I'm On a Mac!

Check out the "I'm on a Mac" video parody at http://digg.com/d31E1bf



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My Top Movies Of 2009

2009 over all was a great year for movies. My list of movies that I enjoyed in 2009 is long so I'll talk about a few and the rest will be listed below. Being that there is still another two weeks with potentially two amazing movies coming out on the 25th, I will update my list again on the 28th of December. Until then, here is my top list thus far in no particular order:

A Single Man



Star Trek
In my opinion the best reboot for a franchise ever. Full of action, more accessible to the mainstream but yet maintained the imagination and intrigue that Star Trek fans loved about the franchise.

Are you outta your Vulcan mind (Bones)


Watchmen


Zack Snyder's masterpiece. It was the unfilmable graphic novel but I think Zack accomplished what nobody thought anyone could. He filmed a beautiful movie and brought the graphic novel alive. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach was a thing of beauty. Also had one of the year's best trailers.

Zombieland


Closet thing to the American version of Shaun Of The Dead. Hilarious with a great cast (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson) and a cameo that takes this movie to a whole new level of amazing!

500 Days Of Summer


2009 was the year for some amazing trailers. This trailer here had me sold on the movie a month before Sundance. I probably watched this trailer 20 times before Sundance and another 20 times after seeing the movie at Sundance. Two of my favorite rising stars, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin) and Zooey Deschanel (She & Him, Elf). Not only are they both hott but seriously talented.

The Box
To me Richard Kelly is the new David Lynch (I know to many thats blaspheme, but its true). Though still rough around the edges his movies are beautifully landscaped, based in the "what if" and layered in existentialism. After seeing a Richard Kelly movie I'm always left with this feeling that I can't shake for a few days, a longing to live in the world that he's created. The Box is no exception, its dark, bizarre, beautiful and will live you with more questions then answers but thats what makes me love Richard Kelly.

The Road

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a sucker for a good post apocalyptic movie. Hands down this is the best post apocalyptic movie that I have probably ever seen. The Road is dark, depressing as hell and true to Cormac McCarthy's book by the same name.

Adventureland


The "Say Anything" of our generation. Coming-of-age comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Movie solidified in my head how much better of an actor Jesse Eisenberg is than Michael Cera and showed that contrary to her Twilight performances, Kristen Stewart can actually act.

District 9

Surprise indie sci-fi flick of the year. The movie was written and directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp for under 30 million yet the movie had the look and feel of something costing 2 to 3 times that. Which always amazes me how much crap can be put out there costing hundreds of millions yet movies like District 9 can blow them away. Rotten Tomatoes pretty much sums it up "Technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic."

Rudo Y Cursi & Sin Nombre


Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal were busy in 2009 with 2 movies. First one was Rudo Y Cursi which was the directorial debut of Carlos Cuarón brother of Alfonso Cuarón, which reunited Diego and Gael on the screen for a "drama/comedy about two brothers from a rural lower class Mexican family with roots in a little "banana town" on the coast of Mexico, and fighting over who performs better in professional soccer." (Wiki)

2nd movie was the award winning "Sin Nombre" in which Diego and Gael were executive producers.

Sin Nombre was like the Mexican version of "City of God," a realistic portrayal of migrant life and the cancer that is the gangs of Mexico. Apart of the movie made me miss the streets of Juarez Mexico but at the same time seeing the movie also served to remind me everything that I hated about Mexico.


The Mystery Team - One of the funniest indie comedies I have ever seen. I think it was pretty much made on "no budget" which makes it even more amazing. Watch the Trailer


Drag Me To Hell - It was the return of the old Sam Raimi, back with a new classic. Not a horror movie but a celebration of all things Sam Raimi, if you loved the Evil Dead series but were disappointed with his Spiderman era, you'll love this movie.


Other great movies
Let The Right One In
The Hurt Locker
The Hangover
A Vicious Kind
Moon
Up In The Air

What are your top movies of 2009?

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PoDog, Avatar & A New Site

Just a couple of things from this week.



PoDogs is a great new hot dog joint on Capitol Hill. You can get anything from your standard dog to a peanut butter dog. Check them out at http://www.podogs.com/



Avatar was absolutely amazing!!! If you haven't already done so, go

Finally Emerson Salon launched a new website. http://EmersonSalon.com



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A Very Gaga Christmas Parody

One of the funniest things I have seen all week


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Movies To Watch: A Single Man & Broken Embraces

On Christmas this year not only do I get to spend the morning with my family but two movies that I have been waiting to see will finally be out in Seatte.

A Single Man
Here is the movie description: "A story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles. Cast includes: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Lee Pace and Nicholas Hoult"

Movie features an amazing cast like Julianne Moore and Colin Firth, with Matthew Goode, Lee Pace and Nicholas Hoult for some serious eye candy. This will also be Tom Ford's directorial debut. Movie is set in the 1960's and production design was done by the same team that does the tv show Mad Men.




Broken Embraces
Latest film from Pedro Almodóvar (Volver, Mal Educacion), featuring the beautiful Penelope Cruz in her 4th film with Almodóvar.



Both of these are out December 25th in Seattle, don't miss them.


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Ms.Taken and the Douchbags of 2009

MsTaken is hosting the first ever Douchebag of the year award. Submit your nominee for top Douchebag at http://mstaken.com/blog/douchebag-year-award/

I nominated Tiger Woods and the men from that new tv series Jersey Shore.

Also MsTaken is running a holiday special on their fake engagement ring. For the month of December only $24.99. Check it out here


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Oh Snap! Tiger Woods Voicemail Slow Jam Remix

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My Top 10 Albums of 2009

My top albums of 2009 in no specific order (with the exception of Girls)

Girls
I don't like to order my top albums of the year, I prefer to say I love them all equally but if I had to set one album apart from the rest it would be Girls. "Hellhole Ratrace" is beautifully haunting.

Girls - Hellhole Ratrace sound bite

Metric - Fantasies
Who isn't in love with Emily Haines! Solid pop album that had me singing along all year.

Gimme Sympathy sound bite Fantasies sound bites

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Like Metric this album was solid from beginning to end. One of those albums where you feel like you should have paid more for it due to how damn good it is. I owe my love of Phoenix to Sofia Coppola for first introducing me to the band when she put them on the soundtrack to Lost In Translation.




Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Favorite Scottish rockers return with such a sad album that some how manages to make me happy when listening. I love the heavy 60's influence in songs like "French Navy."

Camera Obscura "The Sweetest Thing" sound bite

Passion Pit - Manners
Easily the best dance album of 2009. I had Sleepyhead stuck in my head all summer long



Brand New - Daisy
Album is delightfully dark and seriously makes me wonder what it must be like to be Jesse Lacey and what horrible events inspired such a dark album. The album can be a shock to the system when compared to their earlier work but may God help you once it burns into your brain trying to get it out of your head.


The Ravoenettes - In And Out Of Control
This was my most anticipated album of 2009 and it did not disappoint. The Guardian summed it up well when they said "fantasy fusion of the Phil Spector-produced Ronettes and C86-era indie stars the Primitives."



Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - s/t
Surprise new band of the year for me. These guys came out of nowhere and quickly became one of my new favorite bands. Young love as told through the lens of this dream pop sugary goodness that is the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Makes you want to be a teenager in love all over again.



The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
The 2nd album to kick me in the gut and take me by surprise. I started to hear some buzz but it wasn't until my friend Andy at Eenie Meenie tweeted about it that I finally gave them a listen. The album has that bigger than itself "wall of sound" feel that is like crack to me, and will have you in a euphoric daze.


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Though I feel Karen O has had a few stumbles (Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack) together as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they never disappoint. The album was full of synth, keyboards and beats to make anyone want to dance, also made for some amazing remixes.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A Trak Remix) sound bite

Breakout bands to look out for: 2010 will easily be about Ellie Goulding. Ellie is a genius, though her album has yet to drop her singles that have been released and leaked like "Under The Sheets" and "Starry Eyed" are absolutely amazing and have played on my iTunes nonstop. With that being said her side project GoldSmith which is her collaboration with StarSmith might very well be the other big thing in 2010 if this video and sample of the material they are working on is any indication of what to expect.

What were your top albums?

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