2007 Year

Calle 13, "Residente of Visitante" (Sony). The devilish duo from Puerto Rico is more mature though no less outrageous in its sophomore effort, expanding the boundaries of urban Latino with two of the most memorable songs of the year -- the deliciously seductive "Tango del Pecado" and the gritty immigrant anthem "Pal Norte," with a chorus by the Cuban hip-hop trio Orishas. Juanes, "La Vida Es . . . Un Ratico" (Universal).

BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN THEATER, GETTY VILLA Venue A visually stunning production of Euripides' "Hippolytos" inaugurated this magnificent outdoor 450-seat theater last season. Set in the hills of Malibu, the theater has an air of enchantment that could rival anything in the mythological world.

As the old year fades, it's time to sift through the mountainous kilobytes of pop-culture detritus that has piled up on our computers and in our brains over the last 12 months. Let's figure out what worked, what didn't and what's best forgotten in the new year. Today we examine the best and worst comebacks of 2007: Which of our cultural icons were we glad to see back in the Google search zeitgeist, and which of them do we think were best left . . . unsearched.

CRITICS' reviews, box-office performance, industry screenings and early awards have helped whittle the list of Oscar best picture contenders. Though that means the top race is clearer, unpredictable turns are still ahead. The coming guild awards and Golden Globes will have a sizable effect on which five films emerge as nominees on Jan. 22.

In terms of home entertainment, viewers had an embarrassment of riches to choose from this year. Among 2007's best releases were restored old favorites and newly discovered rarities, television classics past and present, and at the top of the heap, the most expansive box set ever devoted to a single director. What follows is a look at the best of the best: Ford at Fox (Fox). John Ford made more than 50 films in his 32-year tenure at Twentieth Century Fox.

I guess the Brits are back from that post-Oasis lull. My 10 favorite albums of 2007 include five from English artists, not counting patriarch Robert Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss, and easily could have included this year's collections by the Arctic Monkeys, Jamie T., Lily Allen and PJ Harvey, among others.

Alien vs. Predator 2 Round one went to the Predators. Who will win this rematch in a small Colorado town? With Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale, John Ortiz, Shareeka Epps, Johnny Lewis and Sam Trammell. Written by Shane Salerno. Directed by the Brothers Strause. 20th Century Fox, Dec.

In 2007, American ballet treaded water (as usual), but a few once-scruffy modern dance ensembles made it into some of our most prestigious venues with major success. What's more, world dance companies had a banner year: changing staging strategies, styles and philosophies as if the tension or disparity between folkloric authenticity and accessible entertainment had to be resolved once and for all. Below is a list of highlights from one aficionado's datebook, in chronological order.

Was 2007 a mediocre year for new buildings? A nascent consensus in certain parts of the architecture world says so, and it's not hard to understand why: With the exception of Steven Holl's extension to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Mo., which opened to raves in the spring, no building by a prominent architect to debut this year escaped critical complaint or public ambivalence altogether.