RIP Bill Buchanan
Day 4 – Day 7

• I may write a little more later, but for right now, let’s pay our respects to Bill “Double-B” Buchanan. I think we all saw the writing on the wall after last week’s episode, and he went out in a heroic way that he deserved, but it does little to sooth the agony of losing the man who was, by far, the longest serving head of CTU ever. Let’s hope his dying wish was that his wife Karen never set foot on the set of 24 ever again.

  

Life is more demanding than it used to be and thus one of the little things I had to cut out of my life because of a time shortage (ie “RUNNING OUT OF TIME!”) is my 24 random thoughts. However, I’d still like to throw in some quickies on this season thus far and especially for this weeks double episode:

• First of all, I guess we should all give a belated, but hearty, welcome back to 24! After two years on hiatus due to a writer’s strike and possibly a collective writer’s stroke during season six, it’s nice to have Jack Bauer back firing on all cylinders even if the events are even more far fetched than before.
• When I say, “far fetched” I really mean it. The events of this past week are by far the most ridiculous things to have ever happened on this show, and that’s saying a lot.
• Most vexing development of the new season: we have two characters with legitimate claims to the title “Big Red.” All was fine and well until our boy Aaron Pierce showed up for no legitimate reason (which is reason enough for me by the way). For the purposes of seniority, Aaron will remain Big Red. Let’s hope he’s alive long enough to maintain the title through next week.
• With Aaron back in Washington, is it safe to assume he’s no longer eating kiwis with Martha Logan? Incidentally, Aaron is the only character other than Jack to be in all seven seasons, so here’s hoping he survives the White House siege.
• One of my favorite parts of the early season was Jack’s interrogation scene in the Senate. How many times have you wanted someone to respond the way Jack did to these pompous windbags?
• Tony’s resurrection? I’m sorry, I don’t buy the story. Of course, Tony’s been very shady this whole season so maybe there’s more to what’s going on, but I’m guessing this is the best explanation we’re going to get. Robocop intentionally missed his heart and Emerson just happened to pick him up from CTU, huh? I don’t buy it, but I’m willing to go along with it. For the record, I’m going to say that Tony’s still a bad guy trying to infiltrate rogue-CTU on behalf of Emerson.
• I like how Bill just took being held up by Jack at gunpoint in stride. Almost like he figured it had to happen at some point, right? Also, you would think if anyone would know to “not fight it,” it would be Bill at this point.
• Favorite New Character: Agent Freckles Walker, Michelle Replacement (although no one really can)
• Overall they’ve done an amazing job making it seem like everything is being filmed in DC, but seriously, how many meetings are we going to have on the steps of the Capitol Building?
• How do you manage to lose both your gun AND your cell phone making a simple jump onto a boat? I was half expecting a shark to quick rip off her pants. Then I realized I wasn’t that lucky. Walker is truly the Lois Lane of this season.
• Also, Walker was freaking Aquaman the way she swam across the Potomac in about 30 seconds.
• Sometimes it bothers me that Janeanne Garofalo is on 24, but then I imagine her having to read a script for a show she’s on that includes Jack tasering Red Foreman’s boy toy in the nipples and it all seems worth it.
• Why does the White House have a holding cell?
• I don’t know if 24 has been consulting with Vince Flynn again, but a terrorist takeover of the White House was the basis for his book Transfer of Power. It’s been a while since I’ve read it so I don’t really remember how the terrorists got in, but I’m almost positive it wasn’t a freaking sea-based invasion. I remember when I was reading it thinking it would be great for 24. As much as I like President Taylor, how much cooler would this scenario be if they did this while Palmer was still president (the real one, not Wayne).
• I like how General Juma’s attack plans included an actual picture of the White House. Apparently he just scanned a 20 dollar bill.
• Soooooooo, think the 24 writers might have been watching The Rock recently? I know LA is far away, but they couldn’t pull up a map of DC to see that the White House is a mile away from even the Tidal Basin? That was one nice thing about the LA location. I have no idea where one landmark is in relation to another out there. Unfortunately, I’m pretty familiar with Washington and these details bug me.
• That was a pretty solid drill Juma had. Over the time of the commercial break and the previouslies they went from just starting the hole to making it wide enough to fit 3 men.
• Some people say the character of President Palmer on 24 is a mirror image of our current Dear Leader. I say they are absolutely correct.
• I loved how Jack and Bill had the whole debate on Bill torturing the Senator’s chief of staff while there’s a guard standing right next to them. That leads me to…
• Huge pet peeve this season: NO ONE LISTENS TO WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND THEM THIS SEASON People are getting shot left and right in the White House. No one responds. Smarmy guy and mistress openly talk about reformatting the FBI’s servers (don’t get me started) while walking down the hall and no one overhears them.
• Anyone up for a game of darts with Jon Voigt? Yeah, he’s a biter, but I hear he’s ordering Chinese!
• Good thing Juma decided to collect captives starting with Bill right after killing scores of anonymous WH staffers.
• Now we know that when this season was written in the days of yore before the writer’s strike, Hillary was anticipated to be the next president and apparently they assumed John Edwards was the next Vice-President Evil.
• What’s the only thing cooler than Jack using a tazer on a terrorist in the White House? Jack tazering a phone. . .with the President on the line!
• I was pretty convinced that either Double-B or Pierce were going to die this week. Needless to say I was relieved, but I have a feeling that will be short lived.
• Line of the Week: “You sir are weak! You are unwilling and unable to look evil in the eye and deal with it!” The whole torture debate as a whole has been handled much better this year than in season six.
• My overall opinion on the first half of this season is that it’s a solid rebound and certainly worthy of inclusion in the 24 canon after the lackluster mishmash of season six. However, I can’t help but feel that some of the magic is gone. This whole affair has a very season four feel to me, however, so maybe what is missing is the familiarity. Of course that all lead to the greatness of season five, so maybe what we’re dealing with is a “rebuilding” season if you will.

  

I think nearly everyone on the right is becoming increasingly concerned with the way Obama and the Democrats are seeking to radically alter the face of this country into their own image. I know I for one got a chill down my spine when I saw this. (And for the record, no, we’re not!). To date, I have not read an article that has gotten to the heart of what’s at stake better than Michael Ledeen, inspired by Tocqueville:

Most of us imagine the transformation of a free society to a tyrannical state in Hollywood terms, as a melodramatic act of violence like a military coup or an armed insurrection. Tocqueville knows better. He foresees a slow death of freedom. The power of the centralized government will gradually expand, meddling in every area of our lives until, like a lobster in a slowly heated pot, we are cooked without ever realizing what has happened. The ultimate horror of Tocqueville’s vision is that we will welcome it, and even convince ourselves that we control it.

There is no single dramatic event in Tocqueville’s scenario, no storming of the Bastille, no assault on the Winter Palace, no March on Rome, no Kristallnacht. We are to be immobilized, Gulliver-like, by myriad rules and regulations, annoying little restrictions that become more and more binding until they eventually paralyze us.

Subjection in minor affairs breaks out every day and is felt by the whole community indiscriminately. It does not drive men to resistance, but it crosses them at every turn, till they are led to surrender the exercise of their own will. Thus their spirit is gradually broken and their character enervated…

The whole article is a must-read, and I felt like I should share. Fascism should not be defined as Hitlerism, but as the merger of the state with corporations, with the church, and with every minute aspect of our lives. I fear this is the destination we will arrive at very soon, but I am becoming increasingly fearful that we will lack the character to return to our founding principles when the pendulum inevitably swings back. I guess I have to put Democracy in America in my book queue now.

-MPAW

  

Maybe I should start doing this one at the beginning since there are always some releases that come out in between me writing it and actually posting it. Anyway, 2009 looks very not great for movies, while promising to be maybe the greatest year in music of all time. The list of names is staggering and even if half of these scheduled albums are duds, it will still be a pretty good year (not even including the no names that I haven’t even heard of yet).

Music

1. Fun – Untitled
It’s the second coming! The Format is no more, but the former band members can still make music. If the single “Benson Hedges” is any indication then this has the potential to live up to Dog Problems. Or that may turn out to be the most absurd notion since, “Wings is going to be better than The Beatles!”

2. Jimmy Eat World – Untitled
The drama here isn’t so much will it be good (it will be), it’s will these guys ever hit a target release date? They’re saying summer 2009, so I’m guessing fall 2010.

3. Brand New – Untitled
I’m still waiting for the lyric booklet from The Devil And God that I paid one American dollar for. That was a lot of money back then.

4. Blink-182 – Untitled
Yeah. You read that right and I’m not crazy (speaking of second comings). No way that after 5 years of musical maturation under my belt this ends up disappointing me, right?!

5. Say Anything – Say Anything
I hate when bands have self-titled albums that aren’t their first release, but I’ll graciously make an exception here.

6. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Will this top American Idiot? No. Will it really be released this year? Maybe. They can’t distract us with this Foxboro Hot Tubs nonsense forever.

7. Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground – Introducing Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground
Their self-titled is so great. Can’t wait to see what these stinky hippies do next. Dance for me stinky hippie, DANCE!

8. Arctic Monkeys – Untitled
More awesome beats and indecipherable lyrics! Count me in.

9. Morrissey – Years of Refusal
I plan on purchasing this when it is released, but let’s just say that if it were to have leaked or if I were to have accidentally heard it before now, I would probably think it was phenomenal.

10. New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight
Has NFG ever slipped up? Not really. This will be good, not great. You heard it here first.

11. Eminem – Relapse
One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the others by the time I finish my song?

12. Eve 6 – Untitled
I can’t prove that this is actually happening, but they’re reformed and touring so a guy can hope, right?

13. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Untitled
This one I can prove! They’re back and recording, baby! 2009 seems to be the year of the reformed bands.

14. Cartel – Untitled
Cartel, there was a time when I called you friend. Stand with me now and make something that doesn’t bore the crap out of me.

15. My Chemical Romance – Untitled
I really liked The Black Parade. Maybe I’ll like this one too!

16. Saves The Day – Daybreak
I’m never sure what to expect with these guys other than vocals like raking a chalkboard, yet I can’t help but anticipate this.

17. Mark Hoppus – Untitled Solo Album
+44 was mediocre, but Angels & Airwaves is terrible. Mark + Tom > Mark or Tom. (Edit: I’m not even sure this is happening any more. I’ll live either way).

18. John Mayer – Untitled
John Mayer has bedded half of the women you’ve ever seen at the magazine rack in your grocery store. The other half is Oprah. He also makes good music.

19. MxPx – On The Cover 2 and Untitled Studio Album
Eh, why not? Should be good for 2 weeks of entertainment come summer.

20. Reel Big Fish – Fame, Fortune and Fornacation
I’d be more excited about this covers album if it wasn’t 65% Poison songs.

21. Two Tongues – Two Tongues
Don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure Chris Conley and Max Bemis are dating.

22. Motion City Soundtrack – Untitled
Still waiting for this guy to cut his hair and lose his powers.

23. AFI – Untitled
Don’t click here. It will ruin it for you.

24. Dropkick Murphys – Untitled Live Album
I don’t usually go for live albums, but I’m curious if the mics pick up the many bloody deaths that take place in the pit of every DKM show.

25. Taking Back Sunday – New Again
Carpathia sounds not so great, but when do the labels ever pick the right first single for punk bands?

26. Thursday – Common Existence
I would have liked A City By The Light Divided a lot more if it didn’t sound like they recorded it at a friend’s apartment party . . . and the microphones were with the neighbors.

27. All Time Low – Untitled
It seems I will never tire of generic pop-punk.

Movies
Behold the mediocrity! (With a few notable exceptions)

Arrested Development
Watchmen
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Inglorious Bastards
Terminator Salvation
Friday The 13th
Toy Story 3D
Avatar
Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder

  

I have to say that I found this year to be a bit lackluster in its musical offerings. It may have just been a lack of effort on my part. I promise to do better next year. I can, however, guarantee that my list is better than Rolling Stone’s even though we share a few picks. Why? The Jonas Brothers and The Academy Is… are on the RS list. That actually has me rethinking the entries on my list that are also on theirs (although the TAI… album was actually OK). Whatever…

Old School:
Here are some older releases that received plenty of play by me this year:

The Clash – London Calling
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Streetcore
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Santana – Santana
Elvis Costello – Trust
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour

Also receiving votes:
No pictures for these guys!:

Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American [Deluxe Edition]
Yeah, this is a cheat, but this is a rare re-release that is worth the cash featuring 18 b-sides (including Last Christmas, Firestarter, and (Splash) Turn Twist) and a new version of “Your House.”

The Foxboro Hot Tubs – Stop Drop And Roll
Just make a new Green Day album already!(!!) This actually made for a pretty good retro-punk diversion in the summer, but I want the real thing.

Styrofoam – A Thousand Words
Euro-electro-pop never sounded better. Bright Red Helmet almost sounds like it could fit on Clarity, and one track even features Mr. Jim Adkins, eater of worlds.

Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony
Woo, summer album.

Millencolin – Machine 15
Pop-punk has come a long ways since the `90’s (sort of). Millencolin hasn’t, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Panic At The Disco – Pretty. Odd.
Don’t judge me! I’d rather these guys be emulating The Beatles than Fall Out Boy, but a song on this album has just as much a chance as being painfully boring as it does being a valid channeling of the `60’s. There’s some impressive instrumentation here, assuming the band actually played everything themselves (doubtful).

Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Yeah, I listen to Jason Mraz sometimes. So what?

Weezer – Red Album
I really like half this album and really hate the other half. “Everybody Get Dangerous” is handcuffed-to-Fran-Drescher painful.

Favorites:

15. Murder By Death – Red Of Tooth And Claw
Americana Indie Rock
“By the light of the moon, I’m coming home/Howling all the way, I’m coming home.”

I’m not even sure how to label this band’s style (I stole the genre listing from their Myspace page). Imagine Johnny Cash singing songs about slaughtering people in the old wild west in a rock band playing the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. That’s about as close as I can get. ROTAC is one of those albums where I love it sometimes and then other times I just can’t seem to get into it. That’s the only reason why it isn’t higher on this list because the quality of the music itself is pretty high. Dare I say this is my favorite cello-punk band?

Best Tracks:

Comin’ Home
Rumbrave
Spring Break 1899

14. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
Rock
“Beer is not dark/Beer is not light/It just tastes good/Especially tonight.”

Terrible album cover. Worse band name. Even worse album name. The music? Pretty good! While the similarities to U2 are pretty unmistakable (I’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing or not. Remember, Bono isn’t involved here at all!), the music seems considerably more chaotic (in a good way). The downside to that is that when the band doesn’t seem on the cusp of complete musical anarchy, all else seems to blend together (in a bad way). This band is clearly better when it’s just going nuts.

Best Songs:

Lights Out For Darker Skies
Waving Flags
Atom

13. Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger
Pop
“And even if your voice comes back again/Maybe there’ll be no one listening/And even if you find the strength to stand/It doesn’t mean you won’t go missing.”

This is maybe the best “disappointing” album of the year for me. It’s not even disappointing; it just fails to live up to the classic album that precedes it on JM’s discography. This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year and it certainly has a fair share of high points, mostly dealing with frontman Andrew McMahon’s battle with leukemia. The tone is understandably a bit more downtrodden than Everything In Transit, which is basically the perfect summer album. However it’s impossible to miss the optimism that is still strung into every song even when dealing with heavy issues.

Best Songs:

Crashin
Bloodshot
Hammers and Strings (A Lullabye)

12. Ben Folds – Way To Normal
Piano Pop
“If there’s a God, He is laughing at us and our football teams.”

Until now, most of my exposure to Ben Folds was his song featured on the Godzilla soundtrack from back in the day. I’m not sure if that statement speaks more ill of my music tastes in 1998 or now. I’ve listened to him here and there, but this is the first album of his that I’ve actually given a good amount of listening to. It’s eclectic, fast paced, odd, and frankly, all over the place, but it’s because of that weirdness that I really dig it.

Best Songs:

Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)
Bitch Went Nuts
Effington

11. Brave Saint Saturn – Anti-Meridian
Astro-Rock
“And these frail hands/They tremble as they pen for us their last/And these weak words/Can never say what cannot be surpassed.”

So apparently this album isn’t never happening after all. I don’t think I’m overstating it when I declare this album the Chinese Democracy of Christian astro-rock. It’s been five years since BSS’s last release and I had long since moved on from hoping that they’d complete their space trilogy, so when I learned that this album was in the works I greeted it with a big fat, “Meh.” While it was great to hear the voice of Five Iron Frenzy again, my first listen could pretty much be summed up with the same word. Then one-by-one songs started to grab me until I one day realized that I liked this album quite a bit. There are plenty of throwaway tracks here for me and I’d still take new FIF over this any day, but this was a pleasant surprise for me.

Best Songs:

Mercenary
Starling
Hero’s Homecoming
These Frail Hands

10. Coldplay – Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Pop
“I hear Jerusalem bells-a-ringing/Roman calvary choirs are singing/Be my mirror, my sword and shield/My missionaries in a foreign field/For some reason I can’t explain/I know St. Peter won’t call my name/Never an honest word/And that was when I ruled the world.”

I’m not nearly familiar enough with Coldplay’s previous discography to really compare this with their previous works, but I do know that this is their first release that really grabbed me. I think the fact that I heard “Viva La Vida” about 6,000 times over store intercoms in June alone backs me up on that one. VLVODAAHF (as I assume it’s known to their fans), reminds me a lot of my favorite album last year, Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, in both tone and theme. The instrumentation is just as lush, however it does lack the epic qualities that I felt with Neon Bible. As I said, I never really listened to Coldplay much, but this album made me a fan.

Best Songs:

Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love
Yes
Viva La Vida

9. Gaelic Storm – What’s The Rumpus?
Celtic/Folk
“The closest I’ve come to ending up dead/Was the night that I punched Russell Crowe, the Gladiator, in the head.”

This band has somehow flown under my radar until this year. Unlike Dropkick or Flogging Molly, this is just a flat out Celtic band with no hints whatsoever of a punk influence (even though they actually hail from Los Angeles). The band that made its public debut as the steerage band in Titanic mainly plays upbeat, humorous songs, but it isn’t afraid of to occasionally tell a serious story and even has a healthy dosage of instrumental tracks.

Best Song:

What’s The Rumpus?
Slim Jim And The Seven Eleven Girl
Floating The Flambeau
The Night I Punched Russell Crowe

8. Flogging Molly – Float
Irish Punk
“Drink away the rest of the day/Wonder what my liver’d say/Drink/That’s all you can.”

Every year there seems to be one album where I look at where I placed it, can’t believe it’s so low, and double check to make sure I didn’t screw up only to find out that I can’t justify knocking down any of the albums above it. This is that album for 2008. It wasn’t always that way as I was initially a little disappointed with Float coming on the heels of the much punkier Within A Mile Of Home. After adjusting to the folkier Float I’ve realized that not only is it better than Within A Mile Of Home, it may very well be my favorite Flogging Molly album to date.

Best Songs:

Float
The Lightning Storm
Punch Drunk Grinning Soul

7. Fall Out Boy – Folie à Deux
Pop
“And does your husband know the way that the sunshine gleams from your wedding band?/I will never end up like him/Behind my back I already am/Keep a calendar this way you will always know/The last time you came through.”

After Infinite On High, I figured that I was all but done listening to this band on a regular basis. There were a few standout tracks, but the majority of the songs were quite disposable. When “I Don’t Care” was released as the single for this album, I thought I might be done altogether. Then I listened to it again. And again. And, damn it, this is just the best band ever at making songs that I like even though I know I shouldn’t. Listening to the first half of FAD for the first time, I thought this might actually be the best album they’ve made to date. Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a drop off in the second half, but this is still a step back in the right direction for them. There are also some bizarre forays into politics from time-to-time. Now, I don’t mind some liberal lyrics (I’d be a country fan if I did), but there are some bands that should seriously just shut up and play. FOB belongs in the latter category. If you wear guyliner, I really don’t care about your opinion on the geopolitical challenges of the day.

Best Songs:

Disloyal Order of the Water Buffaloes
I Don’t Care
Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet
What A Catch, Donnie

6. Brian Wilson – That Lucky Old Sun
Pop
“Up in the morning/Out on the job/I work so hard for my pay/But that lucky old sun has nothing to do but roll around heaven all day.”

This year seems to be a year for the old folks to rediscover their groove. I’m not a huge Beach Boys fan per se, but Pet Sounds is inarguably one of the greatest albums ever recorded. That Lucky Old Sun is not a towering achievement comparable to Pet Sounds, but it is impressive and that’s even before you consider that Wilson is 66 years old with a fried brain from his `60’s drug usage. TLOS is a wistful look back at Wilson’s youth in California with mentions here and there of the mental breakdown that postponed the release of Smile for almost four decades. It doesn’t seem like there’s a linear story being told here, but almost all the songs run into each other, sometimes connected by a spoken word narrative. If there’s a criticism to be found here, it is that the songs at times seem a bit too trite and sappy, but that’s kind of the point of a 60-year-old singing about his 20s in southern California, right? That said, even in his 60s Brian Wilson’s pop sensibilities remain unsurpassed.

Best Songs:

Good Kind Of Love
Forever My Surfer Girl
Going Home
Southern California

5. Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground – Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground
Psychedelic/Indie
“I got a tendency to go and run my mouth/Cause I can depend on no one else/I’ve got my living costs and a bumper sticker that reads ‘All who wander are not lost.’”

Honestly, if this were an objective list rather than having my own personal biases factored in, this would be at the top of the list. Kay Kay is the only thing that remains of the once powerful Gatsbys American Dream empire. You can certainly hear the Gatsbys influences, but this band is primarily psychedelic with only a dab of the GAD craziness. I’d say it’s like The Beatles on acid, but The Beatles were on acid. This is Kay Kay’s debut studio album, but the band initially released a live recording last year, which comprises the bulk of the first half of this self-titled album. Perhaps for the reason of lesser familiarity, I feel the second half is inferior to the first half. However, whatever negatives can be found in this album are more than made up by the incredible instrumentals and melodies to be found here. Definitely one of the year’s best, and the band’s forthcoming release should be right back up there next year from what I’ve heard of it so far.

Best Songs:

Hey Momma
Birds (On A Day Like Today)
Simon Courage Flees The Coop
All Alone

4. Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
Ska-Punk
”Cause I know I’ve wasted way too many times/Living way too many lies/How can this be my fault?/I’m always right/There’s a devil in my DNA/Programmed parts from all the starts/Or is there no one else to blame for my tangled up gears and turnstile jobs?/Fact is I’m just a living sum of all my parts.”

Wow. This is a band that responds well to criticism. I’m an LTJ fanboy, so I’ll listen to anything they put out (except maybe Greased), but I have to admit that I’m glad so many people hated In With The Out Crowd, because the result is the band starting their own label and producing their best album in a long time. This was my official summer driving album and after almost a decade where each successive album seemed a little poppier and a little less horny, it’s great to hear 14 new horn-driven punk songs. I don’t think too many people would list this as their favorite LTJ album, but it is the first time since 2003 that Less Than Jake has sounded like Less Than Jake and that’s enough for me.

Best Songs:

Does The Lion City Still Roar?
Golden Age Of My Negative Ways
This One’s Going To Leave A Bruise
Devil In My DNA

3. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Bar Rock/Indie
”Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer/I think he might have been our only decent teacher/Getting older makes it harder to remember we are our only saviors/We’re gonna build something this summer.”

This band is also the maker of one of the best albums of 2006, Boys And Girls In America; I just didn’t know that at the time. The Hold Steady is way more Springsteen-ian than I am typically used to, so it took me a little while to get into them, but once I did I fell in love with both BAGIA and this year’s Stay Positive. SP features more instrumental experimentation than their previous efforts, but the band still stays true to its rock roots and lyrical storytelling. If you can get past the vocals, this album is full of great “sing-a-long songs.”

Best Songs:

Constructive Summer
Sequestered In Memphis
Stay Positive
Magazines

2. Elvis Costello And The Imposters – Momofuku
New Wave
”The night is black as cracked shellac that landed in an attack/Stella is silent as the grave until a needle drags her through the static/Don’t bring me down/I’m trouble bound/Blue song red alert/Who made Stella hurt?”

I’ve long been a fan of Costello’s early work, but this one came out of nowhere to totally rock me in a way I was not anticipating. It’s hard not to admire EC’s eclectic discography as he’s dabbled in almost every major genre (gangsta rap has remained curiously untouched), but for years I’ve wondered why he can’t be bothered to occasionally throw in an album that sounds like he did in the `70’s. This is that album at long last. I’m betting this is the first time I’ve said this about any artist and probably the last: this is his best album in 25+ years since 1982’s Imperial Bedroom. Since IB came out 3 weeks before I was born I’ve basically been waiting for this my whole life. Released “only on vinyl” (for two weeks), this was clearly meant to be a throwback and it succeeds entirely. The keyboard is back, the punchy lyrics are back, and most importantly the fun is back. There are solid reflective tracks here too, but the upbeat songs are clearly the highlight. American Gangster Time, which is basically an anti-American screed, is infectious enough to make even me want to sing along. I’ll probably enjoy whatever direction Costello chooses to go next as well (perhaps polka-country?), but I do hope he starts releasing these old-school rock albums with increased frequency.

Best Songs:

American Gangster Time
Harry Worth
Stella Hurt
Pardon Me Madam, My Name Is Eve

1. The Gaslight Anthem – The `59 Sound
Rock/Punk
“Did you hear the `59 Sound coming through your grandfather’s radio?/Did you hear the rattling chains through the hospital walls?/Did you hear the old gospel choir when they came to carry you over?/Did you hear your favorite song for one last time?”

I’ve got to admit that I only started to listen to this group because I thought their band name was cool. Needless to say, I think their music lives up to their name. The `59 Sound is a significant departure from TGA’s solid debut album, Sink Or Swim. Replacing the gruff punk rock of the latter is nostalgic, country-inspired lyrics fused with echoey 80’s-like vocals (think The Killers – but not painful to listen to), and pop-punk melodies. While it would be a stretch to call this album patriotic outright, it’s refreshing to hear music in this genre that is so inspired by Americana. Unlike my favorite album last year, The `59 Sound probably won’t be winning any Grammys, winning over the pretentious among us, or even topping other similar lists, but to me this album still feels as fresh and invigorating now as it did the first time I listened to it many months and spins ago. In a year of much musical parity with no clear personal favorite, that’s enough for me to give it the top slot.

Best Songs:

The `59 Sound
High Lonesome
Miles Davis & The Cool
The Patient Ferris Wheel
The Backseat

  

Peter Robinson shared this graph via The Corner, and more people really need to be aware of this occurrence (which is why I’m sharing it with the two, maybe three people that still read this site):

This is how much the money supply has been increased in the past year according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. I have to say that this is probably the first time I’ve seen a graph that has actually scared me. I’m not an economist, but I don’t think you have to be one to see that we’re in for some tough times ahead. Mega-inflation anyone?

I’m not a conspiracy theorist (yet), but this is the most compelling argument I’ve seen yet for the rumors surrounding the future implementation of the amero. If someone were to intentionally try to devalue the American dollar and turn it into the peso, would you do it any differently? Again, I’m not sold on the idea of some secret plot to merge us into a North American Union (not that this is even being done in secret), but as of right now I’m struggling for a rational answer for why this is being done. Of course the increase in available cash will be a momentary patch on the current economic downturn, but surely the “geniuses” in charge of the Fed know the problems that this will cause very shortly down the road.

Also, the fact that this is being almost completely ignored by the media is absurd. I follow the news pretty closely on a daily basis (granted, not as in-depth as I did before), and I was aware of the influx of cash, but I was unaware of the magnitude of this unprecedented action until this morning. Someone who is more knowledgeable about things like this seriously needs to convince me that I’m just whipping myself into a frenzy for no reason, because I am more than just a little alarmed right now.

-MPAW

  

Here are my favorite pics for 2008 in chronological order. You can see the whole shebang here. As I did last year, I followed a Scrubs-style naming convention:

1. My Keg Tap Disaster (February 9 – Welcome Home Party)

2. My St. Patrick’s Day Meal (March 17)

3. My First IronPigs Game (June 27 – IronPigs Game)

4. My Weird Hair (June 29 – GF/LTJ/DKM Concert)

5. My Massive Footlong (August 9 – Shea Stadium)

6. My Projected Dream (August 16 – Brew Expo)

7. Our Uncomfortable Timed Shot (September 12 – PSU Roadtrip)

8. Our Terrifying Walk (September 13 – Penn State vs Syracuse)

9. Our Syracuse Road Trip (September 13 – Penn State vs Syracuse)

10. Our Wanting To Know If You’ve Ever Seen The Rain (September 26)

11. My Fire (September 26)

12. My Kick In The Head (November 16 – Homecoming Weekend)

13. My COME TO PENN STATE!! (November 21)

14. Our Big Ten Championship (November 28 – Penn State vs Michigan State)

15. Our Ugly Christmas Sweaters (December 20 – Ugly Christmas Sweater Party)

16. My Family Takes Forever To Get A Group Shot Right (December 25 – Christmas 2008)

17. My Lucky Day (December 28 – Eagles vs Cowboys)

  

Boy, the writer’s strike really hit this year hard. Not only was there no 24, but other solid shows from last year seemed to take a nose dive including Heroes, Scrubs, and South Park. As a result we have a truncated list this year.

7. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it? Y’know, you stay here long enough you fool yourself into thinking this is how it’s always gonna be. Then you remember what this place’ll look like when it’s on fire and you realize you’ll do whatever it takes to keep from watching it burn again.”

I’m pretty sure when this show was first announced all of humanity stood athwart Fox and yelled, “Stop!” I know I didn’t have high hopes, but I checked it out anyway to satisfy my curiosity and was shockingly not appalled at what I saw. This isn’t exactly a classic work of art like Terminator 2 is, but it is very entertaining if only for it’s action despite the moments of stupidity that seem to attack at least once in every episode. I haven’t watched anything from the second season yet, but if they have at least ratcheted down the terrible attempts at humor a bit, I’ll probably like it.

Favorite Episode: 1.9 – What He Beheld

6. Prison Break
“Michael: When the exchange is over, and LJ is safe, you and I are gonna spend some quality time.
Susan: When the exchange is over, you better run for your life.”

Well, I finally gave this show a real shot and ended up watching the entire series in the span on a month. Unfortunately, that month was February so everything seems to run together in my mind and thus my synopsis is not going to be very in depth. It took me about half of season one before I was fully on board, but once I was I couldn’t get enough. One thing I’ve noticed is that the good guys have extraordinarily good luck to get out of the jams they get into. However, they also have extraordinarily bad luck to get into the jams to begin with so I guess it all evens out. Bottom line is if you have bought into all the ridiculous twists that have already happened on the show, then buying into the idea of everyone having to break out of yet another prison doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it does at first glance.

Favorite Episode: 3.13 – The Art Of The Deal

5. Lost
“It’s not an island. It’s a place where miracles happen. And—and—if you—if you don’t believe that, Jack, if you can’t believe that, just wait till you see what I’m about to do.”

Midway through season three I almost gave up on this show. It had become so convoluted and ridiculous that the frustration over the overall story was greater than the enjoyment I get out the show on an episode-to-episode basis. Thankfully that ship was righted in the second half of season 3, and Lost managed to carry that momentum into season 4 in what is probably the most solid season since the first (which I doubt will be topped). The flash forwards add a new dimension to the show just as the flashbacks were beginning to get stale. I still doubt they’ll be able to wrap up all the questions they’ve brought up on the show, but this season made me more optimistic that there might actually be a satisfying ending to all this.

Favorite Episode: 4.14 – There’s No Place Like Home

4. John Adams
“Well, if my long residence in London as this colony’s agent to the court has taught me anything, Mr. Dickinson, it has taught me this: that given the choice between doing what is right and doing what is not right, His Majesty’s government will take the latter course every time.”

This is technically an HBO miniseries, but one of the best of 2008 nonetheless. It tells the story of our first Vice-President from his role in our declaring independence to his death, just hours after Thomas Jefferson on the fourth of July. John Adams was a very influential person in our becoming an independent country, yet his life story (at least to me) is not well known. It’s fascinating to see the history unfold, sometimes in ways you don’t expect. Unfortunately, it seems not everything is as historically accurate as they portray. Still, it’s worth a view if only to be disgusted by seeing a founding father get frisky with his wife.

Favorite Episode: 1.2 – Independence

3. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
“Dee: Maybe there wouldn’t have cats surrounding your building if you didn’t have open cans of cat food everywhere!
Charlie: I have fifty cats howling outside my window because I have ten thousand RATS running around the building!”

Much like Seinfeld before it, IASIP seemed to have hit it’s stride in season four. There were still a couple dud episodes towards the end, but this season made me laugh the most consistently. This year saw the gang “solve” the gas crisis, faking their own deaths, trying to find out who pooped the bed, get voted the worst bar in Philadelphia, crack the Liberty Bell, stage a scary extreme home makeover, write a musical, and be tortured in an loony bin by Sinbad and Rob Thomas. What more could anyone ask?

Favorite Episode: 4.6 – Mac & Charlie Die

2. The Office
“As a farmer, I know that when an animal is sick, sometimes the right thing to do is to put it out of its misery. With the electricity we’re using to keep Meredith alive we could power a small fan for two days. You tell me what’s unethical.”

This show is the only reason why I wanted the strike to be resolved as quickly as possible. Knowing that I had a guaranteed half hour of good entertainment every Thursday is a comforting thing, and not having that early weekend kickoff killed me. On top of everything, it seemed that the shortened season knocked the show off it’s game for a little bit (although some of that could be attributed to the Jim-and-Pam-are-finally-together transition period). Even in an off year though this show was great as Michael hits Meredith with a car (and then organizes a walk-a-thon against rabies), the temp becomes a total dick as he becomes a Dunder Mifflin executive and launches a new website, Jan goes completely psycho (before getting pregnant), Michael demonstrates what a survivor man he is, and Jim and Pam don’t get engaged at the perfect moment stolen by Andy proposing to Angela.

Favorite Episode: 4.1 – Fun Run

1. The Shield
“Vic led, but I kept following. I don’t think one’s worse than the other, but we made each other into something worse than our individual selves. I wish I’d never met him.”

Now that this show has come to a conclusion, I have come to a conclusion of my own: this is the best drama I have ever watched. 24 will probably always be my favorite, but I have not seen another show that was as consistently excellent as The Shield. It also featured maybe the best series finale I’ve ever seen (certainly the best since Arrested Development, although the two can’t really be compared). Its amazing seeing seven years worth of plot finally coming to a head as every crooked member of the strike team faced the consequences of their actions (and took some others along the way). It was a perfect ending to an almost-perfect series. I’m sorry to see the show end, but I’m glad it didn’t cling to life longer than it should have. Also on the plus side is I never have to decide between this and 24 for the top slot on one of these lists!

Favorite Episode: 7.13 – Family Meeting

  

This has been a rough year for movies (and pretty much all media as far as I can tell), and I’m assuming the aftermath of the writer’s strike won’t even be felt until next year! This year it seems Hollywood just sucks. That’s as much enthusiasm as I can muster:

Worst of the Year:

Semi-Pro
The only half-funny moment in the entire movie was a 10 minute long segment revolving around the phrase “jive turkey.” It wasn’t worth it.

Speed Racer
Good to know I’ll never have to experiment with acid because the Wachowskis are obviously doing enough for all of us.

Mediocre of the Year:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I had nothing but bad vibes for this film since I got that same old “They’re seriously calling it The Phantom Menace???” feeling when they announced the name. I need to see it again, but my impression the first time through was that it was a mixed bag and probably worse than it would have been if Spielberg had made this independently from Lucas’s influence.

Hancock
This was surprisingly watchable, mostly due to Jason Bateman’s awesomeness and Charlize Theron’s hotness.

Favorites of the Year

10. Cloverfield
”Shut up! All right, we don’t know what we saw. The point is it’s still here, all right? So we need to get the hell out of Manhattan! Now!”

This movie really didn’t hold up well seeing it the second time on DVD, but man, it was a load of fun in the theater. It’s like The Blair Witch Project but with less suction and (if it’s possible) even more puke-o-rama shaky cam! (Thank you soooo much Jason Bourne). The dialogue is bad (if you took out the word “dude” in the script I’m pretty sure it would cut the run time by a third), the plot is ridiculous if you apply any logic at all (sure she can run away from the monster! We un-impaled her like 5 minutes ago!) the acting is embarrassing at times, and the monster is disappointing when you finally get a look at it after an hour and a half of teases. What keeps this movie together is the suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen next and the imaginative set pieces. It’s certainly worthy of one viewing, but probably not more than that.

9. Pineapple Express
“In case you haven’t noticed – which you haven’t, ‘cause from what I can tell, you don’t notice anything ever – we are not very functional when we’re high.”

This is the Seth Rogan comedy of 2008 that I actually saw, so by default it’s “The Best Seth Rogan Comedy of the Year!” It seems the competition gets stiffer with every passing year. This time he brings along fellow Freaks and Geeks alum Harry Osborne as Saul the drug dealer. The two are forced to become fast friends as one of them witnesses a murder while leaving behind a joint filled with a rare kind of weed that is only dealt by Harry. I’m not big into stoner comedies like I am for beer comedies (both of them!), but in a year dominated by comedies, this was still a highlight.

8. The Incredible Hulk
“Hulk smash!”

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUD NOISES! If great comedies was one trend of 2008, a superhero movie mini-renaissance was the other. This movie, written partially by Edward Norton, is mercifully a clean break from Hulk, which was directed by Ang Lee and was duller than soccer play-by-play in sign language. Instead of pondering super close-ups of still life we get loads of ultra close-ups with angry, screaming abominations unto the Lord (pun intended). While the CGI gets a little out of hand at the end (would it be a true summer blockbuster if it didn’t?) this was an overall satisfying experience that quickly faded from memory only because it was outshone by several other new classics in the superhero genre.

7. Step Brothers
“You have the voice of an angel. Your voice is like a combination of Fergie and Jesus.”

It’s been a while, but Will Ferrell has finally returned to form. Perhaps his star just burned too bright in Anchorman, but since then his filmography has been a long list of tepid mediocrity. I’m just going to ignore the fact that he was also in Semi-pro, which is saved from being the worst movie I saw this year only because I was stupid enough to watch Speed Racer. It’s Ferrell’s crudest comedy since Old School (maybe even ever), and even though his shtick has worn a bit thin, this is full of hilarious moments. Just reading the quotes page on IMDB to write this had me laughing out loud.

6. Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
“Now I’ve often said ‘good news’ when sending you on a mission of extreme danger; so when I say this anomaly is dangerous, you can imagine how dangerous I really think it is.”

This is the second of four planned Futurama movies and it is about on par with the first one (the third one, Bender’s Game, was a bit tedious for me). While I personally think Futurama is best told in 30 minute episodes, I’ll take any new material I can get. This entry features, well, in the words of Fry, “I went to another Universe and fell in love with a giant octopus; and now I’m Pope of a new religion.” It’s complicated, but no more so than any other storyline on this show. If this show doesn’t come back at some point then this might be the last hurrah for Futurama with the third film being a dud and the forthcoming finale seemingly centered on the obnoxious environmental theme that popped up from time to time on the show. I guess I’ll always have my DVDs…

5. Get Smart
“Agent 99: Did you see anything while I was dancing?
Maxwell Smart: Just once, but I don’t think you expected him to lift you that high.”

Up front, I’ll just say I was and am a huge fan of the original TV show starring Don Adams. I grew up with that show on Nick at Nite every night, so I was somewhat leery of the idea of a remake. Casting Steve Carell as Max was a good first step in winning me over even though no one can ever replace Don Adams in that role. Unfortunately, my geekiness over the show kept me from fully loving the movie. Maxwell Smart was a well trained idiot, not a smart analyst with no field experience. Siegfried was a German Nazi type, not General Zod. And for the love of God, Larabee was NOT freaking Champ Kind. You can’t just take whatever actor you want, let him do the same terrible shtick he always does and expect everything to be fine by giving him the name of a beloved character who acts completely different from what is in the movie!! Argh!! That being said, the last minute appearance of Puddy as Hymie was genius. I’d be up for a sequel as this movie was surprisingly solid in both action and comedy. Also Anne Hathaway is strikingly gorgeous in this movie. The movie would be worth seeing just to watch her for two hours.

4. Tropic Thunder
“I think I can spot a prop head when I see one!”

Speaking of old shtick, this one is starring, written, and directed by Ben Stiller. It’s a surprisingly smart and hilarious spoof on Hollywood in general. You have the aging action star Tugg Speedman, played by Stiller, the lame comedian who plays multiple roles in his movies played by Jack Black, the energy drink swilling rapper-turned-actor played by some other guy, and the “serious” Australian actor who gets awards for playing a gay priest with Toby Maguire played by Robert Downey, Jr. Together they form a cast trying to film a war movie but inadvertently get involved in a real war zone. However, I got my money’s worth on this movie just from the fake trailers they showed before the movie even started.

3. WALL-E
“This is called farming! You kids are gonna grow all sorts of things! Vegetable plants, pizza plants… Oh, it’s good to be home!”

Death. Taxes. Good Pixar movie. I didn’t care for Cars and Ratatoille as much as some of the old classics, but they still had their charm. WALL-E on the other hand is a return to form even if they didn’t drift too far from form to begin with. I don’t know how long this film went without any dialogue, but it’s amazing how interesting the beginning of the film is while not saying anything! I’d love to see the script just to see how it was all mapped out. Pixar movies are also always nice to look at, but they certainly seemed to have stepped up their game in the animation department for this one. I’m new to the BluRay thing, but thus far WALL-E, by far, has been the best looking movie I’ve watched in the medium. Nothing can ever top the Toy Story movies or The Incredibles, but WALL-E may become a classic as well, despite it’s somewhat obnoxious imbedded political message.

2. Iron Man
“Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.”

I’m not going to say that anything Jon Favreau touches turns to gold (I remember Daredevil, buddy!), but he has created a few classics in his day. Swingers is one of my favorite all time movies, Elf is a new holiday staple, and now Iron Man set a new high bar for super hero movies . . . for about three months before (#1 MOVIE SPOILER!) The Dark Knight came out. Even though I had only a vague knowledge of the Iron Man story, the casting of Robert Downey, Jr excited me more than any super hero casting since Christian Bale. It seemed even more inspired (maybe even obvious?) after seeing the movie itself. Like The Incredible Hulk, it does get bogged down with CGI (and some iffy acting by Gwyneth Paltrow) in the end, but on the whole the film balances action, plot, and comedy brilliantly. Bring on Iron Man 2!

1. The Dark Knight
“Why so serious?”

This movie, on the other hand, I’m not so sure I want a sequel to. Why? Because I don’t think it can be topped. The first thing I said after I saw TDK for the first time was, “This was sooo much better than Batman Begins.” And I loved Batman Begins! In describing this film to others who hadn’t seen it (I’m a midnight movie geek), I would use the “Best movie since ____” method. Except the release date of the movie in the blank kept on getting pushed back the more I thought about it. I think I finally settled on The Empire Strikes Back. In the Batman movies of the past there was always a clear definition between the films. It was as if the villains of the previous films just disappeared for the new one. Not only is The Dark Knight a clear follow up to Batman Begins, but it masterfully balances a large cast of supporting characters including Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent/Two Face, Alfred, and of course The Joker. The subject’s been worn out, but Heath Ledger is spectacular in this movie. From his very first appearance the writing combined with his performance makes The Joker completely unpredictable, menacing, and maybe the greatest villain in super hero movie history. There are two movie clichés that are pulled off here without problem: the villain with no real motive, and the good guy who turns bad guy almost instantly and at no point did I not buy into it. I’ve already written about the War on Terror commentary (yes, I still think Batman is George W. Bush), so I won’t beat a dead horse on that topic. Maybe what impresses me the most about this movie is that on paper, the threat is so much smaller than it was in Batman Begins, yet it feels so much bigger and more threatening. In a day when there seems to be so few releases that even interest me, it’s so refreshing to have this film come along and remind me why I love movies so much to begin with.

  

Welp, it’s that time again when I spent waaaaaaay too much time writing down what I liked about the ending year. In 2008’s case, media wise, not much. I could just say “The Dark Knight and The Shield are good!” in one post and be done with it, but that’ just not my style is it? Here is the tenuous schedule subject to change (if only because the picture part seems pretty unlikely to get done):

Sunday, January 4: Favorite Movies
Sunday, January 11: Favorite TV Shows
Sunday, January 18: Favorite Pictures
Sunday, January 25: Favorite Music
Sunday, February 1: Looking ahead to 2009

Have a Happy New Year!

-MPAW

  

Fox released a new season 7 trailer that includes bits from Redemption as well as the rest of the season. Looking pretty sweet:

Also, it doesn’t look like Michelle Dessler will rise to be Tony Almeida’s zombie bride. She’s joining the cast of Lost for this season. Still, it’s nice to see her get some work (and on something that’s a little better than AVP2).

-MPAW

  

I know this is a sad and disappointing day to many people (myself included), but let’s remember one thing above all: as Conservatives we believe in this country and the principles it was founded on no matter who is in power. We are not liberals who go on a temper tantrum saying how “stupid” the country is because the majority voted the other way. Right off the bat, here are some actual positives of the results from last night:

• I got to watch The Shield last night! The early call of Ohio meant I could go on with my regular routine.
• More seriously, the election of Barack Obama is actually a repudiation of a long held Liberal contention that America is a racist country. I desperately wish that this historic event could have involved someone who is not an empty suit, but it’s hard not to acknowledge that the crossing of this barrier is a good thing for America. The more commonplace events like this are, the less traction race baiters like Jesse Jackson will get in their attempts to divide us (although The Onion tries. Heh).
• Branching off from the “liberals think all Americans are idiots when they’re out of power” notion, it will be nice to have the other half of the country like America again, even though they’re trying to radically alter it. Perhaps now that they share some responsibility, they will have the luxury of taking the War on Terror seriously instead of just squatting on the carpet repeatedly and fingering George W. Bush as the culprit. On a personal note, I’m looking forward to not seeing those “1/20/09: Bush’s Last Day In Office” bumper stickers anymore.
• While it may appear that the country wants to move to the left, remember that there’s a sizeable portion of the electorate that still doesn’t know anything about Obama other than “HOPE!”, “CHANGE!” and that he comes from outside of George W. Bush’s party. Obama’s liberal voting history runs counter with the centrist campaign that he ran. This presents two scenarios, and both of which (I hope) would end up positive for us: 1) If Obama’s smart enough to know he has to campaign as a moderate to get elected, then he’s smart enough to know he’ll have to govern as a moderate to stay in office. Given the voting results he has the right to govern the way he wishes and if he can hold off the Pelosi radicals in his own party and live up to the message of compromise in his victory speech then he should be applauded. 2) The more likely scenario I see is that there’s going to be tremendous pressure from Congress to bite off more than they can chew immediately and Obama will go along with it. Let’s also not forget that the Democratic Congressional leadership is completely inept and Obama’s first major accomplishment as President will be the first accomplishment of any magnitude of his political career (aside from winning the offices he holds of course). Hopefully this will result in some major missteps (see the first couple of years in the Clinton administration) and the damage will be limited. However, even if a large portion of their agenda is enacted, I still believe this is a center-right country and we’re not ready to accept socialism. Hopefully this will result in a major backlash in two years (see 1994). In 2012 Obama will not have the benefit of having his entire career shrouded in a cloudy haze. If he is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothes then it will be easier to hold him accountable in four years.

For this to happen though, we have work to do. It may just be relief that the eternal election is finally over, but I feel invigorated somehow, especially in comparison to 2006. While `06 was bad, it never felt like rock bottom. This does. This is the Dems’ biggest victory since LBJ over Goldwater, but let’s remember that four years after 1964, LBJ was so unpopular he couldn’t even run for re-election. In 2012 we won’t have perceptions of the Republicans running the country (even though the Democrats have controlled the Congress the past two years) and we won’t be weighed down by having to defend an unpopular president who doesn’t even defend himself (a situation that would have doubtlessly been prolonged had McCain won).

I haven’t figured out exactly what action items need to be taken to restart the Conservative movement, but here is a short reading list in the meantime that I recommend to everyone.

1. The Constitution of the United States and the Federalist Papers – Let’s start with basics. We all think we know the Constitution, but it’s been a long time since high school. Let’s look at it with fresh eyes to keep ourselves centered. While the Constitution has been endlessly distorted by liberals, one only has to read the Federalist Papers, written primarily by Alexander Hamilton, to see how off base they are. If the 18th century linguistics don’t wear you out, check out the Anti-Federalist Papers as well to see what the arguments against the Constitution were. It’s interesting to see which concerns were valid and which ones didn’t pan out.
2. Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg – I read this book earlier this year and it is one of the most educationally shocking books I’ve ever read, even while being much more reasonable than the title would indicate. There is history in here that is so out there that your instant reaction will be that it can’t be true. However, in every instance that I researched, Goldberg was vindicated. This is an absolutely essential read for a Conservative not only to understand what’s wrong with Liberal thought, but also to weed out your own Conservative fascist leanings. Honestly, if you only read one thing on this list (other than the Constitution of course) make it this one.
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – I believe it was meant as a satire of progressives to show what will happen when we punish the achievers, but the extremes described in this book that desperately needed a better editor are quickly coming to pass.
4. An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck – Look! Pretty pictures! You could use a break from all this heavy stuff anyway.

Speaking of Mr. Beck, his must-read list following the election included Liberal Fascism as well as The 5,000 Year Leap and The Forgotten Man. I have not read the latter two, but I intend to. That is all for now class, book reports are due at the end of the month!

Remember even when elections don’t go our way – even ones as seemingly devastating as this – that the pendulum swings back quickly. Four years ago the hot phrase was “permanent Republican majority.” There’s always hope for America because it’s populated by Americans. Let’s act like it by first shoring up what we believe in and then fighting for it.

-MPAW

  

And while I’d like to credit Sarah for these, most of the credit goes to GOB’s wife here:

Palin Rap

I crack up at 2:16 every time.

-MPAW

  

Eh, I’m excited to see what they have up their sleeve for season seven, but this whole Africa thing looks remarkably like all those unremarkable movies Kiefer always makes in between seasons. And somehow all these recognizable faces only make it seem less like 24. Another thing that’s interesting is the whole female President aspect seemed lame and contrived after Hillary Clinton lost the primaries, but all of a sudden seems relevant again now that Sarah Palin has hit the scene. Also good to see President Noah and Tom Lennox again. One last random thought: does the title of this movie refer to Jack Bauer or the show itself after last season? Heh. I should probably break out a DVD set soon to start getting myself in the mood!

-MPAW

  

I offer to you a quick time line:

1988:


1992:

1996:

2000:
Did it ever really end???

2004:

2008?:

I gotta be honest, I’m actually more offended by the fake southern accent than the lipstick thing, but if Obama loses this may very well be the “Dukakis in a tank” moment that people will attribute his loss to. Whether it was meant for Palin or not (I personally don’t see how you interpret it any other way), it certainly displays a total lack of political judgment from Mr. Greatest Orator of our Generation. Can’t say I’m not enjoying it either.

Also, it’s a stretch to say that it doomed his campaign, but I just love this picture too much not to post it again:

I’m sure one of these days we’ll have Democratic nominee for president who isn’t a douchebag, right?

-MPAW

  

I found another negative to Sarah’s speech on Wednesday: it set the bar too high for the actual nominee. I’m not gonna do a full analysis because the speech can pretty much be taken at face value. It was pretty straight forward in a State of the Union kind of way. I’m gonna have to disagree with the Conservative punditry consensus because I think McCain bombed (mostly because of his delivery). Of course, the idiots interrupting the speech at the beginning didn’t help. I’m talking about both the protesters and the general nonsense of convention chanting. Side note: At a sporting event when someone interrupts play, the broadcasters specifically try to avoid showing the intruders lest others be inspired to do the same. I’m wondering why the same isn’t done at conventions. I’d claim it was party bias except I don’t think anyone on our side has ever tried to shut up a Democratic speaker. Ahem.

Back to the speech, you would think that when he was practicing his handlers would instruct him not to suddenly smile at the end of a line. Just terrible, terrible delivery. McCain’s audience beat out Obama’s (to which he owes Mrs. Palin), it’s just a shame the speech itself didn’t rise up to that occasion.

While the speech wasn’t great, there were three parts that I thought were gold. 1) His recounting of his time in captivity was great. Particularly the “they broke me” part. I frankly got tired of hearing about it throughout the week, much as I got tired of hearing it from John Kerry, but hearing it again from his mouth was moving in it’s honesty. 2) His admitting the GOP lost their soul and the public’s trust may have not gone over well with the crowd, but it’s the truth and I would think it played well with the American public. I wish more speakers acknowledged the fact that the Republican Party screwed up and deserved to get booted from power (even if the default benefactors of that have no business running the show either). 3) The “fight with me!” climax was great and a much-needed boost of energy to end things.

Also notice that there was suddenly no mention of “executive experience”? Oh yeah. That’s because John McCain doesn’t have any either! That phrase burned my skull every time it was used for that very reason. I think McCain’s legislative and military leadership more than makes up for that, but I just don’t know why they insisted on that phrase.

Finally, I want to say that the organization of the convention in general was terrible. Whoever decided it was a good idea to have giant jumbo-tron behind the speakers should never be allowed near the planning of such an even again. Particularly if that person also came up with the idea to start out McCain’s speech with a picture of a random building as the backdrop. Terrible stuff. It would look more at home on a landscaping website.

Yes, I know this post had very little to do with the title and picture. I like Sarah Palin and Anchorman. Sue me. If it ends up being a not-so-close race and I end up voting for McCain, it will more likely be because I want to further her career than because I have a great love for the Senator from Arizona.

-MPAW

  

I’ve sometimes wondered if viewers in 1964 of Ronald Reagan’s “Time For Choosing” speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater had a clue as to the history they were witnessing. They couldn’t possibly imagine that the b-movie actor on the screen would one day lead a political revolution that would transform American politics for a quarter century, but they had to recognize the potential in the man who three years later would become the governor of California.

It is still far, far too early to say Sarah Palin is Reagan’s successor (a week ago, only us politics geeks even knew the name . . . and that was pretty much all we knew) but man, what a way to introduce yourself to the American public! When watching the speech one couldn’t help but think we were witnessing something special and possibly the birth of the next generation of Conservative leadership. If you didn’t see the speech, do yourself a favor:

Before I get carried away with the hyperbole, let’s also remember that it was still just a speech (albeit the best one in recent memory). It would be ridiculous for people who have been calling out Obama for months as being an empty suit who gives nice speeches to then say, “Well here’s our Messiah!” after just a single night. Palin still has to prove herself, but to her credit she has, you know, done something in her time in office as opposed to a certain leftist false Christ. The weeks (and hopefully years) ahead will be the judge to whether she is the right person for the job.

As for the speech itself, there was one aspect that didn’t hit me right and that was the mockery of Obama’s work as a “community organizer.” There’s nothing necessarily wrong with being a community organizer (assuming of course we ever find out exactly what that entails), and it would’ve been nice to acknowledge that fact. That being said, the Obama campaign fired the first shot by mocking Palin’s experience as a small town mayor (as if that’s prepared her less for the presidency than Obama’s work). Of course, if anyone deserves the right to strike back, it’s Palin after the week she just went through. Not to mention it was a really funny line.

Bottom line is Palin did everything she needed to do. She introduced herself to a country that prior to this only knew her from the shameless slander coming from the media for the past week (seriously, it was outright war). She introduced her family (who couldn’t possibly be more likeable), and handled the controversy surrounding her daughter in a roundabout, but classy, way. She built up McCain and enumerated her accomplishments in office. She savaged Obama and totally tore apart his record (or lack thereof). Most importantly, she showed poise and guts given the circus that surrounded the proceedings. She may not be the most experienced candidate for the job, but she showed she wouldn’t be a deer in the headlights if something were to happen to a President McCain.

A PBS announcer last night said, “It’s been a while since Republicans have had reason for pure, unbridled joy.” How true that statement is (it’s been about 4 years by my count). You know the hype is well deserved when the best the left can do is say, “Yeah, but it was written by one of George W. Bush’s writers!” Sarah Palin still has a lot to prove, but for the moment Conservatives have the right to believe in the hype and be optimistic about the future of the movement.

  

If anyone deserves the longest blog title ever, it’s Sarah Palin. Maybe I’m just being like an Obama zombie, but I think her speech tonight was a grand slam. Maybe the finest GOP convention speech I can remember (although Zell Miller’s in `04 was pretty great too!) It’s too late for me to do an in-depth analysis, but man, I’m pumped! Until I have time to process and write about what I just saw, enjoy these Sarah Palin facts:

• Sarah Palin prepped for this speech with a ritual sacrifice of Susan Estrich.
• Sarah Palin has actually traveled backwards in time from after the roll call to accept the nomination retroactively.
• Sarah Palin doesn’t actually have an accent, it’s distortion from her telepathic broadcast directly into your brain.
• Glasses sales up 150 percent since Sarah palin became nominee.
• The diamonds in Sarah Palin’s earrings were crushed with her very hands.
• Sarah Palin’s use of the word “Haberdashery” will bring it back in style.
• Sarah Palin is the reason compasses point North.

  

I have to leave for Penn State soon for football weekend #1 (woo!), but all the media outlets are saying McCain picked Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his VP running mate. I don’t have time to do much research on this at the moment, but I’m going out on a limb and say if this rumor is true that she would be the hottest Vice-President in American history. Evidence:

She can break my Senatorial ties any day! Umm, I’m not sure what that was supposed to mean.

-MPAW

  

Wow. As McCain released the classy Congratulations message earlier today, he also brought the YouTube pwnage:

Hard to refute your own words. Here’s hoping this can be cut effectively for a TV-length ad ASAP.

-MPAW