The Funniest Moments Of 2017 | Verve Magazine
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December 28, 2017

The Funniest Moments Of 2017

Text by Tina Dastur

There was much to laugh about this year, so get ready to go down memory lane and relive the most hilarious – not to mention, meme-worthy – events of the year

As 2017 comes to a close, it’s fair to say that it’s been a year marred by too many scandals and unfortunate events – Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, among countless other male predators in Hollywood; the shocking American election result; and the tragic Las Vegas shooting, to name a few. But to counterbalance the ugly, there has been a fair amount of funny moments this year as well. Here’s a look at eight of the best…

Salt Bae

Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe became quite a sensation and achieved overnight stardom after a video posted by him on Instagram went viral. It’s hard to forget that image of him seductively sprinkling salt over his meats, with that undeniably sassy look on his face – not to mention the thousands of memes the picture inspired. Far and wide did his acclaim reach that soon enough, he was at his dramatic best, performing his salt sprinkle for Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, who stopped by at Gökçe’s restaurant’s Dubai branch to experience the sexy salt sprinkler in action.

From Hollywood to Hollyweed

On New Year’s Day, the world woke up to the latest iteration of Los Angeles’ iconic Hollywood hoarding. It was a prank by an artist, who decided it was time the sign got a facelift. Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time the structure has been tampered with. In 1976, it was also changed to ‘Hollyweed’ by prankster Danny Finegood, soon after a state law was passed that relaxed the rules on marijuana. This year’s version, though, was the work of Zachary Cole Fernandez, who turned himself in to the authorities a few days later.

Michelle Obama and the Tiffany box

Even on her final day as FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States), Michelle Obama retained her ‘boss lady’ title, in style. Think back – as hard and painful and cringe-worthy as this may be – to Donald Trump’s inauguration day. Remember how Melania Trump affectionately gifted a positively surprised Michelle Obama an unexpected (and mysterious) Tiffany’s box? And then – now here’s where you jog your memory – remember the epic side-eye that Michelle gave television reporters when she couldn’t figure out what to do with the box and where to put it? The stuff of meme legend.

Porgs and the ‘Fish Nuns’ from Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Porgs, the beady-eyed, chubby, innocent bird-like creatures that, among the many awesome things Star Wars: The Last Jedi offered us this year (including a shirtless Adam Driver), was by far, the most memorable. Not only did they become practically everyone’s idea of the perfect Christmas gift, but they gave Baby Groot (from Guardians Of The Galaxy) stiff competition for the ‘most adorable creature on a fictional planet’ tag.

Special mention, though, must also go to the absolutely clueless but faithful ‘fish nuns’, who made brief appearances in the film’s Ahch-To storyline. That’s right, those short, waddle-y caretakers, who helped keep Luke Skywalker’s island clean and under control – and more importantly, provided the much-needed comic relief with their incoherent blabbering and vacuous expressions when tensions escalated between Rey and Luke.

Meryl Streep singing

No, this isn’t about Meryl Streep casually singing, but instead a screengrab of her singing open-mouthed at the 2015 SAG Awards that has become the stuff of legend. By far Streep’s most memorable performance yet (outranking even her The Devil Wears Prada), the shot, which looks like she’s totally in character, hollering away, became instantly meme-worthy – and the enthusiasm hasn’t died down yet.

Donald Trump and Pope Francis

The target of mockery ever since becoming President of the United States of America (remember the day of his election, when soon after he won, a meme went up with him googling ‘What does a president do?’ Yeah, we never got over that one!), his picture with Pope Francis in May, when visiting the Vatican, was by far one of the most hilarious moments of 2017. Think: Ivanka, Melania and Donald Trump clubbed together, dressed in black, the image of mourning – except Donald, who was beaming his signature smile – with the unfortunate Pope at a safe arm’s distance away, looking positively morose, like he came to the wrong party.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway at the 2017 Academy Awards

Steve Harvey’s Miss Universe winner reveal mess-up a couple of years ago made him the victim of many a joke – but that was until we were introduced to Warren Beatty at the Oscars earlier this year. Its often award show hosts who are tasked with coming up with jokes to keep the audience engaged, but at the Academy Awards this year, fate had other plans. When the time came for Beatty and fellow presenter Faye Dunaway to announce the winner of the ‘Best Picture’ category, Beatty looked thoroughly confused and paused much too long before Dunaway emphatically proclaimed La La Land the victor. Just to be clear – Moonlight was the winner, and Beatty had been handed the wrong envelope. Even though blame could hardly squarely be pointed at him, Beatty’s perplexed expression while trying to calculate the permutations and combinations frantically in his head became the internet’s favourite meme friend for a while. After La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz clarified the mix-up (yes, the entire cast of La La Land had already gone up and made their ‘thank you’ speeches by then), Beatty even chimed in to clarify that he wasn’t joking, finally displaying to the audience the ‘Best Picture’ envelope, which asserted Moonlight was the winner. Awkward!

Priyanka Chopra at the MET Gala

Bollywood’s beloved Piggy Chops’ ensemble at the MET this year was rather questionable. The Ralph Lauren oversized trench coat dress (or was it a gown?) went on to become the subject of innumerable comparisons – especially that weirdly-shaped train. Some of the funniest comparisons included those comparing her train to a tarpaulin sheet used to cover cricket stadiums when it rains; to the malai that forms in tea that has been left idle too long; to a king-size bed spread; to the vast desert landscapes of Egypt; and even to an extended potato peel. Yes, you’re allowed to laugh. Chopra did, too.

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