2011 Year in Review: Pop Culture Edition

So, I totally bungled by 2010 stats. I completely left off movies (The Art of the Steal), books (What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell), and concerts (two Legwarmers shows and a house show). I will not fail this year!

Movies Seen in Theatres
1. True Grit
2. The King’s Speech
3. Oscar Nominated Shorts: Animated
4. Source Code
5. Thor
6. X-Men: First Class
7. Midnight in Paris (twice)
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
9. Captain America
10. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
11. The Help
12. Crazy Stupid Love
13. Contagion
14. Twilight: Breaking Dawn: Part One
15. Hugo
16. Like Crazy
17. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
18. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (IMAX version)

Analysis: I liked most of the movies I saw, a result surely of deciding not to go to movies just because my friends are. However, this was before I discovered how fun mocking Twilight movies with Linds and K-Squared can be. I was on the fence about seeing Breaking Dawn, but in the end, I went, and I was glad I did, because easily half the audience was there for the same reason we were, and it was loads of fun. My favorite scene was the gory birth scene, but mostly I think that's because I liked watching Kristen Stewart pretending to be in pain.

And if you can get yourself to an IMAX theatre for Mission Impossible, do it. My hands were sweating with nervousness during the Burj Khalifa scene. Plus, the six-minute preview of The Dark Knight Rises was intense! I’m still thinking about it!

My fave of the year was probably Midnight in Paris, in case anyone is wondering.

Concerts Attended
1. Joshua Radin with Andrew Allen and Justin Nozuka, 9:30 Club, Washington DC
2. Ian Axel with Mike Campbell and Chad Vaccharino, House Show, Arlington VA
3. Ian Axel with Sub-Radio Standard, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA (the very next night!)
4. Ingrid Michaelson with Ian Axel, World Café Live at the Queen, Wilmington DE
5. Secondhand Serenade with Andrew Allen and Plug In Stereo, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA
6. The Airborne Toxic Event with Voxhaul Broadcast, The Trocadero, Philadelphia PA
7. Julia Nunes with Ian Axel, Red Palace, Washington DC
8. The Legwarmers, State Theatre, Falls Church VA
9. Matt Duke and Rosi Golan with Hope Waits, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA
10. Andrew Belle and Trent Dabbs with Bobbie Allen, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA
11. Matt Simons, Sierra Noble, and Chris Ayer, The Living Room, New York City
12. Taylor Berrett, Tally-Ho Theater, Leesburg VA
13. Guster and Jack’s Mannequin with Lady Danville, Wolf Trap, Vienna VA
14. Intergalactic Tour of the Universe and Beyond Your with Ian Axel, Bess Rogers, and Allie Moss, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA
15. Ten Out of Tenn, Café Iota, Arlington VA
16. Kekoka Music Festival with Greg Holden, the Spring Standards, and Bess Rogers, Kilmarnock VA
17. Matt Nathanson with Vanessa Carlton, 9:30 Club, Washington DC
18. The Milk Carton Kids with Gaby Moreno, Jammin Java, Vienna VA
19. Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson, DC Temple Visitor’s Center, Kensington MD
20. Greg Holden, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, New York City NY
21. The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Brucker Hall, Ft Myer, Arlington VA
22. Graham Colton with Steve Moakler, Jammin’ Java, Vienna VA

Analysis: Man, I go to a lot of shows these days. Think I see Ian Axel enough?

Plays Seen
1. The Tempest, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton VA
2. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, McLean Community Players, McLean VA
3. Wicked, Kennedy Center, Washington DC
4. Newsies, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn NJ
5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York NY

Analysis: How to Succeed was probably my favorite, with Newsies in second place. I want to see it again when it premieres on Broadway in March!

Books Read (with Analysis; high recommendations bolded)
1. To Draw Closer to God, Henry B Eyring. This is a collection of talks from Elder Eyring, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone. It has changed the way I listen during Sacrament meeting talks, and has made me less of a hater.
2. Peter the Great (kid’s book), Diane Stanley. Brief intro to Peter the Great. I didn’t have it in me to read a 1000-page biography.
3. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter, Robert K Massie. Gobs of interesting stories about the murder of Nicholas II and his family, the DNA analysis done to find the bodies, and the story of Anna Anderson.
4. The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Gary M Hamburg. Actually, this was a book-on-tape lecture series, but it gave a great overview of Soviet Russia; perfect for culture studying.
5. A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev, Mark Steinburg. Another lecture series, and another recommendation if you want to learn more about Russian history. I knew very little about the history of Russia before this year, and listening to this series helped me learn a lot in a short amount of time.
6. The Help, Kathryn Stockett. I loved this book, as did millions of others. Very entertaining and engaging.
7. Nicholas Nickleby, Charles Dickens. I had a goal to read a Dickens novel this year and I’m glad I chose this one. I love the Douglas McGrath movie adaptation, so there’s always the worry that the book will ruin the movie for me, but it didn’t happen. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, but also very touching and moving at others.
8. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Wow, this book engrossed me. I dated a guy a while back who was always stuck in his head the way Rodya was, and so therefore I pictured him throughout the book. I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s dark, certainly, but not just that. Ugh! I can’t think of the words! As my introduction to Russian literature, this book kicked the thing off with a bang.
9. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde. My old roommate SJ read this book several years ago and liked it, and I was intrigued by the plot (a literary detective enters books to catch criminals). I liked it, but didn’t love it. I may pick up the next book in the series if I’m stumped for something to read. It was a good beach read.
10. Right Ho, Jeeves, PJ Wodehouse. I frickin’ love the Jeeves books. I need to start carrying a scrap of paper with me when reading them so I can copy down the tasty early 20th century phrases and incorporate them into daily usage. Light and frothy, these books are becoming my favorite beach books.
11. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender. Wow, I thought this story went off the rails at the end. I joked to Sir William, who read it shortly after me, that the song “On Your Way” by Chris Ayer contains a spoiler for the book (“Somewhere there’s a desk chair with your name on it”). I had more fun saying that to him than I had reading the book.
12. 10 Days That Shook the World, John Reed. A play-by-play account of the October Revolution. A bit difficult to follow at times. I still don’t totally understand the context of the Revolution, which doesn’t help.
13. Nicholas and Alexandra, Robert K Massie. Classic biography of the last Romanov monarch. I’d recommend it if you’re into him, but it’s long.
14. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. I liked this well enough, but not as much as Crime and Punishment. I actively disliked both Anna and Vronsky, but it sounds like maybe I’m supposed to. In which case, Tolstoy succeeded with me. I may give War and Peace a try at some point, but I think I’ll knock out another Dostoevsky first.
15. Blink, Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm Gladwell is always really interesting. This book is about how our brain works quicker than we can comprehend, and how sometimes it’s okay to rely on a snap judgment or gut reaction, because it’s possible our brain processed the information faster than we could think out and analyze.
16. A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby. I didn’t like this as much as Juliet, Naked, but the characters were compelling and realistic (if occasionally infuriating).
17. Gunn’s Golden Rules, Tim Gunn. I just love love love Tim Gunn. He has opinions and he’s not afraid to share them. Anybody out there who is fake-nice to people need to read this book, because he clearly differentiates the difference between fake-nice and real-nice.

TV Shows I Started Watching
New Girl
Downton Abbey (season two can’t come fast enough!)

Non-pop-cultury post coming soon...