I really am not happy to say goodbye to 2008. It was such a fascinating and exciting year. Of course we’ll all remember that we lost a lot of money, but hopefully we’ll be forced to go back to the old financial values of our parents and grandparents and learn from this recession. We also elected a President of color and had a female contender for President and Vice-President. Pretty cool. But for me a high point was establishing thenossip.com. I’ve worked in the entertainment business for more years that I care to announce here, and 
I’ve seen celebs come and go. I’ve worked with the nicest and not-so-nicest talent out there. So, I’m happy to be a part of a space where we celebrate the good things that celebs do and hopefully we will be inspired to do the same in our own ways and our own communities. We hope that more and more people will catch on to Nossip and spread good gossip. Here’s my Top 10 Nossip stories of 2008. Happy New Year! Mel
Top 5 posts from Alicia & Lauren
1) Walking On - This was the first post on the thenossip.com that really opened my eyes to celebs I wasn’t aware of. Of course I remember the Mmm Bop-era Hanson, but had lost track as they grew older. When I read about their endeavors to raise funds to fight AIDS in Africa and provide shoes for the needy by walking 1 mile barefoot with their fans before each show, I was impressed. So impressed I downloaded all their albums. They’re doing some great music and some great deeds.
2) Get Wired, Save A Life - I loved to read about the latest RED initiative to raise funds for AIDS prevention in Africa. I am so blown away at by what Bono and his colleagues have done to raise awareness of poverty and AIDS in Africa and can’t wait to see what the campaign does in 2009.
3) The More We Know - I’ve been a fan of Michelle Williams for a while. She’s made interesting career choices and seems to have a really great head on her shoulders. I’m a true believer that if you choose to be famous, the press attention is part of the deal. But I think when tragedy strikes, that same press does go too far. Michelle doesn’t usually hang out and pursue media coverage, it just came to her as a result of Heath Ledger’s tragic death. Hopefully the press will give her some peace to raise her and Ledger’s child without the media glare.
4) A Worthy Role Model - Lauren’s brief profile reminded me how great Reese Witherspoon is. I met Reese a couple of times when she was younger and she was always very sweet and gracious. She reminds me of the older pros who treat the public with respect and are worthy of our respect right back.
5) Guy Gets Standing O - Pro golfer JP Hayes pointed out a mistake he made in a qualifying round for the PGA tour and subsequently did not make the tour this year. His honesty really blew me away. It would have been so easy to blame his caddy or ignore the mistake and hope no one noticed. He chose the high road and he gets some of my top Nossip kudos of the year.
My Top 5 posts
1) Free Songs for Troops - This was a post where we could do something by simply clicking on a link and writing a few words. Sending a note to a soldier along with a couple of free songs made me very happy.
2) The Oscars Got Sexy - This wasn’t Nossip per se, but the choice of Hugh Jackman as host of the upcoming Oscars made me very excited. Hopefully he’ll bring a sense of glamour and restrained humor to the show. This time we should get a opening number worthy of the world’s #1 entertainment show.
3) Rock On - The really cool thing about this post is that Third Day member Mark Lee picked up the story on his Twitter and we gained notice from a bunch of his fans. It’s very rewarding to think someone you wrote about actually read the story.
4) Fan of Australia - This is one of my favorite posts because I feel very strongly about supporting quality entertainment. Of course there’s room in the world for Indiana Jones 4 and Transformers 2, but if we support movies like Australia with our movie-going dollars, more big movies with engaging stories about interesting people will get made.
5) Fighting AIDS on Stage - Being a part of the Equity Fights AIDS campaign by simply attending some Broadway shows was very satisfying. I love live musicals and plays and seeing them whenever I can, so I was happy to post about the good things that these actors are doing to fight AIDS.
December 31st, 2008 - 11:44 pm
Thanks Mel, what a great idea to create this site! Love reading all the nice gossip, looking forward to more great and inspiring stories in 2009. Thanks also to Alicia and Lauren, happy new year to you all!!