The satirical satyrs of Poor Dog Group's Dyonisia

​​The venerable "best bets for the new year" critic's post always carries with it the uncertain odor of the racetrack tout. Even the seeming sure things -- the NYC-anointed, blue-chip transfers of Broadway hits -- are too often diminished by dispiriting changes in the cast or production design that can leave one wondering what all the fuss was about. Worse, invariably some inspired dark horse production will emerge in the year's homestretch to sweep the field and make liars of us all.

Those caveats aside, the following represents what promises to be, to this critic at least, the top ten no-brainer ticket wagers for L.A.'s 2012 theater season:

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Nina Silver and Guy Birtwhistle in D is for Dog

​​From backstage mishaps to audience interruptions, theater is unpredictable, and no one knows that better than the actors, producers and others who work in theater every day.

We polled the theater community to find the oddest moments of last year in L.A. theater.

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photo by Colin Young-Wolff

Occupy this...or that...or whatever you damn well please.

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Twenty Eleven has been a year of occupies. Occupations. Occupitudes. You get the idea.

Sure, the Occupy Wall Street movement has only been around since September, but since then we've been occupying all manner of whatnot like there's no tomorrow (thanks to the Mayans, there actually might not be one in 2012). We've even been occupying all the bizarre intangibles that the internet and the clever asses behind it can come up with.

Here are the 50 craziest. If you make it to the end, there's a page you can lick that tastes like blue raspberry Kool-Aid.

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Fighting the good fight

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Yes, bookstores are closing all around us, from the giant Borders to the tiny Village Books.

But Angelenos still read, and to prove it, we asked LA Weekly's staff writers, editors and freelance contributors to tell us their favorite book they read this year, and why. Answers after the jump.

What's your favorite book you read in 2011? Add it in the comments.

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Lina Lecaro

​Also see 10 Ways to Get Past a Bouncer and Top 10 L.A. Club Nights of 2011.

At the risk of referencing LMFAO again, LA knows its party rockin' and we do it bigger and better than any other city in the world. New York may beat us at chic soirees, Miami might be sultrier and Vegas gaudier, but Los Angeles is where the magic happens. The culture, the diversity and yes, the entertainment industry make for an audacious alchemy that truly is unmatched.

Sure there's a lot glitzy superficiality too, but the stereotypes about L.A. nightlife are hardly the whole picture. For every botoxed big boob-bot bumpin' at the bash hoping to be discovered, there are artists and writers and music lovers and makers, not to mention normal, cool peeps who go out simply to have a good time. Despite an obvious decrease in imaginative gatherings and decadent sponsored spectacles due to the recession, there were still several opportunities to do just that.

Yes, some of the best events were exclusive, invite-only affairs, but just as many were open to the public... if you knew about them. Here, the top 10 best one-off parties and events that went off in Los Angeles this past year (Halloween and New Years Eve -- last year and this weekend -- not included).

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tv42/Flickr

CicLAvia, architects John Friedman and Alice Kimm's choice for a key influencer in 2011.

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What were the five most influential shifts in Los Angeles' architectural realm this year? It turns out they're not about pretty pictures.

Or at least that's the feedback we got when we took a poll to come up with this LA Weekly best of 2011 list.

Instead of touting singular designs, the answers of four influential architects were about building a better city -- despite attempts by developers to water down architecture to boost profit and L.A. politicos convincing themselves that wrapping buildings in head-to-toe advertising billboards is Los Angeles' great cultural contribution.

Here are five picks for the most influential architectural shifts in L.A. this year

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Lina Lecaro

​The barrage of blogs tallying the year in trends and fashion has begun, and of course, we are totally participating. We do it every year, after all.

And while we try to note the obvious, we also strive to call out the stuff you're not likely to see on the other blogs, stuff we note while nightlife traipsing and stuff that inevitably moves from street to mainstream the following year. Like, did anyone else note the "tranimal" trend last year, but us? Nope. We wrote about it and then Gaga brought it into the mainstream, or tried to, soon afterward.

So yeah, there's some obvious inclusions here, but as always, we strive to spotlight the more cutting edge staples seen in Los Angeles. There were looks to love and/or laugh at. Sometimes both at the same time. And that, friends, is fashion, especially in L.A. and most especially after dark: a little frivolous, a bit freaky, but always a ton of fun.

So here, the top 11 fashion trends of 2011 (seen mostly at social functions, clubs and Trader Joe's in Silver Lake and Hollywood). Which look did you do and which ones are totally done? Read on...

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Shannon Cottrell

JR in L.A.

​Yes, year-end lists. Not even street art is exempt. But hey, 2011 was a banner year for the Los Angeles street art and graffiti communities, as they enjoyed plenty of worldwide attention.

LA Weekly put together the ten L.A.-related street art and graffiti stories that we think were most remarkable in 2011. Please add your own in the comments below.

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​By Ernest Hardy, Karina Longworth and Mark Olsen

Some of our notables showed great courage this year, others are simply notorious, but all 10 had a big impact in 2011.

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Shannon Cottrell

Hatsune Miku in concert at Anime Expo

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Read more in "Best of the Cons Part 1: 8 Standout TV Shows, Cosplays, Games and More from 2011."

Is Southern California the land of the superfan? Maybe. At the very least, it's the land of the fan conventions. Trying to hit up ever con in the region is difficult. I couldn't do it. (Sorry, San Diego, maybe I can make it to Gaslight Gathering and Anime Conji next year.)

I did, however, go to a lot of conventions this year, enough to compile the third annual Best of the Cons round-up. The list is only for Southern California, mostly Los Angeles-area, events. This means that Dragon*Con is excluded even though I did go this year. (For the record, everyone who told me that Dragon*Con is the best of the conventions is right. If you can make the trip to Atlanta on Labor Day Weekend, do it.) Everything here is based on events that I covered for LA Weekly. If there's a convention that you think should be covered next year, speak your mind in the comment section.

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