10 Favorite Stories of 2010: Julie's Picks

I spent 2010 overdosing on late night television, obsessively cataloging network fat jokes (everyone goes through that phase, right?), toiling in a love/hate relationship with Grey's Anatomy, Gleebasing and interviewing entertainment figures who shifted American pop culture for good (Jimmy Fallon) and evil (Pauly Shore). As one of my final Movieline duties this calendar year, I will now revisit the 10 stories that brought a smile to my face and I hope, entertained or informed you.

· Promoting Under the Influence: 9 Drunk Interviews From the Stars

Bruce Willis, Danny DeVito and at least one Oscar winner showed us that you should never let a little thing like promotional obligations get in the way of a good buzz.

· 4 Foolproof Reality Show Pitches For Levi Johnston

Now that he has seen the in-your-face success that his ex-future-in-laws enjoyed on TLC's Sarah Palin's Alaska, it is time for Playgirl centerfold and pistachio spokesman Levi Johnston to revisit Movieline's surefire programming ideas that could make him a cable star. Seriously, I still stand by all of these -- especially Undercover Hoss.

· Jimmy Fallon's Musical Performances with the Roots and Special Celebrity Guests

No disrespect to Paul Shaffer, but Jimmy Fallon and the Roots had the best year in late night music thanks to their brilliant collaborations with Jeff Goldblum, Justin Timberlake and Bruce Springsteen to name a few.

· Tyra's Most Unhinged Moments in Daytime

So maybe that cancellation of the Tyra Banks Show was not as difficult to get over as I had originally thought. I credit this list of Tyra's wackiest moments -- from the time she went undercover as a homeless person to score crack to the time she discovered that ugliness is humiliating -- for giving me closure.

· Justin Long Praises Movieline's Own Michelle Orange For Her Brilliant Going the Distance Pan

Hats off to Michelle Orange, who penned such a phenomenally scathing review of Going the Distance, that its star Justin Long couldn't help but recite the actual write-up word-for-word during his September appearance on Late Night. Two months later, Long posted his own thoughtful response to Michelle's review -- of both the movie and the incident itself.

· Until We Meet Again, Lone Star

Not a week goes by where I don't think about Kyle Killen's tragically short-lived conman series. I should make peace with Lone Star's cancellation but that is hard to do knowing that there are four unaired episodes floating around, waiting to be viewed by the die-hard fans who recognized the show's value -- regardless of whether or not James Wolk wore a shirt.

· 9 TV Shows Masquerading In the Wrong Genres

I don't care what TV Guide says: Nurse Jackie is a drama, Hoarders is a comedy and Mike & Molly is apocalyptic fiction.

· The Hopeless (Yet Admirable) Veronica Mars Film Campaign: A Movieline Timeline

To me, hope is not Barack Obama's motto or a spiritual grace personified in Greek mythology as Elpis but it is the belief that three years after Veronica Mars was canceled -- Warner Bros. will still adapt the Rob Thomas teen sleuth series for the big screen. Kristen Bell and '09ers everywhere, keep hope alive.

· Sitcom Hardball: A Beginner's Guide, By Charlie Sheen

It was hard for me to just pick one Two and a Half Men-related headline from the laundry list of bizarre stories (and vaguely misogynistic titles) that 2010 brought us. (My second favorite remains "Austria's Incest Monster Loves Two and a Half Men") Alas, here is the one story that should be studied for ages: How a talented, albeit (allegedly) spouse-beating, knife-wielding, demon-possessed star who will be eternally plagued by legal troubles can still get a raise and become the highest-paid sitcom star on the airwaves.

· Movieline Remembers: 65 Years of Television Pets

I will go to bat every day of the week for Hollywood pets. Look out for my next animal-related project Man's Best Friend in Movies: An 80-Year Retrospective in 2011.