As we speak, it's the next-to-last day of 2013 while in Australia, it's already the last day of 2013. So without further ado, I present to you...

The Top 15 Things That Were Trending in 2013

(15 because I couldn't think of 20)

15. The Cronut (The Cadillac of baking wonders. But who wants to plunk down $40 for a croissant/donut hybrid when Krispy Kreme has one cheaper for about $4.25)

14. Manti T'eo's imaginary dead girlfriend (the spirit of the "invisible chair" from last year's Republican Convention lives!)

13. The return of Hostess snack cakes (Twinkie the Kid was offered to host next year's Academy Awards; he declined)

12. Amanda Bynes (if only Penelope Taynt knocked some sense out of her...oh, wait)

11. Selfies (If Geraldo Rivera snaps one one more time, I'm deleting my Instagram account. Then again, I don't do Instagram!)

10. "Scandal" (they call die-hard fans of the show "Gladiators." Isn't that a slap in the face to "American Gladiators?")

9. Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (Wonder if a nearly naked Emily Ratajkowski attempted to twerk in front of Robin?)

8 (and in her 15th consecutive appearance). Britney Spears (with her two-year Las Vegas gig now underway, she is still working it, bitch!)

7. Candy Crush Saga (already causing fake diabetes among mobile users)

6. The ends of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough, and George Clooney and Stacy Keibler (proof that the "13" in 2013 was unlucky indeed)

5. TIE: Prince George and Pope Francis (one has touched the hearts of royal watchers, the other prefers to touch everyone's flesh without the aid of extra security)

4. The Healthcare.gov website (cue dial-up modem sound here)

3. "Duck Dynasty" (as Bart Simpson once said to Orthodox Jews thinking as if they were ZZ Top, "You guys rock!"...to the point that anti-gay remarks in between seasons would get you in trouble in bit. But the Osbournes and Kardashians they aren't)

2. TIE: Jennifer Lawrence (she's had one hell of year with "Hunger Games", "American Hustle", and some new man in her life that lives in their family home)/The Harlem Shake (suddenly, the bosses at work were going, "You're all FIRED!!!!)

And the #1 thing that was trending in 2013 which will continue in 2014 once her much-anticipated tour kicks off in February (she's coming here to Atlanta on March 24):

1. Miley Cyrus (And yes, we advise you keep your foam fingers, tongues, wrecking balls, and twerking to yourselves while seeing her live)

And that's it, the AllenBlog's 2013 Year in Review. So long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Year in Pop Culture

The top keywords throughout 2013 in the world of pop culture were "twerking", "selfie", and "sharknado"...all not necessarily in that order. But in between all those, lines were blurred, lionesses roared, royal babies on opposite sides of the Atlantic were born, and we've experience a dynasty which right now appears to be quacked away. That, or a coked-up Canadian mayor has cared more about Candy Crush Saga and less about running his city.

But we begin with redemption, and Ben Affleck got his when even without a Director nod, "Argo" walked out of the 85th Annual Academy Awards the big winner with three Oscars including Best Picture (sharing it with George Clooney). Daniel Day-Lewis made history by becoming a triple Best Actor holder, while Jennifer Lawrence's Best Actress would be the start of her landmark year, which I'll get to in a bit.

"Modern Family" continued to reign supreme at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, while "Breaking Bad" closed out in style with Outstanding Drama. "The Colbert Report" ended "The Daily Show's" long streak, "The Voice" was the next show to dethrone "The Amazing Race", and Bob Newhart after many decades finally took home his first Emmy.

In other 2013 television highlights and lowlights: "NCIS" finally becoming the #1 show in all of television, the live "Sound of Music" musical starring Carrie Underwood attracting 18 million eyeballs, the returns of Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar in "The Crazy Ones" and Arsenio Hall in late night after a 19-year hiatus, "Sharknado" reviving once-dead careers of Tara Reid and Ian Ziering, "Sleepy Hollow" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" ratings grabbers for Fox, the ends of "Private Practice", "The Office", and "30 Rock", the very ends of "1600 Penn", "Golden Boy", and the "Ironside" reboot, and "All My Children" and "One Life To Live" being granted second lives online. And speaking of which, Netflix had a banner year themselves with "House of Cards", the new "Arrested Development", and "Orange Is The New Black" (in which one superfan, Julianne Hough, took her obsession with the show a little too far by going as Blackface for Halloween) all worth the $8 monthly subscription fee.

And then you have what was the year's biggest TV phenomenon: "Duck Dynasty" and the Robertson family whose beards would make ZZ Top go duck hunting themselves. From scoring sky-high ratings for A&E to merchandise galore, it was duck season all year round...that is, until just recently. Phil Robertson, the engine behind all this, made a remark about homosexuals in GQ magazine which didn't sit well with A&E executives, and he was put on indefinite hiatus. With the show's future on the line, many have now come in defense of Robertson, hoping the network reverses its decision. As of publish time, we've now learned that Robertson will be back on board after all and that A&E has just lifted the ban on Robertson.

In movies, "Gravity" soared to new heights, the minions returned in "Despicable Me 2", we felt "The Heat", and "Her", "Dallas Buyers Club, "Nebraska", "Saving Mr. Banks", and "Nebraska" had filmgoers sending a three-word message to Oscar voters: "For your consideration". As for "The Lone Ranger", "R.I.P.D.", the "Carrie" remake, and "The Fifth Estate?" They were sent that very same message alright...to Razzie voters.

The world of music saw some shocks and surprises. First, the surprises: Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and its very saucy video creating a star in model Emily Ratajkowski, Justin Timberlake still having "20/20" vision, Katy Perry still "Roar"-ing (all while becoming the new Twitter queen with 48 million followers), and the biggest of them all: Beyonce dropping her latest album right from under us...unlike Britney Spears, whose new album "Britney Jean" came in time for her new stint at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, which begins by the time this portion gets published.

There is that show "Scandal" which was fiery hot this year...and then there were actual scandals that were more than just fiery hot! The annual queen of them all, Lindsay Lohan, passed the crown to Amanda Bynes this year, as her erratic behavior and saliacious selfies have landed her to a psychiatric facility. Sassy celebrity chef Paula Deen was at the epicenter of controversy when she dropped the N-bomb after having an all-black waitstaff at her brothers plantation-themed wedding. That cost her her Food Network contract as well as partnerships with QVC and Smithfield Foods. 

We also had Lance Armstrong admitting to Oprah Winfrey that he was indeed doping before his races, Reese Witherspoon busted for DUI and trying to play the celebrity card to a Georgia state trooper (this was months before I moved here to Atlanta), Justin Bieber's wild adventures ranging from urinating in a mop bucket to getting kicked out of his Brazilian hotel for getting way too freaky, and Alec Baldwin threatening paparazzi in New York followed by some very scathing remarks that led to his MSNBC show being yanked off the air.

But forget "Girls Gone Wild"; in 2013, it was all about "Politicians Gone Wild"! Anthony Weiner's latest sexting scandal (and using the psuedonym "Carlos Danger") costing him his one and only shot at New York City mayor, San Diego mayor Bob Filner resigning in the wake of numerous sexual harassment claims, and you have the king of them all: Toronto mayor Rob Ford admitting to smoking crack cocaine, pushing a city council member, and even a cable news stint that lasted only one night. Toronto City Council took action and stripped Ford of almost all his powers, even though he vows to remain mayor for who knows when. If only Chris Farley lived 16 more years to offer his own spin on this...

Technology and trends continued to run rampant this year, with Apple releasing the iPhone 5S and 5C and the iPad Air (all with the new iOS 7) being the major highlight. And we now know why sales have continued to be up the creek: "Selfie" becoming the Oxford dictionary's word of the year, and the addictive Candy Crush Saga the app to get hooked on. Speaking of which, the Harlem Shake had us up on our feet though thanks to somebody else which I'll get to later, that craze didn't last long.

Christian Slater and Brittany Lopez, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard (just moments after applying for a marriage license), Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock, Kate Bosworth and Michael Polish, Keira Knightley and James Righton, Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler, Kerry Washington and Nnmadi Asomugha, Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney, Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger, and John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen were among the couples that headed down the altat this year, while Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd, Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, and Diane Lane and Josh Brolin were those that headed to divorce court. And those who headed to Splitsville? George Clooney and Stacy Keibler, Kaley Cuoco and Henry Cavill, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder, Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough, and Minka Kelly (who too returned to TV with "Almost Human") and Chris Evans.

The year's two biggest births belonged to Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George, and Kim Kardsahian and Kanye West with North West. But there were several others: Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum (Everly), Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez (Maceo, three months after they were wed), Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brian Hallisay (Autumn James, shortly after their secret nuptials), Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen (Winnie Rose), Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson (Ace Knute), Kate Winslet and Ned Rocknroll (Bear), and Elton John and David Furnish (Elijah Joseph Daniel). And this year, we've been seeing baby bumps on the aforementioned Kelly Clarkson and Olivia Wilde.

All that's left now is to name my Entertainer of the Year for 2013: Jennifer Lawrence! And why? She began her year with that much-deserved Oscar for "Silver Linings Playbook", continued it with "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" collecting over $160 million in its opening weekend, and is already capping off with "American Hustle" earning Golden Globe and SAG honors...which could result in a repeat trip (not trip-up) to the Oscar stage.

But the most honorable mention goes to Miley Cyrus, as her 2013 was ripe with...well, everything. From using both her foam finger and twerking technique to arouse Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards while tonguing it out, to saying "It's over!" to Liam Hemsworth, to straddling around naked in a wrecking ball for her music video, to going toe-to-toe with Sinead O'Connor, you can sure bet that Santa was busy this Christmas putting tickets to her upcoming Bangerz Tour in 2014 in stockings everywhere.


And that's not the only thing that'll happen in the upcoming year. No Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nods for "The Butler" (and Oprah Winfrey) opens the door wide open for an Oscar race that may come down to "Dallas Buyers Club", "Nebraska", and "12 Years A Slave" for the big Best Picture prize, and a showdown between Tom Hanks vs. Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence vs. Sandra Bullock. Speaking of J-Law, she's been filming "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" on and off here in Atlanta, and so were Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels with the "Dumb and Dumber" sequel; both will be making millions in the box office. And One Direction will be hitting the road in a stadium tour that is expected to be sold out, while new late night torches will be passed from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon (who's upgrading to 11:35) and Seth Meyers. There are countless scenarios that'll come into play in 2014, but as the old saying goes: "Expect the unexpected."

Next time: We wrap it all up with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2013 and what I call the "Britney Guarantee"!

The AllenBlog's

It was the year when a highly-anticipated healthcare website got a low-speed rollout.

The year when twerking outnumbered Harlem Shaking 45 to 2.

The year when one girl was on fire while another sputtered out of control.

The year when "Iron Man 3" and "Gravity" soared to new heights, while "The Lone Ranger" and "The Fifth Estate" fell rock bottom.

The year when one city after a major bombing took the second half of my closing phrase very seriously.

The year when two mayors and one wannabe mayor turned their city halls into something out of "Animal House."

And yes, it was the year where we gave birth to royalties, dynasties, and selfies, and a new Pope, while bidding farewell to one dynasty who helped changed the world.

That year was 2013.

Join the AllenBlog for a look back at these 52 weeks.

All during these last 52 weeks of 2013, we experienced one Pope stepping down and another taking the throne, one government website up to speed (well, dial-up speed, anyway) while being shut down, a massive typhoon slamming the Philippines while no hurricanes slammed the United States, and a real life "Catch Me If You Can" of epic proportions, and 361 others that happened every day

President Barack Obama's start of his second term kicked off the year, but not without controversy...no, not by George Stephanopolous confusing Morgan Freeman with Bill Russell, but Beyonce, as it appeared she sang live to her pre-recorded track of the Star Spangled Banner. That would be followed by Super Bowl XLVII a couple weeks later, as her blowout halftime performance allegedly blew out the fuses at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as the second half was underway. In the end, it was the Baltimore Ravens turning out the San Francisco 49ers' lights 34-31.

Another major sports story took place in Boston, but in separate months: In April, two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon close to the finish line, set off by Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev and killing three people while injuring 260 others. Tamerlan would be shot to death early on the 19th, while Dzhokhar would be captured very later in the night, ending a week of terror that birthed the meaning "Boston Strong." That mantra would be carried over to the World Series, as the Red Sox won their first title at home (and eighth overall) since 1918.

Other sports highlights throughout the year include: Adam Scott finally winning the first Masters Green Jacket for Australia, LeBron James and his Miami Heat still ablaze with their NBA title repeat, the Chicago Blackhawks hoisting their fifth Stanley Cup, Justin Rose blossoming at the U.S. Open, Andy Murray's first Wimbledon title for Britain in a long time, Louisville (men's) and Connecticut (women's) ruling the college basketball court, the Seaveys keeping the Iditarod in the family with father Mitch's second trip to the Burled Arch a year after son Dallas's first time, Jimmie Johnson burning up the Daytona 500 track with Danica Patrick finishing eighth, Tony Kanaan's first Indianapolis 500 checkered flag, Tokyo being awarded the 2020 Olympics (their second and Japan's fourth), and in what was the play of the century...with no seconds left on the clock, Auburn being denied Alabama's quest for another national championship thanks to a missed field goal that led to Chris Davis's 109-yard touchdown. And you thought Canada's gold medal-winning tiebreaker over the U.S. at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver had that whole country exploding.

Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to resign in nearly 700 years, and a conclave would decide his successor. When the cloud of white smoke was created outside the Sistine Chapel, it was Argentina's Jorge Bergoglio who emerged from the balcony as Pope Francis. His reputation as "the People's Pope" recently made him "Time" magazine's Person of the Year.

In Egypt, President Mohamed Morsi was sent packing in a coup d'etat, which resulted in non-stop bedlam. And in Nairobi, Kenya, 62 were killed in a terrorist attack at the Westgate Mall. Meanwhile, the ongoing Syrian conflict entered its third year with no end in sight.

There was a real-life scandal as far as the National Security Agency was concerned, as Edward Snowden leaked dozens of documents, including phone conversations of over 30 world leaders. The government was after Snowden's blood and wanted him jailed for life, but faster than you could say "Catch me if you can!," he exiled to Russia. Back here, George Zimmerman was acquitted for the wrongful murder of Trayvon Martin, which set off some racial firestorms; Jodi Arias got the opposite verdict for the 2008 murder of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in a trial that had Nancy Grace working overtime. And 14 years after Columbine, Colorado experienced yet another school shooting at Arapahoe High outside Denver in which the only victim, 17-year-old Claire Davis, would later die from her severe wounds.

In weather, it was a bad month for Oklahoma, as 24 people were killed in one tornado in Moore followed by 76 more tornadoes in the Great Plains. Though the hurricane season in the United States was very quiet after Sandy, the same couldn't be said for the other side of the International Date Line at Typhoon Hayian turned much of the Philippines into ghost towns leaving over 6,000 dead; months earlier in June, 5,700 lives were taken in a series of flash floods and landslides in India.

While there were a lot of new names in the spotlight in 2013, we reflected on others who were dimmed, including: Peter O'Toole, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Annette Funicello, James Gandolfini, Cory Monteith, car dealer Cal Worthington, Bonnie Franklin, Paul Walker, former New York City mayor Ed Koch, Joe Weider, religious broadcaster Paul Crouch, Helen Thomas, Esther Williams, video game tycoon Hiroshi Yamauchi, musician Lou Reed, Roger Ebert, Richard Griffiths, astronaut Scott Carpenter, Julie Harris, Ray Dolby, Jonathan Winters, pianist Van Cliburn, George Jones, Patti Page, Conrad Bain, C. Everett Koop, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Mindy McCready, Tom Clancy, Dennis Farina, Karen Black, Ray Price, David Frost, Joan Fontaine, Jean Stapleton, and world changer/former South African president Nelson Mandela.

So, what was the biggest story of 2013? It was back in Washington, and the Affordable Healthcare Act (aka Obamacare) now in effect. Healthcare.gov was launched, but not in the kind of fanfare President Obama wasn't expecting. It appeared that the website was riddled with problems, even right down to the loading times; it was like as if it was 1998 and the site was compatible with Netscape rather than Firefox.

What's in the crystal ball for 2014? The Winter Olympics will take center stage in Sochi, Russia; it will be their first Olympics since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and for the United States and several other countries who boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow, they've waited 34 years to compete in Russia. President Obama will be entering the year with his lowest approval rating to date, and with no confidence for either Republicans or Democrats, Election Day could turn into Independents' Day as we may see a seismic shift on Capitol Hill. And there's speculation that a violent blizzard may postpone Super Bowl XLVII by a few days; why they're hosting it in New York/New Jersey, I don't know. What we do know that there will be hundreds of other things happening in between all those, and it all begins at midnight on January 1.

Next time when the "2013 Year in Review" continues: The biggest entertainment stories and trends galore.