The Most Anticipated "Stuff" of 2012

Whether it’s on the big screen, small screen, or that addictive portable pocket screen (I’m talking to you, iPhone) – a great deal more than the apocalypse is set to arrive in 2012. So crack your knuckles and pass the popcorn as we explore the years most anticipated items.

Christmas has come and gone and broke the bank – which is almost unfortunate, as a slew of desirable new electronics are scheduled for a rapidly approaching release. Item number one: Google’s much-anticipated tablet, set to hit shelves this year. Now I know what you’re thinking: another tablet? But this is not another tablet. Google ultimately plans to take as much technology as possible, condense it, and retail it at a price that, unlike its rival Apple, doesn’t break the bank. Now speaking of overpriced technology, the iPhone 5 is rumoured to not only have a pending ’12 release date, but additionally a sleek new design. Spendthrifts rejoice, but I’ll believe it when I see it.  2012 also sees the release of Microsoft’s latest inventively-named operating system: Windows 8. Its promising touch-oriented Metro interface and new OS feature will power both tablets and PCs to unprecedented heights while boasting a radically new look and feel. Translation: Windows 8 will be the first platform since the ancient Windows 95 to revamp, rather than merely tweak, the desktop interface. Lastly, you can’t talk about overdue Microsoft technology without at least mentioning the Xbox 360. Gamers will have to wait until 2013 to get their hands on a new model, but the New Year does bring along something to look forward to: a long-awaited Xbox update, which conveniently doubles as an effortless transition into the next paragraph: Video games.

Although I’m practically a stranger when it comes to this multi-billion dollar industry, from what I gather, there are a handful of to-be-released sequels that continue to lead the pack. Nabbing the #1 spot on multiple forums was BioShock: Infinite – which sees its original designer Ken Levine return for the third installment. Among the other buzz worthy sequels were Halo 4, Assassins Creed III, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Call of Duty 9. Sadly, the days of Mario and Luigi have long passed, and not even my Ocarina can bring them back. 

I don’t have a subtle or creative way to transition into the next paragraph, but I assure you, like the previous, it’s short and (hopefully) sweet. Enter: Music – in particular, album releases. Be excited, because a slur of billboard topping artists are set to duke it out this year – and among these are Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth, which reunites the dynamic, indifferent duo of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth along with drummer Alex Van Halen and Eddie’s son Wolfgang as bassist. But the iconic and ancient acts don’t end there – Madonna is set to release her 12th full-length album, which boasts collaborations with upcoming artists Nicki Minaj (also pending a 2012 album release), M.I.A. and Martin Solveig. Madonna attempts to reach the current generation and reclaim her throne with M.D.N.A.’s allegedly unique blend of dance and pop. Lastly, you can look forward to mentor and prodigy battle for the number one spot, on the charts and in our hearts, as Usher’s TBA comes up against Justin Bieber’s second full-length: Believe. But I’m going to have to give this round to the teen phenomenon, who despite a mere 17 years of age, has successfully dominated the music industry for – coming up on – four years. Fun fact: he’s the only artist who, besides Michael Jackson, has had a theatrical film documenting his life’s trials and triumphs.

Now speaking of movies – which is in fact something I love to do – I am pleased to inform you that 2012 holds an arsenal of blockbusters, most consisting of fantasy or superhero elements. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the long awaited prequel that sees Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) embark on a quest to reclaim a stolen treasure. Tapping into the myriad Lord of the Rings fan base, this epic is almost guaranteed to be a financial success. The Amazing Spider-Man gives the popular franchise a facelift with its new young stars Andrew Garfield, in the title role, and Emma Stone, as his counterpart Mary Jane while The Avengers boasts the long-awaited, never-before-seen pairing of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk – and in 3D, it promises to be just as epic as it is random. And speaking of epic, random movies – Disney’s first animated feature receives a stylized revamp in Rupert Sander’s Snow White and the Huntsman. The promising trailer pairs the ready-for-battle Snow White (Kristen Stewart) against the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) in what is easily the most anticipated fantasy film of the year. Stewart’s second film, the final instalment of the Twilight series, hypes more drama as the Cullen’s strive to protect the hybrid human-vampire child of Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Stewart) from the wicked Volturi. But while Twi-hards long for their fix of Jacob and Edward, I – like so many others – await the day when, after the release of Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the phenomena will finally wither away. However teenage moviegoers may have something new to obsess about: The Hunger Games. And while it’s no Harry Potter, it boasts action and drama in post-apocalyptic America as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) fights for her life in an annual televised event. The Hunger Games is well on its way to becoming the next blockbuster franchise, but it wasn’t quite enough to nab the number one spot. The long-await last installment of the brilliant crime saga, and follow-up to arguably the greatest superhero movie of all time, hits theatres this summer. Being a huge Christopher Nolan fan, I can tell you I’m more than excited for – you guessed it – The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan’s original script see’s Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman, who must return to salvage Gotham from terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) and his following. The impressive cast of Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman combined with Nolan’s multileveled screenplays and a 3D and IMAX experience make The Dark Knight Rises this year’s must-see motion picture. Gotham will fall, a hero will rise, and the legend will end – mark your calendars.

The silver screen is dominated by a trend of endings and beginnings this year – a pattern that is echoed by the not-to-be-forgotten small screen gems. This year marks the beginnings of promising sitcoms, beefy dramas and intellectual thrillers – all buzz-worthy, and steadily approaching. Fringe creator J.J.Abrams returns with Alcatraz, the thrilling new drama that has a motley group of investigators tracking supernatural criminals who have transported from Alcatraz’s 1960 prison to present day America. If that plot wasn’t complicated enough, let me throw you another – it centres a detective (Jason Isaacs), who after a devastating car crash with his wife and son, alternates between two realities. In one, only he and his wife survived; in the second, only his son remains, breathing with him. This is Awake – a bit of Fringe, a hint of Inception, and an astronomical amount of confusion. In contrast, Warwick Davis’s creation Life’s Too Short (Ironic, yet intentional) is an unconventional sitcom in the style of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Co-creators Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais (Think: The Golden Globes) are sure to deliver laughs as the trio attempts to reignite Davis’s movie career. Charlie Sheen’s bittersweet return to the small screen can be attributed to the ambivalent comedy Anger Management. But let’s face it; this could go one of two ways: It could thrive with help from Sheen’s loyal Two and a Half Men fan base, or crash and burn in a violent torpedo, just as his tour did – only time will tell. Next up, American Horror Story – and while co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy refuse to spill details about the upcoming season, they have made clear their vision of a long compilation-like series, with each year reserved for a new story. Brilliant, why didn’t anyone else think of that? Lastly, an untitled production shoved under the label of “talk-show” promises to deliver the hysterics with help from controversial host Russell Brand. You heard right – this improvisational, unstructured twist on the conventional late night show is coming to your television sooner than you think. In fact, if Brand plays his cards right, the show could very well secure a younger audience, revolutionize late-night television, and make Brand a household name synonymous with success – not obnoxious, drunken British idiot.

We are nearing the end, my friends. And no, I’m not talking apocalypse. As a multitude of items hit the shelf and the screens this year, there stands something for everyone to anticipate. Do we need these things? No – but entertainment (perhaps you’ve heard of it) is a little industry that thrives in North America. And let’s face it, if there’s one thing we teenagers know to a tee: it’s “stuff”.

-Kirsten G.