Countdown time - first up: favorite bubbles of the year

So, with the advent of...advent season come the lists. NPR released their 50 favorite albums of the year. E! is polling to elect their 2010 Celeb of the Year and badgering us to vote in the "Year's Hottest Couple." The local news anchors I follow on Twitter (yes. sigh. true.) are trolling for lists of our most-hated Christmas songs of all time ("Christmas in the Northwest," anyone? Beyonce's "12 Days of Christmas?" Too many to choose from....). So, it's time for my lists.

Will be pretty hard to trump last year's "10 years of bad films I especially loved" opus, so this year, we'll think small. A handful of smaller lists scattered throughout the next month or so. Top Tens. As in, Top Ten Bubbles of 2010. 10 Least Favorite Celebrities of 2010. Ten best red carpet looks of the year. My 10 most embarrassing moments of 2010. 10 favorite gossip websites. Ten pairs of shoes I wish I owned. 10 great books I read this year. Things like that.

Also: why the wimpy dude pic? No reason. I just found it awkward and silly and wondered how many twenty three year-old girls with conflicted iPods full of Taylor Swift and Kanye tunes swooned at this unadulterated display of girlie-man love.

Another also: before I start with my MegaMonthofCountdowns (MEGA. heh. I think the only place that word is used anymore is in car dealership commercials, ergo: I dig it), Popeater had an interesting article comparing Taylor Momsen to Christina Aguilera - surprisingly insightful. Frankly, I usually avoid Popeater, mostly because of writer Rob Shuter and his insanely lame articles like THIS (hint: it purports that the primary difference between Kate Middleton and Princess Di had to do with the public's perception of their virginity. Please.), but this was an editorial by Rebecca Macatee that has some significant merit.

Essentially, she argues that the totally sexualized, stripper-image Momsen's cultivating is probably a decent outlet for some teenage angst, a put-on performance that lets her vent a little age-appropriate frustration and experiment a little, and that she's probably pretty balanced and normal off-stage, all things considered (afterall, we see her wearing precious little when she takes to the stage, but aside from that, she's blessedly out of the spotlight for her off-camera antics). Xtina did the same thing back in the "Dirrrrrty" days of "Stripped" and it was primarily an on-stage act, whereas Britney was trying to maintain a squeaky-clean public image while completely melting down off-stage. Here's a good one-bite synopsis:

"So maybe Taylor Momsen's out of control antics are getting that rebellion out of her system, and in real life, she's still more Cindy Lou Who than Courtney Love. After all, appearances can be deceiving, especially in Hollywood. It's Disney princess Demi Lovato, who wore a purity ring and once dated Joe Jonas, that's now seeking emotional treatment after her near-breakdown. And Taylor Momsen, the angst-filled, dark and disturbed princess of bleach and mascara, still seems to be working, healthy, and staying out of any actual trouble. She's obviously a talented young woman with great potential. I just hope she takes the Christina route with her career and doesn't ever actually become the bona fide bad girl she wants us to believe she already is."

I thought it was interesting, anyway.

So - stay tuned, I'll toss up the first of my countdowns later this week....