Welcome back to End of the Half-Year 2012! In case you missed the previous three installments, click here, here, and here. The following is part four, in which I list some of the most memorable individuals to make headlines in 2012's first half. Enjoy.
I'll get into my vote for Person of the Half-Year in a few paragraphs. In the meantime, here are these year's Runner-ups, with a short reasoning for their placement on the list...
Lebron James
In addition to all the various MVPs and millions of accumulated wealth, the eight time All-Star finally added the previously elusive NBA championship to his legacy when his Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games this past June. James also earned himself a spot on the US Men's National Basketball Team, which will soon be competing to win the nation's second straight gold medal.
Barack Obama
Another year, another year of headlines for the nation's 44th President. This year, it's been one in which the Commander-in-Chief used executive privilege on documents relating to "Operation Fast and Furious," leading Congress to an extension of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits, announcing his plan to give 800,000 young illegal immigrant working permits in an effort to keep them in the U.S. rather than deport them, becoming the first incumbent president to come out in support of gay marriage, singing both Al Green and LMFAO songs, failing at implementing the Buffett Rule, and being asked by Amanda Bynes to arrest the officer that gave her a DUI. All the while, Obama spent the year preparing and running a re-election campaign for the November general election against Republican candidate Mitt Romney, one which finds the two candidates neck-and-neck in the polls.
Rick Santorum
The process that led to Rick Santorum becoming the top anti-Romney conservative candidate in this year's Republican presidential primary was one that involved a long line of predecessors in 2011, from Michelle Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain to even Newt Gingrich. But once all of these individuals momentum inevitably faded, due to reasons ranging from infidelity accusations to just simply being replaced by newer, shinier candidates, it was Santorum, who was a dark horse during most of that stretch, who made his move and slowly built up a level of support over the course of late December that grew as 2012 approached. The process paid off when, in January, Satorum surprised everyone by defeating Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucus. Then in February, Santorum made headlines again with runaway victories in Colorado and Minnesota, while also finishing just three points behind Romney in Michigan, leaving many to wonder if he might actually challenge the former governor Massachusetts throughout the primary all the way to a brokered convention in Tampa.
And while this possibility remained all throughout March, with Santorum picking up wins in seven states, it came to an end in April. Romney defeated Santorum in both Wisconsin and Maryland, and fearing the possibility of losing his home state of Pennsylvania, the former Senator announced the suspension of his campaign on April 10th, paving the way for Romney to become the party's nominee.
Joss Whedon
The Year of the Whedon began in April when a movie that he co-wrote, the horror film "The Cabin the Woods" that explores the genre archetype as much as it pays homage to them, premiered to positive reviews. At roughly the same period of time, the long-anticipated superhero movie "The Avengers," which he co-wrote and directed, also premiered as a smash hit, to the point that it has since become the third highest grossing film of all-time. As if that weren't enough, his modern interpretation of Shakespeare's classic "Much Ado About Nothing" has announced it's official place in the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, with distribution sure to arrive. Not a bad year at all for a man with an already well-established track record ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly").
Jamie Dimon
The current CEO of JPMorgan Chase made headlines when he reported that the company had lost $2 billion in finances in trade that were supposed to hedge the bank's overall credit risk. This put the CEO in hot water, which led to a congressional hearing back in June and investigation by the FBI, the SEC, and the Federal Reserve, all of which had yet to release an official report.
Louis C.K.
Between the critically-acclaimed "Louie" still being critically acclaimed in its third season and the announcement in June that he would only sell tickets for his newest stand-up tour only on his website for a flat rate of $45 (cutting out all middlemen in the process), I'd say that this man's reputation has changed from revered artist to revered comedy savior...at least until the inevitable backlash in 2014.
Eli Manning
While his brother Peyton spent the past NFL offseason getting acquainted with his newest team, the Denver Broncos, after being kicked out of the Indianapolis Colts in favor of youngblood Andrew Luck, Eli spent the offseason celebrating his second career Super Bowl ring and Super Bowl MVP after leading his New York Giants in a victory over the New England Patriots, yet again in last minute fashion.
Ron Paul
In what will probably be the last political campaign the libertarian 76 year old ever takes part in, he managed to be one of the top performers in this year's Republican presidential primaries, despite not actually winning a single state. Among some of his accomplishments, Paul placed third in January's Iowa caucus, with only 3% fewer votes than eventual winner Rick Santorum, finished less than two hundred votes shy of defeating Mitt Romney in the Maine primary, and ended up with the third most delegates out of all the candidates. Despite all of this, Paul was still not able to ensure a speaking spot at the upcoming Republican National Convention when he push over a critical threshold of delegates during the GOP convention in Nebraska.
Rudy Eugene
Getting killed with multiple gunshots by police while eating a homeless man's face off and high on bath salts is not the way you want to be remembered, as millions will probably remember Eugene by thanks to his May incident in Miami of the very same nature, but it sure is one hell of a way to go out!
Newt Gingrich
Besides yet again resurrecting his campaign from the dead in January thanks to a key victory in the South Carolina primary, the former Speaker of the House's 2012 will also be remembered for, among other things, sticking in the Republican presidential primary for as long as possible despite knowing full-well that he was costing Rick Santorum more of the anti-Romney/anti-Paul that might have gained him advantages in states such as Michigan and Ohio, and promising to build the U.S. the world's first moon colony in a speech before the Florida primaries.
Anthony Davis
AP National Player of the Year, leader of Kentucky's first national championship basketball team 14 years, the NCAA Tournament's MOP award, and 1st pick in the NBA draft...yep, I'd say that this was a pretty good year for the 19 year old Chicagoan.
Carl Rae Jepsen
"Call Me Maybe," Jepsen's song of innocent lust and romance, became a phenomenon this past spring and has since become one of the summer's top hits, placing number one on the charts, serving as the inspiration of several viral lip-dubs, and even being touted as one of the year's perfect pop songs.
Mike Trout
When the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim entered the 2012 MLB season, most of the conversation went towards Albert Pujols, the team's $254 million man who they signed over the offseason after a sensational 11 years in St. Louis. Little did we know that by the season's halfway point, most of the talk would shift towards Mike Trout, the 20 year old outfielder who is currently having a rookie season to remember: a .354 average (1st in the AL), over 70 runs scored (1st in ML) and 30 stolen bases (also 1st in ML). Since the Angels first called up Trout on April 28th, the team has also had a winning record of 36-26 while being greatly improved from their slow start in April, which has many people calling Trout one of the season's early MVP candidates.
Daniel Tosh
Thanks to him, maybe people will now know that asking if it would be funny if a female audience member were raped by five guys is absolutely not.
Eric Holder
As the U.S.'s Attorney General under Obama, Holder was held in Congress this past June after he failed to release important documentations relating to an investigation on Operation Fast and Furious, the questionable ATF operation that sent firearms to Mexican drug cartels.
Wouter De Backer
Better known by many through his stage name Gotye, the Belgium born singer finally broke big in the United States in 2012, thanks in large part to his hit song "Somebody That I Used to Know," which was listed as the #1 song on the Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks and has collective over 250 million hits on YouTube since January.
Chen Guangcheng
The Chinese civil rights activists, famous for his stance against the country's excessive enforcement of the one-child policy, sparked a diplomat controversy this spring when he fled from his house arrest into the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. After negotiations between the two nation, Chen left the embassy grounds on the conditions of his safety and the right to travel to the U.S. with visa, which he eventually did a month later.
Robert Bales
16 dead, 6 wounded. These are the casualties that U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales caused upon the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan's Khandahar province this past March, currently the only suspect involved in these senseless acts of violence. Bales is currently in the process of preparing for trial nearly four months after the U.S. Secretary of Defense announced that he would be tried.
Jason Russell
March proved to be a pretty big month for the co-founder of Invisible Children. On March 5th, the campaign "Kony 2012," an effort to indict Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony, began when this video of which he directed appeared virally and instantly began to receive intense exposure. Over 80 million people watched the thirty minute film on YouTube, making it one of the most viewed videos in Internet history through such a short span of time. Several thousand joined in the cause, and although anything has yet to happen to Kony, the movement's target, resolutions have been created by the U.S. Congress while the African Union has even sent 5,000 military troops in search of the man. But creating a popular humanitarian fad wasn't the only thing Russell did to make the news. Nearly ten days after "Kony 2012" began, Russell was taken by police into a local San Diego hospital after he was found naked, screaming incoherently, and reportedly masturbating in public. Could it be that the waning support of "Kony 2012" could be tied with this. Possibly not, but that ain't gonna stop me from correlating the two!
Bashar al-Assad
Even despite the massive protests that has lasted over the year, the Syrian President has yet to step down as the country is still in a violent Civil War that has reportedly cost the death of 20,000 individuals in the area (including 14,000 civilians). In a two year time period that has include the end of dictatorial reigns in countries such as Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, it appears that this man will keep doing whatever it takes in order to not him onto the list of fallen leaders during the Arab Spring.
Vladimir Putin/Francois Hollande
After spending the last four years as Russia's Prime Minister, Putin returned to his previous role as the nation's president despite several anti-Putin demonstrations across cities such as Moscow and amidst reports by several officials of potential voting fraud. A few days before Putin was sworn into office at the Kremln, Francois Hollande of the Socialist Party also had a big victory of his own, defeating incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in France's presidential election.
Frank Ocean
A year after the release of his breakthrough mixtape "Nostalgia, Ultra," the member of OFWGKTA made even more of a name for himself when "Channel Orange" came out, instantly becoming one of the year's most critically acclaimed albums. In addition, Ocean made big headlines regarding his personal life when he wrote a letter on his Tumblr blog recounting his strong affections four years ago to a man, a big story in the world of hip-hop that has had a notorious background of homophobia that has led such artists as Jay-Z and fellow OFWGKTA member Tyler the Creator to come out in support of his announcement.
Scott Walker
In one of this year's most closely followed elections, the Wisconsin governor defeated his opponent, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett in a re-call to keep his seat, a re-call election that came in response over his collective bargaining dispute the year prior.
Jeremy Lin
When then Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni decided to place Jeremy Lin in the starting line-up at point guard, not many people thought of the decision but an act of desperation for a team trying to stay afloat in playoff contention. After all, Lin was a man who was previously cut by two other teams and had yet to make an impression of any kind in this league. But making an impression is what he would end up doing, as Lin would help the Knicks win his first seven games as a starter. On top of all that, Lin would also break the record for most points score in NBA history during a player's first five starts, lead the team to a 10-3 record heading into the All-Star break and becoming the new toast of town in New York in what would be called "Linsanity." Unfortunately, the year of Jeremy Lin's time with the Knicks that year would not prove to be as great. In late March, Lin would take season-ending knee surgery, making him unable to play in the postseason and then, just recently, the Knicks failed to match to an offer sheet made by the Houston Rockets that would keep him in New York.
David Milch
The man had everything he could want with "Luck," including the ability to tell a story about one of his passions (horse racing) as well as a list of great actors who would help bring his vision to life (including Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte). The man even had his show renewed for a second season after the series' first two episodes aired! But then news came out about two horses dying on set in the making of the first season, and once a third horse died as the second episode of season two was made, HBO decided to take action, abruptly cancelling the series for good.
George Zimmerman
Before the evening of February 26th, this neighborhood watch member of Samford, Florida probably had no idea who 17 year old Trayvon Martin was. By the time the night was over, Martin would be someone who Zimmerman would forever be intertwined for what will be the rest of his life, as he would end up facing trial for killing Martin minutes after notifying authorities of his suspicious presence in the neighborhood, a trial that is still months away from reaching its conclusion.
Kate Upton
Despite her struggles of being an obvious fat chick, the 20 year old Michigan native overcame her deficit by becoming this year Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover while increasing her profile as a model/cat daddy instructor.
Gregg Williams/Sean Payton/Mickey Loomis/Jonathan Vilma/Anthony Hargrove/Scott Fujita
These six individuals, all involved with the New Orleans Saints during the 2009 and 2010 season, all received separate punishments from the National Football League after investigators confirmed that there had been bounties implemented in the organization, by far the most severe in the league's 92 year history. Williams, the team's former defensive coordinator who used these bounties, was suspended indefinitely. Payton, the team's head coach, and defensive end Jonathan Vilma were each suspended for the entire 2012 season. Loomis, the team's general manager, along with Hargrove and Fujita, both Saints defenders at the time of the bounties, were also suspended but between 6-8 games.
John G. Roberts
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court made one of the biggest decisions in his judicial career this past June, siding with the office of President Obama in considering the controversial 2010 Affordable Care Act to be constitutional, under the basis of it being considered a tax. Roberts' swing vote proved to be the key in the Supreme Court ruling a 5-4 majority in favor of the bill, a shocking turn of events as he has had a history of being a notoriously conservative siding judge.
And now, it's time for the big reveal you've all been waiting for. After much deliberation, The mj15's Blog's selection for the 2012 Person of the Half-Year is...
A pretty obvious choice, I know, but who else did you expect? After months of fighting off surges in the polls from a colorful list of characters ranging from Rick Perry and Herman Cain to Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, Romney finally earned the title of the Republican party's presumptive nominee for president, surpassing the necessary 1,144 delegate count this past May. Years of hard work, and millions of dollars in campaign donations raised had finally paid off. Now all he has left to win the Oval Office is to defeat incumbent Barack Obama this November. Will the former Massachusetts governor work his Mormon charm just well enough to gain the 270 electoral votes needed to accomplish his dream? We shall find out very soon.
And with that, this brings us to the conclusion of End of the Half-Year. I don't know if the Mayans are right and whether the world will end this December, but I hope that this year at least does close out with a bang (and with the Olympics, the presidential election, and movies such as "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Master" coming out, I have a good feeling that it will). As always, thanks for the taking the time for reading, and feel free to leave your thoughts on People of the Year for 2012's first half in the comments. I'll be back tomorrow for part one of my three part predictions column on the 2012 Emmys, featuring a brand-new "End of the Week" to go along with it. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your Saturday!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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