Written by Sarah

(Lainey intro: I asked Sarah for her thoughts on the best and worst in our ongoing Year in Review feature. Obviously I vehemently disagree with Jake Gyllenhaal, even though Prince of Persia totally sucked. As you know, I don’t mind Swifty and Jakey as much as the rest of you.)

THE BEST

Jon Hamm
Mad Men season four, a well-received return to SNL, recurring role on 30 Rock, and guest spots on Children’s Hospital and The Simpsons cement Hamm’s reputation as one of the most talented, diverse men on television today. And with roles in Howl and The Town Hamm’s film career continues to grow at a steady pace. Not to mention landing a spot on my Lifetime Five, which I’m sure Hamm considers his biggest achievement of the year. He’s become a cornerstone of television (is your show cool unless Jon Hamm has been on it?) and increased his film credibility—it was a breakout year for Hamm.

Kathryn Bigelow
How many little girls, staying up late and watching in their pajamas, watched her stride onto that stage and pick up her Oscar and thought, “That could be me one day”? Not as an actress, but as a director. The woman in charge. Bigelow is the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar, and she’s shown a new generation of girls that a career behind the camera can be just as glamorous as one in front of it.

William & Kate get engaged
Please. Don’t act like you don’t care. We all care. Some may remember Charles and Diana’s wedding, others like me grew up with images of the “wedding of the century”. Wills and Kate’s nuptials promise to be at least as big and even more glamorous. And we’ll all be obsessed with every single detail until April 2011.

THE WORST

Jake Gyllenhaal
It’s been a tough year for Jake G. He’s had two highly-touted movies, Prince of Persia and Love and Other Drugs, both of which failed to live up to expectations. Though Love and Other Drugs did get Jake a Golden Globe nomination, I’m not sure how seriously I’m supposed to take that in a year when Jennifer Love Hewitt also received a nod. And finally, Jake’s quiver-killing relationship with Taylor Swift is a weird, uncomfortable note to end the year on.

Jersey Shore
Which is worse, the idiots on this show or the fact that everyone who watches this show has made the dumbass protagonists rich idiots? I’m not even sure what the point of Jersey Shore is. Are we supposed to feel better about our own lives compared to the pointless existence of the inhabitants of Jersey Shore? Or are we supposed to be appalled, convinced that the end of modern civilization lies within these dumb twats we’ve made famous?

Ronni Chasen’s murder
There is something really weird about this whole thing. The police have ruled Chasen’s murder the work of a random crazy person (Harold Smith) on a bicycle, yet I have a hard time swallowing that. But I also can’t make myself believe all the conspiracy theories about wild plots and hitmen. Chasen’s murder is a senseless, tragic end to a career in film PR that spanned decades and paved the way for future generations of women in the industry.


Photos from Wenn.com