By Karyn D. Collins

With the close of 2009 we come to the end not only of a year but of a decade.

There was plenty of news during 2009 on the black cultural and entertainment scene, from the Chris Brown-Rihanna abuse scandal and the way it opened debate on the issue, to the unmasking of golfer Tiger Woods as not being the picture-perfect husband and family man he and his handlers had sold to the public.

Certainly at least three events in black culture from 2009 promise to have long lasting impact for years to come: the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the subsequent residence of the first black family to occupy the White House, the introduction of Disney’s first black princess in its animated feature “The Princess and the Frog” and the death of pop music icon Michael Jackson.

Whatever happens politically during the Obama presidency, the cultural significance of having a black President of the United States and family in the White House with a multicultural background is undeniable. It’s too early to say what the long term impact will be, of course, but certainly, this is a historical development that will be discussed long after the Obama years have ended.

Whatever cultural critics may think of “The Princess and the Frog” and some of its portrayals, there is, finally, a black princess in the Disney canon and the Disney marketing machine. Princess Tiana’s presence is one we’ll see for generations.

The tragic death of Michael Jackson, on the other hand, leaves us with a legacy – in music as well as in pop culture – that will never be forgotten. Like Elvis, we’ll be talking about Michael Jackson and his impact years from now.

As for the decade, the 2000’s have ushered in a new era in which blogs, Twitter and Facebook along with gossip websites like TMZ have transformed not just how we communicate but where and the style by which we get our entertainment news.

The dominance of print media and even cable television are vestiges of a bygone era. And our expectations have changed as well when it comes to our entertainment news. Our societal appetite for the latest insider information to say nothing of our fascination with the tawdry and tacky has been increasingly fed by a new breed of media.
What does this mean for the future? How low can we go? At what price will we demand instant gratification for our information and gossip Jones? Only time will tell the answers.