My Favorite Beautiful Women of the '00s

Having today seen yet another stage production of My Fair Lady, it seems to be a loverly time to herald the famous ladies I find fairest of all. I not sure even I understand the delineation of this disclaimer, by this isn't necessarily a ranking of the most beautiful women of the '00s, but the beautiful women whom I most favor. Hence, no lingerie models nor Megan Fox. In a rough nutshell, these are women--all actresses--for whom I would watch a movie, show or talk show I probably wouldn't otherwise.

I'll provide pictorial support for my selections, though generally just the best pic I could quickly find on Google Images. But if you don't know who any of these women are, look 'em up on IMDB or Wikipedia. And while I acknowledge the one-sided sexism of this category, I welcome anyone to cite their favorite handsome men in the comments.

1. Anne Hathaway


2. Kate Beckinsale


3. Jennifer Connelly


4. Rachel McAdams


5. Aishwarya Rai


6. Eliza Dushku


7. Kristin Kreuk


8. Natalie Portman


9. Josefina Scaglione (Maria in West Side Story on Broadway, 2009. Check out this picture)


10. Rachel Weisz


Honorable Womention:

Keira Knightley


Frieda Pinto


Jordana Brewster


Minka Kelly


Jessica Alba


Eva Longoria Parker


Diane Krueger


Jennifer Morrison


Leighton Meester


Heather Graham

My Favorite Comedians of the '00s

OK, so some of these are stand-up comedians, others are comedic actors and others are some combination thereof. But I believe all count as comedians and these are my favorite of the decade. Sadly, a couple are no longer with us.

1. Chris Rock
2. Jon Stewart
3. George Carlin
4. Sasha Baron Cohen
5. Bill Maher
6. Artie Lange
7. Sarah Silverman
8. Robin Williams
9. Will Ferrell
10. Lewis Black

Honorable Mention:

Dave Chappelle
Tina Fey
Ricky Gervais
Jerry Seinfeld
Gilbert Gottfried
Mitch Hedberg
Steve Carrell
Jim Breuer
Wanda Sykes
Billy Crystal

My Favorite Brands of the '00s

These are not only new brands nor necessarily brands representing products & services I most used and liked. Rather, it is a ranking of brands that I believe maintained the most prominence, prestige, integrity, etc. throughout the '00s (albeit with some degree of personal preference):

1. Google
2. Apple
3. Coca-Cola
4. McDonald's
5. Canon
6. HBO
7. Red Bull
8. Target
9. Nike
10. ESPN

Honorable Mention:

Microsoft, Pepsi, FedEx, Yahoo, AT&T, Vienna Beef, eBay, Duracell, Heinz, Kleenex, Levi's, Energizer, New York Times, Hewlett Packard

My Favorite Plays of the '00s

Although I saw dozens of Musicals from this decade that I really enjoyed, I also saw a whole bunch of newly penned and staged Plays, but with a much lower percentage of enjoyment. A lot of things that were supposed to be really good, I just didn't fully understand and/or care for. But there were several I did like, and below are My Favorite Plays of the '00s.

Most of these I saw on various professional stages around Chicagoland, typically a few years after the work debuted on Broadway or elsewhere, although some were world premieres. But with enormous admiration for the multitude of performers who brought these to life, here I will credit just the work and author, not specific theaters.

I believe it is worth noting that I did not see Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan as a stage play, and thus do not include it below. But given that the movie--also penned by Morgan and starring the two lead actors from the Broadway run--was one of my favorite films of the decade, I imagine the play must have been sensational as well.

1. Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
2. Proof - David Auburn
3. I Am My Own Wife - Doug Wright
4. Permanent Collection - Thomas Gibbons
5. The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Martin McDonagh
6. 700 Sundays (one-man show) - Billy Crystal
7. The Pillowman - Martin McDonagh
8. August: Osage County - Tracy Letts
9. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia - Edward Albee
10. The Judas Kiss - David Hare

Honorable Mention:

Golda's Balcony - William Gibson
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - Kristoffer Diaz
The Sparrow - Chris Matthews & Jake Minton
The Pain and the Itch - Bruce Norris
The Overwhelming - J.T. Rogers
Blackbird - Adam Rapp
Blackbird - David Harrower
Graceland - Ellen Fairey
Columbinus - Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli
Dublin Carol - Conor McPherson
Intimate Apparel - Lynn Nottage
Boleros for the Disenchanted - Jose Rivera
Radio Golf - August Wilson
A Steady Rain - Keith Huff
The History Boys - Alan Bennett

My Favorite Gift Books of the '00s

This might not seem like a very weighty topic, but several sagging bookcases prove otherwise. After I deferred to my friend Dave for the Favorite Books of the '00s list because he read much more than I did, I came to realize that while he was basically spotlighting his favorite new novels of the decade (with a couple of non-fiction works), there was another type of book I did do a good bit of delving into.

So, perhaps to aid anyone still not done with their holiday shopping, I thought I'd spotlight my favorite gift/coffee table-type books of the decade. I probably bought most of these as bargains from Barnes & Nobles and Borders, some several years ago, but as a point of reference I am supplying links to Amazon (or wherever the book seems currently available online cheapest):

1. Hirschfeld On Line (Al Hirschfeld cartoons)
2. Headless Body in Topless Bar (NY Post front pages)
3. Frank Gehry Architect
4. The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker
5. Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone
6. The Clash
7. The Beatles Anthology
8. Total White Sox
9. Best By Number (Jersey numbers across various sports)
10. The Holocaust Chronicle

Honorable Mention:

LIFE: 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography
Sports Illustrated: The Baseball Book
A Fine Romance: Hollywood/Broadway
The Marilyn Monroe Treasures
Take Me Out to the Ballpark
Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments
Speeches That Changed the World
America the Book (by the Daily Show)
When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden (by Bill Maher)
Kurt Cobain Journals

Also, although it is a bit tangential, I thought I'd mention that when it comes to travel guides, those authored by Rick Steves (primarily for European destinations) are far & away the best. What his guide books lack in colorful photos, they more than make up for in detailed insight and literally step-by-step guidance about what to explore and discover.

The only other travel series I have come to regularly rely upon are the Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides, such as this one on London. Cutting to the chase in easily transportable books, they have been quite valuable in narrowing in on what to see, where to eat, etc.

Finally, although I admittedly have not read every page of several of these, you or a gift recipient might appreciate these fine biographies released in the '00s about:

John Coltrane
Arthur Miller
Laurence Olivier
Sandy Koufax
Roberto Clemente
Ted Williams
Joe Dimaggio
Kurt Cobain
Pete Maravich
Lester Bangs

My Favorite Websites of the '00s

Not limited to sites that debuted in this decade, these are the websites I found most useful, enjoyable and/or beneficial (I'll exclude Hotmail from contention):

1. My.Yahoo.com - Although I greatly prefer Google's search engine, maps & much else, MyYahoo has remained my home page throughout the decade and is vital for providing a daily snapshot of what's going on in the world.
2. Google.com
3. Wikipedia.org
4. YouTube.com
5. Backstreets.com - A great online Springsteen fanzine
6. Facebook.com
7. Amazon.com
8. AllMusic.com - Awesome for looking up almost any artist in any genre
9. IMDB.com
10. Pollstar.com - A database of concert dates for all artists, everywhere

Honorable Mention:

Playbill.com
CNN.com
ChicagoTribune.com
HotTix.org
Ticketmaster.com
RogerEbert.com
Newseum.org/TodaysFrontPages (also Kiosko.net)
Pandora.com
Yelp.com
411.com
WolfgangsVault.com/Concerts
Baseball-Reference.com
ESPN.com
SI.com
Meetup.com
Setlist.fm
OpenTable.com
Thesaurus.com
XE.com/UCC (currency converter)
Hotels.com
Orbitz.com
GoMusicNow.com
Pogo.com (free online Scrabble & other games)

My Favorite Photos Taken in the '00s

It's hard even for me to believe, but I took well over 100,000 photos during this decade. Most were on my various travels, though I also took hundreds of my nephews & niece. I'll leave any of those out of this category, but I do realize that many of My Favorite Photos Taken in the '00s do capture people in incidental ways.

It was hard to whittle my favorites down to 10, but beyond those below, rather than any Honorable Mention, I refer you to my Online Photo Portfolio, where you can see many more of my favorites (almost all from this decade). White Sox fans might also enjoy this one and this one.

You can click any photo below to see it larger.

1. Fountain with Rainbow & Kids, Bilbao, Spain


2. Bethesda Fountain from the Arcade, Central Park, New York


3. St. Marks Square with Painter, Venice


4. The Coliseum, Rome


5. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain


6. Elmo in Bryant Park, New York


7. Eiffel Tower with Umbrellas, Paris


8. Motorcyclist on the Champs-Elysees, Paris


9. Saxophonist along the Mississippi, New Orleans


10. Rosenborg Castle with Kid, Copenhagen

My Favorite Museums Visited in the '00s

Since I have been to many more art museums than anything else, I'll separate out this list accordingly. I'm basing my rankings on how well I remember my visit, focusing mainly on the quality of the collections and special exhibits, not the architecture, price, gift shop, etc., and fully admit that my recollections are inexact. And while I have tended to visit art museums in almost every major city I've been to, I have not typically sought out history or science museums on vacation so omissions are not to be taken as a quality judgment.

Non-Art Museums (U.S. & Worldwide)

1. The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI
2. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
3. Vasa Museum, Stockholm
4. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, MO
5. The Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
6. Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, KY
7. Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem
8. Winston Churchill Museum, Fulton, MO
9. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland
10. Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago

Honorable Mention:
Experience Music Project, Seattle; Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville; Dublin Writers Museum; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Springfield, IL; Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum; Cabinet War Rooms, London; Skansen (outdoor museum), Stockholm; Field Museum, Chicago; Chicago History Museum; National Museum of American History, Washington, DC

Art Museums (U.S. & Canada)

1. The Art Institute of Chicago
2. The Barnes Collection, Lower Merrion, PA (will be moving to downtown Philadelphia)
3. Museum of Modern Art, New York
4. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
5. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
6. Philadelphia Museum of Art
7. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
8. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
9. McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
10. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

Honorable Mention:
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena; Detroit Institute of Arts; Cleveland Art Museum; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth; Musee de Beaux Arts, Montreal; Indianapolis Museum of Art; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Toledo Art Museum; Milwaukee Art Museum

Art Museums (Rest of World)

1. National Gallery, London
2. Hermitage, St. Petersburg
3. Pitti Palace, Florence
4. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
5. Prado, Madrid
6. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
7. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
8. Reina Sofia, Madrid
9. Tate Modern, London
10. Vatican Museum, Rome

Honorable Mention:
Egyptian Museum, Cairo; Museum Borghese, Rome; Rodin Museum, Paris; Louvre, Paris; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Courtauld Institute Gallery, London; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; Picasso Museum, Barcelona; Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid; Museo El Greco, Toledo

Top 25 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Omissions

Yesterday, it was announced that the 2010 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would be ABBA, The Stooges, Genesis, The Hollies and Jimmy Cliff. A pretty good class, despite my distaste for latter-day Genesis. But it got me thinking about artists who deserve to be in but still aren't.

Keep in mind that artists only become eligible 25 years after the release of their first album. And while most deserving luminaries are already in (you can see the list here), these are my choices for deserving and eligible acts who have thus far been snubbed:

1. The Jam
2. Cheap Trick
3. Husker Du
4. The Cure
5. The Replacements
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan
7. The Zombies
8. Rush
9. Midnight Oil
10. Neil Diamond
11. Roxy Music
12. Tom Waits
13. Warren Zevon
14. The Smiths
15. Peter Gabriel (solo)
16. Dire Straits
17. Alice Cooper
18. Tina Turner (solo)
19. Love
20. The Cars
21. Kiss
22. ELO
23. The Faces
24. Heart
25. Foreigner

And Others to Consider:

The Beastie Boys
Chicago
Yes
Depeche Mode
The Move
Deep Purple
Chic
Hall & Oates
The Guess Who
Black Flag
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
The Moody Blues
Jethro Tull
Bad Company
The Buzzcocks
Mott the Hoople

My Favorite Architecture of the '00s

As far back as I can remember, I have loved beautiful buildings, from soaring skyscrapers to unique single-family homes. I love the classical design that beautifies places like Venice and the French Quarter, and can still be awestruck by some of the terra cotta carvings that adorn older buildings around Chicago (take a look up and around next time you're on Lasalle St.).

In terms of modern architecture, I greatly admire the imagination with which gifted designers tackle everything from subway stations to baseball stadiums. I still remember my awe years ago upon first seeing a photograph of the Sydney Opera House and then again years later upon seeing a photo of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

During this decade, I have been fortunate enough to see both those buildings in person, as well as several newer structures that either replicate the concept of sculptural buildings--which seems to be the current trend, inspired and continued by Gehry, Santiago Calatrava, Daniel Liebskind and others--or otherwise combine elegance with plenty of imagination.

Limiting my list to new buildings and structures that I saw in person--some while still under construction--here are My Favorite Architectural Works of the '00s, complete with photographs (mostly not my own):

1. Quadracci Pavilion, Milwaukee Art Museum - Santiago Calatrava
Ever since Gehry's Guggenheim made Bilbao a destination following its completion in 1997, art museums worldwide have featured bold re-designs or daring new expansions. Calatrava's addition to the formerly bland MAM was the best I saw, most notably for its brise soleil, the wing-like structure that opens and closes.

2. Peter B. Lewis Building, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland - Frank Gehry
After the Guggenheim, Gehry's been in great demand well into his 70s, but with general marching orders to repeat himself. So he has been forced to be Gehryesque, but in new ways. Most responses to his work are either "Wow!" or "WTF?" but given the several buildings on this list, you can see where I side. I like the way this lesser-know college building combines a brick structure with the flowing metal forms.


3. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA - Frank Gehry
I haven't been inside, but I hear the acoustics are outstanding.


4. Aqua Tower, Chicago - Jeanne Gang
I'm not sure the finished building is quite as enthralling as the original renderings, but nonetheless, the cascading balconies giving the illusion of liquidity represents something entirely fresh in hi-rise residential architecture.


5. BOK Center, Tulsa - Cesar Pelli
I took a road trip to Tulsa in 2009 for a Paul McCartney concert and was amazed at how beautiful their new arena was. It reminded me of what the Soldier Field redesign could have been, if it wasn't stupidly shoehorned in the old colonades.


6. Hearst Tower, New York - Norman Foster
Showing that old and new can be effectively merged, I like how the soaring new skyscraper bursts out of the Hearst Building's classical facade.

7. Denver Public Library Addition - Michael Graves
While I believe Daniel Liebskind's nearby expansion of the Denver Art Museum has garnered more attention (see further below), I like what Graves did with the library a bit better.


8. New Terminal, Bilbao Airport - Santiago Calatrava
After the Guggenheim, they've been building like crazy in this old city at the north of Spain. I was there in 2005 and enjoyed Calatrava's soaring airport addition, inside and out.


9. AT&T Park, San Francisco - Populous (formerly known as HOK Sport)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh - Polulous and L.D. Astorino & Associates
I attended games at every new ballpark that opened during the '00s except for New Yankee Stadium, and while almost all of the new parks offered good comfort & sightlines with some local quirks, these two stood out primarily due how well they adapted to their waterfront locations.



10. One Museum Park, Chicago - Pappageorge Haymes, Ltd.
While Chicago's Trump Tower garnered much more attention and isn't a complete eyesore, I believe this new building down near the museum campus is a much more elegant skyscraper.


Honorable Mention:

Frederic C. Hamilton Building, Denver Art Center - Studio Daniel Liebskind & Brit Propst


IAC Building, New York - Frank Gehry


Wynn Las Vegas - Marnell Corrao Associates


Time Warner Center, New York - David Childs


Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago - Renzo Piano


Pritzker Pavilion, Millenium Park, Chicago - Frank Gehry


Lucas Oil Stadium (football), Indianapolis - HKS, Inc.


Hyatt Center, Chicago - Pei, Cobb, Fried & Partners


Guthrie Theatre Complex, Minneapolis - Jean Nouvel and Architectural Alliance


Experience Music Project, Seattle - Frank Gehry

My Favorite Stores During the '00s

OK, so today's category isn't the most exciting or revelatory. And unlike the scope of most of my other lists, this isn't a survey of stores that debuted in this decade. But these were the places I most enjoyed shopping at over the last 10 years:

1. Amazon.com - No parking, no store clerks, no lines, no tax and no shipping (on orders over $25). Virtually everything I could ever want to buy and pretty good prices, often from a secondary seller, not Amazon itself.
2. Best Buy - Almost always the best prices on new release CDs & DVDs. A bunch of other good stuff too.
3. Barnes & Noble/Borders - I like B&N slightly better, but both of the big bookstores are great for browsing and wonderful for bargain books. Like the Complete New Yorker Cartoons or a book with every Van Gogh painting in color, each for under $20. (I already have both)
4. Target - I think Walmart's prices are a tad lower, but Target is considerably classier.
5. Walmart - OK, so I don't like the effect they've had on small town America and they notoriously underpay their employees, but I can't deny I like their prices
6. Apple Store - I don't think I've actually bought anything at an Apple store, other than replacement headphones, but I just like it.
7. Kohl's - So, I'm not doing a whole lot of clothes shopping, but when I do I know I can get it on sale at Kohl's
8. Sam's Club - I used to go a lot more when I was getting actual film developed, but they offer great prices on supply-type stuff. And sometimes you can even fill up on the free food samples.
9. Land's End - Their All-Weather Mocs have been my shoe of choice for the last several years. I've bought them through the catalog, online and from their outlet near Yorktown Mall in Lombard.
10. Staples - When I need office supplies, even though I don't have an office, they've become a solid step above Office Max and two steps over Office Depot

And that's about it; other than Jewel, CVS and Walgreen's--more stores of necessity than want--there really isn't anywhere else I've shopped with any sort of repetition.

Dave's Favorite Books of the '00s

Although I (Seth) read a, um, respectable number of books in this decade, they were all of a pretty similar nature (suspense/thriller, page-turner) by the same few authors. I will cite those favorite authors below, but for a much more well-rounded "Favorite Books of the '00s" opinion, I thought it best to defer to my friend Dave Brown, a prolific reader who cited these as his Best of the Decade (all are fiction, Dave's preference, except where noted):

1. Peter Matthiessen - Shadow Country - Trilogy in '90’s-Reworked into one novel in ’08.
2. David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas - Six stories from 19th Century to future; connected in ultra-clever ways
3. Jonathan Franzen - The Corrections - Family drama; brilliantly done
4. Philip Roth - The Human Stain - Third in a loose trilogy
5. Dennis Lehane - Mystic River
6. Haruki Murakami - Kafka On The Shore
7. Richard Price - Samaritan
8. Richard Ford - Lay Of The Land
9. Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay
10. Ian McEwan - Atonement

Honorable Mention:

Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex
Paul Theroux - Dark Star Safari - Only Non-Fiction book - Travels thru Africa years after author taught there
Ruth Rendell - Rottweiler - Could have chosen any of several others; finest living Crime Fiction author
Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell - Only debut novel in the group
Paul Auster - Oracle Night - The Book Of Illusions was equally great; master at stories within stories
Margaret Atwood - Blind Assassin
P.D. James - Murder Room - 2nd finest living Crime Fiction author
Tom Perrotta - Little Children
George Pelekanos - The Turnaround - Best hard-boiled author these days

And Dave's pick for Favorite Author of the '00s: Philip Roth or David Mitchell

(Seth): Seemingly, Dave read so many good books that he didn't even cite a well-reviewed book by his own brother, but I will give it a plug here (no, I haven't read it, but Dave did and liked it):

Curt Brown - So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior (Amazon)

OK, so I explained the constraints of my reading this decade above, but to be fair, I did read every book written (before or during the '00s) by the first 4 authors below, and several by the subsequent 2, so I do recommend their work, especially if you're looking for something fast to read in airports or on planes. I guess you could say these were My Favorite Authors of the Decade:

1. Lee Child - All of his Jack Reacher novels are fun reads; can't remember one from another, however
2. Harlan Coben - Start with Tell No One or Gone For Good
3. Dan Brown - Perhaps you've heard of The Da Vinci Code
4. Stieg Larsson - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and next two are all great reads by this now deceased author
5. Carl Hiaasen - I think I liked Basket Case best
6. John Grisham (though some things this decade were subpar) - I seem to recall The Broker, King of Torts, The Last Juror and the non-fiction The Innocent Man favorable; some others were subpar

My favorite non-fiction book, at least among those that I read in their entirety, was Moneyball by Michael Lewis.

I also got several coffee table-type books that I thought were excellent, but I think I'll rank those in a separate list on another day.

Two other quick plugs for books from this decade by people I know:

1. Ramble On: Six Months Around the World with Yer Typical American Family - by Roger Tauchman - I am friends with the aforementioned family and have read most of this fun travelogue. (Amazon)
2. Morgan Park: Duluth, U.S. Steel, and the Forging of a Company Town - by Arnold Alanan - Arnie is a friend of a friend and told me about this book on a long drive to the Upper Peninsula. I have not read it. (Amazon)

My Favorite Musicals of the '00s

The main list of this category covers only newly created stage musicals of the '00s (not movies), and I am only including ones I saw, although that was most of the major ones, whether on Broadway, in London or in Chicago as a touring or local professional production.

Revivals are ineligible (although I follow the main list with a ranking of local musical productions of any type) and while there may be some fudge factor about eligibility if this were any kind of officious ranking--e.g. Mamma Mia opened in London in 1999, but didn't play in America or hit Broadway until this decade; Bat Boy was created in 1997 but didn't hit off-Broadway until 2001 and the London production that I saw and enjoyed opened in 2004, etc.--if it's on my list, I've obviously counted it as chronologically eligible.

Finally, any level (from Broadway to a one-time regional run) or type (including those based on old movie musicals or using old pop songs) are equally eligible for the purposes of my list below, of...

Favorite New Musicals of the '00s:

1. The Producers - I saw it 11 times--beginning with its pre-Broadway Chicago run in 2001--and though the Nathan Lane/Matthew Broderick original cast was by far the best, it's held up well even as it's made it's way to the local level.
2. Avenue Q
3. Hairspray
4. Wicked
5. The Visit - This Kander & Ebb musical has still only had two runs, 2001 at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and 2008 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. I saw and loved both productions (both starring Chita Rivera) and don't know why it hasn't hit Broadway.
6. Spring Awakening
7. Billy Elliot
8. Legally Blonde
9. Bat Boy
10. In the Heights

Honorable Mention:

Mary Poppins
Adding Machine - debuted in Evanston and played off-Broadway
Mamma Mia
Jersey Boys
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Caroline, or Change
Million Dollar Quartet
Bounce - A Sondheim creation that debuted at the Goodman and has morphed into Road Show, still yet to hit Broadway
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Urinetown
The Drowsy Chaperone
...Tick, Tick, Boom

The Best Local (non-touring) Musical Productions of Any Type
(*if show was newly created at theatre cited; **if a show from this decade; the rest were productions of older shows)

1. Pacific Overtures - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Studio
2. Les Miserables - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire
3. Fiorello - Timeline Theatre (Chicago)
4. The Visit* - Goodman Theatre (Chicago)
5. Adding Machine* - Next Theatre (Evanston)
6. A Little Night Music - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Studio
7. Million Dollar Quartet* - Goodman Theatre
8. Dangerous Beauty* - American Musical Theatre Project, Northwestern U.
9. Caroline, or Change** - Court Theatre (Chicago)
10. Bounce* - Goodman Theatre

Honorable Mention:

My Fair Lady - Court Theatre (Chicago)
Passion - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Studio
A Little Night Music - Light Opera Works (Evanston)
The Who's Tommy - Circle Theatre (Forest Park)
Floyd & Clea Under the Western Sky* - Goodman Theatre
The Hunchback of Notre Dame* - Bailiwick Theatre (Chicago)
Sunday in the Park with George - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Studio
Cabaret - Drury Lane Oakbrook
The Producers** - Theatre at the Center (Munster, IN)
A Man of No Importance** - Apple Tree Theatre (Highland Park)
Parade - Bailiwick Theatre (Chicago)
Ragtime - Light Opera Works (Evanston)
Man of La Mancha - Court Theatre (Chicago)
West Side Story - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire
Cats - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire

My Favorite Albums of the '00s

Although I was able to discover a fair amount of music I enjoyed in this decade, and tried to expose myself to several heretofore unknown artists that wound up on year-end best lists, played at Lollapalooza/Pitchfork or were topping the charts in England, the '00s seems to be relatively scarce when it comes to albums or even artists that captured the public zeitgeist.

To be fair, I am not a fan of most rap or hip-hop, nor have I sought out any music by anyone from American Idol--which seems to have replaced radio & MTV as the #1 source for breaking new artists--so while albums by Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, etc., may have achieved some level of mass consciousness, to my perspective none were decade-defining in the vein of Sgt. Pepper's, Zeppelin IV, Purple Rain or Nevermind.

So while "mass success" and "artistic excellence" are often not synonymous, even in the ever-splintered musical world of the digital age, I feel a bit sheepish that my two favorite albums of the decade are by UK bands that barely made a dent in the US.

But having given it considerable consideration, these are the albums I enjoyed most throughout the '00s:

1. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
2. The Fratellis - Costello Music
3. The Killers - Sam's Town
4. Green Day - American Idiot
5. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
6. The White Stripes - Elephant
7. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
8. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
9. The Killers - Hot Fuss
10. Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way

Honorable Mention:

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
White Stripes - White Blood Cells
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Kooks - Inside In, Inside Out
Zwan - Self-titled
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
Longwave - The Strangest Things
The Enemy - We'll Live and Die in These Towns
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Paul Weller - As Is Now
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The Wildhearts - Riff After Riff
Ray Davies - Other People's Lives
The Smashing Pumpkins - Machina: The Machines of God
The National - Boxer

What did I miss? Please let me know and I'll check it out if I haven't already.

My Favorite Entertainers of the '00s

This is a cross-disciplinary category that covers authors and directors, as well as performers.

My choices are quite different from Entertainment Weekly's 15 picks for Entertainers of the Decade--which beyond solid choices whose work I didn't personally get into (Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, JK Rowling, Peter Jackson) also included the strange pick of Will Smith. An enjoyable actor, yes, but it seems he made just one decent movie--The Pursuit of Happyness--this decade along with a bunch of clunkers: I, Robot; Hitch; I Am Legend, Hancock, even the sadly mediocre Ali.

Anyway, here are those whose work I most enjoyed and admired throughout the decade:

1. Bruce Springsteen - Beyond remaining the best concert performer going, the Boss also put out 5 solid if not quite superb studio albums in his most prolific decade ever. He was also probably the decade's ballsiest voice of dissent, speaking out against George Bush, the Iraq War, the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger and most recently voicing his support of gay marriage.

2. Howard Stern - Although I still wouldn't listen with my Mom in the car, Howard is much more a voice of honesty in an artificial world than the lewd provocateur critics assume. And not only did he probably provide more entertainment than anyone this decade, he pretty much single-handedly legitimized a new media form when he moved to satellite radio.

3. Nathan Lane - Tipping off an upcoming list, My Favorite Musical of the Decade was The Producers, with Lane outstanding in the role of Max Bialystock. I was fortunate to see him play the role 3 times on-stage (I also saw Jason Alexander, Richard Kind and others play Max, and no one else came close) as well as in the movie, and also saw him in November and The Addams Family.

4. Paul McCartney - This pick, this high, surprises even me--and may seem 5 decades out of time--but Sir Paul put out 4 surprisingly strong albums this decade and delivered the goods the 4 times I saw him live, even easily justifying a road trip to Tulsa this year. His new live DVD/CD set, Good Evening New York City is excellent.

5. Jon Stewart - Quite admittedly, I haven't watched The Daily Show nearly as much as I should have, but even on YouTube, his even-tempered tenacity in delivering well-deserved thrasings to Jim Cramer and Sean Hannity, among others, showed how important he is as a voice of reason, as well as humor. I also loved his stand-up act and his America The Book.

6. Dan Brown - He wasn't the best author of the decade nor even my favorite, but The Da Vinci Code was a phenomenon nearly as good as its hype, while Angels & Demons, The Lost Symbol and Deception Point were all great reads. So as far as authors go, he was my favorite entertainer.

7. Pearl Jam/Green Day (tie) - #2 & 3 on "My Favorite Concert Performers of the '00s," list, both bands get extra points for tirelessly speaking out against the Bush Administration.

8. Michael Moore - You've probably noticed a liberal-bent running through this list, so this shouldn't be a surprise. But despite my appreciation for Moore's voice of discord, I think at times (particularly in Fahrenheit 911) he's over-preached to the choir and given his detractors too much ammunition by being sloppy with how he presents his opinions. Still, the importance of Bowling for Columbine, Sicko and Capitalism can't be ignored, if only for the public discourse they've engendered.

9. Anne Hathaway - Although she's given several top-flight performances of late (Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada and especially Rachel Getting Married), the lovely Ms. Hathaway gets a berth on "My Favorite Entertainers" list for reasons beyond her acting prowess. It's not only her initials that are Hepburnesque (and I don't mean Katherine).

10. Chris Rock - The best stand-up comedian of our age. He should probably give up on making movies however.

Honorable Mention:

Philip Seymour Hoffman (I loved him in a bunch of movies but rarely went because of him), Tina Fey, David Letterman, Christopher Nolan (movie director), Billy Corgan, Artie Lange, Norah Jones, Ricky Gervais, Kate Winslet, Kiefer Sutherland (only in 24), Johnny Depp, JJ Abrams (director; would be higher if I liked Lost; but I loved Alias and Star Trek), Matt Damon, Lee Child, Harlan Coben (the last 2 are authors)

The Best Athletes of the '00s

So my pick for the "Best Athlete of the '00s" has ended the decade as a punchline, but better to be caught cheating with women than with steroids, for the latter makes one ineligible for my list (hence, no A-Rod, Bonds nor Clemens).

1. Tiger Woods
2. Albert Pujols
3. Michael Phelps
4. Tom Brady
5. Roger Federer
6. Kobe Bryant
7. Lance Armstrong
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Venus Williams/Serena Williams
10. Manny Pacquiao

Honorable Mention:

Sidney Crosby, Ronaldinho, Usain Bolt, Peyton Manning, Mariano Rivera, Floyd Mayweather, LaDanian Tomlinson, LeBron James, Tim Tebow, David Beckham

My Favorite Professional Creations of the '00s

Professionally speaking, I spent most of the '00s as a copywriter and creative director within the realm of recruitment (help wanted) advertising. I also had opportunity to create materials in other modes of advertising and marketing (B2B, consumer, political, retail, etc.).

Listed below are the ads, websites, etc. that I recall most favorably from this decade. Except for the pieces indicated by an asterisk, these are just as much examples showcasing the excellent artists I worked with, primarily Michael, Wendy, Jim and Marissa.

If want to discuss freelance projects or full-time opportunities, as I am still looking for a new job, please get in touch at setharkin@msn.com. And while the links below will show each ad/campaign referenced, it may be easier to see a whole bunch at once at: www.setharkinportfolio.com and www.artofpolitics.info

1. Delta Air Lines - Recruitment Ad Campaign and Website
2. Asurion - Recruitment Ad Campaign and Website
3. Cox Communications - Proposed Recruitment Ad Campaign
4. The Democratic Party of DuPage County - Fundraiser Invitation Flyer*
5. Operation: Turn DuPage Blue - "Propaganda" Poster Series* and Website*
6. Sears - Retail Direct Mail Postcard
7. Mather LifeWays - Recruitment Flyer Targeting High School Students
8. Peapod - Recruitment Ad Campaign
9. Merry Maids - Recruitment Ad Campaign
10. Choice Hotels - Employee Referral Program Branding and Website

Honorable Mention:
Aetna - Recruitment Website
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital - Nurse Recruitment Brochure
Convergys - Recruitment Poster for New Call Center in Texas
Joe Vosicky for State Representative - Political Direct Mail Postcard*
University of Chicago Hospitals - Proposed Recruitment Ad Campaign
Dan Bailey for DuPage County Board - Political Flyer*
RML Specialty Hospital - Recruitment Direct Mail Card for an Open House w/ on-site Masseuse
Chicago BritPop Meetup - Holiday Party Flyer*
Florida Power & Light - Proposed Recruitment Ad Campaign
Frontier Airlines - Proposed Recruitment Ad Campaign
PeopleScout - Business-to-Business Ad
Debt Eraser - Consumer Ad Campaign
Jenny Craig - Recruitment Ad Campaign
Northwest Airlines - Recruitment Ad Campaign
Convergys - Radio Recruitment Ad

My Least Favorite Events of the '00s

Given it being the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and tomorrow the anniversary of John Lennon's murder, it feels like an apt time to recall some of the worst (non-personal) moments and developments of the decade that Time magazine calls the worst ever.

I won't actually rank these, given the disparity in severity--from truly tragic to simply irritating--and the fact that some are specific events while others are happenings over time, but here's what went terribly wrong in the '00s:

- 9/11
- The Presidency of George W. Bush
- The Election Debacle of 2000 (and perhaps 2004 as well)
- The Tsunami of 2004 that killed 230,000 people
- Hurricane Katrina, the subsequent man-made disaster and the devastation that followed
- Worldwide terrorist attacks: Bali, Madrid, London, Mumbai
- The Chinese earthquake and other natural disasters
- Genocide in Darfur
- Recession since Sept. 2008 (+ Wall St. swindling, market meltdown, auto industry collapse, mass unemployment, etc.)
- Abu Ghraib & Guantanamo
- The Patriot Act
- Student Massacres at Virginia Tech and NIU (my alma mater)
- Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
- Steroid debacle in baseball
- Reality TV and the pseudo-celebrity culture
- Illinois Governors Blagojevich and Ryan
- Bernie Madoff
- Cubs Choke in 2003 (see also 2004, 2007, 2008, etc.)
- Bears blow Super Bowl XLI
- Zidane's head butt in 2006 World Cup final

Separately, here are the celebrity deaths that most affected me (some for who they were, others for the level of tragedy)

- George Harrison
- Joe Strummer
- Joey Ramone (and less so Johnny & Dee Dee)
- Heath Ledger
- Johnny Cash
- Paul Newman
- Nick Adenhart, Sean Taylor and other athletes killed in tragic ways
- David Foster Wallace - though I must admit I hadn't heard of him until he died
- Warren Zevon
- Tim Russert
- Natasha Richardson
- Michael Jackson - though not nearly commensurate with the coverage

My Favorite Magazines of the '00s

These are the magazines I most enjoyed throughout the decade:

1. Entertainment Weekly
2. Rolling Stone
3. Sports Illustrated
4. Newsweek
5. Time
6. New Yorker
7. Esquire
8. Playboy
9. National Geographic Traveler
10. Wired

Honorable Mention:
Chicago, National Geographic

My Favorite Concert Performers of the '00s

Rather than try to rank specific concerts--both because my memory ain't that good and I could easily fill all 10 spots with Springsteen shows--I will list my favorite concert performers of the decade, most of whom I saw at least twice if not more.

1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - I saw the Boss + ESB 26 times (plus 4 other Bruce shows). They were never less than great and often transcendent. Even in their 60s no one does it better.
2. Pearl Jam - Sharing a "never the same show twice" ethos with Springsteen and select few others, they have been consistently spectacular as a live act. Beyond 10 PJ shows in the decade, I also saw a solo Eddie Vedder performance that was truly special.
3. Green Day - From a 2001 show at Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom to a 2009 show at the United Center--plus 2 in between--Green Day has found ways to stay true to their punk rock origins whether trying to revive their career or packing arenas once they did.
4. The Rolling Stones - I was fortunate to see the Stones 6 times between 2002-2006 and they were never less than magnificent, even throughout the coldest concert I've ever attended, in October 2006 at Soldier Field
5. Paul McCartney - Like Bruce and the Stones, he may be old, but he still knows how to put on an exciting show that everyone seems to love. And the quality of the material he's released since 1997 may surprise you, yet it's not as good as the Wings stuff, and that's not as good as the Beatles' stuff. Combined they made for 4 incredible shows.
6. Radiohead - I've sometimes begrudged them for withholding what fans may most want to hear--e.g. in my 6 shows (5 this decade), I've yet to hear Creep--but I have never failed to enjoy and admire their performances, which include the best lighting design in the business
7. U2 - I've been disappointed with the last 2 albums, and all 9 shows seem to be highlighted by the same core songs (Pride, Streets, Sunday Bloody Sunday, With Or..., etc.) but I still love 'em. Although the massive stage stadium shows of 2009 were my least favorite of the decade.
8. Foo Fighters - Just a tremendous live act, although some of their material of late hasn't thrilled me.
9. The Killers - I only saw them twice and liked them better on the 2007 Sam's Town tour than I did in 2009, but to me they clearly outshined Coldplay as the best band of the '00s that didn't exist prior to the decade. Their new live DVD is really good.
10. AC/DC - I never saw them as a kid, but the 2 times I saw them (2001, 2008) were as good as I could have hoped. They do what they do as well as anyone can do it.
Ours go to 11. The Flaming Lips - Only saw them once and loved 'em; am seeing them again on December 11 at the Allstate Arena

Honorable Mention:
Van Halen - the David Lee Roth tour was excellent; the Sammy Hagar tour not as much
Velvet Revolver - saw them just once but they were surprisingly awesome
Smashing Pumpkins/Zwan - including 2 Billy Corgan solo shows, I saw them more than anyone except Bruce. The 2000 Pumpkins shows were great and the pre-album 2002 Zwan shows were outstanding
Elton John/Billy Joel - I saw their Face2Face shows on 3 separate tours and loved them all
R.E.M. - Their popularity has shrunken in the US, but they remain a stellar live act
Ray Davies - One of the best songbooks in rock; two magnificent theatre shows and a not as good free performance at Taste of Chicago
Metallica - If you like it loud, they still bring it
David Byrne - Saw him on 2 tours; both were among the most imaginative performances I've seen
Steely Dan - I had never seen them until a show each in 2008 & 2009; was surprised at the depth of their songbook and how good they sounded live
Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey Buckingham - I enjoyed the Fleetwood Mac arena shows I saw in 2003 & 2009, but Lindsey solo at the Park West was even better
Stereophonics - A few shows were disappointing, but at their best this "huge in England, small in US" Welsh band was tremendous

Others of Note:
The Who, Garbage, The Cure, Wilco, Madonna, BoDeans, The Fratellis, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, System of a Down, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Dixie Chicks, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Ash, Paul Weller, John Fogerty, Ash, Neil Young/CSNY, The Eagles

My Favorite Cities Visited in the '00s

This only includes cities I visited during the decade; specific sights, museums, etc. and non-urban attractions (Grand Canyon, Petra, etc.) will be separate categories. And Chicago doesn't count since I live there, but still ranks as my favorite city.

North America

1. New York - I was in the Big Apple 10 times during the decade and it never lost its bite. Broadway is amazing and there's always some place new to explore.
2. Philadelphia - Don't think I'd want to live there, but for 3 days, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, related historical sites, great museums (including the little known but fabulous Barnes Foundation), awesome cheesesteaks and a new ballpark make for a great trip.
3. Washington, DC - All the things to see and do on the National Mall and beyond make this a great place to visit.
4. New Orleans - Sadly, I first went in 2007 and the devastation of Katrina was still readily apparent. But the French Quarter is spectacular and a tour of the hurricane-affected areas was harrowing. Also, the food is as wonderful as touted, even if Antoine's wasn't quite.
5. Nashville - Somewhat surprising how much I enjoyed all the historic music sites, honky tonks (free music bars) and even the replica Parthenon.
6. Boston - Is the Big Dig over yet? I was there in 2000 after first going in 1993 and the construction was still going on, slightly diminishing the joy of this amazing walking city.
7. San Francisco - A beautiful city but a bit short in top-notch interactive tourist experiences (museums, etc.) rather than simply enjoying the beauty/allure of Golden Gate, Lombard St., the non-tourist Wharf, Haight-Asbury, North Beach, etc. But it does have the #1 new ballpark of the 2000s.
8. Pittsburgh - Home to the second best new ballpark in America, some top rate museums, the enjoyable Mt. Washington overlook (and Duquesne Incline) and delectable sandwiches that feature fries and slaw atop the meat. Also the closest city to Frank Lloyd Wright's amazing Fallingwater.
9. Montreal - I enjoyed all 3 of Canada's major cities, including Toronto & Vancouver, but I think Montreal was the coolest.
10. Seattle - Ahead of some of the honorable mention cities by only a small margin, but the Experience Music Project and Space Needle, nice new ballpark and the old "underground" tours made this a very enjoyable visit. I also saw the pre-Broadway visit of Hairspray here, and instantly predicted it would win the next Tony, which it did.

Honorable Mention:
Denver (some of the best sites in Boulder, Rocky Mountains & beyond); Kansas City (surprisingly great museums: Negro League Baseball museum, Jazz museum, Hallmark museum and Nelson-Atkins art museum are all top notch); Austin (like Nashville, a great city for walk-in free music, but a bit short of daytime attractions); San Antonio (loved the Alamo & Riverwalk); Toronto (much like Chicago except for the skyline); Milwaukee (Calatrava's art museum expansion and Miller Park added greatly to MKE's allure this decade); Detroit (much maligned for all the lasting blight, but the Henry Ford Museum & Dearborn Village are among the top US museums, the art museum is good and both the new baseball & football fields are enjoyable); Grand Rapids (undergoing massive construction when I was there, making the home to a nice new art museum and a great open-to-the-public Frank Lloyd Wright house, a city on the rise); Las Vegas (mass artifice but enjoyably so); Los Angeles (liked it better as a visitor than a resident)

Others to mention:
Vancouver, San Diego, Cleveland, Louisville, Indianapolis, Madison, Oklahoma City, Toledo (surprisingly stellar art museum)

Rest of the World

1. London - Magnificent history, theater, museums and vibrance. If only the food was better.
2. Florence - All the Italian cities I saw were spectacular, but I think I liked this best, just over...
3. Venice - Probably the most beautiful place I've been
4. Bilbao - Sparked by Frank Gehry's new Guggenheim museum in 1997, this city felt fresh and revitalized when I was there in 2005, and still had many massive construction projects underway. I hope to get back someday to see the results.
5. Paris - I was only there for less than 2 days in 2000 (after a longer trip in 1993) but still got quite an Eiffel
6. Rome - Easily overshadowed by how much one can enjoy the more quaint Florence, Venice, Siena & Pisa (and elsewhere I didn't get to), but Rome itself, with the Colisseum, Forum, Vatican and more, is truly mind-blowing
7. Barcelona - The architecture by Antoni Gaudi, capped by the spectacular yet still far from finished Sagrada Familia, is out of this world
8. Dublin - Typically just seen as a gateway to the rest of Ireland, it truly is an enjoyable world-class city
9. Prague - A number of enjoyable sites, but more just the beauty and vibe make it tremendous
10. Amsterdam - High art, low class, hidden homesteads and everything in between

Honorable Mention:
Melbourne, Liverpool, Jerusalem, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Brussels, Sydney, Cairo, Helsinki, Madrid, Toledo/Siena (both were awesome as day-trips from bigger cities)

My Favorite New Technology of the 21st Century

This admittedly imprecise category covers technological advancements of a personal/consumer nature that developed or came of age since 2000. I use my faulty memory of my own awareness as the arbiter of whether something falls before or after the start of 21st century (see my disclaimer list after the real list). Websites are only included here if they introduced a new technology; My Favorite Websites will be a separate category.

1. Digital Cameras, particularly the Digital SLR - The original Digital Rebel, which I bought in early 2004, is still probably the best single piece of equipment I've ever owned.
2. iPod and mp3 Technology
3. Napster -> iTunes (and GoMusicNow.com, not that I advocate it) - I'm in favor of artists getting paid for their music, but for me, Napster was like radio, allowing me to hear music before I decided to purchase it.
4. CD-R (computer-based CD burning) - The above 3 technologies have truly enabled me to discover, enjoy and share music in new ways
5. iPhone and its applications
6. Online Maps - How did I ever get anywhere before?
6a. Google Earth - An offshoot of online maps, but a whole lot of fun
7. HDTV - I can't say it's changed my life, but it sure is nice
8. YouTube - Willfully ignoring this violation of artists' rights, I love that Springsteen can play a show at night in London and the next morning I can see half the set online
9. Satellite Radio - Music with no commercials--including an all-Springsteen station that plays fan bootlegs--and Howard Stern with no censorship. My regular radios are virtually obsolete.
10. Wikipedia - Though cynics still poo-poo it, this user-created online reservoir of information has been proven to be largely accurate and has become my de facto source for learning more about just about anything.

Honorable Mention:
Tivo/DVR, TV on DVD, Guitar Hero, Text Messaging, Online Flight Check-in, Fotolia and other cheap stock photo sites, RedBox Video Rentals, Google Translate, Pandora.com, TV/Video On-Demand

I don't use these enough to make my list:
Twitter, NetFlix, Blu-Ray DVD

These precede the decade in origin and ubiquity but continue to be key technologies in my life:
Google (as a search engine), Ticketmaster.com (hate the fees but buying tickets online has made life so much simpler), Amazon.com (and all online shopping), Ebay, Craigslist, Hotmail (and all web-based email), Travelocity/Hotels.com (and all online travel planning although Orbitz, my favorite, didn't start until 2001)

My Favorite Movies of the '00s

I haven't kept track, but I'd estimate that I have likely seen about 500 movies from this decade in this decade. I probably average 1-2 movies in theaters most months of the year, but typically see most of the biggest summer blockbusters and numerous "Oscar-consideration" films that are released at year's end. With DVD rentals & purchases plus films I eventually catch on HBO and on down the cable chain, about 50 movies from each calendar year seems about right.

In preparing to make this list, I rewatched a few things from my DVD collection and checked out a few friends' recommendations, but by-and-large this list is based on how I remember things from over the years. And in this case, "My Favorite" equates to "What I Think Was The Best" based on judgments about a movie's artistic merit, not necessary how entertaining or even comforting it may be. Given the grim subject matter of many of what I consider to be the best films, they aren't necessarily what I'd recommend if someone says, "Bring over your favorite movie."

So without further ado--except to say that I slept through the first Lord of the Rings movie and haven't seen the next 2--here are "My Favorite Movies of the '00s":

1. City of God
2. Memento
3. Hotel Rwanda
4. The Pianist (despite its criminal director)
5. Finding Neverland
6. In America
7. Once
8. Gladiator
9. Frost/Nixon
10. In the Bedroom

Honorable Mention:
Slumdog Millionaire, Crash, A History of Violence, The Fall, Spiderman 2, The Last King of Scotland, Traffic, Sideways, Mulholland Drive, Little Children

Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Animated Film: Up
Best Comedy: O Brother Where Art Thou (or School of Rock)
Best Musical: Sweeney Todd

Best (across the decade)...
Director: Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight)
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Johnny Depp is close but loses points for Captain Jack)
Actress: Kate Winslet

In judging my list and making yours, you may want to check out other "Best Movies of the '00s" resources: here, here and here

My Favorite ________ of the '00s

From now until December 31, 2009--i.e. the end of the decade--I intend to post my thoughts on the best this, that and the other thing of the '00s. I will try to do this every day, doubling up perhaps if I skip a day, and my posts should also feed to my Facebook page.

I am labeling these lists My Favorite (Blank) of the '00s, for I have certainly not seen every movie, heard every album or read every book (might need help with this category) released in the decade, and don't claim to have scholarly critical abilities. However, "My Favorite" will often equate to "What I Think Were The Best" from some sort of critical perspective and not simply a personal one. Occasionally I will deviate from "My Favorite..." to cover things like "Biggest News Stories" or even "Worst Events."

In addition to hoping some of you will enjoy reading my opinions, I also hope that you will share your own (and not simply of the "You suck" or "This is boring" variety). Even if you have to come back to a category after giving it thought for a couple of days, I would love to read what you think were "the best" or where you agree and disagree with my picks.

Please look for "My Favorite Movies of the '00s" as my first list tomorrow, Dec. 2.

Thanks and enjoy,
Seth

Not Two Legendary

Concert Review
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood
June 17, 2009
United Center, Chicago
@@1/2 (out of 5)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's performance last night was relatively enjoyable and never boring. It would probably make for a good episode of Soundstage. But for $100+, it was far too infrequently incredible. Sure, there were a few "Oh wow" moments--some Clapton guitar solos, a sweet rendition of Can't Find My Way Home--but over the course of 2+ hours, these two prodigious talents and true rock legends never seemed to break a sweat. There were just too many mid-tempo, obscure numbers, which was fine for the first hour; settle into a groove, then let it rip. But that never really happened. Layla was done acoustically, a big disappointment, and though Buddy Guy's appearance in the encore was the highlight of the night, it meant we were deprived of Cocaine and Dear Mr. Fantasy, the show closers elsewhere on tour. And Winwood spent far too little time playing electric guitar; though he's more known as a keyboardist, back in the late '60s when "Clapton is God" was spraypainted around London, Winwood was considered his closest guitar rival (until Hendrix came along and blew both away). I wanted to hear Winwood and Clapton go toe-to-toe and really push each other, but again, it didn't happen. Nothing really terrible, and plenty of enjoyable music, but just not enough to really ever excite.

Here's what they played, with the song's origin/writer in parentheses (stolen from Greg Kot's Tribune review; which is more positive than mine)
1. Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith) 2. Low Down (J.J. Cale) 3. After Midnight (J.J. Cale) 4. Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith) 5. Sleeping in the Ground (Sam Myers/Blind Faith outtake) 6. Glad (Traffic) 7. Well Alright (Buddy Holly/Blind Faith) 8. Tough Luck Blues (Big Maceo) 9. Pearly Queen (Traffic) 10. Crossroads (Robert Johnson) 11. There’s a River (Winwood) 12. Forever Man (Jerry Williams/Clapton) 13. Georgia on My Mind - Winwood solo (Hoagy Carmichael) 14. Driftin' Blues – acoustic (Charles Brown) 15. How Long Blues – acoustic (Leroy Carr) 16. Layla – acoustic (Derek and the Dominoes) 17. Can't Find My Way Home -- acoustic (Blind Faith) 18. Split Decision (Winwood) 19. Voodoo Chile (Jimi Hendrix)
Encore:20. Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson)21. Drowning on Dry Land (Al Jackson)

See It, Hear It

Theatre Review
The Who's Tommy
Circle Theatre
Forest Park, IL
@@@@@

Before getting home to watch the Tony Awards, which I'll broach upon in a moment, today I saw a wonderful production of The Who's Tommy, the stage version of Pete Townshend's masterful rock opera, which was originally produced on Broadway in 1993 and subsequently nominated for Best Musical. As I was watching it, it dawned on me that in addition to its monumental impact on rock 'n roll, Tommy has had a huge impact on Broadway and musical theater, more than one might imagine.

Although "Hair," which won the Tony tonight for best revival, brought rock music to Broadway way back in 1968, it's hard to overstate Tommy's impact on what Broadway could be, who could create its musicals and who would attend them. Think about it. Tommy came to Broadway--and was a solid hit--before Rent, before Elton John started writing musical scores and before Mamma Mia & all the songbook musicals that followed. I don't think rock and pop music--including that showcased in Billy Elliot (the big Tony winner) and Rock of Ages, a musical featuring '80s rock--would be as ubiquitous on Broadway if it weren't for The Who's Tommy.

And it was a sheer pleasure seeing what the Circle Theatre--long noted for stuffing big productions into a shoebox-sized space--did with it. A young, vibrant and attractive cast--headed by Tom McGunn as Tommy--had fine voices, well-choreorgraphed numbers on a small stage and were augmented by a clever set design featuring a well-used video screen. It's still a bit shocking to hear Townshend's score not sung by Roger Daltry, and the stage version's revisions toward the end were a tad off-putting, but with a solid band providing the necessary chops, Tommy--which I had seen onstage once before--proved to well-justify its transition from 1969 vinyl to 1975 cinema to 1993 Broadway to 2009 Forest Park.

It runs through July 19 and at less than $20 through HotTix, it's a great deal...of fun.

As for the Tonys, it was an enjoyable show and though I haven't seen the other musicals nominated (Shrek, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages) and actually saw Billy Elliot in London, it seems that it correctly won Best Musical and loads of other awards. I don't know how soon I'll be getting back to NYC, but hope to see the revival of West Side Story (Maria looks gorgeous) as well as God of Carnage, which won for Best Play.