Welcome to 2013. There are many things to look forward to in the new year. What are they? Well let me give you a sample of the things to look out for this year. Note: this list is in no particular order.
10. The release of “The Great Gatsby” movie – After having its release date delayed numerous times, “The Great Gatsby” is finally slated for a 2013 release. The movie has a star studded cast that features Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carrey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan. It will still be strange having the story narrated by “Spiderman” as the role of Nick Carraway will be played by Tobey Macguire, who played Peter Parker in the Spiderman trilogy in the 2000’s.
9. The return of cancelled family sitcoms – Class is back in session at Greendale Community College as the extended family sitcom “Community” returns in February. The show was cancelled due to the success of NBC’s new sitcom “The New Normal” last year. The show is about Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale, and the adventures of his study group. The show also features Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, Chevy Chase and Ken Jeong.
The new year also marks the reunion of the Bluth family as “Arrested Development” is slated for a spring 2013 release. Netflix has picked up the show after Fox stopped production of the widely-acclaimed show in 2006. The show is about Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman, and his attempts at getting his father’s fraudulent real estate business back on its feet. The show also stars Michael Cera, David Cross, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett and Jeffery Tambor.
8. The eventual return of the NHL – Currently the National Hockey League (NHL) is in a lockout and I’m hoping the players and owners eventually negotiate a deal to end the lockout and I can shave my “lockout beard”. I wait for the day the puck finally drops, which is hopefully this year. For now, I’m making do with basketball and football.
7. Next generation gaming consoles – The release of the Wii U marks the beginning of the eight generation of gaming consoles and I anticipate to see what Microsoft and Sony do in response to the Wii U. The “PS4” and “Xbox 720” are rumored to have a Christmas 2013 release date so I’m for sure putting those two gaming systems in my letter to Santa.
6. Smart phone wars: Apple vs. Samsung – Looks like the iPhone has a formidable rival in the Samsung Galaxy. Last year the Samsung Galaxy s3 sold more units than the iPhone 5, avoiding an iPhone monopoly in the cell phone business. It will be interesting to see how each company tries to one-up each other. Either way, consumers should expect to get a great smartphone next year.
5. New year, new music – Artists will take the year to fight over the top spot on the record charts. Some artists that plan to release new albums next year include Eminem, Bon Jovi, Psy, Paramore, Lady Gaga, Asher Roth, Nicki Minaj, Flux Pavilion, Glitch Mob, Katy Perry and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
4. Super Bowl XLVII – Although we don’t know who is playing in the big game, we can only imagine it will be a good matchup. The AFC favorites include the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos and the NFC favorites include the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. An underdog can also rise as teams such as the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers all have a shot at making the big game. Plus Beyonce is performing at halftime this year and there is a possibility of a Destiny Child’s reunion.
3. Part 2 of “The Hobbit” trilogy – With the success of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” people only wonder what Jackson has up his sleeve in the next part: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The biggest question with the movie is if it will be shot in 48 frames per second, which actually caused some motion sickness for people who watched the first movie. I enjoyed the first movie so let’s see if the second movie is better.
2. “Fifty Shades” in 2013 – Hey, this list a general opinion, not a personal one. I personally don’t read the E.L James series, but it seems to be popular to not only adult females, but even teenagers. For those “Fifty Shades” fans reading this, be excited as a fourth book in the “Fifty Shades” will be released this year. To make things better for those fans, a “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie is in development and all the new behind the movie, including the casting of characters, will be released in this year. The movie is slated for a 2014 release so you have to endure one more year.
1. New Disney movies – Disney had success in 2012 with movies such as “Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Avengers” and “Brave” and it will be fun to see how Disney tries to top those two movies. Disney has five movies slated for release next year: “Frozen,” an animated version of the fairy tale “The Snow Queen;” “Monster University,” the prequel to the 2002 Pixar hit “Monsters Inc;” “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz;” “Iron Man 3” and “Thor 2: The Dark World.” Either way, Disney is going to make some bank this year and movie goers will have five great movie to keep their eyes out for.
