A lot of books, songs and movies were released this year, and you didn't check any of them out, did you? All you did was work, check Instagram, check Facebook, check Reddit and watch a bunch of crap on YouTube. What's wrong with you? You wasted the whole year!
Well, good news: There's a couple days left before 2018 draws to a close, and you can always start fresh in 2019. (But you probably won't.) If you want to play catch-up for all the art you missed, former president Barack Obama dropped his annual list of favorites, and he's got excellent taste. (Also, since he's not president any more, he has a lot of free time.)
On Facebook, Obama explained why he compiles these lists: "It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before."
Obama's favorite songs included some notable hip-hop entries: Apessh*t by The Carters (aka Beyoncé & Jay-Z), I Like It by Cardi B, Kevin’s Heart by J. Cole, My Own Thing by Chance the Rapper and Joey Purp and Wow Freestyle by Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar. I don't know who his other picks are because I only listen to rap. Don't @ me!
Regarding movies, Obama enjoyed the superhero blockbuster Black Panther, the Mr. Rogers biopic Won't You Be My Neighbor and Bo Burnham's striking directorial debut Eighth Grade. He also liked Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, and the Natalie Portman sci-fi thriller Annihilation.
That's a wide variety of cinematic choices. But come on, Barack, no love for The Last Sharknado: It's About Time? In the movie, Finn travels through time, battling sharknados in the age of dinosaurs, Camelot, the War of Independence and the Wild West. In the trailer, a shark eats a dinosaur! You have poor taste, Mr. President.
In case you're not familiar with "books," they're like the Internet, but printed out, and there aren't any comments from crazy people. In an obvious display of pro-Obama bias, Barack listed his wife Michelle's memoir, Becoming. Collusion! They're colluding! Why won't Mueller investigate them? #qAnon
He also picked Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which tells the story of a young Nigerian woman who immigrates to the United States. Hey, I read that one! Good job, me. His other choices included An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Educated by Tara Westover and Factfulness by Hans Rosling.
The full list of Obama's picks is available here. So far, President Donald Trump has not announced his favorite books, songs and movies of 2018. But if I had to guess, I'd say his favorite books are 'None,' his favorite song is 'whatever Kanye West made' and his favorite movie is 'Fox News.'