2005: The Best of (Justin)

Hello folks.

Before I get into this, rumors of the end of this project and the podcast it supports demise are based in reality. Over the last few weeks I have considered whether or not this is really worth it. While it's no longer that dire, my mind is not completely made up as to whether or not we'll continue on into the new year. This could be a symptom of winter tv withdrawl, the lack of new Howard shows for inspirado, or the year end wrap up show that we did, and was great, but was unsalvagable from a tech error. Keep checking back, because I'll always be posting here even if the podcast goes the way of good shows on fox.

2005: The 10 best TV shows

To do this fairly, I am only counting shows that have started a season run in 05, not completed one. For example Veronica Mars season 1 would walk away on top, but it started in 04. Get what I mean? On to the shows:

10. 24 Season 5
09. Everybody Hates Chris Season 1
08. 30 Days Season 1
07. Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 5
06. Prison Break Season 1
05. Family Guy Season 3
04. Eyes - The first few episodes
03. Rescue Me Season 2
02. Arrested Development Season 3
01. Nip/Tuck Season 3

Color me crazy; even after the lackluster reveal of the focus of the entire season, Nip/Tuck continues on a path to be one of the great show of all time. Arrested Development, having already cemented it's spot, get's it's (maybe not??) swan song in the number 2 spot, but that isn't really fair considering I had to lump all genres into one list. Rescue Me improves upon it's first season even with the slightly rushed finale. The best flash in the pan show, Eyes, would still be around if it weren't for Housewives and Islands. Family Guy comes back from the dead and gives life to DVD as a new medium for first run TV. Prison Break remains great even though it spread itself pretty thin, Curb returns with an effort usurped only by the wonderous third season, the only reality show endorsed by SC kicks ass, the best new comedy of the season is based around a stand up act, and Jack Bauer(almost) returns to form after a hate it or hate it more season 3.

Biggest Busts: FX does Comedy, Lost gets Cloned



Music:
I had to dig a lot harder this time, because I just didn't buy into that much new music this year.
10. Foo Fighters - In your Honor
09. Beck - Guero
08. Kanye West - Late Registration
07. Nada Surf - Weight is a Gift
06. Common - Be
05. Dredg - Catch without Arms
04. Open Hand - You and Me
03. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
02. Turbonegro - Party Animals
01. Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze

Queens reign supreme, the best concert in the game hits number 2, a recipe for disaster with adult swim liscensing turns out to be amazing at 3, coming from nowhere on a shitty hardcore record label gives us a whole new spin on guitar rock at 4, 5 brings us a band that upon first listen sounds like everything on your radio, but is much deeper than that, 6 brings a return to form with the best jazz rap record of all time, Nada Surf goes way beyond their one hit from 10 years ago with their latest effort, Kanye doesn't quite match the College Dropout, but provides one of the best hip hop cds of the year, Beck releases one of his experimental cds to moderate success, and the Foos come back after the awful 1x1 with this bloated in a good way set.

Biggest Busts: Kanye - while I love the cd, I couldn't help but feel disappointed after listening because his previous record actually came in and changed the hip hop world.



Movies:
I probably didn't see 10 movies from this year. Let's find out:

10.
09.
08.
07.
06.
05. Serenity
04. Sin City
03. The 40 Year Old Virgin
02. The Devil's Rejects
01. Batman Begins

Guess that answers your question. Truth be told, I did watch more than that from this year, but most were so mediocre that I plum forgot. Joss gives us a good movie that tanked, Rob R. gives us your next great franchise, Judd Apatow gives us our next great comedic talents, Rob Zombie kicks your ass, and Christian Bale is the best bat ever.

Busts: Cinema in general



Video Games:
I sure did play a whole lot, but I think most of that was a certain ditty from last year. Here's a top five anyway:

5. Lumines - PSP
4. Call of Duty 2 - 360
3. Perfect Dark Zero - 360
2. We Love Katamari - Ps2
1. Mario Kart DS

A classic at 1, roll shit up in balls at 2, 3 and 4 were a toss up but online play in PDZ gives it the edge, and rounded up by a little innovative puzzler, and still the best PSP game i have played (yes i have not played GTA for some reason).

Biggest Bust: Halo 2's new maps: Yes i still play hours and hours on end, but the new maps lack what made the first bunch so special. Specifically what that is, I can't tell you, but I do know i'd play on Headlong and Zanzibar before Relic and Containment any day. The train level was pretty cool though.

Website of the year:
YTMND.com - I am addicted to this site. I could try to explain it, but just do yourself a favor and check it out yourself.

Oh the wait is killing us!

Some stuff to look forward to in the coming year:

December:

Wolf Creek - With Australia and Japan kicking our ass at the genre that we gave birth too, it is only fitting that Wolf Creek comes with all the horror fanboy hype that surrounded Saw and Haute Tension. Personally, I don't know much about the story, but putting it in the same sentence as those three has me on Fandango, preordering tickets as we speak.


January:
Hostel - It's been pushed around, bouncing from release on Christmas day all the way to Summer 06, but coming from God (Quentin "Costa" Tarantino, and our hope for the future (Eli Roth) bring you what is being called the most fucked up grindhouse torture picutre to hit major release. Considering this comes 6 months after The Devil's Rejects I'm primed. Roth's previous homage outing, Cabin Fever, was flawed, but ultimately does more right than wrong. He really could go either way. Hostel will show us which, and with Tarantino involved, I have a feeling it's all gravy.

The Shield - It's fifth and final season begins in January. Look for it all to come crashing down on Vic Mackey and his strike team as Ghost Dog comes in to kick some ass. Great show that hasn't been it's self lately looks to come back for a strong finish.

24 - If they go through with the balls to the wall rumor that I heard about the first episode, look for the craziest season yet. Jack Bauer, no matter how rediculous it gets, helms a show I watch week in and week out. Gravitas.

Scrubs - With AD currently somewhere in limbo, Scrubs will sit on top as the best comedy on Television. Ask me again if HBO or Showtime comes through.

Howard Stern begins on Sirius - 1.9.06, the face of radio changes forever. My hero Howard goes uncensored in a few short days. I have my radio, do you?

March:

Sopranos!! - The best of the best is back to show these come-lately dramas how it is done. Enough Said.

V for Vendetta - This one had me worried considering the Wachowski's tendency to fuck things up, but early buzz is great, and the source material is some good stuff. I'll be there.

Spring:

PS3, Halo 3 - Something tells me neither of these will actually hit in the spring, but if Halo 3 is even a shadow of the experience that 2 was for me, I can tell you that most of my time will be spent there.

June:

return of Rescue Me, 30 days - FX commences summer ownage with what is sure to be a tense season of Rescue Me and the only reality show that I watch that doesn't involve comedians of comedy, Spurlock's 30 days. Hopefully this time out we get to see more of Morgan.


Fall:

return of Nip/Tuck - This current fall's BEST show, and I will defend the finale to anyone that has a problem. I can't wait for this to come back. Faze has said that it is this show's MO to drop storylines and pick them up when it is convenient (Kit, Daugher Macnamara, Julia's Mother, No Carver for 6 episodes). Faze is a fan of Lost, and therefore has no credibility on the matter. Remember when there was a monster on the island? A hatch? A Science vs Faith argument? A crazy French lady and a Desmond? Some of this shit stretched across seasons and this guy can't cut Nip/Tuck ,in it's half the episode run and fifty times the quality characterization that comprises a LOST season, some slack.


August:

Sin City 2 - RobRod, the yin to Tarantino's yang brings you the second chapter of his Sin City translations. When he wants to, he can make a great picture, so look for this to be as great as the first.


Winter:

Nintendo Revolution - This console has a lot of the Gen-why crowd excited, and for good reason, though I think by the time it finally launches, XBOX live arcade will have stolen much of the thunder of the whole back catalog thing. Granted, they will never be able to get Nintendo's back catalog, which consists of most of the greatest games of all time, but to johnny not hardcore videogamer, the services will look the same, unless Nintendo's is free.

There's all I can think of..what about you?