A Year In Review: 2013 (More Superlatives, Ahoy!)

I thought that I would review some of the highlights in television, movies, and music from this past year, while looking forward to the year ahead.

Ready?

Set?

RECAP!

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A Farewell to Matt Smith: Eleven's 11 Best Lines/Monologues

When I began to watch Doctor Who, I was advised to take a break between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor’s eras. I didn’t understand why, of course, until I watched “The End of Time” and sat at my desk, sobbing uncontrollably. I didn’t want David Tennant to leave. I didn’t care who the next Doctor would be, really. I just knew that my Converse-wearing, “allons-y”-shouting, great-haired Doctor would be gone. And under the guidance of those friends, I took a break from marathoning Doctor Who.

It’s the best advice I can ever give to someone watching new Who, really. I feel like too many people breeze through the Doctors and don’t really take the opportunity to mourn them. You lose something when you lose a Doctor – whether it’s Nine, Ten, or now Eleven – and if you don’t wait at least a little while before picking the series back up, you’ll never quite appreciate the actor who replaced your beloved. If I hadn’t waited before beginning season five, I would have spent the entirety of the rest of the series lamenting the fact that Matt Smith wasn’t David Tennant – that Eleven was nothing like Ten. And honestly, I DID do that throughout 90% of “The Eleventh Hour.” I was skeptical of this new face; he wasn’t like Tennant at all. He was younger and sillier and he talked with his hands and babbled.

But the end of “The Eleventh Hour” changed my perception. As “I Am the Doctor” swelled and the audience saw flashes of each Doctor’s regenerated face, I felt the sudden sense that this new Doctor – Eleven – was not a child. He might have been younger than Ten and he might have been a bit goofy but he was also every bit as determined and strong and willing to defend the planet. He was epic. He was a hero.

Over the years, Matt Smith has really grown on me, to the point where I now cannot tell you exactly which Doctor (Ten or Eleven) is my true favorite. I’m going to miss Matt Smith a lot, who brought this quiet sort of intensity to his Doctor. He was unsuspecting but not to be dismissed. He could be cold like Nine and full of self-loathing like Ten. He was a man with nothing to lose and should therefore not be trifled with. He had fantastic episodes (“A Good Man Goes to War” is my favorite new Who episode of all time and one of Matt Smith’s best episodes), brilliant co-stars and companions and some pretty epic emotional moments. And he put EVERYTHING out there as The Doctor. Literally, his transformation from series five until now is just astounding. He’s physically aged, of course, but you see the aging of the Doctor with him. You see those “big sad eyes” and the pain and heartache that occasionally drags him down. You see every single emotion of The Doctor in Matt Smith’s face and I cannot adequately express how much I will miss him.

As Eleven, Matt Smith has been fortunate to have had some amazing and memorable lines and speeches. He’s a master at delivering a monologue, and Moffat has given him plenty of meaty, emotional, and gut-wrenching material because of it. So I decided that in order to celebrate Matt Smith’s era and send him on a proper farewell, I’d revisit eleven of the best lines/monologues from Eleven’s era.

Grab those tissues, cuddle up with your TARDIS blanket and head below the cut, because we’re counting down some of the best moments in Matt Smith’s era now!

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 10 Must-Watch Christmas Movies

It’s no surprise that I love Christmas. I love everything about the holiday, from the twinkling lights to the carols and warm, fuzzy feeling that spreads throughout your chest at the sight of stockings and trees and presents. Most of all, I love settling into a comfy pair of pajamas, sipping a cup of hot chocolate and putting a good Christmas movie into the DVD player. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I decided to make a list of some of my must-watch holiday films. Most of these are from my childhood and hold a sentimental place in my heart (ANOTHER staple of Christmas, really!).

Which films made my cut? You’re just going to have to click below the cut to find out!

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Jenn's Pick: Top 10 Christmas Episodes of a TV Comedy Series

I love Christmas.

I love everything about the holiday: the music, the lights, the warm feeling you get whenever you look out your window and see snow spiraling onto the pavement. Or, in my case, whenever you don a pair of sunglasses and tank top and head outside to soak up the 85-degree weather.

(Ah, Florida.)

Nevertheless, Christmastime is my favorite time of year, and nearly every television show makes the decision to do a Christmas-themed episode. I’ve narrowed down my list to ten of my favorite yuletide episodes in comedy series. It was difficult to choose because there are SO many amazing Christmas episodes out there, but I feel pretty good about my selection. So what episodes made my “nice” list?

Grab some Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and cuddle up with my top ten favorite Christmas-themed comedy episodes!

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