With 2021 finally dawned upon us, it brings a new beginning to what was for sure one of the most tumultuous years in anyone’s recent memory in the year 2020, with a plethora of events that occurred (and many still recurring) that need no repeating. We all know of what went down and what’s going on, things which have spilled over and are still extreme challenges in this new year. In short, 2020 was a year most of, if not all, of us would soon rather forget.

However, what shouldn’t be forgotten are the names of the many luminaries in entertainment that we lost last year, also a stunning amount of creatives and well-knowns of seemingly every type and stripe. While in a lot of ways an “in memoriam” list seems rather arbitrary and irrelevant considering the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in the United States alone last year during the pandemic and of people who became global martyrs by way of insurrectional behaviors by authoritative figures all across America, a list like this becomes in a way necessary, as it’s important to give the proper respect and final send off to some of the individuals who touched our lives in so many ways, especially during last year, when all forms of entertainment became not only entrenched in its typical “escapism,” but also became a healing balm in a sense, something that helped people push through during the darkest times of necessary state and governmental-enforced bondage on us all. And it is for that reason, that we present some of our heroes, guiding lights, inspirations, and illuminations who left us in 2020.

James Duval has had a long career in film, featuring in blockbusters like Independence Day and starring in major cult classics like Donnie Darko. The multi-talented actor, who is also a trained musician and yoga instructor, has a resume of well over a hundred credits on IMDb including many films in production right now. On December 1st, his latest film Beast Mode arrives on DVD and Digital. The film is a completely bonkers horror comedy which sees Duval star in dual roles: as the uber obnoxious Hollywood bad boy Huckle Saxton AND as Mike, a Huckle doppelganger. The film features a who’s who of big name talent including C. Thomas Howell, Leslie Easterbrook, Ray Wise, and James Hong. I got a chance to speak to Duval about the film, his career, and time during COVID.

Video games have always been a great way to escape reality for many. But I’m not sure that there has ever been a better year to escape to video game worlds than the one we’re all clawing our way through right now.

While some games that were set to release this year have been delayed due to the pandemic, there are still plenty of great video game gift options this year. The most exciting of these options (to some folks, anyway) is no doubt the release of a couple of shiny new consoles.

So if you’re looking for some gift ideas for the gamers in your life, be sure to head below for the Holiday Geek Gift Guide 2020: Video Games edition.

Reading comic books has always been a great way to escape from the real world and after the year we’ve just had, the situation of which is likely to continue on into 2021, now more than ever is a great time for some escapism. So this holiday season, give the gift of comics – there’s plenty of new offerings: an all-new Dune adaptation; a master edition of Alan Moore’s From Hell; and even an audiobook for Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman! There’s lots to choose from, so check out our picks in our Holiday Geek Gift Guide 2020 for Comic Books and Graphic Novels.

It’s truly been one helluva year. Our lives have been turned upside down because of a global pandemic and most things we felt were “normal” are not anymore. Thankfully, the act of gift-giving remains the same. And as I always say, a book is a fantastic gift to give and receive. Reading books and listening to audiobooks helped get a lot of people through some frightening times this year, and will continue to do so in the coming months. So why not gift some books to your friends and family to provide some comfort and entertainment while we wait for “normal” to return? This year saw a lot of great releases, including lots of attractive reissues of works from the great J.R.R. Tolkien; plenty of new adventures for Star Trek, Star Wars, The Hunger Games, and The Dresden Files; biographies from the world of heavy metal; some scary, yet fun Yuletide tales; and much much more.

Check out here below our Holiday Geek Gift Guide 2020 for Books, eBooks, and Audiobooks for our favorite holiday gift picks for the readers in your life.