The Emsters Cultural Review Of The Year

Marc asked me to compile my review of the year and I must admit that I found it really difficult. Mostly because I found it impossible to recall what I had actually done, listened to, read and seen this year. It’s a very tricky task. Also a fair bit of it does probably resemble Marc’s list seeing as we tend to spend a large proportion of our time together, doing the same things, so I apologise if you find it at all dull and repetitive.

Albums of the Year

1. Take That – The Circus
2. Britney Spears – Circus (admittedly I’ve not got this yet however I’ve heard lots of tracks already).
3. Girls Aloud – Out of Control
4. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
5. The Indelicates – American Demo
6. Keane – Perfect Symmetry (again don’t actually have this yet but saw them perform most of the tracks live at a recent gig so I feel I can include it here. In fact I am hoping that it’s currently sitting under our Christmas tree waiting to be opened on Christmas Day. )
7. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
8. Glen Campbell – Meet Glen Campbell
9. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
10. Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst

Song of the Year
Spiralling by Keane. Great 80’s pop revival. I love it.

Man of the Year
Rob Brydon. For no particular reason other than I think he’s brill and he’s doing a comedy tour next year.

Gigs of the Year

1. Keane at the Roxy
2. Russell Brand at the Roxy
3. Spice Girls at the O2
4. Conor Oberst at the Henry Fonda Theatre
5. Carter USM at both Birmingham and Brixton academies.

Podcasts of the Year

Before moving to LA I must admit to not really listening to podcasts all that much. However Marc thought I’d enjoy them so began putting them on during our many road trips and I must confess to becoming an avid follower of a select few. I know some of these below are not ‘true’ podcasts but I’m going to include them as I download them from the itunes and they are stored on my ipod under podcasts. To me that means they count here.

1. Collins and Herrin
2. Radio 4 News Quiz
3. Radio 4 Now Show – Although I can’t stand Mitch Benns stupid songs at the beginning of the show.

TV Shows of the Year

I love tele so couldn’t keep it to just 10 so upped this one to a top 20.
1. Gavin and Stacey
2. Strictly Come Dancing
3. Holby Cities
4. CSI: New York
5. Doctor Who
6. 8 Out of 10 Cats
7. Would I Lie To You?
8. X Factor
9. Torchwood
10. Without a Trace
11. Brothers and Sisters
12. Desperate Housewives
13. Private Practice
14. Grey’s Anatomy
15. The Office (American one)
16. CSI: Miami
17. CSI
18. The Bachelorette (despite strongly disagreeing with her final choice – although her rejected man is back in ‘The Bachelor’ in January so he will now get to choose a nicer lady than her in the end anyway)
19. Sarah Jane Adventures
20. Harry Hill’s TV Burp

Films of the Year

1. Sex and the City (clichéd but true)
2. Mamma Mia
3. The Other Boleyn Girl
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Iron Man
6. The Incredible Hulk
7. Stepbrothers
8. What happens in Vegas
9. Juno
10. Definitely, Maybe

Books of the Year

1. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruin Zafon
2. Looking Good Dead – Peter James
3. No Time For Goodbye – Linwood Barclay
4. The Traveller – John Twelve Hawks
5. Black Swan Green – David Mitchell
6. My Favourite Wife – Tony Parsons (Not sure whether I loved or hated this book)
7. Deadline – Simon Kernick
8. Want to Play? – PJ Tracy
9. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver (I’m halfway through this book and so far its put me off ever having children. It is very good though and so I thought I could include despite having not finished it yet).
10. Jodi Piccoult – I read a good few books a year by this lady and enjoy them very much at the time. However they have all merged in to one in my head now so I can’t distinguish between any of them. I wanted to include her here nonetheless.

Hero of the Year
ichat – for allowing me to see and speak to my family from LA.

Event of the Year
1. On a personal note, my first wedding anniversary was pretty darn special.
2. And on a more global note, Obama getting elected as President of the US of A.

Most Missed
Home. Despite loving Santa Monica, England will always be home.