the circle is complete

what's as good as Beyoncé's video for Single Ladies? well, not a lot really. which is why there are so many people imitating it:

it's a ho-hum life, for me.

so, no news right? i mean, we're all tired of talking about economics and the end of wealth, aren't we?

obama is still the front page story, even after almost two and a half months and i'm bored of him already. when do we get to elect another most powerful man in the world?

did you hear the lovefest that was the hillary clinton confirmation hearing? no two ways about it, senators love other senators becoming secretaries. no one really wants to listen to a bunch of politicians thanking each other profusely. it was boring. i give it a C-. when are we going to get on with the british parlimentary system where everyone yells at each other and the prime minister has to face his legislature and defend his position?

oh yeah, and birds downed a plane into the hudson river. you probably knew that. still. everyone survived. everyone. when was the last time an airliner crashed and everyone survived? i'm asking that in all seriousness. if anyone knows, please tell me.

Going to the Fountains of Wayne show tonight. It'll be an acoustic set. At least that's what they're advertising. They're probably best known for writing the music to That Thing You Do, their hit single Stacy's Mom, and co-writing a fair amount of the music to the Colbert Christmas Special. But, honestly, they are much better than any of those:

Fountains of Wayne—Valley Winter Song

favorite cuts of 2008

in no particular order:

The Rentals—Colorado
Blissed-out acoustic-synth-pop.

Madonna & Timbaland & Justin Timberlake—4 Minutes
Timbaland's magical dancing unicorn beat.

Raphael Saadiq—100 Yard Dash
Perfect? Maybe.

Olmecha Supreme—Bebestyle (Live)
NZ's best live band finally releases something resembling a live album. Seemlessly spans three musical genres in 3 and 3/4 minutes.

Mates of State—Get Better
"Everything's gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better"

Theresa Anderson—Japanese Art
Kitschy, crafty, catchy.

Lupe Fiasco—Hip-Hop Saved My Life
Because it sounds like it did.

Beyoncé—Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Pop gold. Seriously. Should replace the C-note.

Lenka—The Show
2008's Feist releases 2008's 1 2 3 4

Britney Spears—Break the Ice
Ties what's left of Britney's sex appeal to dancetastic synth lines from heaven.

LCD Soundsystem—New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Find a New Yorker who can't relate. Triple dare.

Weezer—I Can Love
Buried in the bonus tracks of a mediocre album. God only knows why.

pigeons? PIGEONS!

what. the. fuck.

Did anyone else know this was going on?



More from the Nation:
NOPD Responds to Nation Investigation
Conyers Responds to Vigilante Revelations

NOLA.com:
White Gunmen Go On The Record About Shooting Blacks During Katrina: "If it moved, we shot it!"

BET.com:
Police Respond to Report of Racist Murders in New Orleans

laughy moo year.

8tracks.
Alicia Keys,
Mary Jane Hooper,
Sam Cooke,
Aretha Franklin,
Otis Redding,
Raphael Saadiq,
Lauryn Hill,
Carl Hall.

no one to blame but our idiot selves.

from the washingtonpost.com:

U.S. Debt Expected To Soar This Year: $2 Trillion Increase May Test Federal Ability to Borrow
"the national debt is projected to jump by as much as $2 trillion this year, an unprecedented increase that could test the world's appetite for financing U.S. government spending."

is this not the problem that got us into dire straits in the first place?

lessons we were supposed to learn from the mortgage/credit fiasco:
1. don't lend money to people who can't pay it back.
2. don't borrow more money than you can pay back.

was anyone paying attention?