Top whatevers of 2008

We'll keep the formalities at a minimum and jump into my biased opinions.

Formality: Happy 2009. Hope your 2008 was decent.

Biased Opinions:

Top 7 Albums of 2008.

7. Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Not immediately recognized by me as being a decent album, but it grew on me, and I thought the universal themes of love, life and death have been done... well, to death. But it's a nice easily digestible album.

6. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
With Teeth meets Year Zero, to a point. It has the rock-band-esque styling of 2005's With Teeth and some of the glitchy stuff of 2007's Year Zero. And it was released for free. Free. With over a million downloads from nin.com. If you'd still like to give a bit of cash to Trent Reznor and company, it's available on amazon.com, iTunes or as a physical CD/DVD combo.

5. Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
Not a major departure for those familiar with Jack Johnson, but I do feel that the addition of other instruments and adding a little bit of distortion on some of his guitarwork makes this album more accessible than his previous.

4. Ladytron - Velocifero
Now im not sure if this is going to replace Witching Hour as my favourite Ladytron album, but this feels much more fleshed out and I think the production done by Alessandro Cortini aided in this album feel compared to Witching Hour.

3. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
Influences of Daft Punk aside, this is just a fun album. Sure, it's just a combination of a lot of electronica mixed with some of the best rock elements with a splash of indie in there as well, but it does it well.

2. Modwheelmood - Pearls to Pigs Vols. 2-3
Add volume 1 to the other volumes and you have a full album. Just download it off of iTunes or Amazon (use amazon, DRM MP3's). It's a little eclectic, and at times inaccessible, but it's some of the best electronica I have ever listened to.

1. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
Produced by Ben Folds, this is by far, the best album of the year. Moody piano pieces such as "Strength Through Music", fun rocking songs like "Leeds United", songs that were once part of the Dolls live catalogue "Ampersand". Oh and although a song about date rape, abortion, pregnancy tests, having rumors being spread of being a crackwhore, going to a concert with someone you kinda hate, "Oasis" is a fucking catchy and fun song to sing along to. All in all, my favourite album of 2008.

Amanda Palmer "Oasis" Music Video from Amanda Palmer on Vimeo.

You can check out samples of songs on the respective myspaces.

Top 6 Movies of 2008 (up to October) that are worth the $8.50 to get in or the $20 DVD.

6. Teeth
When I first heard about this film, I thought it was a documentary; but upon viewing, it is one of the best indipendant releases of 2008. Vagina Dentata. Horror(ish), amusing(for sure) and an interesting 'coming of age' film.

5. Funny Games
A remake of a 1997 film, actually. A upper/upper-middle class family is assaulted by very polite and proper psychopaths. Excellent use of breaking the fourth wall, the American fascination of bad things happening to good people, and in general fucking with your head, a little bit.

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshell
Touted as a romantic comedy, but it was far from it. Yes, it has romantic and sappy elements. But it also has a lot of funny stuff. And lots of nudity. Mila Kunis' boobs, and Jason Segel's... well... everything. Ass, Crotch, face... and I'm not sure what's worse. It was basically a Judd Apatow-esque film with little splashes of romance in it. And it worked.

3. Wall-E
And on the other end of the spectrum from Sarah Marshell is the very family friendly film Wall-E from Disney/Pixar. The first human dialogue spoken by character that does not sound like beeps and boops is almost 40 mins into the film. Spectacular visual eff

2. The Dark Knight/Iron Man
Dark Knight: Pros: Casting/Acting/Story. Con: "Batman Voice"

Iron Man: Pros: Casting/Humor/Acting/Story. Con: Sam Jackson cocktease after the Credits.

1. Choke.
Although not a direct adaptation, it's fairly faithful to Chuck Palahniuk's book. Victor was cast perfectly as Sam Rockwell. Everyone else was done well. It is a very witty film, not the gut busting Seth Rogan/Judd Apatow humor, but it had me quietly laughing the whole time. But it does have moments of drama and moments that made me... uncomfortable. A very great film.

Top 5 Rifftrax of 2008.

5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"I will eat your imortal soul"

4. Jurassic Park
"Be werry werry qwiet, I'm hwunting waptors, huhuhuhuh."

3. Saw
"Shoot him."
"He won't move if you shoot him in the head."
"Nobody listens to me."

2. Spider Man 3
"Giant Anthropomorphic Sand Thief wouldn't make the headlines, of course."

1. Lion King (That Guy With The Glasses)
"Hey, maybe dad is next to that rotting corpse!"

Top 4 things that made me laugh unintentionally in 2008.

4. Pencil Tricks

3. SNL (NSFW/YouTubes)

2. Scientology v. Anonymous

1. Sarah Palin

Top 3 Things that did not live up to the hype.

3. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
16 years, and I get a shitty record and a free can of Dr Pepper. Go reunite with Slash, then we'll talk, Axl.

2. Ron Paul
The most conservative legislator since 1937 leading a revolution? Give me a break

1. Cloverfield
An ARG to promote a JJ Abrhams project, my GOSH that has NEVER been done before! And it was having us guessing on WTF took off the Statue of Liberty for months ahead of time.

Top 2 People who might have changed the world in 2008

2. The 131,237,603 who let their voices be heard in the 2008 election process.

1. The United States Presidential Candidates

Top Concert You Shouldn't Have Missed.
Nine Inch Nails: Lights In The Sky

Music, Torture and my Opinions

This story that ran on MSNBC is really disgusting. (2 pages)

As someone who is both an avid fan of music and being someone who contributes to an artistic craft (writing), I am offended by this on many levels. I am on a personal level, because as a writer, I would not want any of my works to be used to inflict harm on another person. Including papercuts, or pummeling someone to death with my forthcoming short story collection.

However, I expect nothing less from this administration. Our current resident in the Office of President and his cabinet have no respect for human or civil rights. We have allowed this administration to hijack basic human decency. We let them, through our military branches to kidnap people that we think are 'terrorists', including children.

What drives me crazy is none of this was done with Artist's consent. They used songs that are for Children's shows (I Love You, from TV's Barney), played at ear splitting volumes while shackled in uncomfortable positions. Yes, they've used Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine, both of whom have been vocal critics of this current administration.

Some musicians see the situation rather differently.

Some musicians, however, say they’re proud that their music is used in interrogations. Those include bassist Stevie Benton, whose group Drowning Pool has performed in Iraq and recorded one of the interrogators’ favorites, “Bodies.”

“People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that played over and over it can psychologically break someone down,” he told Spin magazine. “I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that."

Okay... so when John McCain was tortured, it would have been okay to play "Born in the USA" at top volume outside of his cell in addition to stabbing him in the groin? I mean, I can have been tortured by music at times, but usually, I can leave.

The point I think Benton is missing is that this will not really stop another 9/11. If you think that the people being held against all international laws are not going to be pissed at the people/country/government that just decided to torture them... let's look at John McCain again.

John McCain recently (Campaign 2008) told reporters that he hated [racial Asian slur here]s. Now, I feel for Mr. McCain. No, really, stop laughing. I do, if he was tortured, I do feel pity for the man that he cannot forgive a race of people. Do I take John McCain at his word that he uses that word only for those who tortured him? No. I do not. Because you're just as racist by saying ' I only use the term N---er for those who act like N---ers.' You're still marginalizing people by the color of their skin, or their heritage. Or any other racist term you may want to sling out there.

If John McCain a war hero cannot let go of his hatred after being tortured (while not legal to torture, it was legal to detain Mr. McCain as he was a uniformed enemy combatant; most of the detainees at GTMO or the other black operations prisons we have set up are not recognized by any international body), who's to say that anyone in our illegal prison camps will let go of theirs?

Torturing people will not stop crazy idiots from bombing something that they want to bomb. Maybe our actions towards those less fortunate than us might stop some of the psychopaths from recruiting people.

And if you morons in the DoD are going to condone music as a form of torture... at least pick something that doesn't make you look like idiots, like Rage, or Nine Inch Nails.

Please, use Springsteen, or Nugent, or some other idiot that has blind patriotism.

Lights In the Sky 2008

Nine Inch Nails - Lights In The Sky 2008 tour ad from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.