2007 Year End Recap
Here is my annual list of the things I've done in the past year -- 2007 -- music I've listened to, books I’ve read, movies and TV shows I’ve seen, places I've gone to, things I've experienced, web sites I've frequented, etc.
Music Bought:
• An All Star Tribute To Bon Jovi - Various Artists
• Best of Martin Denny’s Exotica, The - Martin Denny
• Can’t Take Me Home - Pink
• Fallen - Evanescence
• Film Music Volume 1 [1967-1987] - Ennio Morricone
• Film Music Volume 2 [1967-1987] - Ennio Morricone
• I’m Not Dead - Pink
• It Won’t Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5
• Grindhouse: Planet Terror - Various Artists-Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Grindhouse: Death Proof - Various Artists-Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
• Open Door, The - Evanescence
• Rat Pack Live At The Sands, The - The Rat Pack
• Rat Pack Live And Swinging - The Rat Pack
• Songs About Jane - Maroon 5
• Spooks*: Music From the Original Television Soundtrack - Jennie Muskett
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #01: Mondo Exotica - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #02: Mambo Fever - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #03: Space Capades - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #04: Bachelor Pad Royale - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #05: Wild, Cool, and Swingin’ - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #06: Rhapsodesia - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #07: The Crime Scene - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #08: Cocktail Capers - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #09: Cha-Cha de amor - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #10: A Bachelor In Paris - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #11: Organs In Orbit - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #12: Saxophobia - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #13: TV Town - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #14: Bossa Novaville - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #15: Wild, Cool & Swingin’ Too! - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #17: Bongoland - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #18: Bottoms-Up! - Various Artists
• Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Books Bought:
• Ambler Warning, The - Robert Ludlum (posthumously)
• Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
• Bancroft Strategy, The - Robert Ludlum (posthumously)
• Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions - Ben Mezrich
• Hard Rain - Barry Eisler
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
• Idoru - William Gibson
• Killing Rain - Barry Eisler
• Las Vegas: Vintage Graphics from Sin City - Heimann, Jim (Editor) & Wilkerson III, W.R. (Introduction)
• Last Assassin, The - Barry Eisler
• Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions - Ben Mezrich
• Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions - Neil Gaiman
• Tiki Style - Sven Kirsten
Magazines Subscribed To:
• Time
• Wired
Movies - seen in theaters, seen on cable, or rented:
• 300
• American Psycho
• America’s Sweethearts
• Amy’s Orgasm
• Art School Confidential
• Bachelor Party Las Vegas
• Blades of Glory
• Blood Diamond
• Brady Bunch in the White House, The
• Breach
• Casino
• Chicago
• Copycat
• Cutting Edge, The
• Defending Your Life
• Deja Vu
• Dreamgirls
• Escape From New York
• Fast Food Nation
• Fever Pitch
• Four Brothers
• Fractured
• Free Enterprise: 5th Anniversary Edition (w/ additional footage)
• Freedom Writers
• Funny Farm
• Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
• Ghost Rider
• Glow Ropes: The Rise and Fall of A Bar Mitzvah Emcee
• Grindhouse
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• Guardian, The
• Hard Candy
• Harold and Maude
• Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix
• Holiday, The
• Hot Fuzz
• I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With
• Ice Harvest, The
• Idiocracy
• Illusionist, The
• Just Friends
• Just Like Heaven
• Legends of the Fall
• Live Free or Die Hard
• Longest Yard, The (remake)
• Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World
• Matchstick Men
• Mighty Aphrodite
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday
• Muriel’s Wedding
• Music & Lyrics
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend
• Mystic River
• Nanny McPhee
• Night Listener
• Norbit
• Normal Life
• Notorious Betty Page, The
• Ocean’s 13
• Permanent Midnight
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
• Player, The
• Poseidon
• Premonition
• Primal Fear
• Pursuit of Happyness, The
• Pushing Tin
• Queen, The
• Repo Man
• Rocky
• Rocky Balboa
• Running With Scissors
• Series 7: The Contenders
• Shrek The Third
• Simpsons Movie, The
• Skeleton Key, The
• Sleeping With The Enemy
• Snakes On A Plane
• Spider-Man 3
• Transformers
• V For Vendetta
• Very Bad Things
• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Documentaries
• An Inconvenient Truth
• Anime: Drawing A Revolution (Inside Starz)
• Big Brother, Big Business (CNBC)
• Blood Sucking Cinema (Inside Starz)
• Chain (CNBC)
• Darkon
• eBay Effect, The: Inside A Worldwide Obsession (CNBC)
• Fahrenheit 911
• Gangland (History Channel--a multi-part series)
• Hollywood Goes Gaming (Inside Starz)
• Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop
• Rize
• Sicko
• Tales of the Rat Fink
• Age of Wal-Mart, The (CNBC)
• Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices (CNBC)
CNBC shows are business documentaries, not indie/art-house films.
Inside Starz are documentaries airing on Starz movie channel.
What I’m Watching On TV This Season (or trying to follow regularly): (2007/2008 season)
• 30 Rock
• American Idol
• Apprentice, The: Los Angeles (started watching in season 6)
• Bionic Woman
• Chuck
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (started in watching in season 5)
• Deadly Arts
• Entourage
• Family Guy
• Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School
• Greek
• Henry Rollins Show, The
• Human Weapon
• I Love New York 2
• Iron Chef America
• Las Vegas (started in watching in season 5)
• Mad Men
• My Name Is Earl
• Office, The
• On The Lot
• Pick Up Artist, The
• Rock of Love
• Simpsons, The
• Sopranos, The
• To Catch A Predator (Dateline on-going series)
• Ultimate Force (BBC)
• Unit, The (started watching in season 2)
• World Series of Pop Culture, The
* = Show is known as MI-5 here in the U.S.
Podcasts:
Note: “enhanced versions have accompanying images” as section markers.
• Mugglecast: Harry Potter Podcasting
• NPR: Xeni Tech
Food & Drink Tried:
• Bellini (drink of champagne & peach nectar)
• Scotch (blended-Johnny Walker XXX)
Concerts:
• The Fray w/ Mae & O.K. Go (09/30/2007 @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA)
• Pat Benatar w/ Neil Giraldo (08/18/2007 @ Bank of America Pavillion, Boston, MA)
Stage Shows:
• Cirque Du Soleil: ”O” show, May 27, 2007 @ The Bellagio (Las Vegas)
DVDs Bought:
• Casino Royale-2 disc collectors set
• Firefly, The Complete Series
• MI-5: Season 4
• Ocean’s 11 (2001 remake)
• Seinfeld-Volume 6: Season 7
• Seinfeld-Volume 7: Season 8
• Seinfeld-Volume 8: Season 9
• Wild Wild West, The, Season 2
• Wild Wild West, The, Season 3
Restaurants:
• Anna’s Taqueria
• Boca Grande
• Café Bellagio (@ The Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV)
• Chef Chow’s House
• International House of Pancakes (IHOP)
• John Brewer’s Tavern
• Kansas City Steakhouse Plaza 3, The
• Lineage
• Margarita’s
• Metro 9 Steak House
• Postrio (@ The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV)
• Tao (@ The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV)
• Tartufo
• Village Smokehouse
• Wild Willy’s Burgers
Places I’ve Been:
• Las Vegas, Nevada (second time)
Music Bought:
• An All Star Tribute To Bon Jovi - Various Artists
• Best of Martin Denny’s Exotica, The - Martin Denny
• Can’t Take Me Home - Pink
• Fallen - Evanescence
• Film Music Volume 1 [1967-1987] - Ennio Morricone
• Film Music Volume 2 [1967-1987] - Ennio Morricone
• I’m Not Dead - Pink
• It Won’t Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5
• Grindhouse: Planet Terror - Various Artists-Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Grindhouse: Death Proof - Various Artists-Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
• Open Door, The - Evanescence
• Rat Pack Live At The Sands, The - The Rat Pack
• Rat Pack Live And Swinging - The Rat Pack
• Songs About Jane - Maroon 5
• Spooks*: Music From the Original Television Soundtrack - Jennie Muskett
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #01: Mondo Exotica - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #02: Mambo Fever - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #03: Space Capades - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #04: Bachelor Pad Royale - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #05: Wild, Cool, and Swingin’ - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #06: Rhapsodesia - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #07: The Crime Scene - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #08: Cocktail Capers - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #09: Cha-Cha de amor - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #10: A Bachelor In Paris - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #11: Organs In Orbit - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #12: Saxophobia - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #13: TV Town - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #14: Bossa Novaville - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #15: Wild, Cool & Swingin’ Too! - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #17: Bongoland - Various Artists
• Ultra-Lounge, Volume #18: Bottoms-Up! - Various Artists
• Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Books Bought:
• Ambler Warning, The - Robert Ludlum (posthumously)
• Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
• Bancroft Strategy, The - Robert Ludlum (posthumously)
• Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions - Ben Mezrich
• Hard Rain - Barry Eisler
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
• Idoru - William Gibson
• Killing Rain - Barry Eisler
• Las Vegas: Vintage Graphics from Sin City - Heimann, Jim (Editor) & Wilkerson III, W.R. (Introduction)
• Last Assassin, The - Barry Eisler
• Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions - Ben Mezrich
• Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions - Neil Gaiman
• Tiki Style - Sven Kirsten
Magazines Subscribed To:
• Time
• Wired
Movies - seen in theaters, seen on cable, or rented:
• 300
• American Psycho
• America’s Sweethearts
• Amy’s Orgasm
• Art School Confidential
• Bachelor Party Las Vegas
• Blades of Glory
• Blood Diamond
• Brady Bunch in the White House, The
• Breach
• Casino
• Chicago
• Copycat
• Cutting Edge, The
• Defending Your Life
• Deja Vu
• Dreamgirls
• Escape From New York
• Fast Food Nation
• Fever Pitch
• Four Brothers
• Fractured
• Free Enterprise: 5th Anniversary Edition (w/ additional footage)
• Freedom Writers
• Funny Farm
• Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
• Ghost Rider
• Glow Ropes: The Rise and Fall of A Bar Mitzvah Emcee
• Grindhouse
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• Guardian, The
• Hard Candy
• Harold and Maude
• Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix
• Holiday, The
• Hot Fuzz
• I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With
• Ice Harvest, The
• Idiocracy
• Illusionist, The
• Just Friends
• Just Like Heaven
• Legends of the Fall
• Live Free or Die Hard
• Longest Yard, The (remake)
• Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World
• Matchstick Men
• Mighty Aphrodite
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday
• Muriel’s Wedding
• Music & Lyrics
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend
• Mystic River
• Nanny McPhee
• Night Listener
• Norbit
• Normal Life
• Notorious Betty Page, The
• Ocean’s 13
• Permanent Midnight
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
• Player, The
• Poseidon
• Premonition
• Primal Fear
• Pursuit of Happyness, The
• Pushing Tin
• Queen, The
• Repo Man
• Rocky
• Rocky Balboa
• Running With Scissors
• Series 7: The Contenders
• Shrek The Third
• Simpsons Movie, The
• Skeleton Key, The
• Sleeping With The Enemy
• Snakes On A Plane
• Spider-Man 3
• Transformers
• V For Vendetta
• Very Bad Things
• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Documentaries
• An Inconvenient Truth
• Anime: Drawing A Revolution (Inside Starz)
• Big Brother, Big Business (CNBC)
• Blood Sucking Cinema (Inside Starz)
• Chain (CNBC)
• Darkon
• eBay Effect, The: Inside A Worldwide Obsession (CNBC)
• Fahrenheit 911
• Gangland (History Channel--a multi-part series)
• Hollywood Goes Gaming (Inside Starz)
• Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop
• Rize
• Sicko
• Tales of the Rat Fink
• Age of Wal-Mart, The (CNBC)
• Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices (CNBC)
CNBC shows are business documentaries, not indie/art-house films.
Inside Starz are documentaries airing on Starz movie channel.
What I’m Watching On TV This Season (or trying to follow regularly): (2007/2008 season)
• 30 Rock
• American Idol
• Apprentice, The: Los Angeles (started watching in season 6)
• Bionic Woman
• Chuck
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (started in watching in season 5)
• Deadly Arts
• Entourage
• Family Guy
• Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School
• Greek
• Henry Rollins Show, The
• Human Weapon
• I Love New York 2
• Iron Chef America
• Las Vegas (started in watching in season 5)
• Mad Men
• My Name Is Earl
• Office, The
• On The Lot
• Pick Up Artist, The
• Rock of Love
• Simpsons, The
• Sopranos, The
• To Catch A Predator (Dateline on-going series)
• Ultimate Force (BBC)
• Unit, The (started watching in season 2)
• World Series of Pop Culture, The
* = Show is known as MI-5 here in the U.S.
Podcasts:
Note: “enhanced versions have accompanying images” as section markers.
• Mugglecast: Harry Potter Podcasting
• NPR: Xeni Tech
Food & Drink Tried:
• Bellini (drink of champagne & peach nectar)
• Scotch (blended-Johnny Walker XXX)
Concerts:
• The Fray w/ Mae & O.K. Go (09/30/2007 @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA)
• Pat Benatar w/ Neil Giraldo (08/18/2007 @ Bank of America Pavillion, Boston, MA)
Stage Shows:
• Cirque Du Soleil: ”O” show, May 27, 2007 @ The Bellagio (Las Vegas)
DVDs Bought:
• Casino Royale-2 disc collectors set
• Firefly, The Complete Series
• MI-5: Season 4
• Ocean’s 11 (2001 remake)
• Seinfeld-Volume 6: Season 7
• Seinfeld-Volume 7: Season 8
• Seinfeld-Volume 8: Season 9
• Wild Wild West, The, Season 2
• Wild Wild West, The, Season 3
Restaurants:
• Anna’s Taqueria
• Boca Grande
• Café Bellagio (@ The Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV)
• Chef Chow’s House
• International House of Pancakes (IHOP)
• John Brewer’s Tavern
• Kansas City Steakhouse Plaza 3, The
• Lineage
• Margarita’s
• Metro 9 Steak House
• Postrio (@ The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV)
• Tao (@ The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV)
• Tartufo
• Village Smokehouse
• Wild Willy’s Burgers
Places I’ve Been:
• Las Vegas, Nevada (second time)