Miss Nifty's Memorable Moments of 2009

Our Picks of 2009

There are plenty of obvious highlights from the past 12 months from Kate Winslet finally winning her Oscar to Susan Boyle’s global stardom. But we decided to pick a few of the more unconventional and unforgettable moments of 2009.

The Wedding Dance

Weddings tend to follow a fairly predictable order. You know, groom waits for bride, bridesmaids file down the aisle in matching outfits before the strains of Pachelbel begins for the bride. But not if you’re Jillian Peterson and Kevin Heinz.

This summer the couple became a You Tube sensation with their dancing wedding entrance. Jillian and Kevin plus their entire wedding party of seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen, four ushers all boogied down the aisle to Chris Brown’s, Forever.

The video got over 33 million hits on You Tube and raised almost $30,000 for domestic violence campaign, the Sheila Wellstone Institute. Check out their brilliant video.

A Load of Hot Air

Kids eh? Can’t get them to shut up. Even when you’re trying to convince the world of a well-thought out hoax involving a balloon and a missing child, one of them has to go and tell the truth. Yup, it’s Richard Heene and his balloon story.

In October Richard and wife Mayumi, from Colorado, America, were at the centre of a nationwide search. They reported their six-year-old son, Falcon, had been carried away inside a helium balloon tied down in their back yard.

After being in the air for two hours the balloon finally landed in a field. But when Falcon wasn’t found to be inside, cops launched a search. Falcon was finally found at home and a few days later on national TV let slip his dad made up the whole thing.

Now both Richard and Mayumi are heading for a stint behind bars. He got 90 days in county jail, while Mayumi got 20 days. Both parents will be on probation for four years and face fines of up to $500,000.

Class Act

So another awards show another drunk celebrity. This time at the VMA awards in September Kanye West managed to ruin the evening of winner Taylor Swift when he stormed the stage, grabbing the mic off her.

The good news is that Kanye managed to lose the respect of fans everywhere. But it was the classy and dignified behaviour of Beyoncé that we feel needs a special mention. When she won her Video of the Year award for Single Ladies she called Taylor back onstage to ‘have her moment’.

Double Act

It’s an unlikely pairing but turned out to be a match made in heaven, it’s Elmo and Ricky Gervais. He appeared on everyone's favourite kids show, Sesame Street in November as part of their 40th anniversary.

Yes it's meant for kids but these outtakes are adult-friendly and absolutely hilarious. And they got on so well, Elmo even made a guest appearance at Ricky’s prestigious appearance at Carnegie Hall in November.

Chill Out Christian Bale

Those actors, they’re an emotional lot aren’t they? Highly strung, emotions bubbling under the surface, ready to launch into character when the occassion demands. Or sometimes they’ve got real anger issues. Step forward Christian Bale.

In February this year an audio recording was released of the actor verbally lashing out at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation. The expletive-ridden recording went viral in days with people shocked at Bale’s outburst at his co-worker. What had Shane done to warrant this reaction? He walked into Christian Bale’s line of sight whilst filming a scene. Jeez…

WARNING - THIS AUDIO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE FROM THE BEGINNING SO IF YOU'RE EASILY OFFENDED DON'T LISTEN.