Broadcast Journalism’s Top 10 Lists of 2009

Top Ten Scandals of 2009 - Kim Isley (Reporter)

1. Tiger Woods 

The most recent 2009 scandal! As if cheating on your wife multiple times is bad enough, having the entire world watching probably doesn't help. But we can't help but we amused by this celebrity scandal that never seems to end. 

2. Rhianna and Chris

Team Rhianna! Chris Brown's brutal attack on ex girlfriend Rhianna over a "booty call" text message angered the nation. Seeing beautiful famous people get beat up isn't a normal scandal. 

3. Balloon Boy 

It’s a bird! It's a plane! It's a... hoax? People in Colorado must really be bored if their willing to do a publicity stunt like this. Next time you want to publicize yourself in-front of the nation make sure you rehearse with your kids what to say at interviews. 

4. Octo MOM 

Having children is a beautiful thing. But having 8 at a time when you're not financially stable? People are supporting this cause by throwing free gifts at the mom, implying that irresponsibly having 8 kids is a good thing. 

5. John and Kate

Who are these two? A divorce, a ton of kids, and a lot of Ed Hardy clothing. I guess that makes good money for tabloids. This ex couple has definitely hit the scandal radar... in a pathetic way. 

7. Obama's Noble Peace Prize

Sure Obama has raised ideas for getting America out of it's rut and gives people hope for a new start. But receiving this legendary award for a mere HOPE for a new future? At least he did state that the award should be shared within his administration, because as an individual he didn't deserve it quite yet. 

8. Miley's racy photos

Miley Cyrus shocked the world with her numerous photo leaks this year. Being as she is only 16, her mature nature shocks many. 

9. Michael Phelp's bong

This photo of Michael Phelp's outraged people because he is a top Olympian, but does drugs. The idea that top Olympians were perfect angels was shattered. 

10. Swine Flu

- Swine Flu affected a lot of people this year. However all the hype may have been too much. Though it spread quickly, it was never really anymore serious that the normal influenza. 

Top Ten Spring Break Vacation Spots of 2009 - Anthony Shannon (Photographer)

1. Cancun

Who doesn’t want to visit Southern Mexico?

2. El Salvador

The best surf spot.

3. Mammoth Mountain

Skiing and snowboarding on the last snow fall of the season.

4. Mira Costa’s France Trip

It’s the only time you’ll use the French you learned over three years.

5. Cabo

Just in time for hurricane season.

6. Cuba

Check out Guantanamo Bay and bring home some radioactive souvenirs.

7. Hawaii

Just because!

8. Manhattan Beach

What’s more exciting than staying home for spring break?

9. Tijuana

To practice your marksmanship during shootouts with local drug lords.

10. Daytona Beach, Florida

To go from one beach to another.

Top Ten Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Places of 2009 - Shannon French (Reporter)

1. Lotus

The sample cups and do it yourself style makes this place my number one!

2. Coldstone

Preparing your ice cream on a cold stone is so cool!

4. Penguins

It's all in the name, need I say more?

5. Manhattan Beach Creamery

Mmm...Ice Cream.

6. Baskin Robins

31 flavors to choose from!

7. Pinkberry

The original frozen yogurt place.

8. Baskin Robins

31 flavors to choose from!

9. Ben and Jerry’s

Very traditional, but still good.

10. Berritree

A delicious after meal dessert.

3. Yogurtland

This hip place with their unique style makes it a fun frozen yogurt experience!

Top Ten Followed Celebrities on Twitter of 2009 - Colleen Safarik (Reporter)

1. @aplusk = 4,108,521

Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher gained the top spot by challenging CNN to see who could get the most followers. 

2. @britneyspears = 3,965,449 

Britney Spears. Britney as well as her team and website work together to update on the latest Britney News. 

3. @TheEllenShow = 3,889,533

Ellen DeGeneres. Advertised through her daytime televsion show, Ellen herself gives out the latest on herself as well as fun giveaways. 

4. @BarackObama = 2,852,768

Barack Obama. Our president himself gives the latest news in politics. 

5. @Oprah = 2,789,765

Oprah. The daytime television star tweets not only about her show but her personal life as well. 

6. @johncmayer = 2,744,816

John Mayer. Mayer uses his humor to get through to his followers. 

7. @RyanSeacrest = 2,705,525

Ryan Seacrest. Ryan and his producers work together to update on his busy lifestyle and the latest in Hollywood. 

8. @KimKardashian = 2,673,180

Kim Kardashian. Kim updates on her day to day activities and upcoming appearances.

9. @THE_REAL_SHAQ = 2,638,687

Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal performs "random acts of Shaqness" and tweets inspirational messages. 

10. @ashleytisdale = 2,390,699

Ashley Tisdale. The Disney star posts from her perspective to give followers an idea of her different lifestyle. 

Top Ten Fails of 2009 - Sara Baeuchler (Reporter)

1. Kanye West's interruption during Taylor Swifts VMA acceptance speech for best female video. When you interrupt an All-American sweetheart like Taylor, you are going to be hated.

2. Tiger Woods' Countless Mistresses. He already has a beautiful wife, yet he decides to go on a rampage with about a dozen other women. 

3. Balloon Boy. The whole hysteria surrounding the boy that was supposedly lost in the air in a hot-air balloon, but actually wasn't, was more than unnecessary. Some publicity stunts SHOULD go unnoticed.

4. The Plaxico Burress Night Club Shooting. A man went into a nightclub with a gun in his waistband, and after socializing with women the gun slips. As he goes to grab for the gun he shoots himself in the leg, but because the club was so loud no one heard it. He finally tells his friend, they both leave, and ironically he is sentenced to two years in prison for his actions.

5. Air Force One Photo Opportunity Mistaken for Terrorist Attack. Video footage of Air Force 1 showed the plane flying near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks , which sparked fear that we were experiencing another terrorist hijacking when it was just the president...

6. Chris Brown's Rihanna abuse debacle. We all thought they made a cute celebrity couple who were both singers, but when you abuse your girlfriend and pictures are all over the national news, you better expect to lose  a big percentage of your fan base.

7. Miss California Carrie Prejean loses Crown. Her infamous answer about banning gay marriage in the Miss USA pageant sparked controversy, which was only carried out further when racy pictures of her were publicly revealed and was soon after fired from her position.

8. Adam Lambert's American Music Award performance. It was simply an overtly sexual mess on national television, he might want to clean up his act and make better music seeing as he was discovered on American Idol.

9. Joe Wilson yelling “you lie” during the president’s health care speech. This South Carolina congressman should have been escorted out after yelling at President Obama during a very important healthcare speech.

10. Jon Gosselin. In just a year, he went from having a big loving family who had recently gained fame, to being a divorced man who seemingly let himself go weight-wise and who is now receiving hate across the nation. How he is famous is such a mystery...

Top Ten Metal Albums 2009 - Joe McMahon (Reporter)

1. "Deflorate"- The Black Dahlia Murder"....A huge step up from Nocturnal, the new guitarist really adds a lot to the music, FAV TRAX: I Will Return, Black Valor. 

2. "The Great Misdirect"- Between The Buried and Me....Still an amazing album, number two because it was not as great, if equal, to their previous album colors TRAX: Swim To the Moon, Fossil Genera

3. "Feed Through the Teeth Machine"- The Red Chord.... A little more progressive and offbeat than their previous album "Pray for Eyes" but it still maintained the brutality they are known for. TRAX: Demoralizer, Hymns and Crippled Anthems

4. "All Shall Fall"- Immortal...First time i really listened to these guys, first half of album is decent, second half is really good. TRAX: Norden on Fire, Arctic Swarm

5. "Passiondale"- God Dethroned...Agressive and Melodic. Perfect blend.   TRAX: Under A Darkening Sky, Fallen Empires

6. "The Root of All Evil"- Arch Enemy...Typical Arch Enemy sound but still good. TRAX: Pilgrim, Bury Me an Angel

7. "Axe to Fall"- Converge....Math and Progressive and original. TRAX: Dark Horse, Damages

8.  "Evangelion"- Behemoth.... Just some good music to listen too. Melodic and aggressive. TRAX: Daimonos, Ov Fire and the Void

9.  "Lament of The Pantomime"- Hybrid Retention....Different but mainstream enough to listen too, amazing musicianship. TRAX: Lament of the Pantomime, Thor's Laundry.

10."Messy, Isn't It?"- Dangers...Not really my style but i respected it and it sounded good. TRAX: Check Please, Tarantula Type

Top Ten Stories the MMN Hasn’t Done of 2009 - Chester Hall (Photographer)

1. Acapella II, A follow up on the juniors that have had to fill the spots of the seniors. This award winning program has a lot of ground to cover.

2. The Habit, A new family restaurant that has become very popular recently.

3. Air Softing Club, a different kind of sport, this can be a long feature story. Some of these players have cameras on their gun to give you the first person perspective.

4. Farmville!, Hooked on farmville? The new facebook fad that is either loved or hated.

5. Michael Jackson, With the new Biography film on him, we could easily cover his life story and what he has accomplished.

6. The Office version of Broadcast Journalism, humorous look on the fun we have in this class, Plus Jeff's from a few years ago isn't that good so we should one up it.

7. DJ Stanfill and his grammy awards acceptance, one out of four boys in the nation to get accepted to sing at the Grammys. And he is only a Junior.

8. Local Manhattan Beach Bands, So many bands are starting up, and with a house show every weekend, bands are beginning to branch out of the southbay, and encounter shows outside of their hometowns.

9. Asthma, what this really is and the unknown issues it causes amongst students, athletes and adults.

10. A Feature on the DC trip, show the school what it was like in DC, or just for our own benefit and memory.

Top Ten Songs You Missed If the Radio is all You Listen to of 2009 - Maggie Renshaw (Photographer)

1. 1."Home" by Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros
   

2. 2."Howl" by Florence + The Machines
   

3. 3."Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons"
   

4. 4."I Start to Run" by White Denim
   

5. 5."Roll Up The Red Carpet" by Doll & The Kicks
   

6. 6."Swing Tree" by Discovery
   

7. 7."The Sun" by Portugal.The Man
   

8. 8."Farewell to the Fairground" by White Lies
   

9. 9."Dominos" by The Big Pink
   

10. 10. "Sticks 'N' Stones by Jamie T

Top Ten Searches of 2009 - Catie Laikin (Photographer)

1. Michael Jackson- With the death of the "King of Pop," many have been saddened.

2. 2.Twilight- Waiting all year for the release of the second movie, thousands of people
   

were anxious for the 20th  of November.

3. American Idol- So many great singers, and so many TERRIBLE singers.

4. Britney Spears- Don't get me started on this girl!!!

5. Megan Fox- Transformers has transformed her life!

6. Tiger Woods- Chaos and more chaos, all starting with running into a tree. 

7. President's State Dinner- Secret Service were not on their game that night.

8. Apple- Are they taking over the world with all their new products.

9. Diets- Who knows how many times people have tried the millions of different diets that are out their.

10. Ellen DeGeneres Show- This woman is taking over the television world with her wit and charm.  

Top Ten American Runners of 2009 - Ryan Ascencio (Reporter)

1. Keflezighi: Was the first American to win the New York Marathon since 1982 with a time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 15 seconds — 41 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Robert Cheruiyot, a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and one of the most accomplished marathoners in history.

2. Fernandez: Shattered the U.S. 5000 m junior record with a 13:25.46.  He is being brought up to be one of the best runners the United States has ever seen. 

3. Lagat: Got 2nd in the 5000 m race with a 13:17.33, only 24 milliseconds away from the winner and also got 3rd in the 1500 m race at the World Championships.

4. Goucher: Beat the usual Ethiopian champion of the Boston Marathon, Dire Tune, coming in 1st with a 2:32:25.

5. Rupp: Got 3 wins at the NCAA's.  He became the first man to complete triple at the NCAA Indoors leading Oregon to its first indoor team title.  He ran the 3000m in 7:48.94, the 5000m in 13:41.45 and ran am anchor leg in the distance medley relay in a 3:57.07.

6. Hall: Placed 3rd in his first time ever running the Boston Marathon with a 2:09:40.

7. Barringer: Broke her own U.S. record in the Steeple Chase at the World Championships with a 9:12.50.

8. Shalane Shatters: Ran the 5,000 m race at Reebok Boston Indoor Games and broke the U.S. Record with a 14:47.62.

9. Ritzenhein: Ran the 10,000 m race at the World Championships and came 10 seconds away from the U.S. record running a 27:22.28.

10. Semick: She won the 100k race in the World Cup in 7 hours, 37 minutes, 24 seconds, becoming only the second American to win a world ultramarathon title.

Top Ten Funny YouTube Videos of 2009 - Leila Work (Photographer)

1."Dramatic Reading of a Breakup Letter" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBHOL1PcPR8 

A break up letter done terribly wrong. Hilarious. "You make me laugh for STUPID REASONS"

2."Cat vs. Gate" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1aaMM39MM0 

A funny classic that bring us back to the hilariously good old days of hurtful humor. 

3."Charlie Bit my" Finger- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM&feature=related 

Sibling rivalry hasn't been any cuter. 

4."Laughing Baby" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY 

Too funny to even describe. You just have to watch it. 

5."Serious Baby"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764&feature=related       

This kid knows he's funny. 

6."Scare Fail" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg3zesVdhSY 

The element of surprise hasn't gotten any funnier.

7."Dance Fail" - http://www.youtube.com/user/failblog?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/8/OOvqF4ZPDNM

Break dancing... or just breaking everything. 

8."David After Dentist" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_stronger_r2-2r-8-HM 

"Is this real life?" yes its real and incredibly funny. Sorry David.

9."Penalty Kick"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XuEGHHoZGM&feature=related

I bet I can make you laugh with in 5 seconds...

10."Best Man Fail" - http://www.youtube.com/user/failblog?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/4/0mP3FqUUAAw

Glad this isn't my wedding. 

Top Ten Best Sushi Restaurants of 2009 - Jonele Conceicao (Reporter)

1. PENNY LANE - Jack makes you origami! If a regular customer then they give you your own pretty chopsticks that they keep in a box just for you every time you come to eat.

2. SUN AND MOON - The host Hiro is a fun little guy and for those 21 and over, saki bombing is a crazy time.

3. TAIKO - Not only is it tasty it is right next to the theatre! Dinner and movie, anyone?

4. OCEAN VIEW - Just like it's name suggests it has an awesome view of the sea and beach. They also have a variety of funny rolls, such as the Sexy Hand Roll.

5. FUSION - If you want to catch a sports game while enjoying sushi this place has the cutest caterpillar roll I've ever seen!

6. SASHI - The atmosphere is really hip and a fellow student is even a sushi chef here!

7. O-SHO - The classic and simple sushi restaurant that has great tuna rolls!

8. WHOLE FOODS - If you need sushi in a hurry this is the place to go! They will even freshly make whatever you want for you at the sushi bar.

9. RICE THINGS - This has my favorite rice and shrimp tempura!

10. OCTOPUS - Another nearby sushi place that is sure to leave you painfully overly full but completely satisfied nonetheless!

Top Ten Music Sources of 2009 - Mark Duralde (News Director)

1. Facebook - The most popular social networking site is naturally a great place for underground artists to gain attention, and therefore a great place for you to find great music. Pay attention to those pesky ads - they are based on your interests on your profile. My favorite: "Do you like Animal Collective?" (Yes, I (expletive) love Animal Collective!) "Then check out Shaw." So I went out on a limb, clicked, and found one of my new favorite artists.

2. Liveplasma.com - Type an artist (or movie or director or actor) you like, and right before your eyes a map of the nearby pop culture universe is born, showing you what's similar and relevant to your search. You have to see it to truly understand. I don't know how it works but that's how it is with most magical things.

3. Pandora.com - You probably have a friend who, if for nothing else, you can always count on for a good song recommendation. With its innovative "music genome" that determines exactly what music traits you like (I seem to be drawn to songs with acoustic sonority, extensive vamping, and thru composed melodic style), Pandora will become your new best friend, matching up your taste with its massive library of music to build an online "radio station" just for you. You won't find many underground unknowns, but you'll certainly get a great mix and find some artists you haven't heard of.

4. Last.fm - While others use musical traits to determine your tastes, last.fm crunches the numbers to figure out what you listen to the most and what people with similar listening habits also like in order to provide great recommendations (and mediocre social networking). If you're like me, tracking your listening charts is just plain fun (yeah, I've listened to Will Stratton more times than any other member, and I challenge you to beat me). You can also add friends and check your "music compatibility," among numerous other ingenious implementations of your listening data.

5. Project Playlist - Playlist.com, like Last.fm, attempts to be a "social networking music site," and does so with some success. Members share playlists, and you can listen to all songs for free. It's a simple way to find out what people with similar tastes are listening to and it works pretty well.

6. Lala - Put as simply as possible, lala.com is your iTunes library (or whatever other library you use) unleashed and set free to travel with you on the web as you move around in the real world. Sign up, sync with your computer, and lala will start you off by giving you free access to every song you bought or "otherwise acquired" somewhere else. Then you can buy tracks for unlimited play on lala.com for just 10 cents, and download DRM-free versions to use as you please for just 70-99 cents. I would call it an iTunes killer, but the fact that APPLE JUST BOUGHT LALA (colleen - please link the caps to http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/12/apples-reported-lala-talks-could-lead-to-cheaper-cloud-based-itunes/) could mean tragedy for us music lovers, or it could mean that iTunes finally gets with it and offers reasonable prices and access to your music library on any computer. Time will tell...

7. Limewire & Torrents - I download music illegally, and so do you. I couldn't do justice to any discussion about the internet and music without noting how illegal sharing has opened up the world to an incredible amount of music that most of us would have never heard if we had to purchase it. The peer to peer networks started all of this, and the more-legal other guys are still trying to catch up with their popularity. And hey, if you find an artist that's good but not that good, I'll be the last to raise an eyebrow when you download an illicit copy. But if you do like the band, give them some money. The little guys who I'm hopefully helping you find especially need it.

8. Hypem.com - Hype Machine tells you what music bloggers are talking about on the web so you can keep up with what's cool and new. Search for a song or artist you like, or browse popular posts, and you'll find blogs from all over the internet where people have posted interesting music.

9. Mojo - Here's another "don't tell them I told you" method to sharing music. It's really cool though. Think of your AIM buddy list. Now think of clicking on a buddy and being able to open up their iTunes library and download any of their tracks. Pretty cool. You and your buddy just need to download the Mojo application, and in the spirit of free, it's free. Once again, if you've discovered great music and you want to be a great person, go ahead and buy it.

10. Myspace - If you've exhausted resources 1-9 and still aren't saturated, myspace, though not so hip anymore, can still be good for a couple hidden jewels in the music world every once in a while. While myspace doesn't do much in the way of recommendations, I've actually found a few great bands by simply checking out the comments on the pages of bands I already like.  

Top Ten Most Undeserved Awards of 2009 - Alicia Hastey (News Director)

1. Toni Collete

She won her emmy for her performance in The United States of Tara, up against

Tina Fey, Mary-Louise Parker, Christina Applegate, Sarah Silverman and Julia

Louis-Dreyfus. Seriously? The only woman who has no comedic background

wins the award for Lead Actress in a comedy? Fey and Louis-Dreyfus should be

dominating this category year after year, maybe with Parker winning one or two.

2. Taylor Swift

This pop sensation has won more than her fair share of undeserved awards, but winning Country Music's Entertainer of the Year takes the cake. The CMA bypassed long-serving veterans including George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban in selecting Swift the youngest recipient ever of its top honor, entertainer of the year, an award meant for the musician who exhibits the most impressive all-around performance during the preceding year. I don't think so...

3. Coldplay

For basically any Grammy they won this year. Yeah, Viva La Vida is a good album and song, but its not that good! Seven nominations and three wins is far too many for this overplayed, overrated band from London.

4. Billy Elliot the Musical

This silly show from the West End should have stayed there! Undeserving of the Best Original Score and Best Musical awards, this show hardly represents the best of broadway musical theater. With more dancing than anything else, and a cast of prepubesenct aliens, these awards should have gone to the veterans of broadway who truly deserve the praise.

5. Penelope Cruz

Did the Academy even watch Doubt?!?!

6. Twilight Soundtrack

Are they even joking? The American Music Award for best soundtrack went to Twilight? However, it was up against the Hannah Montanna Movie soundtracks, so I guess I would rather have Twilight than anything to do with Miley Cyrus. And, yet another display of idiocy, Taylor Swift winning Entertainer of the Year, Best Female Vocalist and Best Adult Contempary Artist. This awards show is a joke.

7. The Duchess

I don't find it to be so much undeserving as leaving me wondering if any movies not set in the Elizabethan Age can win the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Just because people are dressed how we are now doesn't mean the costume designer didn't do a good job!

8. Mickey Rourke

This has-been playing a has-been won the Golden Globe for Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama. Up against Leonardo DiCaprio, Frank Langella, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, this guy was out of his league and unworthy of his best actor win. In a year of excellent movies and performances, Rourke was outdone even by the short clips shown for the other nominees.

9. Rachael Ray

This obnoxious health code violation won the Daytime Emmy for Best Talk Show. I wasn't even aware she was a talk show... while The Ellen Show and Live with Regis & Kelly have long standing reputations as the funniest shows on daytime T.V. Still, I can see the appeal with Ray, she's annoying, overbearing, unatractive and seems determined to get her own hair in the many disgusting dishes she cooks.

10. No, my tenth and final pick is not going to be President Barack Obama. No matter the level of my cynicism, I refuse to name him as undeserving of the Nobel Prize. Besides, if La Vista can have a Right Wing-er, we can have our own Lefty.