Most Anticipated, 2011

2011 is nearly a month into its stride, and I figured it'd be a befitting time to write up what I'm most excited about in film, television, and any other facet of entertainment this upcoming year. Like most of my countdowns, this will be a top 10 list, ranking the 10 things I'm most excited about to my numero uno! Let's get counting down:

10. A Return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to Movies - Who doesn't love Arnold, the guy is an icon, and now that he's no longer the governator of California, the word is he's already looking at scripts to get back into the thesp. arena, and I couldn't be more excited.

9. The Muppets - Actor/writer Jason Segel has taken his love for the Jim Henson creations to the next level by scripting the first Muppets movie in years. The story follows our favorite cast of lovable puppets trying to save their old theater from being destroyed by staging one last show. This should be a fun return to form for Kermit and Co., and I couldn't be happier. Look for it in theaters Nov. 23rd.

8. The Tree of Life - Director Terrence Malick's long delayed film, The Tree of Life, will finally see the light of day this May. The movie that has been chatted up as being a gamechanger of modern cinema, has so much hype going into it, I don't know how it can fully live up, but I will say the one trailer released thus far is utterly gorgeous, here's hoping the mystery story that no one really knows about is good to boot.

7. 'The Beard's' One-Two Punch - My favorite director of all-time, Steven Spielberg is fighting back this year with two movies hitting theaters this December, War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin-The Secret of the Unicorn. Both are movies that sound like the kind of family friendly, blockbuster fare that made Spielberg the big name he is in the industry, so I'm hopeful.

6. The Nintendo 3DS - Video game manufacturer, Nintendo's latest handheld gaming system, the 3DS, is going to be the first ever 3D videogame system that will not require 3D glasses. By using these sliders on the side of the system, the gamer can adjust the depth of field to create real 3D imagery by looking at the screen. Color me intrigued, and if this pans out, this same technology could be applied to film, TV, even computers and the internet. I've always said I'd only ever like 3D if it could be done without the glasses, perhaps this is the dawn of a new three-dimensional era...

5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - So I'm not all that crazy about Martin Scorese's decision to film the adaptation of the enchanting Brian Selznick kid's book in 3D, but the story of the material is so captivating, it is hard not to be pumped. The Invention of Hugo Cabret will be director Martin Scorsese's first 3D film, but it will also be his first kid's movie! The story follows Hugo Cabret, an orphan who tends to the clocks in a Paris train station whilst he tries to rebuild an automaton that him and his father found before his father's death. The book is heavily focused on the early days of film, and I'm sure with Scorsese at the helm, that will remain intact.

4. The Summer of the Superheroes! - This Summer is gonna be a watershed year for superhero movies, with Marvel bringing Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and X-Men: First Class, to the table, and DC bringing the long awaited Green Lantern to the big screen, it is a big year for the comic book heroes. All of these movies are crucial to the success of future franchise superheroes with the success of Cap'n and the God of Thunder heavily weighing on whether or not 2012's The Avengers movie will actually have an audience, where as the Mutants are fighting just to stay from falling into Hollywood obscurity after two lackluster sequels, and Green Lantern being the first DC film made that doesn't star Batman or Superman.... You get the picture, a big Summer, and I, as a fan of comic books, couldn't be more excited to sit back and enjoy this ride.

3. Super 8 - No matter what you say, I love director J.J. Abrams, and I will be there at midnight to finally see his latest mystery project that he serves as both writer and director. The movie, Super 8, is said to be an homage to Spielberg films of the late '70s and early '80s, being set in the same time period about teens in small town USA who encounter an alien. Not much word is known, but that's part of the fun; we're so used to knowing everything there is to know about a movie before seeing it that we forgot the times where we sat down in a dark theater and watched something that we had no preconceived notions about. Abrams knows how to create hype without giving away all the big thrills, and I'm sure there are some big ones in store when this blockbuster hits theaters in June.

2. Smallville's End - Call me a loser, a geek, anything, I have been a diehard fan of the CW's Smallville since its first airing. The story of how Clark Kent becomes Superman is so fresh, and original, that while it has had its missteps, it has always managed to keep me engaged. With the Smallville staff pulling out all the stops for these last five months, I am sure we are in for a wild ride, and besides, who doesn't wanna see Tom Welling finally donning the cape and soaring up into the clouds?

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2 - I'm getting sad at even writing this, after seven books, seven movies, the Harry Potter franchise will come to an end this Summer with the release of the eighth and final film this July. So much of my teenage life was invested in the characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, we as the readers grew up with them, and it is tough to watch the end, but it is what we have all been waiting for since we first heard John William's score a decade ago. We know the end, but will it be done justice? If the last two Potter films helmed by director David Yates are any indication, who is doing this one, I'd be pretty sure that it will.