Hey Urbane Readers, it’s LoudPen here with a review of 2009. This year had it’s ups & downs, regular moments, and straight up WTF moments.  Overall, the year wasn’t a bad one, but,  like Jay-Z,  I’m ready to be onto the next one.  Anywho,  I’d like to take the time out to go over the good, the bad, & everything in between of 2009.  Please keep in mind that there are things I’m going to miss on this list, so,  bear with me.

The Good

• The Inauguration of Barack Obama.  This was a moment in time that seriously stood still.  I had the pleasure of being in D.C. during this time and the energy was amazing.  Everyone was on fire and it was such an excellent moment to start 2009 on.
• The comeback of Whitney Houston.  I was skeptical when I first heard about Whitney’s new album, but, when I saw her perform at the American Music Awards,  I knew Whitney was back.  Some complained that her voice wasn’t the same, but,  she can still sing…she just doesn’t sound like she used to.
• Mr. Sean Corey Carter a.k.a. Jay-Z, dropping his eleventh studio album which reached #1 status on the Billboard 200 making the album his eleventh number one.  Not too shabby for a forty year old rapper.
• The Kanye West outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards. The reason this was positive (to me) was because Kanye told the truth.  I like Taylor Swift, but, come on…we all know Beyonce’s video was iconic. That is seriously one of the most imitated videos of all time, it’s right up there with Thriller.  Don’t believe me? Check YouTube for details. *Note this incident will also be on the bad list as it was a good/bad moment*
• Fashion’s Night Out sponsored by Vogue and other major designers. This night was positive, because, fashion seemed to come off it’s high horse and realize that people were being affected by these harsh economic times and they obligingly accomodated.  Mayor Bloomberg, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg i.e., the mayor of NYC, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, and two of the biggest names in Fashion were amongst the biggest supporters of the event.  This event was important,  because,  it was a night that celebrated fashion and it brought together the designer, the model, and the consumer.
• The explosion of Skinny Jeans.  Personally,  I am still not a fan of Skinny Jeans,  but,  they were the fashion trend of 2009.  Every girl & her mama had to have a pair of Skinny Jeans.  I feel that this was positive, because,  Skinny Jeans can highlight the shoe of an outfit, since,  your pants don’t hang over them.  Also,  Skinny Jeans can highlight your curves.
• The rise of Dow Jones. This was excellent, because,  it means the economy is beginning to steady & the end of the economic recession is near!
• Disney’s first African American Princess! The Princess & the Frog is an amazing film that the whole family can enjoy! It was filled with love, laughter, and important lessons such as hard work & believing in yourself.
• Hip-hop’s newest obsession,  Drake.  Drake was a breath of fresh air to the Hip-hop world,  because,  he’s Canadian and he’s nothing like most of the rappers out right now.  He seems really laid back,  he doesn’t rap about his chains & his chicks,  and he’s got some serious style.  That to me means Drake makes the list.
• Trey Songz finally get noticed by the industry,  I mean like really noticed.  I’ve been a Trey fan for awhile now,  but,  I’m glad to see him appearing at awards shows,  getting more radio play,  and making some excellent collaborations with Drake,  Usher,  and Keri Hilson.  Besides,  I loved his album and I love reading his tweets!

The Bad

• The Death of Michael Jackson a.k.a. the King of Music.  Michael is known as the King of Pop, but to me,  he is the King of Music.  Michael was the world’s first superstar and he was known & loved by everyone. It seemed that he was truly a gift from God so his passing was a tragedy and a shock for everyone.
• The break-up of Chrihanna.  I thought Chris Brown & Rihanna were a cute couple…they weren’t my favorite,  but,  this was seriously a tragic moment for me personally.  I believe that both parties contributed to the break-up of this relationship,  but still,  Chris should not have put his hands on Rihanna.  No matter what she did.  If you look at the numbers, they are both somewhat suffering in record sales and neither seems to be really over the situation.  I wish them both well and I hope that they are both able to move on & get the help they need.
• The Tiger Woods drama. This to me was negative,  because,  number one…I don’t care and number two,  I’m sick of athletes (and people in general) cheating when they are in committed relationships.  No one asked Tiger to get married and why in the world would he do something so dumb, when he was so loved & so rich is beyone me.  It made no sense & I wish we’d all stop talking about it.
• The Kanye West outburst. Kanye had no business interrupting Taylor’s speech,  it was rude & unneccessary.  And he looked dumb & drunk, and if you watch the video you can see Beyonce` mouth “No he didn’t”.  If the woman you are sticking up for is even appalled by your actions…chances are…you should sit & down and STFU.
• The death of Brittany Murphy.  The Clueless, 8Mile star is now dead at thirty-two.  Such a tragic loss.
• The death of Ed McMahon.  I was hoping that I’d get my Publisher’s Clearing house check,  but,  with him being with God & all it’s not going to happen.  No seriously, this was a sad moment for pop culture indeed.
• The death of Farrah Fawcett.  The Charlie’s Angel’s megastar is gone! The blonde bombshell that so many tried to be is no more.  Now whose feather bang will we try to imitate?
• Lil Mama jumping on stage during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.  That one was right up there with Kanye’s outburst on the rude & disrespectful meter.  It was uncalled for and she looked like an idiot.
• Speaking of Alicia, the fact that she is now a homewrecker.  We can argue all day about the state of Swizz Beatz’s marriage, but, the fact of the matter is…he is married…and he’s with Alicia.  Now correct me if I’m wrong, but, how can Alicia sing about a Superwoman & Karma when she’s sleeping with a married man?! No bueno.  Sorry Alicia,  your own Karma might come back at ya.
• Thirty thousand more troops being sent to Afghanistan.  I just don’t understand why the U.S. is so concerned with saving everybody when we can’t even save ourselves.  We have problems in America too,   you know.  And they didn’t all end just because we have Black president.

The Everything In Between

• Charla Nash a.k.a. the Chimp Lady.  This is the woman who was attacked by Travis the Chimp.  She revealed her face on her 56th birthday on Oprah.  Call me mean,  but,  this was one of those WTF moments! I mean I just didn’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a terrible thing to happen to someone,  but,  come on…what are the odds? A woman gets attacked by a chimp to the point where her face is completely disfigured?! I’ll never look at a monkey the same way again.
• The Balloon Boy hoax.  Not only was this random,  but,  it was  just really dumb.  For those who don’t know,  Balloon boy is the story of Falcon Heene who supposedly floated away on a balloon,  but,  it turns out that his parents were apparently trying to gain publicity.  Why they wanted to report their son mission on a floating balloon is beyond me.  Sometimes real life is stranger than TV.
• T-Pain and his “Big A** Chain”.  I think this was the dumbest thing,  I have ever seen.  If you don’t know,  T-Pain is a rapper from Tallahassee,   Florida who decided to buy a chain that said, “Big A** Chain”.  Someone should have told him he was actually wearing a “Big A** Pendant” and he looked like a “Big Dumba**”.
• The break-up of Nas & Kelis and her divorce settlement demands.  To the Hip-hop community, this was tragic,  because,  two prominent Hip-hop stars had to endure a very public divorce.  The worst part was Kelis demading eighty thousand a month in child support.  This was a weird & sad moment indeed.
• Lady GaGa.  Doesn’t her name say it all?  She has some hot music,  but, she’s definitely a little different.  Her performance at the American Music Awards should say it all.  Breaking bottles of liquor on a piano gets you a side eye from me. *shudders* Can you say…weirdo?
• Kid Cudi punching a fan! Apparently,  someone threw a wallet on stage during his performance in Vancouver and so Kid Cudi decides to punch them,  but,  hits the wrong person.  I like Cudi’s music,  but,  let’s play keep our hands to ourselves.
• Ugg Boots.  This is one of those trends,  I am so over.  I’m told that the boots are cute & comfortable,  but,  must every woman in the entire world wear them? One day,  I counted the women on the train wearing them,  and after twenty two I got tired…keep in mind this was during a twenty minute train ride.  The boots are ugly in my opinion,  but,  even if I did like them,  I don’t want to see everybody wearing what I wear…it’s called originality,  try that on for size.
• The closing of Vibe magazine.  Since 1993,  Vibe magazine was the premier publication for Hip-hop and R&B news.  It’s closing symbolized the severity of the recession and the end of the golden age of Hip-hop.
• The movie Precious.  This is an excellent film,  but,  it is very intense.  The movie  stars Gabourey Sidibe,  Mo’Nique,  Mariah Carey,  Paula Patton, and Lenny Kravitz.  The acting is amazing and the plot line is very heavy as the main character Precious is seriously abused both physically & sexually by her parents.
• David Letterman’s affair with his assistant.  The worst part of this scandal were the photos released of Letterman & the assistant.
• Mackenzie Phillips’ admission that she had a decade long sexual relationship with her father, John Phillips founder of Mamas and Papas.  Of course,  she admitted it on Oprah,  because,  if you’re going to announce a huge family secret may as well tell the Queen of Media.
• Speaking of Oprah,  she announced her 2010 retirement.  Some were shocked,  some were sad,  and some were indifferent. I for one am sad, because,  Oprah always has the latest gossip,  the best books,  and she gives away free stuff.
• Miley Cyrus’ pole dancing performance at the Teen Choice Awards.  How this girl continuously gets away with blatant acts of sexual promiscuity is beyond me.  The worst part is she is only 16!  And she’s on Disney channel!
• Rapper Lil Wayne having both girlfriend/singer Nivea and actress Lauren London pregnant at the same time.  Both women were pregnant with boys…hopefully both children were born happy & healthy.  Maybe Daddy will slow down and set a good example though I doubt that.
• Susan Boyle, winner of Britain’s Got Talent and the world’s reaction to her.  Sharon Osbourne called her many nasty names on the radio while the rest of the world seemed to quietly agree.  However,  none of this affected Susan’s album sales and she still won the show,  proving beauty is only skin deep.

As you can see,  2009 featured everything from moments of extreme positivity, to ridiculous scandals,  and straight up shaking my head (SMH) moments.  Hopefully, 2010 will be just as interesting,  but,  a little less random & dramatic.  Let’s try to start off the new decade on a good note!