Top Ten Most Fascinating People of 2009

December 23, 2009 at 10:21 am (Uncategorized) (Balloon Boy, Elizabeth Edwards, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, OctoMom, Sully, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, Ted Kennedy, Twilight)

After reviewing many news articles, thinking of popular events, and watching Barbara Walter’s top ten show on ABC last week, I have come up with my own top ten of the most fascinating people of 2009. This list, in my mind, was based on people who made an impact on others lives and who made people think, what is that person really like under the surface?

10. Lady Gaga

I agreed with Barabra Walters and I think that this women needs to start off my top ten list as well. I believe that she made a huge impact on the pop music scene in 2009. Her pop single “Poker Face” made huge waves on the radio and she is the first artist to have four number ones on one album, “Fame”. What I like about Lady Gaga as well is she is not afraid to take risks, with her out there outfits, performances, and her music. She likes to over look boundaries and when people see Lady Gaga they want to learn more about the women because of how she presents herself. She still has a huge future ahead of her and I strongly believe that her new album, “The Fame Monster” is even better than “Fame” and she has a great lead into being a pop culture icon.

9. Stephanie Meyer

This women deserves my number nine spot for her writing in the popular book series, Twilight. Twilight is the best selling book of  2008 and sold 85 million copies worldwide of the popular vampire novel series. Meyer, who was a mormon housewife turned best selling author, was ranked in the Forbes 100 most powerful celebrities as #26 and was awarded USA Today’s Author of the Year in 2008. Her books became one of the biggest box office smashes in 2009 with Twilight and her second novel The New Moon making in about 13.9 million on the opening week. Meyer got the idea for Twilight in a dream she had about a girl falling in love with a vampire. I bet Meyer is living in a dream world right now with all the success she has had with the popular book series and the fan base she has built up.

8.  Elizabeth Edwards

This woman deserves my number eight spot because of all the grievances and media backlash her family has been through. She is the wife of John Edwards, who in the earlier part of the year revieled that he cheated on his wife with a woman named Rielle Hunter. Recently the media has reported that John Edwards is the father of one of Rielle Hunter’s children. Not only on top of the cheating accusations and confessions, Elizabeth is battling with breast cancer.  In the spring she announced her breast cancer is back and in an incurable form. Elizabeth stuck with her husband and they currently are trying to figure out their problems in their home in North Carolina. I respect Elizabeth’s decisions to try to work out problems with her husband and to stick by his side. I believe she is a strong women for battling with breast cancer and then having to deal with the media and a broken heart. Elizabeth Edwards is a smart, strong women and many people should look up to her for her courage and strength.

7. Nadya Suleman

Nadya Suleman goes by many names: crazy, fame seeker, insane, but her most common one is “octomom”. In March 2009, Suleman gave birth to not one, not two, not even three, but EIGHT children. This caused a media stir and many people protested one women have so many children to feed and raise. On top of these eight children, Suleman also has six older children residing with her mom. Many people criticize Suleman for her homemaking ways and question if this woman has enough money and resources to take care of these 14 children.  Suleman reportedly signed a contract with a reality television show that will start to air in the fall based off her hectic lifestyle. I picked Suleman as my number seven because of the public’s growing fascination with this women.

6. Taylor Swift

If you havent heard of this girl, I will guarantee you have heard of her number one song “Love Story”. God it’s played on the top 40 radio every other minute. Lets be real, Taylor Swift has it going on. She has a number one hit album Fearless, which has stayed on the billboard top 100 list for 11 consecutive weeks in a row. Love Story and You Belong With Me has blown up on the radio scene and not to mention she is dating hottie Taylor Lauder from Twilight. I picked Swift for number six because of her success on and off the stage. I believe how Swift handled the Kanye West explosion at the VMA’s was pure class and that she did not deserve that. I agree with Kanye a bit, Beyonce’s video was bomb, but Taylor deserved that award as much as Beyonce did. Another aspect that I like about Taylor Swift is that she writes her OWN songs. She can sing too, which is a huge perk in the music business these days(Miley take a hint from Swift). She has had so much success and she is not even 21 yet. Go Taylor and keep up the good work.

5. Ted Kennedy

I will never forget the quote one of my good friends said to me on the day of Ted Kennedy’s death, “Finally, three irish brothers in heaven together, knowing they did good things for their country.” Kennedy was an accomplished Senator from Massachuset. Kennedy is the fourth longest seat holder in Senate history serving 46 years in the democratic party. Known as the “Lion of the Senate” he has passed 300 bills and has fought on many issues including immigration, AIDS, civil rights, and education. His everlasting battle with cancer has brought the aspect of universal health care into the limelight and he fought for every single step of the way. I picked Senator Kennedy as my fifth choice because he shows to the American people that if you want it you fight for it. That’s exactly what Senator Kennedy did.

4. Susan Boyle

I remember the first time I was watching “Britain’s Got Talent” and Susan Boyle walked on the stage, I thought exactly what was going through Simon Cowell’s mind, “oh give me a break.” Than she opened her mouth. She now has a hit album out I Dreamed a Dream, which was the best-selling album of the decade with 701,000 copies sold in its first week. I picked Susan Boyle because I believe she proves a point to the world by not to judge a book by its cover. That is exactly what she did and she proved everybody wrong with her voice and her success. Congrats Susan you deserve this fame!

3. “Balloon Boy”

I remember turning on my television set and seeing an air craft floating around Colorado with a supposedly missing boy cramed in it. A couple of hours later, I learned that this whole drama was a hoax. Falcon Heene, the missing boy who was supposedly in the floating aircraft was found in his attic after his dad, Richard, yelled at him. The family did it for a publicity stunt and a chance to get another reality television spot after their stint in Wife Swap. Now the parents of Falcon are both expecting some jail time. I picked Falcon as my number three because it just goes to show you how much one family can control the media and people’s minds.

2. Michael Jackson

Only a few words can describe Michael Jackson: a legacy during his lifetime and after. He made a scene during his early years becoming the greatest pop icon with his smash hits, Thriller and Beat It. He kept on the media scene in his later life with not so positive accusations about his involvement with teenage boys. The sudden death of Michael Jackson in the summer caused a huge stir in the world. His death became the most popular story of 2009 and the after effects were shocking. A movie, “This Is It” became a box office smash, his music was widely recognized again, and it is reported that Michael Jackson made enough money to recover from his debt for his death. I picked Michael Jackson because I believe that he is a amazement in what he did in his lifetime and the effect he had on people when he passed. People loved him and will always.

1. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger

On January 15th, across the world nobody could stop talking about Sully and his heroic ways. Chesley Sullenberger safely landed a US Airline jet plane on the Hudson River and saved 155 people lives after striking geese and causing the engines to disable. He truly is an American hero and deserves a lot of recongintion for his quick ways and thinking. Many people’s lives could have been lost. Thankful for a smart pilot and a River, lives were saved and grievances were lost. Thanks Sully.