I don't think 2008 was a very good year for pop culture.

The Hollywood writers' strike seemed to have lingering effects, delaying the return of some of my favorite TV shows past the point of anticipation all the way to indifference. Probably can't blame the strike, but most of the year for movies was also generally a disaster, with the summer slate being a particular disappointment (I was even let down by The Dark Knight).

It was miss after miss on the reading front for me as well, with several much-hyped books, like Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union and O'Neill's Netherland leaving me cold and unsatisfied. And our most exalted Prophet has admitted that it wasn't a particularly great year for new music, either. [Read more]

There's nothing wrong with Roland Burris and there's nothing wrong with the appointment

-- Roland Burris [Read more]

First let me start off by saying that this isn't a particularly easy post for me to write. It'd be an honor to delight you all with a long diatribe about the Jets annual implosion, but that would conflict with one of the great joys of being their fan. That of course is the joy of pocketing all the rage and torment into the pit of my stomach and then watching it explode at the most inopportune times like a bootleg 8th century jack-in-the-box. Like that time a few years back after Doug Brien missed two field goals in the last two minutes against the Steelers and I had to be escorted out of a Dunkin Donuts after receiving 27 cents of change in the form of three nickels, a dime and two pennies. What can I say, I like quarters.
 [Read more]

My New Year’s resolution for 2009 is to keep myself entertained. And, I ask you, what could be more entertaining than launching a worldwide exploration of music together? We’ll be starting our tour in South America—specifically Brazil, because I have a special place in my heart for all things Brazilian.

Befitting such a large and geographically diverse country, the musical styles of Brazil run the gamut from Bossa Nova to Rap to Metal. But my favorite style, not just of Brazil, but of any music anywhere, is Samba. [Read more]

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how insufficient the typical yearly doctor physical seems for adequately diagnosing diseases, and how modern technology could be used so much more effectively. Interestingly enough, the latest Wired magazine cover story addresses this very issue with a specific focus on the battle against cancer. It's a fascinating read. [Read more]

Today in Ann Arbor, the Fighting Illini sought to put a cherry on the Sunday of this week -- to top the ice cream sundae of beating Purdue on national TV that should vault the Orange and Blue into the national rankings for the first time since March 2006.  Yet to assure themselves of vaulting past Baylor, Gonzaga, and Michigan (all likely to fall into the limbo of the unranked) and to the forefront of the Big Ten, the Illini faced two tall orders:  beating the hungry Wolverines in their own building, where Wisconsin ground and executed them into submission days ago, and also, stepping past the Michigan program that enjoys permanent exposure and star factor, no matter its mediocrity.  When Coach K's protege Tommy Amaker failed to get Michigan into the [Read more]

In American cinematic tradition, The Aging Warrior, usually played by Sylvester Stallone, returns to the arena for one last heroic battle against The Arrogant Challenger, defying expectations and muscular degeneration to prove that he's The World Champion For Eternity. The Wrestler, a moving, melancholy character study about a fictional pro-wrestler of a certain age, is not one of those films. There is no epic battle between Aging Warrior and Arrogant Challenger. There is no Arrogant Challenger, period. The young wrestlers in the film are just struggling to make it. They exhibit affection and respect for their legendary predecessor. [Read more]

The following list of ten defense strategies may or may not have been found near a trash bin outside Rod Blagojevich's home, and may or may not be a list of ten things he thought of to defend himself and to discuss with his lawyer, Ed Genson.

My Top Ten Secret Legal Strategies, by Rod Blagojevich

10.  That Was Illegal? No shit. [Read more]

Just got done watching The Happening, written, directed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan, and felt the need to do a question column on it. Yes, they are mostly rhetorical.

1) The

2) Absolute

3) Worst

4) Major

5) Motion

6) Picture

7) In the

8) History of

9) American

10) Filmmaking

Barack Obama's inauguration later this month is the signal moment in a realignment that has taken place in American politics -- a political realignment Obama both helped to forge and rode to a seven-point victory over John McCain.  Yet this realignment is much more than one election of one President.  It is a sign of this realignment that the Democratic Party in 2008 won more votes for its Presidential candidate for the fourth time in the last five elections.  While most visible at the Presidential level, this realignment is also deeply anchored in party identifications, in state Congressional delegations, in statewide election results, and most deeply, in America's changing issue and demographic landscapes that create [Read more]

It seems somewhat unnecessary to rave about a Meryl Streep performance. Ditto with Philip Seymour Hoffman. But in Doubt, they’ve both turned in flawless performances that left me with my jaw on the floor. The two screen giants are joined by Amy Adams. I’ve never seen Adams in a dramatic role before and I was impressed. In Doubt she more than holds her own. [Read more]

Ah, vindication.

Yesterday, I felt like I was the only one criticizing the Roland Burris pick for Roland Burris (as opposed to Blagojevich having the gall to make an appointment in the first place).

Today, the truth about Burris and his planet-sized ego is coming out.

Some fun links:

Burris already has his grave site, complete with a massive memorial.

The Chicago Sun-Times documents Burris' belief that he is divinely directed to hold office. [Read more]

Let's get right to it...  Before the new year (mercifully) rings in.

(you'll have to click through for numero uno...)

3.  Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes [Read more]

I was getting tired of hearing commentators and supposed experts put half of the Big Ten into their projected tournament fields while leaving Illinois out.  I guess the Fighting Illini were tired of that too. Tonight they beat a damn good team -- the eleventh-ranked team in the land -- in its own building.  Purdue defended well, got to the line twenty times more than the Illini through regulation, and in the league where every road win is precious and rare, Illinois seized a huge one.  The Illini are now 13-1, three points from an undefeated 14-0. [Read more]

Ok, so 2008 won't go down as one of the best years in recent memory. We've had a financial collapse of historic proportions, a housing meltdown, a credit crunch, a $50 billion investment scam, a failing U.S. auto industry, dramatic oil and food price shocks, deadly terror in India, continued mayhem in Iraq and Afghanistan, genocide in Africa, voter turnout scandals, Sarah Palin and Rod Blagojevich, and to cap it off, a re-emergence of violence in one of the most intractable conflicts of all-time (Congrats, Israelis and Palestinians, for once again proving how stupidity and inhumanity know no borders!) [Read more]

Roland Burris? I haven't paid much attention to Illinois politics in a while, but when I was still paying attention, Roland Burris, a once respected elected official, had turned into a sad caricature of himself.

Some highlights:  [Read more]

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For Britney, Paris, and Lindsay:
I resolve to wear panties to public events.
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There are those who mistakenly think the Prius is a car -- a tool to get you from one place to another.  Others think of it as a tool to improve energy conservation.  Whatever.  I am here to tell you that in the hands of a true connoisseur, it is so much more than either of those two things:  it is a game, on which you can get a really, really high score. [Read more]

The Obama Presidential Transition continues to be one of the speediest ever -- this bodes well for the new president's ability to decisively govern in these chaotic times. While the team has tried to keep some things -- like the vetting of potential cabinet officers -- close to the vest, in other ways the transition process has been one of the most open and interactive in history. The Obama team is playing it smart, and converting their grassroots machinery from that of a get-out-the-vote operation to policy participation. This also bodes well for the new president's style -- because when it's all said and done, people just want to know they've been heard. [Read more]

I used to watch The West Wing. In one of the very first episodes, the fictional president gets a briefing from the fictional Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in which the term “proportional response” is explained. The president is angry because terrorists shot down a military transport plane carrying someone with whom he had a personal relationship and he is ready to unleash the power of the United States military in retribution. The Chairman patiently explains that when they shoot down one of our planes, we take out a target that would be considered equitable. We don’t, for example, destroy an entire city. We might instead choose to bomb an armory wherein a few guards might die. [Read more]