest (and cutest) droid in the galaxy, BB-8 existed on For the futuristic character Vision, Paul Bettany endured three

set in both free-roaming remote-controlled models and versions and a half hours of makeup and prosthetic application. To keep BLACK; : CHRISTIAN puppeted by operators who were removed in post. BB-8’s look him comfortable during filming, the crew ran a cooling system was as important as his motion. Says Neal Scanlan, head of the under the full-body suit. “It was hard to move around once they film’s creature shop: “We played with different iterations until we plug in that goddamn [air conditioner],” Bettany says. “But you feel looked at this character and went, ‘Wow, that speaks volumes.’ ” such relief. It’s like being in a gin and tonic.” —KEVIN P. SULLIVAN* AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... “” WAS UNSTOPPABLE—EVEN IF A MOTORCYCLE CRASH PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL IMAGES MURRAY/GETTY RACHEL WAP: FETTY 2015; : MARVEL by Fetty Wap

LAST YEAR I WAS PRETTY MUCH accident in October. I was like, my favorite time playing live living carpet to carpet. This “How am I going to pay the bills?” was in my hometown, Paterson, year I have two houses and Then I checked my account N.J. It was a free concert and I three apartments. I can provide and was like, “Oh yeah, I’m rich.” wanted to do it for all the people for my kids and my mother My album hit number one that who didn’t believe I would stay now. I expected “Trap Queen” week, but I was in the hospital true to who I was, for all the to change my life. Every time so I can’t remember how I found people who didn’t believe in me— I played it I knew it was working. out. I honestly didn’t think it and for the people who stood It wasn’t the average R&B song. would be that big. I didn’t know it by me. I just want to tell people I expected it to be on the radio. would be a slam dunk. This year, I Fetty Wap is here. And I don’t But I didn’t start noticing the performed with Taylor Swift and plan on stopping anytime soon. money until my motorcycle toured with , but —AS TOLD TO JESSICA GOODMAN

38 EW.COM 2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL *ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ANTHONY BREZNICAN, NICOLE SPERLING, AND NINA TERRERO BEST + WORST The Year That Was

THE POP CULTURE THAT MOVED US Riding the Emotional Roll er Coaster In a final, transcendent These past 12 months were packed with feeling. Pure rage dominated Mad Max: Fury Road. Carly Rae Jepsen’s moment that had us ’80s-infused E•MO•TION bottled happiness and made the most of the night. The seventh installment of feeling at peace, Don smiled as he thought Fast & Furious ended in—surprise!—tears. And Pixar went so far as to anthropomorphize emotions in Inside Out. of a perfect, harmoni- So climb aboard as we relive the ups and downs of the most—and least—affecting works of 2015. BY SHIRLEY LI ous pitch. (Ding.)

n’sE se •M ECSTASY p O ECSTASY e • J T I e O a N R

ly r Ca

JOY JOY Inside Out Tr ue D et ec ti ve We cheered as Peggy entered McCann- SURPRISE Erickson with an We found it hard to SURPRISE Riley’s once-joyful unflappable attitude keep our emotions (and Joy-ful) memories that not even Don balanced when Bing of her home began could have mustered. Bong saved the day. to plunge toward Sad- ness—and we did too. FEAR FEAR

M

a d We couldn’t wait M for True Detective’s a second season. But x : F then we watched it. After the final race u to the Citadel, Max ry DISGUST R walked away with a DISGUST o ad casual grin, but we left the theater dazed. RANGE OF EMOTIONS

Furious 7 ANGER ANGER

As we witnessed Furiosa and Max drive through miles of SADNESS wasteland in hopes SADNESS of finding an oasis, Ma we lived, we died, By d t Me and we lived again. he n( S the e fin SOUL- a al7) SOUL- CRUSHING CRUSHING SADNESS SADNESS The impressive stunts made our jaws BEGINNING drop, but the tribute END You mean a tale about THE EXP ERIENCE to Paul Walker— a wildly unhappy set to “”— broke our hearts. couple growing apart Betty’s painful wasn’t the feel-good diagnosis and letter movie of the year? to Sally dragged us right back down. Don was right: Happi- ness doesn’t last.

ILLUSTRATION BY SERGE SEIDLITZ TRUE DETECTIVE: LACEY TERRELL/HBO; INSIDE OUT: PIXAR; MAD MEN: COURTESY OF AMC; MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: JASIN BOLAND 2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 41 BEST + WORST The Year That Was

and Rachel are both beholden to the network’s sexist male exec- Bad for Feminism? utives. So Rachel and Quinn seize power in the one way they can, by brutalizing the contestants. Rachel would get along well with Scream Queens’ Chanel Oberlin SPOT THE FAKE! Sure, but Great for TV (Emma Roberts), a cutthroat sorority president who calls pledges by Melissa Maerz “idiot hookers.” She’s the head of a system that both encourages OUTRAGEOUS AND ENTERTAINING LAWSUITS INVOLVING CELEBRITIES FILLED THE leadership among women and trades in their disempowerment— DOCKETS THIS YEAR. CAN YOU SEPARATE THE FIVE and you could accuse the show of doing the same thing. When a REAL CLAIMS FROM THE ONE WE INVENTED? FOR TOO LONG, STRONG FEMALE TV CHARACTERS WERE BASICALLY JUST frat boy catcalls Chanel and her sorority sisters, she compares him male characters in drag. Frequently created by male to a murderer who’s killing off female students on campus, treat- showrunners, they worked among men, threw punches ing them “like meat”—and then she and her fellow Kappas beat like men, even had men’s names. (Why is every heroine him up. On one level, the scene is classic feminist wish fulfillment. in a law enforcement drama named Alex?) But this year, On a deeper level, though, it’s asking viewers some unsettling a new wave of tough heroines actually acted like women— questions. We tune in knowing that we’re going to see beautiful reprehensible women. They operated within unabashedly women treated like pieces of meat, whether they’re undergoing girly spaces: a TV dating show, a sorority house, a hair bruising hazing rituals or literally being hacked up with a knife. salon. Their preferred form of violence was emotional, Maybe we’re no better than the killers. THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... 1 2 not physical, and their victims were often other women, The ladies of Fargo imagine themselves avenging injustice

MY SELF-PUBLISHED SCI-FI Ukrainian singer threat- WIREIMAGE.COM; DIDDY: AMFAR; FOR IMAGES VESPA/GETTY JEFF GAGA: KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC.COM; JON KUNIS: despite their insistence that they supported the sister- against women, even though they’re committing far worse crimes sues childhood ens lawsuit for NOVEL BECAME AN OUT- friend Mila Kunis breast-milk ice hood. And the worse these characters behaved, the against humanity. Set in the 1970s amid the rise of second-wave OF-THIS-WORLD MOVIE SMASH for allegedly steal- cream company’s GETTY IMAGES; sharper the show’s commentary about the ruthless forms feminism, season 2 features Peggy (Kirsten ing a pet chicken “Royal Baby that female empowerment can take within a male-dominated world. Dunst) and Floyd (Jean Smart), both of by Andy Weir 25 years ago. The Gaga” flavor. suit was dismissed. It was a very good year for bad feminism on TV, and no other show wrestled whom feel let down by an era when the best THE FILM VERSION OF THE MARTIAN WAS A EMPIRE with that subject better than Lifetime’s UnREAL. As the story followed Rachel plan for a hyper-driven woman was to hitch really faithful adaptation of the book, and DITTIGER/LIFETIME JAMES APPLEBY: CLAMER/FX; MATHIAS DUNST: DIETL/FOX; STEVE ROBERTS: LARGE/FX; CHRIS SMART: HODES/FOX; : CHUCK (Shiri Appleby), a reality TV producer who exploits contestants’ personal herself to a successful man. Unsatisfied by as an author, you don’t usually get that. The traumas for the Bachelor-like series Everlasting, it explored internalized misog- her job at a beauty salon, Midwestern hair- screenwriter, Drew Goddard, involved me yny with a depth rarely shown on screen. When we first meet Rachel, she’s dresser Peggy feels so cheated by life that pretty heavily while he was working—we wearing a T-shirt that reads “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like,” and she when she accidentally offs a gangster, she were on the phone almost every day. The sees no conflict between that statement and the fact that her job requires her manipulates her husband (Jesse Plemons) first moment where I was like, “Oh my to follow the mantra “Sluts get cut.” Rachel and her executive producer Quinn into cleaning up the mess while proclaiming God, this is really happening,” is when a 3 4 (Constance Zimmer) would be the Jesse Pinkman and Walter White of Ever- that “these are modern times, ya know? And producer sent me some photos from the set Diddy arrested Whoopi Goldberg lasting, except they don’t have much control of their lives off set: Quinn is a woman, well, she just doesn’t have to be a in Budapest. But the real awesome thing after swinging a sued by fan who having an affair with her married boss, who refuses to leave his wife, and she wife and mother no more. She can be— kettlebell at a blames Sister Act was when they sent me the first trailer. It UCLA football for daughter there’s nothing she can’t be.” Peggy wants all was all my dreams coming true. The biggest coach. Charges becoming a nun. the freedoms that the women’s movement thrill for me in terms of geeky stuff was when NASA have yet to be filed. Slated for trial in Jean Smart, Emma affords without the responsibility it requires. early 2016. Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, called and invited me out for VIP tours. They brought and Shiri Appleby Meanwhile, having taken over the family me into the International Space Station’s Mission business in the wake of her husband’s Control room and let me remotely control a camera stroke, crime lord Floyd (Jean Smart) wants mounted on the outside of the ISS. I also got to hang SISTER ACT all the responsibility, even though the ben- out with Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson, who liked efits aren’t great. “This is our time. No such the movie. I was worried about his reaction even while LYA SAVENOK/ S. SELLECK: COLLECTION; : EVERETT thing as ‘men’s work,’ ‘women’s work’ any- I was writing the book. I was like, “What if Neil more,” she tells her granddaughter, right deGrasse Tyson reads it?” He was just happy to see 5 6 before a rival crime gang shoots up her such an attempt at scientific accuracy being made that kitchen. This is what feminism means to Tom Selleck Woman sues he was willing to forgive the places where it wasn’t accused of stealing Empire, claiming Floyd: earning the right to stand down a accurate. I can’t claim any credit for the success of the water in Califor- to be the inspira- dramatic shoot-out, just like dozens of male film: All I did was provide the story. The filmmakers nia to treat his tion behind antiheroes before her, while reminding us 60-acre ranch. Cookie Lyon. are the ones who did the Oscar-caliber stuff—but I’m Magnum settled. that it qualifies as “women’s work.” That

grateful that I’m tangentially attached to something might be an empty victory for the cause. But 4 IS THE FAKE! THE IS 4 that successful. —AS TOLD TO ISABELLA BIEDENHARN ANSWER it’s great for television.

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LUCILLE BALL’S HOMETOWN VS. LUCILLE BALL STATUE Fight Club the truth. Then, you have to spin the story so THE JUICY FEUDS, BATTLES, AND BRAWLS ENRIQUE you come out looking good enough to be IGLESIAS VS. THAT FUELED ’15. BY ERIC RENNER BROWN THE DRONE employable as a solo act. Finally, you have to

WHERE’S THE pay for all those “Team Piggy” T-shirts. BEEF? Iglesias But please, dear friends, don’t worry too grabbed a drone much about moi or my fellow celebrity breakup used for crowd victims. I, for one, am doing just fine. I have my shots while WHERE’S THE on stage at a BEEF? An unflat- own talk show, Up Late With Miss Piggy, as seen concert—and tering monument on my prime-time ABC series The Muppets.I it sliced open of the comedy have a very healthy dating life, as seen with lots his hand. icon in Celoron, THE of juicy details in future issues of People. And I AUSTRALIAN THE OUTCOME N.Y., gained PATRICK How to Survive a GOVERNMENT Despite doctor’s attention in April CARNEY VS. am even on good terms with my longtime VS. JOHNNY orders, the when fans called JACK WHITE DEPP’S DOGS ex-BF, Kermit the Frog, who now works for moi singer finished for its removal. Celebrity Breakup the show and on my late-night show. WHERE’S THE THE OUTCOME by Miss Piggy BEEF? When was back on the A Massachusetts As for the other celebrity couples who broke word got out road shortly. businessman up this year, trust me, they will all survive. After that the actor donated money all, these celebrities have enormous entou- and wife Amber VS. for a new statue, Heard brought and the original YOU DON’T HAvE TO TELL MOI THAT 2015 WAS TOUGH ON CELEBRITY COUPLES. rages, dozens of people whose only purpose in their two WHERE’S THE WHERE’S THE DRAKE VS. is now used for I lived it. Gone are those carefree, tabloid-teasing days of power life is to make the celebrity feel better. It works MEEK MILL pooches to BEEF? In the run- BEEF? Patrick situations like Australia for the up to hosting the couples “Bennifer,” “Blambert,” and that most famous of fabu- wonders! Before long, these currently heart- Carney and his WHERE’S THE making a local filming of VMAs, Cyrus lous pairings, “Piggmit”…or were we “Kerggy”? broken celebs will be dating, hooking up with Black Keys bro, BEEF? When rap- mall spookier the next Pirates commented that Dan Auerbach, per Meek Mill at Halloween. What is it like being at the center of this celebrity-split mael- other celebrities, and creating even catchier of the Carib- she thought have long had an accused Drake bean, the Aussie Minaj’s tweets VS. strom? Simply put, it stinks! You can call it an “amicable two-name monikers! icy relationship of employing a government about her lack of with fellow alt- ghostwriter, the parting” or an “unconscious uncoupling,” but The ones who really suffer are you, our fans. demanded the nominations & YOUNG THUG blues rocker Toronto super- there are no words to describe the heartache, You follow us. You believe in us. And so, when something goes dogs leave or be were “not too Jack White. star came out euthanized. kind” and “not sorrow, and massive amounts of paperwork wrong in a celebrity’s life, it hurts you. When, for instance, the The situation swinging, releas- very polite.” flared when ing two dis THE OUTCOME that occur when two celebrities break up. romance falls apart and a frog lets the best thing that ever hap- THE OUTCOME Carney alleged tracks—both of Heard could face And while the emotional costs are staggering, pened to him slip through his fingers, you feel the pain too. After accepting that White tried which charted a decade in the award for publicity costs can be even worse. First, you But don’t you worry. We’ll get through this together. Stick with to fight him in a on the Billboard prison—the case is pending—and Best Hip-Hop have to release a heavily redacted statement moi, and in time, we’ll move on to better things, happier days, and New York bar Hot 100—and WHERE’S THE she and Depp Video during the in September, projecting insult- BEEF? In January, about the breakup that dances wildly around maybe a chance to get even. Kissy kissy! had to ship ceremony, Minaj tweeting that ing memes Weezy filed a their pets back turned to Cyrus White was during a festival suit against “basically billy to the States. and memorably THE DRESS: performance. Birdman’s Cash BLUE & BLACK corgan’s dumb- remarked, “This THE OUTCOME bitch that had a Money label for VS. WHITE & THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... ass zero t-shirt in GOLD The press cover- withholding pay- human form.” lot to say about age helped me the other ment. In April, Lil WHERE’S THE I GOT ACCUSED MURDERER ROBERT DURST THE OUTCOME Drake avoid day in the press… Wayne’s tour bus BEEF? Photogra- Carney later a summer Miley, what’s came under gun- phy, the science TO ADMIT THAT HE “KILLED THEM ALL” tweeted that the slump after good?” Cyrus’ fire; the shooter of the brain, and by Andrew Jarecki pair smoothed his successful speechless reac- allegedly made the nature of things over. We’ll February album, tion proved who calls that day to social media met I THINK BOB REALLY DOES HAVE A remember A Few Good Men, brother Jim. We heard the police call this tiff paving the way won this one. Birdman and art- in February compulsion to confess. He knows when Tom Cruise says, “Did you were going to Bob’s assistant’s between two for his now- ist Young Thug. when a picture he got away with killing his wife order the code red?” and Jack home to raid the basement, and Kathie and murdering his best Nicholson says, “You’re goddamn we went up to interview her. We negative Nancys ubiquitous THE OUTCOME of this dress split right I did!”? That was what was got back after it aired and I saw a draw. single “Hotline The relationship the Web: blue friend and his neighbor, so he was going through my head. Cut to video of Jim and his family seeing Bling” and his is strained, but and black or carrying this burden. When we collaborative white and gold? were shooting The Jinx for HBO two years later. Our editor is doing Bob say, “Killed them all, of course.” Thug features Lil BOB: D’AMICO/ABC; JARECKI: DIAZ/GETTY ARAYA IMAGES some work, and she hears just a Jim was crying. It was the begin- project with Wayne on the and we found the envelope that THE OUTCOME matched the cadaver note, I little, tiny phrase: “There it is, you’re ning of closure. In some ways, Bob Future. opening track of It’s blue. caught...” It was absolutely stag- was my friend. I think I gave him his September thought, It couldn’t possibly be

THE MUPPETS THE gering. We invited a small number what he wanted. It’s not impossible mixtape. that simple. I said, “Can you tell me which one of these you didn’t of people to my apartment to that Bob and I will talk again.

BEEF: GETTY IMAGES; CARNEY: ANGELA WEISS/GETTY IMAGES;HARRISON/GETTY WHITE, MINAJ: JASON IMAGES; MERRITT/GETTY IGLESIAS: TIM IMAGES MOSENFELDER/GETTY (2); DRAKE:IMAGES; TOM DONOGHUE/POLARIS; IMAGES; LIL WAYNE: ETHAN MEEK MILLER/GETTY MILL: HILL/FILMMAGIC.COM; TAYLOR IMAGES FOR IHEARTMEDIA; FLAG, DRONE: GETTY BIRDMAN: IMAGES IMEH AKPANUDOSEN/GETTY (2); DOGS: SPLASH NEWS; CYRUS: IMAGES; FRAZER YOUNG THUG: WILLIAMS/WIREIMAGE.COM; STATUE: THE POST-JOURNAL VIA AP write?” And he said, “No.” You watch the finale, including Kathie’s —AS TOLD TO MELISSA MAERZ

2015 YEAR-END SPECIAL EW.COM 45 BEST + WORST The Year That Was

SPECIAL GOODBYES EDITION

CSI went off the air after 15 seasons and a TV movie. Hey, all corpses have YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME The Bullseye to be buried eventually. WE SAID OUR FAIR SHARE IT SEEMED LIKE FOR EVERY TOP STAR WHO GOT TO TAKE A VICTORY OF FAREWELLS Two and a Half Men LAP, ANOTHER TIME AROUND THE TRACK ENDED IN A FACE-PLANT. HERE’S THIS YEAR. came to an end, and the HOW THE SCORECARDS SHOOK OUT. BY KYLE ANDERSON SOME MADE world breathed a US CRY (WHY collective sigh of relief. COULDN’T We miss Dave— THEY SAVE but we’re loving DEREK?!), AND Stephen Colbert! SOME WERE OVERDUE MICHAEL B. JORDAN (SORRY, TWO AND A HALF MEN). HERE ARE Parenthood ended: THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... THE BIGGEST Need. More. Tissues. GOODBYES, (Yes, still.) CREED FANTASTIC FOUR AND HOW I HAD MY CARRIE SHUTTERSTOCK; NEAL/MEDIAPUNCH/REX KELLY SINGH: How powerful is Jordan? He Those same shoulders couldn’t save HARD THEY We’d like to BRADSHAW MOMENT carried the entirety of the Rocky this super-mess. HIT US. Trevor Noah’s… BY SHIRLEY LI buy the world more by Lilly Singh franchise on his shoulders. Mad Men, if getting there?

I’VE BEEN FAMILIAR only we could. with YouTube’s cre- are no ator ad campaigns longer a fivesome, and PETER Directioners mourned for a while—my DINKLAGE friends Grace Helbig & EMILIA the loss of Zayn. We feel as blue and Hannah Hart CLARKE as Sadness when Enough with four-movie have been featured, we think about “trilogies,” Hollywood! Bing Bong. and I remember thinking, “Oh my In our McDreams, CREED GAME OF THRONES PIXELS TERMINATOR GENISYS God, I hope I get to he’s still alive. do that one day.” Ear- TERMINATOR GENISYS One Direction are : BARRY WETCHER; : BARRY Hanging with dragons has been THEMOCKINGJAY— GAMES: HUNGER lier this year I was good for both. no longer a fivesome, Hanging with Sandler and Arnold and non-Directioners sitting in a trailer at was good for neither. YouTube FanFest huge ad featuring me immediately forgot this happened.

Toronto, and my as those characters GORDON; SUE : MELINDA manager told me on it. So I’m standing FANTASTIC FOUR Brian Williams’ reputation that I had just been there with my real fell apart this year, right? Or accepted for the mom and dad in front are we misremembering? campaign. I was so of a bus ad that EMMA STONE :BROS.; YARISH/WARNER MICHAEL happy, I screamed shows me dressed as ROTHSTEIN; : BEN : BOB: D’AMICO/ABC; ZAYN MALIK: GABRIEL OLSEN/GETTY IMAGES (2); JOAN and yelled and them! It was surreal. CABARET danced. In the ads, We rode the bus to I’m dressed up like Times Square, where my parents—they’re my ads were taking CABARET ALOHA MARCUS; : JOAN GAME OF THRONES OF GAME THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT... two of my regular ANATOMY GREY’S over billboard screens TWO AND A HALF MEN On the Broadway stage, Stone was On screen, Stone should not characters. When I for three hours. I’m JAIMIE: TRUEBLOOD/AMC; JON STEWART: RICK KERN/GETTY IMAGES; WILLIAMS: NBC/GETTY IMAGES I SAID SO LONG TO DON DRAPER went to New York for from Toronto, so a revelation. have been Asian. the campaign launch Times Square is still a ALOHA by Jon Hamm MAD MEN MAD

and press tour, my very cool place you SLOAN/HBO; : HELEN : NEAL PRESTON; : NEAL OH, DID MAD MEN END? I WASN’T a situation like this again, where It was a challenging year in a lot actual parents came go visit and act all aware it had. Yeah, it was crazy. you get to know everyone so well, of ways, and an exciting year in a with me, and we touristy. To be there And it remains crazy, because it or work for such a long period of lot of ways. Winning the Emmy see a bus that had a and know that my SANDRA was so meaningful to my career. time?” Then there’s a challenge was surreal. When I turned around giant face will be in BULLOCK I hope there’s another chance to because everyone always asks and saw the reaction in the room, the background of MINIONS do something that excites or you, “What are you going to do it was kind of breathtaking. And PIXELS other tourists’ pic- inspires me that much again. next?” And it’s like, “I don’t know!” very humbling. But it’s just one of : UNIVERSAL PICTURES : UNIVERSAL tures? It’s just crazy. KRAYCHYK; : GEORGE Nothing about saying goodbye I don’t really have a grand plan. those things—who knows who’ll How is this my life? Tune in to EW RADIO MINIONS OUR BRAND IS CRISIS was easy. It was the end of a Stay busy, keep working, pay my get hot at the right moment? It’s (SiriusXM Channel —AS TOLD TO FRANK: OCKENFELS3/AMC; PEGGY ON 10-year relationship—not only with bills, have some fun, challenge such a strange calculus, but 105) as we look back STEPHANIE SCHOMER At $336 million, the Despicable Me The least successful wide release of MURRAY CLOSE; SADNESSAND BINGBONG: 2015 © DISNEY; this character and this project but myself, hopefully do interesting it happened to work out for me. on the pop culture : SONJA FLEMMING/CBS (2); LETTERMAN: CBS/GETTY IMAGES; MAD MEN MAD highs and lows of spin-off is the most successful wide Bullock’s career—maybe they should : also with all these people I worked things people like. I don’t know if And I was incredibly honored.

2015 all month long release of Bullock’s career. have hired one of those yellow dudes? CSI PART 2 ON with. You wonder, “Will I ever have there’s any way to describe 2015. —AS TOLD TO GILLIAN TELLING

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