In 2022, COVID-19 was allegedly over. For this, masks were discarded and entertainment was pushed forward.

Here is an annual, totally selective journey through a year in pop culture: Taylor Swift was up. Elon Musk was in, out and in. Tom Cruise was back. BTS stepped aside, and so did Serena Williams, and Tom Brady too – oops, scratch that. But the slap? The slap was everywhere. No further conversations are needed.

What would a year in pop culture be without Britney? Just months after her liberation from her restrictive conservatorship, Spears is reported to have signed a mammoth book deal, but at year's end, we're still waiting for news. Rihanna is pregnant! Tom Brady retires!

Quick, who wins the Oscars in March? Well, "CODA" does, a feel-good drama with a largely deaf cast and Troy Kotsur becomes the first deaf actor to win an acting Oscar.

It’s Grammy time, and Jon Batiste wins big, taking five statuettes. The musician's huge year will later include performing at the first state dinner of the Biden administration, for French President Emmanuel Macron. The next day Macron will meet with Musk (thanks for the segue, Monsieur le President) the social media giant.

So imagine you’re sipping cocktails at the Met Gala and a musician comes sauntering through, playing the melodica – of course, it’s Batiste because the Met Gala’s that kind of crazy party. The biggest splash of the night, though, is Kardashian on the arm of boyfriend Pete Davidson, wearing the same sequined, skin-tight gown Marilyn Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to JFK in 1962. In movies, "Top Gun: Maverick" opens the highest-grossing domestic debut in Cruise’s career, and his first to surpass $100 million on opening weekend. Harry Styles fans rejoice! His album, "Harry’s House," is here.

Stunning news for the global fanbase of BTS as the K-pop supergroup announces it’s taking a break to focus on members’ solo projects. On the legal front, a Virginia jury hands Johnny Depp a victory in his very messy libel case over allegations of domestic abuse, finding that former wife Amber Heard defamed him in a 2018 op-ed. On a happier note, Britney gets married.

Also, fans of Beyonce are rewarded with the release of her long-awaited seventh studio album, "Renaissance," her first solo album in six years.

In August, the world remembers Princess Diana, whose shocking death in a car crash happened 25 years ago, and whose life is being rehashed for a new generation in the current season of "The Crown." And only days later, that same Netflix series will pause production briefly as a mark of respect for Queen Elizabeth II as Britain – and the world – mourn the beloved monarch, who dies at age 96 after more than 70 years on the throne.

Mounting political intrigue in Europe, and by that we mean ... did spit fly at the Venice premiere of "Don’t Worry Darling"? Either way, the movie, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring her boyfriend (alleged spitter Styles), is saddled – or blessed? – with more than its share of extracurricular drama. At the Emmys, behold Sheryl Lee Ralph, who wins for "Abbott Elementary" and schools the crowd on the power of dreams and self-belief. "This is what believing looks like," she says. You know what else believing looks like? Rachel Berry from "Glee" – aka Lea Michele – at last getting to play Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" on Broadway. In sports, with four rueful words that resonate with working moms everywhere, Serena Williams says she’s stepping aside from tennis, because: "Something’s got to give."

The second Harvey Weinstein trial opens in Los Angeles. Adidas drops Ye, part of a cascade of companies that will sever ties with the rapper over his anti-Semitic and other troubling comments. The Musk era begins at Twitter as the world’s richest man carries a sink into the office, to "let that sink in." Heidi Klum’s Halloween costume is a slimy, glistening rain worm. But before the month worms away from us, let’s cede it to Taylor Swift for dropping her new album, "Midnights" (Spotify's most streamed album in a single day), then adding seven bonus tracks, then becoming the first to occupy all top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Did we say November was Taylor Swift month? Well now, millions of eager fans crowd a presale for her much-awaited Eras Tour, resulting in crashes and endless waits. Ticketmaster cancels the general sale, citing insufficient stock. Multiple state attorneys general announce investigations. Takeaway: People want Taylor Swift tickets. At the multiplex, they also want their Wakanda. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" meets the double challenge of being one of the biggest blockbusters in history and losing its biggest star.

Love 'em or hate 'em, here come Prince Harry and Meghan again, with a Netflix "documentary" being watched very, very closely by royalty across the pond. Cameron’s "Avatar" sequel finally appears, 13 years after the original broke records.