Written by Giavanna Foster

The year of 2016 kicked off with entertainment award shows and championship games bringing out celebrities and fans in the excitement of the freshness of the new year.The Super Bowl, Grammys, and Oscars presented countdown advertising in grand fashion this year raising the buzz as it built up to the big day of the live broadcast.

Super Bowl 50 took place on February 7, 2016 at  Levi’s Stadium in Northern California with the Carolina Panthers playing against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos defeated the Panthers with the final score of 24-10. Peyton Manning achieved the legendary milestone of winning 200 total games. He was honored as the quarterback who broke Brett Favre’s record with the most combined regular season and postseason NFL wins.

After 18 seasons, Peyton Manning retired on March 7, 2016. The final words of Manning’s retirement speech summed up his character as an outstanding player in the NFL: “I’ve fought a good fight. I’ve finished my football race and after 18 years, it’s time. God bless all of you and God bless football.”

Jimmy Fallon’s puppies accurately predicted that the Denver Broncos would win Super Bowl 50. It was aired as part of their “Puppies Predict Super Bowl 50” segment:

Coldplay performed at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show with Bruno Mars and Beyoncé. Coldplay’s entrance was intriguing with colorful lights on display as they performed “Adventure of a Lifetime” and “A Sky Full of Stars”.  Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson performed “Uptown Funk” live. It featured an amazing choreography routine with Bruno and his squad. Mid-way through the song, Beyoncé appeared on the field with a group of ladies to kick off the promotion of her new release, “Formation”.

This year’s Grammy Awards took place on February 15, 2016 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Lady GaGa’s creative and mind-blowing tribute to David Bowie was one of the main featured performances during the ceremony. Taylor Swift received Grammys for 1989 that included the Album of the Year award. “Uptown Funk” received a Grammy for Record of the Year. Ed Sheeran received a Best Pop Solo Performance Grammy for “Thinking Out Loud”. Skrillex, Diplo, and Justin Bieber received a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with “Where Are Ü Now”. Jeff Bhasker received a Grammy for Best Producer, Non-Classical category. Ricky Martin received the Best Latin Pop Album award for A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition). Home by Tim Kubart scored a Grammy for Best Children’s Album.

This year, Meghan Trainor received the Best New Artist award. Meghan expressed that she gained more confidence in herself as an artist after receiving this award. As always, Meghan was thankful to her fans. Five rising artists received well-deserved nominations for the Best New Artist category: Tori Kelly, Sam Hunt, Meghan Trainor, James Bay, and Courtney Barnett. This year’s crop of talent is simply incomparable.

Click here to view the complete list of Grammy nominees and winners.

Hollywood rolled the red carpet out on February 28th for the highly anticipated 2016 Academy Awards. The Revenant was a big winner, receiving 12 nominations as well as 3 Oscar wins. The Revenant won the Cinematography and Directing award, and Leonardo DiCaprio scored a well-earned trophy for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

DiCaprio thanked his fans and family while addressing global warming in his speech:

Spotlight received 6 nominations and trophies for Best Picture. Co-stars Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo scored nominations for their contributions to Spotlight. Rachel McAdams scored a nomination for Actress in a Supporting Role, and Mark Ruffalo was nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role. Inside Out received the Best Animated Feature Film award. “Writing’s On The Wall”, the Spectre soundtrack, received the Oscar trophy for Music (Original Song).

Click here to see the complete list of Oscar winners.