2011—What a Year!

Here we are, December 31st. I can’t believe a whole year has flown by. And it’s amazing what has happened in the course of 12 months. And I’ve complied them into my own Top 10 list. So, sit back and enjoy.

10. Never Underestimate the Power of Nostalgia

I am a member of Generation Y. I spent most of my childhood in the 90s. And let’s face it: it was a great time to be a kid watching TV. And we miss it. We’re all in our 20s now. We’re in college. We’re working. We’re (gasp) adults! We have (gulp) responsibilities. Who doesn’t want to remember the carefree days of their youth? And TeenNick listened. They set aside two hours of their late night programming and dedicated it to the Nickelodeon shows of the 1990s. They called “The 90’s are All That.” And their marketing was brilliant. The commercials and ads featured just the orange couch. Which we all identified as the symbol of Snick. Then they also featured Kenan Thompson.

The first lineup for the block was: “All That,” “Kenan and Kel,” “Clarissa Explains It All,” and “Doug.” After some time, “Clarissa” and “Doug” were swapped for “Hey Arnold" and “Rocko’s Modern Life.” Eventually, “Hey Dude,” “Rugrats,” and other shows began to creep into the lineup. They even brought back Stick Stickley to host a U Pick special every Friday. And people have been watching and talking. So, here’s a toast to Nostalgia.

Also—does anyone know if I can get a poster of Stick’s “Keep Calm and Simmer Down” poster?

9. Hollywood Hits the News.

This isn’t new, Hollywood takes up most of our news each year. But this year seemed to be full of doozies! Let’s start with Charlie Sheen’s “WINNING!” year. He was on a downward spiral that many feared would end with his death. Car crashes, drugs, claims of being drunk on set, etc. CBS allowed “Two and a Half Men” to shut down to get him some help. Charlie Sheen refused and decided to blast everyone involved with the show. He coined several phrases, became the butt of several jokes and lost his job to Ashton Kutcher. He’s quieted down after his goddesses left him, he lost custody of his kid and his tour wasn’t so successful. Maybe he’s finally getting some help.

Once Charlie Sheen quieted down, Arnold Schwarzenegger was thrust into the limelight.  Turns out he had a lovechild with one of his maids. At the same time Maria was pregnant with their fourth child. Not surprisingly, Maria divorced Arnold and her two eldest children supported her. The divorce, thankfully, didn’t turn ugly and the couple still remains amicable, it seems.

From one divorce to another. In May, Kim Kardashian of the Kardashians announced her engagement to NBA player Kris Humphries. Taking a page from sister Khloe’s book, she decided to make it a short engagement and married in a lavish wedding ceremony this past summer. The E! network filmed it and aired it constantly. Tabloids immediately jumped to say that there was trouble in paradise but everyone kept denying it. Then on Halloween, it was announced that Kim Kardashian was filing for divorce after 72 days. The debates started: Was it Kris’ fault? Was it Kim’s fault? Was it a publicity stunt? Will Kim keep the ring? Is it really important?

Pop sensation Justin Bieber took the pressure off Kim for a bit when a woman claimed her young son was Justin’s baby. The Bieber Nation rose up in arms while the rest of us went “Huh?” He has taken a paternity test, though several people have spoken up to claim this is nothing but the mother’s attempt at a big payday. No one was surprised.

Who knows what Hollywood will bring us in 2012?

8. What Are We Saying Now?

This past November, Catholics in the English-speaking world were thrown for a loop. I mean, we were well-aware it was coming, but it was still jarring. Let’s go back 50 years for this one: The Second Vatican Council ordered that the mass was to be said in the vernacular of the faithful, not the centuries old Latin. So the Mass was translated into English. But it wasn’t entirely accurate. Several years ago, Pope John Paul II ordered a new translation be made. After a few attempts, there was one the Vatican approved. And was implemented this year. We’re getting used to the new words.

But we’ll master it…Eventually.

7. From Tragedy to Inspiration

The year started off with tragic news. I was in Mass in Orlando, FL, when the priest started to pray for the victims of the shooting in Arizona. We were confused. When you’re in Disney, the outside world tends to fade away. So, I had to check my Smartphone to figure out what was going on. And that was how I learned about the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. At first, most of the news was focused on the victims, including the youngest—a child born on 9/11/2001.

Then the news turned to the Congresswoman. She had survived a bullet to the brain. Yet the extent of the damage was unknown and her chances of recovery remained slim. But news slowly leaked out—Congresswoman Giffords was improving. She was smiling, she was talking, she was walking, etc. Several months later, she made a surprise appearance in Congress to vote on the debt ceiling. Everyone present burst into applause. She’s still improving, though the road is still long.

But she’s an inspiration to us all.

6. The Week the East Coast Pissed Off Mother Nature

I honestly don’t know what we did, but boy was she mad. Hurricane Irene formed off shore and was threatening to make landfall. I first heard about it when I was visiting relatives in South Carolina. My cousin was worried that Irene would ruin a planned event. When I returned to New York, our meteorologists were tracking the storm as well. As I was recovering from the weekend on Tuesday, I was shaken out of my bed. Almost literally—my bed began to shake. I realized my room was shaking—my wind chimes were going mad! After ruling out powerful winds, I concluded we were having an earthquake. And I was right. The earthquake occurred in Virginia, about 80 miles from Richmond.  It was felt up and down the east coast, as far north as Toronto, as far south as Georgia and as far west as Detroit. It rattled us as it is rare for an earthquake to reach such magnitudes on the East Coast. And the West Coast made fun of us for it (despite the fact most of us first though “OH CRAP THEY’RE ATTACKING AGAIN!” when it happened).

The earthquake passed quickly as Irene loomed on our horizon. All models predicted she would hit New York as a Category 1 hurricane, which hasn’t happened in a long time. Mayor Bloomberg made the historic decision to shut down mass transit. Low lying areas were evacuated, including two hospitals where I live. On Friday, we hauled in our loose yard items and tied down our patio furniture. We taped our windows and then went to a family friend’s house to hurricane-proof their house as they were on vacation. The storm wasn’t as bad as we expected, though some places were under water for days.

Fortunately, Mother Nature got it out of her system. For now.

5. The Royal Wedding

In 2010, Prince William announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Catherine “Kate” Middleton. And the world went nuts. Who would design Kate’s dress? What would it look like? What color hat would Queen Elizabeth II wear? She wore Alexander McQueen, it looked a lot like Princess Grace’s dress and was gorgeous! And the Queen wore yellow. The whole ceremony was beautiful and the epitome of royalty. While I am an Anglophile, I was not crazy enough to wake up at the crack of dawn to watch the wedding. I caught one of the multiple airings afterwards. Though did we need half the commentators hired by the various channels? Perez Hilton? Kathy Griffin? But the hoopla died down and William and Kate look very happy together. I wish them nothing but the best. And if the rumors are to be believed, I may be including a royal baby on my list next year.

4. Order in the Court!

Americans love a good court case. And we got a few this year! In Florida, Casey Anthony went on trial, accused of murdering her young daughter Caylee. The prosecution argued she had killed her daughter because she wanted a partying lifestyle again. They highlighted the fact that it was her mother who reported the little girl missing weeks later. Casey’s odd behavior in the weeks before and during the investigation. They argued she was the only one with means, motive and opportunity. Then the defense presented their case. They offered alternative theories. They said Casey was the victim of an incestuous relationship, that Caylee’s father was also Casey’s. In the end, the jury acquitted Casey of all charges except for obstruction of justice. And it was like the OJ Simpson verdict, except most people agreed she was guilty. But the jury found reasonable doubt.

Across the country in California, Dr. Conrad Murray went on trial for his part in Michael Jackson’s untimely death in 2009. We heard heartbreaking testimony about how Jackson’s children were in the room while he was dying. Bodyguards testified how Dr. Murray prevented immediate medical assistance. Experts testified how the doctor knew better than to give the pop singer so much Propofol. Dr. Murray defended that he didn’t actually give Jackson the deadly dose. That Jackson had system rigged up so he could release the medication when he wanted it. His defense was that Jackson accidentally killed himself. The jury didn’t believe it and found him guilty of manslaughter.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Amanda Knox’s conviction was up for appeal in Italian courts. As the evidence was examined again, it became clear that she was railroaded at her trial. Experts blasted the way evidence was collected and processed. They revealed that their conclusions were vastly different than those of the Italian police. There was also testimony from a man whose conviction in the matter was upheld. He swore that Knox and her then Italian boyfriend were innocent of the crime. And so the court of appeals overturned her conviction. Americans rejoiced and Amanda is trying to regain a normal life.

3. Ten Years Later

September 11th. Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. Sometimes it feels like it was a million years ago. But it was ten years ago this year. And we marked it with the pomp and solemnity deserved. Though I was wound pretty tight that weekend. All the images, all the memories…I may not have lost someone that day, but it was still painful. Events were held across the nation to mark the day, with the biggest here in New York. Ten years…Never forget.

2. Unrest in the Middle East

I know, I know. There’s always unrest in the Middle East. But this year’s chapter in the never-ending saga was an interesting one. Revolution spread like wildfire. It was in Egypt, where people took the streets of Cairo. They protested and clashed with the army. But they got their wish: President Hosni Mubarak resigned. The military took over until elections could be held, but there was much rejoicing. It spread into Libya. The fighting there would last longer, though. The UN would even get involved as Moammar Ghaddafi refused to give up his power. He fled into hiding, growing as elusive as Waldo, Carmen Sandiego and Osama bin Laden. His people found him and he was killed. Now Libya faces a new future and a new government. Good luck to them in 2012!

1. We Got Him!

On Friday, April 29th, William married Kate. It appeared it would the only thing the world would talk about all weekend long and may well into the following week. And then came Sunday, May 1st. I was watching one of the cable channels, but on the network channels, programming was interrupted. Including Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” A message had gone out from the White House: the president was going to address the country. Brian Williams later told David Letterman he knew it was serious when his source told him he would want to be in his anchor chair for this. “This” was the death of Osama bin Laden. He had been located in a rather nice house in Pakistan. A team of Navy Seals had gone in on Obama’s orders and tried to capture bin Laden. He resisted and was killed in the process. They confirmed it was him and buried him at sea according to Islamic traditions.

And the USA celebrated. Students gathered in front of the White House. People gathered in Times Square, New York’s Official Party Spot. Others gathered at Ground Zero. At the Mets-Phillies game, the entire stadium broke into chants of “USA! USA!” The players were confused as to why until the calls went out to the managers. The next day, it was trumpeted on every newspaper and news show. Jon Stewart had a field day with it. But amongst our joy, a warning—We had angered Al Qaeda and faced retribution. However, it was great to celebrate the 10th anniversary knowing he was dead.

Honorable Mentions

There is so much to squeeze here! So some things got the shaft. But here are the ones that almost made the list:

“All My Children” ends its long run: ABC Daytime shrunk by one soap this year. After a 40+ year run, fans bid adieu to Erica Kane and Pine Valley. It ended with a bang, with a mentally unstable JR shooting into a crowd gathered at the Chandler mansion. Who got shot would have been answered when the soap transferred online, but the deal fell through. Rumors say that there is an alternate ending, but who knows if we’ll ever see it.

Occupy Wall Street: The 99% are pissed off. And they’ve gathered to let their demands be known. Which are…a hodgepodge that no one can really name. Other uprisings throughout American history have been pretty clear on their desired outcome: No taxation without representation (Sons of Liberty), end slavery (abolition), votes for women (Suffragettes), end the war (Hippies/Draft Dodgers), etc. I know I should be more supportive: I’m about their age, I’m struggling to find steady employment, and I am liberal. But I also passed economy and therefore know that they are upset over how it works.

Penn State Sex Scandal: It takes a lot to overpower Kim Kardashian. But Penn State managed to for all the wrong reasons. A grand jury indicted a former coach on several counts of child molestation. Shock rippled through the college community which soon grew into the entire nation as a beloved sports icon, head coach Joe Paterno was revealed to be complacent in the crimes. He had been told of an encounter on college grounds and while he informed the higher ups, did nothing else. People called for his head and he said he would retire at the end of the season. But the board fired him along with other high-ranking college officials in the scandal’s wake. And students flipped out, making people question how screwed up our priorities are.

Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark: I had to include this here. I had money that it would not make it to an opening day at all. It kept pushing one off, ending up with a record number of previews. Critics grew annoyed and a number decided to treat a March opening date as the real one, reviewing the show. And they were brutal. Almost as brutal as the jokes being made about production after several performers were injured—one seriously to bring in New York’s OSHA board. A lead performer left the production. Director Julie Taymor was fired and new creatives were brought in to retool the show. It finally opened and everything has been just “meh” since. But considering the scarcity of musicals opening this season, it has a good shot at a Tony nod.

And now, before the year ends, we pause to remember those we lost in 2011:

Pete Postlethwaite (Jan. 2): Actor
Jill Haworth (Jan. 3): Actress
John Dye (Jan. 10): Actor
Theoni V. Aldredge (Jan. 21): Costume designer
Nicholas Courtney (Feb. 22): Actor/The Brig
Patrick V. Ahern (Mar. 19): Auxiliary Bishop of NY/Bishop Who Confirmed Me
Elizabeth Taylor (Mar. 23): Actress/Activist
Sidney Lumet (Apr. 9): Director/Screenwriter
Elisabeth Sladen (Apr. 19): Actress/Sarah Jane Smith
Arthur Laurents (May 5): Playwright/Director
Bill Gallo (May 10): Cartoonist/Columnist
Randy Savage (May 20): Professional Wrestler
Jeff Conaway (May 27): Actor
Wally Boag (June 3): Actor/Disney Legend
Roy Skelton (June 8): Actor/Dalek
Peter Falk (June 23): Actor/Columbo
Betty Ford (July 8): First Lady
Sherwood Schwartz (July 12): Reason for "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch"
Amy Winehouse (July 23): Singer/Songwriter
Hugh Carey (Aug. 7): Governor of New York
Steve Jobs (Oct. 5): iGenius
Andy Rooney (Nov. 4): Journalist
Patrice O'Neal (Nov. 29): Comedian
Bil Keane (Nov. 8): Cartoonist/"Family circus"
Heavy D (Nov. 8): Rapper
Anne McCaffrey (Nov. 21): Author
Kim Jong-Il (Dec. 19): Dictator of North Korea

You will all be missed. Except for you, Kim Jong-il, outside of North Korea.

So long, 2011. Let’s see what 2012 brings!