Rueben's Ramblings

I have been putting together my year-end round-ups on all things entertainment industry related for over a decade now. Just thinking about how long I have been compiling these round-ups is surprising to me. As I have said before, every year it is an interesting experience keeping track of the unique events that take place in the world of entertainment.

Of course, it’s impossible to focus on every single thing that has happened over the past year, but I sure do enjoy focusing on all the good things that have taken place throughout the year.

I have been a big fan of television since I was a child, becoming “the walking encyclopedia of the entertainment industry” (at least for my small hometown back in Pennsylvania) by the time I was in my mid-teens. In fact, I like to joke that I was IMDB before IMDB existed. But, I also love reading, and for the past decade I have set a goal for myself to read at least 20 books a year.

For avid book readers that total is pretty small, but given the fact that my small business is just going into its second year of existence, all the freelance writing I do throughout the year and – well, real life – getting through 20 books is a lot for me.

Among the books that I enjoyed the most this year included a trilogy of books by authors Susan Mallery, Veronica Roth and Nora Roberts as well as several Jane Austen inspired books by Alexandra Potter and Kaitlyn Saunders. I also really enjoyed Deadly Heat by Richard Castle, The Heirloom Girls by Chris Culler and the Diana Gabaldon novel Voyager (in preparation for season three of Outlander).

Just like last year I attended Paley Fest in Los Angeles, but unlike every other year for the past few years, I only attended one panel for Supergirl. I also enjoyed attending WonderCon and Comic Con; a panel for the Syfy TV series 12 Monkeys at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills as well as the Paley Center’s annual Preview Parties for each of the five major networks. As a big fan of Outlander, I also got to see the cast and creative minds behind the show in March as well as the Outlander Exhibit at the Paley Center

That’s enough about me, though. Starting tomorrow my first year-end round-up focusing on the best and worst of television will go live and for each day throughout the rest of the year I will spotlight the year that was: 2016.

NOTE: I apologize in advance for any omissions, spelling errors or oversights I may have made, but I don’t apologize for any of the choices I made.