The AllenBlog's
It was the year that a two-year master plan for the Democrats to win back Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked wonders.
The year that a former NSyncer would bring the sexy back to the charts, while a new Alaska governor would bring the sexy to Juneau.
The year when one popular Internet site became the real "Must-See TV."
The year when one former "Seinfeld" star broke the so-called curse by winning an Emmy, while another revived it in his own way.
The year that an Alaskan at the Winter Olympics tasted the thrill of victory, while a favored figure skater suffered the agony of defeat.
The year that a fourth-place network made a "Deal" with some "Heroes" to get them out of their ratings rut...well, sort of.
The year when a former Iraqi dictator would get the ultimate just desserts for running his country.
The year that the second "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was da box office bomb, while "Basic Instinct 2" was a bomb.
And the year that exposing Internet predators would be the craze...though one Congressman wasn't listening.
That year was 2006.
Join the AllenBlog as I take a look back at one phenomenal year.
All throughout 2006, we've seen winds of political change being blown in North America, more soldiers and civilians getting killed in Iraq while the Stryker brigade returned home to Fairbanks, and Saddam Hussein getting the ultimate punishment for his crimes. Oh, not to mention the Winter Olympics and other sports championships being handed out.
The year started with 13 coal miners being trapped underground in West Virginia. Days later, what we thought that 12 out of the 13 that were rescued proved otherwise; it was sadly the opposite way around.
In late January, Canadians headed to the polls in the wake of a scandal triggered by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal party. In the end, the Conservatives took enough seats for a minority with leader Stephen Harper claiming the top job.
The Seattle Seahawks earned their first ever trip to the Super Bowl in its 40th annual game, but missed calls gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the Vince Lombardi Trophy 21-10. Weeks earlier, USC's chances for a third national title were dashed in the final few moments of the Rose Bowl thanks to Vince Young and his Texas Longhorns.
A dream came true for the late night jokesters as Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot friend Harry Whittington during a quail hunt in Texas. Meanwhile at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, what was thought to be Bode Miller's moment to shine with five gold medals being his goal didn't come to pass; he was disqualified or did not finish in his events.
As for the rest of the games...Michelle Kwan's third and final attempt at gold ended abruptly as a groin injury withdrew her. It however opened the door for Sasha Cohen to take the figure skating gold for the United States, but it ended up around the neck of Japan's Shizuka Arkawa. Cohen settled for silver as a new scoring system was imposed in the wake of what happened at the last games. Alaska got its only medal as Rosey Fletcher earned bronze in snowboarding, while the U.S. women's hockey team received bronze as well; the speed skaters continued their medaling ways with Apolo Anton Ohno receiving gold and bronze in short track speed skating. After the torch was extinguished, Germany took the most medals with 29 including 11 golds followed by the United States (25 with nine golds) and Canada in fifth (24 medals, but 10 silvers and seven golds).
A mudslide in the Philippines killed 1,800 people, while all 65 miners trapped underground after another mine explosion perished, this time in Mexico. And in March, Tropical Storm Larry wreaked havoc on the Australian coast in Queensland while over half a million people took to the streets of Los Angeles demanding illegal immigration reform. The rest of the country would later follow on May 1 in the Great American Boycott. Also in early May, two miners trapped underground in Australia were rescued after two weeks in the Beaconsfield mine collapse.
In spring sports, Florida and Maryland took the NCAA men's and women's college basketball titles respectively, while after the Kentucky Derby, Babraro's chances of breaking a 27-year Triple Crown stranglehold were looking pretty good...until at the start of the Preakness Stakes, when he suffered a severe injury. And in one of the closest finishes in Indianapolis 500 history, Sam Hornish Jr. held off Marco Andretti by a hair.
An air raid in Iraq killed Al-Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, while Israel was to blame for the explosion on a Gaza beach that killed eight Palestinians. The South continued to be on top of the sports world thanks to the Miami Heat (NBA champions) and the Carolina Hurricanes (Stanley Cup champions), while Italy beat France for their fourth World Cup. Of course, the biggest story coming out of it was Zinedine Zidane being given a new nickname: Butt-Head!
After Floyd Landis carried on the Lance Armstrong legacy by winning the Tour de France, it was later revealed that he failed a doping test. However, Landis is still holding on to his yellow jersey. And there was a little sign of change coming to Cuba as Fidel Castro, after undergoing surgery, hands over power to brother Raul...at least for now.
In August, it was almost like after 9/11 all over again as a foiled terrorist plot in London to blow up planes bound for the U.S. using liquid explosives had many travelers emptying out their luggage at the airports, as liquids were banned from flights. After a scary few weeks, the ban was lifted. And near the end of the month, a Comair flight crashed and killed all but one person.
Three school tragedies made news in the fall. First, one was killed and 19 others injured outside Dawson College in Montreal; second, six female students were held hostage at a Colorado high school before the gunman pulled the trigger on himself; and in Pennsylvania, five female students were killed at a Amish school. And at the World Series, it was all St. Louis as the Cardinals took the title after nearly a quarter century.
The master plan for the Democrats to reclaim Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked, as they took both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994. Gubernatorial races were decided as well this year; one of them was here in Alaska, as 42-year-old Sarah Palin -- after dethroning incumbent Frank Murkowski in the August primary -- was elected as not only the first female and youngest governor in this state, but probably the hottest piece of political eye candy ever to grace America.
Of course, we always had to give our last rites to those we've lost in 2006. Among them: Robert Altman, Ed Bradley, Earl Woods (Tiger Woods' father), four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, sportscaster Curt Gowdy, the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, game show host Peter Tomarken, actor Peter Boyle, "Jumpin'" Gene Simmons (no relation to the KISS guy), Wilson Pickett, Mike Douglas, Don Knotts, golfer Byron Nelson, former Texas governor Ann Richards, former Cabinet member Caspar Weinberger, country musician Buck Owens, Kirby Puckett, Dana Reeve, Lou Rawls, Louis Rukeyser, Coretta Scott King, Billy Preston, television animation pioneer Joe Barbera, Jack Palance, and on Christmas Day, soul legend James Brown.
So...what could 2007 hold? Will Pope Benedict XVI be making his first U.S. visit two years into his reign? Will Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton finally be in or out in 2008 after months of speculation? Will Palinmania spread throughout America as they embrace and adore our governor? And will Saddam Hussein really be put to death as he was given the sentence? When the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2007, these questions and millions more will be answered.
It was the year that a two-year master plan for the Democrats to win back Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked wonders.
The year that a former NSyncer would bring the sexy back to the charts, while a new Alaska governor would bring the sexy to Juneau.
The year when one popular Internet site became the real "Must-See TV."
The year when one former "Seinfeld" star broke the so-called curse by winning an Emmy, while another revived it in his own way.
The year that an Alaskan at the Winter Olympics tasted the thrill of victory, while a favored figure skater suffered the agony of defeat.
The year that a fourth-place network made a "Deal" with some "Heroes" to get them out of their ratings rut...well, sort of.
The year when a former Iraqi dictator would get the ultimate just desserts for running his country.
The year that the second "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was da box office bomb, while "Basic Instinct 2" was a bomb.
And the year that exposing Internet predators would be the craze...though one Congressman wasn't listening.
That year was 2006.
Join the AllenBlog as I take a look back at one phenomenal year.
All throughout 2006, we've seen winds of political change being blown in North America, more soldiers and civilians getting killed in Iraq while the Stryker brigade returned home to Fairbanks, and Saddam Hussein getting the ultimate punishment for his crimes. Oh, not to mention the Winter Olympics and other sports championships being handed out.The year started with 13 coal miners being trapped underground in West Virginia. Days later, what we thought that 12 out of the 13 that were rescued proved otherwise; it was sadly the opposite way around.
In late January, Canadians headed to the polls in the wake of a scandal triggered by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal party. In the end, the Conservatives took enough seats for a minority with leader Stephen Harper claiming the top job.
The Seattle Seahawks earned their first ever trip to the Super Bowl in its 40th annual game, but missed calls gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the Vince Lombardi Trophy 21-10. Weeks earlier, USC's chances for a third national title were dashed in the final few moments of the Rose Bowl thanks to Vince Young and his Texas Longhorns.
A dream came true for the late night jokesters as Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot friend Harry Whittington during a quail hunt in Texas. Meanwhile at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, what was thought to be Bode Miller's moment to shine with five gold medals being his goal didn't come to pass; he was disqualified or did not finish in his events.
As for the rest of the games...Michelle Kwan's third and final attempt at gold ended abruptly as a groin injury withdrew her. It however opened the door for Sasha Cohen to take the figure skating gold for the United States, but it ended up around the neck of Japan's Shizuka Arkawa. Cohen settled for silver as a new scoring system was imposed in the wake of what happened at the last games. Alaska got its only medal as Rosey Fletcher earned bronze in snowboarding, while the U.S. women's hockey team received bronze as well; the speed skaters continued their medaling ways with Apolo Anton Ohno receiving gold and bronze in short track speed skating. After the torch was extinguished, Germany took the most medals with 29 including 11 golds followed by the United States (25 with nine golds) and Canada in fifth (24 medals, but 10 silvers and seven golds).
A mudslide in the Philippines killed 1,800 people, while all 65 miners trapped underground after another mine explosion perished, this time in Mexico. And in March, Tropical Storm Larry wreaked havoc on the Australian coast in Queensland while over half a million people took to the streets of Los Angeles demanding illegal immigration reform. The rest of the country would later follow on May 1 in the Great American Boycott. Also in early May, two miners trapped underground in Australia were rescued after two weeks in the Beaconsfield mine collapse.
In spring sports, Florida and Maryland took the NCAA men's and women's college basketball titles respectively, while after the Kentucky Derby, Babraro's chances of breaking a 27-year Triple Crown stranglehold were looking pretty good...until at the start of the Preakness Stakes, when he suffered a severe injury. And in one of the closest finishes in Indianapolis 500 history, Sam Hornish Jr. held off Marco Andretti by a hair.
An air raid in Iraq killed Al-Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, while Israel was to blame for the explosion on a Gaza beach that killed eight Palestinians. The South continued to be on top of the sports world thanks to the Miami Heat (NBA champions) and the Carolina Hurricanes (Stanley Cup champions), while Italy beat France for their fourth World Cup. Of course, the biggest story coming out of it was Zinedine Zidane being given a new nickname: Butt-Head!
After Floyd Landis carried on the Lance Armstrong legacy by winning the Tour de France, it was later revealed that he failed a doping test. However, Landis is still holding on to his yellow jersey. And there was a little sign of change coming to Cuba as Fidel Castro, after undergoing surgery, hands over power to brother Raul...at least for now.
In August, it was almost like after 9/11 all over again as a foiled terrorist plot in London to blow up planes bound for the U.S. using liquid explosives had many travelers emptying out their luggage at the airports, as liquids were banned from flights. After a scary few weeks, the ban was lifted. And near the end of the month, a Comair flight crashed and killed all but one person.
Three school tragedies made news in the fall. First, one was killed and 19 others injured outside Dawson College in Montreal; second, six female students were held hostage at a Colorado high school before the gunman pulled the trigger on himself; and in Pennsylvania, five female students were killed at a Amish school. And at the World Series, it was all St. Louis as the Cardinals took the title after nearly a quarter century.
The master plan for the Democrats to reclaim Capitol Hill from the Republicans worked, as they took both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994. Gubernatorial races were decided as well this year; one of them was here in Alaska, as 42-year-old Sarah Palin -- after dethroning incumbent Frank Murkowski in the August primary -- was elected as not only the first female and youngest governor in this state, but probably the hottest piece of political eye candy ever to grace America.
Of course, we always had to give our last rites to those we've lost in 2006. Among them: Robert Altman, Ed Bradley, Earl Woods (Tiger Woods' father), four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, sportscaster Curt Gowdy, the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, game show host Peter Tomarken, actor Peter Boyle, "Jumpin'" Gene Simmons (no relation to the KISS guy), Wilson Pickett, Mike Douglas, Don Knotts, golfer Byron Nelson, former Texas governor Ann Richards, former Cabinet member Caspar Weinberger, country musician Buck Owens, Kirby Puckett, Dana Reeve, Lou Rawls, Louis Rukeyser, Coretta Scott King, Billy Preston, television animation pioneer Joe Barbera, Jack Palance, and on Christmas Day, soul legend James Brown.
So...what could 2007 hold? Will Pope Benedict XVI be making his first U.S. visit two years into his reign? Will Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton finally be in or out in 2008 after months of speculation? Will Palinmania spread throughout America as they embrace and adore our governor? And will Saddam Hussein really be put to death as he was given the sentence? When the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2007, these questions and millions more will be answered.
When "Year in Review Week" continues tomorrow...the biggest entertainment and celebrity stories of 2006.
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