Really amazing, underrated record of the year on Ribbon Music. Beautifully layered guitar, poetic lyrics, proggy drums, and synths.
Great movie about bootlegging with soundtrack by Nick Cave. Dirty, violent, rad.
Great show about bootlegging in Atlantic City. Steve Buscemi is amazing. It’s more like an ongoing movie series than TV. It’s shot so well, and the characters are so addictive.
. It is the one album I listened to from start to finish.
. It was hilarious. Will Smith is my [Kim’s] favorite actor, so if he is in it I am going to love it.
Oh man, that’s a tough question… there are so many good ones.
. I could keep going. We watch a lot of TV.
Will Tracy, editor of The OnionWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? “Ode To Viceroy” by Mac DeMarco. A song about wanting a cigarette that makes you really want a cigarette, and thus a song that could kill you.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?I thought
Bernie was funny, a little sad, and a nice rebuke to anyone who’s forgotten how great Jack Black can be.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?Veep. At first it feels like a slightly watered-down version of
The Thick Of It, but by episode three or so, it finds its inner core of rage.
Scott Aukerman, host of the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast and TV showWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? Twin Shadow,
ConfessMy friend Kurt Braunohler and I were on tour together this summer, and the topic of our favorite music eventually came up. After I named a couple of bands I was into, Kurt said, “Oh, I know the perfect thing for you: Twin Shadow!” He sort of described it as a cross between Prince and The Smiths. I nodded my head, pretending to listen, and thought about what I was going to eat that afternoon. But Kurt followed it up by actually buying me the album and sending it to me. I then let it sit in my inbox for a month, until he emailed me to remind me to listen to it. Well, all of that hard work paid off, Kurt—I heard it and loved it. And here’s your thanks: a brief mention in
The A.V. Club! You’re welcome.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?The Raid: RedemptionThere are probably more moving films of the year—heartfelt
romans à clef about the loss of boyhood innocence. But if you wish to be schooled upon the most awesome ways to split a man open while using the Indonesian martial art of Silat, do yourself a favor and rent
The Raid: Redemption. I saw it by myself at SXSW, then dragged all my bros to the theater for a screaming-and-high-fiving-after-every-kill good time at the cinema.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?Mad Men and
Happy EndingsLet’s get it out of the way:
Homeland and
Community were maybe the best one-word-titled shows of the year. But
Mad Men had the most heart-wrenching episodes of its time upon the earth, creating a near-perfect season. And
Happy Endings was the most laugh-out-loud show on TV this year. Maybe more TV programs should have two-word titles. I may have made a mistake adding that extra “Bang!” to mine.
Eric Wareheim, star of Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar MovieWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? Aquarium Drunkard mixes. Justin has opened up a whole new world of music to me.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?Samsara. No dialogue. No actors. No Hollywood.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?Jam. I do a full-season rewatch every year. Always delivers.
Jonathan Coulton, singer-songwriterWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? “The Great Undiscovered Project,” a serialized story about Ice-T, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and John C. Riley that stretches across the Paul F. Tompkins podcast,
The Pod F. Tompkast. It’s charming, hilarious lunacy that would take too long to explain.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?Old news, but I finally watched Banksy’s
Exit Through The Gift Shop. It was one of those things where I knew absolutely nothing about it, and so as the story unfolded my jaw kept falling on the floor.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?The writing on
30 Rock makes me feel like the people who make all the other TV shows should probably just give up. It’s perfect. It’s so good that I’m afraid it’s going to get canceled.
“Weird Al” Yankovic, singer-songwriter and co-author of the new book, Weird Al: The BookWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? I’m a friend and fan of Ben Folds, and I was very excited when he told me he was getting back together with his BF5 bandmates to record a new album.
The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind came out in September, and it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?I think I might have to say
Argo. Ugh… Does this mean I need to apologize for all the snarky Ben Affleck jokes I made when
Gigli came out? Sorry, Ben.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?Television seems to be going through another Golden Age, which makes it nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite from the bunch. The shows winning all the awards—
Breaking Bad,
Mad Men,
Louie,
Homeland,
Modern Family, and
30 Rock—are all insanely good, as are gloriously wacked little shows like
Childrens Hospital,
Eagleheart,
Key & Peele, and
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Eugene Mirman, comedian and actor late of Delocated and Bob’s BurgersWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? Daniel Kitson’s
The Stand—August 2005. After many years, Daniel Kitson finally put some of his stand-up online this year. This was one of the first shows of his I saw. I really loved it, and now you can, too. If you don’t know Kitson, he’s an award-winning British comedian, often with a beard.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?I really like
Homeland.
Britt Daniel, frontman of Spoon and Divine FitsWhat’s the best thing you listened to in 2012? I listened to a lot of Bo Diddley this year. The first two albums especially,
Bo Diddley and
Go Bo Diddley. They’re incredible. Serious maracas and some serious attitude.
What’s the best movie you saw in 2012?I haven’t gotten a chance to see
Looper yet, but I have a feeling that’s going to be it. Otherwise,
Brooklyn Castle.
What’s the best TV show you watched in 2012?The Jeffersons.
