Let’s face it: if we’re reading this site, it’s because we all love pop culture. Movies, TV, books, music… there’s a ton of it out there, and like chipper little Pac-Men we chomp our ways dutifully through as much of it as we can stomach — both good and bad. But with this being the last week before the end of 2010 (and really, 2010… don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out), it’s probably a good time to check out a handful of really wonderful things that may have accidentally slipped beneath your radar this year.
BEST BOOK YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Half Baked by Alexa Stevenson
Yes, Alexa Stevenson is a MamaPop writer. Yes, she’s a damned good one. Yes, it seems kind of self-serving to put a book by a MamaPop writer on a MamaPop list of great books. All of which would seem extremely fishy were it not for the fact that Half Baked is an honest-to-god fantastic read. Detailing her struggles with in vitro, her painfully funny journey through pregnancy and, at last – and to incredible emotional effect – the birth and subsequent long, terrifying NICU experience of her preemie daughter, Alexa Stevenson strikes an extraordinary balance between her trenchant (often hysterically so) sense of humor and her dry-eyed account of the ongoing traumas her daughter (and, by extension, Alexa and her husband) faced during the first long months of her life. It’s not by any stretch an easy thing to accomplish as a writer, and the fact that I – a guy who doesn’t normally go for this kind of stuff – was so moved by what I read is a testimonial to just how effectively the book works. Do yourself a favor and check this out. I promise: you won’t regret it.
BEST SONG YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Castaways by Shearwater
Shearwater is a very difficult animal to pin down and describe. Amazon describes Jonathan Meiburg’s songs as “mindblowingly beautiful, dense and ambitious excursions” — and this year’s The Golden Archipelago is no exception. The album as a whole covers an emotional spectrum (and musical range) that demands a far broader audience than it has (thus far) obtained… but one song above all caught my ear this year: Castaways. Blending Meiburg’s brilliant, obtuse lyrics (“By shadowing / all the darkened fields / of forgotten words / and civilian lives”) and intricate, unusual musicality, the song is both hummable and deeply, profoundly moving: an achievement the likes of which far better-known musicians would do well to aspire towards.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpVHECZppdU[/youtube]
BEST TV PERFORMANCE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Peter Serafinowicz as Fa’ad in Running Wilde
I realize I may be the only person in American who not only watches this show religiously but who also enjoys it thoroughly, but what can I say? It’s funny. And while it may not have (yet) achieved the dizzying heights of its obvious spiritual forefather Arrested Development, it’s still got a lot to offer — and the performance of Peter Serafinowicz as Will Arnett’s absurdly wealthy, stunningly dumb and profoundly clueless next door neighbor Fa’ad is well-deserving of a moment in the spotlight. It’s not an exaggeration to say this guy absolutely destroys me every episode. Please, FOX… give Wilde a chance!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXKJ1AZBcMk[/youtube]
BEST MOVIE PERFORMANCE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Woody Harrelson in 2012
Okay… you probably didn’t miss this, and even if you did miss it in theaters chances are you’ve seen it during its 6x/daily showings on the pay cable station of your choice. But I didn’t see it until it came out on DVD earlier this year, and while the film as a whole is just a grotesque parody of all that is good and pure in the world – John Cusack: I’ve seen Armageddon…. I know Armageddon… John Cusack, THIS IS NO ARMAGEDDON – its single most redeeming quality is the full-on batshit crazy performance of Woody Harrelson (who also did fine work in the infinitely better Zombieland) as the whacked-out survivalist dude living on top of a mountain in Yosemite with an unhealthy attachment to large, phallic pickles, a profound deathwish and – oh, yeah – he’s the only one who actually sees the end of the world coming. That’s good Woody, right there.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzMHl4EZw-c[/youtube]
BEST REALITY TV MOMENT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Undercover Boss
Three words, people. Accidental. Fecal. Release. God help us all.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InPUFS3Ql48[/youtube]
• • •
So: gentle readers… what else slipped under most people’s radars this year? Infotain us, please!
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