You may have read our critics’ picks for the year in entertainment that appeared in the Dec. 7 issue of High Note. I’m sure you’ve been bombarded by even more Top Ten lists and year recaps from The Des Moines Register and all the national magazines. Now that the champagne bottles are empty, the hangovers have passed and we’ve entered the true new millennium, it’s time to look forward instead of looking back. My forecast: It’s going to be a great year for entertainment. Here are my predictions for 2001.1. A new British invasion will dethrone the American rock establishment. Mainstream American rock music used to be groundbreaking, but as soon as the mid-’90s kicked in, cutting-edge bands retreated to the underground. Straight-laced common denominator pop-rock acts like Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind fought to claim control of the music industry, and they prevailed. The British mainstream now offers a beam of hope for music fanatics. Radiohead’s arty electronic soundscape “Kid A” is still making noise on the pop charts, and the band promises to release a more guitar-driven album early this year. Meanwhile, newer U.K. groups like Travis and Coldplay are making great music that may strike a nerve with wider audiences and surpass the tired rap-rock and hardcore-oriented American rock scene. 2. Progressive hip-hop acts such as Outkast, Common and Macy Gray will overthrow the booty-shakin’ boredom of hip-hop novelty acts.A new movement of hip-hop and R&B acts is brewing, and it couldn’t be more refreshing. Focusing on artistic integrity over money-making potential, rappers like Outkast and Common are transforming the face of hip-hop. R&B saviors Erykah Badu and Macy Gray are also putting a new spin on the genre.If all goes well, we won’t be inundated with more songs like the Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out” and Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass” — at least for a while. 3. The movie industry will once again realize it’s possible to make money by releasing quality films. The year 2000 was undoubtedly a boring year for movies. Where was 2000’s “American Beauty,” “Magnolia,” “American Pie” or “Being John Malkovich”? In 1999, those movies all did well at the box office and were commended by critics. But 2000 was dominated by high-budget action flicks, formulaic romantic comedies and more of the usual Hollywood fluff. It wasn’t a record year for box-office sales despite the high influx of hype. Maybe this year the industry will move back to the formula that made 1999 such a successful year. 4. Revitalized Nirvana-mania will send music fans clamoring for a new musical revolution. It’s been 10 years since Nirvana signed with Geffen records; Jan. 4 marked the anniversary. Later in 1991, the band went on to release “Nevermind,” an album that arguably was the most important rock record of the 1990s. If the music industry truly moves in cycles, we’re in for a treat this year. The ’80s were defined by new wave and the ’90s had alternative rock. What will define the new decade? I’m guessing something will happen this year that will establish the new order. We won’t know until it happens. So it’s 2001 and we may not be living on the moon, driving Jetsons-style flying cars or storing digital music in our brains, but we are thriving culturally, and our entertainment reflects that. You may have to dig deep to find good music and movies, but if my predictions are right, it won’t be hard to find quality entertainment this year.