lists and articles

2005 - A look back.

2006-06-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

2005 came and gone, and it was beautiful. There were great sports moments, great music albums, great movie films, everything was great. And we all came together and made a grand list of them.

However, there's something funny about 2006. It seems that things you used to love in 2005 aren't so great anymore. Or maybe there's something that was born in 2005 that you never met until 2006. Or predictions about 2006 that you made in the great 2005 were wrong. Or were right.

The purpose of this entry is to take a look back at our "grate" lists of 2005. To see if we still agree with them. To see if we'd change anything if we had a chance. What if you had a universal remote... that controlled the universe? We're going to rewind back to 2005 and think about some things. Here we go!

Chris' music
Robby's music
Chris' movies
Catelli's video games
Dennis' politics
Ken's sports

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Chris' music

2005 was a funny year. A lot of great albums came out, and a majority of them I didn’t get to fully enjoy until 2006. This year I’m trying to keep up with 2006 releases as best I can, and just like 2005, there’s a load of great stuff out right now. So far I have a solid 3 in my list, and my current top 10 is looking something like this:

1. Islands - Return to the Sea
2. The Advantage - Elf Titled
3. The Lovely Feathers - Hind Hind Legs
4. Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
5. Cursive - Happy Hollow
6. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
7. Liars - Drums not Dead
8. Cinemechanica - The Martial Arts
9. Daughters - Hell Songs
10. Gnarls Barkley - St.Elsewhere

The list is very tentative, and anything could be moved around or completely taken off (although it’s going to be really hard to dethrone the top 3). After looking over my 2005 list I realized that although the paragraphs accompanying each artist and album were written very poorly, I still very much agree with my list. Just in case you forgot, here’s the list:

1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
2. Broken Social Scene - S/T
3. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
4. Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano
5. Thunderbirds are Now! - Justamustache
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - S/T
7. Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary
8. Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
9. Beck - Guero
10. Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins

So, just for fun (and also just because it’s really hard to pick 10 great albums of a year especially when you just discovered a bunch more a year later), I’m going to make an alternate list without those pesky paragraphs. There’s no order, either.

1. Andrew Bird - ..and the mysterious production of eggs
2. Ris Paul Ric - Purple Blaze
3. The Extraordinaires - Ribbons of War
4. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
5. Ladytron - Witching Hour
6. We Versus the Shark - Ruin Everything!
7. Ex-Models - Chrome Panthers
8. Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
9. LCD Soundsystem - S/T
10. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

All of these could have really gave any of the original top 10 members a run for their money if I really sat down with them and decided to reconfigure the original. However, I’ll just leave this as an Honorable Mentions list. Next, I’ll tackle the other lists I made, updating them where necessary.

10 albums I didn’t have time to check out:
The list included bands such as Castanets, Bloc Party, Gang gang dance, and Caribou. The only two albums I got around to listening to were by The Decemberists and Dangerdoom, both which are awesome, although the former I’m not too familiar with yet. I gotta get crackin’ on the rest!

10 releases to look forward to in 2006:
Well 2006 is here. So far, I still agree with my past self’s love for Islands. It’s an absolutely amazing album. Gatsbys American Dream has an album coming out very, very soon, as does Travis Morrison. The Flaming Lips’ album, while good, isn’t great, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to it. It has a bunch of great songs, but as an album, it’s somewhat lacking. Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and Wilco are out recording as we speak, so nothing to report on yet. I haven’t heard much about Plus 44, but the Angels & Airwaves album is pretty bad, save the single, which is actually pretty good. The new Cursive took awhile to grow on me, but it’s finally starting to click, and I like it. Brand New should be releasing something eventually, not sure whether or not it’ll be this year or what. Something tells me it won’t be good, though... oh, and the new Pretty Girls Make Graves? Pretty meh right now.

Predictions I had:
There is a shit load of drone, but I don’t think that many people are taking notice of it. The Smiths were offered money to reunite, Morrissey declined. Neutral Milk Hotel was rumored to be coming out with something new, but it turned out to be a hoax. People still dig Taking Back Sunday, and I’m sure their new album sounds exactly like their old one. Postal Service is recording. Bands are maturing. Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson are either lazy, or not really friends.

Well that’s it for my look back. Come back in January and check out all of our new lists. It’ll be a treat, I promise!

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Robby's music

These are the revisions to my top 10 albums of 2005, as well as the addition of my top 5 songs of 2005. There's really no description along with these because I didn't feel like writing it for the new ones when I already had the old ones posted. But this sums up what opinions of mine have changed over the past 8 months.

NEW Top 10!

10. "Late Registration" by Kanye West.
Change: Dropped 2 places.

9. "Set Yourself on Fire" by Stars.
Change: Newly added!
Reason: I didn't like this cd at first, but it(and Stars in general) grew on me a LOT over the past few months.

8. "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Change: Dropped 2 places.

7. "Twin Cinema" by The New Pornographers.
Change: Newly Added!
Reason: Hadn't heard it until '06.

6. "Our Apologies to the Queen Mary" by Wolf Parade.
Change: Newly added!
Reason: I hadn't gotten into it before the end of the year, but in January it hit me, and it hit me hard.

5. "The Sunlandic Twins" by Of Montreal.
Change: Dropped 1 place.
Reason: Richard Swift!

4. "The Novelist/Walking Without Effort" by Richard Swift.
Change: New addition!
Reason: I actually didn't realise that this was an '05 cd simply because it didn't say 2005 in my itunes. Definitely would've been here otherwise.

3. "Illinois" by Sufjan Stevens.
Change: None.

2. "Justamustache" by Thunderbirds Are Now!
Change: None.

1. "Broken Social Scene" by Broken Social Scene.
Change: None.

Top 5 Songs of '05:
5. "Ageless Beauty" by Stars.
4. "The Novelist" by Richard Swift.
3. "Little Thoughts" by Bloc Party.
2. "Monster Hospital" by Metric.
1. "In This Home On Ice" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

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Catelli's video games

Hindsight is 20/20, so the saying goes. There was a lot of C/C (complaints and comments) about my 2005 video game reviews and now with half a year to brew it is time to re-vamp the list a bit. Perhaps I made my decisions a bit too hectically and did not include all the right choices for 2005. On top of a new and improved Top 10 list I am also going to include some random awards for some video game highlights of 2005. As if that weren’t enough I am also going to give a preview of what my 2006 Top 10 might look like. So get ready for what is sure to be a great adventure in to monotony.

The 2005 Top 10 Games Revisited

10. Originally – Age of Empires 3 * Currently – Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion

I left Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion off of my list originally for the reason that it was an expansion. For some reason I thought being an expansion canceled out a game’s deservingness to be on my list. Now that I realize I am not some video gaming deity who can determine a game’s worthiness with the slight of my hand I must give credit where credit is due. Barbarian Invasion picked up where Rome Total War left off. You can either try to save the crumbling Roman Empire or destroy it. The new factions and night battles make this a great addition to the Total War family. If you are a history major I assure you this will be the best buy you can make.

9. Originally – Black and White 2 * Currently – Age of Empires 3

I need to apologize to all of you loyal readers; I aggrandized Black and White 2 beyond belief. While it is a good game I bumped it out of the Top 10 and moved AO3 up one. It took some time, but I began to realize how much I liked the atavistic qualities of Age of Empires 3. I love innovation, in fact I have made love to innovation (don’t try to think about the physics of that) but I was thrilled with the game play of AOE3 because of how similar it is to its prequels. Black and White 2 did add more in terms of game play, but in retrospect I was only amazed with it because it had such good eye candy. AOE3 supplies that and much more strategy, plus some fun history (if you believe there can be such a thing).

8. Originally - Super Mario Strikers * Currently - Guitar Hero

I also need to apologize to all you loyal readers for giving Super Mario Strikers such a high rating. As a sports game this may actually be the nadir for Nintendo. The single player is lacking, which I said in my original Top 2005, but I began to notice that the multiplayer is only fun because you can just beat the hell out of your friends in the game. This is fun, believe you me, but there are many better games at a better value to do this in. Now as for Guitar Hero I bumped it down not because I did not like the game, but because I like the others far more. It is still fun to play and really great for anyone to pick up and try.

7. Originally – Castelvania: Dawn of Souls * Currently - Guild Wars

Not much to say here. Castelvania went up one because it deserved a better ranking. Guild Wars went down because I began to realize how short the game was compared to the length of many other games. I do not mean any other MMOs, if you are paying monthly for a game it damn well better have enough to do to keep me busy for months. I just meant compared to single player games, particularly action/RPGs. The big thing was that you did not have to pay to play this game, which at the time I thought was a big deal. Now that I think about it there are a lot of games just a good as Guild Wars that you don’t have to pay to play, they are called single player games. For those of you who are MMO addicts I suggest giving them a try because you will get to play a game where you are not constantly playing with 25 cock-bags ruining the gaming experience while you are paying for it.

6. Originally - Guitar Hero * Currently - Castelvania: Dawn of Sorrows

If you want to know how I feel about these two games, check my old top 10 list. I just felt that I should have moved them around a bit, due to Castelvania’s combination of old school flavor and originality when compared to the rest of the series.

5. Originally - Guild Wars * Currently - Mario Kart DS

I kicked Mario Kart DS down a peg because I began to get very infuriated with the lack of skill you needed to actually win. The WiFi capabilities of this game are truly ground breaking which made me keep it in the Top 5.

4. Originally - Mario Kart DS * Currently - Civilization IV

Two days after I blogified my original 2005 list I was cornered by Sid Meier in a dark alley where he kicked the shit out of me for three hours due to the perfidy I committed to the Civilization series. Sadly when I made my first list I had not played Civ 4 nor had I even seen it. Ironically, I actually owned the game, but the laptop that Seton Hall so graciously mandates everyone have, then charge us 650 dollars a semester for “laptop services”, could not run the game. Luckily my new laptop can run it and I began to experience the sheer glory that is Civ 4. The only reason it is not in the top 3 is because I felt they did not add anything revolutionary to the game. Don’t get me wrong, this game is awesome, but only because it relies heavily on what made the first three awesome. One of the big additions, religion, doesn’t seem to affect the gameplay that much. Either way I would, again, like to apologize to everyone for not putting Civ 4 in my Top 10 originally.

3. Dragon Quest 8 stays

2. Battlefield 2 Stays

1. Resident Evil 4 Stays

I am going to sum up all three of these games in one… summary. There is no change with any of these games because they all truly capture their genre in the best way possible. They are great continuations of the series they belong to and I have nothing else to say except play these games.

Random Awards

The I Bought This Cool New System, but Now I End up Playing Last Generations Games on it Since All the Ones for This System Blow Award:

Xbox 360

Best Use of Pixilated Boobies Award:

GTA San Andres Hot Coffee Mod

Most New Pairs of Pants Bought Due to a Video Game Award:

F.E.A.R.

The I Thought this Game was Actually a Joke When I First Heard of it, but it Turned Out to be Good, No I Mean Really Fucking Good Award:

Lego Star Wars

Coolest Knife Fight Award:

Resident Evil 4

The God Damn it There was More than One War in American History, Make a Video Game about One of Them Award:

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Best Reason to Not Own a Real Pet Award:

Nintendogs

Best Series that was Pwned by World of Warcraft, but is Still Trying to Stay Alive with Expansion Packs Award:

Everquest 2: Desert of Flames

Biggest Waste of Money Award:

Buena Vista Games Buying the Rights to Turok

Top 5 of 2006 So Far

This list is just preliminary. This is what I feel has been good so far, but there is much that is very capable to blow it all out of the water. One thing that is notably missing from this list is Lost Magic. I haven’t played it yet, but I most certainly will before the end of 2006. So all the Lost Magic fans out there do not fret, it will have its chance in the running.

These are in no particular order. Actually the order seems to be by release date, but that is just a coincidence.

The Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth 2

TLoR games and I never got along all too well. I either got bored with their simplicity or… well that’s about it. The new addition to the TLotR family is quite different. New units and playable races make the game better, but I am still upset that there is no love for the Ents. They added a lot to do in single player options, you can customize your own hero and the multi-player is just as awesome.

Metroid Prime: Hunters

I have something to say about this game so I am just going to get it off my chest now, this game may have the worst single player campaign for any Nintendo game ever. I can forgive this however since the multi-player is so insanely amazing. The controls take a bit to get use to, but once you do you can appreciate how refined the multi-player is. There are really no major unbalanced issues and Nintendo’s WiFi makes getting into a game as simple as three taps of your stylus. If you do not have WiFi I would never recommend this game, but if you want an awesome multi-player shooter then you need the latest installment of Metroid.

Elder Scrolls Oblivion

This game is simply beautiful in the way it looks and plays. The most beautiful thing is that there actually IS a plot in this part of the Elder Scrolls saga. That was mean… let’s try that again. In this part of the Elder Scrolls saga the plot is distinguishable from the millions of other things you can do. This game is a perfect example of refined beauty and I can all most grantee, baring some unforeseen circumstances, that this will be in the Top 10.

Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends

Big Huge Games produced another fun RTS with the newest Rise of Nations game. This time the landscape is not a historical battle, but rather it takes place in a fantasy world. Rise of Legends may not be the best example of a fantasy game or of a RTS, but it is certainly a very well done combination of the two. Honestly, this game is probably just keeping a seat warm for one of the games that will be released later in the year. While this game was fun at many points there were also some that felt pedantic and needing refinement.

New Super Mario Brothers

Yes, I know that I did not like this game at first, but I quickly came to appreciate it. I am not sure who made this comment but I am going to borrow if from them, “It is like an old-school Mario platformer with Mario 64 moves.” (I think it was Ken or Brent, please come forward whoever it was so I can properly credit you). This game is a triumph for Nintendo. It is a great throwback with new feel. Let’s just say that is easily one of the best games that will probably ever come out for the DS. The ability for anyone to just pick it up and play it makes it amazing.

Top 5 Games that are going to Rock 2006

Medieval 2: Total War (November 11)

This is the first installment from the Total War series to be remade and I (and much of the gaming community) could not be happier. It is true that this game will probably be set up like Rome Total War, a fact that has birthed many complaints on Total War forums, but my personal opinion of that is, yeah… so what? First off I think it is pointless to compare to games made by the same company instead of the game that it is actually a sequel to. If you compare Medieval Total War to Medieval 2 then the changes are massive. Even between Rome and Medieval 2 there are still going to be major changes in the battle system, graphics, and let’s not forget it is a different time in history so all factions and units will have to be different. The biggest addition that I can not wait for is multiplayer campaigns. If you are a fan of the Total War series and you look at the facts I am sure you will be purchasing this game and joining me in my virtual re-conquering of Jerusalem from the virtual heathens or face virtual excommunication.

StarFox Command (August 28)

Everything I have heard and seen about this game seems amazing. Multiplayer co-op and fighting on WiFi is going to be insane. One of the main fears that people have are the 15 playable characters. This of course means they are going to have to make a bunch of new playable characters, which is a justified thing to be concerned about. I had this same fear in Metroid Hunters. After the success of those characters I feel comfortable now with Nintendo’s capability to add an array of new playables to a classic series. Also, to make multiplayer more interesting each character is going to have different stats for their ships. The only other big surprise to be released about the game is on the matter of gay space frogs. Apparently Slippy is still attempting to keep it secret that he likes the boys by getting a girlfriend who will be a playable character. Funny stuff.

Ceaser 4 (Sept, 11)

If you are a city builder fan I figure you too have been awaiting this game since Tilted Mill Entertainment announces about a year ago. 3D is finally going to happen, but there is even more to make this game great. I have mentioned before that I am not a graphics whore, but this game looks beautiful. I don’t need glorious graphics to enjoy a game, but they certainly help. According to releases from TME the military aspect of the game is going to be very different from its predecessors and you will also have the option to build your city without the military aspect, which will allow a fun gameplay for those of us that are not bellicose. Much beyond that has not been revealed about the military however. One thing that is causing a bit of worry to old school city builder fans (I am probably talking to no one who is reading this review) is that the micromanagement level of the game seems to have been reduced, but I think it is for the better. Instead being able to check each individual Roman and see what their personal problems are, you now have a general overview aspect. I have been awaiting this games release since I first heard of it and I am very happy with what I have seen.

Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy (Sept, 12)

Yeah, I know this really came out of nowhere. I am not a huge Star Wars fan, but the first Lego Star Wars was a very well done game. Personally I can not wait to control a Lego version of Harrison Ford. The Lego humor and great gameplay from the first game will surely transfer to this wonderful kids game that everyone can enjoy. It may not make it onto the final Top 10 list, but it will be a very fun game to play.

All of the Wii, especially Twilight Princess (4^th Quarter)

Without a doubt the biggest release of 2006 is going to the next generation systems for Nintendo and Playstation. Maybe I have just missed all of it, but it seems that the system that is going to get all the buzz is the Nintendo Wii. Instead of listing all the games on the Wii that I am waiting for I am just figured I would put everything under one classification to save myself time. I am sure I don’t have to lecture you all on why Nintendo’s system looks promising so I will leave you on this note, it is 100% possible that the 2006 Top 10 list will be all Wii games.

The Great Lists of 2005

2006-06-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Table of Contents:
1. Chris' music list.
2. Robby's music list.
3. Tony's music list (METAL ONLY).
4. Chris' movie list.
5. Dennis' "politics" list.
6. Catelli's video games list.
7. Ken's sports list.

Top 10 Albums-

10. Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins

Although not as deep as earlier albums such as "the Gay Parade" and "Coquelicot.." and not as good as the previous album "Satanic Panic..", "Sunlandic Twins" is still a pop gem. Its a playful album very reminscent of the Beatles and is completely lovable right from the start. The album is short and sweet, including no filler, just catchiness. You'll find yourself singing "Lets pretend we don't exist, lets pretend we're in antarctica" right after the second listen, guaranteed. You'll sway along with "Requiem..", the first track right on the fourth listen. Certainly one of the most finely crafted indie pop albums of 2005.

9. Beck - Guero

So its not as good as Odelay. So "Devil's Haircut" and "E-Pro" sound a tad bit alike. So "Rental Car" and "The New Pollution" have those similar samples of girls lala-ing or doodoo-ing. It's still a very solid album. If there's any comparison between the two, than Guero is definitely the more mature version of it. That doesn't mean its not fun - Clap Hands, Che Onda Guero, E-Pro, Girl... all great. All very fun. Just because its more mature doesn't mean its not fun. There is a lot less goofing around, and it's a tad more straightforward. Hes still as great as hes ever been though, from his rapping on "Hell Yes" to his acoustic folk rock on "Til the end". Beck still knows where hes at, and hes got more than two turn tables and a microphone. (That'll be the last time I do anything like that, I promise.)

8. Jaga Jazzist - What we Must

A beautiful post-rock album. What sets this band apart from the millions and millions and millions of other post-rock bands is their apparent jazz influence. Some songs are the standard post-rock affair (not to insult them, they're very good songs) but other songs take a much more jazzy aproach and remain laid back, making much use out of their horn section. A great album by great band.

7. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

One of the most eagerly anticipated albums in 2005, and it definitely delivered. When the Arcade Fire talks highly of a band, you know you're in for a treat. The album starts off awesome, with a piano follow the drum beat, and then the singer telling us that he has a number on him. Then it perfectly segueways into the next track, where the other singer (i think the other one) tells us that he had a bad bad time tonight. Wolf Parade rocks us out and serenades us, using their two keyboards to the fullest. This album is truly wonderful, even if one song (guess which!!) sounds like a halloween song.

6. Clap your hands say yeah! - s/t

I'm tired of the shit these guys get. When I saw them live, they were awesome. I don't care if the singer can't sing. I don't care if he hurts your ears. Most of the bands you and I listen to, the singer can't sing! FUCKING ISAAC BROCK!!! With that aside, this band is awesome. If you really can't stand the singer, try to ignore him, because the instrumental music is fantastic. "In This Home on Ice" is a beautiful song, as is "My Yellow Country Teeth." The band sounds like Wilco, Neutral Milk Hotel, Talking Heads, and a little My Bloody Valentine rolled into one, and instead of sounding like a rip off of all of the forementioned bands, they sound like something totally new, and totally great.

5. Thunderbirds are Now! - Justamustache

Spazzy, DC Hardcore influenced Thunderbirds. The new album by the Thunderbirds seem to be more polished than the rest- its less noisy, less gritty, but the boys seem to have gotten better at their instruments. Some songs are catchy... really catchy. Take the hook in "Eat this city." Instantly enjoyable. They even reworked a song from their Necks EP (which is one of my favorite EPs ever, IF U CARE), "Bodies ADJust", which starts off pretty harmless and goes a tad CRAZY in the chorus! I can't decide if their new, more polished and "cleaner" sound is better than their old sound, but if anything, its on par. This is an awesome album, and we'll see in the future if they can keep it up.

4. Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano

Probably sticks out like a sore thumb on my list, but I don't care. This album is awesome. Although seemingly pop punk from a distance, when you really listen to these guys, you could hear the math-rock influenced chords, the well-thought lyrics, and the awesome drumming. Although a concept album surely isn't a new idea, it really works out for these guys. For longtime fans, this album is a little different. For a band that never used to do chorus' and conventional song structures (vocal wise, anyway..), they are a-plenty on this album. Not many bands write like that, so in a way, this could be considered a step back for the band. I disagree, as it works for Gatsby. It works in a way where its not better or not worse, it just works. It doesn't seem forced, it seems natural, it seems to fit them. From the epic beginning of "Theater" to "Shh I'm listening to reason" which includes a little treat for fans of their past album, to the reworked and completely awesome "Badlands" from their previous EP, to the final track with its eerie, quiet piano vocals intro, this album screams for your attention and deserves play after play. A great album, albeit a tad short.

3. Spoon - Gimme Fiction

This had to grow on me. Major acoustic guitar-age, and major piano. And goddamn does "I turn my camera on" sound like Prince. However, it all manages to work out for Spoon. The littlest things catch your interest, such as the small lead riff in the opening track "The beat and dragon adored." Although its different from their past material, its not different in a bad way, and its very much worth checking out.

2. Broken Social Scene - s/t

At first it took me awhile to get into this album. Nothing stood out, the first song sounds like a mess, "Shorelines" was no biggy, and then K-Os awkwardly pops out of nowhere and starts rapping. What the fuck? But then I listened to it again.. and again.. and so on and so on. "Shorelines" grew on me. So catchy, so great. The first track, "Our Faces Split The Coast In Half," started to make sense. It was awesome. "Fire Eye'd Boy" was fucking upbeat awesome. And you know what? K-Os' rapping part also grew on me, and now I love that song. What was once awkward grew on me, and I saw the greatness of this album. I even consider it to be better than "You forgot it in people." It's more concise, it's more of an album. I think there was some filler in YFIIP, and just a few standout tracks. I mean I love that album, but some tracks were definitely much better than others, and it felt uneven. S/T is much more of an album, as from start to finish, it's fantastic. It has more flow. Oh, and
it also has "It's all gonna break".

1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

A beautiful album, plain and simple. One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. A lot of people complain that this album is too long and that they can do without the instrumental tracks, etc. But I say don't change it, its perfect. Everything about this album is amazing, start to finish. Standouts include the song about John Wayne Gacy Jr., which is quite possibly the most depressing song I've ever listened to in my life, the "Zombie" song, and "Feel the Illinoise." Wow, what a terrific album.

Before we get to Robby's, I made a few other lists as well...

10 Albums I'm ashamed I didn't have time to really check out-

Some of these I own, some of these I have downloaded, some of them I have heard a little bit of, and some of them I haven't even heard a clip of. However, these are albums that were either loved by many or by artists that I already like a lot, but I just didn't find the time to listen to or purchase these. There's always next year!

1. Decemberists - Picaresque

2. Castanets - First Light's Freeze

3. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

4. m83 - Before the dawn heals us

5. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask

6. Beck- Guerolito

7. Caribou - The milk of human kindness

8. Gang gang dance - God's money

9. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

10.Antony and the Johnsons - I am a bird now

12 Releases to look forward to in 2006-

1. ISLANDS ISLANDS ISLANDS ISLANDS - Return to the Sea
this is definitely number 1... uh.. cause i already have it. thanks ben.

2. Gatsbys American Dream
HOPEFULLY will record..

3. Flaming Lips - At war with the mystics
Been waiting forever.

4. Wilco
Hopefully will release something, most likely

5. Travis Morrison
this guy needs to understand that people are dying without him.

6. Modest Mouse
hopefully. its been a bit quiet for these guys.

7. The Arcade Fire
again, hopefully it'll be done.

8. Brand New
yeah yeah, whatever. I don't care. I'd like to see what they have next.

9. Radiohead
might be their last album? rumors.

10. Cursive
fresh off hiatus! minus the cello. should be interesting..

11. Pretty girls make graves
I heard a few new songs live, and they sound ridiculously good.

12. Plus 44 & Angels and Airwaves
Just for a laugh. For those who don't know, Plus 44 is Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker's new project, and A&A is Tom Delonge's. I think there's going to be drama and shit, this should be funny.

Top 5 most annoying trends of 2005 that have a lot or a little to do with music

1. Bands using the melodic singing and harsh screaming combo
Seriously, it got really gay this year. Really gay. Cut this shit out in 2006, its getting redundant.

2. Bands maturing
Pop punk or scenester mall-emo bands "growing up" and maturing their sound (i.e. concept albums or slowing down songs or adding a pian) because it worked for Brand New.. stop doing this. You're not going to win critics' hearts this way, you just look like assholes.

3. Making fun of emo, using it in context of sentences, etc.
Stop. Fucking. Stop. Emo jokes are not funny anymore. No. They're not. Stop saying this fucking word so much. You're not funny at all. You've beaten this dead horse far into the fucking ground. It's not fucking funny.

4. Singers trying really hard to have a personality
Guys, it really shows when this shit is forced. Coming into the crowd and bothering us or telling lame jokes or trying to be deep, whatever. If you're trying to do any of this really hard, we can tell. We can all tell.

5. Too much post-rock
I like post-rock, I do, I really do. But how much can you really have? Please calm down.

Predictions for 2006

1. The Postal Service will come out with another album, and they'll start getting talked about again.. a lot. Just like before.

2. Drone will become the new post-rock. Why? I haven't figured it out yet.

3. Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney will never collaborate like they said they would, and what could potentially be cool won't be at all.

4. More bands will fucking mature and start using more piano, and people will buy it.

5. Taking back sunday's first major label release will sound exactly like Tell All Your Friends, just like that other one did. Nobody will care, everyone will buy it and quote it in their away messages.

6. Band reunions, even though there's so few bands left to reunite.. Smiths? Neutral Milk Hotel? hahahaha

8 of the most Disappointing and/or Worst Albums

1. Weezer - Make Believe
If you like this album, I seriously must doubt your taste in music. I must reconsider taking your opinions on anything seriously. This album is shit. Whatever doesn't sound like "diarea cha cha cha" sounds like them trying to cash in on the Killers/Bravery hype with their brand new keyboard(!!!) or trying to rip off the blue album. Sorry guys, I'm not buying it. Go fuck yourselves. This piece of shit is meaningless.

2. Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
It's not awful, but it's disappointing. After "Little Sister", the first single which was completely awesome, I had faith in Josh Homme being able to take care of Queens of the Stone Age all by himself after a key member(s) left. Unfortunately, after hearing the album, I realized that he couldn't. The whole thing just doesn't hold up.

3. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Yeah, it's Transatlanticism 2, in a bad way. Very, very boring album, very empty. However, as long as the OC is still on, Ben Gibbard will always have a career, so good for him.

4. Xiu Xiu - La Foret
I was looking forward to this album. I really was. Fabulous Muscles was terrific. Unfortunately, this album suffers from being very, very quiet and boring. There are a few great songs, like Bog People and Muppet Face. However, its ultimately an inconsistent and hit-or-miss album.

5. Green Day - American Idiot
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. Most Overrated. Oh, it came out in 2004... ok.. Here, watch.

Most overrated of 2005
Green Day - American Idiot

There. How about that? I'm tired of hearing the singles. I'm tired of it. Hey, I actually used to like the singles. But now? Annoying. Played out. Not that good. I'm tired of people talking about this album like its the next coming of christ, like its the greatest thing in the world. fuck that. its still pop punk, not matter how slow they play, no matter how long they play the song for, or no matter how songs they put together and pass off as one song. Regardless, its still not that good. At all. Get over this fucking album.

p.s. that video with the couple and the cut scenes and shit is really fucking stupid. you know you can do everything in that video without dialogue, right? and you know the dialogue is really lame and corny to begin with, right? no?

6. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit to this memory

Yeah, the single is catchy and stuff, but come on.. why the downplay on the keyboard? Come on guys. Next time don't take that many pointers from the guy who once wrote "i fell in love with the girl at the rock show, she said what? and i told her that i didn't know"

7. Coheed and Cambria - Apollo 4 BLah blah you already know what I'm talking about

So I used to like Coheed and Cambria. Second Stage Turbine Blade was a good album. Silent Earth 3 was good, it brought the rock at times but sometimes it got poppy, a little TOO poppy - and, in my opinion, Coheed can't do pop well. At all. I guess they took my advice, cause this album is much more rock, but in a bad way. They just get cornier and cornier. For proof, listen to basically any lead riff on this album. Give me a fucking break, guys. One song (welcome home) has the guitar progression of that "rock superstar" song, and some other song sounds exactly like their one song off of silent earth that goes "pull the trigger and the nightmare stops!" So yeah, way to go guys. Lame.

8. Thrice - Vheissu

This band sucks.

P.S. If you're reading this, get a new drummer.

4 Albums I never... "Got"

1. M.I.A. - Arular

Everyone raved about this, but I never saw the appeal. Never liked it even a little bit.

2. Sun 0))) - Black One

Um... drone...

3. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday

Am I missing something? I've tried to listen to this album three times. I've seen the band live. Nothing about the album or the band is awesome at all.

4. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll

These guys can just go fuck themselves. This band is definitely a band Pitchfork found and just decided to be like "Okay, lets see how much power over people we actually HAVE."

2 Other 2005 Lists...

1. Pitchfork Media

Nah, its cool. Just no Broken Social Scene. Whats up with that? And Art Brut, top 10? I know you like them, but give me a fucking break.

2. Absolute Punk.net

I knew this list was gonna be a joke before I went there - I remember reading last years. I actually stole their format a little bit, but whatever. Anyway this way they have a ton of people doing lists - the whole staff, and some bands. Its interesting to see what assdicks like Fall Out Boy listen to.. but anyway.. Jason Tate is the only list worth looking at. I actually didn't look at anyone else's, but I know hes the main guy of the site, and his is the list I read last years. He lists a bunch of shit and expects people to take him seriously (they actually do..), and then he says "Most overrated" and puts "Decemberists - Picturesque[sic]" and "Clap your hands and say yeah!" Whatever man, to each his own, but if you're not gonna like that, at least like something good to back it up, not shit like Panic! At the Disco (Fall Out Boy Jr).
------------------------------
Robby time.

First, very briefly, I'll get the bottom 5 out of the way:

5 Worst Musical Releases by Bands Who Were Once Good(...of 2005):

5. "The Everglow" - Mae.
Mae? What happenned!? You had a good thing going on! Unfortunately, Mae's bitten the mainstream bullet, and is now blending in perfectly with the genre many Mae listeners were afraid they'd be associated with. I suppose "The Everglow" isn't a terrible album, but Mae's lost all of what made them original, and thus has lost all of my interest. Luckilly, however, we have Copeland, whose new album "In Motion" coincidentally picked up where Mae had left off with "Destination: Beautiful."

4. "Plans" - Death Cab for Cutie.
Biggest disappointment of the year. Not because I'm a die-hard Death Cab fan who hates anyone who learned about them through "Transatlanticism." Truth be told, "Transatlanticism" was the third Death Cab album I bought, and is still my favorite. But because this album simply isn't very friendly to the ears. The album in general is just... Well... Boring. And Ben's newfound piercing vocal style ruins any hope of enjoyment. Once again, popularity takes another good band away from us.

3. "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning/Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" - Bright Eyes.
I had to lump these two together. I don't believe most Bright Eyes is worth listening to. In fact, I'd only recommend listening to "Lifted," if I were to recommend anything. However, I was hoping Conor Oberst would pick up where "Lifted" left off with these new albums. Needless to say, he did not. "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" is a terrible attempt to enter the IDM world. While "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" attempts to carry on with the style of "Lifted," though its pointless emphasis on being peppy and its inexplicable need for high production value has taken away what little raw, natural talent Conor once had. So the verdict is finally in, and "Lifted" was indeed a fluke.

2. "Make Believe" - Weezer.
They finally did it. Weezer finally abandoned all hope of remaining good. I tried to fight for them! I tried to say "S/T: Green" and "Maladroit" are okay... They have a couple good songs! Weezer's not done for! And I was never asking for another "S/T: Blue" or "Pinkerton," because that's just too much to ask of one band! But "Make Believe" brings nothing to the table. The hits are awful, the album is awful, and Weezer has become a needlessly gaudy rock band that will do anything Rivers Cuomo wants if he whines about it long enough. Thus killing what's left of the fifteen year old boy inside me.

1. "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" - System of a Down.
I honestly can not believe that people think this album is good. "Mezmerize" is not only the worst album of 2005, but it is the worst album I've heard in my entire life. System of a Down has lost all the subtlety and precisiveness they once had, and have accepted the fact that no matter what pro-anarchy bullshit they spew onto their record, people will buy it. There is nothing pleasing about this album. Nearly every noise made by every instrument(especially the guitarist's voice) is shrill and violently piercing. All of these differrent noises are slopped together into a handful of "songs" that require no writing talent whatsoever. Hot Topic, meet your new best friend, as I'm sure your anarchy wristbands flew off the shelves after teenage America saw the "Bring Your Own Bombs" video on MTV. (Also, I have yet to hear "Hypnotize," but from what I've read/been told, I can almost guarantee I'll have the same view on that as well.)

And much more importantly...

Top 10 Musical Releases of 2005! (by Robby Ritacco)
(Plus recomended tracks to introduce you to the album!)

10. "Picaresque" - The Decemberists.
The Decemberists have been getting progressively worse with each album. Fortunately, they left themselves a lot of room for error. Picaresque has its inferior songs, and doesn't flow quite perfectly, yet the songs they do right are nothing short of bewildering. Colin Meloy sings first-person from many differrent roles on the album, such as a barrow boy, a second-rate athlete, a vengeful mariner, and even a widower. Plus a handful of roles in "The Engine Driver" alone. Where his inspiration for this album came from is beyond me, however, his tales are both descriptive and spellbinding, and will certainly paint the picture of each of his characters in your imagination.
Recommended Track: "The Sporting Life"

9. "Cinder" - Dirty Three.
There had to be some gloomy, depressing, and altogether beautiful instrumental rock album in order for this list to have any credibility! After all, there are a handful of them every year, and only a few of them are ever interesting enough to actually keep our attention. Dirty Three has successfully pulled this off on more than one occasion. Warren Ellis knows every possible way to make a violin and/or a mandolin sound just as pretty as it does interesting. And though the rhythm section might seem like just that by comparison, they are by no means inferior musicians. In actuality, the other two members of Dirty Three are lacking in nothing, just mildly outshined by Ellis's style on this album. If instrumental rock's your fancy, "Cinder" is the way to go this year.
Recommended Track: "Sad Jexy"

8. "Late Registration" - Kanye West.
He had the best rap album in 2003 with "The College Dropout," he has it again in 2005. Kanye West, widely known as the smartest rapper in the business, has yet to disappoint with his albums. Kanye is in another world compared to most rap artists, rather than focusing primarilly on rhythm and beats, he has surprisingly well written instrumentation on his albums. Also, his lyrics are far more heart-felt than the majority of other mainstream rappers, rather than solely speaking about killing others and degrading women(though, when he wants to, he certainly does call attention to that as well.) "Late Registration" is easilly the best rap album of 2005, and Kanye has now officially proven that he's in the performing industry for the long haul.
Recommended Track: "Addiction"

7. "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" - The Go! Team.
Who wouldn't be curious about a band that takes samples from 50's commercials? The Go! Team's latest release "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" is dance music to the tune of shouting children. As horrible as that sounds, "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" is actually quite an addicting album. It's filled with great dancey rock songs, some instrumental, others with vocals sang by what would seem to be a group of cheerleaders, and a few normally sung songs as well. By now, "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" should have at least peaked your curiosity. So give them a try next time you're in need of some rock music to dance to. It isn't for everyone, but those who like it will love it.
Recommended Track: "Ladyflash."

6. "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Pretentiousness at its finest! Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's debut cd opens with an interlocutor imploring his audience to clap their hands! ...That track aside, the album is fantastic. CYHSY has a wonderful way of writing and performing the simplest melodies and chord progressions in a highly original manner. This Brooklyn-based entirely self-distributed band(at least for the first 6 months or so of their career) has been the biggest thing in underground music since The Arcade Fire's release of "Funeral" last year. If you haven't heard these guys yet, then unfortunately, you are not hip this year. I strongly advise you purchase this album, and begin training yourself to not hate the the off-beat (and slightly off-key) vocals.
Recommended Track: "In This Home on Ice"

5. "Silent Alarm" - Bloc Party.
Wait, the singer is black!? Far greater of a surprise was the incredibly quick rise in Bloc Party's popularity with the release of "Silent Alarm." Not much sooner than most had discoverred these quirky London based rockers, they noticed their rising appeal to the masses. MTV quickly began airing them, and most everyone's heard "Like Eating Glass" on their Honda commercial. Some complain of selling out, and the increasing fan base bringing in unwelcome teenie fans with terrible taste. Well, I'm personally just glad a good band is getting some recognition. There are plenty of great nameless bands out there for the elitists to horde to themselves. Let the public have this one. "Silent Alarm" is predominantly upbeat and quite dancey (and thus everything we could really ask for from Brit-Pop.) The only real flaw is that some of the songs are a little too similar and tend to run together, but all in all, Bloc Party is quite worthy of all the attention they're getting.
Recommended Track: "Little Thoughts"

4. "The Sunlandic Twins" - Of Montreal.
Of Montreal has a handful of albums. "The Sunlandic Twins" is, quite arguably, their best one. Many "Satanic Panic in the Attic" fans will fight me tooth & nail over this, but my opinion remains the same. If the Beach Boys turned canibal and swallowed The Apples In stereo, the resulting indegestion would probably cause them to spew out "The Sunlandic Twins." The first half of the album is packed with catchy, peppy, upbeat songs, while the second half slows it down a bit, but still remains as catchy and melodic. You'd think this would be a bad set-up for an album, splitting up the fast and slow songs to that point, but somehow, Of Montreal made it work perfectly. "The Sunlandic Twins" = perfect party music.
Recommended Track: "Oslo in the Summertime"

3. "Illinois" - Sufjan Stevens.
If "Illinois" were the ONLY album to come out in 2005, I'd still consider it a great year for music. Sufjan Stevens takes his 50 states project to the next level with his second state release. Sufjan goes much more in depth with this album than he did with "Michigan," taking more from folklore and urban legends, writing more about famous or infamous cities and people, and all-in-all getting to know the state as well as possible before the release of the album (Which is slightly odd, considerring Sufjan Stevens is from Michigan.) Musically it is very similar to "Michigan," only with many more choral & brass arrangements. So if you were a fan of Michigan, Illinois should not disappoint. If you've yet to hear Sufjan Stevens, consider this your introduction to brilliantly catchy pop music.
Recommended Track: "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!"

2. "Justamustache" - Thunderbirds Are Now!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the feel-good album of the year! If you play an instrument, and you hear "Justamustache," you immediately want to start a band and rip them off to no end. Sadly though, you most likely don't know how to do it. Ryan Allen manages to write devillishly catchy little guitar riffs that you'll sing along to more-so than the words themselves (Partially because you can't figure out the words unless you have the liner notes in front of you. But rest assured, they ARE equally clever and catchy.) If the opportunity arises, SEE THIS BAND LIVE! Their energy will blow you away.
Recommended Track: "Better Safe Than Safari"

1. "Broken Social Scene" - Broken Social Scene.
When I heard Broken Social Scene was coming out with a new album, I was both excited and skeptical. After all, one can't expect a band to follow up a virtually flawless album like "You Forgot it in People" with anything half as good, especially considerring the fact that the rest of their releases(their first album and their B-sides collection) don't light a candle to their sophomore album. Well, they certainly proved me wrong. They went above and beyond, pretty much leaving "You Forgot it in People" in the dust. It took 6 new band members(added on to the 10 from the previous album) and 4 collaborators to accomplish that though. Broken Social Scene has managed to piece together a beautifully innovative album that'll suit any mood. The album is filled with angsty rock anthems, snappy innovative hits, and even a rap from K-OS on the bafflingly original song "Windsurfing Nation." This album is proof that there IS in fact still new music to be written and found. That everything hasn't already been done before. And, of course, that there is still good music out there, if you're willing to look for it.
Recommended Track: "Windsurfing Nation" or "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)"
-----------------------
TONY
Top 10 Metal albums of 2005
1 - Hypocrisy - Virus [omgomgomgomgomgomg]
2 - Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
3 - Exodus - Shovel Headed Kill Machine
4 - The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra
5 - Dark Tranquillity - Character
6 - After Forever - Remagine
7 - Opeth - Ghost Reveries
8 - Aborted - The Archaic Abattoir
9 - Savage Circus - Dreamland Manor
10 - Annihilator - Schizo Deluxe

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Top 10 Movies of 2005

This year for movies wasn't exactly that exciting. I was pretty on-top for movies this year, maybe not as well as I could have been, but I definitely saw a good amount. Contenders for best of the year didn't really give me that much trouble - I had 12 movies that I thought could make it, so all I had to do was cut 2. It wasn't that hard, hopefully more quality movies will come out next year. With that said, on to the list of gems..

1. Broken Flowers
Interestingly enough, this is one of my friends' worst movie of the year (or of all time?). It's truly not a movie for everyone, this is something I had to understand during conversations about movies in 2005. But those who actually are willing to take the time and try to think about it and try to "get" it are the ones who will be awarded with a great film. Jim Jarmusch scores again, and Bill Murray does a fantastic job.

2. Millions
this movie is truly a touching tale. More than just Shallow Grave with little kids. Danny Boyle is doing different things since his Trainspotting heydays, but as long as his newer movies are as good as this, I don't mind. Just.. uh.. no more Beach, please.

3. Batman begins
A great, dark movie. Much better then the previous two Batman films. Christopher Nolan gets it all right, and even sets him up for a very promising sequel. The entire movie is beautiful, especially in the beginning, when Bruce Wayne is training on the mountain areas. Great acting, but little need for the Katie Holmes character. Could've done without that.

4. Squid and the whale
This one's about divorce and how two children deal with their parent situations. This is one of the most realistic movies I've ever seen about this topic. It's funny, touching, and disturbing all at the same time, and still very entertaining.

5. Capote
Disturbing film about the writer Truman Capote and his relationship with a man who killed a random family in their house. Truman is a very confusing character - he's a hypocrite, he's pathetic, he's self centered. Did he do everything for the book, or was he actually friends with this man? Fantastic movie, and Philip Seymour Hoffman gives such a great performance.

6. A History of Violence
Goddammit, this movie was fucking cool. Very much worth seeing, even though it reminded me of Unforgiven a little too much at times. Great performances, and a great script. Makes me want to read the graphic novel it was based off of. Ed Harris is awesome in it, even a tad creepy.

7. Me and You and Everyone we know
Hilarious and deep movie. Includes dozens of interesting characters, characters you can actually care about and relate (in a strange way) because they're not overly cliche like in other movies. Miranda July does a fantastic job Directing and Starring in this movie, and also did a fantastic job with the script as well.

8. Edukators
A great German film about two roommates who break into rich peoples' houses and mess with their stuff, leaving them notes when they leave. A half hour or so into it, the movie switches gears when they take a rich man hostage, but the movie still works. The discussions between the group and him are very interesting, and many interesting points are made. With this kind of movie, you have to be careful not to alienate your audience- you can't make it too preachy, or else it because a nuisance to watch. The director, Hans Weingartner, does a great job in keeping the movie from becoming this, and in turn, we have one of the best foreign movies of the year.

9. Constant Gardener
From the director of the much beloved "City of God," we have a movie where a politician picks up where his recently murdered wife left off, trying to expose a conspiracy in Kenya with their medicine. He goes on a journey, putting his own life on the line. The film requires a repeated viewing just to absorb everything - its very smart and lengthy. The tone is very dark, and every scene is gorgeous.

10. Proof
A movie that completely surprised me. Proof is the screen adaption of a popular stage play, and it's a damn good one at that. There are some very interesting plot twists, and Gwyneth Paltrow gives a great performance. The way the director tells the story is great, and you sit through the movie wondering whether or not you should trust the main character or not, wondering what the truth is as you go through her troubled life. Oh, and Jake Gyllenhaal in another movie this year is always a plus. He's a good man.

Honorable mentions and other stuff...

Unfortunately, Cinderella Man and Crash didn't make it. They were both good though, despite the people who are really against both movies for one reason or another (especially the hate on Crash - yeah, we know its not Magnolia. Nobody said it was. It's still good.) Brokeback Mountain and King Kong were both good, but absolutely not Top 10 material. I haven't seen Munich or Syriana yet, so maybe they could have made it. Another few movies I regret not seeing in time were Good night and good luck, Elizabethtown, Junebug, Breakfast on pluto, and Paradise Now. Oh well, like they say, there's always 2006!

Some notes-To those who don't want to see Brokeback Mountain because it has.. um.. gay in it, don't. Don't worry about it. Stick to Rent, Red Eye, Fun with Dick and Jane, Rumor Has it, and other meaningless movies. Hollywood's already catering to you.

I read in a few places that said something along the lines of this each time - "If you see one movie this year, see King Kong." This is one of the most foolish statements I've ever read, and no, if you can only see ONE MOVIE this year, for whatever fucked up reason it is, don't see King Kong. Only see King Kong if you want to stay in the theater for as long as possible when you see the only movie you can this year.

--------------------------------
Dennis' turn.

Top 10.. "Politics"

10. Border Crossing Debate
Recently some self-avowed patriots have taken it upon themselves to police our border with Mexico to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants constantly moving through our border, which by all accounts is about as porous as a New Orleans levee. The ensuing debate about the legality and morality of their actions has brought to the forefront a long-brewing debate about exactly how the US should be treating illegal immigrants.

9. The Non-Debate Over Activist Judges
The nation's courts have been the increasing focus of attention, beginning with the standoff in the senate over the filibuster for judicial nominees and continuing with Bush's third Supreme Court Justice Nomination of the year. Throughout, conservatives have hammered home the need to get rid of Activist judges with nary a word of reply from the left. The Democrats' inability to either craft a coherent argument for a living Constitution or attack the Conservative nominees as the very activists they pretend to loath is perhaps more noteworthy than a determined defense would be.

8. Delay Indictment
"The Hammer"'s indictment on conspiracy to violate election law, money laundering, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering ended his career as House Speaker and tarnished the reputation of the Republican leadership.

7. Libby Indictment
The embarrassment to the leadership was only fueled when Special Prosecutor handed down an indictment for one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury, and two counts of making false statements to one of the Vice President's top aides, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. This time, however, the scandal struck the heart of the White House, and helped to contribut to the downward spiral that resulted in number 3.

6. The Nuclear Option and the Gang of 14
While most Americans were too busy enjoying the increasingly sunny weather to notice, the Senate was locked in one of its most tense, most boring battle in recent history. Democrats were blocking Republican judicial nominees, and Republicans were willing to do anything - including amending the rules of the Senate to eliminate the filibuster ("The Nuclear Option") - to get them confirmed. The showdown had reached critical mass on May 23, when, a day before the rule change was scheduled to take place, a group of seven Democrats and seven Republicans ("The Gang of 14") agreed to neither support a filibuster of judicial nominees nor a rule change except in the case of "extraordinary circumstances." The compromise let the steam out of both sides' blustering propaganda and brought the deadly game of brinksmanship to a hault.

5. Iraqi Elections
Undoubtedly one of the biggest achievements of the Iraq War so far, it has yet to be seen whether unsupported allegations of vote fraud and ethnic tensions will tear the budding country apart regardless.

4. Katrina Fallout
The government's bungled response to the crisis and the President's unwillingness to admit and seek forgiveness for his administration's mistakes caused some of the greatest media outrage in recent history and sent the President's poll numbers tumbling. If only the President could routinely cast such a critical eye on our leaders' actions.

3. Bush Hits Record Low
In mid-November, Bush earned the dubious distinction of being both our most popular and third-most unpopular President in history, tied with his father for the latter title. A bungled response to the Katrina disaster, the Plame Scandal, and the mess in Iraq all contributed to his steady downward spiral.

2. Supreme Court Death/Resignation
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation and the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist meant that Bush had the opportunity to appoint not one but two new Supreme Court Justices, an opportunity not afforded to his predecessor. As the nation went about its business, the subset of the population known as court-watchers got off to the news media's entirely speculative coverage of who would be nominated to fill the spot of Supreme Court Justice. The more socially inept would try to engage their "friends" in conversation about this topic and couldn't understand how people could not spend every waking moment agonizing about the decisions Priscilla Owens or Janice Rogers Brown might hand down.

1. Supreme Court Nominations
Of course, despite its uninteresting subject matter, the direction of the court that will be set by Chief Justice Roberts and Bush's next confirmed nominee will affect American jurisprudence for years to come. Roe v. Wade does not yet hang in the balance, but many of the decisions extending the rights established by it do. A number of civil rights cases dealing with the controversies arising from the execution of the war on terror are also slated to come before the court relatively soon.

----------------
Catelli's list

Top 10 video games of the year

10. Age of Empires 3 PC
This is a welcome addition to the AOE series, with this game taking place during 1500 ï?? 1850. Generally I am not a graphics whore, but one of the best aspects of this game is that is beautiful. I mean for God sakes they had one person dedicated to making sure the water looked realistic. One of the best things (at least to the history major) is there is a lot of historical accuracy, plus improvements made this AOE much more fast-paced.

9. Black and White 2 PC
The first Black and White was genre breaking, but this new addition went even further. The addition of armies to fight along your creature was perhaps the best idea not to mention the choice of playing as a good or evil deity. You can also control where buildings go along with the all the other perks of the first one. Not to mention this game has some of the best graphics I have ever seen. I am still at awe from the battles I have seen.

8. Super Mario Strikers GC
Soccer Mario style. This at first was a very shaky premise for a game that I did not think was going to go well, but Nintendo proved me wrong. Though it is eight place overall this gets my vote as the best 4 player game of 2005. If you are a die-hard soccer fan looking for a realistic soccer game than perhaps this is not a good buy for you, but if you like no rules in soccer than you will have fun. I have never been very good at math, but 4 friend Super Mario Strikers = Good time had by all.

7. Castlevania DS
I have never played any of the other Castlevania games and from what I have come to understand this game is a bit different from the other Castlevanias, but it is generally agreed that the additions are awesome. The game play is still the same, but the upgrading of weapons and the fact that every type of enemy has a different soul that you can use is just amazing. Not to mention all the unlockables are just as good as the game. Which include a new game mode, a secret mode where you play through the game in old Castlevania style (no souls and whip only), a boss mode, and more.

6. Guitar Hero Playstation 2
Somehow this innovative game fell between the cracks, probably due to the fact that since you had to buy the guitar with the game it went for about 120 bucks. No matter what the price this game was awesome. Imagine it as DDR, ,but instead of Japanese pop it is classic rock and instead of stamping your feet you play guitar. Also unlike DDR people who pick up the game for the first time can do pretty well at it, I had one experience with the game and I did pretty well, though I did pretty bad when I tried Iron Man.

5. Guild Wars PC
I was looking forward to this game and if it wasnï??t for a combination of World of Warcraft and the fact that I didnï??t want another game to take up all my other free time I would have been addicted to this. This was a fun game to begin with, with the combination of two classes and the MMORPG pull of playing with tons of people. What put this on my top 10 was the fact that it was free and very well done for a free MMORPG.

4. Mario Kart DS
One wordï?? WiFi. The gameplay is solid (though it does seem like this games revolves a lot around the items you get more than skill) and the unlockables are fun, but the shinning star here is internet play. With my DS I can now play anyone worldwide in Mario cart, way to go Nintendo! This game in and of itself may not have been number 4, but once you take into consideration the innovation and all around awesomeness of WiFi this game demands to be noticed.

3. Dragon Quest 8 Playstation 2
The Dragon Warrior series has been a solid franchise for quite some time. After Dragon Warrior 7 one would think that there was no where to go but down but Dragon Quest 8 proved me wrong. This game delivers RPG elements of all types, is accessible to all players of RPGs (novice or expert), and boasts and incredible gameplay time.

2. Battlefield 2 PC
What other game allows you to fly a bomber, drive a tank, gun enemies down from a helicopter, then snipe them all with about 40 other live people playing in the same game? Battlefield 2 does. Some of my fondest gaming memories of this year are the few chances Iï??ve had playing Battlefield 2.

1. Resident Evil 4 GC
This game came out the second week of January in 2005, but it set the bar for all other games to reach for the entire year, which none of the rest did. This game took the few problems with the Resident Evil series and corrected them. Controls, camera angles, and A.I. all received a facelift. The graphics also were some of the best I have seen on ANY SYSTEM, not just GC. The game did everything right and I would also not hesitate to tell people to buy a Gamecube just to play this game.

Top 5 Video Game Disappointments of 2005

5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Gamecube
This should have been out. End of story. Now, I have come to accept that games get delayed, this happens, I know. I still have the right to be disappointed when I find out games get delayed. I really wanted to play this game, I kind of even cleared my schedule for 2 days after the game was suppose to come out, only to get an automated call from Gamestop ripping my heart out by telling me that this game was coming out some time after March 2006. This really hurt me Nintendo, really hurt me? I?ll be honest I cried? a lot.

4. Star wars Battlefront 2 for the PC
FUCK YOU LUCAS ENTERTAINMENT! You have hood-winked me for the last time! What was the big thing that they did for this game? Space fighting! Awesome I (and a lot of other people) thought. WRONG! If you want to win the space fights you have to fly the ship into the enemies base and fight the EXACT SAME WAY as you did on a land battle. Besides those 2 minutes of flying to the enemies base it is the exact same game with the same unbalanced unit issues that plagued the first one! Avoid this game!

3. Nintendo?s Release of the Gameboy Micro.
This is an actual conversation from a Nintendo board meeting:
?Alright everyone, The Nintendo DS just came out and it plays DS games and GBA games. Now let us release a system that plays only GBA games.? Mr. X
?But wait sir, doesn?t the DS already play GBA games?? Mr. Y
?Yeah, but this new system will be really small; so small the screen size will make it almost impossible to play games on. Even better we make it about 20 dollars cheaper than the DS.? Mr. X
?Wait, that makes no sense at all. People who want to play GBA games can just buy a DS and it will do a lot more than this small gameboy, for only 20 dollars more. This makes no sense at all, it can never work.? Mr. Z
?But what if? it does?? Mr. X
?Are you high?? Mr. Y
?Brilliant is the term for what I am? and so is high.? Mr. X

2. Dungeon Siege 2 for the PC
Hey, remember that video game that had awesome innovation in their multiplayer and single player modes? Remember the sequel that came out where they basically got rid of everything that made the game innovative to begin with? That was awesome.

1. XBOX 360
The system as a whole was just a disappointment in my eyes. Personally, I did not think the graphics were all that great. I never heard ANYTHING in support of this system besides the fact that this system had amazing graphics when really the games on this system do not look any better than my gamecube on a high-def TV. That?s right I graphically compare the XBOX 360 to a gamecube! Let?s also remember the over-heating and CD scratching problems the system had when it launched; the fact that some of the games released were XBOX ports, but they actually took away certain features; and the fact that the booths they set up in almost every video game store were on TVs that were more expensive than the system itself making it look amazing, when really anything would on those TVs. The XBOX 360 was a giant disappointment to me and the saddest thing about that statement is that I had no expectations for the system to begin with.

Top 5 Most awaited Video Games of 2006

5. Caesar 4 for the PC
These games may not have been the most amazing or innovative, but they were always fun. Caesar?s always were a favorite of mine and I can not wait to see what is done with the newest release. The coming release of Caesar 4, which is going to finally be in 3D, may not be awaited by many people, but I am looking forward to it.

4. Elder Scrolls 4 : Oblivion
Honestly, I want this game pretty bad and the only reason I am not going to get it is because the odds are my computer is not going to be able to run it. Un-like the blunder of Dungeon Siege this RPG took what made the originals great and made it even better. Needless to say the graphics are being kicked up a notch, the combat system is being reworked and there is going to be a deep story-line. Also I look forward the new AI system. All character now have motivations and carry on normal lives. You may even pass two NPCs in a town and hear them talking about something that recently took place in the game. If there is one game that might make me upgrade my PC it is this.

3. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the DS
Before you all start yelling at me because the one of gamecube was bad, let me just say I agree with you. So then why am I waiting the release of this game? Basically the buzz around this game has been relatively low, but from what I have heard they are correcting many of the problems that plagued the first one. The gamecube version was basically the best version of gauntlet legends I ever played (not to mention the most expensive due to the fact that everyone need a GBA), but this time it is actually going to be more like an FF game. This game might turn out to be bad and I will be one of the first to attack it if they do, but until then I am going to keep a close eye on it.

2. Metroid Prime: Hunter for the DS
Three reasons:
1. WiFi fighting
2. Demo was amazing
3. Samus has never let me down before
That?s enough for me to pre-order it.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
If you and I have talked at all in the past year, you saw this coming. I was disappointed that it did not come out in 2005, but I am eagerly awaiting it to come out in 2006! The screen-shots and trailers look amazing. In addition, the rumors I have heard floating around sound awesome if they are true (Link is going to be a werewolf!) I also have to give recognition to Nintendo here because they have done a great job controlling the amount of screen-shots and other information about the game that has been slowly coming out. This game has been in the works for years now and I cannot wait for this game to come out.
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Ken's List

The Year in Sports
Top 10 Moments

10) NBA Dress Code Implemented

While seemingly not a serious story, NBA commissioner David Stern imposed a dress code on his players just a few weeks before the season started. The timing was odd, but not after you see how it coincided with MLB playoffs, a full weekend of NHL match-ups, and NFL games. Stern managed to steal attention from all of the other major sports by making his players dress up while walking into games and at post-game press conferences. It was an argument that most fans supported, but also brought out several racial issues that made the story stick around longer than it should have.

9) Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick is a total babe. And she drives an Indy racecar. These two traits were enough to breath life into the dying sport of open wheel car racing. Danicas first race brought a huge spike in ratings to a sport that needed it. While she never managed to win a race during her first season, she graced many magazine covers and became an ambassador for her sport.

8) Hurricane Katrina

While its ridiculous to look at Hurricane Katrina from a sports perspective, there were repercussions for the teams and players in the region. The New Orleans Saints became nomads, with home games in Baton Rouge, San Antonio, and East Rutherford, New Jersey. The LSU Tigers were still competitive despite having no place to call home. The refugees from New Orleans were able to find a sense of stability in watching their teams still be able to compete despite the terrible fate their city had met.

7) NBA Head Coaches

The season in 2005 had more to do with the men in suits than the men in uniforms. The soap operas in Los Angeles , Detroit , New York, and Miami were centered as much on the coaches as the players. A season after Kobe Bryant kicked off Shaq and Phil Jackson off his Lakers team and Jackson described Kobe as being uncoachable, Jackson was back behind the bench. Larry Brown left a championship caliber team in Detroit in order to take over a lost and mismanaged Knicks team in New York. In Miami, Pat Riley stood as general manager of a Heat team that was a few minutes from the NBA Finals last season. This season, he finally axed his own predecessor, Stan Van Gundy, in order to coach the team that he assembled. All three men have taken their jobs in order to prove something, and all three have a challenge ahead of them.

6) Sid the Kid

When the man nicknamed The Great One says that you are the only player capable of breaking his records, you are entering a league with the weight of the world on your shoulders. Sidney Crosby was the most highly touted prospect in twenty years in the NHL. After a lockout that destroyed a whole season and a lottery to determine where he would end up, Crosby landed in Pittsburgh under the watchful eye of player/owner Mario Lemieux. He may be the perfect player to showcase a sport with a new flow and a new image. So far, he has lived up to expectations and is sure to help revitalize the National Hockey League.

5) T.O.

Another greedy athlete shouldnt be a major news story, but Terrell Owens brought it to new heights. By demanding a new contract only a year after signing a 6 year deal, he set a new bar for how much of a jackass someone could be. He hired a new agent and set about destroying his relationship with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles. News about T.O. hung like a cloud over the Eagles entire season, and you could make an argument that he had as much to do with their losing season as anything else the team had going against it.

4) New England Patriots

When football introduced a salary cap, fans of the game thought that the era of dynasties was over, and that no team could compete at a high level over a length of time. The New England Patriots have proven them wrong. By winning their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years early in 05, they demonstrated that you can sustain excellence in the new NFL. Led by Tom Brady and an impressive defense, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl and became the first modern dynasty. Even after an 05 devastated by injuries and coaching losses, they still have a shot at making it 4 championships in 5 years.

3) Hockey Returns

Never before had a sport wiped out an entire season over a labor dispute, but the National Hockey League had done it with their 2004-2005 season. It wasnt a good standard to set, but the NHL returned in 05 with a salary cap and a new set of rules designed to make the game faster and more interesting for its fans. The lockout forced many of the games greatest players to retire, but also opened the door for new stars, such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Fans across the leagues flocked back to the game in record numbers and the NHL now has a much brighter future.

2) Steroids

Sadly, the second biggest story of the year was a negative one. Congressional hearings were held to determine the influence had on baseball. Jose Canseco, an admitted steroid user, released a book that named names and painted the whole sport of baseball as a steroid sport. It wasnt until players started getting suspended for steroid use that people started to really notice. One player, Rafael Palmiero, told Congress that he had never used steroids, and three months later was suspended for ten games due to a steroid violation.

1) White Sox Win

The Chicago White Sox werent even the most popular team in their own city, but in October they became World Series Champions for the first time in just under a century. Led by a stellar pitching staff and a fiery manager, Chicago finally cleared itself of the image as the Chicago Black Sox who threw a World Series. It was a positive story after a season that had been plagued by steroids and player/fan confrontations. Sweeping the Houston Astros in four games, they were crowned World Series Champions and look to repeat in 2006.