My Oscar noms

Well, the Oscar nominations were announced last week and they were the usual mixed bag of shoe-ins and surprises. While I agree with some of their picks, I haven't seen most of the films that they were culled from (and I still don't care for this "10 Best Picture nominees" nonsense). After a cursory glance at the list of films that I did see last year, I'd like to present the Micah World Alternate Reality Oscar nominations for the big six awards*:

Best Picture
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Up
Up in the Air
Watchmen

Best Director
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Zack Snyder (Watchmen)
Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
J.J. Abrams (Star Trek)
Neill Blomkamp (District 9)

Best Actor
Sam Rockwell (Moon)
Patton Oswalt (Big Fan)
Sharlto Copley (District 9)
Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen)
Liam Neeson (Taken)

Best Actress
Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
Katie Featherston (Paranormal Activity)
Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds)

Best Supporting Actor
Chistoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Woody Harrelson (Zombieland)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen)
Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

Best Supporting Actress
Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds)
Catherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are)
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
Marcia Jean Kurtz (Big Fan)

As usual, there's really no point in speculating who will win, as Bill Brasky will no doubt sweep all of the categories.

*Notes:
1. This list reflects only the 2009 movies that I've seen. There are plenty of others that I fully intend on catching up on (Namely, The Hurt Locker, An Education, Crazy Heart, Avatar, and House of the Devil, among many others).
2. Unlike last year, I didn't list any filler noms. What you see is what you get.
3. What's a lead performance? What's a supporting one? My list. My rules.

Crush of the Year 2009: Alison Brie

The people have spoken and the Crush of the Year for 2009 is actress Alison Brie.



She's currently pulling double duty on a pair of excellent TV shows: "Mad Men" and "Community". Her work as Trudy on the former is great, but she really excels as uptight overachiever Annie on the latter. "Community" started out laugh-out-loud funny and has only gotten better as the season's progressed, due in large part to the believable chemistry of the ensemble.

It also hasn't hurt that her sweaters have seemingly gotten tighter each week on that show, too.

Even greater, she's partly responsible for quite possibly the best moment in television history:



Walter Cronkite and the moon landing ain't got nothing on that.



By exuding grace, beauty, comedic chops, charm, and poise, her selection as Crush of the Year was a no-brainer. Turning the voting over to my readership was yet again the right choice. Thanks, you two!



I agree with her personal assessment. She is amazing.

Ms. Brie's likeness will be placed in the Hall of Crushes alongside previous honorees Christina Hendricks, Tina Fey, Scarlett Johansson, and Shandi Finnessey. But should she fail to live up to her duties as CotY, the runner-up I selected* - Diora Baird - will take her place. Kudos to you, Ms. Brie, and keep up the great work.

So, should I alert her to the fact that she's won such a coveted prize?

*Hey, this blog is mostly a cheertatorship. I only throw the cheerocracy bread crumbs your way every now and then.

Song to close out the weekend: "The Winter" by Apathy

Since the winter is seemingly never going to end, how about a song that wallows in the seasonal depression: "The Winter" by Apathy. (I also like the Inhumanz remix that utilizes a Nine Inch Nails sample, just to add in a little more despair.)

Best of 2009: albums

1. Metric: Fantasies - Hooks that aim for the rafters, female vocalist, big synths and stadium beats. Yep, this is firmly in the center of my wheelhouse.
2. fun. - Aim and Ignite - Catchy as hell Queen and ELO-inspired indie pop that's heavy on the theatrics and strings? How could I not love this? Their "The Gambler" (certainly not the Kenny Rogers tune) - about the singer's father's marriage, family, and illness as told through his mom's point of view - is like the first ten misty-eyed minutes of Up in song form.
3. Lily Allen: It's Not Me, It's You - I absolutely loved her debut, but feared that she would flame out when she made a follow up. But by using only one producer throughout, she's made a cohesive, highly enjoyable second album.
4. Anya Marina: Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II - On this album Anya tweaks her twee folky image by adding a bit of rock 'n roll grit. And it works.
5. Codeine Velvet Club: Codeine Velvet Club - This Fratellis side project is a throwback to sixties orchestral pop and a mighty fine one at that.
6. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion - Want a description? Read virtually every other Best of 2009 list's #1 spot.
7. Art Brut: Art Brut vs. Satan - I don't think there's any real "artistic growth" on their third album, but who cares? Art Brut speaks for the everybloke.
8. A Camp: Colonia - The former lead singer of the Cardigans (Love me! Love me!) produced an album that's full of one of my weaknesses: the combination of sugary melodies and dark lyrics. It's like an audio Reese's cup!
9. Mos Def: The Ecstatic - While Mos Def was out in Hollywood, his hip-hop career floundered and his music pretty much…sucked. But in 2009 the great wordsmith put out his best album in years. Here's hoping that he continues to put as much work into his music that he does in his acting. And how about a full length Black Star reunion while you're at it?
10. Dead Man's Bones: Dead Man's Bones - Ryan Gosling + spooky songs + a children's choir = a fun disc not just for Halloween.

Excluded from consideration were EPs, Christmas music, compilations, stand-up/spoken word discs, and albums that I feel that I didn't listen to enough to give an informed evaluation. If there is any interest, I will post the rankings of albums 11-35 in the comments section (just ask!).

Best 2008 Album I Discovered in 2009:
Miniature Tigers: Tell It To The Volcano - What if Brian Wilson fronted an indie pop band and had a fixation on animals and tribal cultures rather than innocence and Americana? It'd sound like this.

Most Unnecessary Album:
Spinal Tap: Back From the Dead - Look, I loves me some Spinal Tap, but very little new was brought to these (mostly) re-recordings of their past songs. The best thing about this album is the accompanying DVD featuring an in-character commentary about the album.

Most Unnecessary Album, Remix Division:
Johnny Cash: Remixed - Yeah, this one didn't need to be made.

Biggest Disappointment:
Jarvis Cocker: Further Complications - I used to think that Jarvis Cocker could do no wrong. It turns out that it's Big Anthem Jarvis Cocker that's always excellent. Rockin' Out Jarvis Cocker is the one that has problems knocking it out of the park.

Other Disappointments:
Tinted Windows: Tinted Windows
Clem Snide: Hungry Bird

Best Reggae Album:
Major Lazer: Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do - Reggae beamed in from the year 2380. It's also the only reggae album I listened to.

Most Improved:
Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn: Break Up

Sophomore Slump:
Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw - Hey, wha' happened? Her debut was a lot of cheeky fun. Her second album...not so much.

Best Reissue:
The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Note: I have yet to pick up any of the Beatles remasters. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know.

Best cover songs:
The Oak Ridge Boys: "Seven Nation Army"
Taken By Trees: "My Boys"
Discovery: "I Want You Back"
Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn: "I Am The Cosmos"

Kill the damn groundhog.

"There is no way that this winter is ever going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don't see any other way out. He's got to be stopped. And I have to stop him."

I love winter. I love snow. But this is too much. At least let it go away until I get an SUV or some other car that can navigate icy roads. I'm pleading with you, Punxsutawney Phil. Have mercy.

Also, sorry for dragging out "Best Of 2009 Week" into "Best Of 2009 Month" and delaying the Crush of the Year post, but last week my hard drive decided that it would like to die sooner rather than later, so I preemptively had my nephew put in a new, bigger hard drive*. I've been preoccupied with transferring data, setting my computer up, and getting accustomed to Windows 7.

*So much more room for porn pirated music illegal movies my spreadsheets!

Best of 2009: singles

Okay, this "Best of" Week has stretched into "Best of" Fortnight and then into "Best of" 3/4 of a Month thanks to illness, car trouble, and other things taking up my time and sapping my motivation. Thus, after posting all of my favorite songs last year, I'm reverting back to simply listing my favorite singles. Honestly, right now I don't want to comb through all of my 2009 albums and find links to a few dozen songs.

So, here are the singles* that floated my boat last year, in no particular order. I purposefully excluded songs from my '09 Top Ten albums, except in a couple of instances. Ooooooh, mystery!



Jay-Z: "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" - His "Run This Town" is gathering all of the accolades, but this song contains a much needed message. Auto-Tune really does need to die a painful death.



Julian Casablancas: "Out of the Blue" - "It's pretty much the Strokes with more synths" is a comment/complaint I've heard about his solo release. So what? That's actually an improvement for the band. This song's great. I admit that when I first heard it I thought it was by Phoenix. (I'm bending the rules a slightly since this song was officially released as a single yesterday, but it did come from an '09 album.)



Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Zero" - No big Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan am I (Karen O and the band's general artiness vibe is a turn off), but I am really feeling this song, especially her orgasmic chorus.



Passion Pit: "Sleepyhead" - Another slight cheat since this is an '08 single, BUT I didn't include it on my '08 list AND it was also put on the band's '09 debut album. So there.



Matt & Kim: "Daylight" - This is the sound of a summertime stroll through the city.



Major Lazer featuring Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze: "Keep It Goin' Louder" - Temporarily forget what I said in the Jay-Z entry above. The "I've got the girls in the truck six chicks deep..." line is infectious. Hey, I like pop music. *shrug* And this is the freakiest video I've seen in a long time; you'd think it was for an Aphex Twin song.



Codeine Velvet Club: "Hollywood" - This song from the Fratellis side project is absolutely perfect. Maybe my favorite single of the year.



Au Revoir Simone: "Another Likely Story" - I love these ladies. Even though the video's pretty summery, the song gives me a deep wintertime vibe.



fun.: "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)" - So I like Queen-influenced indie pop. This song needs to come to Rock Band post haste so I can (badly) belt it out.



Florence + the Machine: "Kiss with a Fist" - Who knew domestic abuse could sound so catchy? (This is another '08 single on an '09 album.)



Little Boots: "Remedy" - Again, loves me some pop music. And she's adorable.



Kelly Clarkson: "Already Gone" - Is she still hipster-approved? Screw it. I don't need my tastes validated by someone in skinny jeans.



Asher Roth: "I Love College" - I'm only including that because, though it doesn't reflect my college experience per se (where are the shout outs to a committed relationship, "Mystery Science Theater 3000", and wine coolers?), it makes me nostalgic for those days. Plus I feel compelled to inject a bit more testosterone in this list after the last few entries.

Note: Facebook users, kindly click on "View Original Post" to see the above videos. Man, I wish FB would embed videos when it posts things from Blogger.

*Officially released as such.

Happy Burns Night!

Well, it's ol' Robbie's 251st birthday and, though I'm a bit short on haggis, I'll be celebrating by imbibing a dram or two of scotch with my trivia team at the Patrick Henry Pub, scrambling to answer general knowledge questions, and reciting my favorite work by Scotland's most beloved poet*: "See my vest, see my vest made from real gorilla chest..."

*Next to the Proclaimers, of course.

Best of 2009: album cover

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone - Though I haven't listened to this album (yet), I absolutely love the cover. Whether or not there are any songs on it about beautiful women wielding swords while perched atop muscle cars has yet to be determined.

Best of 2009: movies

While 2009 wasn't a terrible year for movies, it wasn't the best one, either. I didn't catch all of the films that I wanted to, but of the ones that I did see, these are the best:

1. Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino's return was all I hoped it would be. Well, almost all, as I was expecting it to focus more than it did on a Dirty Dozen-esque band of soldiers. Brad Pitt made me laugh and Christoph Waltz was outstanding.

2. Watchmen - I may be the only person to hold it in such high regard, but I really dug this extremely faithful adaption of the funny book. Saying "it could've been worse" is not high praise...but, really, it could've been much more worse.

3. Up - Pixar magic.

4. Up in the Air - Jason Reitman magic.

5. The Hangover - Hands down the funniest movie of the year and it still holds up on repeat viewings. I'm glad the world is finally discovering the genius of Zach Galifianakis.

6. Moon - Sam Rockwell gave an excellent performance as a man isolated in space (or is he?). It's a shame that he seems to be getting overlooked this awards season.

7. District 9 - Who would've thought that a relatively low budget South African alien flick would be better than most of the ludicrously expensive Hollywood blockbusters? Or more poignant than all of the Oscar bait?

8. Star Trek - Before this I had never seen a full episode of the series or any of the movies. I'm no Trekkie, but I had a blast watching this. Not enough Simon Pegg, though.

9. Zombieland - Obligatory Zombie Movie In Micah's Top Ten. This was the second most fun I had in theaters all year.

10. Taken - Liam Neeson is the Irish Jack Bauer.

Scariest movie I've seen in a long time:
Paranormal Activity

Jeers for not getting a wide release and thus I didn't get a chance to see it:
The Slammin' Salmon

Great parts, lackluster whole:
Where the Wild Things Are

Good, but didn't meet my sky high expectations:
Big Fan

Best of 2009: video games

Like I am with books, I rarely play games during the year that they are released. This is due mostly to limited free time and my damned thriftiness. (Hey, I like to wait until a price cut. Sue me.) But this past spring I procured an Xbox 360 and the amount of gaming that I've done has increased greatly. As I played catch up with a console that's already a few years old, these are the ten or so titles that stood out the most (and I played enough to make a qualified evaluation):

Rock Band 2 - By far, this monopolized most of my Xbox 360 time this year. Developer Harmonix has put a lot of care into achieving its goal of having this be not just a game, but a platform. Thanks in part to a promotion with Pepsi over the summer, I've downloaded tons of songs of widely disparate genres. (Simon and Garfunkel! The Pixies! Kelly Clarkson! Gorillaz!) I used to fly the Guitar Hero flag, but now that I've seen the light I'm squarely a part of Team Rock Band.

The Beatles: Rock Band - Simply a beautiful game that utilizes the best pop music in recorded history. Based on my own personal experience, this is THE game that bridges the generations. During one session I was holding down on the fake plastic guitar while my mom and grandma were taking turns singing. The only gripe that one could have is that, even with the DLC that fleshes out Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper, and Rubber Sole, there aren't enough songs. Bring on Revolver!

Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Yes, I'm a Marvel fanboy, so my opinion of this game is heavily biased. But I think that I can say in confidence that this is the best Marvel game that I've ever played. Snikt! Bamf! Loser!

NCAA Football 10 - College football season is a wonderful thing and so is this game. This was my first introduction to the current generation of sports games and I was wowed.

LEGO Rock Band - Pretty much just a LEGO skin over top of Rock Band, but therein lies its charm. And, hey, 45 more songs to play (The Zutons! Ray Parker, Jr.! T. Rex!), so I'm not going to complain about the lack of inventiveness.

LEGO Indiana Jones - Yet another licensed LEGO game. Yet another success.

Viva Piñata - Sure, it's a kids' game, but sometimes you just want the serenity of tending to your garden and making your piñatas get it on.

The Incredible Hulk - I've barely scratched the surface of this game's story, but I've spent countless hours smashing up New York City. Really, it's a great stress release.

Civilization Revolution - Once I started a campaign of world domination, I could kiss the next five hours of my life goodbye. It's like when I stumble upon a "Law & Order" marathon on TNT.

Scene It! Box Office Smash - No one can best me in a head-to-head film trivia competition. Yes, that is a challenge.

Xbox Live Arcade Games:
Peggle - An immense time suck and more addictive than crack cocaine.

Xbox Live Indie Games:
Miner Dig Deep - It's like Dig-Dug, but without any antagonists. All you do is, uh, dig deep for minerals and jewels. Sounds simple because it is. It's also really fun.

I Maed a Game With Zombies In It!!!1 - Quite possibly the best dollar that I've ever spent* and a great way to kill a few minutes. Plus, the very meta song that runs through it is totally bitchin'.

Solar - Extremely relaxing, this is something that you can start and just zone out on while listening to music or podcasts.

*Next to Father Guido Sarducci's "100 Balls on the Christmas Tree", of course.

Best of 2009: television

It's been said that we're in the new Golden Age of TV and I can't really dispute that. While the majority of programming is utter crap (thank you, reality television), there are more quality shows on currently than any other time that I can remember.

My television list is a bit different than others out there because I include only shows which had seasons that began and ended during the calendar year. I never understood how one could proclaim a show one of the year's best when half of its season hasn't even aired yet. So that would explain the absence of such programs as "The Office", "Community", "Parks and Recreation", and "30 Rock" (though the TGS crew has had a rocky season so far).

With that out of the way, here is what I deem the best television produced in 2009 (in no particular order):

"Breaking Bad" - The second season of this drama about a terminally ill high school chemistry teacher turned aspiring drug kingpin somehow managed to ratchet up the intensity of its stellar first season. In fact, the most gripping TV scene of the year happened on this show. By watching Jessie's strung out girlfriend choke on her own vomit, any hope Hank had of returning to a sense of normalcy at some point had vanished. If you're not watching this show, you should.

"Eastbound & Down" - Hands down the funniest show of the year and the year's best debut. I'm convinced that Danny McBride can do no wrong. (Note: I have not seen Land of the Lost.)

"Dexter" - John Lithgow totally owned his role as the Trinity Killer. And that ending? Wow. Just wow.

"Mad Men" - Sometimes this show's glacial pace can be frustrating. And it should be mandated that Christina Hendricks should be in every frame of every episode. My criticisms end there, since everything else regarding the show is perfect. I am eagerly awaiting the exploits of Don Draper's new ad agency next season.

"24" - Jack Bauer and company rebounded greatly from their horrible sixth season. Blood new (Special Agent Freckles!) and old (Tony!) and finally ditching LA (DC!) worked wonders to refresh the show.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" - The whole "Seinfeld" reunion aspect was a bit misleading since it only occurred in a handful of episodes. Having said that, the extreme meta moment of real life Larry David playing TV Larry David playing Jason Alexander playing real life Larry David was well worth the wait.

"Flight of the Conchords" - While not hitting the giddy heights of its brilliant first season, New Zealands fourth most popular comedy folk duo provided plenty of laughs.

"The League" - Not having played fantasy football or being a huge fan of the NFL, I was afraid that the humor of this new improvised show would be lost on me. Luckily, pro football's just the set up to the exploits of five scheming friends.

"Michael and Michael Have Issues" - I love the State. Within that troupe, I love Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, so this show had me with the first episode.

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - The gang produced the most consistently funny season since the early days. Don't agree? Consider: a road trip, the World Series, a suicidal Frank, beer pong, the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, and Kitten Mittens.

Rule Britcommia:
"The Inbetweeners" - It's like an English Superbad.

Television equivalents of a beach read:
"Royal Pains"
"Entourage"

Good try:
"The Goode Family" - My expectations for Mike Judge's takedown of Whole Foods liberalism were high. Unfortunately, they weren't quite met.

Terrible, terrible try:
Sit Down, Shut Up - Given all of the "Arrested Development" talent involved (and Kristin Chenoweth!), the funny simply was not brought.

You'll be missed, I'll tell you what:
"King of the Hill"

Best of 2009: DVDs

What makes a great DVD? Sure, the content of the movie/show/concert/whatever itself is imperative, but more important for whether something is to be deemed a success on the format is the audio/video quality, packaging, and the scope and depth of the bonus features. Here are the shiny discs that I think were the best to come out in 2009:

The State: The Complete Series - I have been waiting years for this to come out and when I finally had it in my hands it did not disappoint. This 1990s sketch comedy time capsule has it all: 90 minutes worth of unaired sketches, the original pilot, interviews, outtakes, deleted scenes - almost all of which have commentaries attached to them. Well, it's not quite complete, as most of the original wall-to-wall 90s alt rock, pop, and hip-hop soundtrack has been replaced with generic music (though that was created by the guy who composed the show's theme song and other incidental music, so it could've been worse). But, hey, if that's what it took for this awesome show to finally get a DVD release, so be it. Definitely dip your balls in this one.

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut - The one complaint mainstream audiences had with this film is that at 162 minutes, it was too short! Okay, not really, but this expanded version fleshes out the dense story and stretches out the run time to 215 minutes by extending scenes, putting deleted ones back in, and most notably inserting chapters of the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" throughout the movie. Director Zack Snyder's old 300 buddy Gerard Butler gives voice to the comic book buccaneer trying to stop a ship of pirates from terrorizing his home, which parallels the movie's narrative. Also among the plethora of bonus content is a faux documentary about the Minutemen and the entire Watchmen motion comic.

The Office: Season Five - Like with all of this consistently funny show's DVDs, the season five set is a must-have for fans and gives you a lot of bang for your sitcom buck. Each episode seems to have almost another episode's worth of scenes taken out. And unlike most DVDs' deleted scenes, the ones left on this show's cutting room floor are actually worth watching and are as funny as what made it onto air.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Four - Aside from the show being hilarious, I consider this one of the year's best solely for the inclusion of a full length live performance of their instant classic musical episode "The Nightman Cometh". You've got to pay the troll toll if you want to get this boy's hole boy's soul.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Writer/director Kevin Smith loves the DVD format and tends to pack his movies' sets to the gills with deleted scenes, outtakes, and featurettes and this is no exception. Yes, Z&M wasn't one of Smith's best efforts (though it does have 2008's single best cinematic image in Elizabeth Banks' O-face), but its DVD is up to par with all of his other ones. The only thing lacking is the standard highly entertaining "Kevin Smith and pals" commentary, which was omitted because the film's disappointing box office put him in a pot-hazed funk and he didn't want to dwell on the production at the time.

Note: There was a smaller than usual pool to choose from, as I slowed down my DVD purchases greatly this year in anticipation of the Great Blu-Ray Upgrade (projected for 2010).

Best of 2009: books

This was an embarrassingly light reading year for me. The reasons for my lack of motivation were twofold. First, in the spring I got an Xbox 360, which heavily competed for my free time. Second, I was unable to attend the annual family get together in Hilton Head over the summer, where I normally knock out 4 or 5 books. So, as my reading pile grew (I was still buying books), my time spent reading dwindled.

It should be noted that I rarely reads books the same year they come out. I'm a slow reader and I seem to buy so many that I tend to get behind. Add to that all of the older books that I never got to and those recommended by others, it's hard to keep current. So my list does not reflect a true "Best of 2009", but these are the best that I read this year, in no particular order:

Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S.G. Browne - Once you've read a certain number of zombie books, you find that they become formulaic and tend to run together. One needs a hook to distinguish itself. World War Z had one by matter of factly filtering the zombie apocalypse through an oral history text. Browne does it by crafting a romantic comedy told through the undead's point of view. This was a fun read, though a certain overused literary device got very grating after about the third use. You'll never look at venison the same again. The good: it's being developed into a film. (Yay!) The bad: Diablo Cody's attached to it. (Boo!)

Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition - Exactly what you'd expect from the Onion: hilarious commentary and general ridiculousness. Only this time their comedic tools are maps, stats, facts, figures, and history. Highly recommended if you need a good laugh.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons - I can't believe it took the then-highly anticipated feature film adaption to get me to finally read this. And I'm glad I did because you practically have to have a working knowledge of the story in order to follow the movie. But I'm even happier that I gave it a go simply because Moore and Gibbons somehow made a work about costumed vigilantes during the Cold War seem timeless. I don't know how I made it this long being a self-respecting comic book geek without having read it.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - Another "read it before the movie comes out, yo" book. Better than The Da Vinci Code, Brown created yet another intense page turner. (Short chapters! Abundant cliffhangers!) Sure, some parts were groan-inducing, but overall it was a nice way to spend my time at the beach.

See, I told you that it was a light year. But I'm hoping that I'll be more of a bookworm in 2010.

Song to close out the weekend: "Heavens to Purgatory" by the Most Serene Republic

While looking at some Los Campesinos! videos on YouTube, I got a "yo, check this out while you're at it" recommendation for the Most Serene Republic's "Heavens to Purgatory". And you know what - I do like it, though the video creeps me out a little.

You choose the Crush of the Year

This worked so well last year that I thought that I'd do it again. It's time once again for you, dear reader(s), to select the Crush of the Year.

The rules are mostly the same as they were last year:
1) Vote by leaving the name of your pick in the comment section of this post (either on Blogger or Facebook). No votes via e-mail, text, phone, different posts' comments sections, or other methods will be counted. I do this so that there'll be a virtual paper trail of people's clear intentions. No hanging chads around here.
2) No justification of your choice is required, but if you want to explain why you opted for a particular candidate, feel free to do so.
3) No write-ins.
4) You may only vote once regardless of location (that means no voting on both Blogger and Facebook).
5) Only the candidates listed below are eligible to win.
6) Should no Crush receive a plurality/majority of the votes, I shall choose the CotY. In fact, I reserve the right to lay down my tyrannical fist and institute my own pick, no matter the voting results. But I probably won't. But you never know.
7) Void where prohibited. (Likely Utah.)
8) Voting ends when this post leaves the front page of the blog.

Presenting your candidates for 2009:

• Jennifer Aniston


• Laura Silverman


• Ashley Williams


• Mug Shot Chick


• Annie Wersching


• Dana Perino


• Jayma Mays


• Naomi Watts


• Marisa Tomei


• Malin Akerman


• Michelle Monaghan


• Katy Mixon


• Diora Baird


• Eliza Coupe


• Ellie Kemper


• Bryce Dallas Howard


• Carrie Prejean


• Joey Lauren Adams


• Laura ("Big Brother 11")


• Rachel Nichols


• Leslie Mann


• Katie Featherston


• Dahlia Dark


• Alison Brie


• Gillian Jacobs


• Victoria Hesketh (Little Boots)


• Mélanie Laurent


• Diane Kruger


• Iliza Shlesinger

Organize your community and get out the vote! Rally your friends, family, and co-workers to push the virtual lever for your favorite Crush. Strong arm them. Bus the homeless and elderly in with the promise of a hot meal. Scour the graveyards for names. Pay off ACORN to do your bidding, if necessary. It's the Chicago way!

Song to close out the weekend: "King of Yesterday" by Jude

For me, New Year's is all about despair and regret, so why not enjoy a song - Jude's "King of Yesterday" - about living in the past?

Two thousand one zero party over. Oops. Outta time.

As much as I loathe New Year's, I feel compelled to make some resolutions. So in addition to the standard "get in shape, you slob, and also sort your life out while you're at it" ones, here are a few more (in no particular order):

• Get better at responding to e-mails (including Facebook messages and posts). Two day delay, tops.


• Start AND finish at least one these epic-length books: The Count of Monte Cristo, Gone with the Wind, The Stand, or Atlas Shrugged.


• Start AND finish at least one of these epic-length video games, including their DLC: Fallout 3 or Grand Theft Auto IV.


• Finish compiling the mix CD that I promised a friend of mine.


• Watch all of the various Britcoms that I've already procured. I kept promising and promising to blog about them, but obviously didn't.


• Read more of the Bible. I've really slacked off in this department.


• Post more substance here, less lazy YouTube hit and runs. Hopefully, that'll get people to actually, you know, read this blog (no offense to my three regulars).


• Create a super secret online Christmas thingamajig.


• Totally revamp this blog's layout and name.

In the meantime, I've got a lion in my pocket and, baby, he's ready to roar.

Credit due to the Sun for the pic of post-NYE boozy Brits.

Pixelated Pigskin Prognostications: The Rose Bowl

Here it is, folks. The Big One. The capper to the 2009 college football season*. After a bit of a rest, the Great Xbox 360 Swami is ready to give one final prediction via CPU vs. CPU match before devoting itself to Rock Band and Peggle until the fall.



Ohio State 41, Oregon 26

And that's all she wrote.

*At least in my eyes. Who cares about those other teams?

Quick movie review

Up in the Air: George Clooney plays a professional downsizer and aspiring motivational speaker who only feels at home while on his quest to accumulate 10 million frequent flyer miles. His company hires an ambitious wunderkind whose cost efficient idea to fire people via the internet threatens to make Clooney obsolete, so he takes her on a cross country trip to show her that his line of work requires a personal touch. In return she - along with a fellow professional flyer that he's been periodically hooking up with - shows him that his detachment from his family and lack of a permanent home is not any way to live.

Clooney turns in another fine Clooney-esque performance. Vera Farmiga's sublime buttocks and Anna Kendrick also do well in their roles. Director Jason Reitman crafts yet another great movie*, though it may be a tough watch for some people, given their circumstances as a result of this economy. For everyone else, though, this one enjoyable flick.

*True, I absolutely HATED the dialogue in Juno, but every other aspect of that film is above par. Honest to blog. And I can't heap enough praise onto the terrific Thank You For Smoking

Song to get you through the weekend: "Gloria" by Hawk Nelson

Yeah, I didn't get what I really wanted, either.

Merry Christmas!

"I hope everybody likes my gifts, I must say. Although I doubt some will score as well as I had hoped because not everybody likes acrylic."

Fun fact: For my last year of trick or treating I dressed up as Ed Grimley.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I listen to a lot of Christmas music. A lot. And my absolute favorite "new classic" is this song - "Merry Christmas Eve" by Better Than Ezra. Originally a B-side on their 1995 "Rosealia" single, it's chock full of Christmas imagery. Maybe that's why I like it so much.

"As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way..."

Well, another Festivus has arrived and I still haven't thrown a party. Maybe next year. That gives me 365 days to buy a pole.

Happy Festivus! It ain't over until you pin me.

Requisites: Christmas Albums

Christmas music. It can be corny. It can be beautiful. It can somehow be both at the same time. Not everyone likes it, though. But what do you do when you're faced with throwing an impromptu Yuletide cocktail party - serving peppermint martinis, no doubt - and realize that you come up short in the festive music department? Sure, you could tune into your local "music the whole office can agree on" station, but then you run the risk of having your soiree prematurely killed by the likes of Marian Carey, "Christmas Shoes", and songs about reindeer mauling elderly relatives.

For just such an occasion I've compiled a list of must-own Christmas albums. Every self-respecting celebrator of the season should own these masterpieces:



The Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas As far as Christmas music goes, it all begins and ends with this jazzy, nostalgic gem. Start your party with "Christmas Is Coming". Close it with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".



John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together Who doesn't like John Denver? Who hates the Muppets? Godless heathens, that's who. With all due respect to Bob and Doug McKenzie, this serendipitous collaboration produced the definitive version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas".



Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Ratpack: The Christmas Collection, Christmas with Dino, Christmas with the Rat Pack Add instant cool to your cocktail party with this trio of albums featuring songs by Frank, Dino, and Sammy recorded during their classic Rat Pack years. It's sure to make revelers who've indulged in a bit too much wassail go all ring-a-ding-ding, baby.



Various Artists: Merry Mixmas, Christmas Remixed, Christmas Remixed 2, Verve Remixed Christmas Like the music used in pretty much every seasonal commercial and Gap/Old Navy store over the last four or five years? Then you'll love these reworkings of classic Christmas songs. While some remixes are better than others, they're all at least interesting.



Johnny Mathis: Merry Christmas At first one may want to dismiss this album's title as being a bit trite, but if you listen to the songs it sounds as if Johnny's really sending out his heartfelt holiday greetings personally to you. His take on "Sleigh Ride" IS the sound of Christmas.



South Park: Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics Swiss Colony beef logs. Judaic exclusion. A singing piece of shit. This album's hilarious and perfect for lightening the mood, though "The Most Offensive Song Ever" is very appropriately titled. It's sure to pick up the spirits of even the most dour seasonal depression sufferer.



Various Artists: Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails Part One, Part Two, Part Three Take the coolness of the Rat Pack albums listed above (which share some of the same songs with this series), add a heavy helping of kitsch and you've got this set of lounge music compilations. Lush, sparkly, and delightfully tacky.



Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays Keeping things goofy, these Canucks made one heck of a jaunty Christmas album. "Elf's Lament" - a song detailing a labor dispute between Santa and his workshop employees - alone is worth the price of admission.



Squirrel Nut Zippers: Christmas Caravan Because every party - regardless of holiday or theme - needs some hot jazz to give off a speakeasy vibe. More artists should cover "I Like the Winter Weather", you know?



Bing Crosby: Merry Christmas It's got his version of "White Christmas" on it. 'Nuff said.

I realize that this list may arrive too late to restore your Christmas street cred this year. Luckily for you, these'll be heavily marked down on December 26th and you can be ready for next year.

Song to close out the weekend: "(Let's Have a) Patrick Swayze Christmas" by Joel and the Bots

As a tribute to one of the victims of Celebrageddon 2009, here is Joel, Crow, and Tom Servo from the great "Mystery Science Theater 3000" singing the Road House-inspired "(Let's Have a) Patrick Swayze Christmas".

Wanna make this the Swayziest Christmas of them all? Grab my '09 Christmas mix - featuring this beloved carol - here.

Angels we have heard on highTunes

Just in time for you to be snowed in this weekend*, I've lovingly tucked your favorite aural Christmas tradition into your virtual stocking. This is the eleventh edition of A Very Micah Christmas that I've compiled and by now most of the tried and true classics have been used. But hopefully you'll find some new favorites among the older chestnuts.

Presenting the soundtrack to your holiday enchantment:

1. "Your Christmas Whiskey" - The Minus 5
2. "Let It Snow" - Luscious Jackson
3. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Weezer
4. "(Let's Have a) Patrick Swayze Christmas" - Joel and the Bots
5. "Frosty the Snowman" - Ella Fitzgerald
6. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" - Barry Manilow
7. "Christmas Night in Harlem" - Louis Armstrong
8. "Blue Christmas" - Dean Martin
9. "Hard Candy Christmas" - Leigh Nash
10. "Fairytale of New York" - The Priestess and the Fool
11. "Santa Can't Stay" - Dwight Yoakam
12. "Christmas All Over Again" - Butch Walker and Taryn Manning
13. "Santa Baby" - The Hot Toddies
14. "Christmas Medley" - Pee-wee Herman
15. "Christmas with the Jews" - Elizabeth & the Catapult
16. "The Chanukah Song" - Neil Diamond
17. "Dreidl-Bells" - DJ Flack
18. "Come All Ye Faithful" - Halford
19. "The Christmas Song" - Redd Foxx
20. "Maybe This Christmas" - Ron Sexsmith
21. "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" - Eddy Arnold
22. "Christmas Don't Be Late" - Jessie Torrisi
23. "Present Face" - Garfunkel & Oates
24. "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" - C.W. Morris
25. "We Three Kings" - Spinal Tap
26. "Luau in December" - King Kukulele & the Friki Tikis
27. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Carmen McRae & Sammy Davis, Jr.
28. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" - Julie London
29. "White Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
30. "Oíche Chiúin" - Enya
31. "Auld Lang Syne" - Billy Idol
32. For me to know and you to find out!

Grab an .rar file of the mix here.

Some thanks: my brother for track #24 (an older recording had to be used because his Mac/recording studio was broken), my nephew Hunter for help with a secret related project, and the fine folks at Patrick Henry Pub for the CD release party

Want more Yuletide audio goodness? The past couple of years of mixes can be found here and here.

*For those in Richmond, at least.

See ya, Ukrop's

So, legendary regional grocery chain Ukrop's is being bought by Giant's parent company. Four thoughts:

1) I'm sure I have an old Giant card from my tenure in NoVA tucked away somewhere, so I've already got that covered.

2) It will be nice to finally buy beer and wine (on Sundays!) at a former Ukrop's building.

3) I guess this was the last year of my tradition of frying up a batch of Ukrop's-bought oysters for Thanksgiving. Future oysters will be from Ukrop's in name only.

4) Who says boycotts don't work? CW, you won.

It's beginning to look a lot like Riffmas

Oh, man. I CANNOT WAIT until tonight's live Rifftrax show: "Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!" Considering that the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" gang's take on Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is among my favorites of theirs (their riffing of the surreal Mexican import Santa Claus is also a good 'un), the festivities should not disappoint. And if they do, the performance by "Weird Al" Yankovic should redeem any slow parts.

Bonus Crush of the Week: Iliza Shlesinger

This week's Bonus Crush is comedian Iliza Shlesinger.



She's an impulsive and uninformed choice. This evening I was clearing out the ol' DVR backlog by watching "Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black" and she was briefly featured in it. From what I gathered, she's cute and had some funny quips and that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge about her. I've got to do some more research...

Crushes of the Week: "Inglorious Basterds" women

This week's Crushes are Mélanie Laurent and Diane Kruger, the two women featured in Quentin Tarantino's most excellent Inglorious Basterds.



They were both new to me when I saw Inglorious Basterds* and I thought each did a great job holding their own against the likes of Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. I'm really looking forward to watching them - and this movie - again (and again).

*Well, I did see Kruger in the craptacular Troy, but I mostly wiped that film from my memory.

Song to get you through the weekend: "Christmas with the Jews" by Elizabeth and the Catapult

Christmas with the Jews from Elizabeth & the Catapult on Vimeo.

Here's a little preview of the Christmas mix that I made this year, which I'll be posting here next week. This song - "Christmas with the Jews" by Elizabeth and the Catapult - reminds me of the time about 10 years ago when my holiday travel plans were temporarily thwarted by ice and snow, and a Jewish friend invited me over to spend Christmas Eve with him, his family, and their friends. Good times.

Happy Chanukah (if that's your dealy-o)!

Finally! A cheese made specifically for me.

Choose your quip and discuss why:

A) I bet it tastes great on Wonder Bread with some mayo.
B) It's holding all of the other cheeses down.
C) Ever notice how some cheeses dial phones like this...

Song to close out the weekend: "Do They Know Its Christmas?" by the Comedy Death-Ray Xmas Nativity Choir

Usually, I pick up my calendars for a heavy discount as January fades into February, but not for 2010. Why? Because the fine folks at A Special Thing and Comedy Death-Ray are including a Christmas CD with the purchase of their comedian-filled calendar. Included on that CD is a version of "Do They Know It's Christmas" by the Comedy Death-Ray Xmas Nativity Choir.

If there's someone that makes you laugh on TV or in movies*, chances are he or she is featured on this song: Paul F. Tompkins, R.O. Manse, Tig Notaro, Rob Huebel, Patton Oswalt, Mike Phirman, Jimmy Pardo, Brian Posehn & Scott Aukerman, Garfunkel & Oates, Aimee Mann, Chris Hardwick, Paul Scheer & June Diane Raphael, Doug Benson, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Nick Thune, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Cracked Out, Dragon Boy Suede, Natasha Leggero, Thomas Lennon & Ed Helms

Man, what a line up. I can't wait until my calendar and CD ship.

*Provided you don't exclusively watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour or Comic View

Pixelated Pigskin Prognostications: Championship Round Two

The Great Xbox 360 Swami knows nothing of Richmond's miserable yet winning performance last week. It lives in the now, buzzing the tower and making its superior spill coffee on himself. Based on its CPU vs. CPU match, it predicts the following outcome for tonight's game:



Richmond 33, Appalachian State 25

Now go on with your bad selves.

You're next, Stevie Nicks.

You're all on notice.

Bonus Crush of the Week: Little Boots

This week's Bonus Crush is English electropop star Little Boots (née Victoria Hesketh). I find her debut album Hands to be a lot of fun.



In addition to crafting a nice slice of pop, she's also completely adorable, especially when she's rocking out in her little black dress:



How can you not love her?

Crushes of the Week: "Community" women

This week's Crushes are Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs, two of the stars of the hilarious "Community". (Brie also does a fine job as Trudy on "Mad Men".)



"Community" is a great show. NBC better not kill it. But I can't imagine the network has much else waiting in the wings.