My Top 10 of 2010

Where did 2010 go? Seriously, where did it go? Anyway, as the year draws to an end, many lists start popping up all over the place. And I love lists! So, while I go search for where 2010 went, you can read my top 10 list of memorable events from TV, movies and Broadway from 2010!

10. Bebe Neuwirth and Nathan Lane at the Tony Awards. Months later, when I’m still trying to remember who won all the awards, I still remember these two. They came out and had a series of jokes that were quite funny before revealing they were presenting the awards for Best Actor and Actress in a Musical, the very categories in which they were snubbed. Their reactions were even more memorable. Bravo to the two!

9. Betty White’s Snickers Commercial. I am not a big sports fan. You can ask my former co-workers who teased me mercilessly when I confused rules and terms. So, I am one of the hundreds who watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. And I loved the Snickers commercial that saw Betty White running around on muddy field and insulting the other players.

8. “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit” from How I Met Your Mother. For the show’s 100th episode, the creatives finally let Neil Patrick Harris have a song of his own. When Barney is given an ultimatum—lose the suits or lose the girl—he sings this song about how much he loves his suits. Ted, Robin, Marshall and Lily even get involved as well. Great song, great sequence.

7. Tangled and Toy Story 3. Of course, I love everything Disney. Well, most things Disney. I can admit that I hated the fact that they took over “Doug” and ruined everything. But, I loved Tangled. Rapunzel and Flynn were great heroes to root for and Mother Gothel has to be one of Disney’s cruelest villains. And Toy Story 3 was a great addition to the series and nearly made me cry. Long live Woody and Buzz!

6. Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan on “Glee”. Glee’s premiere season was awesome. For a new show, it managed to secure some great guest stars—Josh Groban, Eve, Kristin Chenoweth, etc. But in an Emmy-winning turn, Neil Patrick Harris starred as Bryan Ryan, a former member of the Glee club and rival to Matthew Morrison’s Will Shuester. Their duet of “Dream On” was a highlight. Bravo!

5. Ann wins “America’s Next Top Model”. She limbered into the competition as one of the tallest models in the most recent cycle. She took best photo a record breaking 5 weeks in a row. Sure, she wasn’t the best runway nor the best commercial, but Tyra was focusing on Vogue this year. And Ann won one for the awkward girls!

4. Jane Lynch recreating Madonna’s “Vogue” video. Glee knew this was so epic, they released it ahead of the episode. It was a shot-by-shot remake of Madonna’s video and proved that Jane Lynch could hold her own with the other cast members. I half-expected Benny Ninja to actually show up as well! And extra points for all of Sue’s shots at Will’s hair.

3. Brandy is eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars.” In the first results show, hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke teased that there was a surprise elimination that night. But the real surprise came during the semi-finals result show when Brandy and her partner Maks was eliminated from the program. Derek Hough’s face said it all—he did not hide his surprise. Both Lacey and Jennifer Grey also did not applaud for Bristol’s safety. While many believed every Republican and Tea Party member was voting for Bristol, I think Maks was the pair’s ultimate downfall as his teaching methods had been called into question and he argued with judge Carrie Ann Inuba.

2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”. Probably one of the year’s most anticipated movies, Harry Potter’s seventh film delivered. It set up part two and kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Bring on July!

1. David Tennant Passes the Torch to Matt Smith. Okay, I’m a big Doctor Who geek. And the “End of Time Part II” is still with me, despite airing on Jan. 2 of this past year. While it had a good plot with the possible return of the Time Lords and excellent performances by John Sims and Timothy Dalton, it was really a good-bye to David Tennant. He visited past companions and some special guests (though I would’ve liked one more appearance from either Dr. Ida Scott or Jenny) and then regenerated into Smith, who has been doing a wonderful job as the Eleventh Doctor.

Honorable mentions:

“Memphis” wins Best Musical. This musical had music from Bon Jovi’s David Bryant and was up against a musical filled with music from Green Day. But the story of a radio DJ who integrated the airwaves in Memphis and put colored music (Rock and Roll) in the center of the dial won the Tony voters. And my family.

Paul Byrom leaves Celtic Thunder. While this wasn’t an earthshaking moment nor even one that made the mainline news, it was still an important event. Celtic Thunder is very popular here in the United States and Paul has a lot of fans—myself included. While I am certain the group will continue, it will be interesting to hear how their sound changes. And I wish Paul all the luck in the world on his solo career.

The Chilean Miners are rescued. For months, the fate of these men was world news. They were stuck underground, trapped but alive. And the government was racing to get them back to the surface. Their predictions said they could free the miners in time for New Year’s and they kept the miners alive with assists from NASA. Then in October came the word that they were able to bring up the miners sooner than expected. As every news station broadcast, the first miner was lifted to the surface and embraced by his son. The rescuers sang the Chilean national anthem. Thirty-six hours later, all miners were rescued. Since then, one has ran in the New York City Marathon and all have been invited to Walt Disney World. It was the feel good story of the year and only made the honorable mention because I needed another countdown to remind me of it. And this is the list of things that made 2010 memorable to me.

So, that’s my list. Agree? Disagree? Find 2010? Share!