Last week’s announcement of Heath Ledger’s death was extremely sad. Sad to think that he not only left behind a burgeoning acting career, but a family with a two year old daughter. I really thought after “The Dark Knight”, his career would go off with the Joker bringing him more commercial acclaim. Instead, I think the movie will feel weird to watch at times, much like “The Crow” was, knowing that Brandon Lee died during the filming of the movie. Actually if you brought up the images of both actors, they look eerily similar.

Brandon Lee here:

Heath Ledger here:


The difference here was we knew that Heath Ledger was a great actor and that his potential was just beginning to be met. I enjoyed his turns in “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Patriot” (awful movie though) and his silent turn in “Brokeback Mountain” was heart-breaking. Heath Ledger’s passing is a sad ending for a star that was on the rise.

2007 Music Year in Review

Considering the lateness of this post, one could argue that this may be a list of the best of 2008.

About four years ago, a friend of mine, Chad, started a most exclusive club where we submitted a mix disc of our favourite tracks of the year. It has become a yearly thing that I look forward to as it forces me to reflect on what I have listened to AND gives me the excuse to make a good mix disc. The group has grown to 16 "people" (there are couples involved) and I also enjoy discovering new bands throughout the years (such as LCD Soundsystem, Jason Collett, Peter Bjorn, and a host of others).

So for my first part of my 2008 year in review, I present my track listings and some extended comments. I am quite pleased with my track selection order, because for a short span, the titles start to mirror an abbreviated recap of Britney Spears life in 2007.

I will first list the tracks and if you want to read more about my choices, just scroll down. I have also linked some of the artists so you can sample some of their tracks at their website:

1. Tournament Of Hearts (The Weakerthans) Album: Reunion Tour
2. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... (Jay-Z)
Album: American Gangsta Soundtrack
3. Unless It's Kicks (Okkervil River)
Album: The Stage Names
4. Big Casino (Jimmy Eat World)
Album: Chase This Light
5. Intervention (The Arcade Fire)
Album: Neon Bible
6. Reckoner (Radiohead)
Album: In Rainbows
7. Rehab (Amy Winehouse)
Album: Back to Black
8. Hate It Here (Wilco)
Album: Sky Blue Sky
9. No One (Alicia Keys)
Album: As I Am
10. 1 2 3 4 (Feist)
Album: The Reminder
11. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
Album: Kala
12. Rise (Eddie Vedder)
Album: Into the Wild Soundtrack
13. Long Walk Home (Bruce Springsteen)
Album: Magic
14. All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)
Album: Sounds of Silver
15. Comfy In Nautica (Panda Bear)
Album: Person Pitch
Guilty Pleasures of 2007:
16. Stronger (Kanye West)
Album: Graduation
17. Umbrella [Feat. Jay-Z] (Rihanna)
Album: Good Girl Gone Bad
18. Don't Shoot Me Santa (The Killers) Click to listen to it.
2007 Christmas Single (

1. Tournament Of Hearts (The Weakerthans)
Album: Reunion Tour
This band is my favourite Canadian band. Their previous release, Reconstruction Site, stands as one of my favourite albums ever. This latest offering has some tasty tracks, with this being my favourite. Seeing how I started curling this year, I appreciate all the nods to curling. I can't get enough of the lyrics "hack weight". I once saw the band at at Burgoo (on 10th Ave) and I rarely get compelled to say anything to celebrities, but my unbridled enthusiasm of seeing the band that I was seeing in concert that night led to one of the most awkward exchanges ever.
Me: "You are the best Canadian band ever."
Them: "Thanks."
Me: "I am seeing your concert tonight."
Them: "Great. (translation: back away from us freak!)
This was followed by a prolonged silence.

2. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... (Jay-Z)
Album: American Gangsta Soundtrack
I am not the biggest fan of rap. I enjoy Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, and a smattering of others, but I have a hard time taking some of the other current rappers seriously. I have however always enjoyed Jay-Zed. There is something about him. He has sophistication as a rapper and you know you don't want to mess with him. I think I got hooked from his glorious MTV Unplugged outing where he had The Roots backing him up. Just some great music and when Mary J. Blige took the stage with him things got really cranked up. I still haven't seen this movie, but I enjoy the album. This track gets me with the sweet brassy hook. The best MC is back.

3. Unless It's Kicks (Okkervil River)
Album: The Stage Names
I think this album is up there for my album of the year. It has track after kick ass track. This song just starts with a propulsive beat layered with vicious strumming and wailing horns. I cannot stop my feet from tapping when I listen to this track. When the tambourines kick in I have lost all control and am swept up by this solid, solid track. Check out "Our Life is a Movie or Maybe Not" as well.

4. Big Casino (Jimmy Eat World)
Album: Chase This Light
I am not the biggest fan of this band and I think my hangup is with their lame-o band name. I feel like I just can't respect them because of their Jimmy-Neutron-nerdish name. However, this track I can respect which rocks with a ferocious attacking rhythm.

5. Intervention (The Arcade Fire)
Album: Neon Bible
Sometimes you get bowled over by an album that doesn't sound like anything you have heard in a long time. The experience becomes revelatory. I still remember listening to the first album by this band and I just knew that I was hearing something so different yet so familiar, if that makes sense. And then I saw the band live and their performance confirmed that I was witness to something special. With that in mind, it would be quite difficult for their second album, Neon Bible to top their first, Funeral. But through extensive listening, I realized that the new album isn't that bad. I have favourite tracks like "Black Mirror" and "Keep the Car Running", but I always go back to the organ entrance of "Intervention". Just a great build-up and it is one of the tracks that uses Regine Chassagne's vocals in a restrained manner that adds depth to Win Butler's emotional tone. I get annoyed when Chassagne's hyper-Bjork vocals are the focal point and I think this track demonstrates how Arcade Fire should sound when all pistons are firing. I saw them at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby (my third time) and they still put on a raging show. If you like them, make sure you go see them live.

6. Reckoner (Radiohead)
Album: In Rainbows
These guys are probably one of my favourite bands of all time. I mentioned about the struck-by-a-bolt-of-lightning feeling when hearing something so beyond what you are used to, in regards to Arcade Fire. The same could be said about so many of Radiohead's albums with "OK Computer" being the biggest one for me. This album simply cements Radiohead's status as one of the best working bands together. Track after track employs Thom Yorke's vocals as an propelling instrument that intertwines, disappear, and reappears within the structures of Johnny Greenwood's guitars, and Phil Selway's sharp percussion. I can't stop listening to this track, because I find it so haunting and it just lingers within my bones. This album is another sonic experience delivered by one of the best. I think because you can actually make out many of Yorke's lyrics this time out, this album is easily more accessible than some of their previous offerings. Check out "All I Need" and "15 Step" as well.

Come back to Vancouver Radiohead! It has been too long. I have seen them three times which is not enough at all.

7. Rehab (Amy Winehouse)
Album: Back to Black
Her debut album is a blazing, brassy proclamation that someone with a damaged soul needs to bear her rage through vicious renderings of music that recall classic jazz. Upon hearing this album earlier in 2007, I couldn't get it out of my rotation. It is a bit sad now to think about how her lyrics are almost a cry for help. I hope she survives to produce more work and that she is not snuffed out a la Kurt Cobain, a distraught genius that has their personal demons spiraling out of control.

8. Hate It Here (Wilco)
Album: Sky Blue Sky
I am beginning to realize that 2007 was a tremendous year for music. I love love Wilco. I place one of their concerts in my top five of all time. Wilco's "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel", showcased a completely different side of this supposedly alt-rock band. With this album, Wilco gets away from the sonic explorations of "Ghost is Born", their latest album, and offers a much cleaner and understated album. That sounds like a bad thing, but there are some gorgeous tracks on this album. I remember driving down Marine Drive to UBC and the sun peeked over the trees and hit my face and the song "Sky Blue Sky" played on my car stereo and I couldn't help beaming like the very rays of sunshine hitting my face. I picked this track, because the song speaks about ordinary settings, but manages to convey the powerful feeling of loss of a lover.

9. No One (Alicia Keys)
Album: As I Am
I think I am allowed to have one celebrity crush with Mina and Alicia Keys is the one I choose. I remember swooning (can guys swoon?) when I first heard her album "Songs in A Minor". She is beautiful, plays the piano, and her voice... I can't begin to describe how much it can kick some ass. This track shows off her powers and I can't get the beat out of my head.

10. 1 2 3 4 (Feist)
Album: The Reminder
I saw Feist for the second time this year and she did not disappoint. I remember being really sold by the song "1 2 3 4" and that soon became my favourite track off of her album. Then I saw her perform it on Saturday Night Live and I liked it even more. Then it culminated with an appearance on Conan O Brien, where she was backed by people from Broken Social Scene, New Pornographers, and Grizzly Bear. (Maybe the SNL show was after? I forget now). Then in August, her song became attached to the iPod commercials, sending Feist off to the stratosphere, and of course, I became sick of this song. But I still included it, because it was my favourite track off of her excellent sophomore album (I think it is better than "Let it Die").

11. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
Album: Kala
Her album is hit and miss with me. Some tracks are so weird and some grate on me. But this track is such a disturbing mix of singing children, cash registers “chinging”, and guns firing & loading that I find it completely hypnotic and catchy. Maybe that means I have problems.

12. Rise (Eddie Vedder)
Album: Into the Wild Soundtrack
I think the movie is a tad overrated. And being the biggest Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam fan, I thought there could have been more tracks of substance, but hearing the ukulele with Vedder's distinctive deep voice, appeals to me in ways that I cannot explain.

13. Long Walk Home (Bruce Springsteen)
Album: Magic
I still have not seen the Boss live. Maybe I will catch him this March. His newest album has a terrible name, but plenty of tracks that show that even at his age, the Boss still knows how to rock.

14. All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)
Album: Sounds of Silver
The BEST track of the year. I cannot withstand the slow build-up of this track. I once listened to this track five times in a row in the car. The album is also great and I thank whoever introduced me to LCD Soundsystem last year.

15. Comfy In Nautica (Panda Bear)
Album: Person Pitch
It was the year of the bear. There is another band that I couldn't find room (Grizzly Bear) on my best of, and I decided to go with Panda Bear, because their music is a sonic exploration that is challenging and rewarding. I don't like listening to their music in the car. It is the type of the music that you need to sit in a chair for and just allow your mind to drift off into space. I couldn't decide what track to include, but then was forced by the time limits of my CD to include the shortest offering.

Guilty Pleasures of 2007: Everyone has guilty pleasures, tracks that you know are not the best, but you can't get out of your head and then you eventually find yourself humming to it. Mine are:

16. Stronger (Kanye West)
Album: Graduation
I have liked parts of all three of his albums. He has the bravado to come up with some of the silliest rhymes yet he manages to pull them off with his usual verve. I really love the robot beginning of this track and this song is a good pump-up anthem.

17. Umbrella [Feat. Jay-Z] (Rihanna)
Album: Good Girl Gone Bad
I wanted to include Avril's Girlfriend as well, because these two tracks were used as funny gags in "The Office". This song by Rihanna makes no sense. Who thought you could revolve a chorus around the word "umbrella"? This was the dance hit of the summer.

I liked this funny track, because the lyrics crack me up. "Sweet Mojave rain" bit gets me everytime.
18. Don't Shoot Me Santa (The Killers)
2007 Christmas Single

Whew! OK, I have to go to bed. I will gather my strength to get my TV and movie list out sometime before 2008 ends or the writer strike ends. Whichever comes first.

Happy New Year!

Wow. Where does the time go? I see that I haven't posted anything since December 18th. I had a very restful break, visiting Mina's family down in Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium is something else and I also got to watch a great basketball game involving the Atlanta Hawks. If I had my druthers, I would have seen the Thrashers and the Falcons as well. Mina put a kibosh on that idea. What is up with all the Atlantaean teams going with birds as their names? I love birds and find them fascinating, but I don't think they make for the greatest sports names. But then again, what do I know? I follow a team called the "Canucks".

Just wanted to let you know that I am currently working on a "Best of 2007" for movies, TV, and music.

Hopefully it will be posted up by this weekend. Take care.

Back in black!

Whew. I hope that the three or four of you that actual read my blog didn't start worrying about my absence. I have finished my last Masters assignment for this winter term. I must say it was quite an intensive term and now I only have TWO more classes left.

Unfortunately, I have a stack of marking staring at me that has piled up since my two week focus on my school work. *sigh* Only three more days of class.

Let's see, not a lot of TV out there. I got so desperate last week that I ended up watching one episode of Deal or No Deal. Sad isn't it?

Our hockey team is a smashing success right now and the guys are playing well. I am proud to be the third leading scorer on the team. Check out my stats. Watch out Vancouver Canucks here I come. I do find that in the third year of hockey that I have improved a bit. One day I will have a slapshot. One day.

I am pretty tired and I will be flying to Atlanta to stay with Mina's family (her brother lives there). I will be taking in one Atlanta Hawks game, where the tickets are ridiculously cheap. I wish I had time to see a Thrashers game as well, but we only have time to see one game. I will also try to visit the Coca-Cola factory wearing all Pepsi paraphernalia. I also hope to bump into Ted Turner and give him my best "This is CNN." impression.

I am pretty beat tired so I leave you with these three links.

The first one is to the NEW Batman trailer. I cannot remember the last time I anticipated a movie like this. Maybe Return of the King?

The next one is the sweet international poster they have released for the movie.

Lastly, this is a sweet little video (thanks EW magazine!) involving Snape, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine as puppets. You have to check it out.

Hope all of you are well in respective lands.

More "Dark Knight" madness...

This is one of the coolest teaser trailer posters I have seen in a long time.

Inspirational Speech...

I was just reading excerpts from The Sports Guy's length 8 hour marathon chat session on ESPN and it linked to this great speech from Jim Valvano, the former coach of NC State, who upset University of Houston (Hakeen the Dream!) in the 1983 NCAA tourney.

Jim Valvano had cancer when he gave this speech accepting the ESPY Arthur Ashe Award in 1993. I remember seeing a clip of it (we didn't get ESPN live feeds back then) and after viewing it again, it is a nice reminder of the things that are important in our lives. Enjoy.

Click here.

Juicy Pic of the Joker...

I have always liked comic books. There I said it. In the year of the geek, an announcement like this is nothing to be ashamed of. Before I continue, I would like to be clear that I love books. I love reading. I enjoy good literature.

However, I always thought comics were unjustifiably put down by the general public. I only really got into comics in grade seven. That was the year when Batman The Movie came out. The one directed by Tim Burton. The one with the comical Joker played by Jack Nicholson. The one that I thought miscast Michael Keaton, but after viewing the movie, thought that he did a good job. I remember going to see that movie with my dad and afterwards he bought me a graphic novel called "The Dark Knight Returns".

This story written by Frank Miller (of "300" and "Sin City" fame) was about Batman returning back as a old man set in an apocalyptic future set in Gotham City. I never knew comics could be so dark and create such a complex story full of character development. Miller's Batman was an enigma, wracked with psychological despair from witnessing his parent's murder. Through the rejuvenation of his crime fighting career, we witness Batman's unwavering vision of his truth ultimately juxtaposed against the American virtues embodied by Superman. Plus Batman and Superman's fight kicks some massive butt.

There are so many complex issues tackled in this seminal work in terms of graphic novels. The grim tone and story structure has been mimicked and aped by so many other comic writers since.

I know comics are purely fantasy, but the best comics tackle the same sort of themes that, dare I say, Shakespeare does. Doing the right thing? Spiderman. Prejudice? X-Men. Tragic love? Daredevil and Elektra. It is no mistake that some of today's most popular shows are simply stealing ideas from comics. And the popularity of shows like Lost and Heroes, simply proves that the themes from comics speak to people. And the improvement of special effects has allowed the visions of Stan Lee (this guy is THE MAN when it comes to comics... can you believe he created The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men AND Spiderman... what a resume!) to flourish on the screen. Spiderman and X-men proved to be a box office hit.

Which brings me to "Batman Begins". The Batman franchise was ruined by Joel Schumacher and no one remembers the ugly mess that involved George Clooney as Batman. I mean, that Batman suit had nipples! When I learned that Christopher Nolan was restarting the franchise I was excited. When Christian Bale was cast as Bruce Wayne, I became very eager to see this movie. It did not disappoint. "Batman Begins" took a nod from the dark tones of "The Dark Knight Returns" and presented a troubled character who would become a hero. An obsessed person who wanted to make sure his brand of vigilante justice was applied to the criminals of Gotham City. It was the type of Batman movie I had always wanted to see. I liked how Batman wasn't a Boy Scout like Superman. I liked how Christopher Nolan clearly knew he was making a comic book movie, but rooted it an environment that seemed perfectly plausible that a guy with a cape could exist.

"Batman Begins" is my favourite superhero movie. I could go on and on about all the nuances that I love about this movie. I am highly excited for next summer's "Dark Knight" the sequel to "Batman Begins". I love that Christopher Nolan and the rest of the cast are back. I find the title perfect. And I highly anticipate that Joker will be the evil, psychotic villain that I read about, not the campy version portrayed by Jack Nicholson.

This entire blog is a roundabout way to say that you have to check out this picture that shows the promise that "Dark Knight" will not disappoint. Heath Ledger as Joker looks simply too cool.

I will now unplug my geekiness and return to my normal life.

Greatest Band Halftime show ever...

Just stumbled across this halftime show by the band from Cal.

See if you can recognize the different games... I believe there are six of them. The only problem with the video is it is filmed from the wrong side of the field.

(Click on the title of this blog for the link)

Alternative choices...

Hello everyone out there. I hope your American Thanksgiving was swell. I only wish I could have participated in the Black Friday shopping madness.

I am getting a little nervous after realizing the writer's strike is sucking humour out of my life. Thursday brought no new episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, and My Name is Earl. I feel especially bad for 30 Rock, because it had the makings of a MVP season. I liken it to the baseball strike back in 1994 when the Montreal Expos were in first place. The strike occurred and the franchise was never the same. Bye bye Pedro. Bye bye Larry. Good-bye Expos.

I hope 30 Rock can continue the magic.

I feel the threat of no new television episodes on the horizon, which would mean I would have to find something else to fill my time. I came up with a possible list of what that may entail:

1) Phone people I haven't talked to in a long time. Come to the realization that I can actual interact with real people that were formerly important to me.
2) Use email instead to contact those "friends" after they repeatedly ignore my calls.
3) Contact former students and try to hang out with them.
4) Follow those same former students around in my car after they avoid me for weeks on end.
5) Go watch a movie instead. That "Enchanted" movie looks attractive, only because McDreamy is in it. And I just wrote that, so I could write "McDreamy", which I think is one of the stupidest monikers of all time. Does that even make sense? How does McDonald's and someone who is hot, come together? I don't want to think of lard and fat when thinking about someone that is hot.
6) Take up knitting.
7) Build a gingerbread house. Then eat it. I like this one.
8) Write my pointless thoughts and drivel out in a communicative form that sporadically appears on the Internet.
9) Wonder if ABC and Pushing Daisies, purposely putting their female leads into costumes to show major amounts of cleavage, has anything to do with why I might enjoy HiDef so much?
10) Keep carefully protecting my Markus Naslund voodoo doll, which is solely responsible for his returning scoring touch.

Ciao!

Enjoying your long weekend...

Hope all of you are doing well on this long weekend. Remembrance Day is one of my favourite times, because I love reading about all of the stories of people who had so much courage in difficult times. It saddens me to think that there are not many surviving WWII veterans. I always feel a bit emotional reading all of the different celebrations across Canada and I wonder if I wisely use the freedoms afforded to me.

From "freedom" to "free", I have been reading about intellectual property, especially when it comes to music. If you want a good read try reading about this one person's view about the music industry and the shut down of the #1 file sharing site Oink's.

Another good article is one published by a music industry guy from three years back.

Enjoy if you have some free time to spare.