Distracting me from: Actually eating lunch on my lunch break.
More listing! More countdowns! More verbosity (...just go with it)! Below are my opinions on the best TV shows, songs, albums and novels of the past year (more or less). Again, my movie ranking is going to be a whole separate, spectacular ordeal in itself to coincide with Oscar nominations. Anyway, please be sure to familiarize yourself with everything listed here and I'm sure you'll see why each has earned their various spots on my list.
T V S H O W S
1. Weeds - Haters to the left. The writers of this show have abandoned formula and faux-fans in the name of one person: Nancy Botwin. They've chained themselves to her destructive hip, and the result is the most unpredictable and exciting television on right now. With a cast that's simply better than the rest--including the best actress on TV, Mary-Louise Parker--Weeds delivered once again and was as addicting as ever while providing their most intense and emotional finale to date. The next season is said to be the last. I'll be crying for days.
2. Modern Family - With the almost impossible task of following up a pitch-perfect first season, they found a way to pull it off--mostly by highlighting the hilarious Sofia Vergara.
3. Damages - The smartest drama on TV, period. And Glenn Close gives gives Ms. Parker a run for her money week after week. It's moved to DirectTV due to lack of viewers on Fox, so...you should all be ashamed of yourselves.
4. Dexter - Like Modern Family, Dexter had to find a way to beat an unbeatable season. It didn't, but it came as close as seemingly possible. GIVE JENNIFER CARPENTER AN EMMY ALREADY.
5. The Amazing Race - I tend to get too emotionally invested in this show so that when the wrong team wins, it's my least favorite show of all time. But the beloved, smart, athletic, and kind-hearted doctors won out, so all was right in reality TV land. This is a reality TV show even people who hate reality TV shows would like.
6. Nurse Jackie - All signs point to this becoming my Weeds replacement (which is not to say it's as good, but it'll do). Edie Falco is fabulous and pulls together a truly puzzling character into something watchable...95% of the time. Sometimes Jackie is too puzzling, and that may be the show's downfall depending on what they do next season...but for now, I'm hooked on the humor.
7. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - SHUT UP. It's the most delicious reality TV out there right now, and Lisa's wealth and gloriousness alone could buy all the other franchises' housewives combined. Plus, Allison Dubois anyone? Pure evil.
8. The Big C - Laura Linney anchored an uneven season, but the storage unit scene in the finale? Perfection. And heartbreaking.
9. The Walking Dead - Six episodes is an easy way to cure a potential lack of storyline ideas, but every week I was compelled more than I expected (or even wanted) to be. We'll see what the future holds.
10. United States of Tara - Not quite the energy or wit of Nurse Jackie, but more believable characters (...within the context of the premise) with a more emotional core.
...no, I have not seen Mad Men. Yes, I intend to.
S O N G S
1. "Your Love's A Drug," Leighton Meester - The summer smash you never heard. It's a silly #1, I suppose, but I haven't been able to stop listening to it since July. Fresher than "California Gurls," sexier than "Alejandro," and more fun than whatever paint-by-numbers, dance-song hit Ke$ha spat out, this is a contender to be my song-of-the-summer two years in a row.
2. "Rolling in the Deep," Adele - Her tone is so captivating I could listen to just about anything she sings. But the song is fantastic all on its own, so...win.
3. "57821," Janelle Monae - One of the many
4. "Man Down," Rihanna - A stellar album track off her okay follow-up to Rated R, this is my official bad-mood song.
5. "I Am," Christina Aguilera - Another album track off an even worse album, Christina somehow reigns in her over-the-top vocals into something vulnerable and lovely.
6. "Loca," Shakira - Dance or die indeed.
7. "Telephone," Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé - Controlled chaos at its finest. Not my initial favorite off the near-perfect The Fame Monster, but the most persistent fun a year-plus later.
8. "Soldier of Love," Sade - Epic in its sound, Sade came back hard with a song that felt both current and classic Sade.
9. "Indestructible," Robyn - Took me a while to get into her, but I eventually got sucked into the trance of her album, especially on this song.
10. "Tighten Up," The Black Keys - Admittedly, this band is hit-or-miss for me, but this is a big hit.
Honorable mentions: "Fuckin' Perfect," P!nk; "Commander," Kelly Rowland; "Weightless," Natasha Bedingfield; "Gone and Never Coming Back," Melanie Fiona; "Give a Little More," Maroon 5; "Don't You Wanna Stay," Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson (obviously).
These next two lists were originally looking a bit...anemic. Therefore, I've included albums and novels that were at least new to me in 2010 to give them a bit more weight.
1. The ArchAndroid, Janelle Monae - The most creative and diverse album I've ever heard. Now, I'm a tad musically ignorant, so take that as you will, but even so, this girl is from another planet--one where they have better music. It's required to listen from this from start to finish to get the whole effect, so...be sure to do that.
2. Sale el Sol, Shakira - Can't understand 95% of it, but there's undeniable energy throughout. Plus, Spanish Shakira > English Shakira.
3. The Bridge, Melanie Fiona - Actually from 2009...and I guess I technically discovered her in 2011, but this is my blog and she deserves a spot for such a great R&B album full of jams, particularly "Give It To Me Right."
4. Greatest Hits...So Far!, P!nk - It's a decade of P!nk classics. 'Nuff said.
5. Battle Studies, John Mayer - Again, didn't actually buy this until 2010. Not as fantastic as Continuum, but not a dud on the CD.
6. Try This, P!nk - I was in a P!nk mood this year, big time. So I gave her maligned Try This a try and was pleasantly surprised. It's great. Some weaker tracks, to be sure, but "Waiting for Love" is one of her best songs ever.
7. Body Talk, Robyn - The two exceedingly repetitive songs drag this down a few notches, but otherwise, call me a convert.
8. Soldier of Love, Sade - Sadly, nothing as immediately impacting as the title track exists, but the rest of the CD is undeniably lovely and solid.
9. Kaleidoscope Heart, Sara Bareilles - She didn't get a "Love Song"-type hit this time around, but the CD is mostly pleasant and fresh from start to finish.
10. Hands All Over, Maroon 5 - Not gonna lie, it's not all great. But some of the songs are great, and that's enough to garner a final spot in the top 10 when nothing else was in the running.
1. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O'Farrell - Offers mystery, multiple character points of view, and so many layers of human anguish that it's one of the most thrilling literary reads I've experienced in a while. Inspiring.
2. A Home at the End of the World, Michael Cunningham - Another masterful approach to multiple points of view, this chronicles the growth of two very different boys in love with each other in different ways, and is a rich reading experience from beginning to end.
3. Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood - I was ready to put this at my #1 until Brian called something out about the ending that doesn't sit well with me, but otherwise the writing is astoundingly good, and so is the story. In my fantasy, I use this quote to open my novel-in-progress:
5. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante - This novel forces the readers to follow the downward spiral and mental collapse of the protagonist--like a more successful and engaging The Bell Jar. Yes, I said it. Sorry, Sylvia.
6. Ordinary People, Judith Guest - How do you make a novel about a tragedy readable and enjoyable? Ask her.
7. The World of Normal Boys, K.M. Soehnlein - Written by a former professor of mine at USF, this was a particularly great read for me because I couldn't help but wish someone had given it to me when I was 13.
8. The Epicure's Lament, Kate Christensen - I can only imagine how much fun it was to write this. The narrator and main character is a man who refuses to give up smoking even though it is actively killing him--he would rather kill himself than live without cigarettes. A fabulous and hysterical anti-hero.
9. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, Wells Tower - Okay, so, I haven't read the entire short story collection, which is really the only reason it's so low on the list, because what I've had read has been fabulous. A strong and diverse voice fully colors each story. Can't wait to read it all.
10. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, David Sedaris - Again, not a collection I've read to completion, but deserves a shout-out because I saw him read this live back when it hadn't even been published yet and he was still taking notes as he was reading. Laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. He was wonderful (thanks for bringing me, Elliot!).
Now to shovel some food in my mouth and get back to work.
Thanks for just adding like, a ton of stuff to my, "Things I Must Read" list. ;)
ReplyDeleteI read Karl's book as a freshman at Brigham Young University. Perfect & (slightly) scary escapism--yet superbly fitting.
ReplyDeleteLove the book choices especially the inclusion of Ordinary People since Judith Guest was a really good friend of my dad's (your grandpa) when they were in high school and your age. And of course, Epicures Lament - my hero.
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