Pop culture is inherently weird. It’s built into its DNA. To survive in this world as a pop star — whether it be music, television, film, or just famous for being famous — you have to surprise your audience and your critics. Doing the same thing, over and over again, is boring. People want new, new, new all the time. Which is when things get weird. It’s a familiar narrative: You think you know what I’m about? Then watch this. Things are about to get crazy. It takes many forms: pop stars change their image or sound, make weird public statements, or start lashing out. There is no clear trajectory; it’s all in the name of reinvention, like shooting spitballs in the wind. Here, ARTINFO picked the five weirdest things to happen in pop culture in 2013.
Miley Cyrus
The twerk heard ’round the world. Her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards was pointless and offensive and certainly weird. But the worst part? Even your grandma knows what twerking is now.
“Jane Got a Gun”
Director Lynne Ramsay’s Natalie Portman-starring Western was looking great, until the director decided to quit the film by not showing up on the first day. A new director, a few cast changes, and lawsuit later, the film looks like a dud.
Pop Stars Performing for Dictators
For this writer, this will go down as the year when pop stars decided it would be a good idea to take money from dictators before making sure they weren’t human-rights abusers. Jennifer Lopez and Kanye West were among the stars who let the dollar sign blind them this year.
Spike Lee Kickstarter
This one was weird, but also oddly perfect. Spike Lee went to Kickstarter to raise funds for his new movie, a vampire sex comedy set in Brooklyn. That’s enough for my money, really. But then Spike started offering prizes like old sneakers and front-row New York Knicks tickets.
James Franco
What did James Franco do this year that was weird? How about everything.
Click on the slideshow to see an illustrated list of the weirdest moments in pop culture in 2013.
