If I Were an Academy: 2012 Edition

The Oscars are my "thing." Call me crazy, but nomination day is like Christmas for me, I look forward to the annual ceremony more than the Super Bowl, and I still dream of working for "The Academy."So it should come to no surprise that I am back for my sixth annual (!) "If I Were an Academy" post. This year was an interesting year in film. I enjoyed many films. There were more than 20 films during 2011 that were competing for spots on my Top 10 list. However, I am wasn't deeply passionate about any. There wasn't a Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, or even Crash. (Yes, I still love Crash, so take that haters!) That's what makes this year of predicting so interesting -- I'm not sure if my lack of enthusiasm will help or hurt my ability to pick the correct winners. But with that, here are my 2012 Oscar predictions. Until next year...

Main Predictions
Best Picture
This year's best picture race is the most boring since... well, last year when The King's Speech took the big prize. However, unlike last year, The Artist is actually a pretty good movie. It's unique, clever, and a solid example of excellent film making. I have no problem with the film winning, but it's just not the most exciting choice. As it goes with the Oscars every year, my favorite films (and what I would argue are the best films of the year) generally got shut out. 50/50 was the most egregious snub. It was the most realistic, smart, and heartfelt yet funny film of the year. Though, with the nine nominees selected, if I were voting, I'd punch my ticket for Moneyball. Aaron Sorkin turned in another fabulous script, following The Social Network last year, and Brad Pitt gives a career-best performance in one of the best sports films of all-time.

Nominees: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Midnight In Paris, Hugo, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Moneyball, War Horse, The Tree Of Life
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: Moneyball
Should've Been Nominated/Jason's Top 10 of 2011: 1. 50/50, 2. Harry Potter, 3. Moneyball, 4. Drive, 5. Contagion, 6. Talk Shelter, 7. Win Win, 8. Hugo, 9. Bridesmaids, 10. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Director
Nominees: Martin Scorsese, Hugo, Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris, Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist, Alexander Payne, The Descendants, Terrence Malick, The Tree Of Life
Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. Even though The Artist had its problems, there is no denying Hazanavicius' touch on the film. Without him, its likely The Artist would not have been able to pull off what it did.
Should Win: Martin Scorsese, Hugo. If the Academy gives Hazanavicius an Oscar based on his out-of-the-box vision - they really should be handing this to the legendary Scorsese. Hugo was a marvel, and Scorsese utilized 3D unlike anyone has yet - actually to the benefit of the film.
Should've Been Nominated: Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best Actor
Nominees: George Clooney, The Descendants, Brad Pitt, Moneyball, Jean Dujardin, The Artist, Demian Bichir, A Better Life, Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Will Win: Jean Dujardin, The Artist. I'm predicting mostly an Artist sweep in the major categories, and Dujardin should ride that wave.
Should Win: Brad Pitt, Moneyball. Like I said, Pitt has aged like a fine wine, and gives a brilliant performance.
Should've Been Nominated: Ryan Gosling, Drive. I don't know what the Academy's problem is with Gosling, but by my count he should have four career nominations by now, but yet he only has one under his belt for Half Nelson.

Best Actress
Nominees: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady, Viola Davis, The Help, Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn, Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs, Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Will & Should Win: Viola Davis, The Help. Of this year's Best Picture nominees, The Help is the best acted, and Viola Davis leads the way. She carried the film in a way that no other actress could. Hopefully her win tomorrow lands her more of the roles that she deserves.
Should've Been Nominated: Charlize Theron, Young Adult. The film was unfocused and unrealistic, but Charlize owned the picture. If she can get nominated for North Country, it is embarrassing that she couldn't do the same for Young Adult.

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Christopher Plummer, Beginners, Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn, Jonah Hill, Moneyball, Nick Nolte, Warrior, Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Who Will Win: Christopher Plummer, Beginners. I'm embarrassed to admit, I haven't seen Beginners yet. However, Plummer has landed all the precursors, and if he lost, it'd be the biggest upset of the night.
Who Should Win: Jonah Hill, Moneyball. I was happy to see him land here on nomination day. Mostly known as a comedian, he tones it down and hits it out of the park.

Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Octavia Spencer, The Help, Jessica Chastain, The Help, Berenice Bejo, The Artist, Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Who Will Win: Octavia Spencer, The Help. Like Plummer, she has this in the bag. If anyone else wins it would be a stunner.
Who Should Win: Jessica Chastain, The Help. Anyone who watched "Ugly Betty" knew of Spencer's talents. However, 2012 was Chastain's year, and she took what could've been a one-note character and stole the show.
Who Should've Been Nominated: Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter. If Chastain wins tomorrow, she's winning for the wrong movie. Her portrayal of a faithful and struggling wife in Take Shelter is a master class. Between her roles in The Help, Take Shelter, and The Debt in 2011, Chastain has quickly become one of my favorite actresses.

Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: Michel Hazanivicius, The Artist, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, Bridesmaids, Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris, J.C. Chandor, Margin Call, Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
Will Win: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris. The film was the surprise hit of the summer (in addition to Bridesmaids) and will be rewarded here. However, no win will upset me more than an Oscar for Midnight in Paris. It was a snoozer and was in desperate need of some whimsy.
Should Win: Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, Bridesmaids. The summer's first surprise was definitely its best.
Should've Been Nominated: Will Reiser, 50/50. It was my favorite film of the year mainly because it was so brilliantly written.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants, John Logan, Hugo,
George Clooney, Beau Willimon and Grant Heslov, The Ides of March, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball, Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Will Win: The guys from The Descendants. There's a contingent of the Academy that's bound to be in love with this film, so they'll want to award it something. If it doesn't win here keep your eye out for a George Clooney win in Best Actor.
Should Win: The guys from Moneyball. Mainly because Aaron Sorkin is a genius with words.
Should've Been Nominated: Steve Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He did an excellent job making changes to the story that actually made it better than the book.

Tech & Craft Predictions (sans analysis... mostly)
Best Animated Feature
Nominees: A Cat in Paris, Chico & Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango
Will Win: Rango. This is deserving if you like watching films featuring a lizard, voiced by Johnny Depp, on some sort of acid trip.
Should Win: Kung Fu Panda 2. It improved on the already-good original. In such a weak animation year, that should be enough to win you an Oscar.
Should've Been Nominated: Um. Nothing.

Best Art Direction
Nominees: The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse
Will & Should Win: Hugo. No contest.
Should've Been Nominated: This list looks right to me.

Best Cinematography
Nominees: The Artist, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Will Win: The Tree of Life
Should Win: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Should've Been Nominated: Newton Thomas Sigel, Drive

Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees: Bullhead, Footnote, In Darkness, Monsier Lazhar, A Separation
Will Win: A Separation
Should Win & Should've Been Nominated: I didn't see any of them... so yeah...

Best Sound Mixing
Nominees: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will Win: Hugo
Should Win: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Should've Been Nominated: I'm not even going to pretend to know.

Best Sound Editing
Nominees: Drive, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will & Should Win: War Horse
Should've Been Nominated: See above

Best Documentary Feature
Nominees: Hell and Back Again, If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Pina, Undefeated
Will Win: Paradise Lost 3
Should Win & Should've Been Nominated: Being Elmo

Best Visual Effects
Nominees: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Will & Should Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should've Been Nominated: None

Best Film Editing
Nominees: Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist, Kevin Tent, The Descendants, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo, Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: Hugo
Should've Been Nominated: Harry Potter

Best Original Score
Nominees: John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin, Ludovic Bource, The Artist, Howard Shore, Hugo, Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John Williams, War Horse
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: The Artist
Should've Been Nominated: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Best Costume Design
Nominees: Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, W.E.
Will & Should Win: The Artist
Should've Been Nominated: Harry Potter

Best Original Song
Nominees: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie, “Real in Rio” from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett
Will & Should Win: THE MUPPETS!
Should've Been Nominated: EVERY OTHER SONG FROM THE MUPPETS!

Best Makeup
Nominees: Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs, Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady
Will Win: Iron Lady
Should Win: Harry Potter just because it's Harry Potter
Should've Been Nominated: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The rest of the categories I have no clue about:
Best Animated Short
Nominees: Dimanche/Sunday, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, La Luna, A Morning Stroll, Wild Life
Will Win: Flying Books

Best Live Action Short
Nominees: Pentecost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak, Tuba Atlantic
Will Win: Tuba

Best Documentary Short
Nominees: The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, God Is the Bigger Elvis, Incident in New Baghdad, Saving Face, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom Will Win: Saving Face

Overall Winners Count
The Artist - 6
The Help - 2
Hugo - 2
Beginners - 1
Midnight in Paris - 1
The Descendants - 1
Rango - 1
Tree of Life - 1
A Separation - 1
War Horse - 1
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 1
Paradise Lost 3 - 1
The Muppets - 1
Iron Lady - 1
Saving Face - 1
Tuba - 1
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - 1

If I Were an Academy: 2009 Edition

It's that time of year again: Oscar nomination time. Tomorrow the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will announce the 2010 Oscar nominees, and as always, I am stoked. Unlike many critics, I think 2009 was a fantastic year for film. Better than most years in recent memory. It was a year that contained crowd-pleasing comedies (The Hangover, Julie & Julia), animated films with multi-generational appeal (Up, 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox), gut-wrenching dramas (The Hurt Locker, Precious, A Single Man), and, oh yeah, what will soon be the highest grossing film of all-time (Avatar). With that, what follows is my "ballot" if I were an Academy member, as well as my 2010 Oscar predictions. (And as a note, I've seen almost everything worth seeing, but not quite.)

Top Ten / Best Picture
1. Up. Without question, Pixar's best and most moving film. The film's opening 15 minutes are some of the best ever.
2. A Single Man. The best "gay movie" I've seen. Yes, better than Brokeback Mountain. Tom Ford's directorial debut is beautifully shot, incredibly acted, and utterly moving.
3. Precious. This wake-up call for all of America features two dynamite performances from Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sibide.
4. Avatar. The story isn't the most original, but the groundbreaking visuals are an absolute spectacle, and worth seeing again, and again, and again.
5. The Hurt Locker. A Single Man may be one of the best "gay" movies ever made, and The Hurt Locker may be one of the best war films ever made. Kathryn Bigelow's detailed direction makes The Hurt Locker the definition of a nail-biter.
6. Up in the Air. The movie of the moment. Jason Reitman's third film is the perfect film to describe the state of America in 2009.
7. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak's beloved short story becomes an even better film that brings out the child in all of us.
8. (500) Days of Summer. The year's best romantic comedy, and it isn't even a feel-good love story.
9. Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino rewrites history and it couldn't be more fun. As with Up, the film's opening sequence is absolute brilliance.
10. District 9. The rare sci-fi flick that's both intelligent and entertaining.

What Will Actually Be Nominated: An Education, Avatar, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Tom Ford, A Single Man
James Cameron, Avatar
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Pete Docter, Up

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Bigelow, Cameron, Lee Daniels (Precious), Reitman, Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

Best Actor
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Max Records, Where the Wild Things Are
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
George Clooney, Up in the Air

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Clooney, Firth, Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Renner

Best Actress
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Gabourey Sibide, Precious
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Blunt, Bullock, Mulligan, Sibide, Streep (We agree! Go figure.)

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Peter Calpadi, In the Loop
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Zach Galfanakis, The Hangover
Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Alfred Molina (An Education), Waltz, Tucci (The Lovely Bones)

Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Farmiga, Kendrick, Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Mo'Nique, Moore

Original Screenplay
Up
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover

What Will Actually Be Nominated: A Serious Man, (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up

Adapted Screenplay
Up in the Air
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are
Precious
In the Loop

What Will Actually Be Nominated: An Education, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Precious, Up in the Air

2009's Best (and Worst) of the Rest
11. An Education
12. Star Trek
13. Julie & Julia
14. The Hangover
15. In the Loop
16. Fantastic Mr. Fox
17. Zombieland
18. Adventureland
19. Food Inc.
20. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
21. Paranormal Activity
22. I Love You, Man
23. The Proposal
24. 9
25. Sunshine Cleaning
26. The Blind Side
27. Earth
28. The Road
29. The Princess & the Frog
30. Invictus
31. Duplicity
32. The Time Traveler's Wife
33. Coraline
34. The Invention of Lying
35. The Young Victoria
36. The Informant!
37. Bruno
38. Surrogates
39. Taken
40. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
41. Law Abiding Citizen
42. G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra
43. He's Just Not That Into You
44. 2012
45. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
46. The Men Who Stare At Goats

Top 10 Movies of the Decade

1. Crash (2005)
Many critics lament Crash as one of the worst film's ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. I couldn't disagree more. It's one of the few times the Academy actually got it right. Paul Haggis' directorial debut is simultaneously exhilarating, depressing, and disturbing. It's a rare film that will cause you to think and question your own behavior.

2. United 93 (2006)
The decade's hardest movie to watch was one of its best. Paul Greengrass' examination of the doomed United flight 93 plays like an impeccable documentary. I've never had a more powerful reaction to a film than I did to United 93. Sure, the subject matter had something to do with the raging emotions, but the superb way in which Greengrass examines human nature will stir even the most stone-faced movie-goer.

3. Big Fish (2003)
The best movies are the ones that make you feel. They're not the films with splashy performances, the impeccable one-liners, or the out-of-this-world special effects. They're the movies that "speak to you." Maybe they're not critically-acclaimed, but that's no what matters. For me, that movie is Big Fish. Often overlooked by many when discussing Tim Burton's best work, Big Fish is an imaginative experience full of heart.

4. In America (2003)
It's impossible not to love this story about an Irish family immigrating to America. The story brims with sadness, but director Jim Sheridan's subtle sense of humor makes the experience joyous. Real-life sisters, Emma and Sarah Bolger, steal the show with their d0e-eyed innocence and insatiable exuberance. In America is a film about what truly matters in America -- family.

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Michael Gondry's one-of-a-kind style paired with unforgettable performances from Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey made Eternal Sunshine 2004's most original and best flick. Eternal Sunshine is a movie about the true meaning of love, and it's love's flaws that will leave you enamored with this quirky and tragic story of fate, hope, and adoration.

6. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 - 2003)
It's quite difficult to make adaptations of famous literature. Audiences and critics usually agree, "the book was better than the movie." That can't be said of Peter Jackson's take on J.R. Tolkien's famous fantasy adventures. As Gollem would say, Jackson's masterpiece is our precioussss.

7. Slumdog Millionaire / The Dark Knight (2008)
The timing of a film's release can determine its success and how its viewed critically. That's true of both Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight. They're two movies that perfectly capture the mood of society at a specific point in time. Not only are both movies impeccably made, acted, and directed, but they're perfect descriptors of life in 2008.

8. Up (2009)
Pixar had a great decade. Each of the studio's films was practically better than the last. That must be why Up makes this list. Up is the best animated movie to hit the big screen since The Beauty and the Beast. It's full of pathos, humor, and sentiment. During Up, children watch their wildest imaginations play out on the big screen, and adults simply remember the joy of being young while celebrating the beauty in growing old.

9. Chicago (2002)
The musical is cool again, thanks to Chicago. Rob Marshall's glitz-filled musical is elevated by career-best performances from Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and Renée Zellweger. The movie helped inspire a bevy of stage-to-screen adaptations -- from Rent and Sweeney Todd to Dreamgirls and Phantom of the Opera. However, one of the decade's first musical was its best. Thanks to Chicago, the silver screen now has a little more razzle dazzle.

10. Million Dollar Baby / Letters From Iwo Jima (2004 / 2006)
Clint Eastwood had an amazing decade, and his work couldn't go unrecognized. I couldn't choose just one. Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima are two of the best of their respective "film genres," sports and war. Each takes its genre's respective clichés, throws them out the window, and focuses on good, old-fashioned storytelling. Now going on 79-years-old, Mr. Eastwood keeps getting better with age.

Top 10 (Mainstream) Songs of the Decade (Sorta)

1. " Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson (2004)
This should be no surprise. "Since U Been Gone" is pop rock perfection. From the opening guitar riffs to Clarkson's gale-force vocals to the in-your-face lyrics, "Since U Been Gone" is irresistible. The ranking wasn't even a contest. The "Since U Been Gone" play count on Jason's iTunes: 450. The next closest song? 295. Enough said.

2. "So What" - P!nk (2008)
Max Martin is a pop God. Afterall, he did write the two best pop songs of the 2000's. Like Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," "So What" is a massive hit that will define P!nk's career. The lyrics are simple, yet the singer's matter-of-fact attitude matched with the fist-pumping chorus prove that P!nk is still a rockstar.

3. "Single Ladies" - Beyoncé (2008)
Beyoncé could've dominated this list with songs like "Crazy in Love," "Irreplaceable," "If I Were A Boy," and "Halo." However none of those hits meets the cultural significance of "Single Ladies." Paired with a flawless video, "Single Ladies" is still being parodied more than a year after its release. Everyone agrees, Sasha is fierce.

4. "SexyBack" - Justin Timberlake (2006)
The 2000's were good to Mr. Timberlake. Not only did he launch a successful solo career, but he helped pen and produce songs for artists like Madonna and Nelly Furtado. However, none of those efforts were as good as Timberlake's own "SexyBack." The pulse pounding beat and stylized vocals truly do make FutureSex/LoveSounds.

5. "We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey (2005)
Comebacks don't get better than this. Mariah may be known for her pop ballads, but she stormed back on the scene in 2005 with this R&B jam. The quickfire verses combined with Carey's subdued delivery made for the biggest gamble of the singer's career. The calculated risk paid off, as she made the best R&B song of the decade.

6. "Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks (2006)
The best thing George W. Bush did as president was piss off the Dixie Chicks. Had Natalie Maines not openly dissed the president and faced the backlash of Middle America, we would've never been graced with "Not Ready to Make Nice." Performed with authentic heartbreak and anger, "Not Ready to Make Nice" is the best song to come from country's preeminent girl group.

7. "Gold Digger" - Kanye West (2005)
He has the biggest ego in Hollywood, but Kanye West knows how to make music. Few artists know how to stay as fresh, current, and original as Kanye, and "Gold Digger" is his best song. With the opening line of, "She take my money, well I'm in need" to the chorus shouting of, "We want pre-nup!," "Gold Digger" will be stuck in your head for days.

8. "This Love" - Maroon 5 (2002)
Adam Levine's voice is one of the most distinctive voices to rise from the 2000's and "This Love" serves as a showcase for his trademark falsetto. The rest of the band isn't too shabby either, with the guitars and piano providing a sublime, sexy background for Levine's voice.

9. The Breakaway Trifecta - "Breakaway" / "Behind These Hazel Eyes" / "Because of You" Kelly Clarkson (2004/2005)
"My Life Would Suck Without You" or "Already Gone" could have filled Kelly slot number two on my list. However, 2004 was the year that Ms. Clarkson took the world by storm, and I could not ignore singles one, three, and four from one of pop music's best albums. Each song showed a different side of the original American Idol's voice, and each was a raging success both in America and across the globe.

10. The 2009 Trio - "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift / "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon / "Poker Face" - Lady Gaga (2009)
I am aware that I've cheated and included more that ten songs on this list, but there were too many options. The decade's final year included career-making songs from Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon, and Lady Gaga. Taylor's simple and piercing voice worked flawlessly with the lyrics on "You Belong With Me," the indie group Kings of Leon finally went mainstream with the monster hit "Use Somebody," and Lady Gaga made dance music cool again with "Poker Face." Now, as we enter a new decade, hopefully each artist can continue to redefine themselves and make music that matters.

Top 10 TV Shows of the Decade

As the first decade of the 2000's comes to a close, it's the perfect time to make "best of" lists. So with that, over the next few weeks I'll be making my own lists of the Top 10 movies, songs, television series, and entertainers of the decade. We begin with TV.

1. Alias (ABC, 2001-2006)
My least shocking selection. Sure it had some rough patches (season four anyone?), and it was hard for the producers to sustain such quality over five seasons, but Alias is my all-time favorite television series. I have yet to see a better episode of television than the show's pilot, and season two will absolutely blow your mind. Sydney Bristow will likely be the best role of Jennifer Garner's career, and the fact that she never won an Emmy is a travesty. She portrayed Sydney with incredible strength and vulnerability, and without her, Alias would not have succeeded. J.J. Abrams owes his career to this show. Without it, he never would've been given the creative freedom to later create sci-fi gems LOST and Star Trek. However, I contend that Alias represents his best work. I only hope that the next decade brings another show that I love this much.

2. Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 2004-2009)
Even though it's set in space with spaceships and "aliens," I never really considered Battlestar Galactica a science fiction show. It was merely television's best drama. Everything about the four season series was perfection. The writing, acting, directing, and even the special effects were sublime. However, Galactica's greatest asset was it's short run. Unlike many TV shows, Galactica knew when to hang it up, and the storytelling benefited greatly, and the show turned in one of television's most satisfying series finales ever.

3. American Idol (FOX, 2002 - present)
Television purists would lament the inclusion of reality television on a list like this, but I am not one of them. How can you ignore the biggest show of the decade, and one of the most entertaining? Sure, American Idol had a winning formula with Simon Cowell's acerbic wit, Paula Abdul's antics, Randy Jackson's gibberish, and Ryan Seacrest's "metrosexuality." However, this is a show all about the contestants. Without the talent of stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry the show would have failed. It'll be interesting to see if the show can continue to churn out music's next big thing. If so, it'll likely be a ratings giant well into the next decade.

4. Everwood (WB, 2002-2006)
The most underrated show of the 2000's, probably because it aired on the WB. Everwood was Greg Berlanti's Alias. Just as the spy drama set the stage for J.J. Abrams career, Everwood cemented Berlanti's place in Hollywood. After Everwood, he'd later go on to produce the much better known Brothers & Sisters, and he's slated as the writer for 2011's The Green Lantern. As with Abrams, his lesser-known work was his best. Everwood was the ideal family drama. It was smart and funny, and didn't shy away from hot-button issues like abortion and teen pregnancy. Television needs more shows like this.

5. Veronica Mars (UPN/CW, 2004-2007)
This one falls under the category of "TV Shows Canceled Much Too Soon." A victim of poor ratings, Veronica Mars never once suffered from poor quality. Kristen Bell infused Veronica with such life and vitality that she was impossible to resist, and she delivered Veronica's trademark zingers impeccably. Plus, any show that can survive a Paris Hilton cameo in only its second episode must be pretty damn good.

6. LOST (ABC, 2004 - present)
Yes, J.J. Abrams' second best effort makes the list too. LOST started off with a bang, and its first two seasons were breathtaking. The show lost its way for a while, but got back on track when producers and the network decided the show would end in 2010 (something that Abrams' learned from Alias). The show's final season will go a long way to determining LOST's legacy, and it's still confusing as hell, but for now, it remains television's most accessible science-fiction offering.

7. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005 - present)
Primetime's best soap opera. Lots of love and lots of sex, and it's completely irresistible. Like many shows on this list, Grey's started with a magnificent two season run. There have been a few bumps in the road, but the show still manages to blend medical drama with good old-fashioned love stories. It doesn't hurt that the cast including Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh, and Ellen Pompeo turn in first-rate performances each and every week.

8. Arrested Development (FOX, 2003 - 2006)
It's probably heresy that I am listing a show that I've only seen 2/3 of, but that's a testament to Arrested Development's superior quality. Once I see the entire series, the show will probably climb its way up this list. It was one of the funniest and most original comedies to ever hit the small screen. It's groundbreaking style paved the way for other quirky, critically-acclaimed shows including 30 Rock, Modern Family, and Better Off Ted.

9. Survivor (CBS, 2000 - present)
The only show on the list that has survived the entire decade. The granddaddy of reality television, Survivor is a statement to quality equaling longevity. After nearly 20 installments, Survivor continues to cast people and create situations that bring new twists and freshness to the show. If they keep up this pace, we'll still be talking about Survivor come 2019.

10. Modern Family / Glee (ABC / FOX, 2009 - present)
Some will say it's "too soon," and I was tempted to put both of these shows even higher, but since they're only halfway through their first seasons they both land at number 10. Their addition to the television landscape has made 2009 a banner year. They're original and "side-splittingly" funny, and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the next decade.