A Few of My Favorite Things

Hey, y'all! So obviously, as a blogger, I blog because I enjoy it, but I also blog for the readers. What would be the point of me sharing my book hauls or challenges, if it was just for myself?

This post, however, is a little different. I'm a big list-maker, and I like making my top 10 favorites of different categories. And I realized I hadn't re-done my lists in a while, so I thought I should go ahead and do that now that we've reached the beginning of a new year. This, unlike most of my posts, is mostly for myself-- I want to keep up with how my favorites change from year-to-year, and posting it on here seemed to be the easiest way. I hope y'all enjoy this or find it interesting, but the main purpose for me is to keep track of how my favorites change over the years. 

Top 10 Bands/Musicians

#10: Busted

Busted has been broken up since 2005 (not including the recent creation of McBusted, the super-band consisting of Busted- minus Charlie Simpson- and McFly.). However, I still absolutely love their music. It's fun, clever, and cheeky, and I really enjoy it. 

#9: Sleeping With Sirens

I discovered Sleeping With Sirens in my freshman year of college, and I've been hooked ever since. Kellin Quinn's voice is just super unique, and it gives their music a really interesting sound. 

#8: Parachute

These guys used to be higher up on my list... like #3. Unfortunately, their 3rd album happened, and they wound up here. Their first CD is one of my all-time favorites (as you'll see later on this post), and their second CD was really great too. And then their third album went a bit too pop and I didn't like it much. I'm holding out hope that they'll have a better fourth CD, but until then, they get to chill at #8 and think about what they've done.

#7: Paramore

Paramore was the first alternative band that I listened to, and they've been a consistent favorite. For a little while, they were my all-time favorite. They fell a bit during the 4.5 year span between their 3rd and 4th albums, but since their self-titled CD came out last year, they've moved right back up. They're consistently great!

#6: The Academy Is...

For a really long time, The Academy Is... was my favorite band. I loved their podcast that they did (TAITV!), I loved all of the members, and I obviously loved their music. Their 3rd CD was slightly disappointing, but nowhere near as disappointing as when they announced their breakup in 2011. I'm still sad about that. 

#5: The Audition

I miss these guys. They're not broken up, but they haven't done anything in a while. There was something they posted this summer hinting at a new album, but I haven't heard anything else about that since then. The Audition is a fairly unknown band, but they're really great. Danny Stevens is a powerhouse vocalist and all of their CDs are really great. I really hope that new album happens, because I need more of The Audition in my life. 

#4: Marianas Trench

Marianas Trench is the most recent addition to this list. I've been listening to them casually for over a year, but I didn't really get into them until a few months ago. And I'm completely in love. Their last two albums have been concept albums, and they're super cool. Their music is really unique and actually really complex and layered. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next, because I'm sure it'll be amazing. 

#3: Pentatonix

These five are possibly the most talented musicians around right now. Each of them is so incredibly talented, from Avi's intense bass, to Kevin's beatboxing, to Mitch's 5 octave range. These five create the perfect combination of talent and vocal parts. They make amazing arrangements, and they just keep gaining momentum. They're perfection.

#2: All Time Low

These four... I love them. They were one of the first alternative bands that I discovered, and they've stuck around as a favorite ever since. They're just so consistently good. OK, Dirty Work wasn't amazing, but I won't hold that against them, because they released Don't Panic the next year. These four are just too great, and I'll be a fan 5EVER.

#1: McFly

These four are just perfect. I love my boys. Galaxy Defenders stay forever! They've made so much amazing music. I don't even know what all to say about them. I love them 5EVER and 5EVER. Perf.

Top 10 CDs

#10: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

I'm a big fan of concept albums, and this one is really great. Although there are a couple songs I'm not a huge fan of, the majority of them are really great, and overall it's just a really great and unique album.

#9: Hold on Tight by Hey Monday

Hey Monday's one and only full-length CD is most of the reason that I count it as one of my favorite bands-- they just barely missed out on my top 10. There are so many really great songs on this CD, and I just love Cassadee Pope's voice. I really wish the band had stayed together, because this is a really solid debut.

#8: Controversy Loves Company by The Audition

Another outstanding debut album! The Audition is another band with consistently good music, but this is the first and best of their CDs. Even my least favorite song on this CD is one of their better songs. This is just a really solid album, and I absolutely love it. 

#7: Almost Here by The Academy Is...

Oh, look! Another awesome debut! There are a couple songs I don't love on here, but I still really enjoy them and love the CD overall. Some of The Academy Is..'s strongest songs are on this CD, and it's especially impressive because this CD was released when most of the band were under 20. 

#6: American Idiot by Green Day

This one is kinda a given, right? It's a concept album, which is obviously a plus for me. It has some amazing songs on it, especially the full 10 minute long songs like Jesus of Suburbia. It has some of the strongest Green Day songs, and I could listen to it over and over and over and over. There's a reason why it's their most well-known album. 

#5: Ever After by Marianas Trench

Hey, look! Another concept album! This CD is based around a fantasy story that Josh Ramsay wrote. It's one long seamless song, divided into several tracks. And it's fantastic. Just like with their first concept album, Masterpiece Theatre, the last song is a mashup that samples all of the previous songs on the album, and it's amazing. This CD is just too great. 

#4: Losing Sleep by Parachute

Guess what? Another amazing debut! I love every single song on this CD. I used to fall asleep to this CD most nights (ironic, since it's called losing sleep) because it's just so chill. Parachute's whole vibe is just really awesome, and this CD is just the epitome of their vibe. It's so great.

#3: PTX, Vol. III by Pentatonix

This is the newest release on this list, as it was released only back in October. There are only 7 songs on this CD (technically EP, but whatever), but it's perfection. It's flawless. All of the songs are amazing, and there have been several times where I just listened to this EP over and over and over in one sitting and didn't get sick of it at all. Some of the songs on the EP are already among my top 25 most played. It's that good.

#2: Don't Panic by All Time Low

When this CD came out back in 2012, I don't think I stopped listening to it on repeat until halfway through 2013. This is one of the only albums I've ever listened to where I had to struggle to find a weak point. I'm usually really good at ranking songs from favorite to least favorite, but I found that impossible with this CD. It'll be a long-time fave for sure.

#1: Radio:ACTIVE by McFly

And, of course, my all-time favorite CD is by my all-time favorite band. This CD... it's just perfection. I've listened to it on repeat SO. MANY. TIMES. since its release in 2008, and I'm nowhere near tired of it. My list of favorite McFly songs is absolutely dominated by this CD. Up until I reset my iTunes, every single song on this CD was in my top 25 most played. That's 13/25. I love this CD. 

Top 10 Movies

#10: The Ring

I absolutely love The Ring, because not only does it shell out real scares and thrills, but it also has really amazing twists and turns and an incredible plot.


#9: The Truman Show

This is just such an awesome concept for a movie and Jim Carrey is just amazing in it. It's done so incredibly well and I just absolutely love it.


#8: Sweeney Todd

My favorite actor plays the lead role, it's set in London, it's a musical (with amazing music), it's got blood, guts, and horror, and almost half of the Harry Potter cast is in it. Need I say any more?


#7: Sydney White

Oh, Amanda Bynes, you were so amazing before you went crazy. It's so great and so hilarious, and I've loved it since the first time that I saw it.


#6: She's The Man

I love pre-crazy Amanda Bynes so much, and this is my favorite of her movies. This movie makes me laugh more than almost any movie, and it makes me cringe more than any movie, and it can even make me cry. It's so amazing.


#5: 10 Things I Hate About You

This is one of my newest favorites, but it's definitely going to be a long-standing favorite. This movie has so many amazing quotes, it's so funny, and I love the characters. Especially Kat and Patrick.


#4: Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect is so hilarious. The characters are so great (especially Beca. I love Beca.) and the music is absolutely spot-on. I'm way too excited for the sequel. Also, this and 10 Things I Hate About You are pretty much tied, so I just put them in random places.


#3: Clue

A lot of people that I know absolutely hate this movie, but I've seen it way too many times and absolutely love it. It's so hilariously campy and I love every second of it.


#2: The Princess Bride

Of all of the movies on this list, this is the one that's been among my favorites for the longest. I first saw this when I was 9, and even though I really liked it, I definitely wasn't fully aware of its perfection. But since then, I've realized how perfect it is, and fallen completely in love.

#1: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

What all can I even say about this perfect movie? It's so, so funny. The characters are so dumb, and I laugh the entire way through it. It's my absolute favorite movie. Perfection.



Top 10 TV Shows

#10: American Horror Story

I think that if I'd seen more of this show, I'd rank this a bit higher. I've seen all of Murder House (definitely my fave so far), half of Asylum, and all of Freak Show (so far). I need to finish the rest because it's on Netflix and it's a great show.


#9: Supernatural

This is another show that I would totally put higher, but I've only seen the first season and a half. I'm a terrible fan. It's just that so much stuff goes on in each episode that I feel like I can't multi-task because I'll miss something. And I really like to multi-task. But I will catch up, PROMISE!

#8: The Mole

This show deserves higher on this list, because it's genius and I've seen every single episode, but unfortunately, it's not on anymore and when it was on, it was super sporadic. It's a genius concept- a group of people are working together to win money for the group, which one of the players will ultimately win. BUT there's a twist. One of the players is working against the group to try to lose money, and no one knows who it is. And it's their job to figure it out. It's wonderful and awesome, but it's not still being made, which means I only have 5 seasons (of which only 2.5 are any good, and only 1 is AMAZING) to re-watch. 

#7: RuPaul's Drag Race

I've seen all of seasons 2-5, and half of season 6. And season 7 starts soon, YAY! I'm just a sucker for reality competitions (talent competitions, not the horror that is The Bachelor) and drama, and you best believe there's drama on this show. Some of my fave past contestants include Raja, Sharon Needles, Willam, and Alaska. 

#6: Community

Yet another show I'm behind on. But this one is for a slightly better reason-- it just hasn't been quite as good lately. In general, this show is genius. Seasons 2&3 are flawless. Season 4 was good, but I haven't gotten to season 5 yet. People are leaving the show and it's constantly on the verge of being gone forever. Not super deep, but it keeps me from catching up.

#5: The Taste

I love the format of this show. For those of you who don't know, it's literally The Voice for chefs. The judges build teams by tasting food blindly. And honestly, half the time I'm just rooting for my favorite mentor rather than contestants (OK, more like most of the time). My favorite mentors are definitely Ludo and Anthony. I tend to root for Ludo, but I'd definitely choose Anthony if I were on the show. 

#4: America's Next Top Model

Can you tell I really like reality competitions? I still watch this one even though it's getting worse and worse as the seasons go on. I really like that there are guys now, but the drama it brings is more annoying than entertaining. I kinda miss the girl drama. Anyway, I've seen almost every season of this show, some more than once, and I love it.

#3: Top Chef

I've done a pretty bad job of keeping up with this in college. The tv service that we have on campus doesn't get Bravo. The one in my apartment does, but I just haven't caught up. However, all of the seasons before I started college are really great, especially seasons 1-4. Season 2 is probably my favorite. Head-shaving incident FTW.

#2: The Office

This is the one and only show that I can say that I've seen every single episode of. Seasons 2-5 are definitely the best, but I really love the entire show. The characters are just so great, and the relationships that they form by the end are so beautiful. 

#1: Project Runway

THIS. SHOW. I love this show so much. Even though I haven't seen the second half of season 11 (Teams. Ugh.), I have seen every other season many, many times. I watch all of the spin-offs, I have DVDs of several seasons, and I even have the Project Runway book. Yep, superfan.  

Like I said, these lists are mostly for myself, but I do hope that if you got this far in the post, you at least enjoyed my lists or found them interesting!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

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