Here is a look into some of the favorites from some of the Ticker staff! These favorites aren’t necessarily released in 2021, but they have brought joy to these staff members this year.

Amanda Salazar – Editor-in-Chief | Favorite TV Show: Ghosts

The new American sitcom “Ghosts,” based on the British comedy of the same name, brings viewers fun and feelings as it follows the story of married couple Samantha and Jay when they move into an old home that is haunted by an eclectic group of ghosts.

When Samantha has a near-death injury, she develops the ability to see ghosts, allowing her to see the many spirits that live in her new mansion, which she inherited from a distant relative.

The population ghosts have been collecting every century since the time of the Vikings, and everyone who died on the property, and was unable to move on ended up stuck there — making for a surprising situation for Sam and Jay.

The series shows the couple trying to acclimate to their new home, which they’re renovating to become a bed and breakfast, while also having to come to terms with sharing their space with nosy, troublemaking yet well-intentioned ghosts.

Though a comedy, “Ghosts” hits many sentimental notes while exploring the lives and deaths of each of the eight main ghosts, making it a fun show that’s capable of going deeper. It’s good for both a laugh and an “aw” and hopefully will last for many seasons to come.

The show is available to watch on CBS or Paramount+.

Ayse Kelce – Managing Editor | Favorite Anticipated Show: And Just Like That

The last episode of “Sex and the City” aired in February 2004, but two movies were produced to show the journeys of the characters in 2008 and 2010. After 12 years of anticipation, the fans will finally see what the future brought for the characters in “And Just Like That.”

Even though “And Just Like That” is not released yet, the new cast members indicate an effort to add diversity to the show that had an all-white cast when it first aired. Some additions to the cast include Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury and Nicole Adi Parker.

One of the biggest disappointments for the fans to learn was that one of the main characters, Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall, would not be in the sequel. Disputes between Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays lead character Carrie Bradshaw, and Cattrall seem to be the reason why the show does not include Samantha.

Overall, since the shooting for “And Just Like That” started in New York City this summer, fans have been waiting to see if the show can live up to the expectations and have the same glamour as the original series.

“And Just Like That” will air on HBO Max on Dec. 9.

Emanuela Gallo – News Editor | Favorite Album: RED (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

In 2012, Taylor Swift’s fourth album “Red” was only known for its three pop singles. In 2021, it became clear that these three singles are outliers.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” shined a light on not only the previously overlooked songs but also nine unreleased songs “From The Vault.” The re-release allowed listeners a second chance to revel in Swift’s unmatched songwriting across its 30 tracks.

In hindsight, it also highlights what was a transitional crossroads between country and pop. It lacked the twang and banjos of her first three albums but kept their authenticity through drums and guitar. It experimented with the electronic and synth pop sounds that eventually came to fruition with 2014’s “1989.”

In 2012, I downloaded “Red” from iTunes onto my iPod Nano, staring at my bedroom ceiling as the opening drums of “State of Grace” traveled through my wired earbuds. On Nov. 12, I was able to relive that experience.

Setting the record for longest No. 1 song, vault track “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” is aptly described as a “super-sized version of what was already a magnum opus” by Billboard. It lacks the lyrical restraint of the 2012 version, utilizing raw emotion to tell a story.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” is available on all music streaming platforms.

Angelica Tejada – Opinions Editor | Favorite Album: SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo

An album that perfectly pictures heartbreak, self-doubt and comparison reigns a favorite of the year. Olivia Rodrigo is a gifted songwriter and singer that the world got to watch rack in a billion global streams, rightfully so, for making those even head over heels in love feel the sourness of being betrayed.

More than just a breakup album, “SOUR” takes a stab at questioning societal pressure and social media’s toxicity. From “jealously, jealousy” to “brutal,” Rodrigo is relatable to the constant rollercoaster that is being a young woman in a world that keeps pinning everyone against each other. At just 18-years-old, Rodrigo has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for “driver’s license.”

This is just the beginning for Rodrigo, which, as a fan, is exciting to know, and what comes next from her will be as stellar as “SOUR.”

“SOUR” can be streamed on all music platforms and make sure to grab a few tissues for listening.

Caryl Anne Francia – Business Editor | Favorite Film:  Sunday in New York (1963)

“Sunday in New York” is a 1963 screwball comedy film that stars a young Jane Fonda, Rod Taylor and Cliff Robertson. Adapted from a Broadway play by Queens-born Norman Krasna, the story follows Fonda’s character as she visits her brother, played by Robertson, in the city and questions the expectations of women in 1960s sex culture following a breakup in Albany. A series of comedic mishaps leads her to fall in love with Taylor’s character, a stranger from Philadelphia.

Accompanied by a playful jazz score composed by Peter Nero, it’s a cute, light-hearted film, and that’s all to it. Critics, including Fonda, may say that the story is now dated and predictable while her character is too talkative. To be fair, it’s a romantic comedy. What would one expect out of a rom-com, especially from the ’60s? It even includes a scene in the rain.

The film was a delight to watch for the nostalgia and vibrant charm of New York City, especially on a lazy Sunday. It is available to rent on Amazon or Vudu. Cable subscribers may catch an occasional broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies channel.

Arianne Gonzalez – Arts and Culture Editor | Favorite Artist: Olivia Dean

With four EPs to her name, the London-born artist is only at the beginning of her career, but her songwriting and neo-soul sounds will take her far.

Olivia Dean’s writing and tones are refreshingly honest and laced with a kind of deft wisdom. She makes plain all the confusion in one’s head about relationships, love and heartbreak, as she bases her songs on her experiences, which makes her music utterly relatable. Her talents also have been recently recognized as Amazon Music U.K.’s New Breakthrough Artist for 2021.

With lines like, “Hold me close/Love myself, the most/Lately, I’ve been just what I need,” from her self-love anthem, “Be My Own Boyfriend” and “I find it hard/hard to be soft/stop saying I’m perfect/When clearly I’m not,” from, “Slowly,” a vulnerable ballad on opening up oneself to new love, Dean’s artistry is not one to be missed.

Her music is available on all music streaming platforms.

Edgar Llivisupa – Sports Editor | Favorite Cartoon: The Owl House

The Disney-animated TV series “The Owl House” follows teenager Luz Noceda adjusting to her new home, the Boiling Isles, after being transported through a magical door. As the island is part of a world inhabited by witches and demons, human Noceda decides to learn magic to fit in. Luckily, she is taken in by Eda Clawthorne, also known as the Owl Lady, the self-proclaimed strongest witch on the island, and her roommates King, self-proclaimed King of Demons and Hooty, a house demon.

Its latest second season expands on Noceda’s journey as a budding witch as she learns how to cast powerful spells, learns more of the mythology of her new home, and finds a path to her Earth home, forcing her to choose between her human or witch home.

While the show is known for its world building, animation and writing, it is also exceptional for its LGBTQ+ representation, which is a first for a Disney production. Since the characters are diverse in age, some are beginning to explore their gender identity while others are positive reflections and role models for queer identity.

“The Owl House” airs on Disney XD and Disney Channel. Season two streams for free on Disney Now and both seasons are available to stream on Disney+, via a subscription.

Farah Javed – Copy Chief | Favorite Short Film: The Gallery

“The Gallery” is a short film with a simple premise of a woman who meets with a casting director for an audition. It will leave you questioning who you perform for and what that says about society and blindly following others.

It was my favorite because I love how the director takes such a common process, the audition, and points at just how eerie it is. I’m also someone who loves mysteries or figuring out plot lines, but I didn’t guess the twist while watching.

Though it’s just a few minutes long, it gave a full dramatic story with an ambiguous ending that gives me “Pretty Little Liars” vibes.

“The Gallery” is available to watch on Short of The Week.

Alexandra Adelina Nita – Graphics Editor | Favorite Book: The Oresteia by Aeschylus (Robert Fagles’s translation)

What’s gory, gloriously melodramatic and stars a stunningly monstrous female character more captivating than her misogynistic author ever intended her to be?

No, it’s not “Macbeth” — it’s the late Robert Fagles’s translation of “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus.

A trilogy of three short plays, “The Oresteia” sees Clytemnestra murder her husband Agamemnon, the descendent of a cursed line and her daughter’s killer ignobly returned from the Trojan War, forcing her son Orestes to grapple with his divine mission to avenge his father.

Classical Greek literature has all too often either been placed on a pedestal as part of the problematically deemed “Western literary canon” or misappropriated by white supremacists. Fagles’s accessible translation does away with these pretenses and falsities and uses simple yet evocative language that allows the true drama and horror of the narrative to shine.

Fans of gothic horror will appreciate seeing the anxieties of a violently imperialistic state desperate to control women’s lives and bodies — so little has changed in over 2,500 years —  on full display.

Fans of dangerous women will find themselves rooting for Clytemnestra, and perhaps one day they might get the feminist adaptation that caters to the sapphic gaze à la Jennifer’s Body that they deserve.

Until then, Fagles’s translation is available from Penguin Random House, the Brooklyn, New York, and Queens public libraries and the Internet Archive.

Suporna Das – Web Editor | Favorite Album: Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish’s newest album, “Happier Than Ever,” is a stark contrast from “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” as the theme of this album is softer and more delicate. Much of her debut album explored the darkness living inside of her. “Happier Than Ever,” on the other hand, has a much more mature outlook on life.

Eilish and I are both 19. As someone who has been following Eilish for the past five years, it feels like I’ve been growing alongside her, traipsing through the teenage years and into adulthood as I also learn to love and understand myself more.

As she sings in “Getting Older,” I also think I’m aging well, but there’s so much more I have left to learn. It’s also prevalent in “my future,” where she sings about falling in love with the future version of herself rather than another person. She is enough for herself and that’s all that matters.

While the album does take a positive outlook on maturity and self-love, there is still a lot of sadness inscribed into songs like “Male Fantasy” and “Everybody Dies,” because life isn’t always beautiful. It’s also full of difficult experiences with harsh realizations. Eilish hasn’t figured everything out yet and she’s weary of this. It is a lesson for all of us that are still learning how to navigate life and young adulthood.

“Happier than Ever” is available on all music streaming platforms.

Dani Heba – Copy Editor | Favorite Album: Music To Be Murdered By – Side B by Eminem

Following up the first part of this album, Eminem reminds everyone that he still has the best flow in the game, and that the Genius note takers must have their pens ready to try to figure out all the slick bars he spits.

With “Gnat,” he raps about the COVID-19 pandemic and compares it to his own bars. He raps, “these bars are like COVID, you get them right off the bat,” referring to COVID-19 being linked to a bat, one of the alleged origins of the coronavirus.

On songs like “Tone Deaf,” Eminem reminds everyone that he doesn’t care about other people’s ideas and criticism, with lyrics like “I can’t understand a word you say (I’m tone deaf)/I think I prefer to stay this way.”

With “Killer,” Eminem seems to mock the trend in the current rap game of flexing money nonstop, rapping about this in a sarcastic way, talking about throwing it in the furnace for fun.

Finally, with “Discombobulated,” Eminem makes a song that felt very much like some of his older music in that he was balancing between two different sides of himself, even referring to his 1999 breakout single, “My Name Is.”

Side B didn’t get enough appreciation for the work that it is. With 16 songs, there were literally no skips. Once again, Eminem reminded everyone why he’s one of the greatest artists ever: his flow and bars can’t be touched, and he couldn’t be bothered to care about anything he says.

The album is available on all music streaming platforms.