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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Best and Worst of 2011

The+Best+and+Worst+of+2011

Bests:

1. The World Spins On – Harold Camping chalks it up to bad math.

Either way, the world did not end as predicted on May 21, nor did it end on his revised prediction: Oct. 21. Whew! We dodged that one, but as any quick Google search for “end of the world” will tell you, humanity lives to die another day. The ancient Mayans and Roland Emmerich are banking on Dec. 21, 2012, begging the question: What’s wrong with the 21st of every month?

2. A decade remembered – The 9/11 Memorial opened in New York City on Sept. 11, 2011, in a ceremony for families of the victims. The following day, it was opened to the public. Located where the Twin Towers once stood, the Memorial is inscribed with names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the World Trade Center attacks on both Sept. 11 and Feb. 26, 1993. The stunning  memorial is a solemn, yet beautiful, reminder of the international tragedy, 10 years later.

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3. Cards Get No. 11 in ’11 – Even the best fans in baseball could not have seen it coming. Out 10.5 games with one month left in the regular season, Tony LaRussa rallied the troops, led by Chris Carpenter, Lance Berkman and MVP David Freese, to mount a comeback for the history books. The energy was infectious. Some say Game 6 was the best the World Series has ever seen. Others call the 2011 Cards the worst team to ever win the World Series. Either way: “What a team! What a ride!”

4. Oprah and Regis go off the air – Between Oprah Winfrey and Regis Philbin, more than 50 years of TV time has passed and, finally, these tallies have come to a close. We might miss Oprah’s free-car giveaways and, well, whatever can possibly be missed from “Live!”, but we hope that 2012 will bring hosts that are a bit more likable.

Let’s overlook the fact that Oprah so graciously stepped-down from her hosting job to run her own cable channel.

5. Charlie Sheen gets the ax – When it was all said and done, the only person still amused by Charlie Sheen’s antics in 2011 was the mighty warlock himself. After eight years on the sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” Sheen was fired, replaced and his character killed off (ouch). Those interested in Sheen’s latest mishaps can hop on Twitter, as he currently holds the Guinness World Record for “Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers.” Bi . . . -winning?

6. The Return of Woody Allen – While he never really disappeared– writing and directing at least one film per year every year since 1981– Woody Allen was producing work with inconsistent and moderate success. But “Midnight in Paris” was an absolute feast. I know, it is not “Annie Hall” or “Manhattan,” but “Midnight in Paris” resembles the Allen of the 1980s and is one of the year’s best comedies, even with Owen Wilson as the lead.

7. A true Cinderella story – Disney dreams came true when commoner Catherine “Kate” Middleton and Prince William wed. Most importantly, the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting introduced reforms that will now allow first-born female children the same succession rights as their male counterparts. Hail to the Queen!

8. LeBron Loses – LeBron James’ 2010 ESPN special entitled “The Decision” announced that he would leave his hometown of Cleveland, Oh., and play for Miami, Fla., completing a dream team that includes Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. But all the Heat’s money and all the Heat’s men could not bring the trophy to Miami, when the Dallas Mavericks restored everyone’s faith in the NBA– pre-lockout, that is.

9. Beyoncé debuts a new bump – The unlikely romance of Beyoncé and bad boy Jay-Z has been a constant subject of media speculation, culminating with B’s VMA performance and the revelation that, after three years of marriage, the couple was expecting their first child together. Viewers could not help but share in the bliss of the moment when cameras cut to Jay-Z, beaming as he accepted an enthusiastic “Congratulations!” from pal Kanye West.

10. Social networking gets Pinteresting – Amid the constant layout changes and hacking scandals of Facebook, two heroes have emerged: Pinterest and Google+. While Pinterest serves as a haven for crafters, Google+ looms in the distance, slowly gaining membership until that fateful day when it will do to Facebook what Facebook did to MySpace. Keep an eye out for these two.

Worsts:  

1. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” – Friday was everyone’s favorite day of the week– until this YouTube terror was unleashed. All of the autotune in the world cannot help Black, whose shockingly painful lyrics about riding on a school bus and eating cereal make the overall sound quality offensive to all five senses. Since her 15 minutes of fame, Black has chosen to dwindle down the path of homeschooling, and we are praying she won’t lead an assault on any other days of the week in her spare time.

2. Parting is such sweet sorrow – The year 2011 saw the loss of British songstress Amy Winehouse, 28, humanitarian actress Elizabeth Taylor, 79, and Apple tycoon Steve Jobs, 56, among others. Suffice it to say that each of these three persons, in their varying walks of life, made the world a better and more enjoyable place— Gone but not forgotten.

3. Farewell, Michael Scott – Saying good-bye is never easy, especially when it is to TV’s most lovable buffoon. Before his seven-year stint on the workplace satire “The Office,” Steve Carell was a lowly correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Now, Carell’s name is synonymous with the sitcom, and Michael Scott will likely be remembered as one of TV’s greatest characters– inappropriate, socially maladjusted and, yet, oddly human. Carell always left viewers smiling and satisfied. That’s what she said.

4. Sequels, Remakes, Comic Books and 3D – It seems that every summer brings with it scores of uninspired, blockbuster popcorn flicks. From May to August, the multiplex teemed with the latest installment of another cash-cow franchise, be it “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” or “Transformers.” These films are so full of fluff that not even 3D, the ultimate gimmick, can inspire life in deadbeat characters and flat storylines. Our favorite characteristic of this ADHD-induced zeitgeist: the disclaimer “also playing in 2D.”

5. Ashton to the rescue – It can definitely be said that Charlie Sheen, in all his tacky, drugged-up glory, is irreplaceable. Keeping this in mind, we’re still not sure what Warner Brothers saw in “That ‘70s Show” clown Ashton Kutcher that deemed him worthy of the leading man role— but the longer his hair and his beard go untrimmed, the more we resent that decision. Will someone get the man a razor for Christmas, please?

6. Barefoot running shoes emerge – It was difficult to fathom any sort of footwear that would dethrone Shape-Ups and Crocs as the reigning “Ugliest Shoes In The World,” and then barefoot running shoes came along. Ever wished you were born as a platypus? You’re in luck! With just one purchase, you can transform human feet into flippers. Some fashion sacrifices are worth making –  to look not completely out of place in the Animal Kingdom.

7. Kim K. makes a “dash” – After just 72 days of marriage, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from hubby Kris Humphries. Talk about cheapening the institution, already tarnished by Vegas weddings and, well, celebrities. Humphries is currently seeking to have the marriage annulled on account of fraud (and that other sister is pregnant again), ,so don’t expect the media to get tired of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” anytime soon.

8. New Nickelback Album Is “Here and Now” – While Creed dragged itself finally into oblivion, the Canadian pseudo-metal rock band Nickelback continues to grunt and croon songs that sound strikingly the same: absolutely terrible. Critics unsurprisingly continue to lambast the rock band, but this time, even faithful fans are growing weary of hearing ballads about drugs, sex, prostitutes, drugs and sex.

9. R.I.P. in the Animal Kingdom – This year the Eastern Cougar and the Western Black Rhinoceros were declared extinct, passing away due to complications from poaching. In lieu of flowers, the bereaved Animal Kingdom has asked that donations be made to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

10. Netflix Crash and Burn – With more than 23 million subscribers, the online film streaming and renting service was growing at an unpredictable rate. That is, until it announced its newest price hikes, alienating its most populated fan base: poor college students. Netflix has announced a plan to expand into TV programming, but will the dramatic series change the way we watch television, or sink the company once and for all?

 

 

 

 

 

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