2009 In Review: 10 Events That Caught My Attention

CLEVELAND - I've been reviewing many top moments of the past decade recently, but today I'm going to recap a few stand out moments from 2009 that caught my attention. These moments are a further reminder of how and why celebrity is so intriguing.

Here goes everything!

1. The Michael Jackson Odyssey, March-December: Since Michael was acquitted of child molestation charges in June 2005, he'd been in heavy seclusion from the public. On March 6, 2009, he resurfaced in London, England to announce a return to live touring. The disgraced icon hadn't toured in a dozen years and news of his planned residency at the famous O2 Arena was to span several months, beginning in July and running until the following Spring. Tickets for the event sold out in rapid fashion, earning about $85 million. Shockingly, Jackson died on June 25, just three weeks prior to the start date for the concerts. His death shook the planet and resulted in global tributes and appraisals of his legendary career and complicated legacy. Of course, it shook me to my core as did his widely telecast memorial service on July 7 in L.A. From there, the media attention continued relentlessly, especially with regard to Jackson's doctor, who administered the deadly drug that killed him. On August 29, many of Jackson's fans across the world held celebrations to honor his would-be 51st birthday. I personally donned a few of his trademark accouterments, played his music videos and songs and had a cake made with his name on it. I also sang happy birthday to him and had several emotional moments that day. Five days later, he was finally buried a full 70 days after his death and I proclaimed he'd "never be buried to me." A hastily pieced together "new" song of his was released on October 12 using decades old vocals, but I felt that it was bland and not at all something he would've put out himself. Two weeks later on October 28, his final artistic work was released to movie theaters all over the world. That work, a pseudo documentary musical film entitled Michael Jackson's This Is It was an assembly of Jackson's private rehearsals for his never-to-be concert tours. I was blown away at his highly detailed creative process, and the film itself garnered massive critical acclaim. It eventually earned more than $250 million worldwide and broke many box office records. In November, Michael was honored posthumously with four American Music Awards, which I felt was "an appreciation too late." Last week, many FBI files were released revealing the agencies' 13-year investigation of the megastar. As it turned out, nothing was ever found that would substantiate allegations of child sex abuse at his hands. In other words, he was essentially cleared of any wrongdoing. AGAIN. One sinister thing did crop up in the FBI report; some nutjob threatened to kill Michael and then-President Bush in 1992. The would-be assassin was trying to get Michael's sister Janet (whom he was obsessed with) to notice him, but was soon sent to prison.
2. Barack Obama Sworn In As 44th U.S. President, January 20: It was a truly transcendent moment in American history and felt like it as it unfolded. Obama greatly impressed me throughout his awesome campaign in 2008, so I was glued to the television when he was set to be inaugurated. With grace, class and endless intelligence, Obama made me proud to be an American. This was an amazing day from start to finish, and what a treat it was watching Obama and wife Michelle attend 10 different inaugural balls that night together and share a ceremonial dance at each one without the tired, stiff and bland monotony of past presidential couples.
3. Tiger Woods Sex Scandal, November-December: When someone is the most accomplished, transformative, iconic and wealthy figure in the history of their profession, it is only fitting that that person's private life would be of great national interest. That is why the stupefying fall from grace of Tiger Woods has been so riveting and garnered the relentless media attention that it has. Yes, I have been amazed at the number of mistresses that Woods has apparently been having sex with. But I have also come to the man's defense. Just because he is an ingenious golf legend worth hundreds of millions of dollars, doesn't mean he is immune from normal human behavior and insusceptible from making common mistakes. In any event though, this story will always be a colossal attention grabber.
4. Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame Speech, September 11: Jordan is the most iconic and well known brand in the history of basketball. He is also widely considered to be the greatest hoopster in league history which would seem to place a ton of pressure on the man to be humble. Judging from his Hall of Fame induction speech, he is a man who feels no need for humility. During MJ's speech, he recapped the past 30 years of his life, half of them spent as an NBA deity. He spoke of searing rivalries he's had with people since his high school years, both in his mind and outwardly. It was his insistence to prove his doubters wrong that birthed his legendary drive and work ethic. The way he seemed to gloat at his endless parade of triumphs at the expense of many ended up alienating many people that heard his vitriolic lecture. They wondered why a man as revered as Jordan was apparently so petty and punitive, even after he'd won basically everything possible in basketball. They wondered why the man is still holding grudges that are decades old. They rolled their eyes at his arrogance and elitist attitude and castigated him for not being more like fellow inductees John Stockton, David Robinson and coach Jerry Sloan. In other words, full of bland and humble effusion. What those critics never seemed to understand and apparently never will is obvious. Michael Jordan became and remained as great, accomplished and iconic as he was and is solely because of his uncompromised mentality. Period. If anyone has a problem with that, then they should really have a problem with people who never fulfill their promise or potential.
5. Kanye West Disrespects Taylor Swift, September 13: For all of West's prodigious talents as a record producer and recording artist, he has chosen to display a severe lack of tact, grace and humility quite often throughout his short but illustrious career. He took those deficiencies to another low level at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13. As young country sensation Taylor Swift began her acceptance speech after winning an award, West stormed the stage and soiled her moment with a selfish rant about how he felt that fellow nominee Beyonce Knowles should have won instead of Swift. The unbelievable moment was met with immediate shock and booing and earned West an ejection from the building. In the days that followed, West's deplorable behavior ignited a national backlash against him and continues to be lampooned on television and radio. For me, it was classless, tasteless and should never happen between artists, especially when they all understand the artistic investment that they all make in creating their craft.
6. David Letterman Extortion Scandal Breaks, October 1: When Letterman used a pre-emptive strike to reveal a growing extortion attempt against him, America was stunned. What I admired so much about his disclosure was the way he encased it in heavy self-deprecation. Not to mention the fact that he blamed no one but himself for his ill-advised dalliances with female staffers on his venerable late night talk show. Letterman's accountability and contrition were amazing and refreshing, regardless of why they existed, but one other thing impressed me as well. The man never stopped telling jokes (while noting the similarities) about other high-profile men in similar situations as his. It is always awesome to be able to laugh and poke fun at yourself.
7. Chris Brown/Rihanna Domestic Abuse Story, February-December: I always marvel at the hypocrisy of people when it comes to almost any and everything. So when many people in the general public condemned singer Chris Brown for bruising up then-girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna's face, I wasn't the least bit surprised. Of course, I'm not saying that it was okay or justified for Brown to hit her. I am really saying two things actually. One; no one except those two people know exactly what the exact circumstances of that incident was, so none of us should ever pretend to understand why things happened the way they did. Secondly, none of us are even remotely perfect and have certainly done ill-advised things ourselves. I'll bet anything that many of the same police officers that arrest and imprison domestic abusers are unconvicted and possibly undetected abusers themselves. It sickened me to hear people paint Rihanna as a beautiful and victimized angel when none of us know what she's like as a girlfriend. Suppose Rihanna, in the privacy of Brown's vehicle told him that she'd known that she was HIV-positive long before they became sexually involved. Is that not something that, in the heat of the moment could trigger an infuriated person to lose control? What if she had been pregnant with his child and he saw her snorting cocaine or smoking crack, he yells at her to stop for the sake of the unborn child, but she scoffs and refuses. Is that not a reason to lose control and wail on her? Now, neither of those things probably happened but the point is simple. Never judge a situation or circumstance until having knowledge of all the details. And never pretend that we aren't as imperfect as those whom we criticize.
8. The Sarah Palin/Levi Johnston Sideshow, January-December: When Sen. John McCain lost the 2008 election to Barack Obama, I thought America had seen the last of these two "characters" for at least a couple years or so. Boy was I wrong. From the outset of '09, we were besieged with reports of Palin's unwed-with-child daughter Bristol. Then we had to hear about Bristol's now ex-boyfriend Levi becoming a shameless media whore and peddling salacious stories about the Palins to every media outlet that he could find. Then there was Palin's overexposed mini-feud with David Letterman over a "tasteless" joke he told about one of her underage daughters. There was Levi posing in army fatigues armed with a rifle. There was Palin walking away from her job as Alaska's governor 18 months early. There was Johnston being offered to pose nude in Playgirl magazine. There was the Palin book and accompanying book tour. There was Levi getting a Hollywood makeover and doing pointless and contrived commercials. Then Palin's "legendary" sit-down with Oprah Winfrey! Enough of these desperate losers. Stay far away from our pop culture in 2010! 
9. Roman Polanski Captured, September 26: That filmmaker Roman Polanski was able to successfully avoid being arrested for 32 years on statutory rape charges is nothing short of a major miracle. The elusive auteur finally saw his legendary luck run out when Swiss law enforcement arrested him September 26 in conjunction with his infamous 1977 sex crime against a then-13-year old girl. While many in the media felt that Polanski, now aged 76 should still be forced to pay for his ancient crimes, I felt as though it was a done and over with story. Polanski's victim, now aged 45 has constantly asked the courts to basically act like it never happened and her wishes should hold some weight. The man has lived in a self-imposed exile for decades and has had to look over his shoulder at every turn. Not to mention the fact that he supposedly paid a financial sum to the victim (although that has been debated). All in all, this stunning tale has held my attention for years, but it is time to let it and Polanski go. Nothing can be gained or accomplished at this point.
10. Bruno Defaces Eminem, May 31: This was an event that upset me greatly when it happened. Whack job actor Sacha Baron Cohen made his entrance into the MTV Movie Awards clad in a slinky, flamboyant and winged costume and suspended high above the crowd by wires and pulleys affixed to the ceiling. As he babbled a series of ridiculous lines, he was lowered into the transfixed audience and ultimately landed bare-bottomed on hip-hop megastar Eminem. Making matters worse, Baron Cohen's bare backside ended up only a few inches from Eminem's face which caused the incensed icon to unload a series of expletives at the androgynous freak. Em, famously labeled homophobic for nearly a decade, demanded his coterie of rap artists to "get this motherf***er off [him]." Once the moron was pushed away, Eminem stormed angrily toward the building's exit with his crew following while the celebrity studded crowd sat in jaw-dropping astonishment. In the coming days, it was reported to have been a staged and flawlessly executed stunt with Eminem himself in on the "joke."

McCain Speaks Glowingly Of Obama and Palin

CLEVELAND - Sen. John McCain came off as an outdated and desperate fogey during his presidential campaign against Barack Obama. But in the nearly three months since he lost the election, he's become a totally different man.

Take last night for example.

McCain, 72 made yet another appearance on CNN's Larry King Live and spoke of now President Obama in glittering superlatives while still articulating the very difficult challenges his former rival faces as Commander-in-Chief.

McCain called Obama's inauguration an "historic moment" and called the new president's speech "excellent." In mentioning President Obama's tough road ahead, McCain compared the nation's present condition to the world during FDR's presidency, which saw The Great Depression, the threat of Adolph Hitler and other domestic issues.

FDR occupied the White House during the 1930's and '40's.

McCain also discussed his former running mate Gov. Sarah Palin, who has become quite the motormouth since her ticket's defeat at the hands of the Democrats. Palin, seen by many as a hindrance to McCain's candidacy has gone on the defensive, doing a truck load of interviews in the past couple months to "tell her side of the story" which has led to her being critical of the McCain camp.

But he remains fiercely loyal to the two-faced broad.

The problem with McCain though, is he insists that Palin is one of his favorite people. "I think the world of Gov. Palin and her husband Todd and their family," says the disillusioned Republican. "She has my respect and my affection and it's undying."

My feeling on McCain is two-fold. First, seeing him with distance from the election has proven insightful. As I've stated in the past, he's a surprisingly down-to-Earth and stand up guy who is capable of admitting his mistakes and making nice with former rivals. On the other hand, his blind loyalty towards the undeserving Palin is just plain embarrassing.

But I guess it's a fact of life that you take the good with the bad.

McCain Just As Skeptical About Palin As The Rest of Us

CLEVELAND - Sen. John McCain's bid to become the next U.S. president crashed and burned like it was set up by an angry Mob boss.

Either that, or Sarah Palin was really that bad.

Palin, the comically clueless governor of Alaska was handpicked by the supposedly sharp McCain in August to be his Republican running mate. She was a curious choice initially, then became a Wonder woman as she sparked the GOP and gave it new life. Then suddenly, her remarkable ignorance began to surface. She soon became an eyesore and a huge burden to the Republican Party and is at least partly to blame for McCain's stirring defeat to now President-elect Barack Obama.

Too funny.

Since the election ended a month and a half ago, Palin has become a fixture on television to the point of being nauseating. This past weekend, McCain was asked if he'd support Palin for president in 2012 and his response was incredible. "I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors. I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said.

Ouch!

Let's be clear, though. McCain still admires Palin and believes in her "viability" to be president. He is simply being honest (finally) about other folks who would be better and smarter candidates.

Hey John...we've been feeling that way for months, dude!

Bottom line: McCain just might be a stand up guy after all, and maybe he hasn't lost all of his marbles. You gotta admire his frank language, even though he still hasn't admitted that Palin was the worst choice of his life.

One day though, he just might admit THAT too.

McCain Adds To Laughingstock Reputation

CLEVELAND - I must admit, Sen. John McCain has a great sense of humor when he wants to show it. As abrasive and combative as his presidential campaign has been, it's nice to see him display his self-deprecating side.

Too bad he's running for president.

McCain, 72 took a small detour off the campaign trail to Manhattan and appeared in two skits last night of the long-running sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. Leading off the show with the brilliant Tina Fey (yet again as Governor Sarah Palin), McCain poked fun at himself in a skit built around the home shopping channel QVC. McCain's wife Cindy had a cameo in this scene.

Later, during the "Weekend Update" segment of the show, the Republican nominee traded lines with cast member Seth Myers and outlined his desperate "strategies" for getting folks to vote for him, which he soon admitted probably wouldn't work anyway.

This is the second time in three weeks that the Republican ticket has been "in on the joke" on SNL. McCain's running mate Palin appeared in the Oct. 18th episode along with her doppelganger Fey.

Personally, I enjoyed McCain's lighter side. However, I can't help but to make note of the fact that SNL is obviously making a mockery of the McCain-Palin ticket. Ratings for the show this season have been through the roof as the show's focus has largely been on the soon-to-be-over election campaign. With Fey doing a pitch perfect impersonation of the often comically clueless Palin, the show has clearly established their pro-Democrat stance in a less than subtle way.

The best part is that McCain and Palin actually contribute to the joke that their campaign has become.

McCain-Palin: 10 More Days of The Circus

CLEVELAND - The dog and pony show, better known as the John McCain/Sarah Palin campaign will finally reach its end in ten days.

Thank goodness!

We will finally elect a new U.S. president on November 4th, and that day can't get here fast enough. With the front running Barack Obama, the Democrats are all smiles but cautions against over confidence. 

McCain-Palin isn't in such a good position.

McCain had been an embarrassment all by himself. Bringing the clueless Palin into the fray in late August has only made the Republicans an even bigger laughingstock. Sure, Palin has her legion of fans and McCain has his share of misguided supporters, but overall, this presidential ticket reeks of desperation and you-gotta-be-kidding-me humor.

Look no further than Saturday Night Live, as they ridicule this sham of a campaign each and every week.

Sen. Obama has gotta be constantly laughing any time he gets a moment away from the cameras. The grandfather and the schoolteacher ticket should make for a great children's book in the future, maybe even a movie or comic strip. But that's about it.

How funny.

Palin's Appearance on SNL Proves She's A Joke

CLEVELAND - Republican V.P. nominee Sarah Palin has run the gamut from GOP energizer to national laughingstock. Saturday Night Live has done an expert job in illustrating her path.

Thank you, Tina Fey.

Fey, a former SNL writer and cast member bears an uncanny resemblance to Palin. During the past several weeks, she has lampooned the Alaska governor in several pitch perfect skits. Last night, the real Palin made a cameo on the show in both a skit involving Fey and another during "Weekend Update."

The show poked fun at Palin right in her face!

With Sen. John McCain choosing the previously unknown governor as his running mate, he was taken to task for making such a risky move. When Palin became a national sensation, he was applauded.

That was short-lived.

Though Gov. Palin has regained a bit of her luster recently, it has become clear that she's woefully unqualified for her position. Going on a show that has essentially mocked her unmercifully time and again only proves how much of a sideshow clown she truly is.

Some good advice for Palin: just go. Go away.

Palin Held Her Own But Remains A Risky Candidate

CLEVELAND - Most Americans expected Gov. Sarah Palin to botch her appearance at the first and only Vice-Presidential Debate last night.

Surprise surprise, she actually did well.

Palin was surprisingly sharp and confident in her matchup with veteran Sen. Joe Biden, a stark contrast to her recent public performances which led to many in the media as well as average Americans to call for her withdrawal from Sen. John McCain's Republican ticket.

That being said, Palin is still a shaky choice as possible V.P.

Biden also did better than expected and was clearly more knowledgeable about important issues such as foreign policy, health care, Iraq and most notably...the economy. While Biden linked Sen. McCain to the increasingly unpopular President Bush on several key points, Palin unleashed her plainspoken rhetoric and wit to gain, if nothing else, points on style and personality.

None of Palin's likability means a thing in regards to her viability as Vice-President. Sure, she acquitted herself well and far exceeded most expectations, but she still has too little understanding of key issues and procedures, and she uses her Hockey and Soccer Mom references to the point of annoyance.

Like the official polls, I say Biden won the debate but Palin didn't disappoint. Let's just say she did wonders for both camps and was incredibly respectful and friendly with her rival before, during and after the debate.

At the end of the night however, Barack Obama and Joe Biden remained the best choice.

Expect Palin To Crash and Burn in Debate

CLEVELAND - The highly anticipated Vice-Presidential Debate takes place tonight in St. Louis, Missouri, pitting Democratic senator Joe Biden against Republican governor Sarah Palin.

This could get ugly.

When senator John McCain chose Palin as his running mate in late August, it was immediately met with criticism and many raised eyebrows. The Alaskan governor had been a virtual unknown up until that point. Soon, her charming personality and great showing at the RNC sparked the Republican party and made her a national sensation.

That lasted all of two weeks.

Since then, Palin has proven to be an in-over-her-head greenhorn with a propensity for making both herself and her party look clueless and ridiculous with her sometimes moronic statements. Her now infamous quote about being able to see Russia from Alaska has only underlined the riskiness of her stepping in as U.S. President should McCain get elected and something awful happens to him.

During recent interviews, Palin has managed to embarrass herself even further and her very presence has threatened to undermine one of the central themes that McCain has built his campaign on.

Experience.

In Biden's case, he has had his share of gaffes and missteps but is generally regarded as a much better choice for Sen. Barack Obama's White House bid. Biden, who possesses decades of political experience will look to exploit his ticket's advantages while ever-so-subtly underlining Palin's shortcomings. Either way, don't expect much from Palin.

She's a guaranteed disappointment.

Palin's Likeability and Gender Alone Won't Sway Most Women

CLEVELAND - Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) scored a home-run last night by painting herself as a down-to-earth mother of five with an impervious will, all of which bodes well for the Republican Party, but doesn't say much about her or her parties' plans to improve the U.S. and its awful economic status.

Score one for both parties.

Palin, 44 is Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) choice for VP in this year's presidential election. Initially a shocking choice, the spunky governor overcame the recent disclosure of her underage daughter's pregnancy to swing and jab at rivals Barack Obama and Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, ridiculing Obama's lack of experience and serving up a series of sarcastic and witty remarks about his very candidacy.

Wow.

Palin's no seasoned veteran herself. Though clearly intelligent, driven and likeable, she will need far more substance and sensitivity to Obama and Biden's adversity-filled past to win most over enough to gain their vote. She continued to feed the overworn theme of McCain's Vietnam experience and decades-old POW status and in the process, belittled her rivals' hard-knock life.

Last night looked like a huge coup for the Republicans, but it just may backfire. Let's reserve judgement until Obama and Biden go at it with McCain and Palin.

That'll tell it all.

Obama's Race Makes This Presidential Race Still a Race

CLEVELAND - For all of his great attributes, Sen. Barack Obama's historic and wildly popular presidential campaign should easily culminate in a victory for the Democrats, but he has one glaring weakness.

He's Black.

I know, he's actually bi-racial but in reality, America will always see him as black. Truth is, in spite of Obama's lack of political experience (in comparison to rival Sen. John McCain), he has a decidedly better case for becoming the 44th U.S. Commander-in-Chief and first African American. Why is the race still so close is almost completely about White America's still deep-seeded racism.

Obama is a quarter-century younger than McCain and endlessly more vibrant. McCain's recent medical history is less than desirable and he appears hopelessly out of touch with what this country truly needs going forward. The Bush Administration has allowed the genocidal Iraq War to persist with no real explanation why. The economy has been a joke for years (in sharp contrast to the Clinton White House) and McCain has supported these counter-productive policies. A McCain victory in the Fall would be a slap in the faces of Liberals who desperately need positive change, not the same "politics as usual" as Obama so succinctly put it at his DNC acceptance speech last week in Denver.

Another shortcoming of McCain's campaign became public knowledge in the past week. With his choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, he gave the country another surreptitious red-flag as further proof of the high risk his candidacy brings. Palin, an obviously inexperienced beauty, brings her own dirty laundry as it was just revealed that her unmarried, 17-year old daughter is pregnant. This means that should the elderly McCain take ill or worse, the fate of the U.S. would fall into the hands of a new grandmother and mother (Palin herself has a five-month old) whom by her own admission is little more than a "hockey mom."

Obama chose Joe Biden as his V.P., who makes up for his own inexperience and foreign policy shortcomings. Obama (and his young children) also brings youth and vigor into the White House much like JFK did in 1961 and Bill Clinton did in 1993.

The choice is clear. Obama should win this race going away.

Except his race won't just "go away."