End of Decade Blowout pt 7: Leftovers

I decided that doing a movies post is pointless, because any cute/family movie that I would want to post about would be something I've posted about many times before. For posterity, the top 10 are as follows:

1. Enchanted
2. Down With Love
3. Spy Kids
4. Bridget Jones' Diary
5. Sky High
6. Just Like Heaven
7. Spy Kids 2
8. Keeping the Faith
9. Love Actually
10. Music & Lyrics

That's a great list, it's 10 movies I unreservedly love. Anyways, with any list comes regrets, and the Top 60 singles list has already generated several. Here's some that I regret leaving off. Of course, there's 6 songs on this list and I'm not sure which 6 I'd cut to make room, but that doesn't mean I can't have regret anyways!

Life Without Buildings - "The Leanover" (2000)
Youtube: "The Leanover"
Commentary: It never even occurred to me to check if this had been released as an official single, but it turns out it had, and thus would have been eligible for my list. Whoops. Because it definitely deserves a slot in the top 60, thanks to it's totally original structure and melody, plus great vocals. In its own weird way it's one of the catchiest singles of the year and, as a total original, it does deserve some sort of recognition.

Everclear - "Wonderful" (2000)
Youtube: "Wonderful"
Commentary: No real excuse here, I just forgot how much I love this song, and it probably does deserve inclusion somewhere towards the bottom of the top 60. Compared to a song like "The Best of Jill Hives", it has better singing, better lyrics, and a catchier melody, so there's no real reason to leave it out. It's the best Everclear song, in my opinion, thanks to the incredibly catchy melody and surprisingly affecting lyrics. My parents are happily married, but this song still gets me choked up for some reason.

Taylor Swift - "You Belong With Me" (2009)
Youtube: "You Belong With Me"
Commentary: For a variety of reasons, I decided not to include any 2009 songs on the list (I haven't listened to much music this year, it's been a pretty weak year from what I've heard, not enough time to process, etc.). I decided pretty early on that there wouldn't be any from this year on there, and I wish I had re-evaluated that later on, because "You Belong With Me" is probably going to be my single of the year at this point, and there's no reason at all it shouldn't be in the top 25 or so. Taylor is a good singer, and the lyrics and melody to this song are so sweet. This is like the sweetest song of the year, it's like the song version of Enchanted.

Sean Paul - "Get Busy" (2003)
Youtube: "Get Busy"
Commentary: For some boring reasons I won't get in to, this song was in my top 60 the whole time and I just accidentally screwed up and forgot to include it in the list when I actually posted it. That's a shame, because it has just about the catchiest R&B melody of the decade and is extremely danceable. Not to mention that Sean Paul is one of the very best singles artists of the decade and he surely deserves an entry.


Kelly Clarkson - "Because Of You" (2005)
Youtube: "Because of You"
Commentary: The only reason I didn't include this song was because I wanted to spread the love and have only one Breakaway song on the list. For personal and historical reasons that ended up being "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and not "Because of You" which, on a purely musical level, I may actually prefer thanks to its amazing lyrics and vocals and gorgeous mid tempo ballad melody. I guess I don't regret spreading the love because I've talked about how much I love Breakaway so many times before, but to be perfectly accurate, this one probably would be top 30

Outkast - "Hey Ya" (2003)
Youtube: "Hey Ya"
Commentary: The reason I didn't include this song was because I, like everybody else, got sick of it and never listen to it anymore. But all that considered, I think there's actually a better argument for this song to be in the top 10 than for it to be left off entirely. Logically, it's probably the most widely beloved song of the decade, and that alone probably makes it deserve top 60, especially when you consider the hundreds of times I enjoyably listened to it in 2003/2004. Yes it got massively overplayed, but that's not the song's fault. And, honestly, while writing this post I listened to this song again for the first time in years and it sounded much fresher and better than I remembered. When I compare to "The Real Slim Shady" at number 10, the songs have much the same strengths and weaknesses: catchy beats, funny and ridiculously quotable, charismatic lead vocalist, innovative and incredibly widely beloved, but massively overplayed and tough to listen to today. OK, this one was a bad goof.

End of Decade Blowout pt 6: Top 20 TV Shows, 10-1

10. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
Network: Cartoon Network
Commentary: This show got off to a bit of a slow start, as they were trying to figure out who the characters were and what type of plots they wanted. Season 2 of Justice League was where the show started to heat up. However, Season 1 of Justice League Unlimited is really where it's at here, with tons of awesome characters and an ongoing plot that I think qualifies as really insightful. It's definitely one of the best seasons of all time, and while the rest of the series was good, it never did quite manage to live up to that one. Still, good enough to jump this into the top 10.

9. Home Movies
Network: Cartoon Network
Commentary: This was far from the most hyped show from the Adult Swim block, but in my opinion it stands out as the best. The voice work is hilarious, as is the touching relationship between Coach and Brendan. Basically, all the characters are funny, and the plots are consistently fun and inventive. One of the funniest shows of the decade, maybe the number one funniest.

8. Futurama
Network: Fox
Commentary: The show never did reach the heights of The Simpsons at its best, but it still manages to consistently bring laughs, and the characters are interesting and likable enough that the show is still interesting even when the jokes don't work. Lots of great episodes here and, honestly, I've found that they haven't held up great upon multiple re-viewings, but I'll still rep for them.

7. Phil of the Future
Network: Disney Channel
Commentary: Yet another show I've written much about on this blog. All in all, I still think it has an outstanding young cast and that the Phil/Keely relationship was well done and genuinely touching. Aly Michalka is great, Kay Panabaker is hilarious, and the show's jokes genuinely work on their own merits, very rare for a show of this type.

6. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Network: FX
Commentary: This show has no depth or characters, so it relies 100% on the merits of its own jokes to succeed. Fortunately, the joke writing is spectacular, definitely the best of any show this decade, so the show consistently manages to generate laughs and entertainment. But don't take my word for it, www.itsalwayssunnyepisodes.com has all the episodes online for free!

5. How I Met Your Mother
Network: CBS
Commentary: Every time I do one of these lists, I always go in thinking It's Always Sunny is going to rank as the highest sitcom, because it's the funniest show of the decade, but I always end up coming back to this one. The reason is, it's legitimately very funny on its own merits, but it also has great plots and characters, which makes it much more consistently watchable than Sunny. Ultimately, they're both great shows, but I give the slight edge to HIMYM's depth versus Sunny's better jokes.

4. The 4400
Network: USA
Commentary: It still surprises me how much I love/loved this show, but I think it managed to be the most consistently well plotted drama of the decade. My theory is that the shorter seasons of this show versus, say Lost or Heroes force it to make stuff happen in every episode. And the show did have a breakneck pace, so even when one particular plot thread didn't work out, it was constantly moving on to another more interesting one. But all the plot threads always came together in interesting ways, and they very impressively managed to blow up the show and start all over again in each season. This is a show that just got better and better as time went on.

3. Friday Night Lights
Network: NBC
Commentary: It's hard for me to say much about this show, since it's one of the only critical consensus shows on my top 20 and I therefore don't feel a need to speak out in its defense. Much like everybody else who has seen the show, I love the characters, I find the acting amazing (particularly from Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton), and the plots are compelling. Actually, I think too much was made of the season 2 swoon, it still managed to be quality TV. Season 1 of this is probably the second best season of any TV show this decade though, and that alone makes it deserve this slot.

2. Freaks and Geeks
Network: NBC
Commentary: Yeah, yeah, it's funny and incredibly well-realized, and painfully realistic, and all those other critical cliches people love to lob at it. The geeks are great comic relief, but the freaks are really where the show is at, since their drama was usually more interesting. All in all a well-balanced show. Let's just say that I agree with everybody else and move on.

1. Joan of Arcadia
Network: CBS
Commentary: Well, if you know me at all, or if you've read this blog a bit, this will come as no surprise to you. I dedicated an entire rambling, lunatic post to this show four and a half years ago (it can be read here), and as embarrassing as it reads today, I still mean every word. There's absolutely no doubt to me that it's the best show of all time.

End of Decade Blowout pt 5: Top 20 TV Shows, 20-11

Here's the list of my 20 favorite TV shows of the decade. Some preliminary notes:

1) Shows are rated entirely based on how much pleasure they gave me to watch.
2) For the few shows on here that span the 90's and 00's, they are rated on the entirety of their body of work. I only included shows whose 2000s output alone was enough to get them on the list though (e.g. No Simpsons)
3) There are a lot of top critically acclaimed shows this decade I have never seen. A LOT. Like, all of them. So, for example why aren't Mad Men or The Sopranos or The Wire or Battlestar Galactica or pretty much any other show that would make any respectable critic's top 10 on my list? Maybe I would like them maybe I wouldn't. I often disagree with critical consensus. But it's a moot point, because I've never seen them.

Enough caveats, let's see the list.

20. Eli Stone
Network: ABC
Commentary: This is one of the few hour long dramas to make an appearance on the list, but it's an outstanding, very uplifting show that always makes me happy to watch. The characters and were generally well done, and I liked all of the actors, especially Johnny Lee Miller as Eli Stone himself. Overall a fun happy show, in a mold that's right up my alley. The plots, however, were not consistently good enough for me to be able to rate the show higher.

19. Scrubs
Network: NBC, then ABC
Commentary: For a few year stretch, this was the most consistently funny sitcom on TV. Now, it significantly fell off after that, and constant repeats have worn even those episodes a little thin, but it still made me laugh a lot and deserves a placement. This is a tough one because it has less rewatchability than most of the other shows, but it has memorable characters and good joke writing and overall executes well, even if it did all wear thin after a while.

18. Strange Days at Blake Holsey High
Network: Discovery Kids
Commentary: Interested readers are directed to an entire very long post I dedicated to this show all the way back in 2006: "Fave TV Shows of All Time, Vol 2.: Strange Days at Blake Holsey High"

17. American Idol
Network: Fox
Commentary: A lot of people seem to not like this show, but it's a classic. Its pop culture impact this decade is unrivaled by any other show, and it still remains consistently entertaining. Yes, the quality of the show fluctuates up and down depending on the quality of the contestants, but I've generally found the show does a great job of playing up the drama in an enjoyable way. Plus, the show produced Katharine McPhee and Brooke White, so there's something right there.

16. House
Network: USA
Commentary: This one is kind of hard to rank because it is very formulaic, and has had about as many bad and boring episodes as great episodes. Overall, the formula has gotten very stale, and I've mostly lost interest in watching the show, but it was/is a genuinely great formula and Hugh Laurie is, of course, brilliant and quite possibly the TV actor of the decade. This is a very boom and bust show; it's given me some of the most entertainment of any show this decade, but also probably more idle boredom than any other show on the list.

15. Unfabulous
Network: Nickelodeon
Commentary: I hate to keep doing this, but when I've already dedicated multiple posts to a show, it seems pointless to make any additional commentary.

14. Monk
Network: USA
Commentary: Tony Shalhoub does a great job with a very original and fun character. OK, the plots and mysteries are generally pretty lame, but overall the characters and the comedy still make this a great show. I was originally sad when Bitty Schram left, but Traylor Howard has been great, even though the show itself has significantly declined. But the show had about 3 legitimately great and funny seasons, and that's enough to get it here.

13. True Life
Network: MTV
Commentary: The episodes in this show have a pretty wide range in quality, but no show this decade has more effectively run the gamut between hilarious, interesting, dramatic, and informational like this one has. It generally finds the right tone for each story it tells and finds interesting characters to talk about. Some are a little boring, but rarely do they seem like a pointless waste of time.

12. Six Feet Under
Network: HBO
Commentary: Some of the most interesting characters and best acting of the decade, even if it does get a bit dreary at times (and by at times, I mean constantly). Sure, sometimes you wish they would just throw the Fishers a bone here and there, but the plots and characters manage to almost always be executed well so it's hard to complain too much.

11. The Mole
Network: ABC
Commentary: In my opinion, the best reality show of the decade. The concept of the show was killer, Anderson Cooper was a great host, and the challenges were well designed and fun to watch. Even the celebrity episodes were good, because of the inherent entertainment of the concept and the great execution. Of course, the guessing game of who is the mole is the most entertaining part, and they always managed to give just enough information for it to be fun.

But with all these great shows gone already, what makes the top 10? Wait and see!

End of Decade Blowout pt 4: Top 60 Singles, 15-1

Here's the top 15 singles. Oh, the excitement.

15. Alcazar - "This Is the World We Live In"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: n/a (#15 UK)
Youtube: "This Is the World We Live In"
Commentary: For pure silly fun, I think this may be the best of the decade (behind just one other song, coming up in two spots). Really silly lyrics, and music/melody that's just a mashup of "Upside Down" and "Land of Confusion" but it all works so well. The "Inside Out" beat is amazing, especially translated to a Europop context, the chorus works better than any Genesis chorus should, and "When you're moving up with Alcazar" is so catchy. About 100x better than it has any right to be.

14. Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown - "No Air"
Year: 2008
Chart Peak: #3
Youtube: "No Air"
Commentary: The air of aching depression on this song gives it a great emotional weight, and then when you add on a gorgeous midtempo ballad melody and give it to just about the two best pop singers right now you end up with a really great ballad. There's nothing particularly to this song, it just all adds up so well to create as thick a set of emotions as any song this decade is capable of producing.

13. 'N Sync - "Bye Bye Bye"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: #4 (#1 Pop)
Youtube: "Bye Bye Bye"
Commentary: Totally iconic, and deservedly so. Really silly that this just hit #4, but here it is. I'm not going to pretend there's some kind of incredible depth to this one, but the melody, the video, and the chorus are all-time classics. OK, maybe the boy band movement hasn't aged to well and isn't remembered too fondly today, but this is an all-time pop classic! Plus it was used hilariously in possibly my all time favorite Scrubs scene.

12. Amy Diamond - "Don't Cry Your Heart Out"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Don't Cry Your Heart Out"
Commentary: Even in the pop community, there doesn't seem to be any huge groundswell of support for this song. I may actually be the biggest fan of this song in the whole world. Well I say screw everybody else this song is straight out amazing. Amy's singing has never been better, and the melody and lyrics are both really great! The "then you SEE then you KNOW that you REAP what you SOW" part is my favorite part of this song, and maybe my favorite part of any song this decade. Also don't miss the live acoustic version found here. (talk about awkward dancing)

11. Kylie Minogue - "Love at First Sight"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #22
Youtube: "Love at First Sight"
Commentary: Kylie Minogue was just about as massive, in terms of widespread love and critical acclaim, as any pop act this decade for a while. It seems most of the Kylie love these days goes to "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which, to be sure, is an outstanding pop song. I prefer, though, the pure overloaded pop bliss of "Love at First Sight", a true banger which demands attention.

(At this point, the reader may wish to pause to guess the top 10. I bet you can't.)

10. Eminem - "The Real Slim Shady"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: #4
Youtube: "The Real Slim Shady"
Commentary: Like "Bye Bye Bye", this gets a little extra credit for being a genuine cultural milestone, while still being an amazing song. The lyrics are clever and funny, though a bit dated, Eminem's rapping and beats are great as usual. This is a song that made Eminem a huge superstar, and all it takes is one listen to tell that it was inevitable all along.

9. Sara Evans - "Suds in the Bucket"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: #33 (#1 Country)
Youtube: "Suds in the Bucket"
Commentary: Other than No Place That Far (which was 1998 anyways), Sara has yet to release a truly great album start to finish. But, she has been one of the best, maybe the very best overall, country singles artists of the decade. And this ode to eloping is probably her best song, thanks to a very nice melody and just a generally extremely fun atmosphere.

8. Lillix - "Sweet Temptation (Hollow)"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Sweet Temptation (Hollow)"
Commentary: It's got the catchiest melody+music of the decade, and it has the best hooks of the decade. The singing isn't anything super special, and the lyrics are nonsense, so it doesn't rank any higher than this, but this could well be the song I most enjoy to listen to, out of all the songs listed.

7. Hilary Duff - "Come Clean"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: #35
Youtube: "Come Clean"
Commentary: I think that if this song wasn't by Hilary Duff, and therefore didn't have all of the attendant baggage, it would be today generally recognized as a pop classic. Because Hilary's ultra-thin voice and the ultra-thin melody are both absolutely perfect for the fragility of the lyrics, and all in all, it's a very impressively put together song. Plus a kicking chorus.

6. Rachel Stevens - "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: n/a (#12 UK)
Youtube: "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)"
Commentary: I love the lyrics to this song, as kind of a flipside to the lyrics for "I May Hate Myself in the Morning", and there's no doubt that the melody is massive. It's the best song on my #2 album of the decade, an album filled to the brim with classic pop singles, and this one manages to outshine them all.

5. Daft Punk - "Digital Love"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: n/a (#9 US Dance Play)
Youtube: "Digital Love"
Commentary: This is the very best sample of the whole decade, I could listen to it loop on and on forever. The robotic melody is also really great, and that's combined with very sweet love song lyrics. This song is a stunning triumph on all levels.

4. The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: n/a (#12 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Fell in Love with a Girl"
Commentary: I find it hard to say much about this song, given that it's on everybody's decade best list, and probably for the same reasons. The incredibly powerful and driving rock melody and guitars, the excellent lyrics, the all-time classic video, etc. I have nothing to add

3. Miley Cyrus - "See You Again"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: #10
Youtube: "See You Again"
Commentary: The best pure melody of the decade (well, maybe "Moi...Lolita). And NOT ONLY that, but it features Miley's best ever vocal performance, by far. The whole chorus is just pure musical genius. Best part is still "My best friend Leslie says 'Oh she's just being Miley'."

2. Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: #66 (#3 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Take Me Out"
Commentary: Clearly, the reason this is up here is that I am a SHAMELESS INDIE. My relationship to this song has been complicated over the years, but I have finally just given in to the power. Yes, yes yes, best guitar riff of the decade, good chorus, amazing intro, etc. This seems to have fallen somewhat out of favor lately, but it still sounds great to me.

1. Michelle Branch - "Everywhere"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #12
Youtube: "Everywhere"
Commentary: Yes, this is really my favorite single of the decade and no I'm not even going to try to justify it. Sure, I could talk about the amazing chorus, the great lyrics, the huge influence, etc. but ultimately it's just my favorite. I could just listen to this song over and over and over again, and it just never gets old. A fact which, by the way, I know from personal experience.

The Full List:
60. Wu Tang Clan - "Gravel Pit"
59. Guided by Voices - "The Best of Jill Hives"
58. Kanye West - "Through the Wire"
57. Fall Out Boy - "The Takeover, the Break's Over"
56. Nelly Furtado - "Say It Right"
55. Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet"
54. Alicia Keys - "Fallin'"
53. The Bloodhound Gang - "The Bad Touch"
52. Ashlee Simpson - "La La"
51. Carrie Underwood - "Before He Cheats"
50. Avril Lavigne - "Complicated"
49. Wheatus - "Teenage Dirtbag"
48. The Sugababes - "About You Now"
47. Backstreet Boys - "The Call"
46. David Banner - "Cadillac on 22s"
45. Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage"
44. Martina McBride - "This One's for the Girls"
43. Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
42. Ashlee Simpson - "Little Miss Obsessive"
41. Girls Aloud - "Love Machine"
40. System of the Down - "Chop Suey!"
39. Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland - "Dilemma"
38. Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better"
37. Cam'ron - "Hey Ma"
36. Mint Royale ft. Pos - "Show Me"
35. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
34. Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
33. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
32. Charlotte Church - "Moodswings (to Come at Me Like That)"
31. Spoon - "The Underdog"
30. Marit Larsen - "Only a Fool"
29. Kelly Clarkson - "Behind These Hazel Eyes"
28. Eminem - "Stan"
27. Aly & AJ - "Rush"
26. Anna Nalick - "Breathe (2AM)"
25. A*Teens - "Floorfiller"
24. Keith Urban - "Stupid Boy"
23. The New Pornographers - "Letter from an Occupant"
22. Rachel Stevens - "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex"
21. Shooter Jennings - "4th of July"
20. Alizee - "Moi...Lolita"
19. Lee Ann Womack - "I May Hate Myself in the Morning"
18. Annie - "Heartbeat"
17. Twista ft. Jamie Foxx and Kanye West - "Slow Jamz"
16. t.A.T.u. - "All the Things She Said"
15. Alcazar - "This is the World We Live In"
14. Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown - "No Air"
13. 'N Sync - "Bye Bye Bye"
12. Amy Diamond - "Don't Cry Your Heart Out"
11. Kylie Minogue - "Love at First Sight"
10. Eminem - "The Real Slim Shady
9. Sara Evans - "Suds in the Bucket"
8. Lillix - "Sweet Temptation (Hollow)"
7. Hilary Duff - "Come Clean"
6. Rachel Stevens - "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)"
5. Daft Punk - "Digital Love"
4. The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"
3. Miley Cyrus - "See You Again"
2. Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
1. Michele Branch - "Everywhere"

End of Decade Blowout pt 3: Top 60 Singles, 30-16

Into the top 30 now. What joys await?

30. Marit Larsen - "Only a Fool"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Only a Fool"
Commentary: Very fun and original country sounding song out of Norway, featuring a catchy melody and amazing, unique instrumentation. Truly, one of the most re-playable songs of the decade. Marit's got a great voice too, which just adds to everything.

29. Kelly Clarkson - "Behind These Hazel Eyes"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: #6
Youtube: "Behind These Hazel Eyes"
Commentary: This is the song that made me love pop again, so it's indirectly responsible for about 90% of the other entries on the list. I still love the dark instrumentation and melody combined with the incredible power of Kelly's voice and the lyrics. It makes for a truly emotional, original, and ultimately wonderful experience. For personal influence, it probably deserves top 10, but I've decided to slot it here.

28. Eminem - "Stan"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: #51 (#22 Rap, #1 UK)
Youtube: "Stan"
Commentary: Speaking of totally original songs, this is possibly the most original on the whole list. Note that the youtube linked above is the single version, which is edited for language and significantly worse. The thing is, I don't really like "Thank You" that much ("White Flag" and "Hunter" are so much better), but it just sounds so perfect here. A really weird choice for an extended sample, but so perfect. Not much to say about this song; Eminem is a great rapper and this song has really great dark lyrics.
.
27. Aly & AJ - "Rush"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: #59
Youtube: "Rush"
Commentary: Aly & AJ (oh sorry, 78violet) have come a long way since their debut album, as their album Insomniatic is a much better overall work than Into the Rush. But I still think that "Rush" is their best individual single ("Not This Year" is better, but never a single). It has a wonderful driving rhythm, great harmonies, and good inspirational lyrics about drug use (just kidding! But they really do sound like they are about drugs). A catchy, rocking song that holds up very well.

26. Anna Nalick - "Breathe (2AM)"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: #45 (#4 AC)
Youtube: "Breathe (2AM)"
Commentary: I feel like I've already said my piece on this song: "Thhis song is perfect. It find a genre and sticks to it to the letter and just perfects it, just like that. The lyrics provide insight without being big or cliched or uplifting. Anna's voice is nice and kinda generic and forgettable, but she's a good singer and she's got great phrasing. The verse rolls along with a nice little groove to it, into the pre-chorus, which feels like it's leading to something BIG and TRIUMPHANT. Something like "White Flag", some declaration of freedom or some kind of big catchy melody. It leads instead, in a nice bit of misdirection, to a flowing, fading harmony. Friend calls her having troubles. She details all the crap she's going through. Anna tells her, well you've gotta live life, there's nothing you can do about it. So cradle your head in your hands, and...do what, go out? Solve your problems and be proactive and have fun and make the best of it? No, just BREATHE. Just sit down and take stock of the situation. And there's a light at the end of the tunnel and you'll keep making mistakes so what's the point in getting so upset. And it flows through and fades away from the building melody, dropping into a beautiful breathy harmony. A relaxing, soothing harmony. Something that just makes me smile. It doesn't have to be so bad."

25. A*Teens - "Floorfiller"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Floorfiller"
Commentary: Besides the Bloodhound Gang, this is probably the silliest song on the entire list. It's just really silly catchy melody with truly awful lyrics and a generic dance beat. So why do I love it so much? I don't really know, but it just makes me happy to listen to and it's been known to get stuck in my head for days. Definitely a personal pick here.

24. Keith Urban - "Stupid Boy"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #43 (#3 Country)
Youtube: "Stupid Boy"
Commentary: It seems odd to follow up arguably the most silly song on this list with arguably the most serious song on the list, but that's how it goes. I love this song to pieces, with it's long epic melody, great guitar sound, and amazing lyrics, with a nice heartbreaking twist at the end. Probably the most genuinely affecting song on the list, and even if the pure melody isn't as catchy as a lot of the other songs on the list, it's still works fine in the context of the song. The song doesn't really get kicking until a few minutes in, with a scorching guitar solo and heart rending finale. Incredible.

23. New Pornographers - "Letter from an Occupant"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Letter from an Occupant"
Commentary: While the song does initially sound grating, I found that the melody and guitar sound, which sound so at odds at first, really come together on multiple listens. Neko is a great singer, and what she's given here is one of the hookiest songs of all time. And as a lover of a good hook, that's really saying something. The fact that the lyrics are 100% nonsensical doesn't even really matter when the sound of the song is so good otherwise.

22. Rachel Stevens - "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a (#2 UK)
Youtube: "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex"
Commentary: Rachel Stevens (spoiler alert!) has two songs on this list, despite the fact that as a singer and a pop star she's pretty bland. BUT, she's been given some pretty amazing songs to work with, and this is definitely one of them. The guitar riff is one of the catchiest, the melody in the chorus is amazing, and I love love love the bridge. Truly a triumph of pop music.

21. Shooter Jennings - "4th of July"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: n/a (#26 Country)
Youtube: "4th of July"
Commentary: Almost certainly the best country rock song of the decade, as well as one of the rockinest, this has a really fun tempo and rhythm. Combined with a simple but great melody and some great rock singing by Shooter. Definitely one of the most fun songs I've heard.

But what's in the top 20??? Let's see.

20. Alizee - "Moi...Lolita"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: n/a (#2 UK)
Youtube: "Moi...Lolita"
Commentary: Fun fact: This is the only foreign language song on the list. Funner fact: I think the melody in the chorus of this song is the very best melody of the entire decade. The verses are good too, the beat is serviceable, and Alizee has a good pop voice. But man, the melody in the chorus.

19. Lee Ann Womack - "I May Hate Myself in the Morning"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: n/a (#10 Country)
Commentary: Deservedly extremely acclaimed at the time, for it's wonderful understated melody, sweet sounding country guitar, incredible vocals, and interesting, original lyrics. All of those factors still hold up today and this deserves recognition as one of the very best country songs of the decade.

18. Annie - "Heartbeat"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Heartbeat"
Commentary: It feels like such a cop out here to have THE indie approved pop song charting so high on my list, but it's a genuinely great song. I don't know why indies love this song and not a similarly amazing song like "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", but like that song this one has a great melody and beat combined with fairly bland singing. Enough to land it here though.

17. Twista ft. Jamie Foxx & Kanye West - "Slow Jamz"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Slow Jamz"
Commentary: Here it is, my very favorite #1 hit of the decade. There are many huge US hits to come, but none with hit the top of the charts. I don't even really like Kanye that much, but he slots 2 songs on this countdown. This song has funny lyrics though, the chorus is catchy and the sample is amazing. Plus Twista's super fast rapping! Awesome.

16. t.A.T.u. - "All the Things She Said"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: n/a (#1 UK)
Youtube: "All the Things She Said"
Commentary: The lesbianism gimmick was clearly genius from a marketing standpoint, but I think it actually does t.A.T.u. a disservice from a critical standpoint. I think more critics would realize the brilliance of this song and "Cosmos (Outer Space)" (just as good, but never a single) if they were just put out there as straight pop songs. Because they are good singers and this one has amazing instrumentation and melody. Another one known to get in my head for weeks straight.

Tune in for the top 15.

End of Decade Blowout pt 2: Top 60 Singles, 45-31

Numbers 60-46 on this list are in my previous post. Let's continue.

45. Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #2)
Youtube: "Danger! High Voltage"
Commentary: This song has been linked together to "House of Jealous Lovers" and is usually considered inferior, but due to overall bonkers-ness I definitely prefer it. It's got a really nice guitar line and a nice shouty chorus. Overall, it's unlike anything else from this decade, but still oddly appealing.

44. Martina McBride - "This One's For the Girls"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: #39 (Country #3)
Youtube: "This One's for the Girls"
Commentary: No doubt I will receive crap for charting this in my top 50 singles of the decade, being a single male and all, but I will fully support it. The lyrics are nicely uplifting, the rhythm is driving, Martina McBride is one of the greatest all-time singers, and it's got a perfect sunny summery melody. This is the one song from the decade that it makes me happiest to listen to, I don't care if it's intended for girls or not. (For the record, it definitely is.)

43. Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "I'm Real"
Commentary: I guess I'm not doing myself any favors here by charting J.Lo. right after Martina McBride, but this is another one I'll defend tooth and nail. It's got one of the absolutely best beats of the decade and I do like her as a singer even if she's not technically the best. I'm not a Ja Rule fan but his lazy flow is perfect for this song along with the lazy beat. Just an outstanding flowing tempo overall.

42. Ashlee Simpson - "Little Miss Obsessive"
Year: 2008
Chart Peak: #96
Youtube: "Little Miss Obsessive"
Commentary: Whereas "La La" is silly fun, this one is more typical of Ashlee's best output this decade. Great breakup lyrics with some amazing lines combined with really smart melodies and musical accompaniment. Basically, Ashlee's songs take very basic rock structures and songs and make them into something amazing. That's what she's been great at and this is her best work at it to date.

41. Girls Aloud - "Love Machine"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: n/a (#2 UK)
Youtube: "Love Machine"
Commentary: OK, it's hard to argue that this is some kind of deep, meaningful musical accomplishment, but it could well be the catchiest melody of the entire decade. Sure, the lyrics are silly, but there are some genuinely great lines in here ("gift wrapped kitty cats"!, lyrical reference to "Two Tribes"!). It's pure shallow fun, which as you can tell tends to place quite well on my lists.

40. System of a Down - "Chop Suey!"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #76 (#7 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Chop Suey!"
Commentary: This song is so ridiculous it's almost like a parody of an over the top rock song. What with its nonsensical but meaningful sounding lyrics ("when angels deserve to die" wtf) and the crazy "You wanted to!" chant. But, it's one of the most original rock songs of the decade and I'll be damned if it hasn't been stuck in my head for 8 years running now. No matter how ridiculous a song is, that's certainly worth something. The thought that they actually take this stuff seriously is kind of funny to me though.

39. Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland - "Dilemma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Dilemma"
Commentary: Surely we can get some agreement here that this is one of the catchiest pop rap songs of the decade. Clearly, it's the "awww"'s that push it over the top. The beat surely isn't anything too great, but the melody and the catchy flow make this one of the most deserving smash hits of the decade.

38. Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "If I Ever Feel Better"
Commentary: Hey look, it's not all crappy mainstream pop! This is another song from my indie days that I still love today. Actually, I'm pretty sure this song easily could have been a huge hit in the USA. Now obviously it didn't work out that way, but this has just the right driving tempo and smooth rhythm. It manages to be hooky despite a very simple structure and melody and it just consistently drives.

37. Cam'ron - "Hey Ma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #3
Youtube: "Hey Ma"
Commentary: This is probably the silliest song on my entire list, which is surely saying something, but it is (intentionally!) very funny and filled with amazing hooks.

36. Mint Royale ft. Pos - "Show Me"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Show Me"
Commentary: Mint Royale is a weird band. We had their album On the Ropes at our radio station and I think I was the only person who played it. Thing is, it was two amazing songs (this, and "Don't Falter"), then a bunch of really generic and terrible big beat songs. I'm not sure how a band of such little apparent talent managed to shoot out two such amazing songs, but there they are. This one has always been my favorite, it has what probably gets my vote for the best sample of the decade and Pos is always a great rapper.

35. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Want to Have Your Babies"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #7)
Youtube: "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
Commentary: I've written about this song before: "This is completely bonkers in both the music and the lyrics, and I admire its sheer dedication to bonkers-ness. Tash's performance really sells here that she's holding in, about to explode, ready to burst. The whole song is just bursting just below the seams with warmth and energy and love. It makes this the most true to new crush/first love song I've heard in a long, long time." It also has a great music video.

34. Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #2
Youtube: "Survivor"
Commentary: Destiny's Child has released a lot of classic singles over their lifetime, but this is I think the best. Nice empowering lyrics and a big pounding chorus make this a joy to listen to. This one has gotten a bit old from overplaying over the years, but I still really love it.

33. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Irreplaceable"
Commentary: Hey, speaking of Beyonce songs that have become old a bit from overplaying, but which I still love...I've always loved R&B ballads and I think this features possibly the best midtempo ballad melody of the decade. And on top of that, great lyrics and singing too! Right up there with any of the great R&B ballads from history.

32. Charlotte Church - "Moodswings (to Come at Me Like That)"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Moodswings"
Commentary: Funny thing is, I only ranked this song #21 on my list of top singles of 2006 but it has really proven to be a grower. I dedicated an entire post to this song. It is here. (the post contains a comment from one of the song's writers!)

31. Spoon - "The Underdog"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (#26 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "The Underdog"
Commentary: This song was released after I had basically given up on indie rock as a genre, but it managed to pull me back in! I still think this song is really underrated and consider it to be one of the very peaks of indie rock as a genre.

End of Decade Blowout pt 1: Top 60 Singles, 60-46

This blog has been dead for a while, but the end of decade listamania blowout seems like a good reason to bring it back. This listamania will consist of the following:

Top 60 singles of the decade (4 installments)
Top 20 TV Shows of the Decade (you'll never guess what's #1!)
Top 15 "cute" movies of the decade (romcoms, family movies, etc)
Whatever else I think of or feel like doing.

Let's start out with singles 60-46 of the top 60 singles of the decade:

60. Wu Tang Clan - "Gravel Pit"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: #89 (#20 Rap)
Youtube: "Gravel Pit"
Commentary: o, The W was not as consistently classic as 36 Chambers (surely one of the most ambitious and finest rap albums ever), but "Gravel Pit" is, I think, as good as any of their other singles. I think that this is probably the catchiest rap song of the whole decade, and it features some great rapping and amazing samples.

59. Guided by Voices - "The Best of Jill Hives"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "The Best of Jill Hives"
Commentary: I may not be indie any more, but I still love this one as much as ever, with it's really pretty understated melody. Sure, the lyrics are nonsense and Bob Pollard has never been much as a singer, but he has always had a flair for a great melody, and this is one of his best, plus with a nice guitar sound as well.

58. Kanye West - "Through the Wire"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: #15 (#4 Rap)
Youtube: "Through the Wire"
Commentary: Great lyrics, great samples, great production, and good rapping with an interesting gimmick. This was Kanye's breakout single as a performer and it pretty much demanded being a hit, being so catchy and so unique that nobody could resist it. I still think it's the best work he's done as a solo artist.

57. Fall Out Boy - "The Takeover, The Break's Over"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "The Takeover, the Break's Over"
Commentary: This is the best song on Infinity on High, and it's plenty commercial, so it's kind of confusing that the other singles became huge hits while this one never did anything. It's got really great guitar and an outstanding chorus, combined with Patrick Stump's always good vocals.

56. Nelly Furtado - "Say It Right"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Say It Right"
Commentary: Nobody saw this coming out of old Nelly, but she really is a great singer, and she got some great songwriters and producers for her album. The Loose album produced a lot of great singles, but this one was the best, a very deserving #1 hit (in fact, by this list, the fifth best #1 hit of the decade). So pretty.

55. Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Move Your Feet"
Commentary: I don't care how silly it is, this is one of the best written and catchiest pop songs of the decade. It features several interlacing and distinct really catchy melodies and it's actually structured in a pretty original way. Plus, it has a great music video!

54. Alicia Keys - "Fallin"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Fallin"
Commentary: OK, OK, i know it's generic sounding, and Alicia Keys isn't even really that good of a singer compared to other R&B divas like Aaliyah or Mariah or Whitney. This one sticks to the cookie cutter R&B ballad formula, but it's a great formula and this is just about the best possible execution of it, which I think is admirable and makes it worthy of a slot.

53. Bloodhound Gang - "The Bad Touch"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: #52 (#6 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "The Bad Touch"
Commentary: Nobody seems to like this song, but the only bad things I really hear people say about it are that it's silly or that it's gimmicky. I guess some people consider those things insults, but I actually like them in pop songs. Especially when they are as ridiculously catchy as this, and, sure, it's silly, but it's actually got some pretty funny lines. (Fairly questionable inclusion but my memory is this song didn't really break out until 2000).

52. Ashlee Simpson - "La La"
Year: 2005
Chart Peak: #86
Youtube: "La La"
Commentary: Ashlee Simpson continues to get just about the worst press of any pop star and I continue to not care at all. I think that if most people forgot the baggage and just gave the music an honest shot they would see it for the superior intelligent pop music that it really is. OK, this one is just silly fun but it's AMAZING silly fun.

51. Carrie Underwood - "Before He Cheats"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #8 (#1 Country)
Youtube: "Before He Cheats"
Commentary: I've written about this very song on this very site many times before. Every time I talk about the great funny lyrics, how much it rocks, and how great of a vocalist Carrie Underwood is. This was a deserved crossover smash, rare for a country song, and that still makes me happy.

50. Avril Lavigne - "Complicated"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #2
Youtube: "Complicated"
Commentary: I always loved this song, even when I was indie, because the melody is just that massive and the bratty high school lyrics are absolutely perfect. This was one of the songs that helped to spawn the confessional teen pop movement and it's been often imitated and only very rarely exceeded. I've heard the chorus a thousand times probably and it's still not old.

49. Wheatus - "Teenage Dirtbag"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: n/a (#7 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Teenage Dirtbag"
Commentary: It's a ripoff of Weezer except that, actually, it's better than any real Weezer songs. The thing is, it's got some of the best high school love lyrics of all time and great vocals, and an all-time classic melody. The lyrics, though, are not only funny but they are genuinely emotionally affecting, if you really think about them.

48. Sugababes - "About You Now"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "About You Now"
Commentary: The common denominator between almost every song on this list is a massive melody. That's what I like in songs and so that's what's going to dominate the list. And this one is really, really outstanding, particularly the "I know everything changes" part. The actual recording isn't a performance that I particularly care for, and I think a really good cover could be done of it. But the melody is so kicking, one of the very best of the decade, that it demands to be listed anyways.

47. Backstreet Boys - "The Call"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #52
Youtube: "The Call"
Commentary: This appears to be one of the Backstreet Boys' least remembered singles, which is a real shame because it's probably their very best work. Max Martin has always had an ability to crank out perfect dance-able pop songs and this is one of his very best. I think people were already sick of the Boys by the time this hit, which probably is what hurt its commercial success and current stature. But come one, this one is like 100x better than stuff like "Larger that Life". Go back and give it a re-listen.

46. David Banner - "Cadillac on 22s"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a (#86 rap)
Youtube: "Cadillac on 22s"
Commentary: David Banner is one of those rappers in the mid 2000s who never broke out like he really deserved. This song deserved to be a massive smash and I'm actually not really sure why it wasn't. David is a great rapper, and this has some of the best production of any rap song of the whole decade. So much better than Bubba Sparxxx but much less popular too. Too bad.

Top 10 TV Shows of 2008

It is time for annual listing here at the TCR. As currently stands, I will do a top 10 TV shows and tracks list. The albums list and movies lists are not feasible because I have been so out of touch with those this year. My favorite album of the year is Bittersweet World and my favorite movie is American Teen, with Bigger, Faster, Stronger and Iron Man and Dark Knight close. Here's TV.

My annual caveat still applies. I do not watch any HBO or Showtime shows or most of the other critically acclaimed dramas. Would I like The Wire or Mad Men or Dexter or Damages if I gave them a chance? Probably. But I've never seen them and I probably never will and that's just not the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Probably that invalidates my list, but I still do it anyways cause it's fun. Here's the list:

10. Wizards of Waverly Place - I like to leave one slot on my list for whatever is my favorite teen show du jour. In prior years this slot has been taken by Unfabulous and Phil of the Future. For now, this is the best show of its type, and while it isn't nearly up to the level of those shows it's still a very cute and entertaining show and some of its jokes do make you laugh. So the cuteness alone gets it this far.

9. Burn Notice - This is one of the most fun shows on TV, with its easy mix of action and drama and comedy. The plots are light and breezy but they are always paced well and they always set up good action. All in all it's a really fun entry to the landscape of TV.

8. American Idol - This show brought us Brooke White this season, definitely my favorite ever reality show contestant. It was a lackluster season otherwise, Chizekie's "She's a Woman" notwithstanding, but Brooke alone drives it this high.

7. House - I had a really hard time rating this show, just like last year, and for the exact same reason as last year. Season 4 was some kind of freaky creative renaissance for this show. The last half of season 4 was awesome, featuring great episodes like the one with Mira Sorvino, but the first half of season 5 has been extremely subpar. The process of getting the new team was a ton of fun, but the new team themselves is nothing too great, and it means less time for Dr. Cameron hotness. I've grown very bored of this show.

6. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - I think this show is still really funny. The last season was a little spotty, but there were definitely some classic episodes and moments. The episode where Mac and Charlie fake their deaths and the episode in the 18th century were particular highlights. The spark may be ever so slightly gone here compared to early seasons, but I still love the show.

5. Greek - In all honesty, probably the drama show of the year where I was most invested in the characters. All of the characters and storylines are a ton of fun. The show moves at a really brisk pace and it never gets bogged down in boring details but generally gives the storylines some space to breathe. I dunno, it could rank higher, but the show is so incredibly lightweight and I do love the 4 shows above it. I'm very eagerly awaiting the next season, regardless.

4. Eli Stone - Such an uplifting show! This is the heir apparent to Joan of Arcadia in my mind, and while it never reaches the heights of that show, the relentless enthusiasm and optimism makes this show really enjoyable. It just makes me really happy to watch the show, and the cancellation was really sad to me.

3. How I Met Your Mother - The basic feel and quality of this show has remained totally unchanged over the last few years. It's still consistently funny and it still nails the emotional character drama moments. The mixture of emotion and comedy make this a consistently interesting show, even during the poorer episodes.

2. True Life - I watched every new episode of this show in 2008, and pretty much all of the episodes were worth watching. The shows tend to range from really funny to genuinely interesting to really sad, and they always seem to hit the right tone for whatever topic they've picked. I think this show is by far the best reality show on TV, and the way it can consistently hit all the right notes is very impressive, landing it all the way this high.

1. Friday Night Lights - The third season on DirecTV was really good, and the second season improved towards the end. This is still the best show on TV, thanks to its realistic drama, great tension, and ability to hit emotional buttons.

New to the top 10: Wizards of Waverly Place, Burn Notice, American Idol, Eli Stone, True Life- Two brand new shows that didn't exist in 2007, one show that hit a new level in its second season, one show I had been unjustly ignoring over the last couple years (True Life), and Brooke White.

Falling Out: Pushing Daisies, The 4400, Unfabulous, 30 Rock, World Series of Pop Culture- 3 of these shows aired no episodes in 2008 due to cancellation. Of the other two, 30 Rock is a show that has never really grabbed me. I watched it enough in 2007 that it snuck its way to the bottom of my top 10, but I've never been too crazy about it. Pushing Daisies, I just lost interest in for no real reason. It was off the air for a long while due to the strike, and when it came back in I just realized I had no real desire to watch it any more. Sorry.

Classic Works in Various Genres: A Project

My reading goal this year was to read "classic" works in a variety of genres. The goal is twofold: To get exposed to a bunch of genres I don't normally read and to read some books that I felt like I "should" read. The number one criteria in this is, which book in this genre do I most wish that i had read. This post will document where I've gotten so far and where I plan on going. Progress has been pretty slow since I have been sidetracked numerous times, but I'm enjoying it so much that it will spill right on over to 2009, or even 2010 with the pace I've been keeping up. These books are very angl0-centric because I dislike reading translated works. Perhaps once this is over I will move on to a series of reading international literature though.

Finished

Genre: Comic Book
Selection: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby - The Essential Fantastic Four: Volume 3
Reasoning: The most obvious classic comic book work to read here would be Watchmen but unfortunately for this project I've already read it. Similarly, I've read several of the other more obvious choices such as Sandman, Killing Joke, Dark Knight Returns, and Born Again during a brief comics phase I had in college. So I decided to dip into the well of classic comics here, of which I've read none. My first inclination was towards a collection of old Spiderman or X-Men or Superman comics, but a Martin Skidmore post on FreakyTrigger pointed in the direction of this book and I decided to take his word for it.
Brief Review: While I failed to grasp the significance of things such as the introduction of the Inhumans and the Negative Zone because I know little about the Marvel Universe, I still enjoyed a majority of the books. The books were plotted pretty well and paced much more quickly than the comics I was reading in college. The characters are completely one-dimensional and Reed is sooo unlikeable, but this was still a really enjoyable read.
Going Forward: I enjoyed the work OK like I said, but it wasn't too great or anything. Not the kind of thing that makes me want to run out and buy more old comics. I think my comics phase is still behind me.

Genre: True Crime
Selection: Vincent Bugliosi - Helter Skelter
Reasoning: This was the easiest selection I have yet had because as far as I can tell there's nothing even remotely on the same level as classic as this book in the True Crime genre. Widely read and loved and just the kind of book I feel like I should have read.
Brief Review: An extremely engaging and interesting account of the Charles Manson case. As far as I can tell a fairly definitive account of the event. One of the best nonfiction books I've ever read.
Going Forward: I had never read a true crime book before, but after this book it is likely I will read another Bugliosi book. I've been eying his OJ book Outrage lately.

Genre: Pop Fiction
Selection: Steven King - The Stand
Reasoning: I've long been fascinated by the works of authors like John Grisham or Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton who are very popular but also very much hated by the "intelligent" crowd. The anti-hipster in me wants to read and love them, though I have never read a single work by any of the three. However I did ultimately decide to go with a work that does have some cachet, just because The Stand is such a cultural touchstone.
Brief Review: I had previously only read The Dark Tower series by Steven King. After reading those and this book I am convinced that Steven King has no clue how to effectively end his books. Despite the ending, and a long sequence towards the middle which dragged horribly, this book managed to be an entertaining read with compelling characters. And the ending did indeed get to me emotionally, big surprise.
Going Forward: I've liked Dark Tower and The Stand but I really think that's enough King for a lifetime. Both books had the same problem, namely way too long and terrible ending. I have zero desire to continue reading his body of work. I probably will read a Clancy or Grisham work some day.

Genre: Chick Lit
Selection: Jane Austen - Emma
Reasoning: Much like Helter Skelter above, not much of a choice here. Jane Austen is an all time classic and considering how much I love romantic comedies it's amazing how I've never read any Jane at all. Except that I did read Pride and Prejudice for a class in high school.
Brief Review: Even though this book was not nearly as emotional or romantic as I thought, and the main character was 10x more unlikeable than Cher from Clueless, I still loved this book. The romance was great, but just the dialogue and characters were incredibly sharp. This is one of my favorite novels I've read.
Going Forward: I liked it enough that I bought the Complete Novels of Jane Austen and already read Persuasion, also excellent. Eventually I will get through all the novels.

Genre: Mystery
Selection: Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express
Reasoning: I did debate whether to go classic British, or more modern, or hardboiled American on this. But really do I need to explain the reasoning on Agatha Christie here? I did debate which specific Christie book to get, but based on the descriptions on the back this seemed more interesting than And Then There Were None and, at least in America, those are her two classic famous works.
Brief Review: Very fun, and kept me guessing up to the end, which I did not know ahead of time. Extremely well put together though, with lots of twists and turns and never gets boring. Her social/class commentary is also really great.
Going Forward: Again, I enjoyed it enough that I've already purchased and read a few other Agatha works, including And Then There Were None. Also One Two, Buckle My Shoe which had probably the least plausible ending of any book I've ever read, and I've read Goosebumps books.

Genre: Science
Selection: Oliver Sacks - An Anthropologist on Mars
Reasoning: I was a Math major in college, but my interest in pop science works is very low, if not zero. I've always wanted to read a Sacks work and once I saw that this was located in the Science section of Borders I jumped on it immediately. I may still go for a "hard" science work like the Feynman lectures of A Brief History of Time.
Brief Review: Oliver Sacks is a really good writer and the bizarre mental conditions he writes about are surely extremely interesting. On the balance though this is a work I was never too excited about. I kind of wish I had gone with Awakenings instead since that is the most popular Sacks work. Ah well.
Going Forward: I may still read Awakenings one day but its fair to say this wasn't some kind of massive revelation about pop science works for me.

Made the Selection but Haven't Read
Genre: Short Story
Selection: Flannery O'Connor - Everything That Rises Must Converge
Reasoning: I'm a huge Flannery fan, and a huge fan of Southern literature in general, so it's somewhat ridiculous that I haven't read this yet. As far as level of classicness, well something like O Henry - The Four Million is probably THE classic of the short story genre, but I am biased towards Flannery so I'll stick with that. I may be convinced to switch the genre of this one to Southern Lit so I can fit in O Henry anyways, I haven't decided.

Genre: Biography
Selection: Henry Adams - The Education of Henry Adams
Reasoning: I picked this work because it was #1 on the Modern Library top works of the 20th century. Ben Franklin's autobiography is the only other one I can think of that's up there with this one, but I'm comfortable with this choice.

Genre: Self Help
Selection: Steven Covey - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Reasoning: This is actually one of the genres I had the toughest time with, oddly enough. My strongest considerations were this book, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and I'm OK, You're OK. I didn't want to do Covey cause he's by far the most recent. Bur I've always considered Peale and I'm OK to be some kind of hippie crap that holds no interest to me. The title of How to Win Friends and Influence People kind of icks me out. Objectively, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living should have been my pick but, quite simply, worrying is not a serious problem of mine. I'd rather go with the work that is more likely to genuinely help me.

Genre: General Fiction, British
Selection: Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities
Reasoning: I've never read a single Dickens work, which is rather ridiculous, and this is probably his #1 most classic work.

Genre: General Fiction, Not British or American
Selection: James Joyce - Ulysses
Reasoning: I really do not want to read this book, but when it comes to classics they don't come much more classic.

Genre: Drama
Selection: Shakespeare - King Lear
Reasoning: I've never read it or seen a performance and know nothing of its plot or characters and that makes me feel uncultured.

Genre: Dystopian
Selection: George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty Four
Reasoning: It's so completely absurd that I've never read this book that I had to make up a genre to fit it in.

Possible Other Genres
Genre: General Fiction, American
Thoughts: No clue yet. My general idea would be to go old, like Washington Irving, but I could be persuaded to pick Updike or something like that. Too many choices and none stand out.

Genre: Hipster fiction
Thoughts: Carver and Palahniuk jump out but this is one I'm not in a rush to get to and this is a questionable genre so it may just get left out entirely.

Genre: Postmodern
Thoughts: The most obvious choice I can think of is White Noise and most likely that's what I'll go with, but I could be persuaded over to Pynchon as well, I need to do more research.

Genre: Science Fiction
Thoughts: The immediate thought that came to mind was Stranger in a Strange Land but I know almost nothing about this genre and definitely need to do some research.

Genre: History
Thoughts: Halberstam or Studs Terkel both seem good. My friend who reads a lot of history recommends Halberstam so I guess I'll go with him.

Genre: 21st Century Fiction
Thoughts: Obvious choices here are The Corrections or Empire Falls. I'll probably just go with The Corrections but part of me just wants to read whatever wins the Pulitzer this year.

Genre: Politics
Thoughts: The Republic is my first choice, but I could easily go with Hobbes or a more modern work as well

Genre: Poetry
Thoughts: Too many choices and I haven't any idea what to use to narrow it down. Most likely here I'll just go to Borders and pick something at random. Don Juan is the only thing that leaps immediately to mind.

Genre: Sports
Thoughts: Since I've read almost every classic baseball work, my initial instinct is to go for Friday Night Lights but then again I never have read The Boys of Summer so I dunno.

Most likely other genres too (economics? military history? music/movies? criticism?), depending on how bored I get of the project eventually. And like I said I'm trying to keep it anglo for now, though I am open to branching out to international works too eventually.

Best Songs of 2008?

Last year by this time I had already posted 2 lists of my favorite singles of the year. I just haven't been too up on music this year and seem to have little desire to catch up. Thus there are many good albums and songs I haven't heard. So before I post this list let me clarify that I have not heard any 2008 output from Danity Kane, Jordan Pruitt, Vanessa Hudgens, any rock music, and most other non-hit music. I am not worrying about single eligibility or year of release too much here, either. Nevertheless, these are my favorite songs this year of what I've heard:

1. Cassie - "Thirsty": OK let's assume this counts. My guess is that it will never be released. At least 3 or 4 of the leaked Cassie songs would be on this list if I counted them all, but I'll need to see the album released before I pull that trigger. Nevertheless this is my favorite of the songs and I will be shocked if it does not end up being my song of the year.

2. Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown - "No Air": A really, really pretty ballad filled with tons of drama and great singing. And it's also really catchy! This is a top 10 of the year worthy song, for sure.

3. Ashlee Simpson - "Little Miss Obsessive": I really love the lyrics to this song and it also has an excellent melody. Maybe should be rated higher due to awesomeness of lyrics? But, I dunno, I love the two songs above so much. The top three are really close and may well end up being my top 3 of the year.

4. Sara Bareilles - "Love Song": The latest in the line of very soft female fronted coffee shop style songs that I adopt and love ("White Flag", "Hunter", "Unwritten", "Breathe (2AM)", "I Wanna Have Your Babies"). For whatever reason I really love this style of song and this is a great example of it.

5. Brooke White - "Let It Be": Brooke White took one of my least favorite Beatles songs and made me really care about it. She has a beautiful voice and you can tell she's really earnest. This is truly remarkable and my favorite ever American Idol performance.

6. Miley Cyrus - "Goodbye": The latest Armato/James masterpiece is this closing ballad from Miley's new album, and by far the best song on it.

That's it, only 6 songs, but all 6 will seriously compete for top 10 of the year. If I had to round it out to 10, I'd throw in "Bleeding Love", and a few more Ashlee/Cassie songs. I couldn't help but notice that all 6 are female fronted ballads. That's just the way it's gone so far this year. Once I catch up on the other music of the year (if I in fact ever do), the list will probably round out with a little more variety. I mean I love female ballads, but normally only 1 or 2 will make my year end list. Then again, I really love all 6 songs, so it could just be a banner year, I dunno.

Any songs you think I should check out? Let me know in the comments.

Favorite Movies of the 90's

In this post, I will identify my favorite movie of the year, as well as point out one other underrated classic that didn't quite make the cut as my favorite, for every year from 1990 through 1999. Return of the old style, way too long for anybody to read posts! Yay!

1990
Personal Favorite Film: There were several good movies this year, and I did not see the main competitors for the Best Picture Oscar (except Dances with Wolves, which I did not like). Edward Scissorhands is perhaps the best loved movie of the year today. I love Tim Burton and I like the movie but I've always thought it a little overrated. But, I haven't seen it in a while. Gremlins 2 is one of the best sequels of all time, because it completely abandoned the original and went for completely farcical comedy. Teh Brain Gremlin forever. Jacob's Ladder is a cult favorite but I thought it was boring. Home Alone was a smash, and it holds up really well today as a cute and funny movie. Flatliners is star studded and has a good plot, but is way worse than it could/should be. The best film of the year is ultimately Total Recall, which manages to maintain a tension throughout, despite a complicated and ridiculous plot. But the several classic scenes and fun plot and action make this one of the greatest action films of all time.

Underrated: Quick Change is probably my 3rd of 4th favorite movie of the year (behind Total Recall, Gremlins 2, and maybe Edward Scissorhands). It's a really funny comedy about bank robbery starring Bill Murray, Geena Davis, and Randy Quaid. Despite the star-studded cast, it's not well known or remembered today. But nevertheless it's one of my favorite comedies.

1991
Personal Favorite Film: There are a few viable competitors here. Silence of the Lambs won best picture, and it's a really compelling drama. But, I have never been bowled away by it, and have generally found it a bit over the top. Terminator 2 had great special effect, and I loved it at the time. Many people think it is superior to the original, but I still consider the first Terminator to be a far superior movie, due to the extreme cheesiness of the sequel. The scenes where John Connor is teaching him to be human are brutal to watch. For me, there are 2 viable competitors here. JFK is a really good drama and it's in the top 5 of the decade in terms of cultural impact, but it's just way too long, and completely nonfactual. None of this keeps it from being a great movie, but they hold it out of the number one slot this year. Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey is clearly superior to the original movie, no matter what anybody else says, and it's one of my favorite comedies of all time, and the best movie released during the year.

Underrated: 2 choices here: He Said, She Said is not remembered fondly today, but I think it's a sharp and funny and romantic movie. Plus, I've always been an Elizabeth Perkins fan. That's good enough to make it one of my favorite romantic comedies of the decade.

1992
Personal Favorite Film: To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen a whole ton of movies this year. I have seen Aladdin, a very good movie from the Disney golden period of the late 80's/early 90's. It's probably not as good as Little Mermaid and Lion King but I loved this movie as a kid and I still really enjoy it today. It's the most silly and comedic of the movies, which does make it hold up a tad less, but I still enjoy it. Wayne's World is one of the funniest comedies of all time. Yeah, I was 10 when I first saw it, which maybe skews it a little, but I still laugh my ass off whenever I see it. But my favorite movie of the year is Glengarry Glen Ross, which features an excellent cast and a really interesting story. It's funny and it's gripping and it's depressing. Excellent drama.

Underrated: Not underrated in the sense that it's one of the best of the year, but underrated in the sense that most people seem to think it's extremely terrible and I kind of like it. I'm speaking of Stay Tuned, the John Ritter movie. Yeah, a lot of the jokes are lame, but it's got a clever conceit and it pulls it off fairly well. As a TV loving youth I really enjoyed it.

1993
Personal Favorite Film: In my opinion, this was a really strong year for movies. The popular blockbuster this year was The Fugitive, which was critically acclaimed at the time and still holds up very well today. The Sandlot is a classic kid's movie and still an all time favorite of mine. Schindler's List won best picture, and I liked it better than I normally like big, meaningful dramas, but it's just not quite my favorite. Groundhog Day is one of everybody's favorite movies, and I am no exception. Extremely funny, and it has a good message that it states well. Ultimately, my favorite film of the year though is Searching for Bobby Fischer, which is a really interesting movie about a young chess prodigy. The characters are very interesting, the story is good, the acting is uniformly excellent, and it all meshes together well. Max Pomeranc gives one of the greatest kid performances in film history. It's one of my 3 or 4 favorite movies of the decade

Underrated: Wayne's World 2 gets a bad rap, as a lot of comedy sequels do, but it's still really funny. OK, the re-tread jokes from the first movie fall flat, but "a great big bloody Bengal tiger" alone makes it worth a watch.

1994
Personal Favorite Film: There was a very famous best picture race this year. In addition, The Lion King the most popular and probably best Disney film of this era was released. OK, maybe Little Mermaid was better. But still, it was really fun! Forrest Gump won best picture, but is not well liked today among the film crowd. I tend to agree. It's a good movie, but not a great movie. Shawshank Redemption is the most well known, but I thought the movie was silly and boring and I thought it was just OK. Pulp Fiction is the best of the three, and it has a cultural cachet like no other movie from the 90's. It's just not quite my favorite of the year. Four Weddings and a Funeral was an original and very good romantic comedy, but there were still some kinks to work out. Andie MacDowell also gives one of the worst performances ever from a female romantic comedy lead. My favorite movie of the year is Quiz Show, which has good acting and a good story and a good theme. It manages to be entertaining and to hold up well throughout multiple viewings. A true success.

Underrated: Not too many really underrated films from this year. I guess D2: The Mighty Ducks, by far the best movie in the Ducks franchise, though still not a great film, it's usually worth catching part of whenever it comes on cable.

1995
Personal Favorite Film: I think this was a weak year for films, though part of that is two of the movies I suspect would be my favorites of the year, Babe and especially Sense and Sensibility I have yet to see. Of what I did see, there are 2 movies released this year, both cult favorites by well loved directors which I associate together this year. I suspect most people's list would be topped by 12 Monkeys or Seven, and I do enjoy both movies, but I find both to be overrated. Best picture winner Braveheart not the type of movie I enjoy, I thought it was boring. Toy Story was the first Pixar film, and a worthy entry into their canon, but not quite the best of the year. My favorite from this year is Empire Records, a funny indie comedy and all around entertaining film much beloved by all music fans.

Underrated: Pocahontas is generally seen as the beginning of the end for the Disney creative rebirth. While not quite as good as their four hugely successful movies preceding this, I think this gives the movie the short shrift. Just cause it's not as good as those doesn't mean it's still not a good movie, which it is.

1996
Personal Favorite Film: An extremely strong year for films. Probably the best loved film of the year today is Fargo a dark Coen Brothers comedy. All I have to say about that is what I've said countless times above: I like the film, but not as much as some others seem to. Same is true of Waiting for Guffman, a very funny comedy but not quite as hilarious as it's often made out to be. Bottle Rocket a very entertaining Wes Anderson film; it's obvious from watching he hadn't quite gotten his footing or formula down but it's still a great one. Scream, one of my favorite teen movies of all time, revitalized the horror genre and paved the way for lots of mediocre and some really good teen horror flicks. The best movie released this year was Jerry Maguire, exactly the kind of crazy, over the top role he was born to play, and with a really good love story. And Renee Zelwegger is really good and cute in it too! One of the most watchable films of the decade.

Underrated: My second favorite movie from this year is the in my opinion painfully underrated That Thing You Do!, which, actually, may well be my favorite Tom Hanks movie. The characters are really believable, the plot is interesting, the acting is good, and the theme song is amazing. I've seen it so many times on TV and I still really enjoy it.

1997
Personal Favorite Film: Grosse Point Blank is an enjoyable John Cusack comedy that I think has become slightly underrated over the years, but it's still a fave of mine. Men In Black is an immensely entertaining blockbuster, featuring excellent performances from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, who have an easy chemistry. Good comedy and good action. Ultimately, my choice here came down to two movies, both nominated for best picture. Titanic gets a horrible rap now, but I still love the movie. It's got a great spectacle to it and a good love story and really good acting from two of the best actors of our generation. Ultimately though I agree with the apparent current critical consensus that LA Confidential was a better film, thanks to its great acting, complex themes, and very interesting plot and characters. This should have spawned a new wave of noir type mysteries, but for some reason it never did. Ah well.

Underrated: Two extremely underrated comedies this year: The Man Who Knew Too Little starring Bill Murray and Nothing To Lose starring Martin Lawrence & Tim Robbins. Nothing to Lose by far the best Martin Lawrence movie with hilarious use of Scatman song. And The Man Who Knew Too Little is seriously one of my favorite comedies of the 90s.

1998
Personal Favorite Film: This was the strongest year for film in the 90's, in my opinion. Dark City was Ebert's favorite movie of the year and probably my favorite at the time. It's a great dark sci-fi film, but I've come to like it slightly less over time. Rushmore is the best Wes Anderson movie and an excellent comedy. The Dinner Game is one of my favorite foreign movies, a hilarious French film with absolutely no substance whatsoever. Honestly, I never have really liked Saving Private Ryan, it's well behind the pack of the other movies mentioned. I may well be alone on this, but I far prefer Shakespeare in Love, and was and am glad that it won best picture. It's seriously one of the best romantic comedies I've seen. Still not good enough though. My favorite movie of the year is Pleasantville, thanks mostly to its commendable theme and outstanding acting all around. And I like the color/black and white gimmick underlying the film.

Underrated: Can't Hardly Wait is a really good teen film that does one of the best jobs of capturing the high school dramatic of any of these types of movies. It's not just a worthwhile cable watch, it's a genuinely really great movie.

1999
Personal Favorite Film: Actually, maybe THIS was the best year for film in the 90's. The top 5 of this year stacks up well against the top five of '98, anyways. The Matrix is, in my opinion, very overrated. I've never really gotten the appeal of it, especially in light of the terrible sequels. American Beauty is a movie that I had a similar reaction to apparently the rest of America: I loved it at the time, but find it has aged remarkably poorly. OK, into that top 5 I referred to above. The Sixth Sense is one of the best blockbuster summer movies ever released and it has a cultural cachet that's top 5 of the decade. American Movie is an amusing and funny and interesting documentary. Notting Hill is one of the top 3 romatic comedies of the decade, and probably the best traditional romcom ever released. It's my second favorite movie of the year. My favorite film of the year, by a fair margin, is Election, which is probably my favorite film of the entire decade. It's really funny and it has great characters & acting. It features what is definitely Reese Witherspoon's best performance, and I'm a big Reese Witherspoon fan so that's definitely saying something.
Underrated: The other top 5 film of the year not referenced above is 10 Things I Hate About You, which manages to be the best teen film of this era thanks to it's sharp and funny dialogue.

Here's the final list, including as a bonus my favorite movies by year for the 2000s
1990: Total Recall
1991: Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
1992: Glengarry Glen Ross
1993: Searching for Bobby Fischer
1994: Quiz Show
1995: Empire Records
1996: Jerry Maguire
1997: LA Confidential
1998: Pleasantville
1999: Election
2000: Keeping the Faith
2001: Amelie
2002: Spy Kids 2/Catch Me If You Can (I can't decide!)
2003: Big Fish
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005: Brokeback Mountain (I'll be damned though, if the movies of this year that have provided me the most entertainment and enjoyment aren't Sky High and Just Like Heaven)
2006: High School Musical
2007: Enchanted