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.

The Unexpected Joys of Unemployment

Not working certainly has its drawbacks; most obvious is the lack of steady sufficient income (though unemployment has actually given me a 20% raise from the last time). You also are faced with periods of loneliness, boredom and frustration, even occasional depression. Aside from that--and while doing what you can to abbrieviate it--unemployment is to be enjoyed not rued.

I don't mean this simply because you can often sleep late, not shave, not dress and pretty much do things at your own pace. Nor is it simply a matter of being able to watch movies (and thus justify my DVD collection; this week alone I watched The Usual Suspects, The Big Sleep and In the Name of the Father); take in an afternoon ballgame (I haven't yet been out to Wrigley but did enjoy watching the Champions League soccer final on Wednesday) or do some reading (I'm almost done with Vikram Seth's "An Equal Music").

No, what unemployment truly offers over regular same time, same place employment is the heightened opportunity for unexpected surprises.

For instance, yesterday I went downtown to meet with a creative staffing firm; it seemed to go pretty well and hopefully they can get me some projects. But as I was walking there, I came across an Art For Obama exhibit at 72 E. Randolph (where HotTix is, across from the Cultural Center). And if checking that out wasn't cool enough, there was a "that day only" Gallery Talk by Scott Thomas, a guy I hadn't heard of before but who was the Design Director for the Obama campaign. Except for the horizon logo, which was created prior to his involvement, Scott either designed or oversaw every piece of artwork the campaign put out, from posters to banners to podium placards and more. He even designed the much lauded Obama website.

I actually missed most of his talk, but caught the tail end and wound up speaking with him for a while. Rather than a graying industry veteran or even a pretentious hot shot, he just was a down to earth guy who earned his responsibility by being good at what he does. He said he's in the midst of writing a book called Designing Obama with hopes for a summer release. Though there's not a lot there at present, check out his website SimpleScott.com and if you have a couple hours to kill--sorry for those of you with jobs--you might enjoy this talk he did at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis along with the logo designer.

After my appointment, I went to the Art Institute to see the new Modern Wing. The building was beautiful, but as is often the case in contemporary art museums (the Walker, Guggenheim Bilbao, MOCA-Chicago), the art within wasn't nearly as cool as the building itself.

Anyway, if you have a job, be happy and grateful. But if you don't, do likewise.

Would You Spend $9,266,500 For This?

As you can see here, although I used to dabble in painting, I can't claim to have been very good. And while I actually enjoy Piet Mondrian's minimalist works, I think I could duplicate the above painting--which just sold for over $9 million at auction--and would be willing to accept only $49.95. The hardest part would be finding a square canvas. 

Fun-Play Bloody Fun-Play

Theatre Review

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

A Play by Martin McDonagh

Northlight Theatre - Skokie, IL 

@@@@1/2

Just when I was about to write off plays as an expected source of enjoyment, I saw one of the funniest, and in the end, most insightful, plays I've seen in a long time. Written by Martin McDonagh, one of the two reigning wunderkinds of Irish theatre along with Conor McPherson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a grisly dark comedy, complete with dead cats, severed limbs and a whole lot of blood. While it is going on, you're not completely sure the point it's making, but it is laugh out loud funny. And when the end comes -- at 90 minutes, this is about the right length for a play, rather than the 2:45 Rock N Roll -- you understand how sharp a commentary about the IRA and the "troubles in Ireland" it is. Bloody brilliant. And having loved both this and McDonagh's The Pillowman, but being a bit lukewarm about McPherson's recent (and acclaimed) The Seafarer and Shining City, well, I think McDonagh might not only be Ireland's best working playwright, but perhaps even the world's. 

Here's My Verdict...

Theatre Review

Legally Blonde: The Musical

Broadway Tour

Ford Theatre - Chicago

@@@@

I wouldn't quite call "Legally Blonde" an all-time great musical, but it is a highly enjoyable one that comes close to "excellent." And while last night's cast and production weren't quite up to the Broadway version, the show remains a whole lot of fun. Becky Gulsvig, who understudied the Elle Woods role on Broadway and plays her here, was very good and quite charming. The music & lyrics, co-written by Lawrence O'Keefe, who also wrote Bat Boy the Musical (which I loved in London), are quite good throughout and there are a number of imaginative scenes, all enthusiastically performed. I certainly had a lot more fun than I did the other night at "Rock N Roll."

Bruce Springstein?

If you've read/watched my other Springsteen posts, you already know that he's been playing song fans request via signs. I like the one that comes in at 2:17 here. 

Taking Up More Space

See my post from Saturday for the explanation, but here are more photos from John Grunsfeld aboard the Space Shuttle. I'm not really much of a space geek, but these are amazing.

It's Only... ...But I Didn't Really Like It

Theatre Review
Rock 'N Roll
A Play by Tom Stoppard
Goodman Theatre - Chicago
@@

In theory, I love plays. I mean I admire the art form, and while I freely admit that I prefer musicals, I have seen over 150 plays and am sure to see many more. But the truth is, I'm sad to admit, that there have been relatively few plays that I have truly found phenomenal, even among those that have been well-reviewed and that others seem to like.

I don't know, maybe I'm just not smart enough to "get" a play in a single sitting, or I have ADD and tend to zone out somewhere, but if a play called Rock 'N Roll, written by a living legend like Tom Stoppard, is about Prague--which I've been to--and how rock music helped contribute to the end of Communism--which fascinates me--, and was lauded both on Broadway and in its Goodman production, doesn't do much for me, well, maybe I oughta stop playing.

I mean, the performers were good--including a Minneapolis actor named Stephen Yoakam who I had seen in 'Blackbird' when I visited the Twin Cities in November--and much of the writing showed Stoppard's obvious gifts, and I enjoyed the heavy allusions to Syd Barrett--who I've never appreciated enough--, and all the recorded music that was incorporated, from the Stones to the Beach Boys to U2, but I honestly spent most of the 2 hours & 45 minutes (way too long for a play if you ask me) waiting for it to end.

It wasn't awful, but it just wasn't all that. Nothing that will last, nothing that really taught me much (except to download The Piper at the Gates of Dawn). Oh well. I'm going to see The Lieutenant of Inishmore on Wednesday night, and I loved Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, so I have high hopes, but then, I'm much more excited about seeing Legally Blonde The Musical tomorrow night.

Nothing but the Truth

OK, I admit it, last night I rented Bride Wars, pretty much solely because it stars Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. Because of the two of them, it was watchable and not dreadful, but in the end it was "movie world only" drivel completely out of touch with today's world. At least the one I live in. And while I have no idea exactly when it was produced, agreed upon, etc., for Hathaway, coming after her Oscar-nominated performance in Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married," it was an embarrassing step backwards (and she also had another stinker, Passengers, that even I won't watch). But she did look lovely. As for Hudson, who didn't look quite as hot as she has previously, I don't know who is giving her career advice, but at this point, the caliber of her movies make her mom's (Goldie Hawn) look like Meryl Streep's. Just one piece of crap after another. Unlike Hathaway, I'm not sure if she's going to graduate to something better. Or even wants to. For the record, I give Bride Wars @@ (out of @@@@@).

But for only another $1 at Redbox -- they'll put Blockbuster out of business even faster than On-Demand -- and for pretty much the same reason as with Bride Wars, only in the case of Kate Beckinsale, I also rented Nothing but the Truth. And that I would give @@@@1/2. And along with last year's Snow Angels, it showed that Beckinsale is finally defining herself as a fine, serious actress in addition to a beautiful one. Unfortunately, hardly anyone's even heard of this movie. It was going to have a limited release late last year and go wider in January, but after opening in New York and perhaps LA, the film's distributor went bankrupt, and so supposedly did Beckinsale's hopes for an Oscar nomination. She probably deserved one, for playing a journalist who is put in jail for not revealing her source, in this fictionalized version of the whole Valerie Plame-Judith Miller-Scooter Libby affair. I didn't, and still don't, understand exactly what happened in real life, but the movie version helped educate me and was excellent throughout. Beyond Beckinsale, strong performances were given by a stellar cast, including Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle, David Schwimmer and Vera Farmiga.

I won't tell anyone not to rent Bride Wars, but to respect yourself in the morning, perhaps balance it out with Nothing but the Truth.

Personal Photos From Outer Space

John Grunsfeld is an astronaut & astrophysicist currently on a shuttle mission to fix the Hubble Telescope. Originally from Highland Park, he is the brother-in-law of the stepfather of my longtime best friend Jordan. The Chicago Tribune recently had a big story on him which you can read here. This is another article on the progress of the repairs.

These are some of the photos John sent from Outer Space:

The world's best rock band is...

Who is the best rock band in the world? Right now, today? Not necessarily your favorite band, though obviously it’s a subjective question. And not the all-time best band that is still somewhat active, e.g. The Rolling Stones. I mean the band whose recent recorded output and quality of their live shows earns them the title of “world’s best rock band, circa 2009.” Although this is my blog post, and I’m about to reveal my choice, I’m really looking for feedback. Who do you consider the best rock band in the world?

My answer: Green Day

Again, not my favorite band that’s still active; in that regard, U2, REM, the Stones, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters and perhaps some others outrank Green Day. (And I’m not counting Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as a band for these purposes.) But while I’m still digesting Green Day’s new 18-song concept album, even the first listen sounds pretty good. Their last album, American Idiot, was great, their entire recorded output is pretty stellar and they are always great live. And they seem to keep getting better.

I think all the aforementioned bands are still great, but their best albums are well behind them. Radiohead is an obvious contender, but name a truly great, “gotta hear it” song from their last several albums. I think the Killers rate pretty high, but I found their latest album a step backwards. Wilco is great, but can be too hit or miss to claim the title. The White Stripes are barely a band and have never excited me live. The Flaming Lips were fantastic, but their last album was a real dud. I still love England’s Stereophonics, but Green Day is clearly better, and more recent Brit faves like The Fratellis, Maximo Park and The Enemy just don’t have enough of a track record. Kings of Leon, The Arcade Fire and Fall Out Boy have had lots of buzz, but Kings of Leon is the only one I really like and they certainly aren’t “best band” material. Metallica and AC/DC continue to rock live, and have had solid recent albums, but are a bit too long in the tooth and one-dimensional to top the list. And while I like Coldplay a bit more than I don’t, they largely leave me cold. I’m sure there are indie bands that people love, like Frightened Rabbit and Fleet Foxes, but to some extent, longevity and popularity have to factor in. So there you have it.

Green Day is the best band in the world. Right now, today. May 15, 2009.

And if they’re not, who is?

To every end there is a beginning

I was actually at this show (below), in about the first row, so I should be in this shot somewhere.

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!

Concert Review
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
United Center - Chicago
@@@@1/2

Last night was the 34th time I've seen Bruce Springsteen, 28 of which have been with the E Street Band. (You can see a rundown of all my Bruce shows & setlists here) And once again Bruce and the band did not disappoint, even though I wouldn't rank it as one of their best shows. The setlist didn't quite flow right; a few more true classics would have been nice. But in terms of live performers--and I've seen hundreds--even nearing 60 years of age, there's Bruce and then there's everyone else. And even with an aging band, he delivered a nearly 3 hour show that if not quite an all-time best, was still truly phenomenal.

It's Boss Time, Again

So last night I konked out and went to sleep after the first period of the Blackhawks game, a series clincher that saw 10 goals scored after I went to bed in a see-saw affair that the Hawks wound up winning in dramatic fashion. I'm kind of hating myself for wussing out and missing it.

I awoke with a kink in my neck that has really got me kind of sore.

I have very little to do at a job that I'm being laid off from this Friday, with no ready prospects for new employment in a terrible economy.

The girl that I like and thought was cool, doesn't feel the same and seemingly isn't.

But today is a good day that will only get better. In fact, for me, it's like Christmas ...is to those who celebrate Christmas.

Bruce Springsteen is coming to town. He plays the United Center tonight and I will be there with 3 of my close friends.

Sure, he's been my favorite musician for about the last 30 years. And I've seen him perform live 33 times, including 29 times in the last 10 years and 8 times in the past 19 months.

But I can't remember ever being more excited about seeing him. For while I'm really not in a bad way, not depressed or acutely anxious, well, things aren't exactly spectacular either.

And whereas some people turn to drugs (legal or illegal), alcohol, religion, psychiatry, exercise and/or other ways to cope with whatever life throws them, beyond some great family & friends, I have always turned to Bruce. Other music too, and other entertainment as well, but most consistently and above all, the Boss. And unlike most people in life, Bruce has never let me down.

So let's rock.

Mystery Repeats Itself

I think I wrote this poem in 1990. Unfortunately, it still applies.

4-Gone Confusion

What will it take to make Brett Favre go away and stay away for good? I mean, even as a diehard Bears fan, I always liked and admired Favre, until he started to pull his Roger Clemensesque annual "am I going to play this year?" crap. And even last year, I kind of sided with him in his pissy-fight with the Packers. But my God, enough is enough. Retire dammit, or just say, "I'm going to play as long as someone will let me." What a big whiny baby.

The Boss gets his Punk on

London Calling


I Wanna Be Sedated


Bad Luck (w/ Mike Ness of Social Distortion)

This Bird Has Flown

People live. People die. And sometimes it takes someone dying to remind you how significant they were to your life. This recently happened with someone I personally knew, and while of all the celebrities to possibly die, one might not think Mark “The Bird” Fidrych would be all that significant, I was notably saddened by his passing yesterday in a tragic accident on his farm.

“The Bird”—to begin with, a nickname I will never forget—was one of my earliest baseball memories and could very well be the first “national phenomenon” that I recall (I’m don’t think I should count Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump though I do remember it; it only lasted a few moments).

I was 7 when Fidrych had his magical rookie season in 1976, including his ‘talking to the baseball,’ capturing huge crowds at home in Detroit & on the road, starting the All-Star Game and going 19-9. I know I’d already been to some Cubs games, and I recall the 1975 Reds-Red Sox World Series to some extent (though perhaps not Fisk’s “stay fair!” firsthand), and my recollection of Seaver/Palmer/Carlton probably date back that far, but I don’t think anything that early on sticks in my baseball memory like Fidrych. And I don’t even know that I saw (or can distinctly remember) any particular game, including the one frequently referred to in his obituaries, a Monday Night Baseball game against the Yankees on June 28.

But I clearly remember the phenomenon.

And feeling bad that he never again came anywhere near the heights of his 1976 season, due to injuries.

(In reading this excellent piece on SI.com, it’s easy to see why. Fidrych threw 24 complete games in 1976, and “from July 29th to August 29th, The Bird threw a nine-inning game, a seven-inning game, a nine-inning game, another nine-inning game, another nine-inning game, a 10-inning game, a nine-inning game and an 11 1/3 inning game -- each one on three-days rest. Imagine that: Fidrych threw 73 1/3 innings and seven complete games in a month.”)

If you were to ask me yesterday to name 1,000 famous people who are or were important to my life, I likely couldn’t, and still wouldn’t have named Fidrych. But somehow, and considerably different than Fernando-mania, Gooden’s 1984 season and other “baseball phenomenons,” the Bird meant something to me. And thus, so did his untimely death.

"Hey, watch out you moron!"

So on Saturday, my sister Allison and I are riding in my Mom's car as we're going to visit my aunt. In getting from Skokie to Lake Shore Drive, we wind up on Kedzie Ave. south of Touhy, next to Winston Towers, a group of condominium buildings in which my maternal Grandparents had lived.

Both are long since deceased, but as we stopped at a stop sign in front of their old building at 7061 N. Kedzie, I said to my Mom, "Are we picking up Grandma?" for her route to LSD had seemed unusual to me. While I'm looking at my Grandma's building, Allison says to my Mom, "Don't run into Rod Blagojevich." I didn't quite understand why--and Allison herself was only joking as she spoke in reference to a nearby jogger--but then we all looked and saw that it was indeed Blago, with his wacky hair and jogging suit, speaking to the driver of another car, surely pleading his case yet again.

Mom and Allison started laughing harder than I'd ever heard. I wanted my Mom to U-turn and run him down, and alas, every time we told the story of almost running into Rod Blagojevich, the response was, "You should have hit him."

But in hindsight, maybe we should have offered him a ride back home. After all, we had an open seat to sell.

The 'Roid Not Taken

Do you remember Derrick May? I absolutely do not, which actually supports the point I am trying to make, but also dictates that my referencing him here be taken simply as allegory.

The statistics I will cite are factual, taken from www.Baseball-Reference.com, but I have no recollection of his ability, potential, circumstances, anything he did or didn’t do, let alone the choices he may have made nor the reasons behind them. So yes, this is journalistically quite suspect. But again, I’m trying to make a point.

Derrick May is the son of Dave May, a major league ballplayer of minor note in the 1970s. Derrick was the 9th pick of the first round of the 1986 amateur draft, a draft in which Gary Sheffield, Matt Williams and Kevin Brown were also Top 10 picks.

Derrick May played briefly with the Cubs in 1990 and 1991, as a September call-up, but 1992 was his first full year in Chicago. He played left field, started 85 games and had 96 hits in 351 at-bats for a .274 batting average. He had 8 home runs, 45 RBI, 40 strikeouts and a .373 slugging percentage. He was 23 years old.

In 1992, the 78-84 4th place Cubs had another 23-year-old outfielder, a guy who started 67 games in center field, batted 262 times and had a .260 average, 25 RBI, 63 strikeouts and a .393 slugging percentage. Just like Derrick May, he hit 8 home runs in 1992.

Now here’s where I start making things up to make my point. Let’s say May, a former high draft pick who saw his draft-mate Sheffield hit 33 home runs in ’92 and who was trying to solidify his future with the Cubs, had the opportunity to increase his strength and stamina through steroids, HGH, creatine or whatever was available at the time. Again, I have no idea what really may have happened, but let’s just say that while May was tempted, he decided that “cheating” was wrong, no matter if the MLB had a steroid policy or not.

“Admirable choice,” we might say, “he did the right thing; so what?” And upon learning that the following season, 1993, Derrick May hit 10 home runs in 465 at bats—both career highs—and wound up having a mediocre 10-year major league career, we might say, “Well, not everyone can be Mickey Mantle.”

And upon hearing that Derrick May earned between $2-3 million for his entire major league career, not counting any signing bonuses or his 3 subsequent years in Japan, we might think it a shame that he didn’t live up to his potential, but then neither do a lot of guys. And heck, we’d all take $2 million.

But what about the other 23-year-old Cubs outfielder in 1992, a guy who batted leadoff or second most of the games he started, unlike May, who hit 5th or 6th, more conducive to an expected power hitter. What if he met the proverbial Faust at the crossroads of Addison & Clark, and as has been proven the case with Sheffield (who has gone on to hit 499 home runs and earn $154 million), decided that with obscurity staring him down like a pitcher 60 feet away, chemical enhancements weren’t a bad option. Whether steroids or HGH, something was needed to make himself bigger and stronger.

Something that might explain how he could go from 8 home runs in 1992 to 33 in 1993. Something that could enable him to play 18 major leagues seasons, and hit 609 home runs, including an unmatched 292 in a 5-season span from 1998 to 2002. Something that could bring career earnings of $124 million, and plenty of endorsement deals at the height of his popularity. Not to mention a Presidential State-of-the-Union salute.

And while longtime suspicions of steroid abuse—including a government investigation— along with a corked bat incident and premature evacuation from the Cubs clubhouse in 2004 may have eventually tarnished his public image and perhaps cost him eventual enshrinement in Cooperstown, nobody has asked him to return any of the $124 million in career earnings or evacuate his massive mansion in the Dominican.

So, as we stand in February 2009 with Alex Rodriguez the latest of the shamed gazillionaires, if you were to go back to the winter of 1992, might you make the choice Derrick May—now the hitting coach of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals—possibly made.

Or would you still rather be Sammy Sosa?

Worth Wading For?

I still consider myself a major U2 fan, and they've remained a great live act, but the only album they've made of truly lasting impact since 1991's Achtung Baby has been 2001's All That You Can't Leave Behind, and even that isn't quite on par with The Joshua Tree, War or Achtung. I found 2005's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb extrememly disappointing, and quite frankly, never listen to it. While the song City of Blinding Lights is thrilling for its connection to the Obama campaign, it isn't a great song in its own right. So perhaps without reason, I've been looking forward to their next album with hopes for their artistic redemption. Titled No Line on the Horizon, it is slated for release on March 3. I'll withhold full judgment until I hear it all, and often, but the first single has just been released. Titled Get On Your Boots, it can be heard through YouTube (though no video is out yet). I've listened to it about 5 times now, and perhaps it will grow on me, but forget Pride (In the Name of Love), Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where the Streets Have No Name or even One, it doesn't even seem as good as Vertigo.



(If you're a Springsteen fan like me, you can check out his new album Workin' on a Dream on a pre-release stream on NPR.com )

The Best of 2008: Movies

Having averaged one movie per day for the past 3 weeks, in theaters and on DVD, I have now seen most of the films that have been found on other people’s Best of 2008 lists. Hence, my own list won’t exactly be revelatory, but I now feel somewhat qualified to make one. Certainly, there are still many movies I haven’t seen, some of which might belong here. Also, except in some cases where the movie is already on DVD and I’ve watched it a second time, my opinions—especially in terms of ranking the movies against each other—are based on a one-time viewing. It’s entirely possible I didn’t entirely “get” a certain movie or saw it in a less than idyllic atmosphere, etc. Speaking of which, between old people talking obliviously and young people texting and otherwise using their cell phones, I think I’ll gladly revert to watching at home or going only to movies when the theater is mostly empty.

That said, in order, here are my picks for The 10 Best Movies of 2008:

1. Frost/Nixon
2. Milk
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. Doubt
5. The Dark Knight
6. The Wrestler
7. Gran Torino
8. Changeling
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Wall-E

Honorable Mentions

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Snow Angels
Iron Man

Others liked these more than me

Revolutionary Road
The Reader

Ones I didn’t see that might belong

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wendy & Lucy
Happy-Go-Lucky
Nothing But the Truth

Best Performances

Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Sean Penn – Milk
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader
Kate Beckinsale – Snow Angels

The Best of 2008: Live Performances

In 2008, I attended approximately 150 live events, including concerts in small clubs and football stadiums and theatrical performances that ran the gamut from Chicago storefronts to summer stock in Sullivan, IL to the stages of Broadway & London. Beyond rock & roll, musicals and drama, my in-person experiences included jazz, country, blues, Irish folk, opera, classical, ballet, tap dance, modern dance, stand-up comedy, improv and other art forms. I also went to a smattering of athletic events, including games involving all of Chicago's major professional teams (Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire).

Here is a rundown of the best of what I saw:

Rock Concerts:

- Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - I saw the Boss four times, and all 4 were excellent, with his 3-1/2 hour performance at Harley Fest in Milwaukee being the most memorable.
- AC/DC
- David Byrne
- R.E.M.
- Steely Dan
- Bob Mould
- Ray Davies
- The Cure
- Radiohead - They were great at Lollapalooza, but I think I enjoyed their Indy show more, at least from a comfort standpoint.
- Van Halen
- Stereophonics
- Eddie Vedder
- Stevie Wonder
- Brian Wilson
- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

I was also glad to have seen:
Tony Bennett
BB King
Willie Nelson

Theatre:
Though I saw a number of plays as well, my highlights are predominantly musicals:

- Billy Elliot - London
- The Visit - Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA
- Dangerous Beauty - American Music Theatre Project, Northwestern University
- In the Heights - Broadway
- Fiorello - Timeline Theatre, Chicago
- Les Miserables - Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL
- West Side Story - Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan, IL
- Legally Blonde - Broadway
- Avenue Q - Broadway in Chicago
- Million Dollar Quartet - Goodman Theatre, Chicago

Honorable Mention (Musicals)

- Gypsy - Broadway
- Sunday in the Park with George - Broadway
- Goodbye Girl
- Rent – Broadway
- Caroline, Or Change - Court Theatre, Chicago
- Gigi - Light Opera Works, Evanston, IL

Best Plays
Columbinus - Chicago, a small theater I can't recall
Amadeus - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Other amazing performances:

Ballet: Giselle - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
Tap Dance: Savion Glover and Bare Soundz
Comedian: Chris Rock
Jazz: Joshua Redman w/ Branford Marsalis at CSO
Opera: Manon and La Traviata - Lyric Opera Chicago
Classical: Yefim Bronfman – Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 3 at CSO
Athletic Performance: Lebron James vs. Bulls 11/8/08
Other: Barack Obama acceptance speech, Grant Park, Chicago

A Sad Coincidence, or Something Worse?

When people speak of Cubs' Curses, they're typically referring to the team's penchant for perennial failure, even in the few years when they've made the playoffs or been in contention. But with today's news of the death of Dave Smith, a pitcher who was pretty good with the Houston Astros in the 1980s and rotten in 2 Cubs seasons in 1991-1992, I couldn't help but remark on the fact that 4 Cubs Pitchers of the 1990s have passed away prematurely within the past 2 years. In addition to Smith, who was 53 and supposedly succumbed to a heart attack, Kevin Foster, Geremi Gonzales and Rod Beck have all died either this year or last. And with Foster dying of cancer, Gonzales in a car accident and Beck having been known as a heavy-set, heavy drinker, it's hard to imagine any of these deaths had anything to due with the steroid era.

I don't really believe in curses, whether to blame of the Cubs' on-the-field woes or these more grim coincidences, but I'm officially rescinding my bid to buy the team. Even if it was destined to fall about a billion dollars short.

'Tis the Season for Good Movies

I am a big movie fan, with my tastes covering many genres and running from low-brow to high-brow. Although I have a vast DVD collection, plus HBO and other cable choices, and via a home projector can watch movies on my wall about 12 feet across, at least from a technical standpoint I prefer to watch movies in theaters. I don’t particularly like waiting in long lines for popular first-run movies, nor sitting in packed theaters, and am often annoyed by other patrons talking, texting and doing whatever else. And while a pittance compared to what I often spend for live music or theater, $10 for a movie seems like a lot. So I tend to go to relatively few movies each year, though I realize that “relatively” is relative (I used to go to more when I lived near a second run, $3 per movie, cinema, but there are none of those near me now.)

I tend to average about one movie per month, but go to none in many months and tend to go in bunches during in the summer, when the blockbusters are released, and toward year-end, when many higher quality movies are released in hopes of earning Oscar nominations.

Although a couple of the summer blockbusters I saw this year—The Dark Knight and Iron Man—were actually very good movies and are making several year-end Best Of lists that I’ve seen, a couple weeks ago I saw a fabulous movie—Slumdog Millionaire (see my review in a post below) and this past weekend saw an even better one: Milk.

Milk, which I’d give @@@@@, is a bio-pic about Harvey Milk, who in 1977 became the first openly gay elected official in America as a San Francisco City Supervisor, only to be killed the following year. Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, who gives a remarkable performance, Milk is the best movie I’ve seen this year.

But I’m hoping it’s given a run for its money by several of other highly acclaimed new or upcoming releases I hope to see by year-end or shortly thereafter, including Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, Gran Torino, Revolutionary Road and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And that’s just what I’ve already heard praise about. I’m especially looking forward to The Wrestler, starring Mickey Roarke as the down-and-out title character in what’s said to be a phenomenal performance in a role roughly paralleling his own story. The movie is directed by Darren Aronofsky, who did Pi and Requiem for a Dream, and features a great, newly written title song by Bruce Springsteen.

A State of Embarrassment

With the caveat that people, even politicians, are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, if, as seems to be the case, recordings exist of Nimrod Blagojevich conspiring to auction Obama’s Senate Seat and perform various other egregious acts that make Alaska’s governor vastly preferable, well, he’s royally (expletive). And while I’m not entirely convinced that he’ll get quite what he deserves, for delusional megalomaniacs, the fall from grace is often ample punishment in itself.

I certainly don’t feel bad for him, and I think his profanely stated disdain for Obama’s unwillingness to “play ball” pretty much exonerates the President-elect from wrongdoing—not that it will stop Republicans from drawing a connection. Though no one seems to be clarifying the one question I have regarding Obama: Let’s say he, or his people, said to the Guv, “I really think Valerie Jarrett would be the best choice for my Senate replacement,” is there anything problematic in that in and of itself? If Obama isn’t offering or asking for special favors, just sharing his preference, is that legal and/or ethical? Or is Blagojevich’s decision-making process supposed to be devoid of any influence by anyone who can benefit in any way (and if Valerie Jarrett is a better Senate advocate than someone else would be, that is a benefit).

Anyway, though I typically don’t overindulge in civic pride, it pisses me off that Blagojevich has heaped worldwide humiliation on Illinois and Chicago at a time when we had been basking in the residual glory from Obama’s election. Around the U.S. and the world, Chicago has primarily been known as the home of gangsters (Al Capone style) and political corruption (vote early, vote often). Since the 1980s, Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey have become multi-national beacons for the city, and Obama is poised to outshine even them. And with his support, getting the 2016 Olympics certainly looked likely.

But with indiscretions that make Eliot Spitzer’s seem petty, and whatever shenanigans Mayor Daley may pull relatively run-of-the-mill and devoid of Rod’s brazen stupidity, Blagojevich has once again given Illinois and Chicago a black eye, which threatens to linger long into Obama’s administration.

Below are a few of today’s newspapers, beginning with the New York Daily News:

And You Thought This Was Scandalous

After taking this picture with the then-embattled, seemingly drunk but not yet completely disgraced Governor after a Cubs game back in July 2007, I had to insist that I wasn't giving him the "Loser" sign, but rather indicating that the Cubs were #1.

I guess I was just be prescient after all.

Here's to an Ace

Whatever led to Greg Maddux winning 355 games and being the best pitcher of my generation--both within a single season and over a career--it wasn't as obvious as Roger Clemens (even without the juice), Randy Johnson or even going back a bit further, Seaver, Ryan, Carlton or Palmer. Obviously, even if not overpowering, his talent had much to do with it, but more than with the others, his intelligence and preparation were fundamental to his great success.

Here are some numbers: 4 (straight) Cy Young Awards (+ 5 more times in the Top 5 in voting). 18 seasons with 15 or more wins, including 17 in a row. 9 seasons with 18+ wins. 10 seasons with an ERA of 3.00 or under, including 2 seasons under 2.00. 5008 innings pitched. And though he had many masterful seasons--including a few with the Cubs before they stupidly let him get away--I'll take his 1995 season, when he went 19-2 with a 1.56 ERA with only 23 walks and 38 earned runs allowed in 209 innings as perhaps the greatest of my lifetime (and he must have been hurt at some point that year, as he only started 28 games).

Anyway, I'm probably not saying anything others haven't said better, but most of all in an era where great athletes are quite often jerks or worse, Maddux always seemed like a good, classy guy.

Sorry Ron, but You Don't Belong

I feel bad for Ron Santo. He obviously feels he merits inclusion in Baseball’s Hall of Fame, and every couple years he becomes Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. Today, the latest voting of the Veterans’ Committee was announced, and though this was again heralded as Santo’s “best chance yet,” of 48 votes needed from 64 voters—living members of the Hall—he fell 9 votes short.
With due respect for the 39 Hall of Famers—including many Santo contemporaries—who believe that he belongs in their company, I tend to agree with the 25 who don’t. Now, I say this never—at least at a conscious level—having seen Ron Santo play. So while I know he won 5 Gold Gloves, I don’t know how close he came to Brooks Robinson in the fielding department. But in analyzing his offensive statistics, he just doesn’t warrant selection.

He was a great player for several years, whose total of 342 home runs—which rank him 80th all-time—came in a non-steroid era against the likes of Koufax, Drysdale, Gibson and Maracial. But with 3 members of the 1960s Cubs—who never won anything—already in the Hall, the best justification for his getting in is that others who may be even less worthy are enshrined.

But in 1980, his first year of eligibility, Santo earned just 15 votes of 385 ballots cast by baseball writers who surely were familiar with his career first-hand. The fact that over the years, he’s come closer to getting in (lately via the Veterans Committee) while simultaneously becoming the symbol of unwavering exuberance in his role as a (terrible) Cubs radio announcer, and also has suffered the loss of both legs after a life-long battle with Type 1 Diabetes, doesn’t change his deservedness.

In my opinion, Hall of Famers should be obvious; if it takes 30+ years and myriad voting panelists to determine if you are one of the very best professional baseball players who has ever lived, well, it’s time to stop trying to kick the football from Lucy’s hold (not that Santo nominates himself; he just sets himself up for emotional devastation).

A Tale of Twin Cities

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Actually, my Thanksgiving weekend solo road trip to the Twin Cities wasn't really all that dramatic, though I did have a very enjoyable time that was (not overly) marred by a poor Bears performance vs. the Vikings in the Sunday night game I attended, and a surprisingly disappointing visit to the Walker Art Center, which I had heard good things about for years, but had virtually no worthwhile art on display (I'll post more on the matter separately).

Though my acute enjoyment was limited, a visit to the Mall of America on Black Friday cured (hopefully) a strange obsession. The Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, where I stayed and played, was a good choice on both accounts. I enjoyed attending a play at the new Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis acclaimed local theater, although I have mixed feelings about the play itself--Blackbird, by David Harrower.

Though it was a bit cold, I enjoyed seeing and photographing Peanuts sculptures in St. Paul (Charles Schulz was from the area) and while perhaps not world-class, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was considerably better than the Walker and has one of the best Van Gogh's I've ever seen.

I even ate some good meals, including a $11.95 Prime Rib Dinner at Mystic Lake (the Prime Rib wasn't awesome, but was passable for the low price) and a solid Top Sirloin at Murray's, a Minneapolis staple since 1946.

The ride back home seemed a bit long, but traffic nor weather were ever an issue. All in all it was a good trip, the Bears notwithstanding.

A Sly Way of Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this blog, even if it's just one of you. I'm off tomorrow morning for a road trip to the Twin Cities, highlighted (let's hope) by Sunday night's game between the Bears and Vikings. Don't know if I'll have a chance to blog along the way or even quickly after my return, so I leave you with this...