Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesHoliday break is officially over, which means it's back to the office (boo!) and back to the regular bitchin' gossip (yay!). And it also means that our list of 99 reasons that we still love Hollywood must finally come to an end as well.
We've had a good run discussing celebs from Lindsay Lohan to Tom Cruise and everyone in between, the hottest shows (American Horror Story, anyone?), the best movies we've seen this year (Harry Potter) and the movies we just cannot wait for (Magic Mike), but we still haven't touched on the best of the best.
So we now provide for you, in a mostly particular order: The top 9 reasons we still love Tinseltown...
9. The Hunger Games. Whew! Just when we thought Twilight was gonna forever be branded as the mega-franchise based on a series of books, along comes the very talented Suzanne Collins and her riveting novels (and now films), complete with characters killing each other on network TV. Hey, beats dying of boredom while waiting for Edward to finally kiss Bella, right? Truly brings back to the tent-pole series what J.K. Rowling did with the Harry Potter books and movies—at least that's how it's looking to us, so far.
8. It's Meryl's Year Again…Finally! She's only the most talented actress we have, after all. So it only makes sense that Meryl Streep would once again be at the front of the pack in the Oscar race (this time for The Iron Lady). Sure, she's had 16 Academy Award nominations and has already taken home two of the little gold men, but she hasn't seen a win since 1982. That's practically criminal. It's about time Meryl adds another statuette to her collection—sealing her title as the Best Actress.
7. The Artist. The main reason we love The Artist, aka one of the most talked about movies of the year and definite contender for the Best Picture Oscar? How aggressively it doesn't conform to what's getting made in Tinseltown these days. If you haven't heard, it's a silent movie. As in, There's no sound and viewers have to actually watch the actors emote (instead of clicking away at their cellphones). How fabulously daring…And it definitely paid off. The leads are relative unknown, yet they're so absolutely charming and such talented actors that they'll definitely get a ton of attention when awards start getting announced. And that, people, is how stars are born.
6. Bridesmaids. Is there anything we didn't love about this movie? If so, it's hard for us to recall. From the hilarity of Melissa McCarthy's now infamous opening speech about dolphins and cruise ships, to the even more infamous puking and poopin' scene at the bridal shop, to the friendship between Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph…well, we adored it all. And behind-the-scenes, women finally started getting the credit they deserved for being funny—something we've known since forever, really.
5. Ryan Gosling. Simply because. And also because Ryan did for gratuitous male nudity in one single movie (Crazy, Stupid Love) what Megan Fox took an entire Transformers franchise to do. You go, stud! Plus, the ridiculously handsome Canadian can act his pants off—which is fine with us, anytime.
4. Hollywood Hearts Adopted Animals. We're always sticking up for our four legged friends in need—the pups and kittens of Team Truth have all come from shelters or the streets—and a lot of you readers have told us about the homeless animals you've brought into your family, so we think we can all thank stars like Jane Lynch and Ellen DeGeneres for speaking about the cause so publically. And even hotties like Kellan Lutz have gotten in on the animal-rights activism!
3. Elizabeth Taylor, period. I've stuck with that woman when she's been in/out/heavy/thin/celebrated/lampooned, all of it. And no one would have told you that she had legions of enemies faster than Elizabeth herself. "Oh, you want names and addresses, do you?," Elizabeth cat-laughed at me when I asked her who could possibly hate her. She was simply the best. Nothing more be said other than this: irreplaceable.
2. Kristen Stewart. Shall we count the reasons why? Firstly, K.Stew's style. While it may have been all hoodies and oversized tees back when Twilight hit theaters, she's blossomed into a red carpet fashionista who makes the best of the Best Dressed lists with a tough-ass style that's all her own (that'd be grunge glam, duh). Secondly, she's not your average starlet—she's doesn't buy into the phoniness of this town and isn't afraid to be a little awkward or rough around the edges. And lastly, well, if we didn't have Kristen Stewart paving the way, we'd never have had Jennifer Lawrence or Rooney Mara or any other bad-ass babes that have popped up trying to nab the title of "The Next Kristen Stewart."
1. There's Never a Lack of Gossip. Whether it's breaking down who's hooking up with whom behind the scenes of the latest vampire franchise or speculating on which divas are cat-fighting on the most popular musical boob-tube series, this town knows now more than ever how to serve up the gossip-worthy dish. So raise a glass and say cheers with us to Robsten and the Gleeks and Brangelina and Blake Lively and Leonardo DiCaprio and so many more…‘Cause without them, who would we talk about?