For all the doom and gloom that has surrounded this (supposedly) ominous year, 2012 is shaping up to be one of the best years of entertainment. From movies to television to sports, we’ve got a lot to look forward to. Here are some of the top 10 things to watch out for in 2012 (in no specific order):
1.The Olympics: The 2012 Summer Olympics are here at last! This time, we’ll be taking in the festivities from Jolly Ol’ London. For the sports enthusiasts, there will be track, swimming, basketball, soccer (football), gymnastics and the like; for the royal watchers, there’s sure to be some sightings of the royal family, including everyone’s favorite Duchess of Cambridge.
2.“Sherlock”: For the Brits, the fun’s already started, with “A Scandal in Belgravia” having aired New Year’s Day, but for those of us in the U.S., we’ve got to wait until May to see the suspense, mystery and intense bromance unfold on our television screens. However, you might be crafty and watch the episodes as they happen via the internet.
3.“The Hobbit”: If you’re a fan of “Sherlock” due to Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, you’re probably going to go see “The Hobbit,” which stars Freeman and features Cumberbatch as the Necromancer and Smaug the Dragon. Of course, there’s also a ton of dwarves, elves (Legolas!) and Ian McKellen as Gandalf to look forward to as well.
4.“The Hunger Games”: Fervent fans of “The Hunger Games” book series have been salivating all of 2011 for this film, and now the wait gets a little shorter now that we’re in 2012. There may have been a lot of big events promoting this film in 2011, but I expect there’s going to be even bigger stuff down the road.
5.“The Avengers”: The Avengers will finally assemble in 2012! This has been billed as the biggest comic book movie of the year, and certainly the one with the most comic book heroes and villains in one film. With Joss Whedon at the helm, it will probably not disappoint.
6.“The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra”: “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a tour de force of acting, animation, storytelling and martial arts woven into 30-minute increments. Imagine everyone’s fanboy/fangirl glee when it was announced that a sequel to the series was on its way! We will meet the new avatar (which sadly means that the first avatar we got to know, Aang, has died. Of course Korra is Aang, so he’s not dead-dead).
7.“Downton Abbey”: If you know someone who watches “PBS Masterpiece,” then you have probably heard about their infinite love for “Downton Abbey.” The show about the lives of the upstairs family and downstairs help have entranced millions of viewers in both America and Britain, and now it’s coming back for its second season.
8.“Prometheus”: Ridley Scott is aimed at making a huge comeback to the sci-fi drama with “Prometheus,” a film that will ambitiously tell the origins of the human race. It could be looked at as either an “Alien” prequel or its own original story, but either way, it’s going to make 2012 that much more thought-provoking.
9.“The Amazing Spider-Man”: At one point, there was a large number of people who scoffed at the idea of a reboot of the “Spider-Man” movie franchise. However, now that we’ve seen some stills from “The Amazing Spider-Man,” it would seem that tons of people are on board to see how this very different, yet very canonical take on the franchise will work.
10.“The Dark Knight Rises”: Personally, this is the comic book movie to end all comic book movies for me. “The Avengers” will be great, I’m sure, and “The Amazing Spider-Man” will certainly be entertaining, but it doesn’t get much better than Christopher Nolan’s realistic take on Batman. Add to the fact that this is the final on of the series, and the entire movie gets that much more epic.
What is something that you’re looking forward to in 2012? Write it in the comments section below.