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Courtesy farm3.static.flickr.com
As we already mentioned, the year is winding down and the top 10, 25, 50 and 100 lists have already begun. Always earlier than other reputable sources, Paste’s list is in with She & Him in the top spot:
Maybe it’s just a sweet little folk record—a tiny, flawless diamond. Or maybe it’s a pristine distillation of harmony and craft; 50 years of songwriting experience served up on a spinning silver platter. Either way, it’s our album of the year. Produced with touches of girl-group splendor and arranged with a dreamy, old-fashioned vibe, She & Him’s debut couldn’t be more adorable.
Check Paste for the full top 50 and let the controversy ensue.
A quick google search will tell you that we are more or less the last people on the internet to break this story, but it is amazing nonetheless. Former recess writer Sarah Ball (yes, it took me a while to sift through her thousands of Chronicle stories for a recess one), now at Newsweek, recently had one of the most quotable interviews ever with Jean Claude Van-Damme:
OK —
It was like being naked—I would love to be naked in front of you.
Well, I —
Not being naked being naked. I say such things in Hong Kong and they thought I was being a crazy Frenchman. Being naked of protection.
So you’ve no regrets at all?
Believe me—I’ve done very good stuff and very crazy stuff, and I don’t regret the crazy stuff. So are you in New York?
Yes, I am.
And are you 27, or 32?
I’m 22.
Oh, f–––. That is very young. Will you come to the premiere?
I don’t know. When is it?
I don’t know. You will wear all black, a black dress and high heels?
Uh —
You can come find me, I will be the one with the very broad shoulders, dark hair and a simple suit. We can have some champagne, you and me.
I can’t wait to see JCVD. I doubt I’m invited to the premiere though.
Before you know it, you’ll be behind on your Christmas shopping, popping champagne corks on New Year’s Eve and terminating your newly-bought Golds Gym membership. Yes, 2008 is, like George Bush, in its lame duck period and headed to a distant place in our memory.
In true blog fashion, the Playground writing staff will be drafting lists of our top 10 songs of the year over the next few weeks. From duds (Chris Walla and Islands) to the divisive (Silver Jews) to soaring debuts (Titus Andronicus) and successes (Portishead), we’ll be commemorating the year that was. Check back Nov. 25 for the first list from Kevin Lincoln.
James Bond is a timeline of the western world. Just look at any Bond film from any year and you’ll see the change. The Bond girls slowly became more assertive with the advent of feminism, the films changed in regard to cultural norms (just look at the excess of Moonraker) and the antagonists changed from Cold War villains to North Koreans. And now there is Daniel Craig, perhaps the most unique Bond yet.
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