I’ve heard a lot of people refer to 2016 as a Dumpster Fire. In a lot of ways this feels true, and it’s pretty easy to agree with it when Prince, Davie Bowie, George Michael, Alan Rickman, Sharon Jones and too many more to list have passed away. And then as I walked into Rogue One (for the second time) the other day I heard about Carrie Fisher’s heart attack. And then just after Christmas I came back from walking the dog to the terrible news of her way too early death. And then in a cruel twist Debbie Reynolds died the next day. Are we living on the Death Star? It kinda feels like it lately.
When I haven’t been sad about the extreme loss of talent this past year, I have been enjoying a lot of talent (living and recently passed). Here’s a few of my favorites this month…
Watching
Rogue One was exactly what I needed this holiday season! It was fun and a great story and I enjoyed it all the way to the very last scene. I thought it fit great into the Star Wars Universe and couldn’t believe how perfectly it lined up to Episode IV.
I also finally watched the Amanda Knox documentary on Netflix. I was living in Issaquah when her story all unfolded and was fascinated by it. If you remember the story, this documentary was a great recap with a lot of information I wasn’t aware of. It also made me think about the way the media portrays murder suspects, especially women. I had made a lot of assumptions because I only caught part of the story, I was glad to have watched this and stand corrected.
My dad’s been visiting over the holidays and thanks to a suggestion from my brother, we binged Marcella this past week. It’s a British crime series (always a good start) and I am proud to say that I called it on the killer 3 episodes to the end. I will say this – the first 7 episodes are great, and the 8th (final) episode has some bad writing and does a few dumb things. But it still all wraps up and leaves a few pieces hanging for another season.
I caught a cold a couple weeks ago which meant the DVR is all cleaned up! I’ve really been enjoying Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E. I’m fascinated by cults and scientology is a pretty popular one. To get so many interviews and insights into this religion has been a fascinating watch. And because we all need a guilty pop culture pleasure, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Ladies of London helped nurse me back to health.
Top Chef is BACK! Hooray! And a Portland chef is (spoiler alert: was) on! I’m enjoying having past contestants back (except John, I hate that guy) especially Sheldon! Top Chef is the perfect antidote to dark winter nights.
Reading
I’ve been catching up on my comic books lately. Ms Marvel is having a good run that I’m enjoying, and I’m still enjoying Clean Room. I picked up the new Hawkeye (written by and starring a woman) and can’t wait to dive into that series. I’m also enjoying World of Wakanda, probably more than Black Panther itself.
I did find time to get ONE more book in this year and it was fantastic. Station Eleven is a book that’s been on my short list for a while, and earlier this year a friend of mine, knowing how I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, recommended it which was the icing on the cake. I read it in just over a week (which is fast for me, there’s a lot of pop culture to consume in my life, plus this pesky job!) and I LOVED it! The way the characters stories weave together and the storytelling style was something I’ve wanted in post-apocalyptic stories for a while now. If this is a genre you enjoy, add it to your list!
Listening
I haven’t been driving as much thanks to the snow, or walking as much, thanks to the snow so it’s mostly been me trying to keep up with Keepin it 1600 and The Watch this month. However, I did find time for a few great interviews on Fresh Air. The Trevor Noah interview was fascinating, as was (I’m as surprised as you that I enjoyed this) Megan Kelly. And I’m downloading the Carrie Fisher interview from the end of November as I type this. I just caught the final hostful episode of the Nerdist and it was a perfect ending to the pod for the year.
As we end 2016 what Pop culture have you enjoyed this year? What’s on your pop culture bucket list for 2017?
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