OH FEBRUARY 29TH
Another February 29th has come and gone and the next won’t be here until 2016. Four years is a long time for a 20-something such as myself, which got me to thinking what the world looked like the last time it was a leap year, in 2008.
Being in an industry where I’m constantly forced to pay attention to the latest trends, and to be consistently connected to the news, I often forget to take a moment to look back.
So let’s rewind and remember a few moments from 2008…
January Britney Spears kicks off the year with a total mental breakdown at her house, eventually winding up in the hospital. Thank goodness her hot-mess 2008 self has since gotten herself together a bit. A fact made clear by the lack of her presence in the headlines these days.
February Hollywood writers end their 100-day strike. Hoorah! I could now go back to wasting endless hours on my couch.
March Paris Hilton is named #1 overexposed celebrity. Wait, who’s Paris Hilton? Oh right, that blonde girl that coined the phrase “that’s hot”, a saying that instantly made any girl sound like a bimbo. Now in 2012, she’s lucky to be in the “What Were They Thinking?” fashion page of US Weekly.
April Scandalous pictures of teen sensation Miley Cyrus surface. Honestly, I found it sad that a bare shoulder and “sultry look” made front-page news. I never really paid much attention to this girl. I prefer my own teen queen Britney Spears, thank you very much.
May An event that no female born in the 1970’s or 1980’s will ever forget, the premiere of The Sex and the City movie. Reviews were mixed, but in general seeing Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte return to the screen was a much-anticipated site. To me, it felt like a reunion with old friends. Plus it gave us girls an excuse to once again use “you’re totally a Miranda” as an insult.
June Barack Obama wins the primary, becoming the first African American to be nominated to a major party. Regardless of politics, this was an emotional, amazing moment that exemplifies the amazing progress we’ve made as a Country in the last decade.
July The Jolie-Pitt twins are here! Cheers to two more additions to the Jolie-Pitt clan. And in true celebrity fashion they give their children names that no little kid will want (Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon). They’re already the children of one of the most famous celebrity couples in the world. Dear Brad and Angelina, you could have thrown them a bone and given them normal names.
August Michael Phelps has won every swimming race under the sun in the 2008 Olympics. I am not usually one to jump on the bandwagon, but geez is this kid making the US look good.
September "I can see Russia from my house!" Tiny Fey impersonates Palin on SNL. I almost felt bad for Sarah Palin…but lets be honest, with this line, Palin was essentially handing over an SNL skit on a silver platter.
October High School Musical 3 comes out! I have no shame in admitting that I LOVE the HSM movies. That said, I resent these types of movies for making me think that high school was going to include spontaneous musical numbers in the cafeteria.
November Obama wins the election! I went to a school in a small town in Ohio, and most of the student body is quite conservative. Needless to say the mood was bleak for the next few days, and it did not help that Obama won the state of Ohio.
December To round out the year, we see a comeback from the incomparable Britney (if you need a last name, you need to brush up on your pop culture). Her “Circus” CD comes out, and those of us born in the mid-late 1980’s have hope that this means a comeback for our famous teen idol.
So there you have it…some fond (and some not so fond) memories from 2008. Where will we be in 4 years in 2016? Only time will tell…
Andrea Valji Intern