Though there are reports that it has to come to an end, 2010 still feels like another year for the Great Recession, with unemployment and foreclosure rates hitting double digits, the Republicans taking over the House of Representatives, endless battles with the Democrats over the extension of jobless benefits and Bush tax cuts, the growth of the Tea Party, the BP Oil Spill, Wall Street’s stock starting to go up, and so forth.
Mondays were no longer a night of saving the world with Jack Bauer’s time were finally up after eight successful seasons of 24, and the Heroes finally seeking their Redemption, yet we may be not able to watch them enter a Brave New World in the near future.
Tied with Gunsmoke as the longest-running U.S. drama series of all time, Law & Order didn’t get the chance to beat the record as NBC unjustly sentenced the series to cancellation after 20 years — leaving the brand in possible jeopardy with spin-offs Special Victims Unit, Los Angeles, and Criminal Intent, in which Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) will return for its tenth and final season on USA Network in 2011.
2010 was the year of Tiger-Gate, with a certain golf superstar getting clubbed (allegedly) by his wife for scoring more holes-in-one off the green, going into treatment for sex addiction, losing several endorsements, and getting divorced from Elin. It was bittersweet for Sandra Bullock due to her divorce from Jesse James over infidelity (his name is Jesse James, for he is an outlaw!), but winning the Oscar for The Blind Side and adopting her son Louis.
Her Proposal co-star Betty White was not just Hot in Cleveland, but hot on the Internet and in America — at 88, no less! Besides the hit TV Land sitcom, she won the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, became the oldest host of Saturday Night Live (she gave the show its highest ratings in two years), got a clothing line, and now a comic book.
These wild and crazy Kardashians are ruling the reality sitcom world with their popular show on E!, along with Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, 2011’s Kourtney and Kim Take New York and another spin-off with Khloe, husband Lamar Odom and his two children that is also set come out later that year.
On the big screen, there was both revenge and return of the 1980s with remakes of The Karate Kid and The A-Team as well as The Expendables from Sly Stallone as the leader of this latter-day Magnificent Seven. With unforgettable cameos from the Governator and Bruce Willis, it is the perfect tribute of an era that was ruled by Rocky, Rambo, Conan, The Terminator, and Die Hard.
2010 was the year of Robin Hood with Russell Crowe that summer, who is about to sign on for the big-screen adaptation of the classic 1980s detective/spy series The Equalizer. The Prince of Thieves’ spirit and ethos continues to live on through blacklisted spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) of USA’s Burn Notice, Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton) and his crew of TNT’s Leverage, and FOX’s Human Target with ex-assassin turned bodyguard/troubleshooter Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), the guy to go to when no one else can help protect you. Robin Hood is not just about robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, but about fighting the good fight against corruption, championing the working and middle class, seeking liberty by law and justice for “the little guy”.
To quote Barney “The Schizo” Ross (Stallone) and Mr. Church (Willis): You got a problem with that?
