Recent Developments in Politics

It seems that the controversial issue of the public option, government run health care plan may finally be put to rest. The original enthusiasts of this plan are beginning to mention this policy in the past tense and say it isn't "necessary" now. The reasons behind this are debatable. It really isn't that surprising though. When not even the Democratic party can agree on the way to accomplish this, then of course the efforts would fail. Ultimately, the public didn't want this plan passed. It took a while for some like Pelosi to understand this, but I believe the sentiment is now known.

In general, everyone should keep their eyes on the Senate and the House for the year 2010. President Obama has many plans for change in different policies such as things dealing with climate change. As of now, both houses do have Democratic majority meaning the likelihood of passing his policies is greater now. Unfortunately, many moderates are on the fence about his agenda. If he is not able to use this year to his advantage and to unite his party, then he may have a few set backs. This rings even more true considering Senator Dorgon and Senator Dodd, both Democratic senators, both announced they will not seek re-election. These seats will obviously be targets for Republican hopefuls. It is very likely that the political scale will turn in these upcoming years. President Obama is walking a tight rope for sure.

Personally, when it comes to a chance for new senators, I believe it is usually a welcome change. To avoid corruption, it is best for a rotation of people in power. Plus, our system always needs to be recleansed. If more term limits were applied, then maybe our current situation would be different.

-Colby

James Cameron Can Direct No Wrong

Some of you may have heard of his two most popular movies: Titanic and Avatar.

Titanic holds the record for the highest-grossing worldwide movie EVER with $1.8 billion.

Avatar is #2 on the list with $1.14 billion.

In other pop news, maybe you heard about/saw Mariah Carey's most recent acceptance speech for her acting role in Precious. Someone started celebrating before they hit the awards show, I think.

Someone finally beat Taylor Swift for an award! At the People's Choice Awards, no less! Haha! I mean, awww.

Ke$ha's single "Tik Tok" broke the record for most digital downloads by a female artist in one week. The previous holder was Lady Gaga's "Just Dance".

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series) apparently lost a leg, according to a Burberry ad, where she poses with her brother Alex.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand recently got engaged, while Lamar Odom and wife Khloe Kardashian Odom are trying for a baby.

-Amber

What To Look For In 2010

With a new year comes resolutions most people won't keep past January 31 and also unexpected developments in the media, technology and even celebrities. Here's what you should be looking for in 2010.

Alice In Wonderland - Director Tim Burton coupled with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Anne Hathaway and many more? This children's story is about to take on a whole new meaning. Look for it to hit theaters March 5, 2010, in the USA.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - No one can deny that pop culture is being taken over by vampire- and werewolf-lovers. The latest installment in this saga will hit theaters June 30, 2010.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I - This is the movie I am looking forward to seeing most in this new year. The penultimate film in this exciting series will debut in theaters on November 19.

The music industry - With new and innovative artists, like Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Susan Boyle, and Taylor Swift, and well-established music veterans, such as Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kelly Clarkson, revolutionizing the music biz, there's no telling what will happen this year. That Lady Gaga/Susan Boyle collabo doesn't seem so far-fetched now.

The Gosselins - Although many of us don't like to admit it, we all know who these attention-seeking people are. Undoubtedly there will be some new twist to this tired tale this year. I myself am not a fan of the show nor the people. But for goodness sakes, don't subject those kids to this mess!

The 2010 Grammys - The Grammys will be on CBS on January 31 at 8PM ET/PT. With diverse artists such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Kings of Leon, and Lady Gaga nominated for so many awards, I honestly have no idea who will win what. I only know who I think should win.

Sandra Bullock - I went from not really caring that this actress was in Miss Congeniality a few years ago to laughing til it hurt during her blockbusters this year. To ice the cake, she has been recently named the top star of the 2009 box office, beating out stars such as George Clooney and Denzel Washington. She's the first woman to earn this honor since Julia Roberts received it in 1999.

The economy - This should go unsaid, as all of us are either unemployed or know someone who is. Very few of us can afford extravagant luxuries anymore, although the economy seems to be getting a little better.

Lady Gaga - After releasing several #1 singles this year and beginning her first headlining tour, the sky doesn't even seem to be the limit for Stefani Germanotta. Try the thermosphere.

Video Games - The music game business has taken a hit this year, no matter how many die-hard Beatles fans bought the Beatles version of Rock Band. I would be more surprised to see the release of a new, ground-breaking video game, or an accessory, at the very least. (Wii, anyone?) We ARE living in the year 2010, after all.

I expect Facebook to keep going strong, Twitter to gain even more users, celebrities to make faux pas, obsessed teenage girls going crazy over Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner, middle-aged moms going crazy over Robert Pattinson, ridiculous tabloid rumors, new technology, and hopefully, a better economy and more jobs.

-Amber

Top Songs and Movies of 2009

As a salute to the passing year, I have decided to compile a list of what were, in my opinion, the top songs and movies of 2009.

Of course, these are in no particular order.

Sweet Dreams - Beyonce
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Halo - Beyonce
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
LoveGame - Lady Gaga
Right Round - Flo Rida
Gives You Hell - The All American Rejects
Addicted - Saving Abel
Party In The USA - Miley Cyrus
Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship
Blame It - Jamie Foxx
Down - Jay Sean
Whatever You Like - T.I.
Waking Up In Vegas - Katy Perry
Don't Trust Me - 3Oh!3
Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
Single Ladies - Beyonce
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolph
Womanizer - Britney Spears
Circus - Britney Spears
I Do Not Hook Up - Kelly Clarkson
Obsessed - Mariah Carey
Radar - Britney Spears
Tik Tok - Ke$ha
Paparazzi - Lady Gaga
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
21 Guns - Green Day
Goodbye - Kristina Debarge
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Proposal
New Moon
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Monsters Vs. Aliens
Avatar
2012
The Blind Side
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Up
The Hangover
Bride Wars
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Taken
Push
My Bloody Valentine
Obsessed
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Star Trek
Angels & Demons
My Sister's Keeper
Inglourious Basterds
Orphan
The Ugly Truth
G-Force
Sherlock Holmes
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Nine

I thought I'd round off the list with the worst movie of 2009: The Invention of Lying.

Of course, seeing how I can't see all movies that are released or listen to all songs that are released, I'm sure there are some real gems that have been omitted from this list. Care to add on? Just leave a comment.

-Amber

John Mayer: My Least Favorite Person in the Music Biz

Some people love John Mayer. Jennifer Aniston, anyone?

I am not one of those people. I don't care how many singles he's had or how many awards he's won. In my opinion, he lacks musical talent. When "Say What You Need To Say" came on the radio, I turned it off every single time. I would much rather listen to silence than the same line being repeated over and over again. He says it at least 36 times! One line repeated over and over again does not constitute a song!

Recently, he has released a new album, Battle Studies. I saw him on Vh1 talking about it. He was talking about the paparazzi and how it doesn't matter what they write because his writing was better and would last longer than theirs. *Insert my skeptical face here* Then they started playing his new single, Who Says. I literally said, "Who says we wanted to be forced to listen to the mess you call music?" and changed the channel!

The very first line of "Who Says" is "Who says I can't get stoned?" How...thought-provoking and profound. He told Rolling Stone, "When I sing it, I do not think about marijuana — I think about walking around your house naked with a guitar. It's about being in control of the pleasure in your life." All I can say about that quote is: O_O

Don't even get me started on his tweets from his Twitter account.

If you haven't heard his latest single, please go on Youtube or his website, wherever, to hear it. Then, to prevent permanent scarring, cut off your ears and bleach your eyes.

-Amber

Gaga Nation

If you've read Colby's post about Susan Boyle, don't hold your breath for a Gaga/Boyle duet anytime soon. That's one of the last things I would expect to happen, although we ARE talking about Lady Gaga, so who knows what could happen?

Lady Gaga - where to begin?

Lady Gaga was signed with Def Jam Records at the age of 19, but was shortly dropped from her label. Then, she signed with Interscope Records and with Akon's own label, Kon Live Distribution. She was one of the select few who gained early admission to New York's Tisch School of the Arts at 17.

2009 has been called The Year of Gaga by Vh1. She's been named Woman of the Year by Mtv. She won 9 Billboard awards, 2 International Dance Music awards, 3 VMAs, a Teen Choice award, 3 TMF awards, a UK Music Video award, and 12 others! She's currently nominated for 5 Grammys!

This star, born Stefani Germanotta in New York, is taking the world by storm with her innovative, revolutionary music and fashion! Her debut album, The Fame, was the first debut album to have four #1 singles! And by the looks of it, The Fame Monster, her second album, is well on its way down the same path with songs such as Bad Romance, Speechless, and Telephone ft. Beyonce.

There are many rumors revolving around Lady Gaga. Some of these are that she's from Yonkers (she's from Manhattan), she's a hermaphrodite/male, and that she's fake.

I personally don't believe that she's a hermaphrodite or a man. Well, it's pretty obvious that she isn't a man. But you can find pictures of her from years ago and tell that she is 100% female. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say that she was pretty way back when she was a brunette (Go on Youtube and look for Lady Gaga on Mtv Boiling Points). I remember the first time I saw Lady Gaga without the excessive headpieces and such. It was in her Bad Romance video. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go find it on Youtube or www.ladygaga.com! My reaction was literally, "OMG! Who's this in Lady Gaga's video? That isn't Lady Gaga!"

I also don't think she's being fake. I believe her when she says that this is who she truly is. She's one of the few celebrities I don't believe to act artificial in public. True eccentricity makes for a nice change, don't you think?

Some of Lady Gaga's clothing choices have been just as famous as the singer herself. The Kermit Frog dress or the ....red veil thing at the VMAs or what has been dubbed "The Bird's Nest". I'm going to be honest here and say that I wasn't a big fan of Gaga until Bad Romance came out. So when I saw her at the VMAs, I was a little weirded out by some of her outfits, but not all. For instance, I didn't find the blood-stained performance of Paparazzi to be creepy like some did. When Just Dance came out, I was in love with the song. Up until a few weeks ago, I was a fan of just her music. Now I am a fan of Gaga herself.

Lady Gaga writes her own songs. Her singles have been Just Dance, Poker Face, LoveGame, Paparazzi, and Bad Romance. She is currently headlining her own tour, dubbed The Monster Ball Tour. I've heard her sing live via Youtube, and it's very clear that she has true musical talent. What she sings in live or acoustic performances sounds almost exactly like what you hear on the radio. I, personally, am put off by singers who sound so good on the radio, yet so very bad at their concerts.

Another thing I love about Lady Gaga is her love for her fans, which she calls "monsters". When The Fame Monster was released, she did a signing in Los Angeles and bought pizza for all of the fans that were there and has since bought hot chocolate for early fans at her concerts.

At 23, Lady Gaga has climbed her way to the top of the music industry, where she belongs. I don't see her coming down or being forgotten anytime soon. Whether you know and love her for the rumors about her, what she's wearing, or just her voice and music, you can't deny that she will forever be seen as a pop icon of 2009.

-Amber

Amazing Video: Mother and Baby Both Die, Then Revive

Yahoo! is my current homepage because I like to look through the news stories displayed toward the top of the page every day.

An article caught my eye this morning: Christmas Miracle: Mom and baby die, then revive.

Apparently, the mother had went into labor on Christmas Eve. During labor, she went into cardiac arrest and DIED. There was no heartbeat, no sign of life anything. So the doctors performed an emergency C-section. Great, except the baby wasn't breathing either! It was a Christmas miracle that both mother and baby revived.

Check out this link for the video: http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/christmas-miracle-mom-and-baby-die-then-revive-17357728

In other news, Tavern on the Green, once the highest-grossing restaurant in America, is closing due to $8 million in debt. Tavern on the Green was located in New York and will serve its last meal on New Year's Eve.

The Gosselins and Octomom have been picked as the worst celebs to have as neighbors.

-Amber

Levi Johnston: The Wannabe Celebrity

Who is Levi Johnston? Well, in case you didn't know, Levi Johnston is the former fiance of Bristol Palin. As you all know, Bristol is Sarah Palin's daughter. Bristol made a few rash decisions and ultimately ended up getting pregnant. This predicament put a damper on the McCain/Palin campagin and also added extra stress to a young, unwed, expecting mother.

Not long after, Levi and Bristol split. Levi immediately took this opportunity to slander the Palin family and to jump on the bandwagon of celebrity wannabes. How is that such a person could become famous? He has accomplished nothing of importance. This scumbag has made a career out of slander, libel, and being a bad role model.

His grasp at fame is unfortunately continuing. He has made the custody battle of his child public. While Bristol wished to keep this affair private for the sake of the child, Levi has responded that he fears Sarah will become involved if it is kept private. Let's face it. Levi wants to make this into a media circus for his own benefit. I personally don't believe he even cares for his child. His child is just an accessory to him.

We can only hope that this whole coverage doesn't get too out of hand. The Palin family has suffered enough from the media and also Levi in general. Give it a few more months though. Soon enough Levi will be only a memory in the news. He can't ride out this whole situation for the rest of his life.

-Colby

The Boyle Effect

As it is known, Amber is the real pop culture buff, but I know my stuff as well. I may not know the minute details of certain celebrities, but I do know a hit when I see one.

This year we have seen many different artists become sensations overnight. Even though at the beginning of the year some of these artists had never even been heard of, they still somehow managed to captivate the world around them. The best example of this is Susan Boyle. If you have a computer and use Youtube, or even watch the news for that matter, then you at least have heard of this frumpy British singer.

Susan Boyle, a 47 year old single woman, was unknown globally until her performance on Britain's Got Talent. This ordinary, goofy looking woman stunned the audience with her spectacular vocal talent. Many were even brought to tears by this spunky lady. Within hours a video of her performance was posted to the web. That is when she became a real global hit. People around the world would log on and were astounded to find this unlikely star.

Her fame has continued to grow ever since. She has been on various shows around the world, she has been making international trips including a recent one to Japan, and people across the web continue to talk about her. People's infatuation with her stems from the fact that she has raw talent. Most celebrities you see today have to rely on eccentric behaviors, scandals, provocative clothes and choreography, and other gimmicks to gather attention. Boyle, on the other hand, is a simple woman who doesn't really perform according to today's standards. Her voice is enough to entertain people.

Boyle has even gathered fans that are celebrities. On Twitter, celebrities such as Moore and Kutcher praised her for her performances. Even recently, Lady Gaga came out admitting her admiration for Boyle. Gaga went as far as to say Boyle is "my woman of the year." This means quite a bit coming from the overnight sensation from the U.S. (EDIT from Amber: Lady Gaga was by NO MEANS, an overnight sensation in the U.S. She worked hard in the music industry, writing songs for other artists, such as Fergie and The Pussycat Dolls. She performed at clubs starting when she was a teenager. And now, at 23, she has risen to fame.)

I think this year has proven that Boyle is not a flash in the pan. Most likely her star power will continue to escalate the world over. This woman has also opened up opportunities to ordinary people. She has proven that substance is better than flash, and also that dreams can come true even if it is later in life. She has ultimately inspired hope. With the new year almost here, be sure to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for this woman. Who knows what the next year holds for her?

-Colby

Gay Marriage

It seems that I have received some negative feedback from my previous blog post. I decided it would be best to spend a whole post to explain my position on a controversial and unpopular issue. This is my opinion. It does not necessarily reflect Amber's positions. If she wants to say what she thinks about an issue, she will say.

As you know, gay marriage is one of those hot topic issues that will cause a fight in a public setting in a matter of seconds. Both sides of the issue are attached strongly to their cause. Now, I will say here and now that I am a Christian. My faith lies in the Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There should be no doubt in whom I serve or whom I worship. Most Christians are part of the Religious Right, and most support the already prevalent laws of having gay marriage illegal. I respect my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but this is one issue that I disagree with them on.

Now before I outline why I believe what I believe, I will first clear up a misconception. I do not condone homosexuality. I find gay marriage to be immoral, sinful, and contrary to the teachings of the Bible. With that in mind and being said, I will now dive further into this.

1st) I believe gay marriage should not be illegal because it is unconstitutional. The Constitution protects the right of the common individual and also, it protects the rights of a minority. In this case, homosexuals are the minority. If you read the Constitution, you will find the 9th and 10th amendment in the Bill of Rights. These amendments are important in that they establish rights for the individual that are not directly stated in the Constitution. Most would consider marriage a right. Would you not? So how is it fair that a certain group of people are being denied what we consider a right? Many will combat that simply with that marriage is between a man and a woman. They will also say that marriage is a religious rite. Think about that for a second. If marriage is a religious rite, then why can the government make laws concerning it? The short and simple answer, it can't. There is a separation of church and state, and with that, the government is not allowed to interfere in religious matters. My position is not to force churches to accept gay marriage nor should they have to marry gay couples. That is a church's choice. But the government must provide the same benefits to these unions just like a normal marriage receives for the simple fact that there shouldn't be discrimination. This debate is not a theological debate. It is instead a debate dealing with government and individual liberties.

2nd) Many people believe this will ruin the validity of marriage. They say that marriage is sacred and trying to protect it. I believe marriage is sacred. That is not something I am trying to debate. But are we really going to use homosexuals as a scapegoat? Are we honestly blaming them for ruining the institution of marriage? I have news, for the past few decades, marriage has been made a mockery, not by gay people, but by heterosexuals. Just do your own research. Look at the percentage of divorce rates. One site said that 50% of all marriages in America end in divorce. How does this reflect the bond God meant for man and woman? If you think that's bad enough, just consider how many of these couples are Christians? The same people who preach protecting marriage are part of the people who are blatantly separating what God said can't be separated. A large part of these marriages ended because of infidelity. How does that show this sacred bond? Many marriages that are still intact today, are still unhappy ones. The whole issue is even complicated further with things such as prenups which show that couples do not trust each other. So I ask this, can you honestly tell yourself that it is gay people ruining marriage? Seems to me that both sides are not doing right. I mean, doesn't the Bible describe divorce just like homosexuality?

3rd) I am against gay marriage being illegal for the simple fact that it is ostricizing them from God. How is this you ask? When we outlaw gay marriage, we make them feel as if they are criminals. Not only that, but it's almost as if they are not a real citizen. We have more rights than them, do we not? I hear many times that we are a Christian nation so that means it has to be illegal. Well, if we are a Christian nation, then shouldn't all our laws be based soley on the Bible? If that is the case, then shouldn't all sins be illegal? If all sins are illegal, does that mean we should all be punished? If we all are supposed to be punished, who will judge us? Of course God will judge us, but I am speaking of a human judge in this instance. How can a sinner judge another sinner? Oh wait, you can't. It says in the Bible that we have no right to condemn other sinners. My point that I am making is we are choosing certain sins to make laws, but conveniently leaving other sins out. I mean, shouldn't adultery be illegal? Shouldn't drinking and being drunk be illegal? Shouldn't disrespecting your parents be illegal? This same Bible that condemns homosexuals equally condemns you. Yet, I can name off a whole list of fellow Christians that hate homosexuals. I thought Jesus taught to love all? What makes these Christians better than homosexuals? We are on a slippery slope when we look down upon others. If we want to make a difference and help them with their sexuality, then why don't we try to do it without government intervention? Why don't we reach out to them? And the whole Christian nation point is moot as well. The U.S. does not have an established state religion, which believe me, that is a good thing. In Revolutionary times, the established religion was the Church of England. Many Puritans, part of the founders of our nation, were persecuted for thinking differently from that church. That's why they came to America. They wanted to be able to practice their religion with no government interference.

Hopefully this explanation helped you understand where I am coming from. I believe in treating people equally. I believe that no person is inherently more sinful than another. I respect what you think. I expect for you to respect what I think.

-Colby

Facebook Memology

Facebook has released a list of the 15 most popular categories that users talked about in their statuses in 2009. According to Facebook, "memology" refers to the study of how "memes," or new ideas and trends, are spreading on Facebook.

The categories were:
1. Facebook Applications (such as Farmtown, Social Living, etc)
2. FML (Failing My Life, or *Expletive* My Life)
3. Swine Flu
4. Celebrity Deaths (Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, see 2009 Pop Culture in a Nutshell)
5. Family
6. Movies
7. Sports
8. Health Care
9. FB (Facebook)
10. Twitter
11. Years
12. Lady Gaga
13. Yard
14. Religion
15. I

As a very active Facebook user, I can say I've talked about movies, Facebook, Lady Gaga, and religion quite a bit in my statuses. Can't forget category #15 either: myself.

To read more about how Facebook came up with these results, check out this link: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=215076352130

-Amber

Politics: 101

It's always best to know what you are getting yourself into. So I am using this first blog to briefly outline my political persuasion. First off, you could say I am a liberal conservative. I think I am too left to be a far-right conservative, but I am definitely not liberal. I usually align with the GOP, but I'm not strictly partisan. Sometimes I will back up Democrats if they are in the right.

Favorite politician: Sarah Palin
You better get used to that. There will probably be numerous posts about her.
Second favorite politician: Mike Huckabee
Least favorite politician: Barack Obama

Stances:

Homosexuality marriage - Immoral but should be legal.

Gun control - Should be stricter but ultimately, guns are a necessary evil.

Abortion - Illegal in all cases.

Marijuana - Strictly illegal in all cases.

Government run health care - No thank you.

Sex education - Abstinence only.

Redistributing the wealth - Unconstitutional.

Military - Homosexuals and women should be able to participate.

Religion - There should be a separation of church and state, but people should be able to freely express themselves.

Media - Mainly liberal.

Education system - A total mess and parents should be able to choose what school their child attends.

Those are just a few basic stances of mine. Throughout this blog, I will fully explore different subjects.

Since the last presidential election, politics have became even more popular within the U.S. Right now, the majority party is the Democratic party. This year has been marked by the push for health care reform. Now, do I believe health care issues need to be addressed? Of course. I do not agree with the options that are being offered by Democrats though. It doesn't help that they contrive hundred page bills that almost half of them don't even read. I believe they are trying to push this down the American people's throats.

Barack Obama is probably one of the men I like the least. No one can take away his mastery of the oratory. He is also an intelligent man and a man of diplomacy. The election though, was a joke. Most of his supporters knew nothing about his platform and policies. He also was vague on his platform during the campaign. His talks were primarily about this "change." What change has there really been other than health care reform which is very unpopular among many Americans? His term has been very uneventful considering his numerous promises he made. The media has practically kissed him and his wife's feet. He even received the Nobel prize for what he might do, instead of what he has done, which is nothing. Fortunately, next presidential election, I will be old enough to vote, and I will be part of the revolution that votes for a change to this change.

Sarah Palin, hands down, has shaken up the world of politics forever. Love her or hate her, you know at least a little about her. Unfortunately, much of the facts have been skewed. I have never seen such smear campaigning against a person. Is a middle-class, Christian, conservative woman that intimidating? Obviously she must be. She is what this country really needs. Don't give me the little experience card. We have a community organizer as a current president. Don't give me the unintelligent card because that is not true. Many of her words have been taken out of context. She is a powerful woman who can't be stopped. Be prepared in 2012, if she runs for president, then there is a strong possibility that she will be our first female president. Right now, people are divided about her but she is slowly gaining popularity.

That's enough for now. I would love to hear others' opinions and comments. Comment on the blog or send an e-mail to politicsandpopculture@yahoo.com. Until next time.

-Colby

2009 Pop Culture in a Nutshell

2009 was a very interesting year, filled with pop culture to top off the decade. From a middle-aged British woman becoming an Internet singing sensation overnight to Stefani Germanotta (better known as Lady Gaga) taking the world by storm with her outlandish fashion to the first black president for the US to the unforgettable, televised incidents at the VMAs and the AMAs, it's been quite a crazy 12 months.

2009 was, in essence, the year of celebrity deaths, break-ups, and babies; Twitter; very public faux pas; Lady Gaga; history; and so much more.

Now let me sum up 2009 for you.

Beyonce made an awesome video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), in which she wears this sort of mechanical glove on her left hand, that involves her and two other female dancers in black leotards dancing around in a white room. I've seen so many spoofs and parodies of this video on Youtube. The most disturbing one, though, goes to Joe Jonas.

Susan Boyle became an overnight international Internet singing sensation when she sang I Dreamed a Dream on Britain's Got Talent. Who ever thought such a beautiful voice could have came from her mouth?

If you don't have a Facebook or Twitter account by now, then you must not exist.

Kanye West became the most hated man in America by all teenage girls when he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMAs and said, "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." What really ices the cake is Beyonce received the award for Video of the Year later during the show and then allowed Taylor to come back on stage to give her speech.

Lady Gaga became the first singer whose debut album (The Fame) had four #1 singles: Just Dance, Poker Face, LoveGame, and Paparazzi. Originally scheduled to tour with Kanye this fall/winter in the Fame Kills Tour, she is currently headlining her own tour called The Monster Ball. She also shocked pretty much everyone with her choice of fashion this year, from the Kermit dress to the blood-soaked Paparazzi performance to what has been dubbed "The Bird's Nest".

Blake Lively's hairstyle became the new "Jennifer".

Brittany Murphy is the latest celebrity to die this year. Others include Beatrice Arthur, Billy Mays, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcet, Henry Gibson, Jett Travolta, Les Paul, Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Steve McNair, and Umaga.

Several sequels were released this year: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Halloween II, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, as well as many other blockbusters: Avatar, 2012, Where the Wild Things Are, Sherlock Holmes, Monsters Vs. Aliens, and Watchmen.

One of the most shocking moments of 2009 happened when the winner of this season of American Idol was announed: Kris Allen. The runner-up, Adam Lambert, did a little shocking of his own during his performance of For Your Entertainment at the AMAs.

Celebs who called it quits on their relationship or marriage: Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Mel Gibson and Robin Moore, Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson, John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston, Holly Madison and Criss Angel, Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ross McCall, Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, and Katy Perry and Travis McCoy.

On a happier note, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga, Tim and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Molly Ringwald and Panio Gianopoulos, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons, David and Jordon Grohl, Kimberly Williams and Brad Paisley, Josh and Yessica Holloway, Tim Allen and Jane Hajduk, Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller, Tiger and Elin Woods, and Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck all became parents this year.

Speaking of Tiger Woods, he's been in the news lately for his many alleged affairs and his car accident. The pro-golfer has decided to take a break from golfing.

Barbara Walters named Michelle Obama the Most Fascinating Person of 2009, while her husband, President Barack Hussein Obama II, received the Nobel Peace Prize. For what, we still aren't sure.

That's 2009 for you. 2010 will kick off the next decade in just a few short days. Who knows what it will hold?

-Amber