It is hard to believe that 2011 has come and gone, taking with it many new movies, stars, artists and drama in the entertainment world.
In the world of celebrities, many things happened that held the attention of the public. Charlie Sheen had a mental breakdown that his publicists failed to cover up, Callie Swags' rapper M-Bone was killed, Ryan Dunn, the star of Jackass, passed away, and Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez began dating, just to name a few.
Charlie Sheen had a great deal of news coverage, and it was only in the last few months that the hype surrounding him and his career died down. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are still a hot topic in the celeb world, and still very together, much to the disappointment of die-hard tween fans. Also surrounding their relationship is the constant death threats towards Selena from Justin's fans.
Music came full force this year, including a great number of new artists. Adele surfaced after riding under the radar for a handful of years. Her songs made it to the top of the charts and her newest CD, "21," became a best-seller. Katy Perry came into the picture full force as well, her songs, such as "Firework" and "Last Friday Night," hitting the top of the charts. In terms of award shows, Katy Perry won MTV's artist of the year and Taylor Swift won CMA's Entertainer of the Year.
In terms of movies, the two final installments of the epic Harry Potter series came out to the world of eagerly awaiting fans. The series took a total of ten years to complete, and with the end came a sense of sadness for fans, producers and actors alike. "Transformers: the Dark side of the Moon" also came out, making it the second highest grossing film of the year after Harry Potter.
Johnny Depp made another appearance in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," though he did it solo without the backup cast of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, as in the previous Pirate movies. Kristen Stewart took another stab at Bella in the first part of the final Twilight movie, "Breaking Dawn." It was looking better on both ends, too: the acting was greatly improved as was the grossing amount of money the movie made.
"The Hangover: Part II" hit the big screen towards the beginning of the year. Though not entirely as original or funny as the first, it still had some clever and classic lines that placed it on the list of top ten grossing movies of the year.
The worst movies of the year included "Just Go With It," starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The humor was lacking, and considering that the two leads are comedic actors, it was just sad. "Mars Needs Moms" was another movie turned sour. The concept was incredibly flawed, and for a children's movie, it lacked the draw of inviting characters.
One of the absolute worst films was "Sucker Punch." This Sci-Fi, comic-vibe movie fell short with its provocatively dressed head characters, sad storyline and over the top visual effects. The movie seemed more like a mockery to the comic book world than a salute to it. And "Zookeeper" fell short as well. Talking animals in live-action films is so five years ago.
A handful of new and returning plays hit Broadway this year, including "Mary Poppins," "The Lion King," "Wicked" and "Jersey Boys." "Mary Poppins," one of the newer plays that came out this year, got a raving review, including a full round of applause for leading actress Steffanie Leigh, who made her debut in this celebrated and delightful musical.
Some great fads and some terrible ones came and went in this epic year. In terms of great fads, infinity scarves, incredibly braided hair, iPhones (in three different generations), tablets, large leather boots, leggings and jeggings.
Some terrible trends that surfaced included the short-lived Sillybands, fake glasses and everything to do with Jersey Shore.
All in all, the year wasn't too shabby. Lots of celebrities had children and they finally moved on from naming their children after various fruits. The New Year already promises to be a success, including the introduction of a "burn bag" for Justin Bieber's underwear after a pair ended up online for sale. Let's make this year one to remember, especially since the Mayan's claim it's going to end a week before 2013.
