Academic year in review: pop culture’s ups, downs

The memory of arriving in the fall for the 2009-2010 school year seems like it's from a previous lifetime. With finals popping up around the corner, it is easy to forget what happened in the last year. Much went down, and here is a reminder.

Now people wake up in the morning and decide whether or not they feel like P. Diddy. Kesha, a 23-year-old scruffy female (with what look like dreadlocks) hit the music scene this year. To some, her song "Tik Tok" is the new "The Way I Are." This is debatable, but the song has been charming listeners, and taking over the radio since October 2009.

Justin Bieber also made it to stardom last fall with "One Time." Not only are his songs stuck in the head of every age-12-and-up girl, but some older women have slightly unnatural and inappropriate obsessions with this 16-year-old. Bieber, actually Canadian, was discovered by Usher on YouTube and signed with his record label within a week. Although his lyrics are on the cheesy side, the tunes are incredibly catchy and belong on any hip hop playlist.

Speaking of YouTube, if you haven't watched "Surprise Kitty" on it yet, you should. This adorable kitten charmed us all as he shared his enthusiasm and surprise with the world. YouTube became the number one go-to site for artsy music videos as well. Lady Gaga also attempted to create such videos. She appears to have succeeded in her attempts; her "Bad Romance" music video reached the number one most viewed spot on the website.

James Cameron's "Avatar" broke a record earlier this year. The film made over a billion dollars more worldwide than "Titanic" did, which previously held the title of highest grossing film of all time. The three-hour-long epic about a strange world with blue aliens garnered much hype but only won three out of its nine nominations at the Academy Awards, all of which were for graphical design. This actually represents the movie well, as it was essentially a remake of Pocahontas enhanced with ground-breaking graphics.
"New Moon," the second film in the "Twilight" series, came out in the fall. The second-to-last "Harry Potter" movie was released in midsummer, and it was announced that the last book would be split into two movies.

In breaking news, a Picasso sold for a record-breaking $106.5 million at Christie's
in New York.

On a darker note, pop culture world lost some incredibly valuable members. Our summer started last year with the death of Michael Jackson. This tragedy almost inspired more sales than he made during his lifetime. The world grieved for months after the 50-year-old died of a heart attack, which was most likely induced by an anaesthetic. Jackson's doctor is being charged with murder because the use of anaesthetic as a treatment for chronic insomnia is cited as an extreme malpractice.
Brittany Murphy also left the scene after a combination of nasty things, including pneumonia, a drug overdose and anorexia. Renowned author J.D. Salinger also died in 2010 of old age; his memory will always live on in the pages of the cult classic "Catcher in the Rye."

Despite all these events, there is one thing that should sum up everyone's 2009-2010 academic year and that is Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA." You might not like it personally, but the world has shouted ‘yes' to this 17-year-old child rock star. Boys have defied their masculinity to memorize the lyrics and learn the dance. The song has been out since July 2009, but it is still included on playlists at most parties, and is still played multiple times a day on the radio. If there is one thing I can take away from my sophomore year, it is how to nod my head and "move my hips like ‘yeah.'"