2009 goes out with a bang

As calendars flipped to display the start of the new year, the 2009 Year of the Ox hauled some interesting events into the memories of the nation.

The 411 involving stars not out of this world (sometimes):

In all actuality, celebrities are everyday people who just receive more attention than the average Joe. So when people like Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks quit their widely acclaimed talk shows, the world for women came to an end as we knew it.

Even when Jon and Kate Gosselin (seen on “Jon & Kate Plus 8”) divorced in December, fans of the show struggled to find a new favorite show after the last episode aired on November 22.

“American Idol” continued with its billionth season adding judge Kara DioGuardi to the mix. She replaced Paula Abdul who quit the show in August. In the final show, the competition narrowed to contestants Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Although Allen took the title, Lambert took the gold by having over 160,000 record sales as opposed to Allen’s 80,000.

On a happier note, box office records were at an all-time high as wizards, vampires, and robots competed for the number one spot. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” released on July 15, garnered $22.2 million on the opening night and almost $78 million during the opening weekend.

However, the second installment of the “Twilight” series, “New Moon,” gained $26.3 million on the opening night and almost $143 million during the opening weekend.

Though these two movies recorded impressive box-office receipts, neither beat the $402 million gross sales of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

3-D films provided a popular alternative to the normal 2-D film. Movies such as “Coraline,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Jonas Brothers: the 3D Concert Experience,” “Up,” “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” “Toy Story,” “The Princess and the Frog,” and the recent “Avatar” accumulated much popularity in the digital world.

A heads-up to poker fans worldwide: Lady Gaga claims that “you can’t read her poker face.” This Britney Spears-meets-Christina Aguilera was a hot topic in the year 2009.

Many young artists entered the spotlight, including Taylor Swift. This creative and courageous 20-year old was nominated for four Academy of Country Music awards (winning two of them), six American Music Awards (winning four of them), five CMA awards (winning all of them), four CMT awards (winning two of them), and an MTV Video Music award for “Best Female Video.”

We interrupt this article with an important message from Kanye West: “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’m a let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time…one of the best of all time!”

This interruption during Swift’s speech at the MTV Video Music Awards caused a rather large controversy throughout the entertainment world. No need to worry, West apologized and Swift forgave him.

The controversies of 2009 also included the recent Tiger Woods scandal. After wrecking his Escalade near his home, paparazzi dug deep and found that the personal affairs of Tiger Woods were many. He and his wife, Elin, are most likely getting a divorce.

Adieu, adieu to you and you and you:

The only drawback to the year 2009 was the loss of several American legends.

The most popular death was probably that of “The King of Pop,” better known as Michael Jackson. At the age of 50, Jackson died after a cardiac arrest on June 25. Famous for his role in the Jackson 5 and for his solo career, he left fans and family members crying in his honor.

Other deaths included the “Charlie’s Angels” star Farrah Fawcett, who died from cancer the same day as Jackson. Patrick Swayze (“Ghost” and “Dirty Dancing”) lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Sept. 14.

The most shocking death was that of actress Brittany Murphy (“Uptown Girls” and “Clueless”) on Dec. 20. She died of natural causes in her home at the age of 32. Commonly, people do not die in their thirty and flirty years.

Boring, but somewhat important stuff:

The most important event that 2009 offered was the inauguration of the United States’ first African-American President Barack Hussein Obama in January. With him, came change (obviously), some good and some bad. Within his first month of presidency, his plan to stimulate the economy was passed.

Also, he won a Nobel Peace Prize. According to The Norwegian Nobel Committee, Obama won the award for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons,” (i.e. for having good opinions and plans). Who knows? Maybe Bill O’Reilly will be winning one soon as well.

In addition to his stimulus plan, Obama proposed a national health care plan which will take effect in five years (just in time to give newly elected President Sarah Palin one more thing to worry about). Vindication? Maybe.

Giving birth to twins is a common occurrence, but giving birth to octuplets made national news. Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight children in January in California. This epic incident achieved fame for the Suleman family, but caused controversy among many Americans because of her artificial insemenation.

Last but not least, the United States was sent into a serious panic with the emerging H1N1 virus (better known as “swine flu”). After many deaths and school closings, scientists finally concocted a vaccine which supposedly prevents the virus just as a normal flu shot would.

And just like every other New Year, the ball dropped at 12 a.m. Jan. 1, 2010, in Times Square which brought the year of “change,” swine flu, vampires, and drama to an end.

By the way, the Yankees won the World Series.

“New Moon” howls into theaters

The highly anticipated second chapter of the “Twilight” saga finally hit theaters on Nov. 20, leaving several marks in box-office history. The midnight premiere alone garnered $26.3 million blowing “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’s” $22.2 million out of the water.

After the weekend, “New Moon” became the third-largest debut film on record, earning a whopping $140.7 million. 

In this blood-raging sequel, vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) dumps his mortal girlfriend Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) after a hazardous mishap, leaving only memories and a request that she refrain from dangerous activity. Though her breakup destroys her emotionally, the friendship she once had with the charming Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) rekindles.

Bella finds comfort in Jacob’s company, but when Jacob goes through werewolf puberty, he dumps her too, causing her emotions to sink even more.

Irony finds its way into the movie through Bella’s reckless behavior. Her “monsters” abandon her since they think they are too dangerous, but without them, she becomes a reckless maniac.

From there, Bella continues her self-destructive behavior in an effort to recapture visions of Edward. Through her mayhem, she escapes former enemies and prevents future ones all while chasing after him.

Although the film was highly anticipated, the hype is a bit overrated. The book, though sad, is filled with much more chemistry between Bella and Jacob than the movie.

Quite frankly, Stewart’s performance did not improve from “Twilight” at all. She still sputters through most of her lines, which puts a damper on the image of Bella. Stewart presents a performance worthy of a community theater, and simply does not come forward as an emotionally involved actress. 

The plus of this movie is the addition of werewolves. Without them, the movie would be nothing. Lautner’s 35-pound weight gain to fit the roll of Jacob definitely causes fanatical sighs and gasps every time he rips off his shirt, especially in comparison to Pattinson’s pale and hairy body.

Also, the Volturi (the vampire government) appear in this film. Their stern demeanors and red contact lenses add emphasis to the level of superiority they possess in the film. Dakota Fanning’s role as Jane, an elite member of the Volturi coven, provides the perfect transition for Fanning’s move from child star to adult star. Even though she has only a few lines, her pale complexion and deadly stare make for a perfect vampire.

One of the positive aspects of the movie is that it corresponds to the book well. Director Chris Weitz does a much better job of portraying the storyline and characters in this book than Catherine Hardwicke did for “Twilight.”

However, the massive fan base of the Twilight phenomena is the main contributing factor to the success of the film. Fans of the heartwarming Jacob (Team Jacob) and fans of the charming, romantic Edward (Team Edward) bought tickets well in advance to show their support for the monstrous film.

Now, the intense war of nemeses will continue in the next installment to the saga, “Eclipse,” in June of 2010.