2010. a Year of Social Entertainment

As 2010 is coming to a close, we have picked out a few of our favorite things to keep from 2010, and take into the new year. These are some entertainment outlets that really brought people together this year. Some are fun, some are controversial and others just promoted a great discussion about diversity.

 GetGlue 

This social media application, which was launched in 2009, but gained most of its popularity this past year, has been credited as the first social networking tool to really make a connection with culture. Get Glue is a social entertainment app which (much like Foursquare) lets users 'check in' to movies, books, TV shows and even wines to share their cultural experiences with their friends. Why didn't we think of this before?

I absolutely love the app and the idea, even though it is still in its early stages. The best part is that, different from Facebook and Twitter, but similar to Foursquare, users can receive social rewards called stickers and even earn discounts and coupons after they have reached certain levels. This is definitely a great app to keep and take with you into the new year. 

Modern Family

One of the best shows of 2010, this show really does portray what the nuclear family of today really looks like: unconventional. Here is a synopsis of the show:

The story follows the families of Jay Pritchett  his daughter Claire Dunphy , and his son Mitchell Pritchett  who live in a Los Angeles-area suburban community. Claire is a homemaker mom married to Phil Dunphy ; they have three children. After splitting with his longtime wife, Jay has re-married with a much younger Colombian woman, Gloria Pritchett , and is helping her raise her pre-teen son, Manny Delgado . Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker  have adopted a Vietnamese baby, Lily Pritchett-Tucker. (source)

Modern Family does a fantastic job of addressing how diverse American families truly are. While many still strive to meet the high expectations set for them by the Leave It to Beaver days, with shows like Modern Family it is clear that we have come a long way as a society in terms of admitting who we really are. It addresses issues like homosexual relationships, split-home families, bi-cultural relationships and ageism with humor and compassion. This is my favorite show on television right now and I cannot wait for more seasons to come in 2011.