Categories: Newsmakers

Who's your Newsmaker of the Year?

We’re down to the finalists. Vote for your favourite!

by macleans.ca on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 5:22pm - 18 Comments

Final (voting ends Thursday, Dec. 23):

Round 2 (voting ends Friday, Dec. 17):

Sidney Crosby vs. Aung San Suu Kyi
Chilean miners vs. BP

Round 1 (voting ends Friday, Dec. 10):

Justin Bieber vs. Sidney Crosby
Aung San Suu Kyi vs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani
The Chilean miners vs. the Tea Party
The iPad vs. BP

VOTE NOW!

TAKE TAKE 2010

Justin Bieber has been a much bigger newsmaker (and not just in Canada but worldwide) than Syndey Crosby. An Olympic gold is obviously worth amazing praise but Bieber is in the news every day and Mr. Crosby is not even close. Sorry but the results here COMPLETELEY biased. Regardless of liking Bieber or not, let's face the facts folks!

Poker Face

Yes, but Justin Bieber is in the news because 13 year old girls have a crush on him and will buy anything associated with his name. Sidney Crosby is in the news because of the incredible example he sets for young children across Canada.
Brad Laking

Hmmm let’s take a look at Canada's/Crosby's story.
I live in London Ontario; pretty much the land of snow and ice when winter time comes around, and unprecedentedly so at the moment because this week we received 4 ft of the powdery heaven in about one day!…/sarcasm.
I’m gonna set the stage for ya:

Brad Laking

As a man of many "snows" and a prideful Canadian citizen I have developed a roundabout fondness or as some would put it: love hate relationship with our wintery wonderland. Winter, snow, igloos, toques, Tim Horton’s coffee to warm our hands etc. are all part of a larger and at times humorous cliché that a lot of the world associates us Canadese with. Alas, amongst our ice embedded history we had never won the ultimate prize, or if you will: the magnum opus of winter sport on home soil… The Olympic Gold medal.

Brad Laking

Almost a laughable feat considering that our colourful past and cultural identity owes a large part of its heritage to the white powder that has christened our nation ever since we could call ourselves a nation, furthermore: CANADA in 1867! … But no, we had never felt this joy. Never had we felt this bliss and feeling of one… that is until Alexandre Bilideau was awarded our very first home soil genuine Canadian Gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver winter games! WHAT A FEELING! The medal didn’t come alone; with it came a spark. Suddenly the spark turned to a flame and in came the medals, one by one. Bronze, Silver GOLD AND MORE GOLD! Unfortunately the ones who needed the spark the most were merely a solemn wick without a light: The men’s hockey team.

Brad Laking

most were merely a solemn wick without a light: The men’s hockey team.
Preliminary Round One: Canada loses its prelim to America…. huh, what?!? We ARE hockey how did this happen?!?
Not only did we lose to the Americans, but we also set ourselves up for a bumpy ride to victory, enroute through Germany, Finland, Russia and Slovakia. One by one, down went the Hockey giants. Germany destroyed 8-2, Finland ripped 7-3, and Slovakia ousted 3-2! And finally the moment was upon us. Who would we face for the gold medal to close off the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games? As fate would have it we were aligned for a deadly collision course with our greatest hockey rivals of recent history in the Americans, who had not long ago made us grimace with the bitter taste of defeat.
Brad Laking

Period One: Canada jumps to an early lead edging out the Americans 1-0.
Period Two: One goal apiece for each respective nation making for an intense 3rd period.
Period Three: Every Canadian in every household across the country is on the edge of their seats as the team’s battle back and forth in an unbelievable clash of the hockey titans. Canada nervously awaits, hopeful that the final minute of play will swing in our favours. Then out of nowhere BAM! Everyone in the country is simultaneously winded by Zach Parise as he ties the game with less than half a minute to go.
Brad Laking

Overtime: With only four all stars from each team on the ice (as opposed to five because of OT) there is even more open ice, and even more danger. Odd man rush; Kane shoots! LUONGO SAAAAAAVE! Wow, unbelievable, nail-biting and it could go either way. Then suddenly Crosby gets the pass from Iginala, he shoots, SCORES!!!!!! The game winner CAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNAAAADAAAAAA!
<————— How fairytale is that! You couldn’t even write a better fictional hockey story that that.
Brad Laking

Now, to digress from dramatized story telling time (sorry I got a little carried away) I’m gonna lay some hard facts. Crosby was already Canada’s hockey golden boy (not my personal favourite player but I quite like him), so it’s an unbelievable twist of fate that he, of all players was the one to score that goal. Crosby was tied for second place in points on the team, so his personal efforts played a large role in team Canada making it that far in the tournament.
Canada set the Olympic record with 14 gold medals in one Olympic Outing, and how you ask? BECAUSE OF CROSBY’S GOAL! What a way to close off the Olympics.
Brad Laking

I’m sorry. Scratch that, I’m not sorry at all to any Bieber fans out there. I appreciate his hustle, talent or whatever you want to call it, but he will NEVER produce a moment like “THE GOAL” ever in his life for Canada. I will never forget where I was and what I was doing at that exact moment and I know that a lot of you can say the same thing. The feelings that encompassed me and my friends were indescribable. Camaraderie through Canada was at an unprecedented level, and that was a beautiful thing.

Thank you everybody who participated in the Olympics and made Canada proud. It was because of all of you that Sydney Crosby could call this moment his own, and more so we as a nation could share it as one!

This was definitely the best Canadian moment of the year.

PENGUIN

If u picked bieber u should be ashamed.I mean realy come on. Crosbys got talent.Crosby>Bieber

theintellectual

yes i would pick the person with skill and talent over someone without.

Marty

Justin Bieber is a twat
Emma Selem

Justin Bieber For Sure
Had Me Wrapped Around His Cute Finger
From The First Time I Saw ‘One Time’
he’s My Fave Singer
And Anyone Who Wants To Dis justin Bieber Sucks Big Time
Got It

theintellectual

aren't you 13 year olds creative? Justin Beiber's music is remarkable in that it lacks any type of remarkableness (other then astonishingly girly voice for a 16 year old boy that is). the lyrics are simplistically gushy (which is why it appeals to your gender and age group to such an extent), and the singing relies heavily on auto tune. in short he lacks almost any form of musical talent and is a terrible song writer.

Kathleen

I feel that its a close tie between Bieber and Crosby, because Crosby stands for Hockey, and what Canada is all about, but Justin Bieber stands for music; world-wide love of song, which most young kids world-wide have become enticed and attracted too! Music is a world wide phenomonon these days, and he has captured the hearts of millions of kids, while Crosby, unfortunately, has only managed to capture the hearts of Can. children–which lasted about 5mins.! If I were that young again, I'd probably be a Beiber follower, 'cause I was a "Monkees" fan at age 10! Beatles fan- 12+!! Music is universally loved! End of point!!!

theintellectual

Beiber should not represent music for Canada.

Dan Simonini

I think the BP is the story of the year. The spill has, an will, continue to have a negative impact to the: environment. to the people in the region: to the worlds oceans. for 100 years or more. The fact that the big oil companies are the most powerful and influential businesses in the world will pretty much ensure deep see drilling will continue and to hell with the environment, people and nature. The oil comapnies will pay the finds for their digresions as the cost of business.

big business strengthens my belief that the western world has two standards: Power of the few wealthy and servitude of the masses.