Today we bid farewell to 2012, a year of superheroes on the big screen, orange jeans in the closet and “Call Me Maybe” on the radio.
Our TX. staff takes a look back at the year that was in today’s annual Best & Worst survey spotlighting film, music, TV, sports, trends and news headlines.
We stress that this is not a scientific survey; it’s merely the opinion of some of our staff members who took the time to cast their ballots. And since opinions are apt to vary, that means things that are loved by some are hated by others — landing some of our entries in both the “best” and “worst” categories. Crazy, huh?
But it’s all in good fun, and we’d love to hear your opinions as well, if you want to leave comments on this article on our website at www.standard.net. So now, with a small drum roll, here are our results:
MOVIES
Best Overall Film
“The Avengers”
2. “The Dark Knight Rises”
“Stepped up from its predecessor, a feat I thought couldn’t be done,” said Christal Hazelton of Clearfield High. “Thought-provoking and imaginative, (it) is on a whole other level compared to the previous two.”
3. “The Hunger Games” and “Les Miserables”
Worst Overall Film
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2”
2. “The Watch”
3. “Mirror Mirror”
Best Comedy
“Wreck-It Ralph”
“Heartfelt and funny, proving that Disney Animation Studios can thrive in a new medium, computer animation,” Hazelton said.
2. “Pitch Perfect”
Worst Comedy
“Ted”
2. “The Watch”
Best Dramatic Film
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
“A simply amazing film,” said Savannah Rice of Weber High. “At first I was hesitant since it was based off of the book, which I thought no director could recreate as perfectly as Stephen Chbosky wrote it. But, it proved me wrong. I cried a few times, laughed a ton, and each scene made my heart grow.”
2. “Les Miserables”
3. “The Hunger Games”
Worst Dramatic Film
“Snow White and the Huntsman”
Best Sequel
“The Avengers”
“Having all that sexiness in one room instead of several different movies was amazing,” said Madison Osterg of Bonneville High.
2. “The Dark Knight Rises”
3. “Men in Black 3”
Worst Sequel
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2”
2. “Madasgascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”
“The characters escape from a zoo only to end up in a circus?” asked Angelica Previte of Weber High School.
3. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days”
Best Movie Line:
“There are people who forget what it’s like to be 16 when they turn 17. I know these will all be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs. We’ll all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now these moments are not stories. This is happening, I am here and I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you’re listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in the world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.” — Charlie in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
2. “May the odds be ever in your favor.” — “The Hunger Games”
3. “This is the best bad plan we have, sir.” — “Argo”
Worst Movie Line
“We’re the same temperature now.” — Edward in “Breaking Dawn — Part 2”
“That’s because she’s dead. How romantic,” Ostberg said.
Best Villain of 2012
Loki from “The Avengers”
“Loki is the kind of villain that you love to hate while sympathizing with him,” said Kalli Damschen of Clearfield High. “He’s deep; there’s more to him than evil, and there’s the slightest hint of a possibility that he’ll be redeemed. There’s good in him, as well as bad.”
2. Ravenna/Rowena from “Snow White and the Huntsman”
3. Bane from “The Dark Knight Rises”
Worst Villain of 2012
Aro from “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2”
Best Superhero of 2012
Thor
“The world of Asgard is captivating, and what can I say, Chris Hemsworth is too,” said Rice.
2. Batman
3. Iron Man and The Avengers
Worst Superhero of 2012
Green Lantern
Best Remake
“The Amazing Spider-Man”
2. “Les Miserables”
Worst Remake
“Mirror Mirror”
TELEVISION
Best new show
“The Legend of Korra”
Hazelton said this new show has the classical feel of its predecessor, “The Last Airbender,” but mixes in new elements like steampunk, industrialism and Asian-influenced jazz to create its own distinct flavor.
“Funny, inventive and dramatic, this show will not disappoint,” she said.
2. “Elementary”
3. “Nashville”
Worst new show
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”
Best reality show
“Dancing With the Stars”
2. Tie between “Wipeout” and “The Bachelorette”
Worst reality show
“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”
2. “Teen Mom”
3. “The Bachelorette”
Best returning show
“Once Upon a Time”
2. “The Big Bang Theory”
3. “Pretty Little Liars” and “Sherlock”
Worst returning show
“Wipeout”
2. “Vampire Diaries” and “Cake Boss”
Best TV commercial
Dancing hamsters busting a move in an opera house for the KIA Soul.
Our staff also liked the Geico commercial featuring Christopher Columbus coming to America in a speedboat, and Canon’s “Beautiful Dreamer” commercial.
Worst TV commercial
Cricket’s commercial for Muve music mobile
One TX.er also gives a thumbs down to the commercial for Brad Pitt’s perfume line: “I laughed for 10 minutes after seeing it, then wondered what it was selling,” Ostberg said.
Best in Movies
Emma Stone
2. Anne Hathaway
Worst in Movies
Kristen Stewart
Best on TV
Jim Parsons, Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory”
“I was crying from laughing so hard in the episode when he sneaks into the ball pit at night and keeps popping up in random places and saying ‘Bazinga,’” said Meghan Jones of Bonneville High.
Worst on TV
Bella Thorne, in Disney’s “Shake It Up”
Actor I would most like to have dinner with
Emma Watson
2. Jim Parsons and Tom Hiddleston
3. Channing Tatum and Chris Evans
Most annoying or irritating celebrity
Snooki
2. Taylor Swift
3. Kristen Stewart
MUSIC
Best New Artist
Imagine Dragons
2. One Direction and Ed Sheeran
3. Phillip Phillips
Worst New Artist of 2012
Carly Rae Jepsen
BEST NEW SONG:
Country:
“Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift
3. “Red” by Taylor Swift
Rap:
“Whistle” by Flo Rida
2. “Analog 2” by OFWGKTA
Pop:
“Home” by Phillip Phillips
2. “Kiss You” by One Direction and “Feel Again” by OneRepublic
3. “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift
Rock/Screamo:
“I’ve Told You Once,” by Woe, Is Me
2. “In the End” by Black Veil Brides
Hip-Hop:
“The Motto” by Drake
Alternative:
“The Cave” by Mumford & Sons
2. “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons
3. “Backseat Serenade” by All Time Low
Other:
“Some Nights” by Fun
2. “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons
WORST NEW SONG
Country:
“Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith
“This song is not only obnoxious and ridiculous, but also entirely overplayed,” Damschen said.
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift
“It’s the ‘Call Me Maybe’ of country,” said Ostberg.
Pop:
“Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
2. “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
Rock/Screamo:
“King of Amarillo” by Issues
Alternative:
“Whiskey in Hell” by Anarbor
MOST OVERPLAYED SONG
“Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift
3. “One More Night” by Maroon Five
BEST NEW ALBUM
“Red” by Taylor Swift
2. “Babel” by Mumford & Sons
WORST NEW ALBUM
“Red” by Taylor Swift
BEST NEW MUSIC VIDEO
“Gangnam Style” by Psy
2. “Live While We’re Young” by One Direction
3. “Lights” by Ellie Goulding
WORST NEW MUSIC VIDEO
“Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber
2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift
BEST CONCERT
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
2. One Direction
Honorable mentions were Neon Trees and Coldplay.
BEST RADIO STATION
107.9 FM
Also liked 97.1 ZHT, 94.9 and X96
BEST CLUB/PLACE TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC
A tossup between In The Venue and The Depot
TRENDS
BEST FASHION
Colored skinny jeans
2. Scarves
3. Boots
WORST FASHION
Wearing leggings as pants
“Only one person gets to do this and get away with it, and that’s 1980s’ David Bowie,” said Ostberg.
2. Ripped jeans
3. Sagging pants
BEST HAIRSTYLE
Wavy and natural colored
2. Ombre
“This hairstyle is cute when done right. If not done right, it looks like you fell halfway into a pool of bleach,” Rice said.
3. Long hair
Teens are also liking the donut buns and sock buns, waterfall and fishtail braids, and pixie cuts.
WORST HAIRSTYLE
Mullet
2. Half-shaved head
3. Jedi braid
Other undesirables are ringlet curls and bobs.
BEST FOOTWEAR
Oxford shoes
“Can’t argue with the classics,” said Angelica Previte of Weber High School.
2. Boots — combat and otherwise
WORST FOOTWEAR
Crocs
“There is no acceptable time, place or circumstance for any human being to wear Crocs,” said Rice.
2. Socks with sandals
3. Shoes with toes
Thumbs down, also, for slippers, flip-flops, knee-high Converse and Uggs.
BEST CATCHY PHRASE
YOLO
2. Cool beans
3. Hold up, imma let you finish but ...
WORST SAYING
YOLO
2. Swag
3. Legit
BEST QUOTE YOU HEARD THIS YEAR
“Never be afraid to try something new. After all, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”
2. “Maybe one of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriends should write a song titled ‘Maybe You’re the Problem.’ ”
3. “Everything I like is either illegal, fattening, immoral, addictive, expensive or impossible.”
WORST QUOTE OF THE YEAR
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
BEST FACEBOOK TREND
Cool cover photos
2. “30 Days of Gratitude” during the month of November
WORST FACEBOOK TREND
“1 like = 1 prayer”
2. “Like my status for truth is ...”
3. “Like in 3 seconds if you ... “
BEST YOUTUBE VIDEO
“Gangnam Style” parodies
2. “Elevator Prank — The Intelevator #1” and ”Gangnam Style”
WORST YOUTUBE VIDEO
“Baby” by Justin Bieber
BEST APP TRIED THIS YEAR
2. “Words With Friends”
WORST APP TRIED THIS YEAR
Snapchat
BEST INVENTION
iPhone 5
2. Samsung Galaxy S III
The Curiosity Rover also got a vote from Previte who said, “Sure, phones are cool, but c’mon, it went to Mars! And NASA lowered it by crane!”
BOOKS & COMICS
BEST NEW BOOK
“Palace of Stone” by Shannon Hale and “The Mark of Athena” by Rick Riordan
2. “UnWholly” by Neal Shusterman and “Bossypants” by Tina Fey
3. “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth
WORST NEW BOOK
“Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James
BEST BOOK READ IN ENGLISH CLASS
“Les Miserables”
2. “The Crucible”
3. “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”
WORST BOOK READ IN ENGLISH CLASS
“The Odyssey”
2. “Of Mice and Men” and “Julie of the Wolves”
FAVORITE BOOK TO REREAD
“Harry Potter”
2. “Wintergirls” and “The Hunger Games”
Of “The Hunger Games’ ” Capital City, Rice said, “Oh man, I’d love to live there. Awesome showers, crazy styles and everything is futuristic. Of course, the citizens are completely out of touch with reality, but, you know.”
BEST FICTIONAL FANTASY WORLD
Middle-earth from “Lord of the Rings” and Hogwarts
“J.R.R. Tolkien was a genius,” Damschen said. “I’ve never read a story with such a detailed world. Middle-earth is such an exciting and different setting, and there are so many different facets of it to study.”
2. Narnia
BEST COMIC STRIP
Calvin and Hobbes
2. Pickles
3. Zits
WORST COMIC STRIP
Pearls Before Swine
2. F Minus
DAILY LIFE
BEST DATE ACTIVITY
Ice skating and just hanging out
2. Seeing a musical
3. Temple Square and Nickelcade
WORST DATE ACTIVITY
Shopping
2. Movies
3. Ice skating
BEST CLOTHING STORE
Ross
2. H&M
3. Wet Seal
BEST FAST FOOD
Kneaders and Chik-fil-A
2. Subway and Arby’s
BEST RESTAURANT
Rooster’s, Tona, Chile’s and Ruby Tuesday are in a four-way tie.
BEST NEW FOOD I TRIED THIS YEAR
Kodiak cookies and quiche
2. Cheese fondue
WORST NEW FOOD I TRIED THIS YEAR
Brussel sprouts
BEST SNACK FOOD
Doritos
2. Frozen grapes
3. Almonds
We also like Funyuns and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
WORST SNACK FOOD
Raisins
2. Twinkies
3. Bugles
BEST CANDY
Milky Way
2. Ghiradelli chocolate
3. Kit Kat
WORST CANDY
Candy corn
2. Swedish Fish and Dum Dums suckers
3. Butterfinger and Tootsie Rolls
BEST CELL PHONE
Samsung Galaxy S III
2. iPhone
BEST VIDEO GAME
“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword”
2. “Assassins Creed 3”
WORST VIDEO GAME
“Minecraft”
NEWS & SPORTS
BIGGEST NEWS STORY OF 2012
Barack Obama re-elected as U.S. president and the Colorado movie theater shooting
Other top mentions were the death of Josh Powell and his sons, the Connecticut school shooting and the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
BIGGEST UTAH NEWS STORY OF 2012
Shooting of Ogden police officer Jared Francom
2. Change in age requirements for LDS missionaries
MOST HEARTWARMING/FEEL-GOOD STORY
Policeman buying shoes for homeless man in New York City
MOST OVERCOVERED STORY
The presidential election
2. Mudslinging/insults/scandals of presidential election
3. General David Petraeus scandal
SILLIEST/LEAST IMPORTANT STORY
Taylor Swift dating Harry Styles
2. Hostess going bankrupt
“Buy all the Twinkies!” quipped Jones of Bonneville High.
One TX.er also cast a ballot for The Onion’s report naming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as 2012’s Sexiest Man Alive.
BEST SPORTS MOMENT
The San Francisco 49ers’ crazy field goals
2. Brawl between Kris Humphries of the Brooklyn Nets and Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics
WORST SPORTS MOMENT
New England Patriots losing the Super Bowl
BEST SUMMER OLYMPICS MOMENT
When the “Fantastic Five” women’s gymnastics team won gold
2. Men’s diving — all of it
WORST SUMMER OLYMPICS MOMENT
Athletes using performance-enhancing drugs
2. When men’s diving was over
BEST ATHLETE
Ryan Lochte
2. Tom Daley and Robert Griffin III
MOST DISAPPOINTING ATHLETE
Albert Pujols
2. Ryan Lochte
BEST UTAH PRO SPORTS TEAM
Utah Jazz
2. Real Salt Lake
BEST OUTDOOR SPORT OR ACTIVITY
Skiing
2. Hiking
Hiking is great because you’re getting the chance to be in nature — “just not having to sleep there,” said Ostberg.
3. Camping
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