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It’s that time of the year… you know, when we take a look back and feel either nostalgia or nausea. There was a TON of celebrity news/gossip in 2011.
Some people said hello world, while shining stars took their last bow. Fashion Trends that started years ago, took center stage during the year. Television shows we watched made us think: WTF. So let’s get into it and get down to

DJ Yoshi’s Top 11 of 2011
*The views expressed do not reflect those of my sponsors & corporate partners
11. PLANKING
Planking was NOT created in Australia as many claim. When the craze hit #Planking on Twitter was all over the place. Whether the 1st planker was Chinese, French, Australian, Martian…whatever, why did we go crazy over people laying face down on random sh**?
YES, that’s me planking in the picture. Why did I do it? I have NO clue. It was just hilarious to take elements of a DJ (milk crates) with the background of an ICONIC NY City eatery: Ferrarra’s Bakery & Cafe.
(no pastries were consumed during this plank exercise)

10. Rebecca Black

The 13-Year-Old took the web by storm. Although she was globally bashed for the content & vocal abilities that she showcased in her web video, one thing is for sure, people STILL tuned in. Katy Perry even did her own rendition of Friday during 1 of her concerts. Even better for Black was the fact that Perry invited her to make a cameo appearance on her latest party song Last Friday Night. Now I’m 17 years older than Rebecca Black, BUT WHY CAN’T I JUST CLICK STOP as I post her video on this blog? Bottom line is Black is a teen pop star, whether we’d like to admit it or not. MAYBE she’ll go on to do something incredible with music as her career… or maybe she’ll fizzle out of your mind after you read this… We’ll see how popular her follow up smash song My Moment becomes.

9. The Cloud
“It’s in the cloud” is now a common phrase that you hear all over the damn place! For those that don’t know what the cloud is all about, here’s a quick description.
iCloud does not replace local storage on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. What it does is keep your data in sync between any Apple device or PC that you own. For example, if you’re writing a document in Pages on an iPad, that document will automatically be available for editing on your iPhone or a PC, with no need to transfer files by e-mail or USB. iCloud also remembers your device’s settings, apps, home screen layouts, ring tones and text messages, so all of that information is available if you upgrade or replace your iPhone or iPad. Think of it like the backup function in iTunes, but through the Internet instead.
The skinny: As convenient as it seems, as cool as it may be, as trendy as people make it to be, I STILL don’t trust the damn thing. If an important document needs to be edited on our end, I want my staff (myself included), to transfer it through a USB stick and work on our mobile devices or laptops. iCloud runs the risk of hackers (as does any data transfer over the air).

8. Conrad Murray
Michael Jackson’s former Dr. was finally convicted & sentenced. Earlier today Murray received a 4-Year Sentence to an LA County Jail. Further, Murray was asked to pay $800 in restitution to the court, a $30 court security fee, and a $40 criminal conviction assessment. Murray will also be responsible of paying restitution to the Jackson estate and his children. That figure will be determined at a later date.
“He has absolutely no sense of remorse,” the judge said. “[Murray] is and remains dangerous. … I think Dr. Murray is so reckless that I believe he is a danger to the community.”
The above leaves us to mark Conrad Murray, the A** FACE OF THE YEAR

7. Death of their Reign
2011 saw the death of 2 of history’s most notorious men (in the eyes of many)
May 1: U.S. President Obama announces that Osama bin Laden, the founder & leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda, has been killed during an American military operation in Pakistan.
October 20” Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Sirte.
PEACE BIYATCHES
We will now turn to Saturday Night Live to remember you two in a way that only Fred Armisen can portray you two…
(seriously if you haven’t seen an Armisen Gadaffi, you need to)

6. Kim Kardashian
Yeah I said it and why not? The 31-year-old socialite has managed to build an empire from something as trivial as a sex tape. Since the release in 2007 Kim has been on a hot streak. Her business deals span from television to fashion, spokes modeling to… well whatever she wants to get her hands out. The savvy business woman’s stamp of approval weighs heavily on American pop culture.
Her marriage to Kris Humphries was publicly questioned, and with the divorce I can guarantee that there are millions of happy men out there knowing that she’ll date once again. Recently Kardashian made the following statements.
“I think I’ll always be a hopeless romantic. I believe in love and the dream of having a perfect relationship, but my idea of it has changed. I think I need to not live in a fairy tale like that. I think I maybe need to just snap out of it and be a little more realistic… The fact (is) that what I want isn’t possible… I don’t know. I always wanted what Mom and Dad had. And at first I was like, I want six kids. Then I went down to four, then I was down to three…and now I’m like, maybe I won’t have any. Maybe I’ll just be a good aunt. At this moment in my life, I feel like maybe I’m not supposed to have kids and all that. That’s how I feel. Maybe my fairy tale has a different ending than I dreamed it would. But that’s OK.”
I know that it stings, but welcome back to single life Kim. You know that you’re ALWAYS welcome to come out to one of my events whenever you’re ready for that!

5. Toddlers & Tiaras
Why can’t Americans get enough of this show? It gives the audience an in depth look at the world of children’s beauty pageants… which probably sounds like a great idea written on the paper pitch, but come on people! WHY?
WHY do you support a show that lets kids dress up as, well HOOKER SLUTS at some points of the show?
WHY would you let your pre-teen wax her body?
Beauty Pageants are supposed to showcase both outer and inner beauty. You’re teaching these kids to be freakin BRATS and grow up to be that crowd that I CAN’T STAND to see at my clubs: “I Feel Like I’m Entitled crowd.
YES I have friends that are pageant queens, but they utilized that as a starting point to get to where they are (actresses, models, musicians). Keep glamorizing the pageantry experience for these young kids, and that’s what they’ll know & want.

4. NO PANTS

Like the scene in Rush Hour 2 when Jackie Chan was staring at Roselyn Sanchez through binoculars, 2011 brought the OK To Take It Away… pants that is & I APPROVE.
The trend that was started by Lady GaGa now has other celebrities, fans and females everywhere trading their pants in for sexy stockings or just BARE LEG ESSENTIALS!
What do we say about that??? As long as they’re legal, it’s OK! Take it back a few years ago, and the girl that had the fashion forward sense of thinking was ridiculed in the club by other attendees (don’t lie ladies, you hated on her). I can happily report that there are at least 20 – 30 females each of my club nights that roll pantless… In a non-perverted way, I am a leg person & I hope this trend is here to stay! Shoot, you don’t need a top either ladies! (maybe we’ll get there someday…)
Super Shout to Lady GaGa for breaking down the stereotype that is: pants or skirts are required when stepping out into public.

3. Lock Outs
What is life without a little greed? We all suffer from it… Others have a stronger hunger for wanting anything and everything. When it comes to sports, many people just don’t understand how you can fight over $9 BILLION per year! People ask me if I agree with some of the outrageous contracts that are being demanded:
[Baseball] Alex Rodriguez – $27 Million/Year (10 Years)
[Racing] Kimi Räikkönen – $51 Million/Year (3 Years)
[Basketball] Kobe Bryant – $19.5 Million/Year (7 Years)
[Football] Larry Fitzgerald – $15 Million/Year (8 Years)
[Hockey] Alexander Ovechkin – 9.5 Million/Year (13 Years)
Looks a little crazy right? Well yes and no. I do agree that players are overpaid. But it’s supply & demand. When new stadiums are built, and owners/managers are targeting their audience, they use econometrics to weigh out how much they can hit the wallets of fans for. Further, it’s merchandising, food & beverage sales, parking, and anything else that we throw our credit cards down to support our teams. With both the NFL & NBA Lockouts coming to a close, do people really know why there are so many offers/transactions that take place during labor relations?
There’s way too much to talk about, and we can offer an entire web site dedicated to Sports Labor Relations… The bottom line is that they’re paid as entertainers.
Sports is the 1 thing that the world has that unites people as one. Think about being at a game… When your team scores, wins the world series, super bowl, championship game, or wins the race: you’re going crazy hugging people, talking about it with anyone and everyone for weeks/months to come.
I understand why athletes are asking for better wages for proven players. I agree with owners for wanting to limit the amount that a Rookie can earn because he/she has yet to prove their worth in the big leagues. I want players to have better medical coverage. But I also want to be able to take my kids to watch games one day when I’m out of sports entertainment. As much as I’d miss going to games, the $1000/game/ticket price is a little to steep to justify.

2. The Middletons
Yes, it could have easily been about the Royal Wedding of the Century, but we wanted to be a little more realistic of what everyone talks about. With the ceremony having grabbed the attention of the world now over, it’s back to normal life.
Why wouldn’t we highlight the Middleton women? Kate Middleton is an incredible catch for the Duke of Cambrdige. Aside from being an incredibly gorgeous person, Catherine Middleton is smart and driven… Although her career chasing can be considered over, Middleton studied at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She dabbled as a part time photographer and was an accessory buyer for the clothing line Jigsaw.
Philippa Middleton (better known as Pippa) is the 28-year-old sister of the Duchess of Cambridge. Her education was similar to Kate’s, but she attended Marlborough College on a sports scholarship. After graduation, Pippa had short stint working for a PR firm. She is now an Events Manager with the London-Based company Table Talk. What fascinates us about her is that she’s REAL. There have been nude photos popped of her that circulated the internet. She has been seen partying, but in corporate/royal mode just days later. Since her break up with Alex Loudon Pippa has been spotted with 2 different men! Of course it’s celebrity gossip to think that she’s being playeristic, but one can hope that they catch her eye.

Goodbye To You
Regis

In 2011 Regis Philbin said goodbye to the talk show ‘LIVE’ after 28 Years & a record-setting amount of hours. His show has been around for almost as long as I’ve been alive. I remember days when I’d stay home from school, and I’d wake up to the show. I can recall the incredible treatment that the staff gave my guests and I whenever they gave me tickets to come check it out. When you watch what he does, Regis is just professional. He has a way with the audience and cameras that make you sit back and as an entertainer, say wow.
Philbin was born in New York City and studied at The University of Notre Dame. His early career struggled as he lasted only WEEKS as the host of LA’s Westinghouse Tonight Show. From 1975 – 1981 Philbin hosted the LA morning talk show on KABC-TV. In 81 he left for NBC in which his next show only aired for 18 Weeks. In 1982 Regis rejoined with a former co-host Cyndy Garvey in New York. The two hosted The Morning Show for WABC-TV. The show’s 9AM slot yielded low ratings and Garvey left. In 1985 Philbin was then paired with Kathie Lee Joohnson. Their ratings steadily increased. Upon syndication in 1985 Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee was born!

Oprah

You have to love her story. Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty and became the multi-billion-dollar celebrity that she is today.
In 1983, Winfrey took over as the host of the 30-minute morning show on WLS-TV. After becoming the #1 Rated show in Chicago, film critic Roger Ebert convinced Winfrey to sign a television syndication deal with King World… The Oprah Winfrey Show was born.
Fast forward 17 years, and the Winfrey empire has a hand all across entertainment from television to publication, web and film. The philanthropist side has Winfrey donating almost 1/2 billion dollars to major and minor causes around the globe! She truly is a special person who we will miss.

COMING SOON: DJ Yoshi’s TOP 40 Songs of 2011