2011: The good, the bad and the ugly

We were swept up in the real-life drama of an earthquake in Japan and then in an on-screen drama battling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,

Along the way we also dressed up in feathers, laughed at the antics of a silly panda, and hummed along to some terrific tunes.

These were some of the memorable moments of 2011, a year now left behind for the history books. Our TX. staff weighed in on their picks for our annual Best & Worst survey -- and here's how they voted.

We must tell you this isn't a scientific poll but merely the opinion of staff members who took time to cast their ballots. Do you give their choices thumbs up or thumbs down?

Movies

BEST OVERALL FILM

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

"This was a wonderful ending to a series that's lasted for years," said Kalli Damschen of Clearfield High. "The special effects were wonderful, there were some really awesome lines, and it was a very emotional and satisfying ending. It was amazing to see the conclusion of the Harry Potter series come to life on the big screen."

2. "The Help"

3. "Beastly"

WORST OVERALL FILM

"Hanna" and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1"

2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

BEST COMEDY

"Rio"

2. "Kung Fu Panda 2"

"One of the rare times a sequel has worked out," said Lynette Randall of Clearfield High.

We also laughed at "Gnomeo & Juliet," "The Muppets," "Arthur" and "Just Go With It."

WORST COMEDY

"Rango"

"I don't like how it comes across as a children's show, then swears a dozen times," said Jessica Heywood of Morgan High.

2. "The Hangover Part ll"

3. "Bridesmaids" and "The Dilemma"

BEST DRAMATIC FILM

"Soul Surfer" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

2. "I Am Number Four"

WORST DRAMATIC FILM

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"

2. "Cowboys & Aliens"

3. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1"

BEST SEQUEL

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

2. "The Twlight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

WORST SEQUEL

"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D"

2. "The Hangover Part ll"

3. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrik Rules," "Breaking Dawn" and "Happy Feet Two"

BEST ACTOR IN MOVIES

Alex Pettyfer and James McAvoy

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

3. Taylor Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal

WORST ACTOR IN MOVIES

Miley Cyrus

2. Kristen Stewart

BEST MOVIE LINE

"I've always wanted to use that spell." -- Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

2. "I may have trouble rememberin' my own name, or what country I live in. But there's two things I can't seem to forget. That my own daughter threw me into a nursin' home and that she ate Minny's s***. Good night." -- Missus Walters in "The Help"

3. Jill: "Are you going bald?"

Jack: "Huh?"

Jill: "No, no, no, you're getting fatter, and your hair doesn't realize it needs to cover more face." -- from "Jack and Jill"

Television

BEST NEW SHOW

"Switched at Birth"

"I loved the suspense that built up with this show," said Abby Payne of Bear River High. "I loved that it told us stuff about the deaf community. I loved that I was learning and being entertained at the same time ... "

2. "Body of Proof"

3. "Pan Am"

WORST NEW SHOW

"Charlie's Angels" and "Teen Wolf"

2. "2 Broke Girls"

3. "Once Upon a Time" and "The Voice"

BEST REALITY SHOW

"The Voice"

2. "Jersey Shore" and "Project Runway"

3. "Dancing With the Stars"

WORST REALITY SHOW

"Jersey Shore"

2. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians"

3. "The Bachelor/Bachelorette"

"We get it, he broke up with you. Stop crying already and get over it like everyone else," said Zoe Fetters of Bonneville High.

BEST RETURNING SHOW

"The Big Bang Theory"

2. "Glee" and "Psych"

3. "The Office"

WORST RETURNING SHOW

"The Young and the Restless," "Two and a Half Men" and "Beavis and Butt-Head"

Of "Two and a Half Men," Minna Wang of NUAMES said, "After they got rid of Charlie, Alan just seems pathetic and leeches off his rich friend."

BEST TV COMMERCIAL

Allstate's Mayhem Man commercials

2. Geico's "Did the little pig cry wee-wee-wee all the way home?" and Volkswagen's young Darth Vader "starting" the family car.

"Effective marketing tactic! I want to get a Volkswagen now (or a Darth Vader helmet)," Dylan Hansen, of Syracuse High, said.

WORST TV COMMERCIAL

J.G. Wentworth "cash now"

2. Jell-O pudding face commercial

3. Target's Black Friday commercial and "The Muppets" trailer

BEST ACTOR ON TV

Selena Gomez

2. Matthew Morrison

3. Matt Smith

WORST ACTOR ON TV

Snooki

2. Dylan and Cole Sprouse

ACTOR I'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH

Emma Watson

"She's British. And very attractive, intelligent, etc. Need I say more?" Hansen said.

Other actors we'd like to break bread with include Channing Tatum, Paul Walker and Johnny Depp.

Music

BEST NEW ARTIST

Foster the People and Adele

2. Scottie McCreery

WORST NEW ARTIST

Rebecca Black

BEST NEW SONG

Country:

"Mean" by Taylor Swift

2. "Just a Kiss" (Lady Antebellum) and "Ours" (Taylor Swift)

"With 'Ours,' Taylor Swift manages to write another song that makes teenage girls around the world feel like she borrowed their diary and turned it into a song," said Damschen. "The lyrics are creative and clever, and the song is catchy. I love it!"

Rap:

"How to Love" by Lil Wayne

2. "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Pop:

"Love You Like a Love Song" by Selena Gomez & the Scene

2. "The One that Got Away" (Katy Perry) and "Party Rock Anthem" (LMFAO)

Rock/screamo:

"Up All Night" by Blink-182

2. "Jet Lag" by Simple Plan

3. "Fallen Angels" by Black Veil Brides

Hip Hop:

"Super Bass" and "Good Feeling" (Flo Rida)

Alternative:

"Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People

2. "Nothing" by The Script

3. "Your Love is a Song" by Switchfoot

Other:

"Party Rock Anthem"

"I'm always on the dance floor for this one," said Miranda Romero of St. Joseph High.

2. "Shake It Out" by Florence and the Machine

3. "I Like it Like That " by Hot Chelle Rae

WORST NEW SONG

Country:

"You and I" by Lady Gaga

2. "Red Solo Cup" by Toby Keith

3. "Dirt Road Anthem" by Jason Aldean

Rap:

"Otis" by Kanye West and Jay-Z

2. "Super Bass"

Pop:

"Friday" by Rebecca Black

2. "Jam (Turn It Up) by Kim Kardashian

and "Party Rock Anthem"

Hip Hop:

"Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO

"This song just makes them seem so arrogant," said Meghan Jones of Bonneville High. "They're setting a horrible example for our generation."

2. "We Found Love" by Rihanna

3. "Gucci Gucci" by Kreayshawn

Alternative:

"Just the Way You Are (Drunk at the Bar)" by Brian McFadden

2. "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons

MOST OVERPLAYED SONG

"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

2. "Party Rock Anthem"

BEST NEW ALBUM

"The Other Side of Down" (David Archuleta) and "21" (Adele)

2. "Torches" by Foster the People

WORST NEW ALBUM

"Lasers" by Lupe Fiasco

BEST NEW MUSIC VIDEO

"Just a Kiss"

2. "Sexy and I Know It" and "Skyscraper" (Demi Lovato)

3. "Love You Like a Love Song"

WORST NEW MUSIC VIDEO

"Sexy and I Know It"

2. "We Found Love"

3. "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

BEST CONCERT

Taylor Swift's "Speak Now Tour"

2. Katy Perry's "California Dreams Tour"

3. U92 Cinco de Mayo, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

BEST RADIO STATION

97.1 and X96

2. 107.9

BEST CLUB/PLACE TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC

In the Venue

2. Ogden's Union Station

3. Saltair

Trends

BEST FASHION:

Cardigans and vintage clothing

2. Feathers in hair and lace

3. Off the shoulder/oversize sweaters and boot socks.

Other things we like include rhinestone jeans, suspenders and chunky jewelry.

WORST FASHION

Steps in hair

2. Short shorts -- "No one wants to see that," Fetters said. Also belly shirts and hats with animal faces.

Other stuff we don't like includes feathers in hair, stretchy bracelets and fringe.

BEST HAIRSTYLE

Beachy waves & Taylor Swift curls

2. Bangs

3. Jedi braid

WORST HAIRSTYLE

Mullets and steps

"These never needed to be revived," said Katey Campbell of Fremont High. "There was a reason that they were dead."

2. Bumpits

3. Ratted hair and feathers in hair

BEST FOOTWEAR

Boots

2. Converse and Vans

3. Toms

WORST FOOTWEAR

Crocs

2. Webbed shoes, toe shoes and Uggs

BEST CATCHY PHRASE

"Legit!"

2. "Suck a duck!" and "Every day I'm ... "

WORST SAYING

"That's what she said!"

2. "Your mom"

3. "Swag"

BEST COMFORT ITEM

Chocolate, sad music and chick flicks

2. Puppy

3. Pillow Pet

Other things that make us feel better are ice cream, friends and Audrey Hepburn movies.

WORST COMFORT ITEM

Food (makes you fat), the Snuggie and stylish clothes that are tight and itchy.

2. Parents

BEST FACEBOOK TREND

Ironic/sarcastic comments

2. Facebook stalking

3. Pictures

WORST FACEBOOK TREND

Either "Like my status for a ______" or Farmville/game requests.

2. The "repost this status" statuses - which Campbell describes as "the epitome of insincere and superstitious" -- and "LMS for a confession."

3. Whining

Also annoying are super-long statuses, constant updates and Facebook "drama."

BEST YOUTUBE VIDEO

"Malk" by Julian Smith

2. Parents tell kids they ate all of their Halloween candy.

"Being a teenager, I feel like I'm at the in-between point where as an adult, it's hilarious. And yet, my childish side tells me it's oh so tragic," Hansen said.

3. It's a tie between the "People of Walmart" music video, any of the "Epic Rap Battles of History" and Selena Gomez' EMA commercial.

WORST YOUTUBE VIDEO

"Friday" by Rebecca Black

2. Ricky Perry's ad campaign

BEST INVENTION

iPad 2

2. iPhone 4

Books & comics

BEST NEW BOOK

"Inheritance," next in the Eragon series, and "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson

2. "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen

BEST BOOK READ IN ENGLISH CLASS

"The Count of Monte Cristo" and "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Jones said "The Count" is "one of the best books I've read. The symbolism, which I normally don't really pay attention to, was really profound. It was really frustrating when I had to stop reading."

Also liked "Les Miserables," "Frankenstein" and "Jane Eyre."

WORST BOOK READ IN ENGLISH CLASS

"The Great Gatsby"

2. "Heart of Darkness"

FAVORITE BOOK TO REREAD

"Harry Potter" series

2. "Hunger Games" series and "Jane Eyre"

3. "Twilight" series

BEST COMIC STRIP

Zits

2. Pickles

3. Luann

WORST COMIC STRIP

Doonesbury

2. Pearls Before Swine

3. For Better or Worse

Daily life

BEST DATE ACTIVITY

Seeing the lights at Temple Square

Also on the like-to-do list would be a date at the park, a picnic, a school dance or dinner and a movie.

WORST DATE ACTIVITY

Sitting and eating while it's awkwardly quiet ...

2. A movie, the mall, or the arcade

Of the latter, Heywood said, "the guys are just going to play the games while the girls watch ... you say you won't, but you do."

Other things we don't like are card games, paintball, just hanging out and anything outdoors.

BEST CLOTHING STORE

Deseret Industries

2. H&M, Kohl's and Wet Seal

BEST FAST FOOD

Chick-fil-A and Einstein's Bagels

2. Betos

3. Burger King and Burger Bar

BEST RESTAURANT

Olive Garden

2. Costa Vida

3. Zupa's

BEST NEW FOOD I TRIED THIS YEAR

Nutella

Other yummy things were homemade fries, cake pops, frozen grapes, relish and sushi.

WORST NEW FOOD I TRIED THIS YEAR

Sushi

Also didn't like Carl's Jr's new burger, chocolate and Funyuns.

BEST SNACK FOOD

Oreos

2. Popcorn covered with white chocolate

3. Peanut Butter M&Ms

WORST SNACK FOOD

Cheese puffs and bacon-flavored mints

"Who thought this sounded tasty?" Campbell asks of the mints.

2. Chocolate raisins, pretzels, string cheese, almonds

BEST CANDY

Reese's

2. Cookies 'n' Creme Hershey bars

3. See's candies

WORST CANDY

Whoppers

2. Cinnamon bears

Other candies we'd pass on include Almond Joy, horehound candy, jawbreakers, Nerds and chocolate- or yogurt-covered raisins.

Or how about Hershey's Air Delight -- or aerated Kisses? "It's like they're trying to trick you into buying less chocolate because it's just a lot of air bubbles inside," Wang said.

BEST CELL PHONE

iPhone 4

BEST VIDEO GAME

"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword"

2. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and "Call of Duty"

3. "Grand Theft Auto"

WORST VIDEO GAME

"Pokemon" and "Angry Birds"

2. "Skyrim"

News & sports

BIGGEST NEW STORY OF 2011

Death of Osama Bin Laden

2. Earthquake in Japan

3. The Utah winds

MOST HEARTWARMING/FEEL-GOOD STORY

Royal Wedding

"In 2011, ideals like romance and true love are often ridiculed," Hansen said. "We need a fairy-tale wedding to give us faith in human nature again."

2. Fireman saves dog from a burning building

3. Death of Osama Bin Laden

"It's sad that he was so evil that people were celebrating his death," Jones said. "But after 10 years of searching for him, we finally found him."

SILLIEST/LEAST IMPORTANT STORY

Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage ending in divorce

"So pathetic," said Romero.

2. Justin Bieber fathers Mariah Yeater's baby

BEST SPORTS MOMENT

St. Louis Cardinals coming back from 3-1 deficit three different times to beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

2. Super Bowl 2011

WORST SPORTS MOMENT

Oakland Raiders sweeping their division but not going to the playoffs.

BEST ATHLETE

Jimmer Fredette

2. Larry Fitzgerald

3. Aaron Rodgers

MOST DISAPPOINTING ATHLETE

Tiger Woods

2. Jake Heaps

3. Kobe Bryant

BEST UTAH PRO SPORTS TEAM

Real

2. Jazz

3. Bees

BEST OUTDOOR SPORT OR ACTIVITY

Hiking

2. Soccer

3. Running and snowboarding