So, friends, we're now well into 2011. People have started to actually remember what year it is, which is a sure sign that 2010's bloated corpse is sinking to the bottom of the sea of the past (is this the most grotesque metaphor I've ever used? Almost certainly). As such, it's time to look forward to what delights 2011 has in store for us; whether they be cultural or political. So here are a few things which I'm hoping to enjoy in 2011.
First of all, here in Ireland we'll be having a long overdue general election. Thank. Christ. Whoever you think should be in power, and even if you think the current government have been unfairly treated, the fact is that they have long since lost their democratic mandate, and an election is needed to ensure that a government with popular support is in place*. What this means is a few glorious weeks for political junkies like myself: full of speculation, polls, grilling of candidates on doorsteps. The day after the election is always an interesting one, where the shape of the new government begins to emerge; if all goes as I hope, I may live-blog it.
Speaking of elections, the new series of Armando Ianucci's genius political satire The Thick of It should be hitting our screens around the end of the year. This will be the first series since the Coalition government took office, and it'll be interesting to see how the programme deals with that. Is Malcolm Tucker out of a job (unlikely)? Has the surprisingly likeable shadow minister Peter Mannion taken over the DoSAC job? How many of the inevitable departmental screw-ups will be blamed on Nick Clegg? I suspect this will be one of the television highlights of the new year; it looks set to confirm my contention that British politics is the best of all politics, because it features the best satire.
Another BBC programme which will be starting into another series, probably in the next few months, is my old friend Doctor Who. Now, I essentially spent my previous article talking about why this new series could well be something very special indeed, so I won't go into that again (though I will note that one of my favourite writers, Neil Gaiman, has written an episode for this series, to which I'm greatly looking forward). What's more, the programme's spin-off, Torchwood, is returning in a huge, transatlantic form (a regenerated form, if you like) on the 1st of July.
Lest this should begin to feel like an extended ad for the BBC (I'm often in danger of sounding that way, it must be said), I'll move on. Now, I'm a big Marvel Comics aficionado, and I've always particularly liked Thor, so Kenneth Branagh's film about the Norse god is something to which I'm greatly looking forward. This is not only for its own sake, but also because it'll be important for laying the groundwork for the 2012 Avengers film, which I'm told is being written and directed by some fellow named Joss Whedon. I'm a big Avengers fan, so I do hope this "Whedon" fellow knows what he's doing.
Another big cinematic event (maybe the big cinematic event of 2011?) will be the release of the second part of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The weeping that will be heard this July will be the sound of Warner Bros. executives realising that there are no more films left in the series for them to milk. I'm also a big Harry Potter fan, so I'm looking forward to the final film; I thought the first part was rather good (it featured a Nick Cave song, which didn't hurt). Of course, if you're not a fan, then you can look forward to the hype about the films being over forever.
Moving away from cinema, and from culture in general, 2012 will be the last full year of Barack Obama's presidential term (his first, at any rate). This means that throughout 2011, the stars will begin to align, as it were, and the nominees (and, more notably, the frontrunners) for the 2012 election should become reasonably clear. Obama himself is obviously the most likely candidate for the Democratic ticket (though some catastrophe this year could threaten that), but who will be the GOP frontrunner? Palin? Romney? Huckabee? By the end of the year, the answer to that question may not be entirely clear yet, but the race will most definitely be on. By the way, I'm still hoping for Malcolm Reynolds.
There are liable to be a number of musical treats in store this year. Lisa Hannigan will be releasing the follow-up to 2008's excellent Sea Sew; I'll be looking forward to that a great deal. Also, the ever-prolific Nick Cave has announced a new Bad Seeds album for this year (which hasn't been written or recorded yet, but that's hardly going to stop him). Other old reliables such as REM and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers also have albums on the way. This is to say nothing of tours and gigs, of course. Who knows? Montreal's Musical Messiahs may grace us with another tour. Remember to hope and pray, children.
So that's about it: my year will be filled with political analysis and appreciation of culture (then again, all my years are). It's possible I've missed out on something; this could, after all, be the year we finally get invaded by aliens, which would probably make most "Highlights of 2011" lists. Remember that, as always, the future's bright. The future's WAKE UP.
* - I believe this is the closest I've ever come to breaking my "no political agendas" rule; apologies if it feels like I was biased. If so, I will operate BBC rules and allow a cabinet minister to do a guest post here next week.
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