Reviewing the best of 2016

Best of the Year– Hamilton

What can I say about Hamilton that hasn’t already been said. The hit Broadway musical is not only as good as you’ve heard, it’s better. I’ve listened to the cast recording none stop all year long and I truly believe it’s one of the greatest works of our generation. It’s educational, entertaining, and enlightening.

• Favorite Upbeat Song- Schuyler Sisters
• Favorite Emotional Song- Burn
• Favorite Historical Song- Election of 1800
• Favorite Rap Battle- Cabinet Battle #1
• I Cry Every Time- It’s Quiet Uptown

 

Music

Song of the Year– Adele’s Send My Love to Your New Lover. This song came out early in the year and has managed to stick around. It was hard to turn on the radio in 2016 and not hear it on several stations. It stuck around as other songs came and went which made me happy since it was my instant favorite on 25.

 

Best Video– Beyonce’s Formation. The imagery in this video is epic. Beyonce went from throwing up middle fingers to laying on the roof of a sinking New Orleans police car. This was not the polite “I want everyone to like me” Beyonce. This was bad ass take charge Beyonce and I loved it.

 

Hidden Power House– Sia. With her signature face hiding wig Sia has had a great year. When she performed songs from her 2016 album on Saturday Night Live I was skeptical. However after listening to the songs a few more time I have come to love them. Alive was my personal favorite but Cheap Thrills and The Greatest were also stand out hits.

 

Sophomore Success– The Weeknd. When an artist gets huge success from an album it can be very hard to maintain the same level of popularity on the follow up. The Weeknd not only avoided that curse but did it in remarkably short time releasing Star Boy just over a year after his 2015 breakout hit Beauty Behind the Madness.

 

Spotify Streaming King– Drake. Drake won a landslide victory (for the second year in a row) when he came in as the number 1 most streamed artist on Spotify in 2016 with 4.7 billion streams. He beat his own wining record of 1.8 billion streams last year. No other man or woman came close.

 

Best Dirty Song in Disguise – Ariana Grande’s Side to Side. Like The Weeknd, Grande’s Dangerous Woman album was a follow up to her massively successful 2014 hit My Everything. With her bunny ears on she sung her way in our hearts with her hit Side to Side. The song was so subtle that most people didn’t realize it was about getting fucked really good. Those bunny ears also became a popular Halloween costume for gay boys around the world.

 

Honorable Mention– Lady Gaga’s pink Joanne hat. At first I wasn’t impressed with Lady Gaga’s Joanne album. However I instantly fell in love with the pink hat she wore on the cover of the album. When I realized the hat cost $800 I decided to give up my dream of owning it and actually listen to the music. Over time I must say Joanne has seriously grown on me and become a favorite. The song Million Reasons is clearly the standout that tugs at every heart string.

 

TV

Performance of the Year– Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark in The People vs OJ Simpson. There was no other single performance on TV that was better in 2016. Her performance could easily stand up against any Best Actress nominee at the Oscars. The whole mini series was amazing in fact. If you missed it believe me it’s worth the full 10 hours. Every actor deserves applause for their performance.

 

Best Reality Show Ever Created– RuPaul’s Drag Race & All Stars 2. In 2016 we were spoiled with two seasons of Drag Race. RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8 early in the year and then Drag Race All Stars 2 over the summer. All Stars 2 was my gay fantasy come true. Alaska hitting the Runway as Lil Poundcake, Alyssa Edwards dancing as Annie Oakley, and Katya owning the runway in a aqua marine Esther Williams fantasy. Tatianna returned and Adore left. Every episode was better then the last. Earlier in the year we watched Season 8 which introduced us to the funny and talented Thorgy Thor and the outrageously talented Kim Chi. Bob The Drag Queen won the crown but I suspect we’ll see many season 8 faces on All Stars 3.

• The Ultimate All Star– Alaska. From the beginning the All Star crown was Alaska’s to lose. Since her time on season 5 she has crushed the competition and become the best none winner the series has ever had.
• Miss Congeniality– Alyssa Edwards. Alaska may have won the crown but Alyssa Edwards won our hearts as the funniest part of All Stars 2. She brought joy and laughs to every episode. BEAST!
• The Musician– Thorgy Thor. Thorgy won my heart early in season 8 as the funny queen who was constantly out shined by her friend Bob. When I got to see video of her amazing violin skills it only made me love her more.
• The Artist– Kim Chi. No other drag queen has shown us such astounding runway looks. She is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else providing runway looks that were both exciting and emotionally moving. When she dressed up as her mother it was incredibly moving and beautiful.

 

Best Season Finale– Game of Thrones. The first 5 seasons Game of Thrones moved slowly and steadily along from episode to episode. The glacially slow pace is what the show became know for. Now that they’ve caught up to the books the pace is much quicker much to everyone’s delight. The season finale was one jaw dropping surprise after another.

 

Favorite History Lesson– The Crown. My most recent obsession has been this historical Netflix drama that follows the life and career of Elizabeth 2. (the current queen of England) Season 1 dealt with the early years of her reign and provided incredible insight into many of the background details that I am too young to know. As one of the most expensive shows in Netflix history they have already started shooting season 2 and the whole series is planned for 6 seasons total.

 

Best BBC Import– Great British Baking Show. Whether you call it the Great British Baking Show of The Great British Bake Off it’s still the one of my absolute favorite shows. The calm and friendly atmosphere is like a warn escape from this years’ ugly reality. The first season is on Netflix and there are newer season shown in PBS in the summer months. If you can’t wait for new seasons, ABC is currently airing The Great American Baking Show which is an American version of the same show hosted by Nia Vardalos. I must admit it’s a very respectable substitute.

 

Digital 

Best Late Night Segment Online– James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke. It’s simply delightful. Look up Lady Gaga, Adele, & Michelle Obama.

 

Best Meme– Me vs Me featuring Kermit and Miss Piggy

 

Best YouTube Show– Unhhhh with Trixie Mattel and Katya. I always liked Trixie Mattel but honestly I never knew why people made such a fuss over her. This web series made me realize how funny and amazing she is. She and Katya make a perfect comedic pair and shout out to those editors for all the hilarious visuals. Trixie forever!

 

Funniest Podcast– My Dad Wrote a Porno. Hands down this podcast is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard and it’s caused me to laugh out loud at work multiple times. If you are not familiar with Belinda Blinked you need to download and listen to it now.

Missed Movements– Pokémon Go, Stranger Things, David Bowie, and Prince. There were many things this year that I simply wasn’t interested in or apart of. I didn’t play Pokémon Go, my only interest in Stranger Things was the return of Winona Ryder, and Bowie and Prince never made an impact on me. While they deserve a mention unfortunately I am not the person to do so.