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2011 In Film: Bob Mondello's Top 10 (Plus 10)

Credit Donata Wenders / Neue Road Movies

'Pina': German filmmaker Wim Wenders' 3-D dance documentary is a homage to influential German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, who died in 2009.

Credit The Weinstein Co.

'The Artist': Silent-screen idol George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and up-and-coming dancer Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) share a vivacious moment onstage.

Credit Merie Wallace / 20th Century Fox Film Corp.

'Tree of Life': Brad Pitt plays an archetypal 1950s patriarch who loves his family — but can't help imposing his expectations on them.

Credit Roger Arpajou / Sony Picture Classics

'Midnight In Paris': Owen Wilson, playing the time-traveling hero Gil, wants to write novels instead of movies, much to the horror of his fiancee Inez, played by Rachel McAdams.

Credit Sony Pictures Classics

'Incendies': After the death of the widowed Nawal (Lubna Azabal), her adult children slowly discover the bitterness of her childhood in a country plagued by endless cycles of violence.

Credit Phil Fisk / IFC Films

'The Trip': Steve Coogan (right) and his friend Rob Brydon tour Northern England and engage in a battle of competing impressions in the road trip comedy.

By Bob Mondello

Wizards, transformers and vampires did their best, but they couldn't transform 2011 into a magical year for Hollywood: Despite all the 3-D and IMAX screenings and the premium prices that come with them, industry box office sagged by half a billion dollars compared with last year. But quality? That's another story.

1:11 pm

Fri December 30, 2011

'Haters' Are Going To Hate This Story

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Credit Mark Lennihan / AP

The word "Hater" — as it's often used today — is derived from the term "Player Hater," a phrase popularized by late rapper Notorious B.I.G., shown here clutching his Billboard Music Awards in 1995.

Credit iStockphoto.com

A fist with the word "hate" on it.

By Linton Weeks

Originally published on Sat December 31, 2011 5:20 am

Haters are here. And there. And everywhere. And the word "hate" is in the air.

Fox has a new sitcom: I Hate My Teenage Daughter. A recent issue of Us magazine tells us "Why Scarlett Johansson Hates Blake Lively." Psychology Today explains "Why We Hate Airport Security." Dick Meyer, formerly of NPR and now executive producer for news services at BBC America, wrote a provocative book called Why We Hate Us.

1:08 pm

Fri December 30, 2011

A Year That Was Good To Beets

Credit JOSEPH SILVERMAN / The Washington Times /Landov

Heirloom beets served at Bibiana Restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C.

By Daniel Zwerdling

Children hate beets. Many adults hate beets. In fact, so few people in the U.S. eat table beets that the federal government doesn't bother to keep track of how many are grown and sold, even though it does keep track of just about every other crop, including turnip greens and horseradish.

12:56 pm

Fri December 30, 2011

Build-A-Bear Workshop Recalls Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears

Credit CPSC

Build-A-Bear has recalled almost 300,000 Colorful Heart teddy bears.

By Kristofor Husted

If you gave or received a Build-A-Bear this holiday season, you may want to check it over.

Nearly 300,000 Colorful Hearts teddy bears from Build-A-Bear Workshop sold in the U.S. and Canada have been recalled.

The teddy bear's eyes can fall out and become a choking hazard for children, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Company spokeswoman Jill Saunders tells Shots in a statement that Build-A-Bear hasn't received any reports of injuries or deaths from the teddy bears.

12:39 pm

Fri December 30, 2011

University Of Miami Will Return $83K In Former Booster Donations

By Eyder Peralta

The University of Miami will return $83,000 in donations it received from Nevin Shapiro, a former booster, who was incarcerated for his role in running a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

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1:19 pm

Fri December 30, 2011