Last week, we gave you our recap of the 11 biggest stories to hit the world of entertainment in 2011. Now, we give you our rundown of the top 12 entertainment events 2012 has to offer, and with huge releases in music, movies, video games and gadgets, 2012 is sure to be a year of time-killing you won’t easily forget.
12. Phoenix to drop ‘experimental’ 5th LP
Phoenix took the world by storm with its last record, 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The album garnered success for its hit singles “1901” and “Listzomania,” is certified gold and garnered the French group a grammy award. The band started work on a new album early last year in Australia, which is expected to be released around summer 2012. The band describes the new record as experimental, minimal and percussion-heavy. It may not win the commercial success of its predecessor, but Phoenix’s untitled new album should be an interesting foray for the band.
11. Napoleon Dynamite returns to the screen in animated form
One of the biggest TV surprises of the new year, Napoleon Dynamite and his rag-tag group of friends and enemies alike hit the cartoon world last Sunday on FOX. Featuring the same cast as the 2004 cult-classic film, the animated series features the same unconventional wit and hilarity as the film version, with the series premiere pitting Napoleon in an underground fighting ring. Oddly enough, Napoleon looks a bit less silly in cartoon form, and the show’s refreshing blend of fun and nostalgia is sure to make any viewer remember the days of Tina and “delicious bass”-related pick-up lines.
10. Bioshock series takes to the skies
From his last endeavor under the sea, designer Ken Levine’s latest project, “BioShock Infinite,” takes to the air. The plot takes place in 1912 on a floating dystopic city known as Columbia. Working with the new Unreal Engine 3, “Infinite” will deliver classic BioShock play with an exciting combination of firearms, nostrums and tonics, the latter two effectively replacing the plasmids from the original BioShock. Players will also be able to navigate the floating municipality via grappling hook and an elaborate series of interconnecting railways. With an exciting new plotline thick with themes of American exceptionalism and jingoism, the latest installment will also feature gameplay based on split-second decisions that have a real, lasting impact on the player’s unique play-through. However this game is examined, “BioShock Infinite” appears to be what fans have been waiting for.
9. ‘The Hunger Games’ to hit the silver screens
With the Harry Potter and Twilight films all but over, the stage is set for a new teen film phenomenon, and The Hunger Games looks to be just that. Based on Suzanne Collins’ popular series, the film follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she competes in the Hunger Games, a televised event that pits 24 teens against each other in a fight to the death. The teens hail from the 12 districts of Panem in a futuristic North America ravaged by global war. When Katniss’ sister, Prim, is randomly selected to compete in the Games, Katniss goes in her stead and befriends the boy tribute from her district, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). “The Hunger Games” should be the next big thing (it has a massive fan following and a dynamic cast), but only time will tell how it measures up to the franchises that preceded it.
8. Dr. Dre to finally drop ‘Detox’?
Dr. Dre’s album, Detox, is often considered the most anticipated record in rap history. Dre’s last full length, 2001, was released in 1999 and since then, hype has been building for his third and final album. Many critics and fans alike remain skeptical that Detox will actually drop this year, but a headlining slot at Coachella and news that Dre has been in the studio with Snoop Dogg are certainly promising. This may be the year that Dr. Dre silences his critics and finally releases Detox.
7. Charlie Sheen to settle down with new series
After the incredible media roller coaster Charlie Sheen rode last year, the former star of Two and a Half Men is finally ready to settle down with a new series. Anger Management, an FX-produced show based loosely on the Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler-led film of the same name, follows Sheen’s character as an anger management counselor for one group of former prisoners and one of current prisoners. With Sheen’s proclivity for outbursts of his own, it seems likely the show will follow Sheen’s character’s mental health (or lack thereof) as much as it will follow that of his imprisoned clientele. In any case, this series is bound to receive an onslaught of hype and viewership and should be a mark on your calendar for the sheer spectacle alone.
6. Dystopian ‘Alien’ future to reemerge in ‘Prometheus’
In this indirect reboot of the Alien franchise, a team of explorers (Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba) travels to the edges of space in search of evidence of humanity’s origins, with thrills aplenty. Just check out the eerie trailer: in between quick cuts, we catch glimpses of what’s to come (Is that a facehugger? The space jockey’s ship is moving?). For a movie seeking to differentiate itself from the Alien films, it sure seems to be playing up the similarities; considering the success of those movies, though, maybe that’s okay.
5. Apple to release iPad 3 (and 4?)
If you’ve been considering using some of that holiday money on entering the tablet market with style, you may want to wait another couple of months. Apple is already rumored to have begun production of its next iteration of the iPad, aptly named the iPad 3, which should start shipping out in late winter or early spring. The iPad 3 is set to have a quad-core processor, upgraded cameras on both the front and back and a higher-resolution display. Even more striking, another iPad has been rumored as being in the works, possibly in time for a holiday release. Call it innovation, or call it blatant money-grabbing, but the new iPads of 2012 are certain to stir up some excitement (and empty some wallets) in members of the gadget community.
4. Peter Jackson to return to the Shire with ‘The Hobbit’
Initially plagued by financial troubles and director dropouts, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” was going nowhere fast. When Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson finally stepped in to get production back on track, fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. In the first half of this two-film entry, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) joins Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and a troupe of dwarves on a quest to regain treasure stolen by a villainous dragon. Jackson already has a firm grip on Middle Earth, being the man who created it on film, and given the look of the trailer, it appears he hasn’t lost his touch.
3. ‘Halo 4′ to begin new trilogy in sci-fi series
The game series that redefined the first-person shooter genre will put out a new title this year, “Halo 4.” The newest game in the series will revisit the famous plotline surrounding John-117, also known as Master Chief. The game picks up where “Halo 3” left off and continues on an all-new storyline that plans to span three games. Improved graphics, classic characters and new and exciting worlds can all be expected from this new iteration of Halo. Though few details surrounding graphics, gameplay or plot points are known, “Halo 4” is sure to make a lot of noise in 2012.
2. Rockstar to take gamers back to sunny streets of Los Santos in ‘Grand Theft Auto V’
Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series are headed west to beautiful, sunny Los Santos. Recalled from “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” Los Santos may be a familiar setting, but the game itself brings new life to it. In the press release announcing the new game, Rockstar, the games’ publisher, noted that “Grand Theft Auto V” will take a “bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer,” with the game’s story primarily focusing on “the pursuit of the almighty dollar.” Between the picturesque rolling hills, the familiar beaches and the infamous, if renamed, “Vinewood” sign, “Grand Theft Auto V” promises to be an expansive, violent sandbox experience, and will likely be the biggest (dollar-wise) entertainment release of 2012.
1. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
Ever since Heath Ledger blew audiences away with his twisted portrayal of the Joker, “The Dark Knight” has become the standard against which all other superhero movies are judged, and rightfullly so. It raked in over $1 billion in box office sales, received rave reviews and won Ledger a posthumous Oscar. In the series finale, “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christopher Nolan is bringing in some DC heavyweights like Bane (Tom Hardy), a super-strong villain known best known for breaking Batman’s back, and Catwoman (Anne Hathway), Batman’s on-again, off-again love interest. It’s going to be hard to top “The Dark Knight,” but with an impressive track record like Nolan’s, fans can rest assured that Batman will get the ending he deserves.
