PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — By most metrics, 2023 was a very challenging year.
There was the rise of artificial intelligence, the ongoing war in Ukraine and a bloody conflict in the Middle East. We saw the collapse of George Santos and the metamorphosis of Twitter into X. We bid farewell as one of the most successful movie stars of all time was forced to call it a career.
It was also a strangely busy year for prison escapes in the Philly area.
But there was also light amid all the darkness. There were inspiring local stories, from hero dogs to sports successes. Philly elected its historic 100th mayor — the first Black woman to hold the office. Then there was the unquestioned dominance of a woman from Reading, who took her place as arguably the biggest star on the planet.
And while the world may not begin and end with Ms. Swift, our year in pop culture certainly starts with her.
Taylor Swift conquers the world
For its 2023 person of the year, Time magazine selected Taylor Swift, and we can’t really find any fault in that decision.
The Berks County native was literally everywhere, thanks to her, globe-hopping, record-shattering Eras Tour. Swift’s tour was the first ever to gross $1 billion, edging out the queen herself, Beyoncé on her Renaissance tour.
Part of that tour was a homecoming for Swift. She played three nights at Lincoln Financial Field in May, selling out every show and creating a small village of tailgating Swifties. For those who couldn’t make it to the Linc, Swift produced and distributed a feature film of the tour, pulling in nearly $250 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing concert movie of all time.
It’s a good thing she made that movie, because a lot of fans couldn’t get tickets, thanks to a major Ticketmaster crash that placed her and the online retailer under scrutiny. Even the government got involved, as then-Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro stepped in to mediate a deal with Ticketmaster to reopen sales in the commonwealth. Congress even introduced legislation named after Swift (as well as Bruce Springsteen, whose tour faced similar issues) aimed at regulating ticket sales.
If having the biggest tour and concert movie ever wasn’t enough, Swift even made sports headlines this year when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, brother of beloved Eagles center Jason Kelce. The singer made appearances at a number of Chiefs games, including their Nov. 20 loss to the Birds. Her relationship with Kelce ruffled Birds fan feathers to the point that some area radio stations refused to play her music during that weekend — which is funny, considering Swift’s an avowed Eagles fan.
The Kelce brothers fly high
Taylor Swift aside, the Kelce brothers were busy in 2023. Jason and Travis started the year off as Super Bowl opponents, as Kansas City upended the Birds in a tight 38-35 victory. Much of the press coverage heading into the game centered around the brothers, their friendly rivalry, and which side their mother, Donna, would choose. (She rightly chose both.)
The Kelces, however, stayed in the headlines after, due in large part to their popular New Heights podcast, where they discussed everything from the big game to Jason and wife Kylie’s new baby — and of course, Travis’ new girlfriend.
Both brothers made appearances on “Saturday Night Live” in 2023, with Travis hosting an episode. Travis became an in-demand commercial pitchman, while Jason starred in an acclaimed Prime Video documentary about his football and family lives. Streaming services even rediscovered Travis’ 2016 reality dating show, “Catching Kelce.”
Jason also invited his brother as guest on this year’s Eagles Christmas album, with the pair covering the Pogues’ classic “Fairytale of New York.” Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan even gave the track his approval shortly before his death, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that he was “knocked out” by their version.
But while Travis seemed to become America’s most popular pitchman and all-around golden boy, it was Jason who got the last laugh. The Eagles fan-favorite was selected by People as a finalist for 2023’s Sexiest Man Alive. Who needs Taylor Swift or a reality show when you’ve got that accolade?
Will and Jada keep telling us things
In 2022, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith dominated headlines with the slap seen ‘round the world: Will’s shocking attack on comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards, after Rock made a joke about Jada’s bald head (the result of an alopecia diagnosis).
It was a stunning reminder of the uncomfortable openness that characterized the Smiths’ relationship since Jada went public in 2020 about her “entanglement” with singer August Alsina. That frenzy peaked in the fallout from the Oscar slap, and headed into 2023, it seemed like we’d (thankfully) learned everything there was to know about the Smiths’ marriage.
We learned how wrong we were in October.
Jada published her autobiography, “Worthy,” and revealed she and Will were actually separated when the slap happened, and had been since 2016. She told interviewers about how the slap actually inspired her to want to fix their marriage. And the Smiths admitted they had no intention of divorcing, regardless of where they stood emotionally.
The ensuing promotional tour made for raw, earnest and powerful television — but we’re hoping the book is finally closed in 2024.
Made in America canceled
The Made in America music festival has been making Philly audiences move since its 2012 debut, with artists ranging from Jay Z and Beyoncé to Justin Bieber and Coldplay headlining the event.
Barring a 2020 pandemic cancellation, the festival was a Labor Day constant on the Ben Franklin Parkway — until this year. The 2023 installment, which was set to feature Lizzo and SZA, was abruptly canceled just weeks beforehand. It would have been the first MIA headlined entirely by women.
Festival organizers still haven’t revealed an exact reason for the cancellation, instead chalking it up to “severe circumstances outside of production control.” That didn’t stop both fans and industry insiders from making their own guesses. Some people we interviewed along the Parkway pointed to high ticket prices and speculated about low sales.
Others brought up the controversy that surrounded Lizzo at the time. The cancellation came just a week after the singer was sued by three former dancers who accused Lizzo and her production company of harassment and discrimination, among other claims.
At long last, Rocky Day in Philly
It was 47 years ago when “Rocky” hit movie theaters, quickly taking the world by storm. The story of an underdog Philly boxer struck a chord with audiences and critics alike — becoming not only the highest-grossing movie of 1976, but that year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture.
On the Dec. 3 anniversary of its release, writer and star Sylvester Stallone returned to the city where it all began, in the spot his movie made famous — the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The actor came together with city officials and fans on a rainy Sunday to celebrate the first-ever Rocky Day.
It was also a grand opening for the city’s new Rocky Shop, at the Parkway Visitor Center, where fans could buy all manner of memorabilia and merchandise from the billions-grossing franchise.
As officials presented Stallone with a key to the city, he praised the can-do spirit of everyday Philadelphians, calling them “real-life Rockys, because you live your life on your own terms and you try to do the best you can, and you keep punching.” He also thanked his fans and supporters for making Rocky Balboa a Philly icon.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart — and Rocky’s too.”
Hall v. Oates
When you think of music in Philadelphia, it’s likely two sets of names will be the first to surface: Gamble and Huff, and Hall and Oates.
While Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff defined the “Sound of Philadelphia” — the lush, buttery soul performed by the Stylistics and Delfonics, among others — Daryl Hall and John Oates took that sound and made it their own by adding elements of folk and rock.
It was that unique brand of “rock ‘n’ soul” that launched them to music superstardom through the late 1970s and ‘80s. The results speak for themselves: 29 Billboard Hot 100 singles with 16 top 10 hits, six of those topping the chart; earworms like “Sara Smile,” “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List” and “Out of Touch” becoming cultural touchstones; and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
So that’s why it was so surprising to hear that Hall sued Oates last month, in what was revealed to be a bitter dispute over Oates’ plans to sell his half of their joint business and song catalog. We can’t go for that, no can do.
Hall claimed that Oates moved to sell his stake in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to an IP management company without his written consent, and even filed a restraining order against Oates to block the sale. Oates, for his part, said Hall had sought for years to portray himself as a solo artist and distance himself from his longtime partner.
Interviews with Hall seem to support Oates’ claim,such as a 2022 appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast where he pushed back on the idea he and Oates were still partners.
“I don’t have a partner,” Hall told Maher, before clarifying that he considers Oates his business partner rather than his creative partner. “You know that song ‘Kiss on My List’? I did all those [harmonies]. That was all me.”
Ouch, Daryl. Say it isn’t so.
Bruce Willis diagnosed with dementia
Bruce Willis is inextricably tied to our region. Raised in South Jersey, the Penns Grove High School alum gained fame through starring turns in “Moonlighting” and “Die Hard” before a bumpy period dotted with duds like “Hudson Hawk,” “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “Color of Night.”
And it was a series of movies set and filmed in Philly that rejuvenated his career through the ‘90s and 2000s, from “12 Monkeys” and “The Sixth Sense” to “Unbreakable” and “Glass.”
Many Philadelphians were heartbroken when Willis was diagnosed with aphasia last year, forcing him to retire. Tributes to Willis lined the internet, including here at KYW Newsradio. In February, though, his wife announced his condition worsened, and that doctors diagnosed him with frontotemporal dementia.
Despite spending the last several years of his career appearing in a flood of direct-to-video action flicks, Willis remained a top draw and a beloved star, with a blockbuster return never out of the realm of possibility. While it’s hard to imagine his career ending under these circumstances, Willis has given his fans — casual viewers and “die-hards” alike — years of great work, from comedies and action to quirky dramas and flights of fantasy.
“Yippie ki yay,” and thanks for the movies.