BEST OF 2006

2006 was a wondrous year for music, television and film. Some really cool stuff came out this year and, in thinking about my annual tradition, it was hard for me to pick my favorites. So many artists and filmmakers stand out as doing exceptionally interesting work in 2006.

I have to say that it (finally!) feels like we are on our way out of the somewhat recent trend of boring music, dull television, and the same old movies. Thank God!

Now onto the picks...

BEST CD

I think this is the first year that the Best CD of the year came out two weeks after the year started. I have talked about it all year and even got to see them play live in Chicago right after my birthday. There has not been a CD that came out since January 16th that has equalled Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not. In fact, the only release that come close is Leave Before The Lights Come On.......the latest single by Arctic Monkeys which does not appear on the CD.

What a delight this music is for fans who like everything from The Beatles to Oasis and in between. It's just a great collection of tunes for anyone, really, but the songs really tell the story of what it is like to be young, in love, and hitting the pubs and clubs. Arctic Monkeys tore through 2006 like the Pistols did in 1976 and I am anxiously awaiting their follow up album due sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.

The other impressive thing about this band is they did it all without any major label support and buzz created from My Space. Hey, all you major label A and R dorks who work for the man...your days are numbered...it's a whole new world out there!!

BEST TV SHOW

This one was tough. Battlestar Galactica got better, 24 got way better, The Sopranos returned after a long hiatus with some great shows, and Lost is just plain insane right now. So, needless to say, the choice was tough.

But a little show came along that made me excited about Monday nights again. I used to love to watch football on Mondays but have become very bored with the NFL of late. The parity in the league makes for some very dull games. In addition, I have also yearned for genre or sci fi fantasy TV to dominate the airwaves again. NBC has delivered in spades.

Heroes is the Best Show on TV. Saving the cheerleader and saving the world only scratched the surface of this incredibly exciting, multi layered character driven story. There are mysteries just like the ones on Lost but there are more answers. And people talk more like ordinary people talk. It drives me nuts on Lost because people don't spend their entire days talking in riddle language.

That does not happen on Heroes. It's all about action, mystery, intrigue, and yes, Super Heroes!! Yeah, that's right...I am letting my inner geek gush out all over the place. Heroes also has what is probably the most interesting character to come to TV in the last 20 years...coincidentally named Hiro! The Japanese Actor Masi Oka is a marvel to watch and deserves many kudos.

Combined with the undeniably fun Dr. Who and Life On Mars from the BBC, here's hope that the realm of the mysterious continues for a long time.

BEST FILM

Another tough one because there were so many good films. The U.S. vs. John Lennon was noteworthy not only because it had my favorite subject :) but because of its insight into our current administration's lust to gain access to every aspect of our lives. In fact, this film had the cinematic line of the year which was uttered by Gore Vidal:

"Mr Lennon represented life and Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death."

Of course, there were the fun movies as well. James Bond returned (as he always does) with Casino Royale. It was the best Bond entry since The Living Daylights and Daniel Craig kicked serious ass as the new Bond. Jet Li's Fearless was a veritable ton of chop sockey fun. Kevin Smith's Clerks II was so funny that I needed to stop by the Hennepin County Medical Center for oxygen.

But the best film of the year was not a comedy or an action movie. Nor was it a chick flick or a "gee, I have never gotten over being 15 years old" stupid ass horror film. The best film of the year was a poignant reminder of what we have lost.

Emilio Estevez's Bobby is the best film of 2006 because it shows us the last time we had a leader (or almost had a leader) that wanted to change things for the better. The central message of the film is that Bobby Kennedy was the "last one" in a serious of extraordinary men (JFK, Dr. King) who would've made our country better. They were all killed by men who were seriously threatened by these plans to achieve parity in our country and this film shows us, through the eyes of fictional characters, how RFK represented that final, last hope.

The film's closing sequence, using audio from actual interviews with Bobby Kennedy, is gut wrenching and I found myself weeping at what we, as a nation, lost that day. It was particularly awful considering where we are today and I found myself wondering what Mr. Kennedy would think of our country's current state and direction. If any of you know anything about Robert Kennedy, then you already know what the answer would be.

So, those are my picks for 2006. What are yours? Leave Comments below....