A lot has happened in the year of 2014.  It has seen the releases of new music and movies as well as some tragedy and hope.  Let us take a look back and rewind 2014.

Music:

Everyone thought we had heard the last of Pink Floyd in 1993’s The Division Bell, but it turns out they had one more trick up their sleeve.  The Endless River is the most recent and final release from legendary psychedelic rock band.  It is a largely instrumental album that still features the late keyboardist and founding member, Rick Wright.  The album is a great way to end the era of Pink Floyd.

Songs of Innocence by U2 was released to the public via iTunes on September 9, 2014.  It’s claim to fame is the fact that it is 100% free.  The album received lots of criticism due to the fact that it automatically download itself on to anybody’s that had the iTunes store.  The album is considered a tribute to their musical influences as well as remembering personal experiences.  According to their lead singer, Bono, “this is the most personal album we’ve written”.

Shatter Me is the sophomore album released by Utah native, Lindsey Stirling, achieved number two on the Billboard 200.  It is her first album to feature lyrics and vocalists such as Lzzy Hale (Halestorm).  Considered a more progressive style than her first one, it uses dubstep and electronic music elements but still showcases her virtuoso talent.

Veteran performer Taylor Swift broke records with the release of her fifth album, 1989.  It features hit singles such as “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space”.  It is considered to be Swift’s first pop album, due to the fact that it is more closely related to that than her previous country pop albums.  Because of this album, Swift is one of few to have produced an album that has sold over one million copies in a week. It is the best selling album of 2014.

Another band to release their fifth album is Maroon 5.  Titled V, it was released on August, 29 2014. It features singles such as “Maps”, “Animals”, and “Sugar”.  The album received mixed views but has been largely praised by critics, saying that they have still stuck to their pop roots.

Returning to the limelight, Coldplay released a highly anticipated album, Ghost Stories.  Unlike most pop albums, this one is centered around one general concept, also known as a concept album.  It is their sixth album and it ranked No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Movies:

Marvel doesn’t seem to stop with the movies and they have not disappointed this year.  As the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier follows the life of Captain Steve Rodgers after The Avengers and his interactions with S.H.I.E.L.D. and how he tackles his latest challenge, the mysterious Winter Soldier.

The Fault in Our Stars is considered one of the most emotional movies of the year.  Based off of the book by the same name, it is about two cancer patients falling in love with each other and finding joy in some of their darkest times.

Produced by Michael Bay, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a movie about a classic story that goes back to the eighties.  It features actors/actresses such as Megan Fox and Whoopi Goldberg and contains action and comedy.  The movie still features many of the original characters such as the four turtles, Splinter, and their villain, the Shredder.

Featuring Liam Neeson, Non-stop really to not stop at all from start to finish.  Neeson plays the part of a US air marshal who must find terrorists before they start killing people every twenty minutes.  Filled with intense action scenes and enormous amounts of suspicion, this movie kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

This year seemed to be the year of sequels as another one was released earlier this summer.  How To Train Your Dragon 2 continues to follow Hiccup as he is growing up and starts to wonder about his past.  The movie still contains all the favorite characters, plus some new ones as well.  A fun and entertaining movie that does not fall into the stereotype of disappointing sequels.

Angelina Jolie is the star Maleficent, which was released in May this year.  It is based on the fairy tale that we all know and love – Sleeping Beauty – but gives it darker twist.  It is told from the point of view the evil witch, Maleficent, and all that transpires before and after.

Tom Cruise appears in this action packed movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Edge of Tomorrow is a science fiction movie that deals with aliens, and it’s great for any sci-fi fan.  Tom Cruise’s character gets killed in the alien invasion, then wakes up to find that time has reset itself.  This happens to him everytime he dies and he must find a way to stop the aliens.

Major celebrity news of 2014:

The biggest and perhaps the saddest news of the entire year is the death of Robin Williams.  He passed away on August 11, 2014.  He was known for his years of acting and being comedian.

Also in the news, the notorious serial killer Charles Manson got married in November to a 25 year-old named Star.

One of the biggest trending events (and perhaps one of the most heartwarming) of 2014 was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  Initially started to raise awareness and funds for the ALS disease, it spread like a wildfire through social media and it seemed that just about everyone participated in the event, including celebrities.  Participants ranged from Tom Cruise to President Obama to David Beckham and even to bands such as Motley Crüe who did it on stage during a show.

Also, let’s not forget the various music awards this year.  In the country world, Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of The Year as well as three other awards.  At the AMAs, One Direction won Artist of The Year.  Also, Taylor Swift on the Dick Clark Award For Excellence and Katy Perry won Favorite Female Vocalist.  And how can we forget about Frozen?  It’s soundtrack won the Best Soundtrack of the Year award.