Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Best of the Best and Calling the Army!

Yes, this is my list of the best things about 2010.

But first, a big call to arms to my blogging buddies! CassaStar’s book trailer made it to round two in the book trailer contest at Spunk on a Stick’s Tips. Voting starts today and runs through Sunday.
Now, I did find out on Monday that I won Best Sci-Fi/Dystopian trailer at Parajunkee - thanks so much everyone!!
However, competition is stiff this time - there’s six other trailers. (And three are by blogging buddies of mine, which is cool.) So, if you really think mine rocks, head on over to Spunk on a Stick’s Tips and vote! Don’t make Captain Ninja Alex grovel. It’s not a pretty sight…

And don’t forget the Top Ten Countdown Music Blogfest on January 24 - sign up HERE

Now for the Best of the Best! And remember, this is just one man’s opinion. As my wife says, I’m not right all the time.

MOVIES
The Best-

Inception
How to Train Your Dragon
Iron Man II
True Grit
Despicable Me

Honorable Mentions-
Tron: Legacy
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Biggest Disappointments-
Clash of the Titans
The Wolfman
Green Zone

Okay, the lists get shorter from here…

BEST ALBUM-
Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape
(Who? A progressive rock band from Sweden! It’s their seventh amazing album! Oh, never mind…)

BEST BOOK-
Fever Dreams by Preston & Child

BEST COMPUTER GAME-
Starcraft II
(Longest wait for a sequel ever…)

BEST SPORTS MOMENT-
The collapse of the Viking’s Metrodome Stadium roof:



Honorable mention goes to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who claimed at the beginning of the season the Cowboys would get to attend the Super Bowl in their own stadium. Sure - if they buy tickets! Need to make the playoffs first, Jerry. Oh how I love to see the Cowboys lose…

BEST PERSONAL MOMENT-
Yeah, October 19 and the release of my first book, CassaStar, was damned cool! Of course, good reviews keep popping up, so that’s cool, too. And then there’s my awesome blogging army of friends. You guys are all cool. No wait, you rock!

Oh yeah - and my iPad!!

What was the best for you in 2010?

And please don’t make me grovel…

89 comments:

Melissa said...

I've seen inception and how to train your dragon but I still need to see the other three. I am planning on it... even if it is a year late.

I LOVE the Great Escape!!!


You have some great bests.

Anne Gallagher said...

2010 was a banner year for you! Congrats. My best moment was completing the fence.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Taking part in the A to Z fest and of course having you as a follower.


Taking part in the Dirty Dozen fest:

Buying a book called CassaStar the author's name escapes me at the moment.any ideas??????

Having such wonderful friends on Blogsphere.....one is never lonely.

Seeing my Irish singer Daniel at Bournemouth in Dec.

Loved your choices.
Yvonne.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Something for you, well deserved!

http://izombielover.blogspot.com/2011/01/izombie-gets-to-make-you-scream.html

:)-Welcome in the New Year!
Jeremy [iZombie]

Gail said...

I survived it.

Jessica Bell said...

Having my debut novel accepted for publication, of course! ;o)

Laura Eno said...

Reporting for duty!
May 2011 be even brighter for you!

Glynis Peters said...

Happy New Year. Wishing you more great things for 2011.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Melissa, you'll really enjoy them!

Thank you, Anne.

You always make me smile Yvonne - thanks!

Thanks, Jeremy!

Jessica, that's a big one!

Thank you Laura and Glynis!

Anonymous said...

2010 has been a challenging year but wifey and I came out better people for it. We're positioned for an epic 2012 and are off and running. Next up, renewing our yearly Disnelyland passes next week.

DEZMOND said...

I don't mind the groveling... and I left my vote.

Alex Ong said...

Voted!

Alex
Breakfast Every Hour

Dempsey Sanders said...

totally agree about Wolfman, was one of my biggest dissapointments. I will also pop over and vote now ( I think I have already but I will check).
As for 2010, the coolest thing for me was going to Miami and creating my blog, other than that 2010 has been a very hard year for me with a lot of drama so embracing 2011 with open arms.

Jules said...

Love the movie choices for best, though Toy Story3 was a let down for me.

My Best: Great blog friends, The Beach, My father being healthy again and finding a voice :)

Off to vote :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Old Kitty said...

Grovelling is good. :-)

Oh ok, I've gone and voted! Yay! Good luck!!!!

Toy Story 3 and Of Gods and Men for me (film wise)!!

Take care
x

Sarah Ahiers said...

...we don't like to talk about the metrodome collpase in MN.

Hey, did you see Black Swan yet? I don't remember seeing a review on it...

Summer Ross said...

Great movie choices. I'd have to say tangled is one of my Favs. I have lots of bests from 2010. Congrats on the next round of the contest and best of luck to you! I have your blogfest posted on my blogfest page.

Summer Frey said...

2010 was not a great year for me, but 2011 is looking up...

I really liked Sherlock Holmes (I love RDJr). So of course I'd agree with Iron Man 2. Inception was great, and I haven't seen the others yet.

True Grit is good, huh? It has a super high Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Carol Kilgore said...

I loved meeting lots of new blogging friends in 2010, and I hope to meet lots more this year.

I may be the only Texan who isn't a Cowboys fan. Go Jets!

Oh yeah...and I just came from voting :)

Alex Ong said...

@Carol J-E-T-S!

Michelle Gregory said...

bests for me in 2010- that my novel is finally on Kindle, watching Prince of Persia, my son's vision therapy being over, finishing my 2nd draft after working on it for a year, and finally figuring out when to move.

my son just got a new comp and has Starcraft 2. his cousin is in the contest to make a new game level.

Bossy Betty said...

You aren't right all the time? Really?

Best for me in 2010? I ate a lot of cookies and enjoyed each and every one.

Jeff Beesler said...

Alex, I broke my hiatus today for an emergency posting over at my blog. The reason? You rallied the troops, and though I'm on a one week LOA I didn't want to come across as being AWOL or MIA. Good luck on the contest!

Anonymous said...

I hadn't actually seen footage of the Metrodome collapsing until just now. That is INSANE.

Congrats on winning the first contest, and good luck with the second!

Unknown said...

I just saw inception the other night and I can't believe how much I loved it.. and the clothes.. were made for the show.. not purchaed... loved it all

Sangu Mandanna said...

Definitely getting my first book deal = highlight of the year! But I can't forget being proposed to and moving into a new house, both of which are up there alongside book deal!

I have been dying for a male perspective on Tangled because I've been trying to get Steve to go with me! Would a boy like it?

Poetry of the Day said...

inception was one of the greatest movies ever made, in my opinion

Colene Murphy said...

voting!

I still haven't seen Inception yet! It's sitting on the tv stand, waiting to be watched as it has been for over a week! I feel like a movie failure!

Just got Clash of the Titans in the mail today from Netflix. Sort of disappointed already...lol

Great lists!

Chris Phillips said...

i liked true grit, but it didn't knock me over like I'd expected. Also Iron Man 2 was mediocre to good.

off to vote!

Unknown said...

Gonna disagree about Wolfman. It was everything a werewolf movie should be and more.

I love to see the Cowboys lose as well. And what a meltdown they had. :)

Best thing for me in 2010 was creating my own blog and getting to be friends with some of the coolest people ever. Oh, and my Bears making the playoffs. Yeah, baby!

I'm gonna go vote now.

Karen M. Peterson said...

I fully expected to like Iron Man 2 because I loved the first one and think Robert Downey, Jr is the bee's knees. But I just didn't like it. It felt like there were some things missing.

I do want to check out that Swedish band, though!

Matthew MacNish said...

Wait! You hate the Cowboys too!?! Now we're even better friends than we already were Alex. YES!

Matthew MacNish said...

Oh and I SO want to see True Grit. Roger Deakins, Coen Bros, Josh Brolin AND Jeff Bridges? WIN!

PK HREZO said...

Love your film choices. And so right on with the disappointments... man The Wolfman and Clash of Titans were such a let down. Green ZOne on the other hand, I thought was awesome.

My best for 2010??? mmm... have to think about that awhile. Don't know if I can think back that far.... lol

BTW just voted for your second round.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stephen, must be cool to live near Disneyland.

Karen, hope 2011 is year of healing and growth for you.

Dezz, I don't grovel for just anyone! And thanks.

Thank you, Alex.

Thanks Dempsey - and hope this year is all good for you.

Thanks Jules and Kitty!

Sarah, no I haven't.

Thanks Summer - and happy birthday!

Summer, it's good!

Carol, good for you and thanks!

Betty, so my wife keeps telling me!

Kelly, isn't it wild?

Wasabi, Inception is just a masterpiece.

Poetry, I agree!

Colene, get with it!

Melissa, it was an epic meltdown!

Cheeseboy said...

How is it that I have never heard of Seventh Wonder. I'm ON IT!

Couldn't agree with you more on the movies. Despicable Me was my favorite movie of the year.

Hart Johnson said...

oh, come on Alex--just a teensy weensy grovel? Or a flash? You got to give me something to work with here! (kidding)

You had a great year! Did you review Fever Dreams? The title appeals to me.

Raquel Byrnes said...

Voted for you...good luck!

Helen Ginger said...

Hey, hey, hey! I'm a Texas girl and you're dissing the Cowboys. Okay, as long as you don't dis the Saints, we're still friends.

Shannon said...

Great list, Alex! I agree with you on Inception and Dragon - I haven't seen the others yet, but Tangled and Toy Story 3 are on that list for me.

Albums - oh man, I'm on a One Republic kick. Love them!

I actually have a list of favs on my blog (http://shannonmcm.com/?p=2879) for more stuff.

Oh, and Mike's right there with ya on Starcraft. Have you tried X-Box Kinect?

N. R. Williams said...

Boy, that metro dome roof collapse was awesome and terrible at the same time. I'm glad no one was in it. Imagine the panic.

Blogging and finding friends like you Alex was super great. And of course my own book release. Now on to the blog book tour that starts on this Friday.

I'll go vote now.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

The Man-Cave said...

Glad to see someone else liked Iron Man 2. Didn't understand the hate it received. And I voted Inception as my top film as well.

The Metrodome and Jones' comment are great picks as well.

Eric said...

You got my vote, Alex. No need to do that groveling YouTube vid after all :)

Melissa Gill said...

I think Inception tops my list for fav movie too. Although I also loved HP. I've got to see both of those again.

I'd have to think about best moment of 2010. Nothing really stands out, good or bad.

You always have my vote.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You'll dig Seventh Wonder, Cheeseboy. Very melodic.

Hart, I did review it - way back when... And for you, I'll beg - please??????????

Thanks, Raquel!

Helen, I like the Saints!

Shannon, no I haven't - don't have an XBox.

Thanks, Nancy. And if you look to the right, there's a few staff guys running for cover in the video.

Geof, I don't get it either.

Thanks, Eric. Can you imagine me groveling on YouTube?

Thanks, Melissa!

TS Hendrik said...

It's early but clearly your statement "Oh how I love to see the Cowboys lose" deserves to be in the running for this year's best sports related comments.

Bryan Russell said...

I'm a Vikings fan, so the collapse of the roof seemed a fitting captstone (tombstone?) for a crappy year.

ali cross said...

This is a fantastic list! I think my best "thing" from 2010 is that I really, truly learned how to live with an author. How to WORK. Best thing ever!

Unknown said...

I agree with all your top movie choices. I'm going over to vote now.
CD

VR Barkowski said...

Wow! Talk about an awesome year - Congratulations!

My best moment in 2010 was getting an agent. (Actually, it was not having to query anymore- a direct correlation to the agent thing.)

I'm off to vote….

Pearl said...

Cool!! You've had a pretty decent year!

Pearl

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, TS!

Bryan, they had so much potential, too.

Ali, that's cool!

Thanks, Clarissa.

Vr, a plus on both sides!

Thanks, Pearl.

Copyboy said...

Hey congrats on the book trailer and oct. 19th. Definitely a good year for you.

Southpaw said...

Your question has me thinking 'cause for some reason I was something I didn't think about yet - and I usually do. I have to really think about it now. Hum.

Kelly Polark said...

Voted! And your trailer was captivating. (my 6 year old loved it too!)
How many movies did you see in 2010? I know a lot!! I still want to see Inception.
And I'm glad you clarified on Seventh Wonder. I'll have to check them out!

M Pax said...

Best was learning to read well in front of a live audience - my own work - and getting my first fan.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Copyboy, the pressure's on for this year!

Holly, glad I could get someone's brain to work!

Thanks Kelly and I'm glad your kids like it as well! How many movies? Would 'hundreds' scare you?

M Pax, that first fan is always cool.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Hey, I've been a Cowboy fan since I was a little girl even when they suck.
Best moment for me was the release of my novel last January and then my first book signing at B&N when I sold out.
Gotta go vote now.

Lydia Kang said...

I have a lot more movies to watch, ha ha. Congrats on a stellar year for you and CassaStar!

Nicki Elson said...

Oh, it is ON, big boy! ...dang, there's not an emote that looks menacing enough...

That dome caving in was incredible!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Susan! And hey, you have to stick with your team no matter what.

Lydia, thanks!

Nicki, want to vote for each other and cancel out our votes?

Abby Minard said...

Great picks Alex! Loved How To Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3 and Tangled (Hm, is there a theme here?). Inception was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Haven't seen Tron yet, but I want to. I'm gonna have to put Harry Potter on the list. My mind is blank right now, so I can't really think of any movies that failed for me. I don't get to see very many new movies anyway. Good luck with your trailer voting!

Vicki Rocho said...

The only way I can remember movies I've seen is by reading them on someone else's list. LOL.

Best moment of the year was starting the blog because it led to so many other greats!

Julie Musil said...

No groveling necessary...I already voted! It really is an awesome trailer.

I haven't seen Inception yet, but it's on my Netflix list. I totally agree about Tangled. Loved it!

Pat Tillett said...

you got my vote!

I really must catch up on some of this years movies! I hate being this busy!

M.J. Fifield said...

I agree with you on Inception, True Grit and Despicable Me. I didn't see the other movies you listed so I can't comment on that. I'd also put Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on my list but I am an unrepentant HP fan.

And I have to agree with your best sports moment decision (even if I am an unrepentant Pats fan)...that was pretty awesome.

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the win and good luck with the contest at Spunk on a Stick's. Like your selection on the best book. Fever Dreams was the first book I've read by Preston & Child, but it won't be the last.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Belbin9 said...

Nice list! Defiantly have good taste

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

You didn't put "Tangled" on your 'The Best' list? IMO, the best animated feature of 2010... just a notch better than HTTYD and TS 3, but still better. :)

I was slightly disappointed by True Gift - it was just nothing special.

Green Zone was a huge disappointment, indeed.

CassaStar has made 2010 your year! :) Congrats on the success.

Theresa Milstein said...

Congratulations on your award.

I have to see "Despicable Me". I don't know how I missed it.

Best in 2010? Little bright spots with writing like winning a couple of contests from agents. Didn't turn into book contracts, but still.

Happy new year.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Abby! And I'm a sucker for the computer animated flicks as well.

Vicki, and we are glad you did!

Thank you, Julie.

Pat, catch up now, because this year there's a lot of good ones coming out.

Mason, glad you're a fan now! Read The Relic next. Excellent book.

Thanks, Nebular! Picking the order of the movies was difficult, except for Inception. Dragon was perfect to me and after watching Despicable Me again recently, I have to admit the Minions win me over.

Theresa, that's still really good!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Great lists, Alex--thanks for giving me some movies and music to check out. :)

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

I LOVED all those movies, too. Just saw Tron the other day. Man, I wanted to go there.

Will go vote now!

Nicole Zoltack said...

hahah re: Jerry Jones. Love it!

notesfromnadir said...

I like your movie list & the best sports moment of the roof collapsing made me laugh.

I like your trailer but have to admit I was impressed w/ all of them. The best part was being able to vote for 3 of them. But come the next round it's going to be way more difficult.

Lola Sharp said...

I enjoyed 2010 greatly, in spite of the couple of really weird/awful things. We had a lovely summer, spent a month in Maine. I got a new car for Xmas among many other wonderful gifts. My daughter started high school and is doing well in all AP classes. My little family and I are all healthy and happy and we're financially sound.
I made a LOT of delightful writing friends and have an amazing CP group.
I wrote one book and did a lot of revising.
I supported many fellow writer friends and rooted for their success.
Seriously, it was a good year. :)
I too loved Inception (and Black Swan and Tangled).

Happy 2011, Alex! May it bring you great joy.
Love,
Lola

Patricia A. Timms-McGehee said...

Did you notice the people running right before the roof collapsed? I had to replay it a couple of times to prove what I saw to my brother-in-law. Too crazy.

I left you an award on my blog. And now I'm going to place a vote for your trailer.
Have a great day!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You're welcome, Elizabeth!

Thank you, Carolina. And Tron was just such great fun.

Nicole, glad that tickled you!

Notes, I know! I still haven't voted yet. It's tough, because I know half you guys so well.

Lola, sounds like you had a great year! Remember, the weird things keep us grounded.

Thank you on both accounts, Patricia! And yes, it's funny to watch those two guys run for their life.

Saumya said...

Ahh, congrats on CassaStar! Not surprised that the good reviews are flowing in all the time :) And totally jealous of the iPad! Sounds like the year treated you quite well!

Jolene Perry said...

SO Happy when the Cowboys lose...

Also - Completely with you on the movies but I hate the Toy Story films. No idea why.

My iPad ranks up there pretty high as well.

Your book is TOTALLY MY NEXT READ.

I'm SO checking out Seventh Wonder - you're the second person who's recommended them to me this week.

Glad the year was so good to ya!

Priya Shankar said...

I seem to always see your blog and comments whenever I am commenting on someone elses blog, so I thought I would just stop by! I really love Inception and How to train a dragon! Anyways, Happy New Year!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks you, Saumya!

Jolene, thank you so much! And that is awesome - yes, check out Seventh Wonder.

Priya, thank you for saying hello!

BryStearns said...

How can that be the best sports moment? Clearly the best moment was when Canada beat the USA in overtime and took Gold in the Olympics. I mean come on, it was pretty awesome right?

WritingNut said...

Congrats on your award and all of your success!

These are some great bests from 2010.

Ummm... I think for me, pushing myself to write as much as I could and meeting so many great blogger buddies :)

Karen Lange said...

No groveling. Will see if I can't check it out.
Happy weekend,
Karen

The Weed said...

You sure had a heck of a year! My best was probably the birth of my third daughter after a particularly trying pregnancy. Good stuff.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Writing, that too!

Karen, I am willing to grovel.

Weed, congratulations!

Jamie Gibbs said...

best of luck to you with the trailer awards, Alex. Good list too, that roof collapse vid was pretty nuts.I agree that both Clash and Wolfman were disappointments.

I'll check out Seventh Wonder too - Swedish prog rock sounds tasty :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jamie, thanks, and I think you'll dig them.