2009: A Year in Review

2009: A Year in Review
By Kirk Vichengrad




The end of the year. The close of the decade.
Time to reflect as 2009 comes to a fade.

A new President takes office and hope is in the air,
But obstacles multiply and quickly falls to despair.

Unemployment rates rise and job opportunities fall,
Banks get stimulated but the economy does stall.

Trying our patience are questionable, endless wars,
We must bring home all our troops, back to American shores.

Healthcare debates, Wall Street ruin, and Palin went rogue,
Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter all became vogue.

Miracle on the Hudson, thanks to Captain Sully, a true hero was born
And for the great Senator Ted Kennedy, a nation did mourn.

Arnold slashed budgets, education, and jobs like a real hack,
Let’s hope and pray that as governator he won’t be back.

Our culture itself saw itself threatened by fate,
As dubious celebrities found fame like John and Kate.

People now only text, tweet, and have addresses with dot com,
Distorting the notion of fame as in the case of the Octomom.

A couple crashed the White House dinner party in a reality show ploy,
And 2009 saw the gross media coverage of the absurd Balloon Boy.

Gay marriage became legal in Iowa, hardly a progressive state,
Yet in New York and California we learned there was still tremendous hate.

Carrie Prejean opened her mouth and made me want to yell,
And it’s tragic that American soldiers still have Don’t ask, don’t tell.

The world is at our fingertips yet very few make human contact,
Instead, earbuds are in and we look down at iThis and iThat.

We must look up from our gadgets and take the world in,
It’s human connection we seek not a username and pin.

Powerful men abused their position of wealth and fame,
Spitzer, Sanford, and now Tiger are just a few by name.

Slumdog swept the Oscars and Beyonce could do no wrong,
She even serenaded the first couple with the gift of song.

Conan moved to The Tonight Show and Leno’s program is a TV crime,
But Letterman’s confession made for the best late night TV in quite some time.

NCIS surged to the top of the ratings, who knew anyone was watchin,
But I’ll take 30 Rock, HGTV, and Top Chef, especially while noshin!

Though uneven, there’s no denying the great talents in Glee,
But the best new show hands down is Modern Family.

Comebacks were made, none more dramatic than Britney,
And it was great to see the return of original diva, Whitney.

Adam Lambert stole Idol and they bid farewell to Paula Abdul
Lady Gaga showed her poker face and to Taylor Swift Kanye was cruel.

Susan Boyle proved stardom can come anytime, anyhow,
Though it does help when you’re friends with Simon Cowell.

Rihanna fought back with a hit album, poise, and a lot of class,
While Chris Brown continued to look like a complete jack ass.

With Love is the Answer, my Barbra opened at Number One
And the Black Eyed Peas had a feeling and everyone had fun.

2009 saw lots of movies – some a Cheer, some a Yawn.
I love being a Variety VIP, thanks to my dear friend Dawn.

Clooney travelled Up in the Air and totally soared,
While Clint went to South Africa and completely bored.

Pixar once again UPed their game,
And Precious lived up to her valuable name.

For me, no film this year was as sizzling as Nine,
With that incredible cast can you imagine anything as fine.

Meryl proved she can do anything and Carey Mulligan became a star,
Bradley Cooper got hungover and James Cameron gave us Avatar.

Old friends returned such as Harry Potter, Transformers, and the Star Trek crew,
Not to mention Sandra Bullock and Wolverine with my guy Hugh.

According to best seller’s lists, tell all books became a big fad,
Agassi, Kathy Griffin, and Mackenzie Phillips, who wrote too much about her dad.

2009 brought so many tragic iconic losses, figures we hold so high.
Leaders of their fields, idols to which it is hard to say Good-bye.

Natasha Richardson, Karl Malden, Les Paul, man of the guitar
Danny Gans, Ed McMahon, Patrick Swayze, a brave superstar.

Ricardo Montalban, Ron Silver, Mary Travers, a singing pearl
John Hughes, DJ AM, and Bea Arthur, a true Golden Girl.

With Army Archerd, Variety lost a writer of dignity and might,
And that’s the way it is for the great man Walter Cronkite.

On June 25th, two industry giants took their leave
And the world came together to mourn and grieve.

Farrah Fawcett became a real angel as she lost her valiant fight,
And This Is It for Michael Jackson, to whom we said Good night.

As we look in the rearview mirror at this tumultuous year,
Think about the moments that brought laughter and perhaps a tear.

For these are the memories that must be cherished as we enter 2010,
With love, compassion, and respect we can tackle whatever happens then.

And always we have Hope to help us climb to the light,
Keeping the faith makes every dark moment oh so bright.




Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year!


Kirk Vichengrad
actndir@aol.com

A Holiday Poem: 2007
By Kirk Vichengrad



This year, instead of a Christmas poem and singing a holiday song,
I thought to offer a year in review – lamenting the weak and celebrating the strong.

No doubt 2007 was filled with moments of despair and sorrow,
But through it all was the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

In the worlds of politics, news, entertainment, and sports,
There were triumphs, failures, and lots of action in the courts.

This was the year that cemented the iGeneration as a force,
A wild frenzy to own the iPod, iMac, and iPhone, of course.

Still, it was a good old-fashioned book that captured the world’s attention,
As millions devoured the final chapter of Harry Potter’s graduation.

In 2007, Presidential candidates began their campaigns with zest,
Declaring their positions in the ultimate political quest.

A diverse field for sure – Guiliani, Obama, and my gal Hillary,
But oy, a Southern Baptist and a Mormon named Mitt Romney?

The environment’s champion, Al Gore, won the Nobel Peace Prize,
Teaching us all theTruth and how to ignore all the lies.

A dubious war continued to unfold as tensions still boil,
Bring home our troops, back on American soil!

Though we saw repercussions for those who spoke words of hate,
Sadly there are so many still who deny others an equal state.

Whether racial discrimination, gender inequality, or no marriage for gays,
The struggle continued but we strive for better days.

The front page was often so difficult to read,
Genocide in Darfur, chaos in Pakistan, a world in need.

Frightening Headlines….Challenging Times:

Scandalous astronauts,
Shopping mall gunshots.
Burst housing market,
Terrorism target.
TB scare in flight,
Michael Vick’s dogfight
Anna Nicole laid to rest,
Paparazzi the ultimate pest.
Chinese toy recall,
Athletes steroid fall.
Wildfires scorched,
Homes torched.
Collapsed bridge wreck,
Massacre at Virginia Tech.

Yes indeed, the front page was difficult to read,
But from its pain was a message that we all must heed.

“How can I help?” has become the call of the time,
Changing the world from its past to its potential prime.

But thank G-d we have Hollywood to keep things in focus,
Mug shots, prison, rehab, and lots of hocus pocus.

Paris served her time and emerged more shallow than ever,
Buddy Nicole got pregnant and a simple life was done forever.

Lindsay and her films crashed and burned,
Arrests and rehab later, let’s hope a new leaf is turned.

But the year belonged to the popwreck princess Britney Spears,
Whose yearlong meltdown begat a shaved head, court dates, and lots of tears.

Sad actually to witness what Celebrity has become,
I just wonder through it all, where is her Dad and Mom?

Then sister Jamie Lynn got pregnant at sixteen,
Officially exercising her white trash gene.

Oprah continued to utilize her golden touch,
School scandals, political stumping, producing, oy too much!


In music, losing American Idol put Daughtry on top,
While winner Jordin Sparks’ album looks like a flop.

The song of the year was Rihanna’s Umbrella,
While Amy Winehouse was a mess, I’ll tell ya.

Hannah Montana made all the kids go nuts,
And Ellen sobbed for adopted mutts!

The Beckhams moved to LA, taking the town by storm,
With best buds The Cruises, their life is far from norm.

On TV, The View looked a little less Rosie,
As O’Donnell left and the show became cozy.

The Price was right for Drew and Lost was back on track,
30 Rock was solid and The Sopranos cut to black.

Musical theatre fans loved Sweeney Todd and Hairspray,
And JK Rowling revealed that Dumbledore is gay!

Threequels ruled, with Pirates, Spiderman, Clooney and Pitt,
Shrek, Die Hard, and Jason Bourne all were a hit.

So many movies, so much to see,
Thank G-d I have a friend at Variety!

Loved Kite Runner, Dan in Real Life, and Into the Wild,
Best was Juno, knocked up with child.

Happily, my Nicole Kidman had 3 movies this year,
Sadly though, each received many a jeer.

Scorsese won his Oscar, finally, at long last,
Though to Eddie Murphy, the Academy said, Hey, not so fast!

The Hollywood story of the year,however, are the striking writers,
Some say they are unfair spoilers, others say courageous fighters.

Whatever your stance, one thing is clear,
Your favorite shows may not be on next year.

Crippling the town is having dire consequences,
May they resolve it all soon and start to mend broken fences.

As we reflect on our own lives and look ahead,
There were changes, moves, and some were even wed!

Celebrate your achievements and learn from the rest,
Tackle life boldly and strive for the best.

For me, there are struggles but I still aim for my star,
And hey, in 2007, I got a brand new car!

Whether a new boat, car, or even a diamond ring,
Sure, stuff is nice, but it’s what they mean that’s the thing.

Working hard, moving forward, a symbol of progress,
But true wealth comes in something much deeper I confess.

It is in the bonds that we nurture, family and friends,
These ties are our lifelines, where it all begins and ends.

And so as we look back - laugh, cry, and ponder yesterday,
Remember those special moments you cherished along the way.

For here we are, on the cusp on a new day, may it be filled with compassion, love, and light….

And with that I wish you all a Happy Holiday and to all a Good night.