JAY-Z & KANYE WEST'S WATCH THE THRONE, THE FILM THE TREE OF LIFE, SPOTIFY AND MISS PIGGY AMONG USA NETWORK'S TOP "CHARACTER APPROVED" IDEAS AND INFLUENCERS OF 2011

USA wraps up the year by posting 11 Character Approved Top 10 of 2011 Lists and a Special Holiday Gift Guide at characterblog.com

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - December 12, 2011 - USA Network's Character Approved Blog (characterblog.com) has chosen Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne, the film The Tree Life, Spotify and Miss Piggy as some of the biggest cultural influencers, trends and ideas of 2011. Each of the eleven experts who contribute weekly updates to the blog handpicked their top people, places and/or things that have had the greatest impact in 2011 across architecture, art, design, fashion, film, food, music, social good, technology, theatre, and writing. The lists also include those whose work will be felt for years to come, such as the artist Ai Weiwei, actor Elizabeth Taylor, and playwright Larry Kramer along with the release of the documentary We Were Here about the AIDS crisis in the eighties.

The Character Approved Top 10 Lists are an example of how USA has expanded the scope and reach of its Character Approved multimedia cultural initiative centered around the annual Character Approved Awards. This past year, USA celebrated the award recipients on the Character Approved website (characterapproved.usanetwork.com) and with a one-hour television special, CHARACTER APPROVED: HONORING 12 CULTURAL TRAILBLAZERS, featuring exclusive interviews with twelve real "characters" who are changing the face of American culture. The Character Approved blog was created to pay tribute all year long to the people, innovations, and trends that are positively affecting our culture and are deserving of the network's "character seal of approval."

In addition to the Top 10 Lists, USA has created a new way to honor the characters in our own lives with the second annual 2011 Character Approved Holiday Gift Guide: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/11/usa-character-approved-holiday-gift-guide.php. The guide is designed to help consumers find the perfect gift for every character on their list including The Culture Hound, The Adventurer, The Entertainer, The Fashion Maven, The Nester, The Sharp-Dressed Man, The Technophile, The Younger Set and The 11th Hour Shopper.

2011 CHARACTER APPROVED 10 LISTS

ARCHITECTURE - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-architecture.php
1. Secret Picnic NYC
2. The 9/11 Memorial Opening
3. The Flint Project
4. Rethink LA
5. New Summer Parks
6. Clip, Stamp, Fold
7. The New Skyscraper
8. Building 2.0
9. The Architectural Bench
10. The New Market

ART - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-art.php
1. Ai Weiwei
2. Art in the Streets show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
3. Zevs
4. Lucian Freud
5. Nan Goldin
6. Mick Ebeling's Eyewriter
7. Michael Kalish's 24M project
8. Swoon in Haiti
9. Alexander McQueen's posthumous show at The Costume Institute with The Metropolitan Museum of Art
10. MoMa: Everyone is Welcome Visitors with Disabilities Program

DESIGN - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-design.php
1. Airbus Plane
2. Architect Barbie
3. BMW Concept Vehicles
4. Dyson Hot Heater
5. Electronic Temporary Tattoos
6. Scrap Metal Tables by SF-based Bevara Design House
7. QuaDror
8. Shwood
9. Edible Cups by The Way We See The World
10. Tables and sculptures by Jordan Warasaka

FASHION - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-ten-of-2011-fashion.php
1. Elizabeth Taylor
2. The Rise of Haider Ackermann
3. H&M presents The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Collection
4. The Olsen Twins Rise Nominated for CFDA Award
5. The Rise of Fashion Bloggers
6. The Return of Tom Ford
7. The Missoni for Target Collection
8. The Return of Miss Piggy
9. Burberry's Christopher Bailey
10. New York Fashion Week 'Runway Wedding'

FILM - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-film.php
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
2. Drive
3. We Were Here
4. Moneyball
5. Warrior/Gavin O'Conner
6. Attack the Block
7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
8. The Adventures of Tintin
9. The Trip
10. The Tree of Life

FOOD - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-food.php
1. Chef: Joshua Skenes
2. Cookbook: Off the Menu
3. Food Truck: Avedano's Meat Wagon
4. Restaurant: Next
5. Gift Idea: SQIRL Preserves
6. Phone App: Nosh
7. Cooking School: Culture Kitchen
8. Cookbook: Stephanie Izard's Girl in the Kitchen
9. Micro-Distillery: Middle West Spirits
10. Chef/Memoir: Gabrielle Hamilton

MUSIC - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-music.php
1. Sleeper Agent
2. St. Vincent
3. The Weeknd
4. Portugal The Man
5. Turntable.fm
6. My Morning Jacket
7. Mister Heavenly
8. Jimmy Fallon
9. Spotify
10. Kanye West + Jay Z's Watch the Throne

SOCIAL GOOD - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-ten-for-2011.php
1. Justin Bieber
2. Monique Coleman
3. MENA for Citizen Media
4. Occupyinsideout
5. Zainab Salbi
6. Collaborative Consumption
7. Warby Parker
8. Japan Society
9. Water for People
10. Fonderie47

TECHNOLOGY - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10---technology.php
1. Projected Multitouch
2. Jawbone Up Wristband
3. Flipboard
4. Sonamba
5. Square
6. Kindle Fire
7. Nokia Flexible Skin
8. Siri (iPhone voice assist)
9. Storify
10. Color

THEATRE - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-theatre.php
1. Kristin Chenoweth
2. Billie Joe Armstrong
3. Lin-Manuel Miranda
4. THE BOOK OF MORMON
5. Broadway Dreams Foundation
6. Jordan Roth
7. Idina Menzel
8. Nikki M. James
9. Larry Kramer
10. Elaine Paige

WRITING - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-writing.php
1. Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs
2. Maira Kalman, book designer
3. Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
4. New Directions
5. Joyce Carol Oates, A Widow's Story
6. Cherie Priest, Ganymede
7. Neal Stephenson, REAMDE
8. Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones
9. Alexander Yates, Moondogs
10. Atavist and Byliner

ABOUT USA CHARACTER APPROVED BLOG

The USA Network Character Approved Blog (www.characterblog.com) celebrates the people, places and things that are transforming the American cultural landscape. They're Character Approved-worthy of USA Network's "character seal of approval." The blog site is updated regularly and features exclusive content in the following eleven categories: Architecture, Art, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Music, Social Good, Technology, Theatre and Writing. The Character Approved Blog is an outgrowth of USA Network's annual Character Approved Awards that pay tribute to the innovators who are influencing our opinions, our style, and our view of the world.

ABOUT USA NETWORK

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.