The Books, Movies, Theater, Concerts, Etc. I've Seen In 2008

Updated December 31, 2008

MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES

1. I Am Legend ** 1/2
2. Atonement ** 1/2 / ***
3. Enchanted **
4. There Will Be Blood ***/ *** 1/2
5. Lars and the Real Girl ****
6. Charlie Wilson's War ***
7. Lady Chatterly ***
8. American Gangster ** 1/2
9. The Savages *
10. Rescue Dawn ** 1/2
11. Day Zero *
12. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day * 1/2
13. Honeydripper ** 1/2
14. L'Iceberg *** 1/2
15. Mister Foe ** 1/2 (but *** 1/2 to Jamie Bell)
16. Breach * 1/2
17. Eastern Promises * 1/2
18. The Royle Family Series One (TV) ****
19. The Royle Family Series Two (TV) ****
20. Dragon Wars no stars
21. Cloverfield **
22. The Boss Of It All **
23. Jane Eyre (w Samantha Morton and Ciarin Hinds -- 1997) * 1/2
24. Last Year At Marienbad (1961) ***
25. Black Book ***
26. The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) ** 1/2
27. The Kingdom * 1/2
28. Deep Water ***
29. Freshman Orientation *
30. Becoming Jane ** 1/2
31. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) **
32. Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) **
33. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) ** 1/2
34. Charlie Chan in City In Darkness (1939) ***
35. Topper Takes A Trip (1939) *
36. Oscar Animated Shorts **
37. Oscar Live Action Shorts **
38. Surfwise **
39. Violent Saturday (1955) at Film Forum ** 1/2
40. Jumper *
41. Jamaica Inn (1939) *
42. It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) at FF ***
43. The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939) * 1/2
44. Nocturna (animated film at NYCFF) ** 1/2
45. Standard Operating Procedure (Errol Morris) ***
46. West Side Story (1961) ****
47. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (at Ziegfeld)(1982) ****
48. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired *** 1/2
49. Where in The World Is Osama Bin Laden? **
50. Run For Your Life (NYC Marathon docu) ***
51. Green Porno (Rossellini shorts about insect sex at TriBeCa) ***
52. All Saints Day (Brooke Berman short at TriBeCa) ***
53. The New Yorkist (short at TriBeCa) ** 1/2
54. Shine A Light (Rolling Stones concert film) **
55. Tilt: The Battle To Save Pinball **
56. Blast of Silence (1961) ** 1/2
57. Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh's version @ EbertFest) **
58. Delirious (@EbertFest) **
59. Yes (@EbertFest) *** 1/2
60. Canvas (@EbertFest) **
61. Shotgun Stories (@EbertFest) *** 1/2
62. Underworld (1927 w Alloy Orchestra live @EbertFest) *** 1/2
63. The Real Dirt On Farmer John (@EbertFest) *** 1/2
64. Mishima (@EbertFest) *** 1/2
65. Hulk (Ang Lee's @ EbertFest) **
66. The Band's Visit (@EbertFest) *** 1/2
67. Housekeeing (@EbertFest) ***
68. The Cell (@EbertFest) ** 1/2
69. Iron Man (at Ziegfeld on my birthday) ***
70. Waltz With Bashir (at Cannes) ***
71. Hunger (at Cannes) ***
72. Un Conte De Noel (A Christmas Tale) (at Cannes) **
73. The Chaser (at Cannes) * 1/2
74. Rumba (at Cannes) ** 1/2
75. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (at Cannes) ** 1/2
76. Tyson (at Cannes) ** 1/2
77. Tokyo! (three shorts, stayed for two) *
78. It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks -- The Trial (at Cannes) ***
79. Linha De Passe (at Cannes) *** 1/2
80. Tokyo Sonata (at Cannes) **
81. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (at Cannes) ** 1/2 (now **)
82. El Dorado (at Cannes) *** 1/2
83. Acne (at Cannes) **
84. La Silence De Lorna (at Cannes) **
85. Of Time and the City (Terence Davies at Cannes) ***
86. Serbis (at Cannes) no stars
87. Uc Maymum (at Cannes) ** 1/2
88. Sangue Pazzo (at Cannes) * 1/2
89. The Changeling/The Exchange (at Cannes)**
90. Two Lovers (at Cannes) **
91. Elevre Libre aka Private Lessons (at Cannes) ***
92. La Mujer Sin Cabeza/The Headless Woman (at Cannes) * 1/2
93. Che (at Cannes) ** 1/2
94. La Frontiere De L'Aube/The Frontier Of Dawn (at Cannes) * 1/2
95. O'Horten (at Cannes) ***
96. Il Divo (at Cannes) *** 1/2
97. Wendy and Lucy (at Cannes) ** 1/2
98. Synecdoche, New York (at Cannes) ** 1/2
99. The Class aka Entre Les Murs ****
100. My Magic (at Cannes) *
101. The Good, The Bad and The Weird (at Cannes) ***
102. What Just Happened (at Cannes) *
103. My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin) *** 1/2
104. The Love Guru *
105. The Incredible Hulk *
106. Happy Go Lucky (Mike Leigh film) ***
107. Boy A ***
108. American Teen docu **
109. Brideshead Revisited (2008 remake) **
110. Hancock ** 1/2
111. Foyles War Series 5 *** (the last season on DVD) -- overall series *** 1/2
112. Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog at Film Forum) ***
113. Jazz on a Summer's Day (at Lincoln Center on July 4 w my friends) ****
114. Stop-Loss **
115. What We Did Is Secret (screening) ** (but Ashton Holmes ***)
116. Man On A Wire (World Trade Center docu) ***
117. Hell Boy 2 (at Union Square) no stars
118. Love Is News (1937 on DVD) **
119. La France (at Anthology Archives) ***
120. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Seasons One Through Five on DVD finale *** 1/2 (overall series); 1 - ***, 2 ***, 3 ****, 4 ***, 5 *** 1/2
121. The Dark Knight (at Lincoln Square screening) ** 1/2
122. That Wonderful Urge (1948 on DVD) *
123. Rhythm Romance aka Some Like It Hot (1939) *
124. Pineapple Express **
125. Religulous (screening) ***
126. Anita O'Day: The Story of a Jazz Singer ** 1/2
127. The Panic in Needle Park (at AA) ***
128. Shoot The Piano Player (at FF) ** 1/2
129. Boomerang! (on DVD) ** 1/2
130. Appaloosa ** 1/2
131. Eagle Eye **
132. Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939) ***
133. Night Nurse (1931) ** 1/2
134. A Big Hand For The Little Lady ** 1/2
135. The Story Of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) ***
136. Ballast (at Film Forum) *** / 1/2
137. Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music Of Islam ** 1/2
138. The Happening -- no stars
139. The Visitor *
140. Cinderella (1950) **
141. The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad ** 1/2
142. Journey To The Center Of The Earth in 3-D *
143. Sex & Justice: Anita Hill Vs. Clarence Thomas (1993) ** 1/2
144. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssssss Song at MoMA **
145. Millions Like Us (1944 WW II UK factory film) *** 1/2
146. To The Limit (mountain climbing docu) ** 1/2
147. High School Musical 3 (at Ziegfeld) **
148. Men In War (1957 -- Korean war movie Robert Ryan) ** 1/2
149. Ashes Of Time Redux **
150. Sugar (baseball player from Dominican) ***
151. The Times Of Harvey Milk (DVD) *** 1/2
152. Espionage Agent (1939) * 1/2
153. Kung Fu Panda *** 1/2
154. Tropic Thunder * 1/2
155. Stax Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967 ***
156. Eleven Minutes (project runway docu) ** 1/2
157. Cadillac Records ** 1/2
158. They Made Her A Spy (1939) * 1/2
159. Quantum Of Solace ***
160. Milk ** 1/2
161. The Reader **
162. In Name Only (1939 Carole Lombard and Cary Grant) ** 1/2
163. Made For Each Other (1939 Lombard and Jimmy Stewart) **
164. Dark Streets (New Orleans faux Cotton Club musical) *
165. Last Chance Harvey ***
166. Australia **
167. Twilight *
168. The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) **
169. Amarcord at FF *** 1/2
170. Goodbye Solo *** 1/2
171. Slumdog Millionaires ***/
172. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button **
173. Gran Torino **/
174. Coraline ***/ (great use of 3-D)
175. Defiance **
176. The Palm Beach Story ****
177. The Lost Patrol (1934) ** 1/2


BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS

1. Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery by James R. Benn ***
2. Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz ***
3. Bicycle Days by John Burnham Schwartz *** 1/2
4. The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz ***
5. Things I've Learned From Women Who Dumped Me edited by Ben Karlin *
6. The Feast Of Love by Charles Baxter *** 1/2
7. Saul and Patty by Charles Baxter ***
8. The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd ** 1/2
9. The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter **
10. The Learners by Chip Kidd ***
11. High Crimes: The Fate Of Everest In An Age Of Greed by Michael Kodas ** 1/2
12. City Of The Beasts by Isabel Allende **
13. Kingdom Of The Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende **
14. Hotel de Dream by Edmund White ***
15. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes ** 1/2
16. The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford ****
17. The Hungry Years: A Narrative History of the Great Depression in America by
T.H. Watkins *** 1/2
18. The Man Who Made Lists (Roget's Thesaurus) by Joshua Kendall **
19. Ball Four by Jim Bouton *** 1/2
20. Jumper: Griffin's Story by Steven Gould ***
21. Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey) ** 1/2
22. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin ****
23. The Guns Of August by Barbara W. Tuchman *** 1/2
24. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey) ***
25. Unnatural Deaths by Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey) *** 1/2
26. Hubert's Freaks by Gregory Gibson ** 1/2
27. Demon of the Waters by Gregory Gibson ** 1/2
28. A Wolf At The Table by Augusten Burroughs *
29. The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ****
30. Housekeeping by Marilyne Robinson *** 1/2
31. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima *** 1/2
32. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Hero by Jon Lee Anderson ****
33. Blindness by Jose Saramago *** 1/2
34. Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War by Che Guevara * 1/2
35. Bolivian Diary by Che Guevara * 1/2
36. Ten Men Dead: The Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike by David Beresford ***
37. Haroun and the Sea Of Stories by Salman Rushdie * 1/2
38. What Just Happened by Art Linson ***
39. A Pound Of Flesh by Art Linson **
40. The Complete Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling ***
41. The Children Of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien ** 1/2 (for serious Tolkien fans only)
42. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers *** 1/2
43. Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers *** 1/2
44. The Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman ***
45. I Love You, Philip Morris by Steve McVicker ** (but story ***)
46. I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan * 1/2
47. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh *** (the miniseries is better)
48. Austerity Britain: 1945-1951 by David Kynaston *** 1/2
49. Act One by Moss Hart ****
40. Tales of The South Pacific by James A Michener ***
41. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell ***
42. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas *** 1/2
43. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Himself ***
44. Victory Of Eagles by Naomi Novik *** 1/2
45. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery ***
46. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ****
47. Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin *** 1/2
48. Beloved by Toni Morrison *** 1/2
49. The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
50. Middle Passage by Charles Johnson **
51. The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley ****
52. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou *** 1/2
53. Angler by Barton Gellman (Dick Cheney book) **
54. The Ipcress File by Len Deighton ***
55. Funeral In Berlin by Len Deighton ***
56. The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead *** 1/2
57. Anne Of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery *** 1/2
58. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga ***
59. Captain's Courageous by Rudyard Kipling ***
60. Netherland by Joseph O'Neill ***
61. A Gathering Of Old Men by Eernest J. Gaines ***
62. Train Whistle Guitar by Albert Murray ****
63. The Riddle Of The Sands by Erskine Childers **
64. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis ***
65. The Watsons Go To Birmingham -- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis **
66. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama *** 1/2
67. Out Of Africa by Isak Dinesen *** 1/2
68. Shadows On The Grass by Isak Dinesen **
69. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates ****
70. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper ** 1/2
71. Have His Carcase (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
72. Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers *** 1/2
73. The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers *** 1/2


THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS

1. Dawn Landes at Joe's Pub * 1/2
2. Eli "Paperboy" Reed at Mercury Lounge ***
3. Signal The Escape in Brooklyn's Europe ***
4. New Jerusalem by David Ives at Classic Stage Company *** 1/2
5. Judith Owen at Metropolitan Club ** 1/2 (but *** 1/2 for the service)
6. Stan's Cafe: Of All The People In The World (one person=one rice exhibit) *** 1/2
7. Back Door Slam at Mercury Lounge *** 1/2
8. Nicole Atkins at Bowery Ballroom ***
9. 100 Years by Mike Leigh at Acorn **
10. Blind Boys Of Alabama at Cutting Room ***
11. Makin' Whoopee dress rehearsal by Susan Stroman at ABT ***
12. Happy Days by Beckett w Fiona Shaw at BAM *** 1/2
13. They Might Be Giants at Beacon *** 1/2
14. Adding Machine at Minetta Lane ** 1/2
15. Sharon Jones at the Beacon ****
16. Macbeth w Patrick Stewart at BAM *** 1/2
17. Jay Brannan of Shortbus ***
18. Gonzalo Rubalcaba at Village Vanguard ***
19. Traces at New Victory (circus) ***
20. The National at BAM ** 1/2
21. Can Cheez Doodles Do You Harm? and other one acts at American Theatre ***
22. How I Met The Beatles at Public ** 1/2
23. Eddie Izzard rough draft of new show ***
24. Passing Strange at Belasco ** 1/2
25. Tyson American Cup Gymnastics at Madison Square Garden ***
26. Paradise Park (Charles Mee musical play) at Signature ** 1/2
27. The Slug Bearers Of Kayrol Island at Vineyard ***
28. The Hooters at BB King's (murky sound, had to leave after an hour) **
29. Yank! staged reading for investors at Zipper ***
30. Hilary McRae at Living Room ***
31. Chamber Magic Show **
32. August: Osage County (at Imperial) ***
33. Straight Up With A Twist (at Players Theater) no stars
34. Bell X-1 at Bowery ** 1/2
35. Cry-Baby The Musical (at Marquis) * 1/2
36. Ladies and Gents (at Bethesda Fountain bathrooms) ***
37. Gypsy (at St. James w Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines) ***
38. Laurie Anderson: Homeland (at Carnegie Hall's Zankel) ***
39. Paul Simon: Songs From The Capeman (at BAM's Harvey w Frankie Negron) *** 1/2
40. Drunk Enough To Say I Love You (Caryl Churchill play at Public) ***
41. Paul Simon World Music (at BAM w Ladysmith, David Byrne, etc) ***
42. Sunday In The Park W George (at Studio 54) *** 1/2
43. Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (at BAM) *** 1/2
44. Boeing Boeing (at Longacre w Mark Rylance and Mary McCormack) ***
45. Chris Rock (at MSG's WAMU w Joe) ***
46. The Walworth Farce (at St. Anne's) ***
47. The God Of Carnage (at Gielgud in UK w Ralph Fiennes and Janet McTeer) ***
48. Fram (at National in UK) * 1/2
49. The Pitmen Painters (at Natonal UK) *** first act, ** second, ** 1/2 whole
50. The Common Pursuit (at Chocolate Factory in UK) **
51. Fucking Men (in UK) **
52. The Lord of the Rings (in UK) * 1/2
53. Psycho Buildings (art exhibit at Hayward in UK) *** 1/2
54. Medieval Play (reading of Kenneth Lonergan play) ***
55. Occupant (Edward Albee play w Mercedes Ruehl) play ** Ruehl *** 1/2
56. /passengers (at Mercury Lounge) ***
57. Single Black Female (at 42 West) ** 1/2
58. Hamlet (Shakespeare in Park w Michael Stuhlbarg) ** 1/2 (w Stuhlbarg ***)
59. Delfeayo Marsalis (at Snug Harbor in New Orleans w David Pulpis on bass, Joseph Dyson Jr. on drums, Victor Red Atkins on piano, Donald Lewis w monologue and Marlon Jordan on trumpet) *** show but did not like Jordan's technically proficient, fast, flashy playing
60. Port Authority (w Jim Noonan) ***
61. Cirque Dreams (at Broadway Theatre) no stars (but *** for eye candy)
62. Steel Pulse (at Battery Park) ***
63. Hair (in Central Park) ** 1/2
64. Bruce Springsteen (at Giant's Stadium) ** 1/2 (forced to leave before encores, weakest night after looking at set lists)
65. David Byrne -- Playing The Building art exhibit at Governor's Island Ferry waiting room ***
66. Hal Willner's Bill Withers Project at Prospect Park in Brooklyn *** (w Nona Hendryx, Corey Glover, Howard Tate, Bill Withers, etc)
67. The First Breeze of Summer (at Signature) ** 1/2
68. South Pacific (at Lincoln Center w Kelli O'Hara) ***
69. Ellis Island visit ***
70. Kurt Wagner of Lambchop (at Living Room) ***
71. Yankee Stadium Tour *** 1/2
71. The Marvelous Wondrettes (at Westside) **
72. The Tempest (w Mandy Patinkin at CSC) **
73. That Other Woman's Child (bluegrass musical) * 1/2
74. The Atheist (w Campbell Scott) ** (but Scott ***)
75. Raul Midon at Joe's Pub ***
76. Body of Water (Lee Blessing, starring Christine Lahti) ***
77. Ben Kweller at Bowery ***
78. PBR final regular season event at Mohegan Sun in Conn. ***
79. The Soul Of John Black at Webster Hall *** (v brief set)
80. Like You Like It (John Hughes/Shakespeare at Gallery Players) ***
81. Michael Arden Sings "Blue" (at Joe's Pub) ** 1/2
82. Joan Baez at Town Hall ***
83. A Tale Of Two Cities (musical at Hirschfield) *
84. Sleepwalk With Me (one-man show w Mike Birbiglia) ***
85. Boz Scaggs at Blue Note ***
86. Catalpa at Irish Arts Center ** 1/2
87. Opening Night (Dutch on Cassavetes at BAM Harvey) ***
88. Lightning At Our Feet (Emily Dickinson performance piece at BAM) * 1/2
89. Drama League Readings w Alisa -- * to ** 1/2
90. Roadshow/Bounce at Public ***
91. Home at Signature ** 1/2
92. South Pacific w David Pittsinger at Lincoln Center *** 1/2
93. Aimee Mann Christmas Show w Joe ***
94. LaBelle at Apollo (abbreiviated due to power outage) ***



CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (Only the Cds I've listened to thoroughly and with a strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't like more than once and don't think it's fair to rate on a cursory listen)

1. Al Green -- Lay It Down *** 1/2
2. R.E.M. -- Accelerate ***
3. Daniela Cotton -- Rare Child *** 1/2
4. James Hunter -- The Hard Way ****
5. kd lang -- Watershed *** 1/2
6. The Kooks -- Konk ** 1/2
7. Drive By Truckers -- Brighter Than Creation's Dark ** 1/2
8. Billie Holiday -- Rare and Live Recordings Boxed Set *** 1/2
9. Raconteurs -- Consolers of the Lonely ***
10. Shelby Lynne -- Just A Little Lovin' *** 1/2
11. The Blind Boys Of Alabama -- New Orleans ***
12. Panic At The Disco -- Pretty Odd ** 1/2
13. Joe Jackson -- Rain **
14. Various Artists -- Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound of the
Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-1979 *** 1/2
15. Various Artists -- Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds &
Nigerian Blues 1970-1976 ****
16. Cassandra Wilson -- Loverly ***
17. The Whigs -- Mission Control *** 1/2
18. Happy Mondays -- Pills, Thrills & Bellyaches *** 1/2
19. Van Morrison -- Keep It Simple **
20. Ella Fizgerald & Louis Armstrong -- Porgy & Bess ***
21. Gary Louris -- Vagabonds ***
22. MGMT -- Oracular Spctacular **
23. Various Artists -- Umalali: Garifun Women's Project **
24. She & Him -- Volume One ***
25. Otis Taylor -- Recapturing the Banjo *** 1/2
26. Cowboy Junkies -- Trinity Sessions Revisited ** 1/2
27. Nick Cave -- Dig, Lazarus, Dig ***
28. Billy Bragg -- Mr. Love and Justice ** 1/2
29. Happy Mondays -- BUmmed *** 1/2
30. Ersi Arvisu -- Friend For Life ** 1/2
31. Mimi and Richard Farina -- Reflections in a Crystal Wind ***
32. Vampire Weekend -- Vampire Weekend ***
33. Irma Thomas -- Simply Grand ** 1/2
34. Jay Brannan -- Goddamned ***
35. Lou Donaldson -- Here 'Tis (reissue) ****
36. Ron Sexsmith -- Exit Strategy Of The Soul ***
37. Simon & Garfunkel -- Live 1969 *** 1/2
38. Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Always *** 1/2
39. Neil Diamond -- Home Before Dark *** 1/2
40. Richard Swift -- Richard Swift as Onasis ** 1/2
41. Otis Redding -- Otis Blue ***
42. Lonely Drifter Karen -- The Grass Is Singing ***
43. Anita O'Day -- All The Sad Young Men ***
44. Bill Withers -- +'Justments *** 1/2
45. Bill Withers -- Naked and Warm ** 1/2
46. Fratellis -- Here We Stand *** / 1/2
47. Mudcrutch -- Mudcrutch *** ("Crystal River" song *** 1/2
48. Jorge Ben -- Jorge Ben (1969) ****
49. Brian Wilson -- That Lucky Old Sun ** 1/2
50. Linda Lewis -- Fathoms ***
51. Randy Newman -- Harps and Angels ***
52. Emmylou Harris -- All I Ever Intended To Be ** 1/2
53. Seals & Crofts -- Summer Breeze * 1/2
54. Graham Nash -- Songs For Beginners ***
55. Boz Scaggs -- Speak Low ****
56. Joan Baez -- Day After Tomorrow *** 1/2
57. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals -- Cardinology ** 1/2
58. Menew -- Of The Future ** 1/2
59. Copeland -- You Are My Sunshine ***
60. The Soul Of John Black -- Black John ***
61. Isobell Campbell and Mark Lanegan -- Sunday at Dirt Devil ** 1/2
62. The Streets -- Everything Is Borrowed ** 1/2
63. Sugarland -- Love On The Inside ***
64. Kaiser Chiefs -- Off With Your Their Heads *** 1/2
65. Tom Jones -- 24 Hours ** 1/2
66. Del McCoury - Moneyland *** 1/2
67. The Real Tuesday Weld -- The End Of The World ***
68. The Smiths -- The Sounds Of The Smiths ****
69. Southside Johnny with LaBamba's Big Band -- Grapefruit Moon: The Songs Of Tom Waits *** 1/2
70. Jenny Lewis -- Acid Tongue *** 1/2
71. Conor Oberst -- Conor Oberst ***
72. Inara George with Van Dyke Parks -- An Invitation *** 1/2
73. Supergrass -- Diamond Hoo Ha ***
74. Peter Broderick -- Home *** 1/2
75. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones *** 1/2
76. The Jonas Brothers -- A Little Bit Longer *** 1/2
77. Q-Tip -- The Renaissance *** 1/2
78. George Jones -- Unreleased Duets ***
79. Taj Mahal -- Maestro ** 1/2
80. TV On The Radio -- Dear Science ** 1/2
81. LaBelle -- Back To Now *** /1/2
82. Coldplay -- Viva La Vida ** 1/2
83. Various Artists -- Little Stevens' Christmas A Go-Go ***
84. Harry Connick Jr. -- What A Night * 1/2
85. Ledisi -- It's Christmas **
86. Gary Louris -- Vagabonds ***/
87. David Archuleta -- Crush ** (but **** for single)
88. Tony Bennett -- Swinging Christmas ***
89. Aimee Mann -- F*#@ing Smilers ***/
90. Duffy -- Rockferry ***
91. Various Artists -- The Golden Age Of Popular Music: Jazz Hits From 1958-1966 ****
92. Kathy Matea -- Coal ** 1/2
93. Nas -- Nas *** 1/2
94. Sam Roberts -- Love At The End Of The World *** 1/2
95. Sonny Rollins -- Road Show Vol. 1 *** 1/2
96. Mates of State -- Mates of State **
97. George Carlin -- Am/FM *** 1/2
98. Nick Cave -- Dig, Lazaruz, Dig! *** 1/2
99. Joe Higgs -- Life Of Contradictions ***
100. Bob Newhart -- The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart ***
101. Jessica Lea Mayfield -- With Blasphemy So Heartfelt ** 1/2
102. Jamey Johnson -- That Lonesome Song ***/
103. Raphael Saadiq -- The Way I See It ** 1/2
104. Watermelon Slim -- No Paid Holidays ***
105. BB King -- ONe Kind Favor *** 1/2
106. Lil Wayne -- Tha Carter ** 1/2
107. Beck -- Modern Guilt ***
108. Ricky Skaags - Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1947 and 1947 ***
109. Lee Ann Womack -- Call Me Crazy *** 1/2/
110. Last Of The Prophets -- The Age Of The Understatement *** 1/2
111. Stephen Malkmus -- Real Emotional Trash ** 1/2
112. Randy Travis -- Around The Bend *** 1/2
113. Johnny Flynn - A Larum **
114. The Roots -- Rising Down ***
115. The Mannish Boys -- Lowdown Feelin' **
116. Charlie Haden Family & Friends -- Rambling Boy *** 1/2
117. Antony and the Johnsons -- Another World EP *** 1/2
118. Januva Magness -- What Love Will Do ***
119. Bill Cosby -- To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With ****
120. Wynton Marsalis -- Standards & Ballads *** 1/2
121. Martha Wainwright -- I Know You're Married ** 1/2
122. The Cure -- 4:13 Dream *** 1/2
123. Knux -- Remind Me In Three Days ** 1/2
124. Elvis Costello -- Momofuku ***
125. Los Campesinos -- We Are Beautiful ** 1/2
126. M83 -- Saturdays=Youth **
127. Erykah Badu -- New Amerykah Part One (4th World war) *** 1/2
128. The Gaslight Anthem -- The '59 Sound *** 1/2
129. Matthew Sweet -- Sunshine Lies * 1/2
130. David Byrne and Brian Eno -- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today ***/
131. Mavis Staples -- Live At The Hideoout ****
132. R.E.M. -- Accelerate ***
133. Ray LaMontagne -- Gossip In The Grain ** 1/2
134. Alejandro Escovedo -- Real Animal **
135. The Explorers Club -- Freedom Wind ** 1/2
136. Elbow -- The Seldom Seen Kid *** 1/2
137. The Hold Steady -- Stay Positive **
138. The Grascals - Keep On Walkin' ***
139. Magnetic Fields -- Distortion ***
140. Little Joy -- Little Joy ** 1/2



Updated December 31, 2008.

God And Man At The Olympics

My latest Huffington Post column looks at religion and the Olympics.

Filming In New York City, Dumb Sequels and How To Watch "The Wire"

Here are my latest articles, an on the set story about "City Island," a movie starring Andy Garcia; a run-down of the dumbest movie sequels of all time; and a DVD roundup, with a final plea to watch HBO's "The Wire."

Star Trek Controversy, Kids Music and Portals To Hell

Here are my latest articles: a roundup of movies with weird portals to hell for the NY Daily News, a profile of kids music superstar Laurie Berkner also for NY Daily News and a Huffington Post DVD column about the controversial "improved" editions of old "Star Trek" episodes.

Letting Down "Hair" in Central Park

Here's my Huffington Post review of the revival of "Hair" in Central Park.