My Favourite Things of 2013

Can you believe there’s only a few weeks left of 2013? You know what that means: time for a recap!

Before I do my personal Year In Review, I like to do a round up of my favourite things of the year including books, music, and more. I know, I know, usually they each have their own post, but I’m a mom now and don’t have time for such things. So let’s get down to business.

ALBUMS:

Atoms For Peace – Amok

Lorde – Pure Herione

Grouplove – Spreading Rumours

Diarrhea Planet – I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

Speedy Ortiz – Major Arcana

Baths – Obsidian

Nick Cave – Push the Sky Away

Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks

On And On – Give In

Young Magic – Melt

BOOKS (not necessarily released in 2013, just read in 2013):

Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan

Tell the Wolves I’m Home – Carol Rifka Brunt

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt

Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple

FILMS:

Blue Jasmine

Happy

Sound City

This Is The End

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

(Note: In my opinion, this year’s offering of movies was pretty dismal. I’m guessing my actual favourite movie of the year is still to come. Possibly Anchorman 2 or Her.)

TV:

Mad Men

30 Rock (for the series finale alone, which made me cry. Why did it have to end at all?!?)

Breaking Bad (ditto, minus the tears.)

Louie

Arrested Development

House Of Cards

Girls

Big Bang Theory

Orange Is The New Black

BLOGS/WEBSITES:

A Cup Of Jo

Mind Body Green

Bunnyfood

Swiss Miss

New York Times

Refinery 29

Humor Train

The Grand Budapest Hotel

After the sad news yesterday that Kumar Pallana had passed away at the age of 94, we get some good Wes Anderson-related news today. The gorgeous movie poster for Anderson’s next film is here and so is the trailer! Watch it NOW! My eyes are already salivating for its 2014 release.

And if you have a moment, read about Kumar Pallana’s amazing life. I only knew that he worked at a coffee shop in Texas and that’s where he was befriended and cast in movies by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, but there’s so much more!

 

There’s always money in the banana stand

Part of Arrested Development’s debut on Netflix streaming includes clever marketing events like this Frozen Banana Stand that is traveling across the country. The stand was giving away free chocolate-covered frozen bananas and supposedly the actors from the show were supposed to be hanging around.

Unfortunately, when Annie and I got there at 3:00, we waited in an enormous line for about 25 minutes then they ran out of bananas.

Womp womp. But that’s okay – all I really wanted was a photo with the stand and to check out the scene…

…It was also easy to cheer ourselves up with a visit to the Magnolia Bakery across the street.

Arrested Development Returns

I believe that Arrested Development, like Freaks and Geeks, was a show that was too ahead of its time to succeed. It was so clever and so funny that TV bosses believed it to be too complicated and involved to keep the audience’s attention. We’ve come a long way since then and demand much more of our television, so I just can’t wait to see what Arrested Development’s season four has in store for us. Time to figure out my Netflix streaming!

Also: Are you a Binge-Viewer?

Sound City

I’ve come along way from being that music-obsessed teenager; who spent all her spare time playing in a band, listening to music, and filling up video tapes with music videos recorded from MuchMusic. I wanted to go to every concert, despite being under age and not having any money. I was pretty one dimensional back then, but I’ve since developed other loves like yoga and photography, even love for cities like New York, Toronto, and Paris.

However, music will always be my first love. And that’s why while watching the new documentary Sound City on Saturday afternoon, I got chills. You can’t explain to other people, just why music is so important, they just have to get it themselves. This movie, a brainchild of Dave Grohl (who is clearly good at EVERYTHING), is by music lovers, about music lovers, for music lovers. If you’re a music lover, you have got to watch it.

Obviously, you should watch this in a theatre with a good sound system, but if it’s not an option, you can buy it online.

Goodbye, Liz Lemon

After seven years of making me laugh on a weekly basis, 30 Rock is ending. Tina Fey’s masterpiece (yes, I think it deserves that title) and my blog’s namesake will have a one hour season finale tomorrow night. Only a few TV shows have made me laugh in a way that 30 Rock did; including Arrested Development and The Simpsons in the mid-90s. I will really miss this show.

There’s nothing left to do but drown your sorrows in some classic 30 Rock moments on Youtube, and join me (physically or via text message) tomorrow night in watching the series finale at 8:00.

Chocolate chocolate chocolate ack!

Happy Valentine’s, no one:

Jerry Seinfeld:

Night cheese:

P.S. did anyone else almost tear up last week when Kenneth became President of NBC and Liz adopted mini Tracy & Jennas? No? Just Me? G.D., I love that show.

Tina vs Twitter

I don’t hate Twitter, but I do agree with Tina Fey that having to get a license to have a Twitter account ain’t a bad idea. And yes, please hire her to be the one to grade the tests when she’s finished with 30 Rock (sad face).

Also for you Twitter n00bs:

• A Crash Course In Twitter
• Mom, This Is How Twitter Works

My Favourite Movies Of 2012

Ahhhh! It’s already 2013 and I have one lingering Top List of 2012 left! I’ve also had just four hours of sleep and just flew in from Paris, so without too much witty banter and commentary, here is my list of favourite movies of the past year.

The Dark Knight Rises

Nick and I have been waiting for this movie for four years. FOUR YEARS. Although it wasn’t quite as good as The Dark Knight, it was really good with the best ending of a movie I can remember.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

I loved this book so much that I was a bit nervous to watch the movie. (After last year’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close disaster, I had every right to be weary!) But happily, they did a great job turning this story into a film. It also helped that I went with two great girls who were also fans of the book.

Moonrise Kingdom

I love everything and anything Wes Anderson does. I practically have an entire part of my blog dedicated to his work. While Moonrise Kingdom didn’t compare to his last movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, it was still a great departure into a beautiful vintage island world.

Argo

There’s a reason this post was late – I was waiting to see all of the movies I had a feeling would be fantastic and Nick and I just saw Argo last night in Paris! While Argo made me so anxious I had to remember to breathe during the more suspenseful scenes, it was thoroughly enjoyable and a seriously interesting true story with a great shout out to Canadians. I wish I would have learned about this in school!

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino is another one of my favourite directors who I think can do no wrong. Django is seriously violent, with paying homage to his older movies like Kill Bill (swoon), but with a bit less exaggerated long dialogue (unlike Death Proof). I’m so glad he gave Christoph Waltz another role so he could play the good guy this time.

Goon

Definitely the oddball of my movie picks this year. Nick and I got tickets to the opening of this in NYC, which sounds like a big deal, but was pretty small and intimate. A few of the actors were there, along with parents of the producer who actually helped pay for the movie. They spoke about shooting it in Manitoba before the movie and Nick got to have a fanboy moment over Seann William Scott. Really though, this one is just great for some dumb laughs, while also feeling very patriotic ;)

Also:

• My Favourite TV Shows of 2012
• My Favourite Books of 2012
• My Favourite Records of 2012

My Favourite TV Shows Of 2012

TV was good in 2012! It seemed that once a show ended for the season, another one would start. Nick and I love having our nights, especially Sundays, to hang out on the couch and watch our favourite shows. Here are mine from the past year:

MAD MEN

Season 5 was the best yet! I just finished re-watching it and caught even more subtleties and underlying themes the second time. Seriously powerful and amazingly written television.

THE WALKING DEAD

Another AMC show that finally hit its stride. Season 3 of The Walking Dead was the best one yet. The character development has hit a peak and now the serious action and story can begin. The mid-season finale had me so worked up, I couldn’t go to bed afterwards!

30 ROCK

Ahhh, 30 Rock. My humour-twin. Sadly, this is the show’s final season, but I find comfort knowing it will end before it jumps the shark.

THE NEWSROOM

A great first season of this new HBO show. Sure, it’s a little corny and not completely realistic, but the way they tell stories based around news events from the recent past is very smart. Plus you gotta love its optimism. Looking forward to season 2.

LOUIE

Louis CK’s show definitely found a different way to entertain in its third season. He has ditched the pure offensive, shocking, and silly humour for something more. Many of the shows are comments on life and humanity. The season finale actually made me tear up. A pretty huge departure from the first two seasons.

GIRLS

Another great new HBO show! Nick and I loved to watch this, almost through our fingers, laughing along and being extremely grateful that we are in our thirties and married and no longer have to deal with some of the insane, but realistic, shit that young people in cities go through growing up.

THE BIG BANG THEORY

The silliest guilty pleasure of the year. For a year, BBT would pop up on our TV, syndicated on TBS, Fox, and every other network with sitcoms. We’d always change the channel, until we just didn’t. We gave in and now Nick and I love this show, often watching it to wind down before bed on weeknights. If you were a fan of Roseanne, That 70’s Show, or Scrubs, you have to give it a chance.

Bricks and Mortar

Cancer Bats‘ new video makes my heart happy. These hilarious headbangers proudly show off their favourite Toronto restaurants, venues, and shops like Town Moto, Lee’s Palace, The Horseshoe, Bikes On Wheels, Sneaky Dees, Honest Ed’s, Suspect Video, and Sonic Boom. Consider this your guide to Toronto, courtesy of Cancer Bats.

There couldn’t have been a more perfect video for a song called “Bricks and Mortar”!