2010 - Year In review Part. 1 (Life, Movies, TV)

I'm happy to leave certain things in my past while wondering how certain things stayed left behind. Started with two jobs and ended with freelancing in San Diego and looking for permanent employment.

RIP: Guru, Teena Marie, John Wooden, Bob Feller, George Steinbrenner, Jose Lima, Teddy Pendergrass, Lena Horne,  Gary Coleman, Dennis Hopper, Leslie Nielsen, Howard Zinn, Bro. Mack and many more.

Biggest News Stories

1. BP destroying the Gulf Coast (5 years after Katrina, this could have even more crazy long-term damage)

2. Haiti earthquake (you might have it on the backburner, but we won’t forget)

3. SB 1070 – AZ going back to the Stone Age of immigration.

4. Dems get smashed in November (Christine Donnell’s loss aside, the Tea Party made gains and somehow we still kept talkin bout Sarah P’s celebrity self)

5. Wikileaks making Jullian Assange either the new Woodward/Bernstein or the biggest renegade in years.

6. Health care passing – Hoping this will benefit folks who need it.

7. Iraq war quietly ending (If you blinked you missed it, but it's time to say Hallelujah)

8. Chilean miners (A great story but I hope one day, miners is a outdated job)

9. Korean flare up – the No. 1 story to watch in 2011. Please believe it.

Finally read A People’s History of the US and Lies My Teacher Told Me and my mind was blown further into smithereens. As much as I knew, there was a whole lot I didn’t. Must-read books by any American who wants to truly know their history. I owed it to Mr. Zinn to honor his life by buying that book and I don't regret either purchase

Movies

Inception might be the one of the greatest summer blockbuster films ever. It’s rare to find a film that grossed so much money, attracted 6 Oscar winners or nominees to star in and dominate and be a well-executed film in every facet of the word. Christopher Nolan can say that he not only has two of the highest grossing films of the last 5 years, but two of the best summer movies ever in Dark Knight and Inception.

For someone like me who loves the idea of dreams, this movie was almost like eating cheesecake with raspberries. And it may not get any Oscar love thanks to brilliant films like Social Network and The Fighter but I hope that it gets at least a nomination for Best Picture. It’s one of those movies that’ll make you think with so many layers involved. Was it just about dreams or was it a film about filmmaking creating a world for us to be in? Reminded me a lot of “The Matrix”

Book of Eli and The Town were also great films I watched. But this year moviewise, I finally watched some classics for the first time in Godfather 1&2 and Shawshank Redemption.

Television.

No TV moment impacted me more than the end of 24. The first show I watched from start to finish. The show that defined the post-9/11 era as far as terrorism and our fascination with the government’s inner workings. If Jason Bourne updated the James Bond model, Jack Bauer did the same in a different way as the super agent who goes to distance to serve his country but isn’t afraid to challenge them in the name of the greater good. My Mondays will feel boring in 2011 now.

I never saw The Wire so my penance is watching David Simon’s latest slice of genius “Treme”  - a great show I loved about New Orleans post Katrina. I also watched another dose of HBO goodness in “Boardwalk Empire”, well-acted and delivered week by week. Law and Order: Los Angeles steps in the shoes of its ancestors perfectly. 

I finally started watching Modern Family this year and loved it as one of the hilarious shows on TV. Hopefully I’ll finally get into 30 Rock more and maybe in 2011, I’ll finally catch up on Mad Men

CSI said goodbye to Grissom and hello to Dr. Ray Langston – I’ve said it before that Gil Grissom is one of the best characters of the last decade and history will prove that.

Also, I realized that as good TV shows slowly come back, the rise of reality shows isn't slowing down. The next decade is probably gonna see more great shows on TV but the water cooler/Twitter talk will probably revolve around To Catch a Predator or Jersey Shore or the like. Sign O'The Times like the Purple One said.

And of course, the best commercial of the year. The Old Spice Guy - darn near had a 6 month viral campaign. Brilliant marketing!



Next up, Music and Sports.

CSI - My How You've Grown

I was watching the CSI pilot episode on Thursday. It's one of my favorite shows and I started watching it around 2003-04. For my money, it's one of the most influential shows of the last decade as far as influencing the awareness of forensic evidence and being a successful show about Las Vegas.

So of course, I think why not see how it all started. Just if anything to laugh at how young the characters looked. Sure enough, Gil Grissom and Capt. Jim Brass set the whole episode off by investigating a homicide and Grissom's typical wit set off the intro.

First thing I noticed was old the graphics looked in 2000. It looked like a typical CBS drama with the block lettering and dusty camera work. If I saw that show at 15/16, I probably would've been curious but would've passed on it because it didn't look cutting edge or fresh like the "24" premiere did my senior year.

Second, I saw some good old stereotyping in how Warrick Brown was portrayed early on. As the leading Black character on the show, he was hot-headed, distrustful, spoke in slang, rebellious to authority and a bit prejudiced. Not to mention he was pulled over for DWB (Driving While Black). It was bad but not as bad as the side Black character in the lab who got something right for Grissom and was so happy, he started dancing.

It just showed that TV's come a long way from the Black character explicitly having to fit certain stereotypes. But it also shows how far the show has come. I know that Warrick had a gambling problem that he overcome so I wasn't surprised to see that. It was more interesting how it played out and how deep he was involved in it.

I loved how they showed Nick Stokes' empathy right away too. I've long believed that Nick's the glue of the show because he can be forceful when he has to be but always shows a genuine care for the victims and witnesses that sets him apart from the cold-hearted cops he works with. Along with Chloe from "24", he's one of the best side characters in recent TV history.

Gil Grissom had a great quote in the show that not only summarized the premise of CSI, but also a great way to view things in life. "Focus on what cannot lie, the evidence." Evidence can be manipulated to support any agenda but taken as it is, it'll usually lead to the truth.

It's always funny to see how a show matures over its run. 10 years and counting and I love watching to see how the series continues to evolve.