Just think of all the technological advances we’ve had since the beginning of the decade. Some good. Some that make you want to go insane….incredibly insane.  They weren’t here when the decade started, but they’re part of your life now.

With the aid of our Engineer Tony, I’ve complied a list of some of the greatest tech advancements we now consider standard. Maybe they’ve revolutionized the world. Maybe they’ve just given us a larger headache. You decide.

Is it the 1984 that Orwell predicted? Probably not. Then again, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs told me to say that.

10. YouTube (2005) – A great tool for people around the world to share their opinions. That, and a great place to see videos of dogs & cats doing crazy things, people injuring themselves and countless celebrity flubs.

9. Text Speak (2000-09) – Text speak helped us quickly convey a short message.  Now, text speak is showing up in email and has made its way into other written communication.  College students are turning papers in that say “u” instead of  “you.”  Ooops, time to rewrite the dictionary.

8. Wi-Fi (2000-09) Ooooh.  Internet where ever we go.  Remember, stealing it from your neighbor is wrong…unless you don’t get caught.

7. Smart Phones (2005) – Internet, email, phone, text, apps.  All at your fingertips, all the time.  Hmmmm… is there a single device that’s made us more ADD?

6. Bluetooth Technology (2000-09) – The phone without holding the phone.  Good for driving?  The studies say probably not.  Good for walking around and multitasking?  I guess, if you don’t mind being the jerk in a crowd who looks insane and talking to themselves?  Good for fashion?  Nope.

5.The Stupid Orange Button (2005) – Players of Guitar Hero or Rock Band know.  These highly addictive games highlight the massive explosion of the gaming industry.  Yeah, less social interaction…more war game training.   BTW…the orange button is the “5th finger” button on a Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitar.  Very hard to reach.

4. Customizable Ringtones (early 2000s) – Fun new toys for your new toys.  Didn’t you love sitting at a restaurant for dinner then hearing that stupid screaming frog ringtone?  Truly deserving of a punch in the face.

3. iPods/MP3 Players (2000) – Your own personal music selection.  You can now carry around your entire music library in your pocket.  Use those fancy matching earbud headphones and you’re on the fast track to becoming deaf.

2. HDTV (2009) – Nice resolution eh!  Nobody’s really complaining about the switchover, but what a headache it was to do.  They sure led to a funny YouTube video of the old lady trying to plug her black and white TV into her toaster.

1. Facebook/Twitter (2004) – Instant access to and for everyone.  They didn’t catch on until later on in the decade, but man, do they rule our worlds now.  Social networking brings us all that much closer.  It also lets your old weird high school classmates; your mother; your boss; your future boss; the police; probably the FBI and maybe Osama bin Laden keep tabs on your boring life.

By the way, of course I want to know that you’re: sitting in your living room; watching TV; eating Cheerios for dinner; playing with the cat; had an awesome time last night; looking forward to Friday; reciting rock lyrics; sharing gossip; bummed that its cold outside or need a plowing on Farmville.  What could be more intersteing?

Enjoy the 2010’s.  I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Way back in 1999, we thought we were so cool.  But how cool could we have been without these ten items that weren’t even around yet?

1.  iPod–Hype said it would change the way we listen to music. And it did!

2.  BlackBerry–Even the President of the United States can’t resist.

3.  Digital cameras (affordable ones anyway)

4.  Nintendo’s Wii–Gamers got off the couch to actually move around to play such tennis, bowling and boxing.

5.  USB stick–Mountains of info on a tiny memory stick. Yippee!

6.  iPhone–Not to be confused with the BlackBerry, of course.  Thems fightin’words.

7.  E-book readers–Bye-bye books? Amazon’s Kindle enjoyed a breakout this Christmas.

8.  GPS devices–Navigation made easy for those who won’t ask fellow humans for directions.  Yea, I’m talking to you, husband.

9.  Netbook–A new species of computer, maybe not as powerful as a laptop but way cheaper.

10.  Firefox–Bringing an open source browser into the mainstream.  Now it’s loosening Google’s stranglehold on Web browsing. A little anyway.

What’s your favorite new gadget of the decade?  For me, it is the iPod–hands down!

Popularity: 17% [?]

Adam reviews the new George Clooney movie “Up In The Air.”

Popularity: 10% [?]

We came up with ten categories that Star Cinema Steve and I (Movie Guy Adam Elliott)  have compiled into our Best Of Movies for 2009 list.

Here’s what we thought about this year in movies:

Best Movie Of 2009:
Steve – Inglorious Basterds
Adam – Up In The Air

Worst Movie Of 2009:
Steve – Land Of The Lost
Adam – Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Best Animated Film/ Best Family Film of 2009:
Steve – Up
Adam – Up

Movie We Despised, But The Other Liked
Steve – Knowing
Adam – Push

Biggest Surprise At The Movies In 2009
Steve – Paranormal Activity
Adam – Jennifer’s Body

Biggest Disappointment At The Movies In 2009
Steve – Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Adam – Terminator Salvation

Movie That Nobody Saw, But Should Have
Steve – Fantastic Mr. Fox
Adam – The Hurt Locker

Worst Movie Of The Decade
Steve – Eragon (2006)
Adam – 88 Minutes (2008)

Best Movie Of The Decade
Steve – Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
Adam – High Fidelity (2000)

Popularity: 15% [?]

Weird stuff goes on out there.  Really weird stuff.

It especially happens in Wisconsin, so I thought I’d compile a list of the Top 10 Weirdest news stories from this year.

10. Wiscosin Toll Roads – (February)The idea didn’t make it very far, but there was some discussion about it.

9. Danny Gokey – (May) The Milwaukee crooner makes the top three of American Idol.  Seems more real when they’re from our home.

8.  Snow Shuts Down Wisconsin - (December) Sure we got a lot of snow on December 9th, but remember we live in Wisconsin.  State Government, Madison schools and the UW all shut it down.  Baby says: waaa-waaah.

7. Live Like You Mean It – (March) Wisconsin’s new tourism slogan and cartwheeling character logo is not so original.  Bacardi Rum used the exact same phrase in a previous ad campaign.

6. Peanuts On The Square - (April) Somebody freaked out about feeding peanuts to Squirrels around the Capitol Square. They thought it might harm potential visitors who might encounter them.  Sounds like a lot of maybes.

5. Raising The Beer or Alcohol Tax – (Summertime)Don’t you dare touch my beer.  Come on, would anyone really support this idea?

4.  Oregon’s Jeff Skiles – Sully’s Co-Pilot – (February) He didn’t get all the credit that Chesley Sullenberger got, but he was right there with him in the cockpit.  Cool as a cucumber and also in the Hudson.

3. Four Women Glue Man’s Privates To Himself (August)- OK…this was some weird love triangle thing and the Milwaukee area guy wronged all the women involved.  Still Crazy gluing his junk to his stomach.  Yikes!

2.  Pilots Miss Minneapolis, Figure It Out Over Wisconsin (October)- Oh boy.  Take the laptops away from the pilots.

1. Brett Favre goes to the Minnesota Vikings. (June) I swear there was a week or so when it seemed like the opposite of everything I believed was coming true.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Plenty of clips piqued our interest this year but one was far and away the winner.  Was it David After Dentist?  You remember, the kid who was goofy from laughing gas and was talking nonsense.  How about the wedding entrance where the wedding party danced down the aisle?

Nope, the biggest viral video of the year was none other than Susan Boyle, the singing sensation from across the pond.  The video took on a life of it’s own and led Miss Boyle (who did NOT win the talent competition the video is taken from, btw) to having one the biggest selling albums of the year.  I bet she sure is glad now that she dreamed a dream!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Rated R – 1h49 -

That feeling of limbo is one of the worst feelings there are, but we can all relate. That’s why Up In The Air is deserving of one of the best of 2009.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a hired hitman. That is to say he’s hired by companies to fire people. He takes pride in his work that racks up frequent flier miles like nobody’s business, but also keeps him disconnected from any real emotional attachments, including his family.

What’s best about this movie is the feeling of authenticity, real human emotion, is captured in a way that hits home. The fired are told there is nothing personal about their position being eliminated, but what is more personal than the work you do? This is a film for these days of downsizing, which is why anyone who watches it will feel connected.

Alex happens upon Alex (Vera Farmiga) in a airport bar of all places. She’s a sexually charged and dark female foil who’s impressed by his elite flying status and seems to be his perfect match. After making a connection with her, he starts to question whether its time for him to stop flying away.

At work, the young up-and-comer Natalie (Anna Kendrick) has devised a plan to save the company money, by firing via a video web conference. She’s new to the game, so Ryan has to show her the ropes first. She quickly finds the harsh reality of their business and the toll it takes.

It’s a harsh and seemingly cruel business convincing a person that their job loss is a “transition” instead of a painful ripping out of your heart can do that. At least business is good.

Director Jason Reitman, who also brought a similarly realistic feel from “Juno,” knows how to tap human emotion. He’s the son of one of the greats; Ivan Reitman (Animal House, Stripes, Ghostbusters) and it’s: like father, like son.

Overall Ratings: (Out of Four)
Date Friendly:
Good Humor:
Artistic Value:
Drama
Kid Friendly:

Popularity: 16% [?]

Rated PG-13 – 1h35 -

What do we really learn more from: life or school? What’s more tragic? Not living up to your potential or not trying in the first place?

An Education is a period piece about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a teenage girl in 1960’s suburban London. She’s on her way to Oxford, until she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a hip, older (35-years old!) socialite whose romantic magnetism is nearly irresistible to Jenny.

She leaves her high school education behind with promises of marriage, good times and the high life, only to find out that David is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jenny finds out that some of the choices she makes can have an irreversible outcome on her future, but wisely draws from her experience.

There are noteworthy performances by Mulligan, who captures the naiveté of youth. It’s her first starring role, which drives the film and is drawing comparisons to the likes of Audrey Hepburn.

Also, Sarrsgaard thoroughly convinces you of his sleazy ways with slick double talk in a proper English manner. He’s the walking, breathing definition of a dirty rotten scoundrel, but still, not without his charm.

We get swept away in the romantic notion that the gentleman is showing Jenny the ropes, but there is a sadness knowing she’s abandoning what’s left of her childhood. At that age, who could resist the attraction of something bigger than you?

Clearly those were different times, when even Jenny’s parents don’t seem to question the disturbing age difference as long as a wedding ring is thrown into the mix.

Attention youth of today: The lesson is to be careful of something that looks too good to be true…you know the rest.

Overall Ratings: (Out of Four)
Date Friendly:
Good Humor:
Artistic Value:
Drama
Kid Friendly:

Popularity: 10% [?]

When you really break it down and look at only Christmas moves that were made in the last decade, the list is not that long.

The list of those movies that were actually good is much shorter.

Just in time for Christmas, here’s my Top 10 Best Christmas Movies of the 2000s:

10.  Fred Claus - I wanted to shake Vince Vaughan and Paul Giamatti into submission for this one.  Why? Why? Why? Santa’s slacker brother Fred comes to the North Pole to live with Santa and nothing good happens.  I really mean it.

9.  The Santa Clause 2 & 3 – Tim Allen beats a dead reindeer a couple more times.  Funny.  I actually thought the first one was a novel idea.  Not so much on the follow up.

8.  Christmas With The Kranks - A god-awful attempt at comedy from Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. It fits in the “What where they thinking” category. In it a family does a last minute Christmas when daughter decides to come home at the last minute. Non-comedy ensues.

7.  Four Christmases - Vince Vaughan & Reese Witherspoon keep this boat from sinking in the egg nog, but just barely.  Wacky things happen with dysfunctional family members get together.  Hmmmm…maybe the familiarity was what I somewhat liked.

6.  Love Actually – A bunch of couples deal with their love lives in London during the holidays.  Its mildly entertaining for a chick flick.

5.  A Christmas Carol (2009) – Jim Carrey likes Christmas.  Disney does and over the top good job casting this old story in a new 3D light.

4.  How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) – Jim Carrey does a mediocre job as The Grinch.  You’re still better off watching the shorter and more pleasing cartoon version they show on TV.

3 . The Polar Express - I still think the characters have dead eyes like sharks, but Polar gets credit for being visually stunning.

2. Bad Santa – Not for the kids, but maybe one of the most outlandish, dark and clever Christmas tales.

1. Elf - Will Ferrell has made what is probably closest to being considered a modern Christmas classic.

Popularity: 17% [?]

But, where are the antlers??

Popularity: 6% [?]