2011: The Run-Down

Continuing with tradition, I've decided to rehash some of my favorite things in 2011 (mostly in pop culture, admittedly), and take a look back at the year that was.
*Fun fact: While compiling this list, I realized I might be one of the only people in America who earnestly did not pay any attention to coverage of the Royal Wedding.

Favorite Performers:

Ryan Gosling:  I think pretty much everyone else on the planet can think of at least one reason why he makes the list, but I’ll try to jog the memory of anyone drawing a blank.  First of all, he was everywhere at the movies this year, from Blue Valentine to Crazy Stupid Love to Ides of March to Drive.  He’s just plain awesome in 99% of his public appearances, from bringing his dog to Jimmy Fallon’s show for an interview to intervening in a brawl on the streets of New York.  Not to mention the unf factor.  I mean, seriously, have you LOOKED at the man?

The HP Trio (aka Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson):  True, it’s very possible that none of them will really have a career to speak of now that the biggest franchise of their lives has drawn to a close, but even if these three never do anything of note again, all the memories they’ve given us are more than enough to last a lifetime.  I know I’m not the only one who enjoyed every minute of growing up alongside them while they brought my favorite stories to life.  I’ll miss all the hype and the anticipation of a new HP film every two years, but it’s undeniable that these three absolutely went out on top.  So to Daniel, Rupert, and Emma—thanks for a decade of magic.

Amy Poehler:  Ms. Poehler has always been both hilarious and extremely innovate (and very underrated-ly so), but she really took 2011 by storm.  Parks and Recreation aired its entire flawless 3^rd season during 2011, and continued its winning streak in season 4.  As if that weren’t enough, Amy also delivered a commencement address at Harvard this spring, in which she imparted her unique brand of wisdom to an audience of young people who genuinely need to live in the same spirit of passion, determination, and kindness that is evident in everything this fantastic woman does.

People I’m Sick of Hearing About:

Anyone with the last name Kardashian (second year in a row, congrats ladies!). 
All the batshit crazy Republicans running for President in 2012. 
Anyone who is or has been a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Best Shows:

Parks and Recreation
How I Met Your Mother

Great Episodes:

Parks and Recreation:  “Road Trip” and “The End of the World”
Community:  “Remedial Chaos Theory”
Modern Family:  “Phil on Wire”
The Office:  “Goodbye Michael”
How I Met Your Mother:  “Symphony of Illumination”

Top 5 Films:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
2. The Ides of March
3. Contagion
4. Bridesmaids/Horrible Bosses (tie)
5.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Disappointments:

Codes and Keys:  Death Cab doesn’t work when Ben Gibbard is happy.  There, I said it.  This album is boring and repetitive.  Additional note:  now that he’s divorcing Zooey D, maybe the magic of DC’s initial gloom will return (silver lining, yes?)

America/the American economy:  No jobs, no money, no concern from the men in charge; no wonder the 99% have taken to the streets.

Honorable Mentions (no category, but they kept me interested/intrigued/excited throughout the year):

ADELE:  Remember the first time you heard Someone Like You?  Did you cry in public a little bit, like I did?  This woman’s voice is magic.  Case closed.

Steve Carrell:  Since he didn’t get an Emmy, I’m giving him my equivalent.

The cast of Parks and Recreation (especially Aziz Ansari and Adam Scott):  Flawless, and the fact that they didn’t snag a SAG nod for their work as an ensemble is criminal.

Jason Sudeikis:  This is rumored to be his last season on SNL, and I’m psyched to see if the career momentum he’s had recently continues.

Alexandre Desplat:  If he doesn’t get an Oscar (or at least a nomination) for the DH2 soundtrack, I’m considering it a crime.

Arrested Development:  It’s coming back!!!

JK Rowling:  Always and always, because none of the magic would’ve been possible without her.

Seth Meyers:  Killed it at the White House correspondent’s dinner, head writer at SNL in his 11^th year, remains absolutely charming in everything he does.

That's all I've got!  Here's hoping that 2012 brings even more laughter, epic moments, and joy (and you know, not that pesky apocalypse).  Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!

Soundtrack Series, Part Two: Sounds of Love

I'm not a romantic.  Okay, I actually think that sometimes I am a romantic, but not in the way you'd expect.  I hate chick flicks and happy endings.  I'm not planning on waiting around for "Mr. Right" to find me in the hopes that we'll ride off into the sunset together.  The roles of wife and mother don't really appeal to me at all, especially in competition with writer or teacher or any number of ambitions I haven't yet discovered.

But I believe in love.  All of my stories feature it pretty heavily; the novel I'm writing is pretty much a 300 page treatise on why when we lose our ability to love we lose ourselves.  And I have a soundtrack, not a formal one, but a cluster of songs in the back of my mind that remind me of what love feels like, what it sounds like.  As you might expect, they're not all happy (all right, I'm lying, most of them are pretty melancholy) but the meaning they've got packed into them is worth a million crappy pop songs about soul mates and dating and weddings.

**And no, I'm not sure what it means that so many of them have one-word titles.
 
Faithfully -- Journey
If I am ever visited by the urge to get married and I have a wedding and there's a first dance, this song is it, beyond a doubt.  Not only do I unabashedly adore Journey, I love the epic build of this song.  And of course I'm a sucker for the lyrics, too.  As if none of that were enough, my love for this song was only reinforced tenfold when I heard it covered on "Glee" by the fantastic Lea Michele (and Cory Monteith), though I would definitely insist on the original version at my wedding.

Honestly-- Bethany Joy Lenz
It's not a secret that most of these are songs more focused on the heartbreak side of love than the warm & fuzzy (what can I say, it's who I am).  This song is about regret, but it's also about the endurance of loving someone even after things have gone south.  Take this line "I'm so glad you're far away/Is that a terrible thing to say?/Still I wonder if you're okay..."  Yes, she's nursing a broken heart and maybe even bruised pride, but there's still love there, and I think with any relationship that's ended it's important to remember that you loved that person once upon a time.

Someday We'll Know -- Mandy Moore and Jonathan Foreman
 Something else I'm a sucker for:  the couple who can't be together or shouldn't be together because of circumstances beyond them.  Yes, it's true that there are a lot of people who like these types of stories, but I think I'm in the minority in that I don't root for them to defy the odds/overcome whatever obstacle is impeding them.  I prefer them longing for each other, moving forward as individuals, and maybe even learning something from the experience.  The two people in this song haven't figured it out yet, but they will, and the romantic side of me loves that.

Yellow -- Coldplay
Whoever it was that introduced Chris Martin to odes and/or to songwriting, thank you.  This song is just such a beautiful tribute to a person who is literally the light of another person's life.  I can't say much more about this (my words wouldn't do it justice), so I'll just say that I'm pretty sure it's a no-brainer on a list of love songs.

Iris -- Goo Goo Dolls
Another pretty obvious/typical choice, but I had to stick it on here.  "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be"-- what person, romantic or not, wouldn't want to hear something to that effect?  We also get a strong sense of the person singing the song as a complicated, even troubled figure, and the subject of the song being a source of salvation and comfort.  It's not a story song, but it makes you want to know the story behind it.

Someone Like You -- Adele
There had to be a song in here about the one that got away.  It's a staple of every love song list, and Adele's contribution to the catalog is nothing short of phenomenal.  There is something so raw and beautiful about every aspect of this song-- the simply piano, the lyrics dripping with longing, and of course that absurdly beautiful voice (I'm pretty sure she could cover just about any song and I'd love it).  When I discovered this one, it shot straight to the Most Played on my Ipod; there's just something about it you won't be able to get out of your head.

For the Nights I Can't Remember -- Hedley
 This one's a great song from a pretty unknown Canadian band, and it's all about appreciating all the things, big and small, that the person you love does for you.  It's about wanting to be a better person in return, because of how much you love them.  And it's got that alt-rock vibe that I thoroughly dug during my high school daydreaming phase (not to mention the fact that it was featured on Degrassi, which is pretty much the epitome of adolescent understandings of love).

 
Your Ex-Lover is Dead -- Stars
This is probably my favorite breakup song ever.  There's so much venom in such simple lines, and it's sad while also expressing a push to move forward.   I love the way they take literally the idea of forgetting or un-knowing someone you used to really love, and the way it comes to a resolution.  Best lines:  "I'm not sorry I met you/I'm not sorry it's over/I'm not sorry there's nothing to save."

Call It Off -- Tegan and Sara


The Temptation of Adam -- Josh Ritter
I absolutely love songs that tell a story, and this is one of my all-time favorites.  In about 4 minutes of song, Josh Ritter weaves a beautiful little tale of two people assigned to man a nuclear arsenal beneath the ground, and naturally they fall in love.  The temptation is "Adam's" impulse to simply allow the world above them to end so that they can continue to be together.  I've read a lot of pretty intense love stories in my time, but I think there's something uniquely moving about this one.

First Day of My Life -- Bright Eyes
I've seen this on a few occasions recently as a wedding song, and while some have scoffed that it's a hipster choice, I disagree.  It's a simple little song, and Conor Oberst's vocals leave much to be desired at times, but the beauty is in the simplicity, in the offbeat-ness of it.  "I'm glad I didn't die before I met you," Oberst sings, and isn't that how we all feel about the ones we love?

Come Home -- One Republic
This song, one of One Republic's best in my opinion, is truly beautiful.  Half plaintive plea, half "dreaming out loud" about a better world, it gets across something that is very difficult to articulate.  I think there's definitely a message here that it's okay to need people, as long as you can appreciate that there is still some beauty in your life without them, it would just be clearer if they were around.  Additionally, the version featuring Sara Bareilles on the second verse is even more gorgeous than the album cut.