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Will Taylor's triumphant 2023 spoil Trump's 2024?
Getty Images/John Shearer

Will Taylor's triumphant 2023 spoil Trump's 2024?

Taylor Swift did the impossible in 2023.

Not only did Swift’s Eras Tour evoke the glory days of Beatlemania, but the pop princess refused to weaponize her fame against half the country.

Yes, the woman who celebrated her progressive makeover in the 2020 documentary “Miss Americana” stood down in the Culture War battles.

For now.

She wasn’t the only blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty to rule pop culture over the past 12 months. Margot Robbie’s “Barbie” dominated the box office, raging against the “patriarchy” with the ultimate product placement win.

The “Barbenheimer” meme powered that frothy comedy and the latest from director Christopher Nolan. Only Nolan could turn a sober look at the most critical invention of the modern era into a crowd-pleasing event.

On the music front, the year’s biggest surprise came from a recovering alcoholic who found God at just the right time. Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” helped him become the closest thing to an overnight sensation.

Anthony’s populist anthem, like Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” flexed songwriting skill to speak directly to alienated Americans. The media raged against both to little avail.

That same rebellious spirit made “Sound of Freedom” the year’s indie smash. Angel Studios plucked the fact-based film from Disney’s vault where it sat for the past five years, ignored. The result? “Freedom” out-earned “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Fast X,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1” and “The Flash” at the US box office.

The small screen offered plenty of diversions, including a left-leaning showcase that drew bipartisan praise.

“Succession,” the TV saga that mocked a Murdoch-like dynasty, signed off after four blistering seasons.

Elsewhere on TV, late-night liberals stood down for 148 blissful days thanks to a protracted writers’ strike. Hollywood actors struck next, postponing potential blockbusters (“Dune 2”) and silencing stars who would usually be talking up their current gigs.

And then there’s the year’s big loser. No prizes for guessing this one.

Yes, Disney’s dizzying descent continued in 2023, from sinking stock prices to more box office busts. “The Marvels” earned less than any film in the once-mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it was joined in box office humiliation by “Haunted Mansion,” “Wish” and “Dial of Destiny.”

Beleaguered CEO Bob Iger vowed to quiet the noise on the company’s culture war battles before yanking ads from Elon Musk’s X platform under dubious circumstances.

So what does 2024 have in store for pop culture fans? Would you believe even fewer original stories and a non-stop effort to re-elect President Joe Biden?

The new year promises a prequel to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” dubbed “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (May 23) starring Anja Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Charlize Theron’s warrior.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 28) joins the prequel frenzy, depicting the early stages of the alien invasion hinted at in 2020 installment “A Quiet Place Part II.”

Prefer sequels? Consider “Deadpool 3” (July 26) featuring both the Merc with a Mouth, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. It’s the only MCU film slated for release in 2024.

We’ll also get “Inside Out 2” (June 14), “Kung Fu Panda 4” (March 8). “Dune 2” (March 1), “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (May 24) and “Joker: Folie a Deux” (Oct. 4), a musical continuation of the supervillain saga starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

On the home front, streaming prices could jump as more industry titans align. If Warner Bros. Discovery joins Paramount as planned the ensuing mega-platform won’t come cheap.

The biggest show in town, though, will play for months and we won’t know the ending until the first Tuesday in November - aka Election Day.

Hollywood will expend all its celebrity cachet to demand a second term for 81-year-old President Joe Biden while smiting Donald Trump (or whoever serves as the GOP’s plan B should the real estate mogul’s poll numbers suddenly crater).

Awards show stages. Late-night bully pulpits. Social media. Concert stages. Viral videos.

The stars will use every opportunity to deny Republicans the White House once more.

The biggest player, again, could be Swift.

We’re already seeing think pieces about her potential impact on the 2024 presidential race, with both MSNBC and The Hill touting her ability to change just enough hearts and minds to matter.

Will she abandon her apolitical pose just in time to drag Biden over the finish line?

Sound outrageous? Andrew Breitbart warned us years ago that politics is downstream of culture, and the 2024 race could be especially close. Again. We ignore Swift’s electoral bona fides at our peril.

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Christian Toto

Christian Toto

Christian Toto is the founder of HollywoodInToto.com and the host of "The Hollywood in Toto Podcast.”