2012 in Review

Happy New Year! 2012 wasn’t a bad year, but I’m excited for the fun changes 2013 will bring.

Favorite Personal Theatrical Experience: Little Shop of Horrors (Director)
This show was a nearly-perfect experience. Only one diva in the cast, I got to work with some of my favorite people, I gained some new favorite people. The concept was fun, and it was the best-executed concept I’ve ever had. Bravo to the cast and staff.

Runner-Up: The Secret Garden (Music Director)

Least Favorite Personal Theatrical Experiences: The Wizard of Oz (Director)
Trouble-makers in the cast, slacking staff/crew members. Nightmare of an experience. Loved some of the cast, though. And I loved the costume design.The only two shows I actually directed this year were Little Shop and Wizard, though, and both were mentioned in Utah Theater Bloggers Association’s best of 2012 list. So, that was nice.

Favorite Local Theatre Productions: None.
I didn’t see a lot of theatre this year, and most of what I did see, I didn’t love.

Favorite Professional Theatre Production: A Christmas Story (Broadway)
Granted, it was the only professional show I saw, but I LOVED it. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Favorite Movies: The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall
Loved every second of each.

Runners-Up: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Avengers, Pitch Perfect

Least Favorite Movie: Les Miserables
The movie was directed and shot SO beautifully. But the cast was wretched at singing. Hugh Jackman was decent. Anne Hathaway surprised me, and her acting made up for her weaker vocal moments. Russell Crowe didn’t sing. He yelled. More like scrodeling. And he was so uncomfortable that he didn’t get lost in the part like he usually does. Amanda Seyfried sounded like Snow White, Eddie Redmayne sounded like Kermit. It was excruciating. Even Teri, who has no training in music, was dying during the singing (this is why we’re friends).

Runners-Up: Rock of Ages, The Hunger Games

Favorite Movie-Going Experience: Paranormal Activity 4
A huge group of tweens kept trying to sneak in, and the theatre manager actually did her job and kept them out, even posted employees at the doors to keep them out. She restored our faith in theaters for a few minutes.

Least Favorite Movie-Going Experience: The Hobbit, Les Miserables
Looked like a soap opera or a 1980s BBC Chronicles of Narnia miniseries, gave me a massive headache. Les Mis was full of people who tapped their feet loudly, played with wrappers, coughed up massive amounts of phlegm, invaded seat space, ran up and down the aisles…basically, the audience was as bad as the movie.

Favorite New TV Addictions: Dallas, Catfish
Only new scripted show of the year that we didn’t give up on and an awesomely awkward exploration of who people really are on the internet.

Runners-Up: Downton Abbey, Sherlock (Both runners-up because they were introduced to us on Blu-Ray, long after actually airing)

Least Favorite New TV Shows: Go On, The Mindy Project
I expected more from you, Matthew Perry and Mindy Kaling.

Runners-Up: Smash, The River

Favorite SNL Sketch: Bein’ Quirky, Liza Minelli Turns on a Lamp
I miss enjoying SNL. I went through a huge SNL kick earlier this year and relived how good it used to be by watching tons of old episodes and reading a biography of the show. *sigh*

Favorite Album: The Fray’s “Scars and Stories”
Didn’t LOVE it, but it was pretty darn good. “Rainy Zurich” was this album’s “Vienna.” (Sidenote: still listened to Kelly’s “Stronger” all year, in fact, probably the most-listened-to album of the year again.)

Runner-Up: The Killers’ “Battle Born”

Least Favorite Album: Didn’t have one
Again: I don’t recall severely disliking anything I got this year, but I really didn’t get much new music.

Favorite Trip: The Amazing Disneyland Trip
Best Disneyland trip there ever was. We were the first family in DCA one day, we celebrated my birthday there, and our anniversary a month late, we drove the Mark Twain, we got special treatment, I starred in a show on the Golden Horseshoe stage. It couldn’t have been any better.

Best Concert: Kelly Clarkson at the Maverik Center
Dang, she’s amazing live. The album she was promoting was brilliant, and her cover of “Iris” was fantastic. And we were so close that Matt Nathanson, the opening act, kept calling me out for not singing along with him. Dude: if you want me to sing along with you, do the songs from your album that I KNOW.

Worst Concert: None.
Only other concert we went to was Stadium of Fire, and aside from the wretched Scotty McCreery, it was pretty dang good.

Best Prank on Lauren: Logging into my laptop remotely and making it talk to her
I’ve never seen a pregnant woman run up the stairs so fast.

Best Dollar Store Find: Old Touchstone movies on Blu-Ray!
Best night ever.

Best New Recipe Discovery: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Cheesy Potato Bread, Cookies ‘n’ Cream Fudge
I try a new recipe at least once every few weeks. Those are the ones that have stood out the most this year. Note: I dislike fudge, but this and the peanut butter fudge I found have made me a fan.

Favorite Personal Facebook Statuses:
Dec. 21     I'm predicting that this weekend's box office race will come down to a movie about a little guy on a big adventure and The Hobbit. Good luck, Jack Reacher!
Dec. 12     If you have nothing better to do than to sit and argue all day about whether or not women should be allowed to wear pants to church, I don't think church attire is really the issue that deserves your focus.
Nov. 28     I'm pretty sure that Hell has a special place reserved for people who fart on airplanes.
Nov. 6     I don't really care about candidates or issues. I just want one of those nifty stickers letting everyone know I voted.
Oct. 11     Debate summary so far:
                 Biden: "Knock, knock."
                 Ryan: "Who's there?"
                 Biden: "Interrupting Biden."
                 Ryan: "Interrupting-"
                 Biden: "MOOOOOOO!!!"
Aug. 1     If I go to JC Penney today and then grab a bite at Chick-Fil-A, does that make me buy-curious?
July 17    It's hard to face the fact that we live in a world where Jersey Shore stays on the air longer than Arrested Development, Sports Night, and Pushing Daisies.
June 21     Sometimes I call out Carole King's name just to test her. She fails every time. Liar.
Jan. 25     Remember when Google was called Skynet?

Favorite Personal Tweets:
Sept. 18     So you're a theatre critic now? I'm glad you feel that doing shows with Spanish Fork Community Theater makes you qualified for that.
July 19     Saw Fred Willard was trending. I had slight heart-stoppage, thinking he'd died. WHY COULDN'T HE HAVE DIED?!
Feb. 29     DAVY JONES DIED?!?! Well, crap. NOW who's going to play at the prom?

Bring it on, 2013!