An A-Z Look Back At 2009

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Kelsey Tanouye, Staff Writer
January 4, 2010
Filed under Commentary, Top Stories

With all that happened in 2009 here’s a simplified A to Z look at what we had to look forward to, rejoice over, cry over, and just have a couple of laughs over in the year that once was.

American Idol

2009 started off with the usual annual bang of American Idol-infused buzz over who will be the next product out of the well-known star-making franchise.  The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009 and returned with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson as its three veteran judges as well as Kara Dioguardi as a new fourth judge.  Dioguardi has co-written almost 300 songs which have gone onto major label albums, into major motion pictures, and even national and international campaigns.  After a record 100 million votes were cast, Kris Allen was announced the season eight winner. 

Box Office Hits

2009 was the year of big animated feature film sensations like Up and Coraline to motion pictures that explored worlds we never imagined like James Cameron’s Avatar.  After a ten-year hiatus from the hoopla that Titanic created, the most expensive movie ever created has now been released to the public and it’s now up to you to decide whether or not you want to see the blue people infested movie or catch the new Sherlock Holmes movie instead.  You never know, Robert Downey Jr. is always full of surprises.

Catastrophic Tsunamis and Chris Brown vs. Rihanna

People in the islands became worried in early October when only days earlier on September 29, 2009, a tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in Samoa with rising numbers in the death toll.  At one point it was determined that up to 170 people had been killed.  Disaster relief efforts flooded in from all over the world to help pull the area into brighter times.

Does it really seem like it’s been just about a year since Chris Brown exchanged a few cracks at Rihanna?  It seems like only yesterday, but with a change of heart on Rihanna’s side he was left with consequences far less than everyone expected.  As he tries to make a comeback with his new album, Graffiti, will you be supporting him?

Dan Brown

Dan Brown fans of the world rejoiced this past year with two major happenings within the course of five months.  The month of May saw the major motion picture release of Angels and Demons (which is out on DVD already) while September was all about the publication of Brown’s latest sequel to The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol.  The Lost Symbol is a continuation of the adventures of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon as he now takes on a fast-paced thriller through the streets of Washington D.C.  Plans have already been made for this book to have a film adaptation.

Eclipses

On July 22, 2009 the longest solar eclipse of the 21^st century occurred for a total of 6 minutes and 39 seconds.  The second in a series of three eclipses in a one-month period, the entire eclipse was visible in a narrow margin of areas through India, Nepal, and China.  The next eclipse won’t be until June 13, 2132 which will end up lasting longer than this last one.

Fiftieth Anniversary of Hawaii’s Statehood

50 years ago on August 21, 1959, the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, welcomed a new state: Hawaii.  Joined by his Vice President, Richard M. Nixon, and his House Speaker, representatives for Hawaii were also with President Eisenhower for this momentous occasion.  These included one of Hawaii’s Senators-elect, Oren E. Long, and the House member-elect, Representative Daniel K. Inouye, who still remains a key member of Hawaii’s current government as one of its senators.  This past year on August 21^st celebrations were held across the state.

Garth Brooks To Come Out of Retirement

Your parents might know him, maybe you even know him, but the reality surrounding he who is Garth Brooks stands that he is indeed coming out of retirement after nine years away from the music business.  The country superstar announced on October 15^th that he had agreed to a “series of special engagements” in a partnership between him and Steve Wynn, casino owner of the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.  Brooks will work 15 weekends a year, but let it be known that this does not mean he will be recording new albums or touring.  Either way country fans of the world are rejoicing.

Hudson Plane Crash

After reporting to air traffic control that the plane had hit birds and was losing power, pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger had to drop US Airways Flight 1549 into the frigid waters of the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.  An air traffic controller attempted to tell him to return to New York’s LaGuardia Airport but Sullenberger notified the controller shortly after that the flight wasn’t going to make it.  All of the 155 passengers and crew members on board survived.

iWant an iPhone

Apple has definitely taken the world by storm this decade as it released everything from the iPod to the iTouch and iPhone within a matter of years.  This year, however, saw the domination of the iPhone at the top of sales charts as reported by the Nielsen Co.  Statistics showed that the handheld wonder was America’s most popular phone and people haven’t shown any signs of losing interest yet.  

Jon and Kate Seper-ate

Jon and Kate Gosselin of TLC’s “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” fame decided to separate and on June 22, 2009. Legal proceedings occurred which then confirmed what had long been sensed would come.  For months hardship plagued the family whether it was trouble within the family or just the paparazzi crossing lines. Sadly, for the diehard fans of the reality show it just reinforced the knowledge that nothing lasts forever.

Kanye West

Hey guess what?  When you type in “Kanye West” into Google search nine out of ten search suggestions include the name, “Taylor Swift”, or “vma” all in different combinations; but that’s to be expected.  Kanye West has become infamous ever since he interrupted Taylor Swift’s MTV Video Music Awards speech which resulted in him proclaiming that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.”  And to tell the truth, it wasn’t all that shocking.  Kanye’s had his share of success (most recently with his album 808’s and Heartbreak) but his confidence has earned him a bad reputation for frequent outbursts.  Maybe for the new year he’ll tone it down for us. 

Lady Gaga

Her real name is Stefani Germanotta but the whole world knows her as Lady Gaga.  Since the whirlwind success that her debut release The Fame generated there haven’t been any signs that this powerhouse singer is ready to slow down yet.  She just recently re-released The Fame, entitled The Fame Monster, since that seems to be the “in-thing” to do for artists right now, and the hit singles just keep coming.  Look out for her in 2010.

Michael Jackson

The King of Pop had many scandals which troubled him in his later years, most notably those concerned with his Neverland Ranch, but what cannot be denied is the huge musical impact that he had on the world.  Thriller, Off The Wall, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory were all among the world’s best-selling albums, but Michael Jackson was more than just a successful musician, he was also a humanitarian and philanthropist who donated and raised over 300 million dollars for his own Heal the World Foundation and 39 other charities.  Unfortunately, on June 25, 2009, after suffering cardiac arrest Jackson died at the age of 50. 

Nobel Peace Prize

On Friday, October 9^th, 2009, President Obama was recognized as the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, as decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.  Obama was chosen to be honored by this prestigious award due to his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”  A supposed unanimous decision was reached by the committee although not many people even knew Obama had been chosen as a frontrunner for the prize.  Nominations had to have been postmarked by February 1^st which was just 12 days after Obama took office and the committee’s solicitation for nominations was even sent out last September before Obama had been elected president.

Obama

History was made this past year when America’s first African-American president was elected to office.  Having ties from Hawaii, it was also exciting for residents here in the islands to see one of their own rise to Commander-In-Chief.  With just about one year of his presidency under his belt, Barack Obama will continue to charge forward and pull America out of the harsh economic times that are plaguing the nation right now.

Patrick Swayze

Probably best known for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost, Patrick Swayze was an American actor, singer/songwriter, and dancer who was in the entertainment business for over 30 years.  However, on September 14, 2009, Swayze passed away after losing what was almost a two year long battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.  He was only 57 years old.

Quite A Year Ms. Swift

People magazine released its latest issue recently with their 25 Most Intriguing of 2009.  And the one and only Taylor Swift graces the cover by taking up about 75% of the possible space.  Throughout the year, she attended high-profile award shows, was able to appear on the hit TV show CSI, got bashed by Kanye West, hosted Saturday Night Live  where she said she was a bigger person about the Kanye incident, and had a couple of huge hit singles here and there.  Not too shabby right?

Recovery of the Economy

Are our economic stimulus dollars working?

Social Networking Sites

Myspace has always been a frontrunner when it comes to the online communities, but this past year Facebook and Twitter introduced new leagues of users like never before.  With only a 140-character limit to express what it is that’s going on at the moment, Twitter practically reinvented the “blurb.”  Facebook saw tons of crossover appeal but with a new design being currently used some fans are not as delighted.  Still redefining how small the world can become, sites like these will continue to be popular in 2010.

Transitions (From Talk Shows To TV Networks)

On November 20, 2009, it was announced that after 25 seasons of being on the air Oprah’s The Oprah Winfrey Show would come to a close on September 9, 2011.  Launched in 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show has reached audiences all over the world. Although many are sad to see the show go, Oprah feels that 25 years feels like “the perfect number—the exact right time.”  Her project afterwards will be to maintain her newly formed cable network OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network which will debut in January of 2011.

Urban Meyer: Off and On Again as the Gators’ Coach

Within a matter of two days, college football fans were shocked when Florida coach Urban Meyer announced his resignation on December 26, 2009, but then took back that statement the following day and announced that he would only be taking an indefinite leave of absence due to health concerns.  The statement came as the UF football team was preparing for its big Sugar Bowl game against Cincinatti.  The Gators won 51-24 against the Bearcats but focus towards Meyer’s health is a priority now.  Meyer plans on being the head coach for the 2010 season and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio will serve as the interim coach during Meyer’s absence.

Vampires

Vampires were all everyone talked about in 2009 and it’s no surprise.  TV networks released an array of shows that dealt with the bloodsuckers including HBO’s True Blood and the CW’s most recent hit The Vampire Diaries to name a few.  Besides being on the small screen they also took over the silver screen when The Twilight Saga: New Moon hit theaters in November.  It’s fair to say that they’ll be sticking around for a while with two more installments in the Twilight movies still to come in theaters and solid ratings following the television shows.

Woods and The Warped Tour

Tiger Woods was injured on Friday, November 27^th, when he was involved in a car accident at 2:25 am in Orlando, Florida.  Speculations went rampant in the following week as talk of an affair was thrown around by different magazines, two women were romantically linked to Woods, but theories were denied by both women.  This saga just continues to grow…

Unlike the screamo music that might be stereotypically first thought of when this tour comes up in a normal conversation, acoustic and just non-screamo music also graced the stage when the 15^th anniversary of the Vans Warped Tour took to stages all across the nation this past year.  Acts like Nevershoutnever!, 3OH!3, Paramore, All Time Low, Cobra Starship, and The Maine (among the many other bands) performed for several dates along the span of the tour’s 46 dates.

X-Factor and Susan Boyle

Britain’s sure got a thing for surprising us all when it comes to its talent shows.  Its X Factor show, much like America’s American Idol has introduced Leona Lewis and its most recent ’09 winner Joe Melderry.  But it’s Britain’s Got Talent that had people turning heads.  If you haven’t heard of Susan Boyle by now then you must be living under a rock.  Or you need to go crawl under one right now, because Susan Boyle was definitely the definition of what it means to go out and chase your dream.  After she sang “I Dreamed A Dream” the whole world took notice at this 48-year old Scottish woman.  She released her debut album in the fall of 2009 and high hopes are all that everyone has for her in the future. 

Youtube Sensations

There’s one name right now that if said aloud would bring about two scores of reactions: one being an “OMG I LOVE HIM!” of the sorts, while the other more of an “Ughhhhh, I hate him he sounds like a 12-year old.”  Who is this you ask? It’s Justin Bieber.  Among the most famous of recent Youtube success stories, 15-year old Justin Bieber was discovered by Usher after he’d seen a series of his videos that involved him singing.  Let’s not get too carried away though, because Fred, Susan Boyle, and even local Hilo boy Ryan Higa (nigahiga), who is up to a stunning 1,767,105 subscribers, took 2009 by storm.    

Z is for Zoo

In the islands the Honolulu Zoo has always been a must see for children alike, but every now and then difficulties come along which put a snag in the zoo’s prosperity.  2009 saw the welcome of a new Zoo Director, Stephen Walker, as well as some new additions to the animal population including a female African lion pair, but what caught most people’s attention was  the graffiti that was etched on several display windows for various enclosures by vandals in bright daylight.  On July 14^th, 2009, 21 panels were defaced, at six exhibits, and the damage was estimated at $1,800, but a week later 15 more panels had been defaced, although at a lesser number of exhibits.  However, the damage the second time around was estimated to at least be as expensive as the first incident if not more.

Whether it was a scandal, a sports victory, or phenomenal achievement that caught our eye during the past year, what’s in the past stays the past.  Here’s to the start of a new decade and a newsworthy 2010.