Top 21 Songs of 2008

These are obviously the top 21 songs for the year 2008.

21. Death Take Your Fiddle by Spiritualized

20. DLZ by TV on the Radio

19. Heart on Fire by Cut Copy

18. Trojan Horse by Bloc Party

17. Hot Night Hounds by Annuals

16. Electric Feel by MGMT

15. Live Your Life by T.I. feat/ Rihanna

14. The Rip by Portishead

13. One For the Cutters by The Hold Steady

12. Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit

11. Gobbledigook by Sigur Ros

10. Kissing the Beehive by WolfParade

9. Blind by Hercules and Love Affair

8. Blue Ridge Mountians by Fleet Foxes

7. M79 by Vampire Weekend

6. Nothing Ever Happened by Deerhunter

5. Disturbia by Rihanna

4. Stork & Owl by TV on the Radio

3. Mykonos by Fleet Foxes

2. Kids by MGMT

1. The Devil's Crayon by Wild Beasts

Top 21 Albums of 2008

These are my top 21 albums of 2008.

21. Skeletal Lamping by Of Montreal

20. Viva La Vida by Coldplay

19. Oracular Spectacular by MGMT

18. Lie Down in the Light by Bonnie "Prince" Billy

17. The Airing of the Grievences by Titus Andronicus

16. Med Sum I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust bySigur Ros

15. Nouns by No Age

14. Mountian Battles by The Breeders

13. Feed the Animals by Girl Talk

12. The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit

11. Third by Portishead

10. Tha Carter III by Lil' Wayne

9. At Mount Zoomer by WolfParade

8. In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy

7. Stay Positive by The Hold Steady

6. Songs in A & E by Spiritualized

5. Limbo, Panto by Wild Beasts

4. Microcastles by Deerhunter

3. Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend

2. Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant EP by Fleet Foxes

1. Dear Science by TV On The Radio

25 Best Guitarists of All Time

These are my 25 greatest guitarists of all time. I know there are a few greats that have been left off, because well, I just don't like their music. 

25. Trey Anastasio - Phish

24. Prince

23. Tad Kruger - The Hold Steady

22. Brian May - Queen

21. Steve Howe - Yes

20. George Harrison - The Beatles

19. Lee Ranaldo - Sonic Youth

18. Joey Santiago - The Pixies

17. Neil Young

16. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

15. Slash - Guns n' Roses

14. Dave Matthews - Dave Matthews Band

13. Thurston Moore - Sonic Youth

12. Johnny Marr - The Smiths and Modest Mouse

11. Kirk Hamlett - Metallica 

10. Carlos Santana

9. Keith Richards - The Rolling Stones

8. John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers

7. Johnny Greenwood - Radiohead

6. Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine

5. B.B. King

4. Eric Clapton - The Yardbirds and Derek and the Dominos

3. Jimmy Page - The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin

2. Stevie Ray Vaughan

1. Jimi Hendrix

25 Best Film Characters of All Time

These are the 25 best film characters of all time in my opinion and I know Empire Magazine just came out with their's yesterday, but this is just a coincidence.

Honorable Mention:
The Ringo Kid in Stagecoach (1939)
Gandolf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Alex De Large in Clockwork Orange (1971)
Jasper in Children of Men (2006)

25. Luke in Cool Hand Luke (1967)
24. Leonard in Memento (2000)
23. Neo in The Matrix (1999)
22. Amon Goeth in Schindler's List (1993)
21. Dr. Strangelove in Dr. Strangelove (1964)
20. Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
19. Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood (2007)
18. Dory in Finding Nemo (2003)
17. James Bond in Goldfinger (1964)
16. Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of The Caribbean (2004)
15. T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
14. Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (1994)
13. William Wallace in Braveheart (1995)
12. Quint in Jaws (1975)
11. Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995)
10. Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972)
9. The Dude in The Big Lebowski (1998)
8. The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008)
7. Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)
6. Indiana Jones in The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
5. Darth Vader in Star Wars (1977)
4. Norman Bates in Psycho (1960)
3. Tyler Durdin in Fight Club (1999)
2. Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1. Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976)

Top 10 Sports Teams I Love/Hate

These are my 10 most hated teams.

10. Liverpool FC
9. New England Patriots
8. Philadelphia Sports
7. East Carolina Football
6. Miami Dolphins
5. Washington Redskins
4. Manchester United FC

3. Dallas Cowboys
2. Boston Red Sox
1. UNC Sports

These are the 10 most loved teams.

10. Ajax FC

9. Duke Sports

8. San Antonio Spurs

7. Chelsea FC

6. Carolina Hurricanes

5. Carolina Panthers

4. AC Milan

3. New York Giants

2. NC State Sports

1. New York Yankees

10 Best Actors, Actresses, and Directors of Right Now

These are the ten best directors, actors, and actresses of the here and now. These are the top ten people in their trade in the movie industry in my opinion of today.

Actors
10. Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Layer Cake, Munich, Quantum of Solace)
9. Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild, The Girl Next Door, Speed Racer, Lords of Dogtown)
8. Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Insider, Cinderella Story, American Gangster)
7. Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, Seven, Superman Returns, The Usual Suspects)
6. Johnny Deep (Pirates of the Caribbean Series, Sweeney Todd, Finding Neverland)
5. George Clooney (O Brother Where Art Thou?, Ocean's Series, Michael Clayton, Syriana)
4. Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Half-Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl)
3. Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Seven, Ocean's Series, Babel, Snatch, Twelve Monkeys)
2. Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Blood Diamond, The Aviator, Catch Me If You Can)
1. Robert Downey Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man, Zodiac, Tropic Thunder)

Actresses
10. Keira Knightley (The Pirates of the Caribean Series, Atonement, Pride and Prejudice)
9. Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Children of Men, Blindness)
8. Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Hulk, Blood Diamond, Requiem For A Dream)
7. Charlize Theron (Monster, The Italian Job, Battle in Seattle, North Country)
6. Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers, Mean Girls, The Notebook, Red Eye)
5. Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don't Cry, Insomnia, The Black Dahlia)
4. Naomi Watts (King Kong, 21 Grams, Mulholland Drive, I Heart Huckabees, The Ring)
3. Helen Bonham-Carter (Big Fish, Sweeney Todd, Fight Club, Harry Potter Series)
2. Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine, Iris, Little Children, Titanic, Finding Neverland)
1. Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Notes on a Scandel, Elizabeth, Bandits, Babel)

Directors
10. Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Hellboy 2, The Hobbit Movies)
Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, Y tu mamá...)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel)
9. Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men, X-Men 2, Superman Returns, Valkyrie)
8. Peter Jackson (The Lord of The Rings Series, KIng Kong, The Lovely Bones, Dead Alive)
7. Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited)
6. Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love)
5. Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down)
4. David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac, Alien 3, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
3. The Coen Brothers (No Country For Old Men, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading)
2. Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Departed, The Aviator, Raging Bull)
1. Christopher Nolan (Memento, Following, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins)

10 Oscar Mistakes

These are 10 Oscar mistakes in no particular order.

1. Memento losing Best Original Screenplay to Gosford Park in 2001. This was a no-brainer to me. Christopher Nolan's incredibly original and ground-breaking screenplay was so progressive that no other screenplay that year should have even been nominated. I was extremely disappointed by the Academy.

2. Gone With the Wind winning Best Picture in 1939. First of all this is a ridiculously over-rated movie with below-average writing and bad acting. The lone standout in this film is the direction which is amazingly well executed for what the script given to the director. Secondly, it beat out films such as The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach. All of these were far better and had depth and a purpose.

3. Goodfellas losing to Dances With Wolves for Best Picture in 1990. Simply a joke! How could Kevin Costner out do Martin Scorsese. Costner sucks (except JFK and The Untouchables)!

4. City of God in 2004. Wasn't nominated for Best Foreign Film or Best Picture which it should have. Also, I know The Return of the King was unbelievably good, but Cinematography should have gone to City to God. But at least that one was understandable.

5. Shakespeare in Love winning Best Picture in 1998. Although I really liked this movie I loved another movie this year. And, no its not Saving Private Ryan (I did like this though). It was The Thin Red Line. This slow-moving WW2 epic was a masterpiece. I can't remember a movie that has dialog and monologues so well written. Terrence Malik is a genius and proves so with The This Red Line.

6. John Ford winning Best Director over Orson Welles in 1941. Don't get me wrong, John Ford may be the greatest director of all time, but Citizen Kane is the most well-directed film in history with progressive techniques that took years to be replicated by anyone else.

7. Jim Carrey not even being nominated in 1997. In 1997 Jim Carrey gave a performance of a lifetime, even winning Best Actor in a Drama for the Golden Globes. Then the Academy skips him completely, when he was the for-sure winner in the Golden Globes. Big Disappointment!

8. Tom Hanks Oscar Career. Tom Hanks deservedly won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor in 1994 for Forest Gump, but he also won for Philadelphia the year before. In 1993 Liam Neeson should have won Best Actor over Tom Hanks for Schindler's List for Neeson's amazing portrayal of Oskar Schindler. However, Tom Hanks should have won for Cast Away in 2000 when Russell Crowe won for Gladiator. Gladiator was a better film, but not superior acting.

9. Chicago winning Best Picture in 2003. Chicago was the worst movie nominated that year. The Oscar should have gone to The Pianist, which won Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The Hours, The Two Towers, and Gangs of New York were also better choices, although The Pianist was the best option.

10. The non-winning of Taxi Driver in 1977. Taxi Driver should have won Best Picture (Rocky won), Robert De Niro for Best Actor (Peter Finch for Network won), Best Director for Martin Scorsese (John G. Avildsen won for Rocky), and it didn't even get a writing nomination. This is one of the greatest and most boundary-breaking movies of the 70's. The Academy missed big this year.

My Night With Radiohead

Well its taken me 11 years, but I finally achieved one of my life goals; I saw Radiohead live! After a fun and interesting ride from Wilmington to Charlotte with 5 people packed into a Ford Focus, we arrived at our final destination of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. We found a great seat in the center of the lawn and chatted with friends that we ran into until the show started. A little after 7:30 Liars took the stage. As I listened in a amazement I couldn't remember ever hearing music like the Liars. They were sophisticated yet dark with a intense epic structure to their music. It definitely got my blood flowing and got me ready for Radiohead. After an hour set, Liars stepped off the stage and Radiohead took center stage at around 8:45. Cheers of joy and amazement filled the air as Thom, Ed, Phil, Jonny and Colin made their way on to the stage under the ridiculous light and video setup. What followed would be the single greatest concert experience of my life!

Setlist

1. All I Need
2. There There
3. Airbag
4. 15 Step
5. Nude
6. Sail to the Moon (Which was dedicated to the good people of North Carolina)
7. Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi
8. Myxomatosis
9. Idioteque
10. Morning Bell
11. Videotape
12. Optimistic
13. Where I End and You Begin
14. You and Whose Army?
15. Everything In Its Right Place
16. Bangers and Mash
17. Bodysnatchers

Encore 1
18. Go Slowly
19. Talk Show Host
20. Exit Music (For A Film)
21. Planet Telex
22. House of Cards

Encore 2
23. Paranoid Android
24. Reckoner

After the nights festivities we headed out with only the memories of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hopefully it won't be though. If they ever comeback around, you better believe I'm there!

Top 50 Songs of All Time

Top 50 Songs of All Time

50. Asleep by The Smiths Louder Than Bombs (1984)
49. The Mariner's Revenge Song by The Decemberists Picaresque (2005)
48. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)
47. Hotel California by The Eagles Hotel California (1976)
46. Come Together by The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
45. Paper Planes by M.I.A. Kala (2007)
44. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys Pet Shop Sounds (1966)
43. Incinerate by Sonic Youth Rather Ripped (2006)
42. Olsen Olsen by Sigur Ros Agaetis Byrjun (1999)
41. New Slang by The Shins Oh, Inverted World (2001)
40. Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones Aftermath (1966)
39. Rosa Parks by OutKast Southernplayalistacadillacmuzik (1994)
38. 3rd Planet by Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
37. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen A Night At The Opera (1975)
36. Layla by Derek & The Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
35. Lie In Our Graves by Dave Matthews Band Crash (1996)
34. No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley Natty Dread (1975)
33. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan Highway 61 (1965)
32. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
31. Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead The Bends (1995)
30. 7/4 (Shoreline) by Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene (2005)
29. Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
28. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
27. Yesterday by The Beatles Help! (1965)
26. Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung by The Flaming Lips At War With The Mystics (2006)
25. Static by Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antenna To Heaven (2000)
24. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix Experience (1971)
23. Monkey Gone To Heaven by The Pixies Doolittle (1989)
22. Get By by Talib Kweli Quality (2004)
21. Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles Revolver (1966)
20. Sympathy For The Devil by The Rolling Stones Beggar's Banquet (1968)
19. Kashmir by Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)
18. Losing My Religion by R.E.M. Out Of Time (1991)
17. Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down by Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2003)
16. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division Love Will Tear Us Apart EP (1979)
15. The Pyramid Song by Radiohead Amnesiac (2001)
14. Cowboy Dan by Modest Mouse Lonesome Crowded West (1998)
13. Roundabout by Yes Fragile (1972)
12. In The Aero Plane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel In The Aero Plane Over The Sea (1998)
11. Teen Age Riot by Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)
10. Piano Man by Billy Joel Piano Man (1973)
9. The Spark That Bled by The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin (1999)
8. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
7. Paranoid Android by Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
6. Cortez the Killer by Neil Young & Crazy Horse Zuma (1975)
5. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) by Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
4. The Funeral by Band of Horses Everything All The Time (2006)
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana Nevermind (1990)
2. Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
1. Where Is My Mind? by The Pixies Surfer Rosa (1988)

Top 25 Athletes of All Time

Here are my top 25 athletes of all time, and Nascar is not a sport so don't expect anybody from there.

25. Bobby Orr - Hockey
24. Ronaldinho - Soccer
23. Mark Spitz - Olympic Swimmer
22. Pete Sampras - Tennis
21. Jackie Robinson - Baseball
20. Larry Bird - Basketball
19. Barry Sanders - Football
18. Lawrence Taylor - Football
17. Ty Cobb - Baseball
16. Pele - Soccer
15. Roger Federer - Tennis
14. Jerry Rice - Football
13. Wilt Chamberlain - Basketball
12. Babe Didrikson - Golf
11. Carl Lewis - Track & Field
10. Tiger Woods - Golf
9. Magic Johnson - Basketball
8. Jesse Owens - Track & Field
7. Wayne Gretzky - Hockey
6. Babe Ruth - Baseball
5. Jim Brown - Football
4. Willy Mays - Baseball
3. Muhammad Ali - Boxing
2. Michael Jordan - Basketball
1. Zinidine Zidane - Soccer

Top 15 Films and Awards of 2007

Top 15 Films of 2007

15. Away From Her
14. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
13. 3:10 To Yuma
12. Eastern Promises
11. Into The Wild
10. Paris, Je T'aime
9. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
8. Michael Clayton
7. Sunshine
6. American Gangster
5. Juno
4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
3. Atonement
2. No Country for Old Men
1. There Will Be Blood

Awards For 2007

Best Actor - Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood

Best Actress - Ellen Page for Juno

Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress - Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone

Best Director - Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood

Best Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody for Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay - The Coen Brothers for No Country for Old Men