end of the year post

End of the year post, 2013:

Somewhat of a letdown but I don't really want to admit it, movies:  Before Midnight, Star Trek Into Darkness, Gravity
Somewhat of a letdown but I don't really want to admit it, music:  Jack Johnson's From Here To Now To You, Arcade Fire's Reflektor
Somewhat of a letdown but I don't really want to admit it, gadgets:  Apple's iPhone 5s, 5c, iPad Air - all were less than exciting to me - where were the wow upgrades???
Best 2012 movie that I saw in 2013:  Perks Of Being A Wallflower
Best 2013 movie that I saw in 2013:  Pacific Rim, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (this one is actually way better than the first Hobbit movie - I liked it quite a bit, and it brought me back to my love of all things LOTR)
Surprisingly good movie I saw in 2013:  World War Z
Surprisingly bad movie I saw in 2013:  On The Road
Worst movie:  Sharknado - I honestly expected it to be so bad that it's good, but it was just bad period.
Best new tv show:  The Goldbergs, Bates Motel
Favorite tv show:  Doctor Who
Favorite tv show, reality: Amazing Race
Best actor, tv:  Matt Smith, Doctor Who
Best actress, tv:  Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
Best actor, movie:  Michael Fassbender, Prometheus
Best actress, movie:  Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
TV cancellation that still hurts:  Happy Endings, Bunheads
Best cd:  Vampire Weekend's Modern Vampires Of The City, James Blake's Overgrown
Person I surprisingly did a 180 on, for the better:  Miley Cyrus
Show I surprisingly did a 180 on, for the worse:  New Girl
Person I still don't get what the big deal is about:  Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Matthew McConaughey
Should have been a bigger deal:  Pacific Rim
Favorite new store:  Grocery Outlet
Favorite website:  Slickdeals, Amazon
Guilty tv:  QVC
Favorite daytime tv:  The Chew
Things I am collecting:  Flashlights, Lock & Lock storage containers
Saddest celebrity death:  Paul Walker
Goodnight sweet prince:  Nelson Mandela
Hello sweet prince:  Prince George
Biggest fall from grace, sports edition:  Oscar Pistorius, Aaron Hernandez, Lance Armstrong
Biggest injustice:  George Zimmerman acquitted of Trayvon Martin murder
Flop that makes me happy:  Lady Gaga's Fartpop
Success that makes me happy:  Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign, Sandra Bullock, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Favorite female, music:  Annie
Favorite male, music:  James Blake
Favorite band, music:  Vampire Weekend
Most horrific event on the news:  Asiana flight crash, Philippines typhoon, Boston marathon bombing
Most hopeful event on the news:  The new Pope, Malala, gay marriages, and Batkid
I wish I knew how to quit you:  The Patriots, online shopping
Douche bag of the year:  Justin Bieber (peeing in a mop bucket, getting carried up the Great Wall)
Favorite name:  Chris (Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans)
Most charming, European style:  Tom Hiddleston
Most charming, American style:  Jennifer Lawrence
Most disappointing breakup:  Matt Smith and Doctor Who, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr
Adventure of the year:  Ireland
Biggest relief:  My abdominal pain went away
Pop cultural phenom I know nothing about:  Breaking Bad, Cronuts
Pop cultural phenom I want nothing to do with:  Twerking
Favorite book:  Madonna NYC 83 by Richard Corman (yes, it's a photo book requiring no reading but I love 80's Madonna)
Favorite celebrity progeny:  Rocco Ritchie
Craziest:  Kim Jong Un (for executing his own uncle who used to be his former mentor - I think he's been watching too many Korean soap operas)