Wednesday, January 6, 2010

2009: Recap

2009's top 10 stories as voted by the U.S. editors and news directors:
1. THE ECONOMY: Despite a $787 billion federal stimulus package, much of the U.S. economy continued to sputter throughout the year. The jobless rate topped 10 percent, scores of banks failed, the federal deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion, and stocks fell to their lowest levels since 1997 before rallying. Yet investment banks' profits surged, triggering public anger and efforts in Washington to crack down on Wall Street bonuses.
2. OBAMA INAUGURATION: Inauguration Day in January was a moving moment for many Americans, as the nation's first black president took the oath of office. But Obama soon confronted the sobering realities of governing as he struggled to get the economy back on track and win support for his ambitious legislative priorities.
3. HEALTH CARE: A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health care system, extending coverage to millions of Americans now without it, was a top priority for Obama and majority Democrats in Congress. But Republicans were almost unanimously opposed, leading to complex, bitterly partisan showdowns in both chambers.
4. AUTO INDUSTRY: It was an immensely challenging year for America's Big Three automakers. General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, GM's CEO Rick Wagoner was ousted by the government, and Chrysler was pressured into an alliance with Italy's Fiat. Ford avoided bankruptcy, but its worldwide sales — like its competitors' — fell sharply.
5. SWINE FLU: Swine flu struck tens of millions of people worldwide, worrying governments as supplies of vaccine failed to meet demand. In the United States, according to federal authorities, swine flu sickened an estimated 50 million people, hospitalized close to 200,000 and killed 10,000.
6. AFGHANISTAN: Casualties on all sides mounted as U.S. forces, with their Afghan and NATO allies, battled the resilient Taliban. President Obama, after lengthy deliberations, opted to send 30,000 more troops. His decision was complicated by the disputed Afghan election, which prompted allegations of widespread fraud but resulted in President Hamid Karzai taking office for a second five-year term.
7. MICHAEL JACKSON DIES: The "King of Pop" died at the age of 50, triggering grief and nostalgia among his legions of fans around the world. His doctor became the focus of a Los Angeles police homicide investigation after telling investigators he administered propofol, a powerful operating room anesthetic, to help the pop star sleep.
8. FORT HOOD RAMPAGE: An Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, was accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, a sprawling military base in Texas, before being seriously wounded by police gun fire. Investigations were launched to determine if authorities missed warning signs that might have prevented the rampage.
9. EDWARD KENNEDY DIES. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who carried on the family legacy after the deaths of his three older brothers, died of brain cancer after a distinctive political career filled with highs and lows. Though his own presidential aspirations were thwarted, he earned bipartisan respect for decades of hard work in the Senate.
10. MIRACLE ON HUDSON: A US Airways passenger jet, both its engines disabled, made an emergency ditching in the Hudson River, and all 155 on board survived in what was dubbed "The Miracle on the Hudson." The veteran pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, was hailed as a hero for averting a disaster.

Top Albums
1. Taylor Swift, Fearless, 3,217,0000 (plus 2,112,000 in 2008)
2. Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream, 3,104,000
3. Michael Jackson, Number Ones, 2,360,000 (plus 1,708,000 before)
4. Lady Gaga, The Fame, 2,240,000
5. Andrea Bocelli, My Christmas, 2,210,000
6. Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie, 1,820,000
7. Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D., 1,790,000
8. Eminem, Relapse, 1,740,000
9. Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3, 1,520,000
10. Kings Of Leon, Only By The Night, 1,400,000 (plus 311,000 in 2008)

Jackson is the biggest selling albums artist for 2009 with more than 8.2 million album sales for the year. He owns four of the year's top 20 best-selling albums. Not only is "Number Ones" at No. 3 on the year-end list, but the top 20 also houses "This Is It" (No. 12 with 1.29 million), "Thriller" (No. 14 with 1.27 million) and "The Essential Michael Jackson" (No. 20 with 1.15 million).

Most Played Songs
Overall
1. "Boom Boom Pow" Black Eyed Peas
2. "Poker Face" Lady Gaga
3. "Just Dance" Lady Gaga
4. "I Gotta Feeling" Black Eyes Peas
5. "Love Story" Taylor Swift

Pop
1. "Gives You Hell" All American Rejects
2. "Just Dance" Lady Gaga
3. "I Gotta Feeling" Black Eyes Peas
4. "Poker Face" Lady Gaga
5. "Love Story" Taylor Swift

R&B/Hip Hop
1. "Blame It" Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain
2. "Pretty Wings" Maxwell
3. "Break Up" Mario
4. "Best I Ever Had" Drake
5. "Rockin' That Thang" The Dream

Alternative
1. "Use Somebody" Kings Of Leon
2. "Feel Good Drag" Anberlin
3. "Panic Switch" Silversun Pickups
4. "Sex On Fire" Kings Of Leon
5. "Second Chance" Shinedown

Adult Contemporary
1. "I'm Yours" Jason Mraz
2. "Love Story" Taylor Swift
3. "Better In Time" Leona Lewis
4. "What About Now" Daughtry
5. "Viva La Vida" Coldplay

Hot Adult Contemporary
1. "You Found Me" The Fray
2. "No Surprise" Daughtry
3. "Use Somebody" Kings Of Leon
4. "Please Don't Leave Me" Pink
5. "Gotta Be Somebody" Nickelback

Dance Club Most Played
1. "When Love Takes Over" David Guetta f/ Kelly Rowland
2. "Waking Up In Vegas" Katy Perry
3. "Beautiful U R" Deborah Cox
4. "The Fear" Lily Allen
5. "Give You Everything" Erika Jayne

Country
1. "I Run To You" Lady Antebellum
2. "Whatever It Is" Zac Brown Band
3. "Boots On" Randy Hauser
4. "It Won't Be Like This For Long" Darius Rucker
5. "River Of Love" George Strait

Top Downloads
1. “Boom Boom Pow” The Black Eyed Peas 4.76 mil
2. “I Gotta Feeling” The Black Eyed Peas 4.43
3. “Poker Face” Lady Gaga 4.38
4. “Right Round” Flo Rida 4.13
5. “Just Dance” Lady Gaga & Colby O’Donis 3.20
6. “Party In The USA” Miley Cyrus 3.16
7. “Down” Jay Sean 3.05
8. “Gives You Hell” All-American Rejects 2.88
9. “Fireflies” Owl City 2.75
10. “Whatchu Say” Jason DeRulo 2.71

The biggest selling act, in terms of digital song downloads, was Lady Gaga with more than 15 million in track sales.

Top Grossing Movies (Jan 1-Dec 31)
1. Transformers 2 $402 mil
2. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince $302
3. Up $293
4. The Twilight Saga: New Moon $284
5. Avatar $284 *Has since gone on to become the highest grossing movie released in 2009
6. The Hangover $277
7. Star Trek $258
8. Monsters Vs. Aliens $198
9. Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs $196
10. The Blind Side $196

Top Selling DVDs
1 Twilight 9,836,341 mil
2 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 8,528,044
3 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 7,751,718
4 Up 6,614,216
5 Star Trek 4,787,654
6 Bolt 4,581,755
7 Monsters vs. Aliens 4,511,928
8 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4,311,287
9 The Proposal 4,213,818
10 X-Men Origins: Wolverine 4,139,785

Nielsen's Top 10 TV Shows
1 American Idol-Wednesday FOX 14.4
2 American Idol-Tuesday FOX 13.8
3 Dancing with the Stars ABC 12.0
4 NBC Sunday Night Football NBC 11.7
5 Dancing with the Stars - Results Show ABC 9.9
6 NCIS: Los Angeles CBS 9.8
7 NCIS CBS 9.4
8 NFL Regular Season L ESPN 8.8
8 Sunday Night NFL Pre-kick NBC 8.8
10 The Good Wife CBS 8.5

Top Viral Vidoes
1. Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent (120+ million views)
2. David After Dentist (37+ million views)
3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (33+ million views)
4. New Moon Movie Trailer (31+ million views)
5. Evian Roller Babies (27+ million views)
Honorable Mention (since I loved it)
6. Baby Dancing to Beyonce

Top Grossing Tours
1 U2
2 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
3 Elton John / Billy Joel
4 Britney Spears
5 AC/DC
6 Kenny Chesney
7 Jonas Brothers
8 Dave Matthews Band
9 Fleetwood Mac
10 Metallica

Notable Deaths
Michael Jackson, 50
Walter Cronkite, 92
Ted Kennedy, 77
Bea Arthur, 86
Farrah Fawcett, 62
Karl Malden, 97
John Hughes, 59
Ed McMahon, 86
Patrick Swayze, 57
Natasha Richardson, 45
Dom DeLuise, 75
Les Paul, 94
Don Hewitt, 86
David Carradine, 72
Brittany Murphy, 32

Posted by soft rock star at 10:12 PM