THE BIGGEST NEWS EVENT OF THE YEAR
Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..
It was everywhere..
Every day.
From the moment you woke up.. Covid Covid.. Covid Covid..Covid Covid.. Went to work .. Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid.. Watched the news.. Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid.. Youtube videos.. Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid.. Water cooler Talk. Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid.. And late night comedy. Covid Covid..Covid Covid..
It was all encompassing. Not much of a moment of a day went by without being hostage to the constant virus that did not want to seem to end. We can only hope and prayer that this will go away in ’22. . . Or in December 2022 we will be writing Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid..Covid Covid for the biggest news event of the year…
x x x
THE PERSON OF THE YEAR
TIME magazine had its say.. But we are going another route. There was one human being on the planet that displayed knowledge, courage, kindness, necessary criticism of government agencies, and compassion when telling the truth.
Campbell began uploading videos on YouTube over a decade ago. He is an academic and A&E (accident and emergency) nurse of 40 years, and in 2020 and 2021 achieved viral fame for his YouTube videos addressing the realities of the novel coronavirus.
But not just fame.. he could put your mind at ease, but also tell you when you needed to worry. He knew something bad was brewing in China long before the media or world health officials cared. He knew that COVID was airborne before it was announced. He was on the case of Delta before it circled worldwide.
In November he predicted an unprecedented wave of Omicron could sweep the world (and he doesn’t think that is such a bad thing.)
The planet should be grateful for Campbell.. we are as we have watched him religiously for now two years. His expertise has been straight on just about perfect. And thankfully we have him ..
The COVID Whoopsie of the year
President Joe Biden announced that COVID was so much almost over that it was time for the vaccinated to celebrate! July 4 was declared Independence from the virus. The new policy that masks were off at the White House became the norm.. Even though Delta was actively spreading, the hope was that masks still were regulated to 2020 . Until Omicron. Until the year ended with massive case counts.
While we can debate whether President Biden made a mistake by declaring COVID, kind of, over.. His presidency may be judged specifically on whether 2022 will be used to end the pandemic and make it endemic once–and forevermore..
Lowpoint of the year
That came early.. On January 6 when a pro-Trump rally descended into chaos, the nation was slightly aghast and then truly shocked at the visuals.. A President silent while the United States Capitol was overrun by supporters chanting “stop the steal” about the Electoral Count. Others were hunting down Nancy Pelosi and even some were trying to find the Vice President himself.
The harrowing images of what we called the Battle of the Don and the Monsters on Capitol Street..
The movie of the year!
This one may be controversial. SPIDER-MAN is topping everyone’s list. And it was great, one of the better Marvel movies ever released. But to us, the movie of the year was the dark horse of films; GHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE.
It had some amazing feel, and the idea that descendants of the original Ghostbusters set out to reinvent the wheel, while needing help driving from the original team..
Audiences seemed to love it, much more than critics. And while it did not get the highest grades like SPIDEY, we think it was actually the film of the year.
NOT THE MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Halloween Kills.
It really did kill.
While it did somewhat well for the release week in the box office, showing on Peacock could have held some box office numbers down.
While the early part of the movie, like the first 6 minutes or so, had a good 1970s original feel, the rest of the movie just went off the rails and basically stayed there.
It was one of the worst pieces of slot in the Halloween series minus number 8.. Yea, we thought it was that bad.
BUT……….
…the best moment of Halloween Kills
Best streaming show of the year
This was tough. We so thoroughly loved two additions this year. We are actually calling it a tie.. one is the Netflix hit MIDNIGHT MASS, which had the most frightening and yet beautiful dialogue, scenery, music, and story line of anything in years.
The other show fits into the murder mystery category: Hulu’s ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. Another amazing show starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez promises to continue in its amazing comedic murder mystery style with another season now being filmed..
Quickest forgotten streaming show of the year
Squid Game came and went like a game kids play at recess. And they did play Squid Game at recess. But in the spirit of kids these days, they lost interest even though adults decried the impact on kids long after kids moved on.
The dangerous trend of the year
No, not some ridiculous trend from TikTok, but instead the perilous future we may have if ransomware continues to run amok unabated. It was a problem for years. In 2021, it seemed to have escalated. If it continues to do so, things won’t end nicely with each new email that forces some unknowing clerical worker to click a link…
The dumbest trend of the year
Ok, now we will get to TikTok. As it is the central location where dumb trends seem to flourish .. Long before the autumnal fright that schools had when there were rumors of nationwide violence and learning centers, there was the milk crate challenge. And a whole bunch of people tried it, and were injured.
AMERICA THE MORONIC!
People are climbing up stacks of milk crates and taking falls for TikTok fame
Meme of the year
Bernie Sanders was everywhere.. during the early days of Biden and waning days of Trump, it briefly felt like old fashioned fun was back. It did not take long for the image of Bernie in full winter gear to take over the internet.. but it sadly went away just as fast..
Cringe of the year
Andrew Cuomo.. just in general for just about everything that occurred in 2021.
The cringe runner up of the year..
New Orlean’s own Magen Hall, the alleged murderer of Pottsville businessman Pat Murphy. Still awaiting trial.. still sitting in prison, she became the short lived star of the Netflix show JAILBIRDS in 2021..
We first see Hall appear on the show early in Episode 1, Hall’s explaining how she enjoys using the inmates’ unique “telephone” system where they empty their toilet bowls and use a makeshift tube to talk through the pipes, mostly to male inmates housed in the facility. Hall also says she’s met her “future husband” through the prison toilet telephone system. She says his name is Brian Wayne (or Wade) but she calls him Fu Fu. Hall uses a rolled up newspaper as her talking tube, which she shoves into the drain of the toilet in her cell.
All signs point to a potential trial–finally–in 2022..
The creepy trend of the year
Robot love. It’s coming. And maybe already here.
Body building with sex doll wife wants to start seeing other dolls.. and a big chicken.
This is weird to us. Eventually that may be ‘dinosaur thought..’
Best music of the year.
While you may smell Adele for this category, we are staying with Lana ..
The crime fighter of the year
Musa Harris, otherwise known as the Luzerne County Predator Catcher.. his videos became a hit this year on Youtube. Harris goes on various dating platforms and poses as an underage child. In return, he live streams his ‘catches,’ often singing the theme of Pokemon ‘catch em all’ and telling pedophiles that they have been Musa-fied.
While there was early controversy about whether this practices warranted prosecution, in most recent videos streamed on his channel, police showing up to the scene know full well who Musa is..
And whether the would be perpetrators are prosecuted or not, their faces, license plates, and chat logs are spread across social media for all of Northeast Pennsylvania to see.
Biggest story on Coal Speaker this year..
It actually is something that started LAST YEAR .. when COVID began to spike, so did weird stories of a note being found in grocery store packages. We began reporting on it in April 2020. It continued throughout 2020 and 2021.. In November we were contacted by more people who found it in their Frosted Mini Wheats. And finally we were contacted on Christmas by someone else who had it as an unwanted gift..
Will it be the gift that keeps of giving in 2022? All signs point to yes..