Yes, it's time for another decade list and this one is about sports. Since it's so hard to pick, I've decided to make a very specific micro list of great sports moments for ME this past decade.
10) June 9, 2008: Return to kickball glory. After several years of retirement, I returned to the kickball diamond where I was an adequate player at first base.
9) January 14, 2006: Getting a really good hot dog at Kohl Center.  I don't remember who the Badger basketball team was playing, but I do remember the line at the concession stand was unusually short and the hot dog seemed to taste a lot better.
8) Sept. 17, 2007: Finding a sweet spot near Camp Randall. I was going to a game with my folks when Bucky was playing The Citadel. Somehow we scored a legal spot on Lathrop Street. Probably because no one really care about getting to Camp Randall on time to see The Citadel.
7) December 10, 2001: Short line at the men's bathroom at a Packers game. Yes, I was at a Packers game. Somehow the line was extra short and I didn't miss much of the action. Were they playing The Citadel?
6) August 7, 2007: Too much change given back to me at White Sox game. I ordered a piece of pizza and a coke. I didn't realize the guy gave me an extra nickel until I was already back at my seat!
5) June 7, 2004: Great bike ride on the John Nolan Drive path. It wasn't too windy and I didn't get too winded.
4) April 14, 2006: I guessed correctly which of the three Brewer hats had the ball hidden under it on the Jumbotron at a Miller Park in the middle of the sixth inning.
3) Nov. 12, 2003: Came out of the kitchen with my plate of home made nachos at the exact second the Bears were scoring a touchdown. I didn't even have to wait for the replay!
2) March 7, 2006: Crumbled up a piece of paper and banked it off a wall into the recycle bin, but no one saw it!!!!
1) Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, 2005: Sitting in U.S. Cellular Field watching the Chicago White Sox win the first two games of the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. The Sox went on to win the World Series, but I had to watch the last two games in my living room. That was cool too because there was no line for the bathroom.
As we look back on the 2000's, I can't pass up the chance to pick out the best episodes of the Simpsons for the decade. I've decided to choose one from each year.
Behind the Laughter (May 21, 2000)
The Simpsons are featured in a parody of VH1's Behind the Music. They even used the same narrator as the real show. The best part was when the revealed the Simpsons are from Kentucky! Throughout the show they've never really said what state our favorite yellow family lives. However, in re-runs of the episode they always change the state.
Worst Episode Ever (Feb. 4, 2001)
You know it has to be great with a name like that. Comic book guy has a big role in this episode and the one scene that still makes me laugh is when Comic Book Guy hooks up with Seymour Skinner's mom (who looks like she's about 80 years old).  The music Comic Book Guy puts on so he can get it on with Agnes is Bread's Baby I'm A Want You.
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation (Nov. 10, 2002)
I'm not always a big fan of famous guest appearances on the show, but this one is classic. Homer goes to fantasy band camp and gets to mingle with rock n' roll royality including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer. Perhaps the funniest scene is Tom Petty's giant car that's in the shape of a devil's head.
Today I Am a Clown (Dec. 7, 2003)
This one stars Krusty who finally decides he should have a Bar Mitzvah. Jackie Mason is back as Krusty's disappointed rabbi father who had a hard time understanding why his son got into showbiz. Krusty decides to put the ceremony on television and spruce it up a bit. It includes a cameo by Mr. T. Krusty is happy that the show is a rating success.  Probably the best line is when Krusty refers to how well the show did. He says:  It's "Everybody Loves Raymond re-run good".
The Way We Weren't (May 9, 2004)
This is another episode where Marge and Homer talk about their past. They discover that they had a brief fling when they were both 10-years-old and at overnight camp. Marge didn't know it was Homer because he pretended to be someone else. The name he makes up? Elvis Jagger Abdul-Jabbar.
Milhouse of Sand and Fog (September 25, 2005)
Bart is trying to help Milhouse get his parents back together, but in the process almost breaks up his own folks. The best part of the episode is a reference to the television show The O.C.  The cast of the show is going to Knott's Berry Farm with a giant snoopy. For some reason Snoopy holds them up at gun point and makes all the characters take money out of an ATM. Priceless.
Girls Just Want to Have Sums (April 30,2006)
Springfield Elementary decides to divide the school by gender. Of course, Lisa wants to learn math with the boys.  The opening scene is what really made me laugh. The Simpsons go to see the musicial "Stab a Lot: The Itchy and Scratchy Musicial". It's a great paraody of the Lion King and includes Marge trying to avoid being noticed by the actors who are walking through the crowd. She says something along the lines of "Looking through my purse so I don't get noticed". Of course, she's picked to participate.
24 Minutes (May 20, 2007)
This one is a fantastic paraody of the Fox show 24. One of the best lines comes from Apu who can't stand the smell of some really bad old yogurt Homer tries to return to the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu says, ""If a homeless man and a dead fish had a baby, and the baby puked, and a dog ate the puke," the yogurt would smell like "the rear end of that dog."
Treehouse of Horror XIX (Nov. 2, 2008)
Treehouse episodes always have three short stories and I really liked the first and last of the three stories. The first one is a great paraody on Transformers. The second one takes a shot at the AMC show Mad Men and the third is a great paraody of "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". Milhouse plays the Charlie Brown roll and things get rather twisted.
The Devil Wears Nada (Nov. 15, 2009)
I rented  The Devil Wears Prada a few days before watching this episode which may have made it even more funny to me. Homer becomes an assistant to Carl who has become a manager for the power plant. The best scene is Marge and Ned eating strawberries together and almost kissing.
Time Magazine has come out with a list of the most influential toys, by decade, dating back to the 1920's. I'm not sure what they mean by "influential," but the list is fun to look at.
It does say that fake vomit was one of the most influential toys of the 1950's. I can't say I was influenced by this item, but do remember admiring it in the glass case next to the fake dog poop at the Moon Fun Shop in downtown Stevens Point.
Here's the list from the 1960's.
* Etch A Sketch
* Rock-a-Stack
* Ken
* Slip 'n Slide
* Chatter Telephone
* G.I. Joe
* Easy-Bake Oven
* Creepy Crawlers
* Rock'em Sock'em Robots
* Johnny Seven O.M.A.
* See 'n Say
* SuperBall
* Barrel of Monkeys
* Radio-Controlled Car
* Lite-Brite
* Hot Wheels
* Playmobil
* Flatsy Doll
* Barbie's Dream House
(See the whole list here.)
I don't think I was influenced by any of those toys, but do know I coveted many of them. While I never had an Easy-Bake oven or Creepy Crawlers, IÂ wasn't that deprived..I did have some Hot Wheels, Barrel of Monkeys, SuperBalls and Flatsy dolls.
But there is one glaring omission from that list. If you are girl who was a kid in the 1960's...you've probably spent the rest of you life looking for your Mystery Date. Is he a dream, or a dud?
I always said I liked the duds better..just to be edgy.
An Apollo 12 astronaut is in need of some cash..so he's selling an item that illegally made a space flight. It's a picture of a Playboy playmate that was tacked inside a locker and crew member Richard Gordon has held onto it all these years, and is now putting it on the auction block.
Some other items that made it onto space craft illegally include a corned beef sandwich and a harmonica.
So that got me to thinking--what would I smuggle onto a spaceship if I had the chance. Here are a few of my ideas.
1) Mork from Ork. It's time to get my vintage doll from the 70s show Mork & Mindy a little closer to his home planet. Nanu Nanu!
2)Pop Rocks. What this fizzin' poppin' candy might do at zero gravity boggles the mind!
3)Woody from Toy Story. He'd be a "Space Cowboy."
4)Pigs in a blanket. Then it would be "Pigs in a blanket in space!!!!!" (Muppet show reference.)
5)Diet Mountain Dew. Because I'm no good if I don't get my caffeine in the morning. Besides, Tang sucks.
It suddenly occurred to me. I must have slept through 2010. An entire year has gone by and I missed it?
It may have appeared that I was awake....I know the alarm went off really early most days and I managed to make it into work and talk on the radio.
But there's some pretty convincing evidence that leads me to believe otherwise, especially as I look at some of the end of the year lists that have been coming out in recent days.
EVIDENCE THAT KITTY IS REALLY RIP VAN WINKLE and slept through 2010.
1. She can not name a single Justin Bieber song.
2. She did not see Avatar, and when she thinks of blue creatures, she pictures the Smurfs.
3. She thinks that Gilligan was somehow involved in the series finale of Lost.
4. Want to buy a vuvuzela? Kitty sends to you Red Letter News.
5. She still thinks Barack Obama is popular.
She does have a vague memory of something really bad happening in the Gulf of Mexico and some elections with confounding results, but is pretty sure those were just really bad dreams. They were just bad dreams...weren't they?
Barbara Walters may have already come out with her list of the year's Most Fascinating People, but for some reason her list and my list don't really match.
Or maybe Barbara just couldn't land interviews with these particular people.
Kitty's Top 3 Most Fascinating People of 2010
#1: Double Rainbow Guy: aka Yosemite Bear Mountain Giant. Double Rainbow! What does it mean??? Haven't watched the video for a while. Catch it again here. Maybe we can get the number of views up to 30 million!
#2: Steven Slater: Yeah, the JetBlue flight attendant who flipped out, grabbed a couple of beers and escaped on the inflatable slide. I'm not sure he would have made the list if he didn't grab those beers. That added a lot of class.
#3: Unnamed Naked Mailman: The Whitefish Bay mailman thought he'd cheer up a woman's day by delivering mail to her office while wearing nothing but a smile. What is intriguing to me is that most people were just freaked out by the fact that he decided to do it in in cold weather..not that he thought of the idea in the first place.
As 2009 draws to a close, we're all wondering..what's ahead for 2010? Lucky for you, I have a clairvoyant streak. And a crystal ball.
Here are some of my predictions for the New Year:-Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes up for snow plowing mistakes by agreeing to mow every one's lawn this summer. Outlying neighborhoods first.
-After the statewide smoking ban goes into effect in July, all bars cease to exist. Business flourishes however at lemonade stands.
-Octo-mom, tired of taking care of so many children, sets several of them aloft in an experimental weather balloon, but doesn't tell anybody.
-Coldplay releases a new album, and is sued by Flock of Seagulls for ripping off one of their songs. The songs sound nothing alike..they just wanted their name mentioned in the same breath as Coldplay.
-The president and first lady are embarassed when they show up uninvited to a soiree at the home of Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Obamas insist they had an invitation.
-Hoping for more international publicity, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger lands a part time job at Denny's.
-NBC announces Jay Leno will be getting an even earlier timeslot, anchoring the 5th hour of the Today Show.
-Taylor Swift turns 21, cuts off her hair and gets married in Vegas. For some reason, Britney Spears is really jealous.
-For the first time,Ticketmaster fees surpass the price of concert tickets. The company does not feel your outrage.
-Scientists find cures for swine flu, the common cold, and premature hair loss. But since the health care bill was never passed, no one can afford them.
Yesterday I told you about my 5 favorite Madison concerts of the decade. This new list includes shows that involved a bit of a road trip.
1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, April 2000. I believe this was the first show in their"Y2K" tour. All four of them were in high spirits..and genuinely seemed to enjoy being around each other! At one point, Graham Nash put on a Cheesehead..and Neil called him shameless. The show ended with a rip it up version of "Rockin' in the Free World." Neil broke ALL the strings on his guitar!
2. Jeff Beck at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, March 2001. This was the second time I saw Jeff Beck, and was of course accompanied by my guitar player boyfriend, Mike, who was watching with binoculars to make sure he didn't miss anything. We were in the 6th row. This is the first time I saw Jeff play his version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life," which is nominated for a Grammy this year!
3)Paul McCartney at the United Center in Chicago, April 2002. Yeah, he's cheesy, yeah, he's over the top cute, but HE'S A BEATLE! Some idiot behind me was trying to ruin everything by talking through the whole thing, but I eventually got over that and let the music take over. I saw the same show a few months later in Milwaukee and it seemd kinda lame the second time...but I was in full-on Beatlemania in Chicago.
4)Sonny Landreth at the Monroe Blues Festival in Monroe, WI, September, 2007. I've seen Sonny a bunch of times, but this was by far the best.  I was standing right up front for a great view of his slide guitar wizardry.
5)Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, November 2009. Now I know what all the hype is about! When he was body-passed through the crowd to the stage on the 3rd song, I knew something special was about to happen. And he played "Kitty's Back," especially for me. This might be the best show I've ever seen.
Here's Jeff Beck playing "A Day in the Life" at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007...a concert I should have attended.
It's only natural that we take time to reflect, as we reach the end of the decade. In the last ten years, we pretty much said goodbye to the cathode ray tube TV, the cassette tape, lickable stamps, and the Rolodex. Those were a few of the items on a list compiled by New York Magazine.
That got me thinking about what's disappeared in Madison since the year 2000.
O'Cayz Corral: Every one from Nirvana to the White Stripes played this bar on East Wilson Street. It burned down New Year's Day, 2001. There's still an empty lot where the bar, and its neighbor, The Comic Strip once stood. I'm kinda bummed that I never saw a show there.
Luther's Blues: I saw a lot of bands at this bar that closed a couple of years ago, on University Avenue. The loudest show I ever saw in my life was at Luther's. It was Los Lonely Boys, opening for John Eddie. Great show, but really, really LOUD.
The Madison Blues Festival: It was a great chance to see legendary artists, from B.B. King to Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck to Little Richard. Some excellent performers graced the Triple M Stage too--including Sue Foley, and Jackie Greene, among others. So what if all the artists weren't technically blues artists. I really miss this event.
The Oscar Mayer Theatre at the Madison Civic Center: I know part of the theatre survives inside the Overture Center, but it's just not the same. Some of the artists I've seen at the Oscar Mayer Theatre included the Indigo Girls, Dave Brubeck, the Bodeans, John Prine, Melissa Etheridge, and Hootie and the Blowfish. (Yeah....I saw Hootie. I'm not ashamed).
Also disappearing in the last decade from Madison--the daily print edition of the Capital Times, Madison K-Marts, and smoky bars. I can't really say I miss the last two items on that list.
I honestly believe that 2010 was a great year for music. I'm not talking about Justin Bieber or Ke$sha, who make style without substance (and maybe guilty pleasure music), but holistic albums of themes that stretch the boundaries of storytelling. Without further ado, here are the Top Albums of 2010. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think and what your favorite albums of 2010 were. Here goes:
#10 ) "This is Happening" - LCD Soundsystem
This is the third and last album from James Murphy. The album does an excellent job of combining electronic punk and dance music with haunting and sardonic lyrics with songs ranging from the the nearly 9 minute feast "Dance Yrself Clean" to the very funny "Drunk Girls."
#9) "Odd Blood" - Yeasayer
This is the second self-produced album by these guys and it's a fun ride. Drawing from a variety of genres, including being heavily influenced by pop music, the lyrics pay homage to figures ranging from John Lennon to the boxer Joe Louis. Their song "Ambling Alp" may be the most famous, but the whole album is equally good.
#8) "Sigh No More" - Mumford & Sons
Technically, this band's album was released in the UK in 2009, but it came to the U.S. in February of 2010 so it counts in my book. This English folk group has put together one of the most complete albums of 2010 and feature great songs from the down and out "I Gave You All" to the driving "Little Lion Man." These guys are a great band to see live.
#7) "High Violet" - The National
The National has been making the music scene since 1999, from their humble origins of Ohio. The baritone singing voice of Matt Berninger is iconic and combined with Sufjan Stevens on the song "Afraid of Everyone" is impeccably moving.
#6) "Lisbon" - The Walkmen
This indie group is based out of New York City and this album is a tribute to the city Lisbon in Portugal. Featuring great songs like "Angela Surf City" and "Blue As your Blood," this album warrants listening to it several times because the songs get even better.
#5) Broken Bells
Broken Bells is the music project of producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and James Mercer (of The Shins) and it is a phenomenal album. Their single from the album "The High Road" is a good sampler to start out with. If you enjoyed The Shins, you will probably love this band.
#4) "God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise"Â Â Â - Ray LaMontagne
Ray LaMontagne has such a soothing voice and he has been very prolific over the years. His new album is incredible and the song "Beg Steal or Borrow" was nominated in the Grammy's for Song of the Year and deservedly so.
#3) "Brothers" - The Black Keys
This is the 6th album by the duo Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, produced by Danger Mouse. Just listen to the album and tell me it's not incredible with heavenly songs like "Tighten Up" and "Ten Cent Pistol." The band does a good job of molding blues and rock with catchy rhythms that are intoxicating. I couldn't put this album down.
#2) "The Suburbs" - Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire has put out one of their best albums to date, in my opinion. It is a pack leader for Album of The Year. This album is epic and has a wide variety of music. I love the combination of lead singer Win Butler and Regine Chassagne on the song "Sprawl (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" which is my favorite piece on the album, paying homage to Haiti.
#1) "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kanye West
There's very little dispute when listening to this album that it is the best album of 2010. Kanye West tells life like it is and he isn't afraid to open his mouth. With deeply existential songs like "Power" and "Monster" we are given a keen insight into an egomaniac who is at the top of his form. Every song seems to incorporate samples of other work and the power of Kanye is taking that to a new level. You may not have the highest opinion of this guy, but he has put together one of the greatest albums of the 21st century and definitely the top of 2010.
Honorable Mentions:
Jamey Johnson, Vampire Weekend, Eminem, Robert Plant, The Dead Weather, Beach House, Neil Young, Big Boi, Spoon, Superchunk, Gorillaz, Cee Lo Green, M.I.A., Janelle Monae, Deerhunter, Flying Lotus, Sufjan Stevens, Best Coast, Two Door Cinema Club, Robyn, Lost in the Trees, Sleigh Bells, Eels, Spoon, Surfer Blood, Los Campesinos!, Against Me!, Band of Horses, Titus Andronicus, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and Jonsi.
What are your top albums of 2010?
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Yes, it's time for another decade list and this one is about sports. Since it's so hard to pick, I've decided to make a very specific micro list of great sports moments for ME this past decade.
10) June 9, 2008: Return to kickball glory. After several years of retirement, I returned to the kickball diamond where I was an adequate player at first base.
9) January 14, 2006: Getting a really good hot dog at Kohl Center.  I don't remember who the Badger basketball team was playing, but I do remember the line at the concession stand was unusually short and the hot dog seemed to taste a lot better.
8) Sept. 17, 2007: Finding a sweet spot near Camp Randall. I was going to a game with my folks when Bucky was playing The Citadel. Somehow we scored a legal spot on Lathrop Street. Probably because no one really care about getting to Camp Randall on time to see The Citadel.
7) December 10, 2001: Short line at the men's bathroom at a Packers game. Yes, I was at a Packers game. Somehow the line was extra short and I didn't miss much of the action. Were they playing The Citadel?
6) August 7, 2007: Too much change given back to me at White Sox game. I ordered a piece of pizza and a coke. I didn't realize the guy gave me an extra nickel until I was already back at my seat!
5) June 7, 2004: Great bike ride on the John Nolan Drive path. It wasn't too windy and I didn't get too winded.
4) April 14, 2006: I guessed correctly which of the three Brewer hats had the ball hidden under it on the Jumbotron at a Miller Park in the middle of the sixth inning.
3) Nov. 12, 2003: Came out of the kitchen with my plate of home made nachos at the exact second the Bears were scoring a touchdown. I didn't even have to wait for the replay!
2) March 7, 2006: Crumbled up a piece of paper and banked it off a wall into the recycle bin, but no one saw it!!!!
1) Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, 2005: Sitting in U.S. Cellular Field watching the Chicago White Sox win the first two games of the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. The Sox went on to win the World Series, but I had to watch the last two games in my living room. That was cool too because there was no line for the bathroom.
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation (Nov. 10, 2002)
I'm not always a big fan of famous guest appearances on the show, but this one is classic. Homer goes to fantasy band camp and gets to mingle with rock n' roll royality including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer. Perhaps the funniest scene is Tom Petty's giant car that's in the shape of a devil's head.
Today I Am a Clown (Dec. 7, 2003)
This one stars Krusty who finally decides he should have a Bar Mitzvah. Jackie Mason is back as Krusty's disappointed rabbi father who had a hard time understanding why his son got into showbiz. Krusty decides to put the ceremony on television and spruce it up a bit. It includes a cameo by Mr. T. Krusty is happy that the show is a rating success.  Probably the best line is when Krusty refers to how well the show did. He says:  It's "Everybody Loves Raymond re-run good".
The Way We Weren't (May 9, 2004)
This is another episode where Marge and Homer talk about their past. They discover that they had a brief fling when they were both 10-years-old and at overnight camp. Marge didn't know it was Homer because he pretended to be someone else. The name he makes up? Elvis Jagger Abdul-Jabbar.
Milhouse of Sand and Fog (September 25, 2005)
Bart is trying to help Milhouse get his parents back together, but in the process almost breaks up his own folks. The best part of the episode is a reference to the television show The O.C.  The cast of the show is going to Knott's Berry Farm with a giant snoopy. For some reason Snoopy holds them up at gun point and makes all the characters take money out of an ATM. Priceless.
Girls Just Want to Have Sums (April 30,2006)
Springfield Elementary decides to divide the school by gender. Of course, Lisa wants to learn math with the boys.  The opening scene is what really made me laugh. The Simpsons go to see the musicial "Stab a Lot: The Itchy and Scratchy Musicial". It's a great paraody of the Lion King and includes Marge trying to avoid being noticed by the actors who are walking through the crowd. She says something along the lines of "Looking through my purse so I don't get noticed". Of course, she's picked to participate.
24 Minutes (May 20, 2007)
This one is a fantastic paraody of the Fox show 24. One of the best lines comes from Apu who can't stand the smell of some really bad old yogurt Homer tries to return to the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu says, ""If a homeless man and a dead fish had a baby, and the baby puked, and a dog ate the puke," the yogurt would smell like "the rear end of that dog."
Treehouse of Horror XIX (Nov. 2, 2008)
Treehouse episodes always have three short stories and I really liked the first and last of the three stories. The first one is a great paraody on Transformers. The second one takes a shot at the AMC show Mad Men and the third is a great paraody of "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". Milhouse plays the Charlie Brown roll and things get rather twisted.
The Devil Wears Nada (Nov. 15, 2009)
I rented  The Devil Wears Prada a few days before watching this episode which may have made it even more funny to me. Homer becomes an assistant to Carl who has become a manager for the power plant. The best scene is Marge and Ned eating strawberries together and almost kissing.
As 2009 draws to a close, we're all wondering..what's ahead for 2010? Lucky for you, I have a clairvoyant streak. And a crystal ball.
Here are some of my predictions for the New Year:
-Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes up for snow plowing mistakes by agreeing to mow every one's lawn this summer. Outlying neighborhoods first.
-After the statewide smoking ban goes into effect in July, all bars cease to exist. Business flourishes however at lemonade stands.
-Octo-mom, tired of taking care of so many children, sets several of them aloft in an experimental weather balloon, but doesn't tell anybody.
-Coldplay releases a new album, and is sued by Flock of Seagulls for ripping off one of their songs. The songs sound nothing alike..they just wanted their name mentioned in the same breath as Coldplay.
-The president and first lady are embarassed when they show up uninvited to a soiree at the home of Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Obamas insist they had an invitation.
-Hoping for more international publicity, Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger lands a part time job at Denny's.
-NBC announces Jay Leno will be getting an even earlier timeslot, anchoring the 5th hour of the Today Show.
-Taylor Swift turns 21, cuts off her hair and gets married in Vegas. For some reason, Britney Spears is really jealous.
-For the first time,Ticketmaster fees surpass the price of concert tickets. The company does not feel your outrage.
-Scientists find cures for swine flu, the common cold, and premature hair loss. But since the health care bill was never passed, no one can afford them.
Yesterday I told you about my 5 favorite Madison concerts of the decade. This new list includes shows that involved a bit of a road trip.
1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, April 2000. I believe this was the first show in their"Y2K" tour. All four of them were in high spirits..and genuinely seemed to enjoy being around each other! At one point, Graham Nash put on a Cheesehead..and Neil called him shameless. The show ended with a rip it up version of "Rockin' in the Free World." Neil broke ALL the strings on his guitar!
2. Jeff Beck at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, March 2001. This was the second time I saw Jeff Beck, and was of course accompanied by my guitar player boyfriend, Mike, who was watching with binoculars to make sure he didn't miss anything. We were in the 6th row. This is the first time I saw Jeff play his version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life," which is nominated for a Grammy this year!
3)Paul McCartney at the United Center in Chicago, April 2002. Yeah, he's cheesy, yeah, he's over the top cute, but HE'S A BEATLE! Some idiot behind me was trying to ruin everything by talking through the whole thing, but I eventually got over that and let the music take over. I saw the same show a few months later in Milwaukee and it seemd kinda lame the second time...but I was in full-on Beatlemania in Chicago.
4)Sonny Landreth at the Monroe Blues Festival in Monroe, WI, September, 2007. I've seen Sonny a bunch of times, but this was by far the best.  I was standing right up front for a great view of his slide guitar wizardry.
5)Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, November 2009. Now I know what all the hype is about! When he was body-passed through the crowd to the stage on the 3rd song, I knew something special was about to happen. And he played "Kitty's Back," especially for me. This might be the best show I've ever seen.
Here's Jeff Beck playing "A Day in the Life" at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007...a concert I should have attended.
It's only natural that we take time to reflect, as we reach the end of the decade. In the last ten years, we pretty much said goodbye to the cathode ray tube TV, the cassette tape, lickable stamps, and the Rolodex. Those were a few of the items on a list compiled by 
