FILM
Best Film: Wall-E
Worst Film: The Happening
Favorite Film: The Dark Knight
Most Underrated Film: Burn After Reading
Most Overrated Film: Iron Man
Most Disappointing Film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Favorite Line Delivery: The Dark Knight: The Joker - (After being called crazy) "I'm not. No, I'm not."
TELEVISION
Best Television Drama: The Shield
Best Television Comedy: 30 Rock
TV Shows on the Rise: 30 Rock, Lost
TV Shows on the Decline: The Office, The Colbert Report
TV Show I wish I watched: The Wire
I don't get the appeal: Any CBS drama
Just cancel it: Heroes
SPORTS
Top 5 Moments
1.Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles Final - Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer
Final Game of match:
2. Men's Golf U.S. Open - Tiger Woods defeats Rocco Mediate on 19th hole of playoff with torn knee ligaments.
Putt to force playoff:
3. Michael Phelps Wins Eight Gold Medals at Beijing Olympics
4. Superbowl XLII - David Tyree catch from Eli Manning:
5. Men's NCAA Basketball Championship Game - Kansas Jayhawks vs. Memphis Tigers
Mario Chalmers Three-Pointer to tie game with 2.1 seconds left in regulation:
MUSIC
Best Rock Album: The Raconteurs "Consolers of the Lonely"
Favorite Rock Album: The Killers "Day & Age"
5 Favorite Songs (from 5 different bands):
1. Weezer "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"
2. The Raconteurs "Consoler of the Lonely"
3. The Killers "Spaceman"
4. Rise Against "Collapse (Post Amerika)"
5. Coldplay "Lost?"
Best Concert: Weezer 10/17/08 Cox Arena
Various
"Don't tase my bro" Moment: President Bush shoe throwing incident
Most Annoying People:
Kanye West - I do believe that Kanye is pretty talented, but if there is a more arrogant person in the world I haven't seen them yet. Here is a quote from Kanye around the time his new album was released: "I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice. It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan." These types of comments even led Stephen Colbert to launch the very much necessary Operation Humble Kanye.
Katy Perry - I don't care for her music much at all, but she appears to think of herself as some sort of musical genius. It just looks like she tries too hard to come off as provocative and different.
Any celebrity or supposed celebrity who went out of their way to lobby the public to vote for their candidate in domains that had nothing to do with politics. Why do they continuously attempt to help the helpless by spreading their higher intellect on the masses? I mean, don't they have enough on their plate already? Why do they have to be so ambitious? Thank God for them, because if Kumar didn't tell me it was important for Americans to vote for Barack Obama I wouldn't have known what to do with my ballot. Thank you celebrities for helping out the rest of the public who can't think for themselves.
Any reporter, journalist, etc. that went to celebrities and asked them about their political views. If you ask someone a question with a camera pointed at their face, they'll probably answer it. It only worsens the situation when you ask someone who is probably seeking the attention.
Joe the Plumber (JTP) - His name is not Joe and he is not really a plumber. He did supply us with as much free political advise/perspective as we could have ever thought imaginable (and then some). Sorry "Joe" but no one cares what you think, so please stop bombarding the public with your opinions when no one is asking for them.
Anyone who said this to anyone else, "Don't forget to vote."
Please get off of my TV...
Suze Orman - One of the worst things to come out of the economic crisis was her overexposure. Her constant breaking you down to build you back up message became so overbearing especially when it was on TV essentially everyday. Can we please get the economy back in order so she doesn't have to be on TV telling us all how we're a bunch of idiots?
"Dr. Phil" - Just stop.
Brett Favre - I really don't have anything against Farve as a person, he seems like a reasonable guy. I did have a problem when he or anyone else was on TV discussing his retirement/comeback. Why can't we just wait until he actually makes a decision? Is it that difficult? It gets just as old when sports reporters, analysts, etc. talk about Farve as if he is the God of football. He's a great player, hall of famer, and one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, but he's not head and shoulders above every player who came before him or any player in the present. Look at it this way, the great Brett Farve ended this NFL season with 22 TDs and 22 INTs. He's had a great career, but analyzing every move he makes and every thought he has is just not worth paying attention to and shouldn't be a daily story on TV.
Favorite Book: The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
Favorite Website: What Would Tyler Durden Do? http://www.wwtdd.com/
NOTE: graphic content
Was that necessary?:
CNN's hologram technology on election night - The ultimate "was that necessary?" item of the year and possibly in the history of mankind. Did it serve any purpose at all? "Look, there is a distorted view of some person that CNN can easily afford to put an actual camera on and have a much clearer picture of. Wait a second, is that Will. i. am, of the Grammy award winning musical group, the Black Eyed Peas. Oh shit it is. Don't turn the channel, because we all must know what he thinks of the election. Do you a DVR? Damn it I hope they play that song about electing Obama. You know that one where everyone has to be overly serious. Look, Will is fading out. Damn you Wolf Blitzer, damn you! (shakes fist in the air ferociously)." Anyways that's what I envision a moron doing when that actually happened.
Crocs - I'm sorry, but come on. Is it scientifically possible for a human being to have respect for a fellow human being when they are wearing those things? If that is somehow possible, is it also possible to take that person seriously? To all of you Croc-wearers out there I know your rebuttal: "But they're comfortable." Well, just because something is comfortable doesn't make it right.
You're (At Least You Should Be) Better Than That:
News media - So many words come to mind when I think about how to describe the media's coverage of the presidential election, but here's one that sums it up pretty well: ghastly. Too much bias (on both sides), too many talking heads, and too much horse race coverage! I am entirely serious when I write that The Daily Show sometimes presented more newsworthy stories than the news networks. If the news media wants to continue to act like they serve an important duty to the country by holding our government accountable, than could they please start doing their damn job.
RIP
Tim Russert
George Carlin
Paul Newman
Michael Crichton
Heath Ledger and many others...
MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT
Trip to New York
During this summer I went to New York for the first time. I spent four full days there and got to see and experience a lot. Here are some pictures of some of the things that made an impression on me...
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Statue of Liberty
World Trade Center Site
Yankee Stadium
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
2008 Presidential Election
Shocking, I know. There couldn't have been any other moment of the year, right? This was my first time being eligible to vote in a presidential election so it had added significance for me personally. This wasn't really a moment as much as it was a process that lasted nearly two years. Too many things to cover here, but it was quite a process to follow.
QUESTIONS I AM LEFT WITH:
Change? - I am still not sure what it means. I mean I realize it was used as a vague message/theme for Obama's campaign and it seemed to connect with people. Is Change something tangible? Is Change different for each person? What does Obama think Change means? Did it just sound good, so his campaign ran with it?
What do people mean when they say the following (with regards to the presidential election) "I am proud of America." - This is really puzzling to me. Why are people proud of America after the election? Do these people think the United States voted in the correct person so they are proud? Do they mean that they are proud of America because they elected the best presidential candidate who happened to not be 100% white? Or do they mean that they are proud of America just for the simple fact that the American electorate voted in a minority candidate for President no matter who they were? I'm almost 100% sure this statement has something to do with race, but I don't know what people mean exactly when they say they are proud of America because Obama was elected.
Favorite Book: The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
Favorite Website: What Would Tyler Durden Do? http://www.wwtdd.com/
NOTE: graphic content
Was that necessary?:
CNN's hologram technology on election night - The ultimate "was that necessary?" item of the year and possibly in the history of mankind. Did it serve any purpose at all? "Look, there is a distorted view of some person that CNN can easily afford to put an actual camera on and have a much clearer picture of. Wait a second, is that Will. i. am, of the Grammy award winning musical group, the Black Eyed Peas. Oh shit it is. Don't turn the channel, because we all must know what he thinks of the election. Do you a DVR? Damn it I hope they play that song about electing Obama. You know that one where everyone has to be overly serious. Look, Will is fading out. Damn you Wolf Blitzer, damn you! (shakes fist in the air ferociously)." Anyways that's what I envision a moron doing when that actually happened.
Crocs - I'm sorry, but come on. Is it scientifically possible for a human being to have respect for a fellow human being when they are wearing those things? If that is somehow possible, is it also possible to take that person seriously? To all of you Croc-wearers out there I know your rebuttal: "But they're comfortable." Well, just because something is comfortable doesn't make it right.
You're (At Least You Should Be) Better Than That:
News media - So many words come to mind when I think about how to describe the media's coverage of the presidential election, but here's one that sums it up pretty well: ghastly. Too much bias (on both sides), too many talking heads, and too much horse race coverage! I am entirely serious when I write that The Daily Show sometimes presented more newsworthy stories than the news networks. If the news media wants to continue to act like they serve an important duty to the country by holding our government accountable, than could they please start doing their damn job.
RIP
Tim Russert
George Carlin
Paul Newman
Michael Crichton
Heath Ledger and many others...
MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT
Trip to New York
During this summer I went to New York for the first time. I spent four full days there and got to see and experience a lot. Here are some pictures of some of the things that made an impression on me...
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Statue of Liberty
World Trade Center Site
Yankee Stadium
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
2008 Presidential Election
Shocking, I know. There couldn't have been any other moment of the year, right? This was my first time being eligible to vote in a presidential election so it had added significance for me personally. This wasn't really a moment as much as it was a process that lasted nearly two years. Too many things to cover here, but it was quite a process to follow.
QUESTIONS I AM LEFT WITH:
Change? - I am still not sure what it means. I mean I realize it was used as a vague message/theme for Obama's campaign and it seemed to connect with people. Is Change something tangible? Is Change different for each person? What does Obama think Change means? Did it just sound good, so his campaign ran with it?
What do people mean when they say the following (with regards to the presidential election) "I am proud of America." - This is really puzzling to me. Why are people proud of America after the election? Do these people think the United States voted in the correct person so they are proud? Do they mean that they are proud of America because they elected the best presidential candidate who happened to not be 100% white? Or do they mean that they are proud of America just for the simple fact that the American electorate voted in a minority candidate for President no matter who they were? I'm almost 100% sure this statement has something to do with race, but I don't know what people mean exactly when they say they are proud of America because Obama was elected.
