2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: Top 2 Albums
1. My December, Kelly Clarkson – I pretty much think she’s the best singer ever, and My December is the 2nd-best album ever, after Breakaway. I like every song on this disc, and think all are worthier of topping the charts than 99.99% of today’s hit music. While the subject matter of the songs may be similar, giving the album cohesion, the sound, instrumentals, and vocals of the various songs vary quite a bit, making the album a rich, complex work of art. Highlights: Sober, Never Again, Haunted, Can I Have a Kiss, Irvine, Chivas, Dirty Little Secret
2. Blackout, Britney Spears – I was a little concerned when I heard the rough cuts of some of the songs. And I still maintain that “Get Naked” and “Perfect Lover” are a bit ruined by the male vocals, and they should have been cut in favor of some much better scrapped tracks. However, Britney earned her comeback. This album is the kind that can be replayed over and over and over…and was, for me, for awhile. Highlights: Gimme More, Piece of Me, Radar, Ooh Ooh Baby, Everybody
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: Singles 7 & 8
7. Hey There Delilah, Plain White T’s (1) (iTunes #9 Best Pop Song, iTunes #3 Download, Billboard #7
Mmm, beautiful and simple. Nice break from overproduction.
8. Gimme More, Britney Spears (3) (iTunes #50 Download, Billboard #94 Pop)
Go, Britney. You get that comeback, you. People went crazy when they heard this at parties, including me.
1. Truthfully, I only heard about American Apparel because the Serena van der Woodsen to my Dan Humphrey worked there. But their aesthetic is very close to mine…ok, at least for their shirts, sweaters, and jackets. Their weirdly sexualized ads and their weird ideas about what should go on the bottom half of a human body confound me. But their tops fit perfectly on me, and everything they have is so well-made and looks so good. Too bad they’re so overpriced, but…that’s what their incredibly rare sales are for.
2. H&M was originally to me an idealized idea of incredible fashion for incredibly low prices. Now that I’ve been there a few times…it’s kind of neither. But their stuff is relatively affordable, and they do have some really good stuff. The only thing is that the locations that I go to, at least, don’t have the most awesome stuff that I see online. Stupid place for not opening up shopping online. Still, I really like their jeans and they clearly do have awesome stuff, regardless of whether I can find it.
3. Aeropostale, on the other hand, was originally to me an idea of what down-market clothes that tried to be Abercrombie and failed miserably was like. However, that’s only because last year, freaking everyone wore clothes from the Abercrombie conglomerate, and also my best friend gave me this impression. Of course, he works at Abercrombie now and had wanted to for awhile, so he’s not really objective. While it is true that their stuff isn’t quite as good as Abercrombie’s, they have some really cute tops and jackets, as well as some really good sales which sort of broke my wallet. Which is a sign of their quality. Plus my weak will.
4. Hollister has better clothes than Abercrombie Kids, is cheaper than A&F, and doesn’t smell as toxic as A&F.
5. Abercrombie Kids has about the same price point as Hollister and the quality isn’t that different from A&F’s.
Runner-Up. Abercrombie & Fitch smells way too strong, and its clothes are only affordable when on clearance and sometimes not even then. That being said, the Abercrombie company overall I still like. It’s just that their insistence on emblazoning their logos all across their clothes makes me disinclined to buy those clothes, leaving me with generic-looking tops, great-looking outerwear I would never pay that much for, and jeans that I can never be sure about, regarding if they are worth the price.
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: TV Episodes 6-10
6. Victor/Victrola, Gossip Girl
- The end had a brilliant twist I wouldn’t have seen coming. Serena and Dan’s cuteness is kind of interesting, especially in the dream sequences. Jenny finishes her arc of awesomeness with an emotional big gesture.
7. The Handmaiden’s Tale, Gossip Girl
- The way that Serena breezily deals with Dan’s ineptness at being a boyfriend is refreshing. Vanessa is not as bad here as in other episodes, plus the ending with her and Dan is sweet and wonderfully scored. The way that Jenny both pwns someone and accidentally creates a scandalous twist – much like her idol Serena – is kinda great.
8. Dare Devil, Gossip Girl
- Jenny had her peak here; hopefully the scary, badass, bitch-in-training Jenny from this episode will return and reach new heights. Blair’s sleepover, ahem, soiree, is everything you’d expect from Blair, and the relish she has in the night’s festivities shows her genuinely happy…which is something that is too intermittent for her. Lily and Rufus start to show their sparkage. Also, I was glad that the Chuck/Nate pairing was off, as they bored the previous episode.
9. Papa’s Cabin, Veronica Mars
- Veronica Mars always resolves her big mysteries in such a way that you totally could solve them, hypothetically, given the clues given, but you probably wouldn’t, because the mysteries are so well-crafted. This one didn’t disappoint, but it was less action-packed than the usual mystery closer, and I like the modern life-in-peril suspense more than a traditional, old-fashioned reveal. But that’s just my taste.
10. Poison Ivy, Gossip Girl
- The ending scene is one of the best scenes of the series thus far, and really showed for the first time what potential B & S had regarding BFF chemistry. The little siblings bonding was sweet, as was S being there for her brother.
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: Single #6- Umbrella
So far:
07. Hey There Delilah/Plain White T's
08. Gimme More/Britney Spears
09. Big Girls Don't Cry/Fergie
10. Teardrops on My Guitar/Taylor Swift
11. Glamorous, Fergie
12. Like a Boy, Ciara
13. D.A.N.C.E., Justice
14. Find a New Way, Young Love
15. Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne
16. Potential Breakup Song, Aly & AJ
17. Change, Kimberly Locke
18. Our Song, Taylor Swift
19. Get Me Bodied, Beyonce
20. Beautiful Flower, India.Arie
21. Easy, Paula Deanda
22. Paralyzer, Finger Eleven
23. Teenagers, My Chemical Romance
6. Umbrella, Rihanna (1) (Rolling Stone #3, iTunes #12 Download, Billboard #2, Entertainment Weekly’s Song of the Year)
I still believe that without the rapping part at the beginning this song would be better. But you simply can’t deny the force that is Umbrella.
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: 2008's 10 Hot Albums
10. Fefe Dobson
- Her first album was good, though uneven. Her second (unreleased) one, not so much. Third time’s the charm?
9. Bowling For Soup
- They had some good songs before; maybe they shall again.
8. Ashlee Simpson
- “Outta My Head” sounds good, and I like her as a person and I like her songs, regardless of whether she can actually sing.
7. Madonna
- It’s Madonna. Consistent if not incredible, at least for me.
6. Aqua’s Greatest Hits
- I lurv “Aquarium.” But I’m kinda wary about how much new material a GH album will have, especially after the Spice Girls came out with theirs and both new songs were meh.
5. Mariah Carey’s Sweet Soul Odyssey
- Okay, so she got a number of good singles on her last album. But the rest…all either sounded like the same, or else it just seemed that way because they were that forgettable and you came out with the impression that the singles were all there was on the album.
4. Nicole Scherzinger’s Her Name Is Nicole
- I think PCD had a pretty good debut album, and…I think she could too. Hopefully all her retooling cuts out much of the frankly mediocre tracks that have leaked and she indeed becomes the next Gwen/Beyonce.
3. Beyonce
- I feel the same way about her that I do Mariah. Yet I have higher expectations of her, because it’s more acceptable to have dance-y one-note-ness than ballad-y one-note-ness.
2. High School Musical 3
- So the second one’s music was…overly digitalized and generic, in such a way that belied the movie’s message about being a money *****. But the first one was great in the way that it aspired to be, so maybe this one will be too.
1. Fergie
- She started with two singles that were stupid but grew on you, followed up with two singles that were undeniably great from the first listen, and finished up with a single that was pretty good the first few times you heard it but not long after that got tired of. Plus, “Finally.” If she can duplicate the quality of her successes, she could have a freaking great album.
Upcoming stuff:
- If Nicole tries to mix up PCD and Eden's Crush in her new album, I think I will like it. I have no idea if I will even be motivated enough to check it out though...
- Whoa, I had no idea Aqua was going to have a greatest hits! I wonder how it will be seeing it will pretty much be three albums, with only one of them being popular. I mean to most, they are like a one-hit wonder. Still interesting and thanks for mentioning it!
- Bowling For Soup is the type of group that I like whenever I randomly hear but never really get into enough to check out. As for Fefe, I probably will check out her new album just because from everything I have heard, she actually seems to have a nice funk to her music. I know, I suck with descriptions.
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: 2008's Hot 10, Non-Music
10. Love the One You’re With (6/08)
I really enjoyed Emily Griffin’s past chick lit books…possibly as much as Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, though it’s close. I’m sure this one will be just as good.
09. Mamma Mia! (7/18/08)
It’s a musical! With Meryl Streep! And Amanda Seyfried, aka Lilly Kane from the second-best show ever, aka Karen Smith from the best movie ever!
08. Make Me a Supermodel
It’s Top Model drama and pictures to judge, but without a Tyra, which in itself is a good thing, but also because there’s no Tyra to rig a competition to let a no-talent like Saleisha win. Or a very-limited-talent like, say, the winner before her. And the one before that one.
07. Angel: After the Fall (Throughout 2008)
Well, the second issue created some plot points I’m not sold on yet, but I believe that Joss should be able to make it work.
06. High School Musical 3
The second movie was better than the first, w/r/t writing and acting. I mean, ideally, this one would bring in the Hudge only to sing, Efron only to stand around prettily, Monique Coleman only to act, Corbin Bleu only to dance and maybe explore another side of himself with Ryan, and the Evanses to dominate throughout (Maybe Sharpay’s singing could be substituted with Gabby’s…), but alas, that is not likely to be. Still, it won’t really be hard to improve the writing and acting again, and hopefully the studio decides to make the songs sound like human voices again.
05. The Solomon Key (12/08?)
Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons = delicious and fascinating intrigue. And now that Langdon’s in DC, it’ll make me see that place in a whole new light too.
04. Buffy, Season Eight (Throughout 2008)
I maintain that it’s frustrating to wait basically four months for a new episode, but whatever, as long as Buffy keeps coming.
03. Sex and the City (5/30/08)
Ok, I kind of thought the show ended perfectly, and would only be happy if the movie ended with the same status quo, which…would kind of make the movie pointless. But whatever. “An American Girl in Paris” was the longest episode of the show ever, and was also the best. Hopefully this indicates that the more the writers have to work with, the better they can make stuff. Though the fact that two sequels are planned has me worried that not everyone will be able to return for everything and thus everything will end not the way I want it to.
02. Gossip Girl
I had high hopes for this show, hopes which were exceeded about tenfold. This has climbed up to become my third-favorite show ever, after Buffy and Veronica Mars. It should continue to be awesome. End, strike, end.
01. Dollhouse
My hopes for this show are probably impossibly high. Joss Whedon! And Eliza Dusku! Even though I never watched Firefly, and only finished one season of Angel. And I watched MAYBE one episode of Tru Calling. Still, the uncertainty leads to me thinking this could be every bit as awesome as this pairing promises. And if it isn’t, it should still be pretty nifty just as a good show.
Haha, "End, strike, end" was sort of cute. Seriously wish it would be solved just so we could get our awesome writers back. I do not get why the big guys are so afraid of giving in...
Did you watch America's Most Smartest Model? That was like watching ANTM without Tyra but still having the drama. Oh, and since they had to prove they were smart, you got to see some very stupid moments too.
Off topic: By the way, totally agree that Tyra rigged the competition. I mean Saleisha was bound to win from the beginning, especially after all the time she had already spent with Tyra. I hope next season goes better.
2007's Best Music/Film/TV/Books/Style: #4 Single - Piece of Me
The big guys are probably less afraid and more bureaucratic, greedy, stingy...um, stupidity.
Oh, I haven't seen Smartest Model, but I thought it was an ironic title given its grammatical error and the models were actively stupid; I didn't know they were supposed to try to be smart.
I actually prefer Saleisha winning to, say, Jenah or Chantal winning, because the latter two are overrated and possibly justified in winning, meaning that Heather lost on her own merit or lack thereof. Plus, this way everyone can unite against the winner; unity is fun.
4. Piece of Me, Britney Spears (63) (Rolling Stone #15)
Such. Great. Lyrics. Hopefully this blows Blackout right up.
2007's Best of Everything: Top 3 Singles & Album Flashback
List so far:
04. Piece of Me/Britney Spears
05. Happy Ending/Mika
06. Umbrella/Rihanna
07. Hey There Delilah/Plain White T's
08. Gimme More/Britney Spears
09. Big Girls Don't Cry/Fergie
10. Teardrops on My Guitar/Taylor Swift
11. Glamorous, Fergie
12. Like a Boy, Ciara
13. D.A.N.C.E., Justice
14. Find a New Way, Young Love
15. Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne
16. Potential Breakup Song, Aly & AJ
17. Change, Kimberly Locke
18. Our Song, Taylor Swift
19. Get Me Bodied, Beyonce
20. Beautiful Flower, India.Arie
21. Easy, Paula Deanda
22. Paralyzer, Finger Eleven
23. Teenagers, My Chemical Romance
Clearly unofficial, because America has bad taste and refuses to buy or listen to this.
1. Sober, Kelly Clarkson (110)
Breathtakingly pretty.
2. Never Again, Kelly Clarkson (8) (Rolling Stone #99, iTunes #40 Download, Billboard #70)
Intense.
3. Because of You, Kelly Clarkson & Reba McEntire (50)
A new spin on a (sorta) old favorite.
I decided Don't Waste Your Time and One Minute couldn't chart because they weren't released in the US and I had enough Kelly here anyway. And with that, for the sixth year in a row, my single of the year is by Kelly Clarkson (preceded by Walk Away, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Breakaway, The Trouble with Love Is, and Before Your Love). Hopefully she releases more singles in the US next year…
Flashback:
Best Albums of 2006, in order: The Secret Life of/The Veronicas, High School Musical/Soundtrack, Phobia/Breaking Benjamin, Back to Basics/Christina Aguilera, B’Day/Beyonce, Everytime We Touch/Cascada, I’m Not Dead/Pink
#1 Albums of Previous Years: Once More with Feeling/Buffy 2002, Thankful/Kelly Clarkson 2003, Breakaway/Kelly Clarkson 2004, Emancipation of Mimi/Mariah Carey 2005
Final list will be top 10 overall thingies (films, style, music, books, TV, or celebs) of 2007.