My Super Sweet 2016.
A year for celebration, adventure, playful indulgence, weird wonderfulness, and treatin’ yo self!
Who would have guessed that this year I had deemed “the year of celebration” back in January would turn out to be the dawn of the apocalypse?
In spite of some personal adventures and achievements (attending the American Idol finale, spending a week in Paris, scaling down a skyscraper in Vancouver, and completing my TBR list), 2016 was wrought with loss, pain, heartbreak, corruption, wickedness, hatred, and a whole lotta bullshit. I don’t need to rehash the long list of terrible things that transpired throughout this annus horribilis. We’ve all suffered enough.
As I write this year-end reflection, I am struggling to come up with a positive spin on 2016. What could we possibly have to learn and gain from this shitshow of a year?
Well, if anything, 2016 has taught us that we are all survivors, capable of roughing it out through the bleakest and most treacherous storms imaginable. We are the captains of our own ships, and we must take our experiences, especially the most difficult and challenging of them, and use them to guide and steer us to our next destination.As a very wise woman once said, “when they go low, we go high.” We can and we will persevere through the dark days that lie ahead.
2016 was awful, but you are awesome. Keep going and kick ass in 2017, you fierce fighters.
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In 2016, I resolve to…
- Go Travel! (YES!) I took two trips in April. At the beginning of the month, I headed down to Los Angeles for my friend Zoey’s birthday, Hogwarts at Universal Studios, the American Idol grand finale extravaganza, and some beach and shopping time. At the end of the month, I jetted over to Paris to dabble into French sightseeing, cuisine, architecture, shopping, and more. C’est la vie!
- Go Get Fit! (YES!) In January, I took a hip-hop dance class (goodgirlXbadgirl) with RSVP 33. In the summer, I tried a Vogueing drop-in at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.
- Go Play in the Snow! (YES!) I went snowshoeing at Cypress Mountain with Diana and Julia on a foggy January afternoon.
- Go Sing! (YES!) I started posting acoustic cover mash-ups that mix-up new hits with old classics on Soundcloud. Sometime this year, I’d like to find a vocal group to sing with…
- Go Volunteer! (YES!) Some work colleagues and I began volunteering with Writers’ Exchange, a local organization that offers after-school literacy activities for kids in an effort to help them improve their reading and writing skills. As a content marketing agency, it’s the perfect opportunity for us!
- Go Read War & Peace! (YES!) Ambitious much? After tuning into BBC’s War and Peace miniseries, I was inspired to start reading Leo Tolstoy epically long epic novel. I finished the novel on October 31st!
- Go Cook… (NO) I’m starting a new tradition of cooking my own meals for the week on Sunday nights, starting with an easy Chicken Fettuccine casserole dish I found on Pinterest (where all good recipes can be found).
- Go On My Own… (NO) I’m planning to move out of the house I grew up in and set myself up in my own digs by Summer 2016.
- Go Skydiving… (NO) I’m aiming to finally live out my dream of flying high in the sky in the summer.
- Go Get ‘ Em! (ONGOING…) I want to be brave and bold in all things.
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Memories of 2016.
I rang in January 2016 with a *BANG* by watching the fireworks show over the Vancouver waterfront. The Quietly HQ rooftop provided an excellent vantage point! Later that day, I met up with Vivian and Sam for our annual New Year’s coffee chat, and marathoned Aziz Ansari’s Netflix show, Master of None. For my first concert event of 2016, I met and saw my favourite singer/songwriter dude Tyler Hilton at his acoustic show at The Railway Club. On the 7th, I turned 27 and battled anxiety over aging and entering my late-20s (must avoid the tragedy of the 27 Club). My brother and my sister-in-law took me to Bistro Cafe at Nordstrom’s, my mom took me to Denny’s (for my free Grand Slam!), and the Best girls celebrated with me at Red Robin (for my free burger!). I upgraded to the iPhone 6S in rose gold (Rosie the Riveter is her name!) and got a BB-8! All in all, an eventful birthday week! Awards Season kicked off with the Golden Globes. The Revenant, The Martian (since when is it a comedy/musical though?) and Inside Out won the top motion picture honours. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, and Jon Hamm won the top acting honours. Sam Smith won a Golden Globe for “Writing’s On The Wall” for Spectre. American Idol Season 15 (and its farewell season) premiered. This show has had such a huge impact on my life and I’m gonna miss it so damn much. I saw the Canucks vs. Panthers game with Sonia (our first NHL game together!). I managed to check off a good number of my 2016 goals this month. I launched my Soundcloud page, where I’m sharing acoustic mash-ups of new/old songs every week. I started volunteering at an organization that helps kids with their literacy through fun writing activities. I booked flights to LA and Paris for April (#NOCHILLAX2016 and #BonjourParis2016, here I come!). Thanks to YWiB SFU’s Beyonce Bootcamp, I unleashed my inner Sasha Fierce and started dance classes with RSVP 33. I went snowshoeing at Cypress Mountain with friends – always so much fun playing in the snow! Inspired by the BBC mini-series, I started reading one of the longest novels ever written, War & Peace, and hope to finish it by the year’s end (wish me luck, I’ll need it). Oh, and I finally got to visit the cat cafe in Vancouver. Purrfect!
Fitness February leapt off to a fitting start. I danced to Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna with RSVP 33, I climbed at the bouldering gym, and I hiked the trails at Buntzen Lake. I celebrated two years at Quietly. The Qrew went on a private tour of the Rennie Gallery collection. I read I Capture the Castle, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better, A Moveable Feat, Snow Like Ashes, and A Monster Calls. I watched Hail! Caesar, How To Be Single, The Revenant, Deadpool, and Eddie the Eagle. I listened to new music by Beyonce, Rayvon Owen, Daughtry, Jack Garratt, Ellie Goulding, Tove Lo, and Carly Rae Jepsen. At the Super Bowl, Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars got in formation to perform at the half time show. In terms of the game, I of course was more intrigued by the Puppy Bowl and Kitten Bowl. American Idol selected its last group of finalists. Season 15’s Top 10 are… Dalton Rapattoni, Olivia Rox, Trent Harmon, La’Porsha Renae, Tristan McIntosh, Sonika Vaid, Gianna Isabella, MacKenzie Bourg, Avalon Young, and Lee Jean. Idol invited a group of all-stars (including Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Haley Reinhart, and Lauren Alaina) to mentor and duet with the contestants. The original Idol Kelly Clarkson returned to the show to guest judge and to deliver a riveting and emotional performance of “Piece By Piece”. It was the perfect Idol moment. What a month for Lady Gaga, who stole the shows at both the GRAMMYs and the Oscars, with her tribute to David Bowie and her powerful performance of “‘Til It Happens To You” with sexual assault survivors (and not to mention the national anthem at the Superbowl). On that note, Awards Season came to a close with the GRAMMYs and the Oscars. At the GRAMMYs, Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for 1989, Ed Sheeran won Song of the Year for “Thinking Out Loud”, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars won Record of the Year for “Uptown Funk”, and Meghan Trainor won Best New Artist. Kendrick Lamar was the night’s biggest winner in the Rap categories. Alabama Shakes, The Weeknd, also picked up awards. Carrie Underwood, Ellie Goulding, and Tori Kelly performed. Chris Rock hosted and addressed the racism of the Academy (#OscarsSoWhite). Spotlight won Best Picture, Inside Out won Best Animated Feature Film, Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes won Best Original Song for “Writing’s On The Wall”, Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander won in their respective acting categories, and Mad Max: Fury Road was the big winner of the night (in all the technical categories). Most importantly, LEONARDO DICAPRIO FINALLY WON AN OSCAR (for Best Actor for The Revenant). He’s the King of the World!!!
March was a mixed bag of events and emotions. With the 17th marking twenty years since Gary died, I’ve been doing a lot of life-pondering and self-reflection. As the month of International Women’s Day, I celebrated the power of women by attending YWiB SFU’s annual conference (the theme for 2016 being Breaking Boundaries), Startup Ladies Vancouver’s meet-up, connecting with the ladies of as we are and My Modern Closet for brunch and conversations, and making my writing debut on Medium. Writers’ Exchange wrapped up its winter term by getting the kids and volunteers to create a colouring book. I also bought a Drake colouring book for the office. I embarked on a huge decluttering and reorganizing spree of my room as my contribution to spring cleaning (and not gonna lie, rewarding myself with some shopping, food, tea, and ice cream). I watched Zootopia, Pride & Prejudice & Zombie, The 5th Wave, Allegiant, and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (aka the Dawn of Wonder Woman). I listened to new music from Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Halo Circus, Nick Fradiani, Chris Daughtry (from the FOX live broadcast of The Passion), Kree Harrison, Zealyn (Angie Miller’s new artist moniker), and Michelle Obama’s star-powered girl power anthem, “This Is For My Girls”. American Idol was on warp speed, blazing through performances and eliminations (and alum appearances from Adam Lambert, Nick Fradiani, David Cook, and Katharine McPhee), until the Top 3, consisting of Dalton Rapattoni, La’Porsha Renae, and Trent Harmon, was selected and given a fast pass to the finale at the beginning of April. It’s almost all over!
April was a month of reunions, farewells, changes, and adventures. On the first of the month, I saw Ellie Goulding at Rogers Arena (my first big concert event of the year) and in mid-April, saw Paul McCartney at Rogers Arena as well (with special surprise guest Jimmy Fallon making an appearance on stage with Paul). I watched The Jungle Book and Captain America: Civil War in theatres. On the small screen, I watched the season finale of Supergirl and marathoned Season 2 of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I listened to new music albums from Beyonce (Lemonade), Drake (VIEWS) and Haley Reinhart (Better). I embarked on two action-packed trips at the beginning and at the end of the month. During the first week of April, I took a quick trip to Los Angeles to attend the American Idol series finale at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, during which I saw Trent Harmon win and become the very last American Idol and witnessed the reunion of Idol finalists and personalities from past seasons. As well, I saw Castro at the Hotel Cafe (and ran into Ms. Brooke White at the show), shopped at The Grove, strolled along Santa Monica beach, celebrated my friend Zoey’s birthday, and ventured in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. During the last week of the month, I went to Paris, where I spent seven days surrounded by the sights, sounds, tastes, styles, designs, art, shops, and wonders of the city of light and love. I hit up all the big attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Luxembourg Palace, Versailles, Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Palais Garnier, Notre-Dame, Saint Chapelle, Sacre Couer, and Seine River, and wandered around many parks, bridges, and cafes that bring colour and life to the neighbourhoods of Paris. C’est la vie!
In May, I wrote reflections on my trips to Los Angeles and Paris and began to settle back in Vancouver for the summer. As the month went by, I went through some health and wellness downs and ups, coupled with a lingering dry cough that persisted all through the weeks. After starting to share and connect with others, I started to find peace of mind. Summer is quickly approaching, and the warmer weather means farmer’s markets, ice cream (Earnest’s London Fog in particular), macarons, rooftop hangs, and patio catch-up sessions. I’ve been breaking the bank with summertime shopping sprees at J Crew, Hollister, American Eagle, Aritzia, H&M, Forever 21, Topshop, Victoria’s Secret, Joe Fresh, Payless, Winners, Sephora, and Bath & Body Works. The Quietly Qrew and I participated in Writers’ Exchange’s mini-golf tournament fundraiser – fine folks with fine strokes! I went to the Orpheum Theatre for Broadway Rocks!, a show featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Broadway stars Rob Evan, Christiane Noll, and Idol‘s LaKisha Jones. I saw Tori Kelly and Alabama Shakes in concert. I listened to new music from Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban, Avalon Young, Joshua Ledet, and Jessica Sanchez. I watched the season finales for New Girl, Jane the Virgin, and The Flash. I saw four movies – Me Before You, Alice Through the Looking Glass, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Love & Friendship – in theatres.
In June, the world went to hell in a handbasket. The news was dominated by stories of hatred towards women, LGBTQ, immigrants, races, and religions. The Harvard rape case brought awareness to the reality of rape culture, gun violence ran rampant in Orlando, which sparked urgency in the debate of gun control, and we lost an icon (Muhammad Ali) and young and promising talents (Anton Yelchin and Christina Grimmie). 2016 is not going easy on us. In lighter news, The Hudsucker celebrated its fourth anniversary! I’ve been going through a transitional period of changes and evolutions in regards to my role at Quietly, such as leaning in more to the Editorial side of work. The Quietly Qrew won first place at Tuesday Trivia and we had our first movie night (Tarantino themed – hella intense!). I got cultured by attending a bunch of art shows, such as the Make x Hayo’s photography exhibit, Quietly x Untitled’s Garden Party art launch at Quietly HQ, and the Picasso exhibit at Vancouver Art Gallery. I tried out a lot of new food and drink experiences, including a Johnnie Walker whisky tasting at Quietly HQ, an Italian pasta, wine, and gelato night with some girl friends, and the Kamei Royale sushi restaurant grand opening at West Hastings. A-Dawg and I went to hear JMSN and Snoh Aalegra’s slow jams at The Alexander in Gastown. Broadway’s Hamilton swept the Tony Awards (#TonysSoDiverse) and my girl Sara Bareilles’ Waitress was nominated as well. Kelly Clarkson signed with Atlantic Records and will finally be releasing that long-awaited soul album in 2017. I listened to new music from Samantha Barks, Halo Circus, Zealyn, Trent Harmon, Castro, and Postmodern Jukebox (with Haley Reinhart). I watched Love & Friendship, Finding Dory, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. I read Judy Blume’s “In The Unlikely Event”, Amy Jen Su’s “Own The Room”, Sophia Amorosa’s “#GIRLBOSS”, and Arianna Huffington’s “Thrive”, and successfully completed my reading challenge for 2016!
Summer finally got into full swing in July, with long walks to the beach and parks, rooftop parties, BBQs, the Gastown Grand Prix, the Celebration of Light fireworks (featuring a special Disney-themed show put on by Team USA), and the Pride Parade (in which the Trudeau family joined in). Thanks to the Pokemon Go phenomenon, everyone is motivated to go play outside (as they say, gotta catch ’em all!). I saw several shows this month, including Steven Tyler at the Orpheum (with Mom), The Killers at the Commodore Balloon (and got to meet Brandon Flowers after the show), Adele during her first of two sold-out shows at Rogers Arena, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the score to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at the Orpheum. I listened to new albums from Joey Cook and Kree Harrison and watched as Melinda Doolittle made her Postmodern Jukebox debut. I watched The Secret Life Of Pets, Star Trek Beyond, Ghostbusters, Space Jam, and Finding Nemo. I read Mark Z. Danielewski’s “House of Leaves”, Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”, Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Namesake”, Chris Colfer’s “The Land of Stories: An Author’s Odyssey” and J.K. Rowling’s script book for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. The Black Lives Matter movement was a hot button issue in regards to racial profiling within law enforcement. Hilary Clinton officially won the presidential nomination for the US Democratic party, shattering the glass ceiling for women in American politics. And when there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit!
In August, I made a concentrated effort to do things differently and lighten my load, starting with lightening my hair to an ombre effect. The colouring was a subtle but super sweet change to my look. Over at Quietly, the Qrew did a lot of fun and awesome things together, such as a rooftop jam session, a baseball game, a trivia night, a movie night, a foosball tournament, and a speaker series talk. I enjoyed the last hurrah of summer with trips to the beach, gardens, parks, and the Hastings Racecourse. I went to the PNE with my Mom for Superdogs, pig races, live musical performances, and mini donuts, I watched two musical theatre performances of West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast during Theatre Under the Stars’ Summer of Love at Stanley Park. I went to two concerts—Kacey Musgraves at Vogue Theatre and Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas at Rogers Arena. I started binge watching four television series—The Get Down, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Victoria. I saw Suicide Squad, and Florence Foster Jenkins in theatres and Independence Day: Resurgence, The Bronze, Sing Street, Mean Girls, Step Up, and The Avengers during a few movie nights. I listened to new albums from Idol’s Nick Fradiani (Hurricane) and Avalon Young (Shift), and to new songs from MacKenzie Bourg, Jack and White, Tove Lo, Ellie Goulding, Florence + the Machine, Rayvon Owen, Melinda Doolittle, Michael Buble, Frank Ocean, Ingrid Michelson, and Carly Rae Jepsen. Oh, and the 2016 Summer Olympics happened over in Rio. #sports #ilovesports #goteamcanada
In September, I sipped my first PSL of the fall season on the first day of the month. As part of annual tradition, I shopped at the Aritzia Warehouse Sale and got a black peacoat from Wilfred and black velvet pants from Citizens of Humanity. I crossed off a bucket list item by rappelling down a skyscraper in support of Easter Seals BC. I got to strike a pose for real by trying out a Vogueing workshop over at Scotiabank Dance Centre. I stalked the Royals during their Royal Visit tour of British Columbia and caught a glimpse of Prince William and Duchess Kate at Jack Poole Plaza. I saw an Hermes haute couture exhibit. I shopped at the Etsy Vancouver Fall Market, where I found an Alexander McQueen dress on a thrift rack and petted a real-life corgi! I dressed up and went to a Gatsby’s Night Out event hosted at the Orpheum. I picked up my guitar (Clapton) again after years of abandonment. I went to see the Queen of Country Dolly Parton in concert at Rogers Arena – she is a darling and a treasure! I listened to new albums from Broadway Queens Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, Alex & Sierra, Gavin DeGraw, and Castro. The 2016 Emmys happened and cool people like Kate McKinnon, Aziz Ansari, Rami Malek, and Tatiana Maslany won awards (and I started watching Mr. Robot and Orphan Black). I tuned into new seasons of New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I watched Pete’s Dragon, Sully, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and The Beatles’ documentary Eight Days a Week. I worked my way through my lengthy to-read list by reading The Kite Runner, Lawrence Hill’s works (Some Great Thing, Any Known Blood, The Book of Negroes, and The Illegal), Erika Johansen’s The Queen of the Tearling and The Invasion of the Tearling, Naya Rivera’s revealing Sorry Not Sorry, as well as the Hamilton: A Revolution book. Over at Quietly, we hosted our 2nd annual Startup Open House event and the Qrew began another semester of volunteering with the kids of Writers’ Exchange. Oh, and I discovered that my Patronus is a Tonkinese Cat!
On the first of October, I attended a VIFF talk with Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany and saw the premiere of her film, The Other Half. The Quietly Qrew feasted on tacos and sandwiches (catered by Mario’s Deli!). I celebrated a bunch of graduations, birthdays, housewarmings, and bon voyages this month. I tuned into new seasons of The Mindy Project, The Flash, Supergirl, Jane the Virgin, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and started the first season of Broad City. I watched Queen of Katwe, The Girl on the Train, Madame Bovary, Ouija: Origin of Evil, This Is The End, and Citizen Kane. I listened to new albums from Michael Buble, Colbie Caillat, Kate Voegele, Lady Gaga, and Tove Lo, and new songs from La’Porsha Renae and Dalton Rapattoni. I continued to work through my to-read list by finishing Madame Bovary, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, The Portrait of a Lady, Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley and Villette, and Chris Colfer’s The Land of Stories Treasury. And, after many months, I finally completed Leo Tolstoy’s epic War & Peace! I bought a Kindle e-Reader and a Kate Spade watch as early Christmas gifts to myself. On two separate Halloween occasions, I dressed up as a 60s girl and a rocker girl. In the world of politics, the 2016 election campaign continued to be a flaming piece of shit with the headache-inducing Presidential Debate nights, but Michelle Obama provided some much-needed optimism with her landmark speech addressing the atrocities. Women who aren’t called nasty seldom make history.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse in 2016, the unthinkable happened in November. Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump in the US Election. That’s right, the world’s biggest asshole is now the president-elect. The cherry on top of the worst year ever! In the spirit of political revolutions, I became even more obsessed with the Hamilton soundtrack, aided by the release of the Hamilton Mixtape featuring the likes of Usher, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Sia, and Kelly Clarkson. To distract myself from the crumbling state of the world, I listened to new albums from Little Mix, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, and The Weeknd, and new songs from David Archuleta, Jax, Rayvon Owen, Pia Toscano, and John Mayer. I watched Doctor Strange, The Edge of Seventeen, 13th, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Loving, Spotlight, and Moana. I marathoned Netflix’s The Crown – a new series covering the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. I read Tolstoy’s other epic, Anna Karenina, Vanity Fair, Middlemarch, Anna Kendrick’s book, Scrappy Little Nobody, and Kelly Clarkson’s children’s book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby. I went to Vancouver Fan Expo for the first time and saw panels with Candice Patton and Tom Cavanagh from The Flash and Back to the Future‘s Christopher Lloyd and spotted many stars like Tom Felton and Dean Cain.
It’s December – the most wonderful time of the year AND the long-awaited end of 2016! The event-filled month kicked off with the Quietly Qrew’s shenanigans during our holiday party. Quietly also hosted a design-themed art show with Untitled, and I bought my very first art piece (an Alexander McQueen portrait). The Qrew wrapped up our volunteer engagement with Writers’ Exchange for 2016 – what a fun year it has been! My Mom celebrated her 70th birthday with me, my brother, and his family at the Cactus Club at Coal Harbour and at the Vancouver Christmas Market. The first snowstorm of the winter season hit the Pacific Northwest, making Greater Vancouver look like a winter wonderland (of course, before Christmas Day..) The CW had a special DC crossover week featuring Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. My on-air television shows wrapped for the mid-season winter break, so I binged watched Broad City (high-larious!) and re-started binging 30 Rock. I tuned into NBC’s Hairspray Live! for Jennifer Hudson and Kristin Chenoweth. I watched The Light Between Oceans, Ex Machina, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Passengers, Sing, La La Land, Singin’ in the Rain, Roman Holiday, and a few Christmas classics—The Holiday, Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and White Christmas. I listened to new Christmas albums from Kacey Musgraves, She & Him, Kris Allen, Leslie Odom, Jr., Megan Hilty, and Pentatonix. I read Bridget Jones’s Diary, All The Light We Cannot See, and Victor Hugo’s epic Les Miserables, wrapping up my never-ending TBR list. Before I disappeared for the remainder of the year for a much-needed staycation, I reunited with the “Where Are You From?” crew for hot pot. Mom and I celebrated Christmas together and I scored sweet deals on beauty products for Boxing Day. During the last week of the month, 2016 proved itself to be relentlessly cruel, taking George Michael, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, thus capping off a horrible year for iconic entertainers. I ended off the last day of this tumultuous year by getting a tattoo, watching Jackie, and watching the ball drop at Time Square during New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Peace and love, y’all!
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Live Shows in 2016.
January 5th: Tyler Hilton at The Railway Club (Vancouver)
April 1st: Ellie Goulding with Broods at Rogers Arena (Vancouver)
April 5th: Castro at Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles)
April 6th: American Idol Season 15 Finale at Dolby Theatre (Los Angeles)
April 7th: American Idol Series Finale at Dolby Theatre (Los Angeles)
April 20th: Paul McCartney at Rogers Arena (Vancouver)
May 6th: VSO Broadway Rocks! (featuring LaKisha Jones, Christiane Noll & Rob Evan) at Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver)
May 15th: Tori Kelly with Thirdstory at Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Vancouver)
May 28th: Alabama Shakes with Kurt Vile and the Violators at Deer Lake Park (Vancouver)
June 20th: JMSN & Snoh Aalegra at The Alexander (Vancouver)
July 10th: Steven Tyler at Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver)
July 15th: The Killers at Commodore Ballroom (Vancouver)
July 20th: Adele at Rogers Arena (Vancouver)
July 21st: VSO Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver)
August 2nd: Kacey Musgraves at Vogue Theatre (Vancouver)
August 14th: West Side Story at Malkin Bowl (Vancouver)
August 15th: Beauty and the Beast at Malkin Bowl (Vancouver)
August 24th: Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas with Mike Posner at Rogers Arena (Vancouver)
September 19th: Dolly Parton at Rogers Arena (Vancouver)
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Music in 2016.
January
Gavin DeGraw – Follow Through
Taylor Swift – Out Of The Woods
Tori Kelly – Something Beautiful
Rihanna – Work (feat. Drake)
Rihanna – Love On The Brain
Rihanna – Kiss It Better
Casey Abrams – Never Knew What Love Could Do (feat. Haley Reinhart)
February
Daughtry – It’s Not Over… The Hits So Far
Jack Garratt – Phase
Daughtry – Torches
Jack Garratt – Weathered
Tove Lo – Scars
Ellie Goulding – Something In The Way You Move
Beyonce – Formation
Miguel – Waves (Remix feat. Kacey Musgraves)
Rayvon Owen – Can’t Fight It
Avalon Young – Bad News
MacKenzie Bourg – Everybody’s Got A Story
Kelly Clarkson – Piece By Piece (Idol Version)
March
Kris Allen – Letting You In
Kris Allen – Waves
Adam Lambert – Welcome To The Show
Halo Circus – Desire (Lo Que Vale La Pena)
Nick Fradiani – Get You Home
Chris Daughtry – Bring Me To Life
Chris Daughtry & Jencarlos – Demons
Kree Harrison – This Old Thing
Zealyn – Talk:Listen
Zealyn – Sleep On It
Trent Harmon – Sharp Dressed Man
La’Porsha Renae – Elastic Heart
MacKenzie Bourg – Hallelujah
Dalton Rapattoni – God Only Knows
Parson James – Waiting Game
“This Is For My Girls”
April
Beyonce – Lemonade
Drake – Views
Haley Reinhart – Better
Beyonce – Hold Up
Beyonce – Don’t Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons
Drake – Views
Drake – Too Good (feat. Rihanna)
Haley Reinhart – Better
Haley Reinhart – Listen
Pia Toscano – You’ll Be King
Pia Toscano – PyRo
Trent Harmon – Falling
La’Porsha Renae – Battles
Dalton Rapattoni – Strike A Match
MacKenzie Bourg – Roses
Tim Halperin – Something Beautiful
Postmodern Jukebox – Never Gonna Give You Up (feat. Clark Beckham)
Carly Rae Jepsen – Boy Problems
David Cook – Heartbeat
Prince – Purple Rain
May
Keith Urban – The Fighter (feat. Carrie Underwood)
LaKisha Jones – So Glad I’m Me
Avalon Young – What’s Real
Joshua Ledet – Trust Me I Lie
Jessica Sanchez – Call Me
Amy Grant – Baby Baby (feat. Tori Kelly)
Alabama Shakes – Sound and Color
June
Samantha Barks – Samantha Barks
Halo Circus – Bunny
Zealyn – Limbic System
Zealyn – Limbic System
Trent Harmon – There’s A Girl
Postmodern Jukebox – Black Hole Sun (feat. Haley Reinhart)
July
Joey Cook & the Partyraddlers – Welcome to the Variety Show
Kree Harrison – This Old Thing
Steven Tyler – We’re All Somebody From Somewhere
Postmodern Jukebox – Toxic (feat. Melinda Doolittle)
The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done
Adele – One and Only
Castro – Automatic
Trent Harmon – Dream Weaver
Miranda Lambert – Vice
Jessica Sanchez – Stronger Together
August
Nick Fradiani – Hurricane
Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion Side B
Ingrid Michaelson – It Doesn’t Have To Make Sense
Avalon Young – SHIFT
Nick Fradiani – Love is Blind
Avalon Young – Favorite
MacKenzie Bourg – Little Moon
Tove Lo – Cool Girl
Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You
Florence + The Machine – Wish That You Were Here
Florence + The Machine – Stand By Me
Kacey Musgraves – Die Fun
Kacey Musgraves – Undermine
Neil Young – Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Postmodern Jukebox – Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Rayvon Owen)
Melinda Doolittle – Say Something
Demi Lovato – Body Say
Nick Jonas – Close (feat. Tove Lo)
Jack and White – Love Me, Haunt Me
September
Castro – Diamond Dreams
Gavin DeGraw – Something Worth Saving
Kristin Chenoweth – The Art of Elegance
Idina Menzel – idina
Alex & Sierra – As Seen On TV
Castro – Diamond Dreams
Gavin DeGraw – She Sets The City On Fire
Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You
JoJo – Mad Love.
October
Colbie Caillat – The Malibu Sessions
Michael Buble – Nobody But Me
Lady Gaga – Joanne
Tove Lo – Lady Wood
Kate Voegele – CANYONLANDS
Colbie Caillat – Goldmine
Michael Buble – Nobody But Me
Lady Gaga – Hey Girl (feat. Florence Welch)
Tove Lo – Influence
La’Porsha Renae – Good Woman
Postmodern Jukebox – Don’t Stop Me Now (feat. Melinda Doolittle)
Adam Lambert – Hot Patootie (from Rocky Horror Picture Show)
November
Little Mix – Glory Days
Vada Wave – Out Of Body
Pia Toscano – Belong EP
Alicia Keys – HERE
Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
The Weeknd – Starboy
John Legend – Darkness and Light
Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love
The Hamilton Mixtape
The Roots – My Shot (Rise Up Remix)
K’NAAN – Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Wrote My Way Out
Usher – Wait For It
Kelly Clarkson – It’s Quiet Uptown
Ashanti & Ja Rule – Helpless
Sia – Satisfied
Andra Day – Burn
Jill Scott – Say Yes To This
Little Mix – F.U.
John Mayer – Love On The Weekend
David Archuleta – Numb
Rayvon Owen – Tempo
Jax – Stars
Postmodern Jukebox – Teenage Dirtbag (feat. Jax)
Tyler Hilton – Next To You
December
Sing Soundtrack
La La Land Soundtrack
Kacey Musgraves – A Very Kacey Christmas
She & Him – Christmas Party
Kris Allen – Somethin’ About Christmas
Leslie Odom, Jr. – Simply Christmas
Megan Hilty – A Merry Little Christmas
Pentatonix – A Pentatonix Christmas
Taron Egerton – The Way I Feel Inside
Tori Kelly – Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
Jennifer Hudson – Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight
Jennifer Hudson & Tori Kelly – Hallelujah
Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone – City Of Stars
George Michael – Freedom
Wham! – Last Christmas
Josh Groban – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Lauren Alaina – O Holy Night
Dalton Rapattoni – Happy Christmas
David Archuleta – My Little Prayer
Kris Allen – Somethin’ About Christmas
She & Him – Mele Kalikimaka
Kacey Musgraves – What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
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Television in 2016.
American Idol Season 15 (The Farewell Season)
Agent Carter
The Flash
Supergirl
Jane the Virgin
The Mindy Project
New Girl
Master Of None
War & Peace
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Get Down
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Victoria
Orphan Black
Broad City
The Crown
30 Rock
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Films in 2016.
Sabrina (1954)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Hail! Caesar (2016)
How To Be Single (2016)
The Revenant (2015)
Deadpool (2016)
Eddie the Eagle (2016)
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (2016)
Zootopia (2016)
The 5th Wave (2016)
Allegiant (2016)
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Snowpiercer (2014)
The Jungle Book (2016)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Before We Go (2014)
Emma (1996)
Persuasion (1995)
Me Before You (2016)
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Love & Friendship (2016)
Finding Dory (2016)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
The Secret Life Of Pets (2016)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Ghostbusters (2016)
Space Jam (1996)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Suicide Squad (2016)
Mean Girls (2004)
Step Up (2006)
The Bronze (2015)
Sing Street (2016)
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
The Avengers (2012)
Pete’s Dragon (2016)
Sully (2016)
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years (2016)
The Other Half (2016)
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Madame Bovary (2014)
The Girl On The Train (2016)
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
This Is The End (2013)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Doctor Strange (2016)
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Up In The Air (2009)
13th (2016)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Loving (2016)
Spotlight (2015)
Moana (2016)
Hamilton’s America (2016)
The Light Between Oceans (2016)
Ex Machina (2015)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Passengers (2016)
Sing (2016)
La La Land (2016)
The Holiday (2006)
Elf (2003)
White Christmas (1942)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Jackie (2016)
*******
Books in 2016.
Jandy Nelson – I’ll Give You The Sun
Gloria Steinem – My Life On The Road
Dodie Smith – I Capture The Castle
Monica Heisey – I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better
Sara Raasch – Snow Like Ashes
Patrick Ness – A Monster Calls
Ernest Hemingway – A Moveable Feast
Heather O’Neill – Daydreams of Angels
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
Katharine Hepburn – Me
Helen Oyeyemi – What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours
Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer – Between The Lines
Judy Blume – In The Unlikely Event
Sophia Amoroso – #GIRLBOSS
Amy Jen Su & Muriel Maignan Wilkins – Own The Room
Arianna Huffington – Thrive
Mark Z. Danielewski – House of Leaves
Alice Walker – The Color Purple
Jhumpa Lahiri – The Namesake
Chris Colfer – The Land of Stories: An Author’s Odyssey
Chris Colfer – The Land of Stories: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales
J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
J.K. Rowling – Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
J.K. Rowling – Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
J.K. Rowling – Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
J.K. Rowling – Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Original Screenplay
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton: The Revolution
Erika Johansen – The Queen of the Tearling
Erika Johansen – The Invasion of the Tearling
Erika Johansen – The Fate of the Tearling
Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
Lawrence Hill – Some Great Thing
Lawrence Hill – Any Known Blood
Lawrence Hill – The Book of Negroes
Lawrence Hill – The Illegal
Naya Rivera – Sorry Not Sorry
Gustave Flaubert – Madame Bovary
Thomas Hardy – Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Henry James – The Portrait of a Lady
Charlotte Brontë – Shirley
Charlotte Brontë – Villette
Leo Tolstoy – War & Peace
Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina
Anna Kendrick – Scrappy Little Nobody
William Makepeace Thackeray – Vanity Fair
George Eliot – Middlemarch
Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’s Diary
Anthony Doerr – All The Light We Cannot See
Virginia Woolf – A Room Of One’s Own
Victor Hugo – Les Miserables
*******
Elizabeth Rosalyn 