"If the year 2009 has taught us one thing, it’s that bigger is always better. From record-breaking films like “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” to stellar personalities like Lady Gaga, 2009 did it up in style. As we say good-bye to the decade and hello to “the ’10s,” we reminisce about what made 2009 pwn.
Biggest Album — Will Oliver
Animal Collective — “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
The album of the year is always a tough pick. Picking the “best” albums is one of the more arbitrary lists to make. Some music just isn’t for everyone. That is the argument that most people would use for an Animal Collective album. It was a band that made critically acclaimed avant-garde albums that the masses could not get into. That changed when they released “Merriweather Post Pavilion” earlier this year. The album is Animal Collective at the peak of its career, finally finding its place as an accessible indie band. With irresistible songs like “My Girls” and “Brother Sport,” it is able to combine its sound with a clean pop sensibility. The album is a well-balanced journey through some of the most exciting ideas in music: big house beats, exciting electronic effects and beautiful hormonies. These are all attributes of “Merriweather Post Pavillion” that made it plain irresistible. For those of you that shrugged Animal Collective as that weird hipster band, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. Great things are in store for the rest of Animal Collective’s career.
Biggest Movie – Will Oliver
“Up”
Pixar has made it easier for us to make our best of the year picks. Year after year for the past decade, Pixar has made timeless classics that are easily some of the best movies of the year. Count them: “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille” and “WALL-E.” They are timeless films that we all hold dear to our hearts.
“Up” is a movie that is funny, enchanting, colorful and heartbreaking all at the same time. Its animation is visually stunning with a world that absorbs the viewer. On the surface, it is the story of a bitter old man who is stuck on a long journey with an annoying child and talking dogs. The story is a lot deeper than that. It is about being alone in this world, making friends and making the best of what you have. You can’t hold on to the painful things in life; rather you’ve got to just let those thing just go up, up and away.
Biggest Surprise Hit — Emily Wallerstein
“The Hangover”
Three guys wake up after a wild night in Vegas and have no idea what happened the night before, not to mention their fourth friend, a bachelor about to be married, has gone missing. A simple premise, and yet “The Hangover” posed to be one of the largest hits of 2009. This perfectly timed film jumps from all over as the men find themselves in ridiculous obstacles like finding a baby, dealing with a tiger and running into Mike Tyson, to name a few. The coming attractions didn’t seem to do this low-budget comedy justice, but as people left the theaters in hysterics, word-of-mouth helped draw in millions of viewers. “The Hangover” raked in tons of money at the box office and shot to “classic movie status,” leaving fans with memorable lines to quote throughout the summer.
Biggest TV Show — Janan Morgul
“Glee”
The cast of “Glee” has put a magical spell on its viewers, dazzling them with its unique versions of both popular and classic songs that appeal to viewers of all ages.
As the first series of its type, “Glee” has done an astounding job of taking “High School Musical” to the next level by inserting risky issues, such as teen pregnancy. And while the episodes consist of the stereotypical bullying jocks, the mean popular girls and the geeks, the show puts a one-of-a-kind spin on it with funny teachers and staff members.
“Glee” leaves viewers with smiles on their faces, while running to their computers to download the latest songs performed in the episode. With its immense popularity, it looks like we will continue to be stunned by its performances and quirky scripts for a long time.
Biggest Comeback — Morgan Beach
Rihanna
Since the beginning of Rihanna’s career in 2005, she has become a hit music phenomenon across the globe. Radio stations everywhere filled their airwaves with Rihanna’s unique ground-breaking songs like “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” These singles are featured from the album “Good Girl Gone Bad,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. With success and fame in the palms of her hands, Rihanna encountered an experience that brought her career to a halt.
On March 5, 2009, her boyfriend at the time Chris Brown was charged for assault and criminal threats against Rihanna. She reported visible injuries from the attack and eventually ended her relationship with Brown. Part of her motivation for doing so was to present a good influence for girls going through the same situations. After this devastating event, Rihanna proved her strength with an especially powerful comeback.
Rihanna hit the studio with famous producers such as Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo and Akon to create her fourth studio album, “Rated R,” she performed “Run This Town” along with Jay-Z and Kanye West at Madison Square Garden in September (the first performance since the breakup with Brown) and sat down with Diane Sawyer in a highly publicized interview to talk about the incident and serve as a role model to girls across the globe.
Biggest Guilty Pleasure — Lauren Howley
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey”
is a member of the 
