13 Favorite Things of 2013: #6-1

Welcome back! If you visited le blog last week, you'll know that this is the second half of my end-of-the-year extravaganza, where I count down my favorites this year in books, TV, movies, and beyond. If you're just now visiting, feel free to read last week's post before scrolling any further!

I must admit, making this list was a tough but exciting experience. There were a few surprises, and I had to make some things were sacrificed to the Honorable Mention heap for the sake of others. And now, here we go...

6. Orphan Black

This gem was one of those surprises mentioned above. All year I'd heard about how great this series--which airs on BBC America--is, and after searching high and low for it, I finally broke down and bought the first season a few weeks ago. After binge-watching all 10 episodes quite recently, I fully understand the hype. The show centers on a young woman named Sarah who, after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her, takes said woman's identity and begins to live her life. Then Sarah meets another woman who looks exactly like her. And another. And another. Yep, that's right: Clones! It sounds wacky and confusing, but it's great fun. The best part has to be Tatiana Maslany, the lead actress who takes on the task of playing up to FIVE different characters, with their own unique personalities and mannerisms, in a single episode.

That's right: All those women are the same woman. No tricks, no gimmicks. Just one great actress. Her talent alone is reason enough to get hooked on this show, so get to work on Season 1 before Season 2 starts in April!

5. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I raved about this book already in a previous post, so I'll tone it down a bit here. But if you love the idea of superheroes, friendships and sisterhood gone terribly awry, and chocolate milk, than this is the book for you. Go read this great book!

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Man, isn't that poster amazing?!? So amazing, in fact, that I bought a shirt with its likeness on it:

Anyway, I couldn't have been happier with the second adaptation of Suzanne Collins' thrilling trilogy. An amazingly faithful script, great visuals and direction, and most importantly, great acting all around. Seriously, Jennifer Lawrence is on another level. Who else got chills watching her, as Katniss, react to the revelation that *SPOILER* she would have to go back into the arena for another Hunger Games? The movie was well worth the nearly two-year wait, and even though I'm still not convinced that MOCKINGJAY needs to split into two films, I'm not against the idea of sticking around in this world a little while longer.

3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Guys. Guys. This was a tough one for me to let go. I'd strongly preferred Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy over her Mortal Instruments series ever since reading the first installment, Clockwork Angel. So when I picked up this long-awaited final installment back in March, I knew letting go would be hard. Then I started reading, and yep...so hard to let go! Those last 70 pages tore. Me. Up. I'll miss Tessa, Will, and Jem, but damn, did Clare write an ending that was not only definite, but wholly and completely satisfying. Hands-down my favorite book I read this year.

2. Yours Truly, Ariana Grande

While everyone else this year seemed to be enamored with Miley and her tongue, I was all about Ariana and her voice. She had a top 10 hit earlier this year with "The Way", a catchy tune you may have heard and, if you're anything like me, thought: Mariah Carey has a new song? I kinda like it! Alas, it was not Ms. Carey who made my ears perk; it was Ms. Grande, and thankfully I was just getting introduced to her extraordinary talent. I had the great fortune to attend a concert of hers back in August, days shy of the release of her debut album. And let me tell you this girl has a voice, both in the studio and on the stage. Then I bought the album and fell even more in love. I literally love every song on this album, something I feel happens very rarely, even for the best of artists. Ariana brings it with each song, especially on "Baby I", one of my favorites on the album:



Other favorites on the album for me include "Piano", "Popular Song", and "Almost is Never Enough". But seriously, on a disc this amazing and a voice this strong, all of the songs are worth listening to. Please, if you do one last thing this year, let it be listening to and buying this album!!

1. American Horror Story

Okay, so if you've read this blog before (or follow me on Twitter/have me as a friend on Facebook), then you know how my love for this freaky little show knows no bounds. Especially the current season, Coven, which I've written about here before and will likely write about again soon. My glee over watching the likes of Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Emma Roberts dig into each other has taken me through the last third of this year, but it was the conclusion of last season's incarnation, Asylum, that brought me into 2013 literally singing:



To me, AHS is much like a catchy song: It gets stuck in my head, more so with each time I revisit it. Whether it's a visit to a particularly haunted house, a descent into an insane asylum, or a stroll down Bourbon Street with some New Orleans witches, I enjoy my time in these dark yet fully-realized worlds. With a talented and ever-growing cast anchored by the brilliant Jessica Lange, new stories and characters every year relieve the audience of any unforeseen creative slumps, American Horror Story was my favorite thing of the year. A supreme achievement for all involved, a supreme treat for me and all the other lucky viewers. If you're not one of them, you should be.

And there's my list for the year! Of course, these aren't the only things I loved this year. There was Monsters University, Lady Gaga's ARTPOP, Allegiant, the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (which I'm thisclose to finishing), and then this hilarious twerking video that I can't help but share:



And yes, I do know this video was a hoax. That doesn't make it not hilarious!

Anyway, I hope you had fun reading/watching this list. Also, thank you for everyone who's read my posts this year! It really means a lot, and I hope that you all stick around with me as we go into 2014. Happy New Year!!

Dustin

13 Favorite Things of 2013: #13-7

With 2013 coming to a close, I decided I wanted to do a special post. Instead of reflecting on my own life this year, how 2013 has changed me as a person and blah, blah, blah, I wanted to have a bit of fun. Which is why I bring you My 13 Favorite Things of 2013, a descending list of my favorite pop culture related moments of the year nearly past. As you can see from the title, this post covers the first half of the list. I hope you like it!


13. "We Can't Stop" spoof by Shane Dawson



I've been a huge fan of Shane Dawson and his videos for years now, but it had been a while since he'd let out a truly great video. I found myself coming back to to this hilarious and completely accurate spoof of Miley Cyrus's bombastic music video for her song "We Can't Stop" many times this year (including now, as I write this post). Shane captured everything that was disturbingly wrong with the original video and made it disturbingly right here, creating what I believe to be a digital classic. Disclaimer: The clip itself is pretty extreme and grossly inappropriate, so if crass and vulgar humor isn't your thing, I probably wouldn't watch!

12. Booktalk with Christine Riccio



It's no secret that I'm a huge book lover, so imagine my joy when I came across this gal's YouTube channel. Christine's very in-depth reviews of some of my favorite books and movies (don't watch the above video if you've haven't seen/read Catching Fire!) are totally relatable and most of the time accurate. Her larger-than-life personality may seem annoying and over-dramatic to some, but to me it's funny, impassioned, and authentic. With each video of hers I watch, I ask myself the same question: How are we not best friends?!?

11. Nicki Minaj on American Idol

Being a big Nicki fan long before her short-lived stint on Idol, I was definitely excited to see what one of my favorite artists would bring to the judging table. And for me, Nicki delivered. People can gripe all they want about Nicki not having enough "talent" to be a judge on singing competition show, place all the blame on her for the ongoing feud between her and Mariah Carey, but Ms. Minaj brought a fresh dose of life to a waning show. She didn't sugar-coat her critiques or dance around the idea that a contestant gave a bad performance; she told it like it was every week, good or bad, and I shake my head at anyone who dismisses her solely because of the way she looks or what genre of music she performs. Yes, Nicki did have some sass:

But there were also a decent amount of class most failed to recognize:

10. The Diviners by Libba Bray

Okay, so this book was technically published in 2012, but since I didn't read it until this year and this is my post, I'll do what I want!, I'm deeming it eligible for this list. Bray's 600-page series starter takes evil spirits, the occult, and teenage psychics and throws them all in the rich atmosphere of 1920s New York. It's the book I didn't know I wanted, a mammoth of a treat that was simply divine.

9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Since I already wrote a review of this book in a previous post, I won't go too in-depth here. Just know that this is a subtle, sweet story of first love that will leave you both happy and longing for the days when life's problems were as simple as a first kiss.

8. The 2013 Oscars

I love films, and I especially love the award shows that honor the best of films. Sue me. I don't think it was until this year's Oscars, though, that I thoroughly enjoyed this yearly 3-hour broadcast in its entirety. From the surprise performances to the Trip Seen 'Round the World, I found myself grateful that I'd chosen to tune in real-time. It also helped that the films honored were some of the best I'd seen in quite some time, and while Argo definitely wasn't my Best Picture of the Year, the Academy got the acting honors right: I jumped for joy and sighed with relief when Anne Hathaway won for her career-best performance in Les Miserables, beamed as Jennifer Lawrence made her one-of-a-kind march for her trophy, and nodded my approval when that golden chameleon Daniel Day-Lewis won gold for Lincoln. It was a great show, and I can only hope this year's will continue that tradition.

7. The Great Gatsby, film AND soundtrack

Reception to this year's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic was understandably divided. Some proclaimed the actors too dull in their roles, or cringed when they heard that Jay-Z song playing during the speakeasy scene. But to me, this film and its accompanying soundtrack sat well with me. As someone who loathed the sweaty hot mess (literally) 1974 adaptation of the novel, I felt this update breathed new life into the story. The chaotic party scenes were over-the-top and overwhelming to watch, but I loved that it made me feel that way, like I was a guest at one of Gatsby's parties. And besides being a great use of anachronism, having the likes of Fergie and Jay-Z belt out jazz-infused numbers amongst the 1920s hedonism worked well to modernize a story that captures an idea of greed and class that is unfortunately apparent today. I'd give the soundtrack another listen--a highlight for me is Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful." Maybe even give the film another try if you didn't like it so much the first time. I know Tobey Maguire's delivery of Nick's inner monologue is annoying--one minute he gives off the sass of Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls; the next, he sounds like an old man on his death bed--but if you look past that, you'll find a great, less perspiring film to enjoy.

And that's it for now! Check back next week for the second half, and let me know if you agree/disagree with the list so far. And what were your favorite things of 2013? Least favorite? Let me know here or on Twitter, @DustinVann!