Best (And Worst!) of 2014

Kimye on Vogue, Robin Thicke's meltdown and more.

Best (And Worst!) of 2014 - From Donald Sterling's public meltdown to the state of Jay Z and Beyoncé's marriage, pop culture has been through a lot in these past twelve months. Here's our rundown of the best — and worst — stories of 2014.(Photos from left: PacificCoastNews, Paul Buck-Pool/Getty Images)

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Best (And Worst!) of 2014 - From Donald Sterling's public meltdown to the state of Jay Z and Beyoncé's marriage, pop culture has been through a lot in these past twelve months. Here's our rundown of the best — and worst — stories of 2014.(Photos from left: PacificCoastNews, Paul Buck-Pool/Getty Images)

Photo By Photos from left: PacificCoastNews

BEST: Dear White People Breaks Through - The biggest stand-out at the art house box office this year was undoubtedly Dear White People. Justin Simien's racial satire, which came out on October 17, was not only laugh-out-loud funny, it sparked an important dialogue about race, prejudice and homophobia. (Photo: Roadside Attractions)

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BEST: Dear White People Breaks Through - The biggest stand-out at the art house box office this year was undoubtedly Dear White People. Justin Simien's racial satire, which came out on October 17, was not only laugh-out-loud funny, it sparked an important dialogue about race, prejudice and homophobia. (Photo: Roadside Attractions)

Photo By Photo: Roadside Attractions/ Roadside Attractions

BEST: Black Films Top Box Office - From Kevin Hart's sexy comic romp About Last Night to Denzel Washington's vigilante thriller The Equalizer, films with Black leads did gangbusters at the box office this year. The consistent first place box office finishes sent a clear message to Hollywood: diversity pays.(Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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BEST: Black Films Top Box Office - From Kevin Hart's sexy comic romp About Last Night to Denzel Washington's vigilante thriller The Equalizer, films with Black leads did gangbusters at the box office this year. The consistent first place box office finishes sent a clear message to Hollywood: diversity pays.(Photo: Columbia Pictures)

BEST: Beyoncé and Jay Z's Enduring Love - First, there was that now-infamous elevator video. Then, rumors started surfacing that Jay and Bey's marriage was on the rocks, reaching a fever pitch just as their On the Run tour was winding up. Music's most private couple had their personal life on display this year, and whether that was a clever PR move to promote their tour or genuine husband-wife strife, we breathed a sigh of relief when they showed the world they're stronger than ever by renewing their vows in Paris in October.(Photo: Myrna Suarez/WireImage for Parkwood Entertainment)

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BEST: Beyoncé and Jay Z's Enduring Love - First, there was that now-infamous elevator video. Then, rumors started surfacing that Jay and Bey's marriage was on the rocks, reaching a fever pitch just as their On the Run tour was winding up. Music's most private couple had their personal life on display this year, and whether that was a clever PR move to promote their tour or genuine husband-wife strife, we breathed a sigh of relief when they showed the world they're stronger than ever by renewing their vows in Paris in October.(Photo: Myrna Suarez/WireImage for Parkwood Entertainment)

Leslie Jones's controversial joke on SNL: - “Back in the slave days, my love life would have been way better. Massa would have hooked me up with the best brother on the plantation... I would be the number one slave draft pick.” (Photo: NBC)

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BEST: SNL Hires Black Women - After SNL came under fire for the lack of Black, female cast members in its decades-long run, the series did the unthinkable: it righted its wrong. Under the mandate of producer Lorne Michaels, SNL held bicoastal auditions and ultimately hired Sasheer Zamata to join the cast and LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones for the writers' room.  (Photo: NBC)

Photo By Photo: NBC

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BEST: Pharrell's Big Year - Skateboard P has plenty to celebrate this year. He not only had the most infectious hit of the year for the second year in a row (it took "Happy" to get "Blurred Lines" out of our heads), he also became a first-time Oscar nominee for Best Original Song. Williams also set a new fashion trend — or, at least a meme — with that Vivienne Westwood ranger hat.(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Intimissimi)

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BEST: Pharrell's Big Year - Skateboard P has plenty to celebrate this year. He not only had the most infectious hit of the year for the second year in a row (it took "Happy" to get "Blurred Lines" out of our heads), he also became a first-time Oscar nominee for Best Original Song. Williams also set a new fashion trend — or, at least a meme — with that Vivienne Westwood ranger hat.(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Intimissimi)

Vogue Nation - In April 2014, a month before their wedding, Kimye scored the ultimate gift from Vogue editor Anna Wintour when she put the pair on the cover of the fashion bible. Declared the #WorldsMostTalkedAboutCouple, Kim and Kanye looked radiant in designer wedding duds for the beautiful photo spread. Even baby North made an appearance! (Photo: Vogue, April 2014)

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BEST: Kimye Cover Vogue - Sure, they tied the knot, but Kim Kardashian and Kanye West each fulfilled their true life's ambition when they landed the cover of the fashion bible. Anna Wintour dubbed Kimye the #worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple, and we'd have to agree.(Photo: Courtesy of Vogue, April 2014)

Photo By Vogue, April 2014

BEST: Lupita Nyong'o's Hollywood Debut - It seems every year a new It Girl captivates the attention of Hollywood, and this year that girl was Lupita Nyong'o. The 12 Years a Slave star slayed on the big screen and the red carpet, becoming a style section star with  her bold looks. Oh, and did we mention she was nominated for an Oscar, too? (Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP File)

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BEST: Lupita Nyong'o's Hollywood Debut - It seems every year a new It Girl captivates the attention of Hollywood, and this year that girl was Lupita Nyong'o. The 12 Years a Slave star slayed on the big screen and the red carpet, becoming a style section star with  her bold looks. Oh, and did we mention she was nominated for an Oscar, too? (Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP File)

BEST: Black Women Dominate TV - Realizing that leading roles for Black women in movies are few and far between, many of the most talented actresses in the business are fleeing to television. This is great news for those of us who spend more time in front of our sets than at the theater: Viola Davis in How to Get Away With Murder, Octavia Spencer in Red Band Society and Halle Berry in Extant are just a few examples of Oscar-nominated actresses dominating TV.(Photo: ABC)

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BEST: Black Women Dominate TV - Realizing that leading roles for Black women in movies are few and far between, many of the most talented actresses in the business are fleeing to television. This is great news for those of us who spend more time in front of our sets than at the theater: Viola Davis in How to Get Away With Murder, Octavia Spencer in Red Band Society and Halle Berry in Extant are just a few examples of Oscar-nominated actresses dominating TV.(Photo: ABC)

Photo By Photo: ABC

BEST: Laverne Cox Covers TIME - There's no doubt the Orange is the New Black actress has had an amazing year (an Emmy nomination, a book deal and a huge spike in her fan base are just a few of the things she can celebrate), but the highlight had to be landing the cover of TIME. Cox continues to be not only a great spokesperson for the trans community, but one of the most compelling public figures in the world.(Photo: Time Magazine, June 2014)

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BEST: Laverne Cox Covers TIME - There's no doubt the Orange is the New Black actress has had an amazing year (an Emmy nomination, a book deal and a huge spike in her fan base are just a few of the things she can celebrate), but the highlight had to be landing the cover of TIME. Cox continues to be not only a great spokesperson for the trans community, but one of the most compelling public figures in the world.(Photo: Time Magazine, June 2014)

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BEST: Outkast Reunites - A decade after their legendary Grammys sweep, the Atlanta duo sent fans into a fever pitch during their performance at the Coachella Music Festival this year, their first time performing together in several years.Though their reunion tour was noticeably strained — its clear both Andre 3000 and Big Boi have drifted apart — seeing the duo together on stage was a thrill for Outkast fans. (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

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BEST: Outkast Reunites - A decade after their legendary Grammys sweep, the Atlanta duo sent fans into a fever pitch during their performance at the Coachella Music Festival this year, their first time performing together in several years.Though their reunion tour was noticeably strained — its clear both Andre 3000 and Big Boi have drifted apart — seeing the duo together on stage was a thrill for Outkast fans. (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

WORST: NYT Calls Shonda Rhimes an "Angry Black Woman" - The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley set journalism and race relations back a couple of decades when she reduced TV titan Shonda Rhimes down to an offensive three word description: angry Black woman. Though Stanley stubbornly insisted that her article was meant to be flattering to Rhimes, it was too late: the blogosphere was on fire, and Rhimes lit the first match by calling out the writer on Twitter. (Photo:  Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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WORST: NYT Calls Shonda Rhimes an "Angry Black Woman" - The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley set journalism and race relations back a couple of decades when she reduced TV titan Shonda Rhimes down to an offensive three word description: angry Black woman. Though Stanley stubbornly insisted that her article was meant to be flattering to Rhimes, it was too late: the blogosphere was on fire, and Rhimes lit the first match by calling out the writer on Twitter. (Photo:  Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Photo By Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

WORST: Chris Brown's Incarceration - The law finally caught up with Breezy this year. After a judge ruled his attack on a man in front of a Washington, DC hotel constituted a violation of his probation from his Rihanna domestic violence case, Brown was sentenced to jail time in March. The singer remained behind bars for more than half of the year. (Photo: Paul Buck-Pool\Getty Images)

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WORST: Chris Brown's Incarceration - The law finally caught up with Breezy this year. After a judge ruled his attack on a man in front of a Washington, DC hotel constituted a violation of his probation from his Rihanna domestic violence case, Brown was sentenced to jail time in March. The singer remained behind bars for more than half of the year. (Photo: Paul Buck-Pool\Getty Images)

WORST: Columbus Short's Downward Spiral - This time last year, Short was married and had a leading role on the hottest drama series in primetime. What a difference a few months made. Short split from his wife after a series of allegedly violent fights, beat up a man in a Los Angeles bar, got himself fired from Scandal and arrested after he skipped several court hearings to party in the Bahamas. What would Olivia Pope say to all that? (Photo: David Buchan/Getty Images)

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WORST: Columbus Short's Downward Spiral - This time last year, Short was married and had a leading role on the hottest drama series in primetime. What a difference a few months made. Short split from his wife after a series of allegedly violent fights, beat up a man in a Los Angeles bar, got himself fired from Scandal and arrested after he skipped several court hearings to party in the Bahamas. What would Olivia Pope say to all that? (Photo: David Buchan/Getty Images)

Photo By David Buchan/Getty Images

WORST: Ray Rice's Elevator Knockout - When a grainy but undeniable video of Ray Rice knocking out his wife Janay in an elevator went public, it made ignoring the domestic violence that plagues the households of many public figures impossible. Rice was immediately suspended from the NFL, but the punishment lead many to wonder if it happened simply because the world became privy to his heinous actions.(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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WORST: Ray Rice's Elevator Knockout - When a grainy but undeniable video of Ray Rice knocking out his wife Janay in an elevator went public, it made ignoring the domestic violence that plagues the households of many public figures impossible. Rice was immediately suspended from the NFL, but the punishment lead many to wonder if it happened simply because the world became privy to his heinous actions.(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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WORST: Democrats Lose the Senate - As if President Obama's job wasn't hard enough: Democrats suffered an embarassing defeat in the midterm elections this past November, giving Republicans a majority in both houses. That puts many of the president's key legislative actions — including Obamacare — in the danger zone. As for the next two years? Democrats may as well take a long vacation considering how much, or little, they stand to get done. (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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WORST: Democrats Lose the Senate - As if President Obama's job wasn't hard enough: Democrats suffered an embarassing defeat in the midterm elections this past November, giving Republicans a majority in both houses. That puts many of the president's key legislative actions — including Obamacare — in the danger zone. As for the next two years? Democrats may as well take a long vacation considering how much, or little, they stand to get done. (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Photo By AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

WORST: Tracy Morgan's Car Crash - The 30 Rock star nearly lost his life in a fatal car accident on the New Jersey turnpike earlier this year when a Wal-Mart delivery truck caused a six car pileup that left one man, Morgan's close pal, dead. The comedian, thankfully, escaped with his life but has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation ever since. Morgan is suing the mega-retailer for negligence.(Photos from left: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images)

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WORST: Tracy Morgan's Car Crash - The 30 Rock star nearly lost his life in a fatal car accident on the New Jersey turnpike earlier this year when a Wal-Mart delivery truck caused a six car pileup that left one man, Morgan's close pal, dead. The comedian, thankfully, escaped with his life but has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation ever since. Morgan is suing the mega-retailer for negligence.(Photos from left: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images)

Photo By Photos from left: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

WORST: Robin Thicke's Apology Tour - After the phenomenal success of "Blurred Lines," Thicke's world started to fall apart when his wife of nearly a decade, Paula Patton, filed for divorce. After the announcement, Robin went off the deep end trying to win Paula back — in the most public way possible. Whether serenading her with Marvin Gaye at his concerts or naming his next album after her, Thicke tried it all. Sadly, his marriage went the way of his album sales: bust. Worse yet, his public image went from sexy and cool to sad and pathetic in a matter of weeks.(Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for Hyundai)

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WORST: Robin Thicke's Apology Tour - After the phenomenal success of "Blurred Lines," Thicke's world started to fall apart when his wife of nearly a decade, Paula Patton, filed for divorce. After the announcement, Robin went off the deep end trying to win Paula back — in the most public way possible. Whether serenading her with Marvin Gaye at his concerts or naming his next album after her, Thicke tried it all. Sadly, his marriage went the way of his album sales: bust. Worse yet, his public image went from sexy and cool to sad and pathetic in a matter of weeks.(Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for Hyundai)

WORST: Michael Brown's Murder and Darren Wilson Verdict - August 9 will be remembered as a day of infamy in Ferguson, Missouri. On that day, unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. What happened in the weeks and months following Brown's death reinforced many Americans' beliefs that justice is not colorblind. After a grand jury inexplicably decided not to charge Wilson with Brown's death, peaceful protests turned into violent outbreaks as angered citizens demanded explanations. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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WORST: Michael Brown's Murder and Darren Wilson Verdict - August 9 will be remembered as a day of infamy in Ferguson, Missouri. On that day, unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. What happened in the weeks and months following Brown's death reinforced many Americans' beliefs that justice is not colorblind. After a grand jury inexplicably decided not to charge Wilson with Brown's death, peaceful protests turned into violent outbreaks as angered citizens demanded explanations. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Photo By Joe Raedle/Getty Images

WORST: Movie Casting Controversies - Fans weighed in on the casting decisions of several high-profile productions this year, and they were not happy. From the miscasting of the Aaliyah biopic to the lack of people of color populating ancient Egypt (except those thieves and slaves, of course) in Exodus, Hollywood missed the mark this year. Most surprising, however, was the outrageous casting call put out by the Ice Cube-produced NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, seeking dark-skinned "D-girls" up to "light-skinned, mixed race A-girls."(Photo: Lifetime via Twitter)

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WORST: Movie Casting Controversies - Fans weighed in on the casting decisions of several high-profile productions this year, and they were not happy. From the miscasting of the Aaliyah biopic to the lack of people of color populating ancient Egypt (except those thieves and slaves, of course) in Exodus, Hollywood missed the mark this year. Most surprising, however, was the outrageous casting call put out by the Ice Cube-produced NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, seeking dark-skinned "D-girls" up to "light-skinned, mixed race A-girls."(Photo: Lifetime via Twitter)

WORST: Donald Sterling's Racist Rant - Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling shocked the world when audio recordings of him making some extremely racist comments were leaked by his rumored lover V. Stiviano. If that wasn't bad enough, Sterling's adamant refusal to step down as owner and his public war with his estranged wife managed to steal the thunder from the NBA Finals. Sterling was finally forced out over the summer to make way for new owner Steve Balmer.(Photo: AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)

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WORST: Donald Sterling's Racist Rant - Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling shocked the world when audio recordings of him making some extremely racist comments were leaked by his rumored lover V. Stiviano. If that wasn't bad enough, Sterling's adamant refusal to step down as owner and his public war with his estranged wife managed to steal the thunder from the NBA Finals. Sterling was finally forced out over the summer to make way for new owner Steve Balmer.(Photo: AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)