That gets my vote, as well. Although I also really enjoyed Murderball.
Best TV Show: House, MD. Yeah, I know, it debuted last year (2004), but it was late 2004, and I Tivo’d the first episode, but didn’t get to watch it until after Jan 1.
Best Album: Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman. I disliked it at first. It seemed to me that Ben was channelling Dennis Wilson. But it’s grown on me more and more, and it’s easily my favorite musical release this year.
Best Musical Performance (live): Wilco, June 30, Louisville Palace. Then again, it’s the only concert I saw this year.
Best Book - While I didn’t read much written in 2005 this year, I can’t imagine many books could best David Bergen’s The Time in Between, which won Canada’s Giller Prize. The story of two siblings who go to post-war Vietnam to search for their lost father, it’s ideal for anyone who loves Ernest Hemingway.
Best Album - Probably the ebullient, uplifiting pop of the New Pornographers’ Twin Cinema. “These are the Fables” is a classic.
Best Live Performance - Seeing The Decemberists live in Toronto, especially when they brought out the giant whale prop for “The Mariner’s Revenge Song.”
Best Movie - Post-university poverty kept me away from the cinema for most of the year, but I did see two films which totally enthralled me: the aforementioned Murderball and Good Night and Good Luck. Murderball was the more entertaining, but every shot in Good Night was so incredibly visually striking. I can’t wait to find out what Clooney’s next directorial project will be.
Best Internet Discovery - Man, do I love Flickr.com with a vengeance.
OTR is a 2005 discovery for me. The singer’s voice is absolutely hypnotizing. Think back porch on a lazy summer’s day. Never heard of them before this year, now I have seven of their CD’s.
Best Live Performance - Prince
Best TV Show - My Name Is Earl
Do games count? - If you like rock music and have a PS2, check out Guitar Hero.
I’ve played computer and video games for over two decades and can’t think of a game I’ve had more fun with.
Ooh, those both sound good. And it definitely sounds like a live album is the best place to start. Hm… pay the mortgage or buy CDs, what to do, what to do…
Most memorable movie was probably The Constant Gardener. I also really enjoyed Star Wars, Sin City, Crash and Grizzly Man.
New on TV Faves: Rome and The Office and The Colbert Report.
Sports: Patriots taking 3rd SB in 4 years. Jermain Taylor giving us a new boxing star, and the outing of Arturo Gatti as the chump that he is. Also, this was the Year of the Demise of the Icon. Who paid for their hubris this year? Bonds, TO, Mark McGwire, Palmeiro, Steinbrenner, Hockey Players. I like sports, but I’m still an iconoclast, and this was the year of bringing them down a peg.
Book: hmmmm, maybe Loose Lips. I didn’t read much this year.
Music: if anything, Kanye West with Late Registrtation, but I didn’t get much this year that I expect to be in my CD player in 5.
