2000's In Review: 5 Celebrity Stories That Demanded Attention

CLEVELAND - We are just 5 days away from a brand new decade, so now is a perfect time to recap 5 major events in pop culture that demanded widespread attention during the 2000's. Of course, this is just according to me.

As always.

1. The Death of Anna Nicole Smith/February 8, 2007: I had been an Anna Nicole fan in one form or another for years. First in the 1990's, I admired her beauty and delicious curves. Then in 2002, her preposterously irrelevant E! television series tickled my fancy. But when she stunningly died at just 39 years of age, still blonde and beautiful, I was baffled. She had become increasingly strange and loopy in the last few years of her life, but she never seemed to be at risk of dying. The wall-to-wall media coverage of her mysterious death was both surprising given the fact that she wasn't a legend, and expected given the fact that the details of her final months and death had a tabloid salaciousness to them.
2. Aaliyah Dies In Bahamas Plane Crash/August 25, 2001: I fell in love with her singing voice as soon as I heard her 1994 hit "At Your Best" on the radio. And by the summer of 2001, singer Aaliyah seemed to be rapidly ascending towards her "best" work. She was so talented, so seemingly sweet and stunningly beautiful that her shocking and tragic demise at just 22 years old seemed unfair and cruel on those reasons alone. The news was beyond comprehension, and the music video that she was in the Bahamas to film that fateful weekend ended up being one sad and final reminder of what we lost.
3. O.J. Simpson Found Guilty/October 3, 2008: I was so emotionally invested in Simpson's historic 1994-95 murder trial that even when the fascination faded, he still was able to catch my attention. O.J.'s epic arrogance and idiocy reached a new low in 2007. That's when he masterminded an armed robbery and kidnapping plot to retrieve, by force, many of his belongings stripped of him by the courts to help satisfy the infamous civil judgments against him. This reckless event eventually led to his arrest and another criminal trial. After the way he shockingly evaded prison in 1995 on double murder charges, one would think that O.J. would've lived like a saint for the rest of his life. It never happened. On the 13th anniversary of his legendary acquittal, O.J. was sentenced to prison for between nine and 33 years. I was once again hoping for the man to beat the charges, but his luck finally ran out.
4. Janet Jackson Super Bowl Debacle/February 1, 2004: Just two weeks after her iconic brother Michael was arraigned on charges of child molestation, Janet stole his negative media press. Performing with singer Justin Timberlake during a Super Bowl halftime show, Jackson crooned and sauntered her way back and forth across the stage as she and Timberlake sang. Towards the end of "Rock Your Body," Timberlake snatched away part of her shirt which was allegedly supposed to reveal something other than what it did. As it were, Jackson's right breast was briefly exposed on national television which set off a firestorm of controversy. Janet was investigated. The FCC handed down heavy fines and censorship hasn't been the same since. Inescapable was the noticeable difference in public sentiment towards Timberlake as opposed to Jackson.
5. Kobe Bryant Charged With Rape/June 30, 2003: It seems silly now, but it was a major shock in the summer of '03 that a star pro athlete with a squeaky clean reputation could commit a major misstep. Such was the case with Bryant, who at the time was viewed as a wholesome and happily married young man and basketball superstar. When he had an ill-fated sexual encounter with a Colorado hotel clerk, his image soon absorbed a catastrophic blow. Days later, the woman went to the media and claimed that Bryant raped her. Within weeks, the Lakers star was forced to publicly admit that he committed adultery, but he maintained that the sex was totally consensual. Court proceedings ensued, but Bryant ultimately escaped with his freedom. Nowadays, the dark episode is little more than a blip on his still ascending legacy.

5 Years Later: How Jackson's Big Reveal Was a Victim of Hypocrisy

CLEVELAND - I have always been frustrated at the double-standard that the American media and the general public at large places on censorship.

Janet Jackson probably feels the same way.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" which took place during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVIII. I remember the incident vividly as myself and my best friend were the only folks in a room of several to be paying attention to the stunning "mishap."

Jackson, 37 at the time, was performing a music set with singer/actor Justin Timberlake, complete with suggestive dance routines while Timberlake crooned his hit single, "Rock Your Body." Once the song wound down to its conclusion, Timberlake sang its final, prophetic line; "I bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song."

And just like that, Jackson's right breast was naked.

Timberlake yanked off a piece of her costume near her breast area, briefly revealing her bodacious "boob" which was adorned with a nipple shield. CBS, the network that broadcast the 2004 Super Bowl, immediately cut to an aerial shot of the stadium. According to both performers, the incident was a stunt that went awry. Apparently, Jackson's bra was supposed to be revealed, not any skin.

Um, okay.

At the time, the incident as well as Jackson and Timberlake's intent seemed very suspect. MTV, which produced the halftime show had featured a story in the days leading up to it that promised "shocking moments" during their performances. They both remarked in the aftermath that it was a "wardrobe malfunction," a term that has since taken on an iconic status. Record fines were levied against CBS and MTV by the venerable FCC and the story dominated the media for weeks.

Jackson was virtually crucified in the media as well as the court of public opinion. She received a disproportionate amount of blame and her record sales and overall career trajectory plummeted in the months and years since. Ironically, Timberlake has flourished and he's appeared in more than a half dozen films since the debacle and enjoyed excellent record sales.

Interesting.

Of course, I take exception to the FCC and their censorship policies. Obviously driven by public outrage, it bothers me that things such as sexually suggestive images or content and obscene rap and hip-hop lyrics take center stage when it's time to censor. But pervasive violence and disturbing imagery (such as certain scenes on CSI) are almost never repudiated or subject to heavy scrutiny or censorship. And let's not forget harsh and misogynistic lyrics in rock, heavy metal and country songs.

Pure hypocrisy.

Television has gotten very timid since the '04 incident. Tape delays are now the norm. Everyone is so concerned about offending anyone and incurring heavy fines and controversy. Since I am a supporter of controversy, this bothers me a bit more than others. My envelope pushing series, a Date with Deante is loaded with FCC infractions. In my mind though, I'm not being controversial just for the heck of it. I am doing a public service by bringing harsh reality to the world's attention. It's no different than the news, except it has an entertainment twist.

Though Jackson didn't have a moral basis for her unfortunate moment, it was still far too overblown. Yes, children were watching ... but believe me, nine sixteenths of a second of seeing a partially covered breast will never ruin a child. If that were the case, why did so many in the news media choose to show topless photos of transgendered male Thomas Beattie on national television? Beattie may be a guy now, but we were still looking at the nipples of a person born a female.

But the world is filled with hypocrites, so that was expected.