Gabrielle Bondi’s Breakout Artists of 2014
- Gina Rodriguez – My favorite TV show of 2014 also has the number one breakout artist of the year. Gina Rodriguez brings a ton of charm, grace and sincerity to her character who is dealing with quite an unbelievable situation. If there’s one reason you should tune into Jane the Virgin, it’s her.
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw – I didn’t see Belle or Beyond the Lights until recently, but I can’t deny how lovely and talented Gugu Mbatha-Raw is. She brings so much to her performances and is utterly captivating on screen. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
- Sam Smith – Smith may be slightly overplayed on the radio; it’s hard to complain when Sam Smith has such a smooth and soulful voice. Between their debut album and their infectious vocals in Disclosure’s “Latch,” Sam is here to stay.
- Rosamund Pike – If you’ve seen Gone Girl, you KNOW what I’m talking about.
- Cary Joji Fukunaga – I’ve had a crush on this director for a few years, since I saw his first feature film, Sin Nombre. Fukunaga blew audiences away with his impeccable direction of the first season of True Detective. Check out this amazing scene from the series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_HuFuKiq8U.
- Outlander stars: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, & Tobias Menzies – While Caitriona deserves the bulk of recognition for captivating work as time-traveling nurse Claire Beauchamp in Outlander, it’s hard to not also mention two of her co-stars, who both turn in some great work. Sam Heughan is charming, youthful and intense as Jamie Fraser; Tobias Menzies successfully tackles a complex dual role as Frank Randall (Claire’s husband) and Captain “Black Jack” Randall (a villainous man out to discover Claire’s secrets in anyway that he can).
- A24 Films – This independent film studio turned out some of the year’s best films that it made me take notice. Just look at this list and tell me that they’re not on a roll: Locke, Under the Skin, Enemy, Laggies, A Most Violent Year, The Captive, Obvious Child, Life After Beth, The Rover, and Tusk.
- Chris Pratt – Chris Pratt owned 2014 for many reasons, but my favorite reason is Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Ariana Grande – Whether you’re a fan or not, Ariana Grande had a huge year with chart-topping singles and a new album. Her big voice and catchy ballads give me hope that a melisma resurgence in Pop is happening.
- Jenny Slate and Gillian Robespierre – These two ladies are the masterminds behind one of the best films of the year, Obvious Child. All I want for the next decade or two is for Gillian and Jenny to team up again and again to give us more authentic, funny, and sweet stories.
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