These are some of the things I want to see in 2012:

The new season of Republic of Doyle

If you’re not a Newfoundlander, Republic of Doyle is a great television show filled with action, humour and thrills about a PI named Jake Doyle and the mysteries he solves with his father. If you are from Newfoundland, Doyle is all that, a bag of chips, and loaded with inside humour that make it just a teensy bit more enjoyable for us than the rest of the world. We love Doyle.

Republic of Doyle is so much a part of our pride and culture that it seems things revolve around it. No sense trying to get someone to go for a coffee or a movie on a Wednesday night. And no good suggesting you record it because there’s something about being there when the joke is first told on the screen or the shirt first hauled off, that makes it better. I was recently at a gathering where a woman said she’d never watched Republic of Doyle. The room became silent and people looked at her like she said she ate baby poop for breakfast. A Newfoundlander saying she doesn’t watch Republic of Doyle is sort of like a six-year-old girl saying “Justin Beiber sucks”. It just seems wrong.

Even more exciting about the upcoming season is Russell Crowe (yes, that Russell Crowe) guest starring in the season premiere. I like him, not just because he is a huge movie star but because he “gets” Newfoundland and Labrador and likes the place and the people. Also, he’s a fabulous actor. He’s got the Oscar to prove it but maybe you missed one of my favourite movies of his, State of Play. I think it was highly underrated. You should check it out if you get a chance. It’s a political thriller in which he plays an investigative journalist and it includes music from our own Great Big Sea (their lead singer, Alan Doyle, is also guest starring on the premiere of Doyle and, of course, GBS plays the show’s theme song).

I’m looking forward to the premiere of Republic of Doyle, starring Allan Hawco, on January 11 on CBC. You should too!

The end of the Kardashians

Okay, I don’t really mean the end as in I want them all dead. That wouldn’t be nice. But I would like the end of the obsession people seem to have with them. And when I say, “people”, I don’t really know who I mean. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they like the Kardashians or care about what they’re doing. But Kardashians seemingly have seventeen thousand television shows and are on the cover of every magazine. Seriously. I just googled “Kardashian cover”" and got over 99 million image results. It’s truly nauseating. One of them got married and then quickly divorced this summer, which meant I was exposed to all kinds of “news” stories about it and articles and videos and tweets until I felt like I was somehow being punished for something I’d done in a past life. Karma Kardashian, I think she was called. (And while I’m at it, I think such ridiculous examples of marriage as that one really makes me question how people can say that gay marriage would somehow take away from the sanctity of marriage. I’d say any of these fly-by-night, media frenzied celebrity marriages have done far more to hurt any such sanctity than the joining of two people of the same sex who love each other. Puhleeze.) Anyway, I’d just like for the great “they” that is popular culture to snap out of this weird Kardashian love and let them go the way of other cultural icons like, say, Paris Hilton who I thankfully don’t hear much about anymore.

A new Nick Hornby book

I don’t believe there’s a new Nick Hornby book coming out but it is something I’d like to see in 2012. Hey, I can dream, right?

Facebook to give it up already

I am hooked on facebook but they change things too much. Now, they’ve got timeline coming and it looks just awful to me. So, I would love, love, love if facebook would just leave well enough alone.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

They’re coming here in June and hubby and I have tickets. We haven’t been to a concert in years but this is one I’m really looking forward to.

More of what I want to see in 2012 in Episode 2