Dear World Awards 2K11

Hello everyone! Now that we are a few weeks into the new year, I have gotten a little reflective. I have realized that most of the posts that we have on the blog fall under the category of “rants”, but I wanted to make this post a “rave”. I have been looking back on 2011 and thinking about all of the great things that have happened in the last 365 days. Most of these things have been chronicled by JP and I in this blog as they are happening, but I would like to break down my favorite things (in the world of pop culture) from the past year in this post, and we will call it the First Annual D3arW0rld Awards.

Here is the criteria for the awards – it’s just the things that I loved from the past year. Simple enough right? If I liked it, and it came out in 2011, it is in the running for an award. So without further ado….let’s dive into the D3arW0rld Awards for 2011.

Best Movie

Although I don’t go out to the movie theatre (you see that, I spelled theatre with an “re” – this is a CLASSY blog) that often anymore – when I saw that there was going to be a new Muppets movie, I just knew I had to see it on the big screen and couldn’t wait for it to find it’s way into my Netflix queue. I walked into the theater and my expectations were as high as the soda prices (so you are telling me I can get 55 ounces of orange drink for $8?) because I had such fond memories of Kermit and friends from my childhood. Luckily…the new Muppets movie did not disappoint because it stuck to everything that made the original Muppet show and Muppet movies so great – a simple plot, funny and relatable characters, cheesy “clean” jokes, and entertaining song and dance numbers (particularly the “Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet?” number…a question a lot of us have asked ourselves, no doubt). Jason Segel and Amy Adams to a great job blending in with their puppet co-stars, and there are even some fun cameos along the way. This was a movie that you walked out of grinning from ear-to-ear. Now…I’m patiently waiting for it to show up in my Netflix queue so I can watch it again. The Muppets take down the award for best movie of 2011.

Honorable Mention: Rise of the Planet of the Apes -Surprisingly a very good popcorn movie. Stick around through the end credits…it’s worth it.

Best Album

Pickin’ Up The Pieces by Fitz and the Tantrums

I stumbled upon a song the song “Money Grabber” by Fitz and the Tantrums at a friend’s party one night. Their sound was undeniably retro, but very much their own. I immediately downloaded the album when I got home that night. Their throwback musicality coupled with Fitz’s soulful voice (a dead ringer for Daryl Hall at times sonically), makes Pickin’ Up the Pieces enjoyable from beginning to end – and it actually gets better with repeat listens. I really love the Motown/throwback sound revival that has been going on in music lately and Fitz and the Tantrums are at the forefront of that. I never thought I would choose an album that doesn’t feature the guitar as my album of the year, but this one fitz (see what I did there?) the bill. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Honorable Mention: MMG Presents: Self Made, Vol. 1 – Admittedly this album isn’t for everyone (and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t intended for me), but somehow Maybach Music had a permanent spot in my CD changer all summer. I have come to terms with the fact that I enjoy Rick Ross if he only does a featured verse or hook, and that is all he does on this album – leaving all the lyrical heavy lifting to the super dexterous Wale. Plus…who doesn’t get amped listening to “Tupac Back”?

Best TV Show

Over the last couple of years my girlfriend has been trying to get me to watch the show Lost. I have always refused and said to her, “I will watch that show when there are dinosaurs on that island!’. Well…a lot of things went on on that Lost island, but none of them were dinosaurs. Thankfully, someone at Fox heard my pleas (or just really wanted to see dinosaurs on TV too) and made the show Terra Nova – and it gets my pick as my favorite show of this year. The plot follows a family that has to travel back in time because Earth is currently too polluted to be inhabited anymore. They go back to Terra Nova, which also happens to be during the time of…you guessed it…the dinosaurs! The first season of this show was full of action, intrigue, and the aforementioned scaly animals. Sure, some of the plot lines did get a little melodramatic, but all in all each episode left you on a hanging and wanting to know more about what was going on in the colony of Terra Nova. Hopefully Fox will renew this show for another season, because I definitely think the inhabitants of Terra Nova have a lot more stories to tell.

Honorable mention: The League – this fantasy football-centric comedy on FX just keeps getting better with each season. Watch an episode or two and tell me you don’t see some of your friends in the characters. As an added bonus, you don’t even have to be interested in fantasy football to enjoy the show…it’s just plain funny (most of the dialogue is ad-libbed Curb Your Enthusiasm-style).

Best Videogame

2011 was a PHENOMENAL year for gaming. In fact, it was one of those years where there were so many great games made that you had to budget your time and money, because there was no way you would be able to play all of them. I am an XBOX 360 guy, so I can’t speak to some of the PS3 and Wii exclusive titles, but my choice for game of the year is….

Arkham City was the much anticipated follow-up to Batman: Arkham Asylum, a game that was really good in it’s own right (and bucked the trend of movie licensed videogames being garbage). Arkham City shows no signs of a sophomore slump, in fact it comes back bigger, better, and funner (yeah, I said funner) than the original. The map to explore is more open and gives you more freedom. There are more villains with their own story lines that you come across in the game, and there are oh so many collectibles and puzzles that will keep you coming back for more long after you have finished the main storyline. The cutscenes and voice acting are superb in this game as well, if you were just glancing at the screen while someone was playing you may actually think they are watching a Batman movie. But the best things about Batman: Arkham City….you ARE Batman. A good videogame makes you feel like you are the hero, and this one does just that. You can sneak around and single out enemies with your massive cache of gadgets (batarangs, smoke pellets, and grappling hooks, oh my!), or just take them on in hand-to-hand combat – whichever route you choose, you will undeniably feel like a badass as you make your way around Arkham City. You’re Batman after all….isn’t that the way it should be?

Honorable Mention: Gears of War 3 – Epic Games wrapped up the Gears trilogy so very nicely this year. The series came to a nice close, and the adventure in getting there was as massive and action-packed as ever. Throw in a revamped multiplayer mode with dedicated servers, a new upgraded Horde Mode with tower defense like fortifications, and a Horde Mode in reverse called Beast Mode (you play as the aliens instead of the soldiers), and you have a ton of bang for you gaming buck. Oh yeah…and there’s chainsaw machine guns, what’s not to love?

There you have it folks….the first annual D3ar W0rld awards. I hope you enjoyed it. If there is anything that I learned personally from writing this it is that I am a 26-year old man-child (Batman, Dinosaurs, Muppets, YAAAAAAHHHH!!!!), but I am pretty much OK with that. If you want to sound off on what your favorite things are or would like to see some categories added to the awards, give us some love in comments section.

Take care,

BK