Come On, Get Happy: 5 Reasons to be Excited for the Next 8 Weeks

The cover of New York this week reads as follows: "Don't worry. Seriously. Things are looking up." And, hey, with the country more divided than ever and everything else pretty much sucking -- grumble, grumble, insert complaints here -- why shouldn't we all find a little room for some blind optimism? Yes, even us.

Thanks to Todd Phillips, there has been some chatter here at Movieline lately about our supposed less-than-positive tone. Far be it from me to speak for the rest of my brethren, but there is a big difference between going negative and being honest; that there's overlap between those two is the natural order of the world. As Rocky Balboa so eloquently said, "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows." Still, every once in a while it's nice to remember that there are rainbows. Double rainbows even. (This pop culture reference was brought to you by six weeks ago.) With that newfound optimism in mind, here are the five events you can look forward to between now and the end of 2010. Let's end the year on a high note!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I gets released

The best part of The Deathly Hallows -- besides hopefully being good -- is that you don't even have to wait that long to see it; the first installment of Harry Potter's last stand arrives in theaters next week. We have argued about the quality of the Harry Potter film adaptations, but two things are not up for debate: 1.) The job done by Warner Bros. and producer David Heyman in casting, growing and keeping franchise stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint stable is not likely to be reproduced ever again. It's needle threading of the highest order (of the Phoenix). 2.) In a world overrun by Twi-hards, isn't it nice to remember that sometimes there is such a thing as family entertainment, specifically family entertainment that won't make your want to gouge your eyes out?

Glee's Christmas episode

Last night's schizophrenic and oddly insulting Glee notwithstanding, this is a series that was made for a big, lavish Christmas episode. So, voila! The idea of watching the cast (and apparently k.d. lang) sing holiday songs is enough to bring cheer to the heart of any Glee hater. Come on: Chris Colfer and charming newcomer Darren Criss duet on "Baby It's Cold Outside"! What's not to love?

Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and David Letterman are all on the air

Lost in the shuffle of what Conan does wrong -- and which late night host will wind up with the best ratings -- is one simple truth: Three excessively talented, funny and medium-defining men are all on the air together for the first time in months. The best part? Thanks to DVR and the Internet, you don't have to make a Sophie's Choice between Conan, Jon and Dave; you can catch the best parts of all three.

Multiple appearances from Jeff Bridges

The dude abides. Between Dec. 17 and Dec. 22, Jeff Bridges fans (which, really, is everyone) will get to their hero (times two) in Tron: Legacy, host SNL and position himself for another Oscar in True Grit. About that latter film: Expectations aren't always a good thing, but if True Grit isn't awesome, I'll eat my eyepatch.

The possibility of surprise

Last year at this time, you would have been hard pressed to find someone who thought The Blind Side would wind up grossing $309 million worldwide, and that Sandra Bullock would win an Oscar for her troubles. What film will break out from the pack this year? Will there be a surprise entrant in the Oscar derby that the experts haven't actually thought of yet? Maybe not, but the mere fact that the possibility exists should get you plenty excited for the next eight weeks.