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1.) Red Hot Chili Peppers take Columbia
Only a month after the announcement that Red Hot Chili Peppers were coming to Columbia, the Jan. 28 show at the Colonial Life Arena is sold out.
And it's no wonder. The Los Angeles-based band has been around since the early '80s, but its heat hasn't diminished one bit. RHCP will be making four stops in the Carolinas on their "I'm with You" tour, with sassy alternative artist Santigold as the opening act.
2.) Drake (for real this time)
So he canceled on us in November, and that stung, but the "Take Care" rapper has since worked out his scheduling kinks and will perform at the Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 21. Better late than never, right? And if you missed out on getting Chili Peppers tickets, don't fumble the chance to see this rising rapper-phenom in action. Not only has he shed all of his uncoolness from his "Degrassi" days, but he has since toured with Lil Wayne and had his newest album rated top three in 2011 by MTV. His motto? Success.
3.) New Mumford album
Sigh no more! According to the band's website, folk sensation Mumford & Sons are aiming the release of their second album to be in 2012, although the title of the LP and the release date have yet to be confirmed. However, the band has recently released a new song from the album, tentatively titled "Ghosts That We Knew," and in an interview with Rolling Stone, bassist Ted Dwane said the second album sounds like "Black Sabbath meets Nick Drake." So expect something a little darker and more mature, but still oh-so wonderful.
4.) John Mayer's new album
The singer's fifth solo album was set to release late 2011 but has been postponed to 2012 due to Mayer being diagnosed with a serious throat condition called granuloma.
The album, titled "Born and Raised," is "complete as far as music recording, song selection and in some cases mixing," Mayer wrote on Tumblr, "but because of this condition I couldn't finish singing on several tracks." Here's hoping he gets well soon so we can once again hear his swoon-worthy vocals.
5.) The Biebs is legal
You better belieb it. This "Baby" turns 18 on March 1, 2012. The countdown is on!
Although he's hardly innocent with two tattoos and last year's "baby mama" drama when a 20-year-old California woman claimed he fathered her child. Soon he'll be buying lottery tickets and smoking cigarettes. But he'll be legal!
6.) St. Pat's in Five Points
March 17 will mark the 30th annual St. Pat's in Five Points, complete with a 5k race, a parade, food, live music, leprechauns and, of course, a green fountain. While this year's lineup has yet to be announced, last year featured more than 20 local and national acts throughout the day, including Corey Smith, the Dirty Heads and the Movement. The Five Points Association does a great job with the festival, turning a normal day downtown into a green, Gaelic good time.
7.) New Spider-man
Director Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") is switching up his Spidey reboot with a new Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield from "The Social Network") and a sharper focus on Pete's identity transformation from awkward high schooler to web-slinging hero. The cast also features Emma Stone ("Easy A," "The Help") as Gwen Stacy, who will be a prominent player in Parker's life instead of Mary Jane Watson. Rather than a cookie-cutter remake, expect "The Amazing Spider-Man" to take a deeper look at a different side to the Spider-Man story, which will hit theaters July 3 of this year.
8.) "The Dark Knight Rises"
In the final movie of the "Batman" trilogy, Batman (played by Christian Bale) returns to Gotham eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight" and must again save the city from destruction, this time at the hands of Bane (played by Tom Hardy from "Inception") and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (played by Anne Hathaway, "Love and Other Drugs").
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is slated for a July 20 release.
9.) The Summer Olympics
This summer, London will host the Olympic Games for the third time. What's not to love about a backdrop of Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace? Now add the venerable carrying of the torch. The peaceful mingling of people from different countries. The grand opening and closing ceremonies. The world-class athletes. The fierce competition and going for the gold. Good luck getting anything done in July and August.
10.) The election
Who says watching the pundit horse race isn't entertaining? The outcome can change the world, yes, but it can still be fun to watch the Republicans duke it out with the hope of usurping incumbent President Barack Obama on Nov. 6. Besides, we're in college, which means we're old enough to vote, which means we should be paying attention. Turn the televised debates into a drinking game if you have to, but don't choose to be ignorant!
11.) "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
The long-anticipated prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will be a two-part J.R.R Tolkien–adapted epic with director Peter Jackson once again at the director's helm. While "The Hobbit" strives to maintain continuity with its predecessors, like being filmed in New Zealand and having several returning actors including Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom, in an interview with Total Film, Jackson said the new film will have a different tone and will be more like a children's fairy tale. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is scheduled to be released Dec. 14 with part two, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" on Dec. 13, 2013.
12.) The end of the world
Could humankind really meet its end in 2012? I mean, the possibilities are endless. There could be a war to end all wars, the sun exploding, apocalyptic floods or an abrupt ice age like in that movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." If you believe the ancient Maya predicted our doomsday with the end of their calendar on Dec. 21, that is. It's hard to know what to believe, but if we're all going to die, I'm returning my textbooks now for full price.
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