Instead of writing a post about how great an impact Miley Cyrus* had on the year, I’ve decided to compile 5 of my personal favorite occurrences in popular culture in 2013. It’s not comprehensive. These are just my preferences.

Here are 5 things I’ll remember from 2013.

5. Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers come out

This is 5 only because The Stake is not a sports blog, and I don’t cover sports. But there’s no denying the importance of the first male American athletes to self-identify as gay. The culture of masculinity in American sports remains an unfriendly place for gay men. That’s just the case. And even if we’re starting to see that culture change, it’s been too slow.

Hopefully Rogers and Collins bravery will be followed by more men in sports and another step towards equality can be made.

4. Jennifer Lawrence wins Oscar, appears in this photograph

Jennifer Lawrence’s presence makes covering culture much more exciting. She’s honest about herself and her success, and actually seems to have her priorities in order-a rare accomplishment for a young actor who has seen so much success.

2013 has not been a bad year for J-Law. Since winning her Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, she’s gone on to star in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which was excellent and record-breaking. She’ll now appear in American Hustle, for which she’s already won Best Actress from the NY Critics Circle.

3. Kanye stands up for creators

For all the craziness and ego that comes from Kanye West, I admire his absolute commitment to the arts, to being creative and following the impulse wherever it leads. Amid his ranting and blow-ups and meltdowns-call them what you will-there is an artist filled with conflict, trying to reconcile a life of celebrity and fame with his creative commitments. And regardless of target or cause, his ranting almost always carries a message or two that is truly valuable. In his Kimmel feud this year we saw this over and over.

Who else but Kanye can, with straight face and sincerity of impulse make the following statements in the same rant?

“I refuse to follow the rules that society has set up for the way they control people with low self-esteem, with improper information, with branding, with marketing. I refuse to follow those rules. It’s about truth. It’s about information. It’s about awesomeness, and the only luxury is time. The time you spend with your family.”

And,

“When I compare myself to Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, David Stern, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Jesus, or whatever, I’m saying these are my heroes, these are people I look up to, this is the type of impact I wanna make on the earth.” (congrats to David Stern for making that last, by the way)

2. Saga continues

I’ve said it here before , but Saga is one of the top sci-fi stories around these days, in any medium. The comic book by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples has become as beloved as it deserves to be in comic culture. Saga was a big winner at the Eisner Awards in 2013, winning Best New Series and Best Continuing Series (don’t ask) and Best Writer for Brian K. Vaughan. Hopefully it reaches an even broader audience in graphic novel form. This is the only place to find it, as it’s unlikely Saga will ever come to the screen.

Saga is funny and sexy and moving, and complete in its vision (so far, anyway). Saga‘s the best story about having a family of the year. The end.

1. 30 Rock ended

30 Rock is the funniest sitcom of the new millennium (sorry Arrested Development, but it’s true). But what makes 30 Rock truly remarkable is not only how funny every episode remains, that’s true of other shows too (Arrested Development, this one you get). What separates 30 Rock as an unqualified comic masterpiece is the show’s eminent re-watchablility, and the complexity of the show’s relationships that only start to fully materialize on repeat viewings.

There’s Lutz and his (barely) latent homosexuality that hovers over every interaction he has with Frank and Toofer, and the way the series finale manages to reshape the entire foundation of Jack and Liz’s mentoring relationship. The sadness of Jenna and Tracy’s attempt to maintain relevance, as they try, and fail, and try again to come to grips with their aging. And the heart behind their eventual success.

I’ve watched through 30 Rock many times now, and my favorite element of the show is Grizz and Dotcom’s confounding relationship, which begins as an afterthought but is revealed to be built on mutual competition and brotherly love and encouragement. I’d wager there have been few relationships on television between straight black men that have been as earnest and touching as Grizz and Dotcom’s.

Mostly though, 30 Rock is just hilarious. I was lizzing through the whole thing.

*Miley Cyrus’ played a central role in pop culture in the 2013. In case you haven’t heard, you can find mucho Miley coverage, here and here and here, ad nauseam.