2007 was a tough year to top as far as great movies (see last year's list for examples as to why), but 2008 still had its gems. Although, this is the first year in a long time where not a single film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar made it onto my top ten favorites list. I blame the superheroes for that. I'm a sucker for a good superhero movie - and they're tough to make well. "The Incredible Hulk" was nudged out of the top ten at the last minute, but it was a good year for superheroes and - as you'll see - about a third of my favorite movies this year are classic examples of superhero movies made the way they should be. So, with that, I give you my annual unsolicited TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF YEAR - 2008 EDITION:

1. The Dark Knight - Duh. I don't see how any true movie geek could not have this be number one on their list. I don't know what I could say about this movie that hasn't been said many times already. If I'm gonna repeat something somebody else has already said about it, it might as well be my brother. He pointed out, "You know from the moment the window explodes in the opening shot that this is gonna be a great movie." Amen. It's exceptionally rare when you can tell a movie is going to be revered as a classic for decades while you're still watching it.

2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Easily the funniest movie of the year, and probably the most touching. Nope, not even "Slumdog Millionaire" got to me as much as this one did. Most impressive is how they could have made the title character a total bitch and played it up for cheap laughs. Instead, she's very sympathetic, likable and justifiable in her actions - and it's still just as funny. Even "the other man" is endearing in his own way. It's hard to pick a favorite character - or, for that matter, a favorite scene - in this movie. Just goes to show that comedies about heartache don't need to be mean-spirited to be funny.

3. Iron Man - Interesting how this came out the same summer as the new Batman movie because Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne are kind of cut from the same cloth. The main difference is that Wayne hides behind his eccentric millionaire persona whereas Stark seems to embrace his. Be interesting to see what kind of progress could be made in a group therapy session with these two. Anyway, the main thing I want to point out about this movie as to why it works so well is because you could remove all of the action sequences where Iron Man is fighting villains and saving the day and you would still have a very entertaining and compelling film. I'm not sure you could say the same for most other action movies - even the good ones.

4. Valkyrie - Yes, it's that good. Admit it, you didn't see it just because you don't like Tom Cruise. A lot of people slammed this movie (without having seen it) because Cruise plays a German, but speaks with his own accent. So what? I didn't hear anybody slamming Kate Winslet for speaking with her own accent when she played a German in "The Reader" - and she even won a freakin' Academy Award for that performance. You know how I know this is a good movie? Because even though I knew the outcome of the true story, I found it very gripping and suspenseful. I haven't experienced that since "Apollo 13". This is Bryan Singer's best movie since "The Usual Suspects" and, before you write off that commendation, remember that I pre-empted this list by saying that I'm a sucker for superhero movies and three out of Singer's four interim films were superhero movies - good ones.

5. Hancock - Okay, back to the superheroes. This is a superhero movie I've wanted to see for a long time. This concept was introduced  in "Unbreakable" and touched on a bit in "The Incredibles", but "Hancock" takes it a step further and puts a nice twist on it. Even in watching "The Dark Knight" - as outstanding as it is - I couldn't help but wonder, how come nobody's pissed at Batman for blowing up public and private property in pursuit of criminals? Let's face it, society is full of complainers playing victims ready to sue and, if there were superheroes living in our world, some of them would be assholes just like some (many) celebrities are. I also have to give credit to the writers, for introducing a compelling complication midway through rather than settling for this film simply being a 90-minute comedy sketch.

6. Burn After Reading - Ironic that Brad Pitt got critical acclaim leading to an Oscar Nomination for his performance in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" when this film really showcased his acting chops. I mean, his role as Benjamin Button, while good, was mostly effective due to make-up and special effects. His role in "Burn After Reading" is probably exactly the kind of role he was trying to avoid early on in his career: a total bimbo. I mean, let's face it, Brad Pitt could have had a very lucrative (although probably short-lived) career as a pretty boy. It's nice that now after all these great roles in great movies, he's somehow earned the right to play such a role. And boy, does he have fun with it. As do all of the actors, actually. I think that's the real joy of this movie: Reputable actors (three of them Oscar nominees, the other three Oscar winners) having a ball playing jackasses.

7. Wall-E - I guess from a certain point of view, this could be considered a superhero movie, right? Again, I'm at a loss for words here, because the praise that has been lavished upon this movie (and rightfully so) makes any complements I could bestow upon it redundant. I'll say this in criticism, though: The reason this rates lower on the list is because I loved the robots so much, I felt the humans got too much screentime. In "Monsters, Inc.", I was impressed that PIXAR could give so much character and facial expression to what was basically just an eyeball with a mouth, but the in-depth and endearing personality of... well, all the droids in "Wall-E" transcends character animation altogether. Think about the scene when Eve is trying to repair Wall-E and gets no response other than basic programming. You can look into Wall-E's eyes and see nothing but a robot. But when he comes back (and I'm sorry if I spoiled that for you, but it serves you right for neglecting to see this wonderful movie), suddenly you see the robot we've grown to love and are happy he's back. How they did that is a mystery to me, but it's pure magic.

8. Lymelife - I'm counting this as a 2008 movie because it officially debuted last September at the Toronto Film Festival. Plus, I wanted at least one movie you've probably never heard of on here so I could talk you into seeing it. It's scheduled for theatrical release in April, so keep on the lookout. It's kind of a slice-of-life movie, so it's hard to say anything about it without giving much away, so I'll just repeat the description from my Sundance summary: Think of "American Beauty" in a middle-class, more rural neighborhood. It's a shame to oversimplify such a complex movie like that, but trust me: It's good movie that probably not a lot of people will see.

9. Doubt - I'm glad all four of the principal cast were nominated for acting Oscars this year, because this film was the acting showcase of year (with the possible exception of "Burn After Reading", but that's the comedy and this one's the drama). This would be a great date movie. It's far from romantic, but you can't walk out of it without having something to talk about. It would probably tell you a lot about your date, too. I love ambiguity in movies when it's used correctly - like, what's in the case in "Pulp Fiction", what did Bob whisper to Charlotte in "Lost in Translation" and who killed Leonard's wife in "Memento" - to answer these questions would defeat the purpose and ruin the fun. While those examples are mere tidbits in their respective movies, the entire plot of "Doubt" hinges on its question and it's a wonderful thing when different viewers can draw different conclusions from the same film and debate them for hours.

10. RocknRolla - It's possible I liked this film more than it deserved, but that's probably because I wanted to like it so much. I absolutely loved "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch" and was mortified that Guy Ritchie's marriage to Madonna brought about "Swept Away". I was excited when "Revolver" came out because it seemed a return to form for Mr. Ritchie, but that turned out to be a confused mess of a movie. How heartbreaking. With skepticism and a preparedness to nail the coffin shut on Guy Ritchie's career, I watched "RocknRolla" and constantly breathed a sigh of relief throughout. Gee, now that he's divorced Madonna, maybe it was her fault all along. I should point out that "RocknRolla" is neither better than Guy's first two films,  nor does it bring anything new to the table, but I'll quote Brian Johnson, the lead singer of AC/DC to illustrate why I liked it: "They know what they're gonna get when they come to the gig. You could call us one-trick ponies if ya like, but basically, we just enjoy what we're doin'." Indeed. If I listen to an AC/DC album, I wanna hear loud guitar riffs, screeching vocals, and lyrics about cheating women, drinking alcohol and getting kicked in the balls. When I see a Guy Ritchie movie, I wanna see British gangsters with clever nicknames, small-time hoods trying to steal the same money, and a cockney voice-over explaining the story to me. And "RocknRolla" delivered.

So, there ya go. Another year down. 2009 looks promising with its roster of upcoming movies, so let's get on with it and I'll see you this time next year.

Well, my third consecutive trip to the Sundance Film Festival (their 25th, by the way) was the best overall so far. We had a lot of tickets in advance, we were able to get into every single movie we tried to, the weather was the nicest it had ever been, the crowds were the smallest I'd ever seen, and the movies were all pretty good. Best of all, though: I didn't get food poisoning this time. However, I hafta say this was the most exhausting Sundance yet. I broke my previous record of movies seen (16) and consequently had very little sleep and a lot more walking. I find it tiring even writing about it now. As much as I'd like to enlighten you about my entire experience there this year with great detail, in order to be all-inclusive, I'm afriad I'd end up writing more than you'd probably be willing to read. So, I'm going to be as siccinct as possible and just break down the movies I saw one by one and hopefully give you a good enough idea of each as to whether or not you'd like to see them if and when they get a wide release. Besides, as you well know, I really prefer to talk about such things in person, so I hope this summary incites you to contact me about getting together so I can inform you of all the little quirks and nuances that went on in between (and sometimes during) the viewings of the following movies. So, in alphabetical order, here they are:

Adam - It kinda annoys me when good movies have such mundane titles. Especially when the title is simply the main character's name. It's such a cop out. The better the movie, the bigger the waste, too. If you'd never heard of "Juno" would you ever think it was such a smart and touching film by just the title? Anyway, while "Adam" is certainly no "Juno", it's easily in the same category. I guess you could say it's the quint-essential Sundance romantic comedy. It reminded me of "The Last Word" last year and "Dedication" the year before (both of which were also good). So, if you liked those movies, you'll probably like "Adam". If you didn't see them (or haven't ever heard of 'em), you probably won't get around to seeing "Adam" anyway, so never mind.

Adventureland - This was the only movie playing at Sundance this year that I'd not only already heard of, but actually seen the trailer for. You probably have, too. Or will soon. It's not the knee-slapper I was hoping for, but it was funny and smart and definitely worth seeing - especially if you've ever worked in an amusement park. Amusing sidenote: Kristen Stewart seemed stoned out of her mind at the premiere. I hope she controls herself, because she's very talented and I'd hate to see her become the next Lindsay Lohan.

Animation Spotlight - I think I was most excited about this screening because I love animated shorts. Of course, now that I've seen it, I might hafta pass on this year's installment of The Animation Show. I figure a lot of these will be featured in it. And if not, they should be. I suppose I should break down the individual shorts here as well in order to make it a true-to-form summary:
     "Dear Beautiful" - I heard this was originally conceived as a feature. If that's true, it would be one intense flick. I like it as a short, actually. It comes across as a nightmare: Starts out plausible and harmless enough and then gradually spirals into madness and creepiness. It probably didn't help that we saw it at midnight.
     "Hear, Earth, Heart" - Not much to say about this one. It was pretty to look at, but not much in the way of story. None, really. Mostly just abstract landscapes. That's not to say I didn't like it, it just turned out to be forgettable. Kinda like most poetry I read. It probably didn't help that we saw it at midnight.
     "Hot Dog" - This one is all the more enjoyable if you're familiar with Bill Plympton's accident-prone dog series of shorts. This was probably the weakest of the three he's done so far, but Plympton's cartoons are always so fun to watch that, even if it was god-awful, I probably still woulda had the same goofy grin on my face.
     "I Am So Proud of You" - Another "sequel" directed at fans of the animator. If you're not familiar with Don Hertzfeldt, there's nothing I can say to prepare you for his work, it's something you hafta discover for yourself - and you'll either adore it or loathe it. If you are familiar with Hertzfeldt's work, this one is par for the course. And it probably does help if you see it at midnight.
     "Mister Cok" - A kind of Orwellian, Terry-Gilliam-inspired allegorical piece that's hard to describe, but didn't have trouble following. No dialogue (outside of incoherent chattering), but a lot to say and even more to show. Again, to try and explain it would defeat the purpose.
     "Out of Control" - The only piece in the Animation Spotlight that I really did not like. If you're going to have worn-out porcelain dolls pirouetting around the screen for 10 minutes, you've gotta make it interesting. I almost fell asleep during this one - and not just because we saw it at midnight.
     "Skhizein" - I loved the creativity of this one. A guy almost gets hit with a meteor and becomes 91 centimeters away from himself. Huh? No, seriously, that's what happens. And how it's executed is brilliant. I hope this one above all others is in The Animation Show this year, because I'd love to get a copy of it on DVD.
     "This Way Up" - Probably my favorite of the animated shorts we saw (and it's nominated for an Oscar this year). A classic and very clever Rube-Goldberg-type slapstick adventure of two pallbearers trying to get the deceased to its grave. They go through hell and back. Literally. Manically relentless and very funny.
     "Western Spaghetti" - This one I can actually show you and you can make up your own mind. All I'll say about it was it got the most enthusiastic reaction from the crowd. All the more impressive because it's less than two minutes.

     "The Yellow Bird" - I didn't particularly like this one, either. It started out promising enough and had some good moments, but ultimately didn't go anywhere. I probably woulda been more patient and forgiving if the other shorts weren't so outstanding. Plus, y'know... I saw it at midnight.

Arlen Faber - Okay, back to the features. This one was very Hollywood-esque and will almost certainly get a wide release. It was one of my more favorite ones. Jeff Daniels kinda channeling Jack Nicholson from "As Good As It Gets", but not ripping it off. It had a lot of profound insights as well as gingerly poking fun at religious zealots. I'm a fan of any movie whose general message seems to be "Think for yourselves."

Big Fan - Being a movie fan (and not giving two shits about sports), I've always been perplexed by the obsessiveness of sports fans. Consequently, I found this film pretty pathetic - but in a good way, because I think that was the point. I can imagine every sports fan in the world watching this movie and saying "Yeah, but that's not me". I'm willing to bet it's more them than they will ever realize. As I watched it, I wasn't sure where exactly this movie was going or what it was trying to say, but the ending was such a great pay-off that it's hard not to love it - painful as it may be.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men - Even more disappointing than a good movie with a boring title is a mediocre movie with a stellar cast. There isn't a performer in this film I wasn't looking forward to seeing and yet it was my least favorite film at Sundance this year. I've seen this happen before, though: A first-time director options material from an author they worship and can't live up to the standards they've set for themselves. This is how I felt about "Choke" last year, but this one was an even bigger disappointment. I suppose I could recommend it to anybody who's a fan of the book, but otherwise (and I'm one of the otherwise) it's a yawner.

The Clone Returns Home - This film had the look and pacing of Kubrick film (except for the fact it was Japanese). The concept was great - an astronaut is cloned after he dies in space, but his clone's mind is underdeveloped and thinks his dead body is that of his twin brother who died as a child, so he takes the body home to find their mother. I liked it, but it had a few ambiguities and unexplained tangents. I'm sure the point was to be a bit surreal, but I hafta admit a great deal of it went over my head. Still, it's beautiful and heartbreaking. I think I need to see it again.

Cold Souls - The filmmakers here were trying really hard to be Charlie Kaufman. Sorry. There can be only one. That's not to say it's a bad movie. Indeed it has some great parts. I'd hafta say, though, that if somebody asked me if they should see this movie, I'd tell them to rent "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" instead. Unless they're a huge Paul Giamatti fan...

Dare - I was so on board with this movie until the final act. What can I say? It had me and then it lost me. It started out as one of those movies told in chapters from different characters' perspectives - and it was doing it well. My only guess was that the screenwriter didn't know how to end it so he thought he'd have the characters get high and try to have an orgy that turned into a bunch of crying and name-calling. It's a shame they built this ice cream sundae of a movie and topped it with a turd instead of a cherry.

Don't Let Me Drown - This one I wasn't terribly interested in seeing and only went because it was easy to get tickets to for the middle of Sunday. It ended up being the most pleasant surprise of Sundance. Just like "Adam" was the quintessential romantic comedy of Sundance, this was the quintessential inner-city immigrant family drama - Yes, there is such a category. If I were to describe the plot of this film, your inital reaction would probably be "What a bunch of tired clichés", but I found myself caring about these families about as much as any other movie I've seen. And probably more than any movie I've seen so far this year.

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle - For some movies, timing is everything. This movie was not only the last movie I saw at the festival this year, but also the last movie I saw after a saw of seeing four movies before it. So, it was my fifth movie of the day, my seventeenth movie of the week and a midnight screening to boot. Any other movie would have suffered dramatically under all of those circumstances, but this movie was so off-the-wall and ridiculous that it truly hit the spot. It's such goofy fun. I mean, look at how bizarre the title is. Now picture a story about a group of janitors that become frantically addicted to a batch of experimental self-heating cookies they find in the trash of a food lab and end up becoming pregnant with fluorescent blue fish that give them post-partum depression. Oh, and there's more than just that, too. I don't know who I could realistically recommend this movie to, but I'd probably start with people who like to huff model airplane glue.

Lymelife - This was probably my second favorite film at Sundance (but a very close second). Think "American Beauty" in a lower tax bracket. This film was more driven by characters than story and the characters are the kind you love one second and hate the next - which is also how they seem to feel about each other. Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling this movie won't get much play and will probably be forgotten in the long run, like "Rocket Science" two years ago. I guess that's okay, though. I loved it and that's good enough for me.

Mystery Team - Usually whenever a comedy troupe (like The State or Broken Lizard) releases a film, I run screaming in the opposite direction. I'd never heard of the Derrick comedy group, so I was all the more skeptical, but willing to give it a chance. I kinda liked it. It wasn't great, but it was funny enough and entertaining enough to hold my attention for its running time. It helped that it had and actual progressive storyline rather than a series of juvenile vignettes (which is usually what these comedy troupes default to). Overall, I'd hafta compare the movie to masturbation: Enjoyable while it lasts, but ultimately pointless.

Paper Heart - I think this is the only movie we saw that actually won an award. And I think it won for screenplay. I find that a bit odd since, in my opinion, the best parts of the movie were the unscripted actual documentary parts. And even the parts that weren't documentary seemed more improvised than scripted. Kinda like "Borat". Whatever, though. It was a cute movie. It'll probably make Charlyne Yi a star. That'll be refreshing: An asian movie star famous for comedy instead of martial arts.

Rudo y Cursi - As I said earlier, I really couldn't give a damn about sports, but since I do give a damn about movies, I'm open to movies about sports. It's usually a harder sell, though. It's gotta be more about the players than the game. The director of this film said he wanted to make a movie about fútbol without actually showing any games being played. Naturally, it's more about the celebrity of being a professional athlete. And in Mexico, it's especially a rags-to-riches kinda story. Even more than that, though, it's about two brothers on rival teams simultaneously trying to outdo and look after each other. Plus, when you have the brothers being played by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, you can be sure it'll be a great movie. And it is.

Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy - This is the only documentary we saw and it was okay. I kinda hoped it would be funnier, but after I saw it, I appreciated why it wasn't. It was about the evolution of black comedy in America and its impact on popular culture. It was kind of a self-congratulatory history lesson, but that's alright. It made me want to find out more about certain black comedians I was unfamiliar with. Maybe that was the point. Anytime you undertake such a broad subject matter for a feature-length documentary, you pretty much hafta summarize. Just like I'm doing right now.

World's Greatest Dad - My favorite movie at Sundance this year, although only by a hair (see "Lymelife" above). If you'da told me my favorite movie at Sundance would be directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, I probably would rolled my eyes and said "Whatever". Unfortunately, this movie probably won't get as much acclaim as it deserves because it's a dark comedy. Really, though, they could've just gone with making this film as deliberately offensive as possible and still gotten away with it, but it actually has a message. And amidst all the nastiness and immorality, a good message. In that sense, it's not unlike "South Park". I hope that, like "South Park", this movie finds an audience too. It deserves to do well.

Okay, I'm even more tired now than when I started. I'd like to reiterate that all of the above is just a drop in the bucket, too. I barely even touched on all the celebrity sightings. I would like to end this post with a topic for debate, though. I've had a handful of people tell me I look just like Christopher Meloni. Well, do I?

Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one.

It's that time of year again. I'm talking specifically about the time of year when parents of toddlers start posting photos of their kids on Santa's lap. As more and more of my friends are having children, I'm seeing more and more of these photos every year. I've been thinking about it lately and have come to the conclusion that this is a really creepy holiday tradition.

One friend of mine in particular gets a big kick out of photos of children on Santa's lap bawling their heads off. It's sort of a guilty pleasure for him. Luckily, the photos I saw this year of his kids with Santa were of happy faces, so he dodged a heaping portion of irony there. Still, I can't help but wonder that maybe deep down he'd hoped his kids would scream bloody murder when they were on Santa's lap so he could have a more personal keepsake of his own to laugh at.

Now, back in the day, I remember sitting on Santa's lap here and there and I remember that I didn't ever pitch a fit or so much as shed a tear. I simply told the man what I wanted for Christmas and that was that. Very business like. However, one thing I do remember (and quite vividly, actually) was an internal monologue asking "Why am I sitting on this guy's lap?" The question wasn't whether or not this was the real Santa Claus - it may very well have been - the question was, when - as a child - is it appropriate to sit on someone's lap whom you don't know very well? And is it even the slightest bit necessary given the objective of meeting Santa Claus to begin with? I mean, I believed in Santa Claus and I liked him and I had things I wanted to say to him, but, at that age, I also liked, believed, and wanted to talk to Spider-Man, but if I ever had met him, I sure as hell wouldn't have sat in his freakin' lap! So, whenever Santa would ask me what I wanted, my knee-jerk reaction was to say "Some personal space. Do you mind?"

What's even more disturbing is why do the parents put their kids up to this? The only logical reason would be that the parents still believed in Santa Claus, too. I don't have any children of my own, so I can only speculate. Now, I can see how having a picture of your kid with Santa could be cute (and the majority of the photos I've seen to that effect are cute), but ultimately, if you don't believe in Santa yourself, it's just a picture of your kid on the lap of a stranger wearing a costume. When I see these pictures my friends send out, I don't think "Oh, look. It's Timmy on Santa's lap", I think "Who is this dude man-handling Timmy? I know this kid pretty well and he wouldn't sit on my lap. Nor would I ask him to."

If by some freak occurrence, I ever become a parent, I'm gonna have my kid conduct his meeting with Santa very professionally with no exploitation. The photo I'll include with my Christmas cards will look just like when somebody's being presented with an award or donation. My child will be shaking hands with Santa while handing him over a picture or document of what the desired goods are for delivery Christmas Eve. The rest of you can have your creepy photos reminding you of the year Timmy asked for a toy train and instead got syphilis.

I was at the Slow Bar when Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 Presidential Election. We were having some preliminary cocktails before heading to the Convention Center to partake in the Oregon Democratic Party Election Night Party when the various barflies suddenly erupted in cheers and applause. I was kinda hoping we'd make it to the convention before they announced it, but I'm actually glad it worked out the way it did. This way, while venturing to the Convention Center, we walked by several buildings (both commercial and private) which contained similar hoots and hollers that were loud enough for us to hear outside. Distant cheers bombarded us from all directions as did gleeful car horns honking in staccato all across the city. It was a helluva moment.

We arrived at the Convention Center just in time to see John McCain's concession speech. I could barely hear what was being said over the even more boisterous scattered cheers from the multitude of Democrats that flooded the main hall, but I knew it was official once I saw Sarah Palin tearing up. I watched McCain's speech this morning on YouTube and found it dignified and admirable. Although, I must say I think the most moving parts of his speech were when the crowd booed at his congratulatory remarks towards Obama and he held up his hands and said "Please." What I heard was "Enough."

Then, of course, came Obama's victory speech. It was about as profound and inspirational as any I've ever heard. We were standing pretty much directly below the big screen, so technically we had front row seats. From time to time during his speech, I turned around to view the faces rapt in attention and bordering on tears as Obama spoke. This was truly a historic moment. Not just because he's the first black president (although that is a huge deal and a major victory on all sorts of levels in the interest of progress), but because he's poised be potentially one of greatest leaders this country has seen in decades. True, he's still a politician, but he's about as decent and altruistic a politician as one can get.

His road to victory was truly a pull-yourself-by-the-bootstraps underdog victory which you normally only see in movies. To make such a journey on your own steam is virtually impossible, and Obama had a lotta good, hard-working people at his back and he truly earned every vote he got, but who was it that really put him over the top? I think you really need to give credit were credit is due: It was the women.

In his speech he thanked his wife, his daughters, his late grandmother (and rightfully so) in addition to telling a wonderful story about a 106-year-old voter named Ann Nixon Cooper. But what other women were fundamental in Obama's victory that he didn't mention? I'd like to point out a few and express at least my gratitude if not Obama's:

Amber Lee Ettinger: You may not know her name, but you know her video. She's the "I've Got a Crush on Obama" girl. This silly, but somehow awkwardly charming guilty pleasure of a video is the first thing that made Obama stand out as a candidate. Remember, the Democratic race for a nomination was much more intense and unpredictable than the Republicans' was and early on it was anybody's game. This video did a lot to boost Obama as a pop culture icon when he needed a little wind at his back. True, it might not have been the most elegant or ideal of springboards, but we all know that sex sells.

Oprah Winfrey: She was the first big celebrity to champion Obama publicly and at a time when Hillary Clinton was the big front-runner. If there's any celebrity (male or female) with an enormous amount of influence on the public, it's Oprah. She has her own book club, for crying out loud! Yet, she wasn't so outspoken that people were sick of hearing it. It was probably the most beautifully played and impactful celebrity endorsement in the history of any election. It wasn't that she was telling people "You should vote for Obama", it was just that she was drawing attention to him. I wouldn't be surprised if twice as many people sat up and took notice of Obama when she said he was her pick for President. After that, Obama's own integrity worked its magic.

Hillary Clinton: If there's one woman on this list that Obama should thank more than anybody, it's Hillary Clinton. Even though she was technically his opponent, she did more for his campaign than Obama's own people. Mainly, she aired all his dirty laundry early and exhausted it to the point where McCain didn't really have any ammo. Everybody was sick of hearing about Reverend Wright and William Ayers by the time McCain's camp tried re-playing those cards that Hillary had turned over months ago. She also ran a good race against him which served to be the perfect warm-up for the real deal. It showed his resolve and perseverance and his ability to remain cool and conscientious under pressure. If Obama had just breezed into the nomination, he wouldn't have been nearly as well-prepared to take on McCain. I think to appoint her as his running mate would have been a big mistake, but I hope he has a good place for her in his administration, because she as much as anybody helped shape him into the winning candidate that he became.

Ashley Todd: The McCain campaign was getting desperate in the last few weeks before election day. They could no longer rely on their own attributes to win this election, they needed a scandal at Obama's expense to rein him in from his commanding lead. When a 20-year-old McCain campaign volunteer from Pittsburgh came forward with a story that she was assaulted at an ATM by a 6'4" black man who proceeded to beat her and carve the letter "B" into her cheek upon finding out she was a McCain supporter, the McCain campaign and right-wing pundits jumped all over it. With all the hate and abuse spewing forth from McCain supporters at rallies and interviews, I'm sure they were ecstatic to see the such a deplorable act put forth by the other side. Boy, did their own publicity of the event come back to bite them harder than ever. The girl made it all up. She failed a polygraph, confessed everything, and here were the Republicans looking even more ridiculous than ever. I mean, come on... the "B" was carved backwards. I believe it was this single act that permanently pushed Obama over the top. Thanks, Ashley! Now go seek help.

Sarah Palin: I've saved her for last. I could write a blog ten times the size of this one on her alone, but why bother? I'm just happy that she doesn't matter any more than she did before Republican National Convention. When they announced her as McCain's running mate, my first reaction was "That can't be right." I mean, the repertoire McCain had to choose from had some heavy-hitters. And he didn't even have to pick a running mate that was in the preliminary running for Republican President. He coulda picked Lieberman if he wanted to venture outside of the party. He coulda picked Colin Powell if he wanted to appeal to the minority vote. Or Libby Dole to appeal to the female vote. Or Condi Rice to appeal to both. The candidate he went with made it seem more like a reality show than an election: "Who Wants to be a VP?" Without going into any details (because all you hafta do is go to YouTube and type in "sarah palin" to see plenty of examples), this is a classic case of "give somebody enough rope, and they'll hang themselves". My initial perplexity at her nomination was the most favorable opinion I would have of her. I swear, I never thought I'd ever loathe any politician more than George W. Bush, but congratulations, Caribou Barbie, you shattered the record! And in record time! I mean, good lord, she's only been this prominent of a public figure for just over 2 months! Thank goodness she rose to fame and fell again more drastically than Vanilla Ice. I hope that the aforementioned image of Sarah Palin fighting back tears during John McCain's concession speech is the last footage I ever see of her because it was probably the most honest moment she's ever shown to the American public since she got the nomination.

So, thank you, ladies! Thank you for delivering a President that I am proud of and optimistic about. In closing, to mark this momentous occasion, I'd like to post a picture of Obama. There are plenty of iconic images to choose from - the graphically rendered "HOPE" poster, Barack & Michelle's "fist bump" image from St. Paul, countless covers from TIME, Newsweek & even Rolling Stone - but the one image that comes to mind that I think best represents the keynote to Obama's campaign that inspired so many voters is pasted below. Just because it was meant to be a joke (and is certainly something Obama would never actually say), doesn't make it any less authentic:

Boy, what a week it's been! Not for me personally, but for the entire country. The economy's in turmoil, there's a gas shortage, we had the first presidential debate, China sent people into space, OSU unexpectedly beat USC, Cool Hand Luke died... And I get the feeling things are gonna get crazier before they get saner.

Watching the debates last night, it made me realize how delicately the future needs to be handled. We all have our little differences on how we think things should go, but really, how many of us really know what we're talking about? Perhaps what's most frightening is that probably all of us think we do. Just like all of us think we're nice people, open-minded thinkers and good drivers. I'm no different. I think I know what the problem is. Wanna hear it? I'm gonna assume you do 'cuz you're here reading this in the first place.

I would think probably a good portion of the population would think the root of most of our problems (or at least our inability to work stuff out) is hate. I think it really goes deeper than that. Really, hate doesn't just come from nowhere. Most people think hate is taught, but I don't believe that to be true. Love is taught. Growing up, you certainly hafta learn to love your siblings, don'cha agree? So, where does hate come from? I think it comes from fear. Why do terrorists hate us? Because we're free? Baloney! They're afraid that we're a threat to their way of life and we're afraid of them (and consequently hate them) for the same reason. That tends to be why people hate homosexuals or Jews or conservatives or any other group of people they've never met. This fear is typically why people go to war.

So, where does this fear come from? Well, there's really two sources (which happen to be complete opposites of each other). Number one: From education. For instance, we're afraid of al-Qaeda 'cuz we learned of their objective on 9/11. We're afraid of cancer 'cuz we've learned what it does to our bodies. We're afraid of Great White Sharks 'cuz we've learned they eat people. Fears stemming from education keep us safe.

The other source of fear (and this one is much more common): Ignorance. Now, there's two kinds of ignorance. The kind where we know what we don't know (what Socrates called the only true wisdom) and the kind where we think we know, but we really don't. For instance, an example of the former would be being afraid to try and fly a plane 'cuz you know you haven't taken any flying lessons. An example of the latter would be being afraid of black people because you think they're all inherently criminals. Fears stemming from this second kind of ignorance are, what I believe to be, our downfall. At the risk of sounding like Yoda: Ignorance begets fear. Fear begets hate. Hate begets destruction. Our own as well as others. Even though it seems like a permanent problem, it doesn't hafta be this way.

So, what can be done? Learn! Research! Experience! Even if you've lived 100 years, travelled extensively and read every day of your life, you still don't know everything. The biggest hurdle of getting everybody to adopt this mindset of constant self-improvement is that education often forces people to question the way they live their lives (which may be quite comfortable at present). And they will often react to the notion of changing their lifestyle and belief system quite defensively. If you don't believe me, start questioning the beliefs of some dogmatic fundamental Christians and see what kind of response you get. They will deliberately shun any scientific or spirtual evidence that contradicts their own as if it isn't even there. Either that, or they'll turn violent. After all, isn't that what al-Qaeda has done? It's as if their belief system not only perpetuates ignorance, but relies on it. If you ever get into an argument with a Christian who seems to view alternate ideals as a threat, my advice is to refer them to Hosea 4:6. I mean, really... who can argue with the notion that being presented with all the facts is the best way to make a good decision?

I don't mean to pick on Christians. I really don't. They were just the first example to come to mind. I coulda used racists or homophobes or even vegetarians to make my point. America seems so steeped in false dichotomies lately. The old "if you're not for me, you're against me" attitude. You know what I mean: "If you don't support the war, you're against freedom." "If you're pro-choice, you're a baby-killer." "If you drive a car, you're destroying the environment." "If you say something against Obama, you're a racist." "If you say something against Sarah Palin, you're sexist." "If you like University of Oregon, you hate Oregon State" "Tastes great, less filling." I suppose it's a defense mechanism: Finding security and justification in alliances.

I say all this because it seems we're approaching a crossroads. The government is on the verge of a $700,000,000,000 bailout (I left all the zeros in as a subtle attempt at illustrating just how much effing money that is) and here we are poised for another Presidential election with all new candidates. In the midst of this, I'm hearing lies and smear tactics for the sake of scamming people out of their votes against their better judgment. I beg you all, regardless of your beliefs and political convictions, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR AND READ! Even if you want to believe it more than anything! Look into it. That's the miracle of the internet. Endless amounts of information are at your fingertips. Of course, that's also the curse of the internet because any jackass can post any information online several times over. Sure, you'll find ample lies mixed with the truth in your research, but the more you look, the better you'll get at weeding out the BS. This election is too important to be left to the ignorant and ill-informed. For starters, check out PolitiFact and FactCheck on a regular basis. They're good resources for a quick-check on what's been talked about and the credibility of each point. Read liberal commentaries as well as conservative ones and see which points make the most sense to you. Distrust any sources that say they're impartial but don't seem to be. And, when in doubt, follow the immortal words of Judge Judy: "If something doesn't make sense, it's probably not true."

Also, don't let this election become a one-issue deal-breaker for you. For example, a number of people will merely look at a candidate's stance ..ion and make their decision based solely on that. Okay, if that issue's that important to you, fine. But let's face it, that law's not going to change overnight either way. Aren't there more pressing issues at hand that effect us all directly (the economy, health care, the environment, the job market, taxes, etc) that should be seen to first before we start exploring "moral" issues? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a moral America (even though we can't all agree on exactly what that is), but what good are the resolutions of these ethical issues if the country can't even self-sustain? It's like contemplating what college courses you should take when you've been diagnosed with cancer.

So, get to know that candidates. Watch the debates. Research their backgrounds - All of their backgrounds. Don't just dig up the dirt on one candidate and default to the other because you didn't like what you found out. Delve into their positive qualities most of all. Think about what you want in a leader - what qualities are most important? What issues are most important? Who has the best plans? Who best represents your vision for America? What do you want? If you can honestly and honorably answer those questions knowing that you have reviewed enough facts and resources to give you the most objective and educated point of view possible, then I have no doubt in my mind - no doubt whatsoever - that you have made the right decision. No matter who it is you actually vote for.

I didn't go to the big Obama rally here in Portland back on May 18th, but I was impressed by it nonetheless. It was hard not to be, really. A number of friends of mine who did go told me they found it invigorating. Above all, they felt a great energy that the huge collective of strangers were sharing.

I'm not a real active Obama supporter, but it seemed like an amazing event to be a part of regardless. So, feeling slightly jealous that I hadn't been there to experience it firsthand, I went to YouTube to check out a few clips from the rally. I guess it was my mistake to read some of the comments on there in the first place (actually, it's a mistake to read any YouTube comments on any video because it's really just a breeding ground for ignorance), but there were so many defeatist comments on there, it made me sick. People who weren't even at the rally in the first place (and, in most cases, didn't even live in the same time zone as Oregon) were saying that there weren't really that many people there and whoever did show up actually showed up for a free concert by The Decemberists and Obama was just capitalizing on that. Oh, and furthermore, no news coverage of the event reported that there was a free concert so, naturally it was a cover-up by the liberal news propaganda machine which condones socialism and loves terrorism and hates America and blah blah blah I'm a loathsome igoramus who loves to bitch and moan and make myself miserable along with as many other people as I possibly can...

Unfortunately, it didn't end with YouTube comments. All kinds of blogs and websites and columns and editorials were totally trying to downplay the event and invalidate it as if it didn't really happen at all. Thanks. Thanks for taking something that was optimistic and pissing all over it. What good did that do? You feel better now? I doubt it. In spite of your opinion on Obama, can't you at least appreciate that thousands of people were feeling good about something political for a change? Instead of being negative here, try being positive somewhere else.

The worse news is that that kind of attitude just snowballs and snowballs and now we're at a spot where the Obama campaign (once a refreshing voice of hope in the midst of Clinton's mud-slinging) is now on the attack against McCain. All that anybody's talking about anymore is how much they don't like a certain candidate and trying to show how awful they are. I know this is how every election year goes, but really... why? What's the point of everybody pointing out their opponents' faults? Do they think it's going to win them votes? If it does anything, it gives voters such a bitter taste in their mouth, they end up not voting at all. Yo, Obama: Don't tell me about McCain, tell me about you. And McCain, I don't care what you know about Obama. I'm sure you're more of an expert on yourself. Let's hear it. Once I've become convinced to not vote for somebody, who am I supposed to vote for instead? The lesser of two evils? Is that how democracy works? We're voting only to keep the other guy out of office? No thanks.

If you don't like Obama, find a candidate you do like and be vocal with all the reasons he'd be a good president. Don't like McCain? Same thing. Seek out solutions, not problems. I'm not interested in what the candidate I shouldn't vote for is gonna do wrong, I wanna know what the candidate I should vote for is gonna do right. Imagine walking into a car dealership and saying you're thinking about buying a car from either their lot or their competitor's lot across the street but you haven't decided yet. Now imagine that their sales pitch is all about how much their competitors' cars and deals suck. Nobody ever made a sale that way, why is that the only way people try to get votes? I think I'd be willing to vote for a candidate who did nothing but talk about how great they were, just on principle. Martin Luther King once said "Darkness can not drive out darkness; Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that." Why do people think all this hatemongering is gonna get us anywhere? It's what got us where were are now, actually.

Of course, the positive can be harmful as well. At least, when it's manifested as telling people what they wanna hear. Lies, in other words. I think that's how Bush got re-elected. Kerry kept talking about how messed up things were and Bush's mantra seemed to be, "Oh no, things are gonna be fine. Just keep me in office, you'll see." I can't believe I'm still seeing cars with Bush '04 bumper stickers. That's like somebody walking around wearing an OJ Simpson football jersey.

So, what's the lesson here? Be realistic. Realize you can't make an omlette without breaking some eggs. Things are probably going to have to get worse before they get better, so be prepared. How does one become realistic? By being educated. Pay attention. Do research. Be open-minded, but don't just take somebody's word for anything you hear. Be wary, but don't fall for scare tactics. Stick to your principles, but question the issues you're most passionate about and try to see the opposing viewpoint objectively. Watch documentaries and read articles you normally wouldn't. Look at the past and compare it to the future. Take responsibility for your own actions. If you favor a lesser-known candidate, fight for them. Adopt the mindset that your vote is the deciding one and treat it as such. And, most importantly: CARE!

"We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

Tomorrow, I turn 34. Never thought I'd ever see the day. For some reason, that age seems so decidedly adult to me(despite one's intelligence or maturity - my own, for instance). 33 can still be considered "young", but 34... That's definitely grown up.

It seems that most people who die young buy it at the age of 27 (rock stars, especially), but the oldest age that people "die young" tends to be 33. From John Belushi to Chris Farley. From Sam Cooke to Bon Scott. From Eva Braun to Eva Perón. From Alexander the Great to Mr. Ed. From Jesus Christ to David Koresh. And so on and so forth. Somehow I've outlasted them all.

Of course, that's not so impressive. Jerry Seinfeld once said, "What's the big deal about birthdays? All you did was not die for twelve months." And while that may be true, this past year of my life seems to have taken a lot of big names with it. Consequently, I feel like somehow I've outsmarted the Grim Reaper. Let's review:

Ten days after I turned 33, Merv Griffin died. Less than a month later, Pavarotti sang his last breath. Shortly after that, Marcel Marceau was permanently silenced (I can't help but morbidly wonder if, while he was dying, people thought he was performing). Not even James Bond could save Miss Moneypenny.

Joey Bishop's death leaves only one of the original Ocean's Eleven remaining. And speaking of Vegas, Robert Goulet checked out less than two weeks after Bishop. Norman Mailer would write no more. Neither would Ira Levin. Who'da thought that, of all things, Evel Knievel would die of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? A pair of musicians on opposite ends of the spectrum said goodbye: Ike Turner and Dan Fogelberg.

Then came 2008: Ten days in, Vampira goes from undead to real dead - wonder what her funeral was like. The next day, Sir Edmund Hillary. From TV Land, Sam the Butcher and Dr. Hartley's wife. Then, of course, Heath Ledger (leaving behind a performance that would thumb its nose at all that might have been in a career we'll never see).

Still bummed out that Roy Scheider's gone. Not only did Scheider, the star of "2010", not live to see that year, but Arthur C. Clarke, the author of "2010", wouldn't either. Oscar winners Anthony Minghella and Paul Scofield. Richard Widmark, while nominated, didn't win an Oscar, but he died, too. Then, an actor who seemed impervious to death: Charlton Heston! Shortly thereafter (I suppose to show that death was playing fair), out went the B-movie icons "Queen of Scream" and Pygar (who I hope actually is an angel now).

The second half of May took its toll when the host of "Laugh-In" managed to fit his death in between the guy who wrote theme song for "Star Trek" and the guy who wrote the theme song for "The Andy Griffith Show". On the same day, Sydney Pollack died. Three days later, Harvey Korman.

Starting in June, we lost Bo Diddley. Then, Tim Russert (whom we really coulda used for at least one more election year). Shortly after (another big blow to me personally), Stan Winston - who from everything I've read about him sounded like the most fun and inspiring person to work with. Ever.

Most recently, Cyd Charisse, George Carlin, Blanche from "Grease", Bozo the Clown, some political asshole, the first of the "Golden Girls" and, to top it all off, the definitive syndicated film critic show has left the balcony. Whew! What a death toll! I'm just relieved Paul Newman's still with us after his recent health scare.

I suppose this year wasn't any more significant in its deaths of notable people than any other year (except 2003 - man, a lot of greats went out with that year), but maybe I just paid more attention this time. Y'know, me being 33 and all. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not 34 yet. Hope I make it through the night. Otherwise, my friends'll be pretty disappointed about that barbecue.

Well, this is certainly the summer of the superhero movie, isn't it? Superhero movies aren't anything new to summer cinema, but I can't ever remember there being this many in a season that were this good. You may not like superhero movies, but a handful of them this year have transcended fan-based comics books and just become wonderful stories and, if nothing else, highly entertaining. The bar was set pretty high with "Iron Man" in May and, even the ones that weren't as great as "Iron Man" (and it was really, really great) are miles above the suckier superhero fare we've seen in the past few years.

A week ago today, "The Dark Knight" came out. Amidst all the buzz (not to mention in the wake of several great superhero movies so far), how could I resist seeing it on opening night (especially at the grand re-opening of the theater just 13 blocks from my house)? If you haven't seen "The Dark Knight" - first of all, shame on you! And don't gimme some excuse like "I've got better things to do" because right now you're reading my blog and, lemme tell ya, "The Dark Knight" is WAY better than anything on my blog. So, stop reading right now and go see it because I'm gonna talk about it and not hold back on the spoilers. You can come back and read after you've educated yourself on the wonder of this "cinematic adventure".

Actually, what I really want to discuss is where the Batman movie franchise could go from here. In a way, they've painted themselves in a corner because Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was so iconic and such a tour-de-force, that the best they can do now is lay that character to rest for a while. Even that is only a small part of the problem because what can they possibly come up with in the next Batman movie that will measure up? Can it be done?

I think the trick is to go in a new direction and explore new territory while remaining loyal to the roots and essence of the legend. Consider the following backstory for the third installment of Batman:

Pheripheral to the events we saw in "The Dark Knight", picture a man named Edward Gamine - This is beginning to sound like a "Twilight Zone" prologue, isn't it? Edward is a button-down type. Always over-acheived, followed the rules, tried to do the right thing. His life's path led him to some kind of governmental advisory position in Gotham City. He's good at his job - perhaps a bit too good. His affinity for strategy, puzzles and codes are a tribute to his brilliance. Ironically, his colleagues don't particularly respect him. Maybe out of jealousy or maybe just because they don't understand his obsessive-complusiveness and his meticulous lifestyle.

Anyway, in comes the Joker wreaking havoc on Gotham City and slowly manipulating his way up the underworld's pyramid of power. Mr. Gamine has some pretty insightful (albeit unconventional and risky) methods for dealing with the Joker which could, quite potentially, vanquish him. As the Joker's mayhem escalates, Gamine becomes increasingly frustrated that people won't take his advice seriously. Gamine becomes more vocal, more aggressive, perhaps more frightening to his superiors. Eventually he's fired. Now he's really mad.

Powerlessly watching the Joker methodically destroy Gotham City, Edward Gamine seethes with resentment. The last straw for him is when Harvey Dent, Gotham's White Knight, transforms almost overnight into TwoFace. Luckily, for the citizens of Gotham (although against their knowledge) Batman captures the Joker and foils his terrorist plot to destroy two passenger ferry boats. Soon after, he stops Harvey Dent from becoming a villian potentially as reprehensible as the Joker - so far. Just want to make a side note here that - in my movie - Harvey Dent is not dead. They have him tucked away in Arkham Asylum for intense treatment and are publicly treating him as deceased in order to maintain his image of hope and decency for the sake of Gotham's future. TwoFace will be back. Just not yet.

Anyway, with Joker and TwoFace out of the way, Gamine decides "It's my turn. If only they had listened to me, none of this would have happened. The Joker would be contained, Harvey Dent would still be alive, and the Batman would be obsolete. Well, I'll show them." And thus begins Edward Gamine's crime spree. However, being the game-playing afficianado he is (and the straight-laced OCD way of living he's obliged to), he deliberatley leaves behind convoluted and taunting clues to law-enforcement as a challenge to catch him. Like the Zodiac killer except instead of a murderer, he's a thief and, instead of the Zodiac, he calls himself the Enigma.

Unfortunately for Gamine (and much to his chagrin), the media - in thinking  common citizens don't even know what an "Enigma" is - labels him with another nickname. Can you guess what it is?

The Riddler.

Finally, they have a chance to do the Riddler right. Past incarnations had him portrayed as a sort of "Joker Lite" giggling hysterically and dancing around in green tights covered with question marks. The Riddler is really a criminal mastermind who takes greater pleasure in toying with people's minds than the crimes themselves. And he takes himself very seriously. I think deep down he's ashamed of his criminal acts and wants to be caught. Probably the best part of Heath Ledger's Joker was that he had so much depth to him. You could see that without even providing much back story. The Riddler deserves the same respect and could certainly be a very compelling villian. Especially since his entanglements with Batman are more a battle of wits than action and violence. Imagine getting to see Batman as a detective instead of merely a superhero.

The best part of my idea is that everything I've described here wouldn't actually be in the movie itself. It would be pieced together by Batman through the Riddler's clues during his investigation. In fact, you wouldn't even see the Riddler until halfway through the movie. And for those of you who think that's ill-advised, let me remind you that Spielberg didn't show you JAWS until the last reel of the film - and look how successful that movie was. Oh, and just to give you an idea of the sort of Riddler I'm envisioning, I'm thinking he should be played by Adrien Brody.

I realize, of course, that most people who go to see a movie about the Riddler are going to be expecting the goofball they're accustomed to, but hey, Heath Ledger's Joker - while true to form - wasn't very traditional when you look at Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson's performances. Fans will notice I started by changing his name from Edward Nigma to Edward Gamine ("Gamine" being an anagram of "Enigma"), because, let's face it, if your name was E. Nigma, who wouldn't suspect you of being the Riddler?

So, why do I feel like this idea is so worth sharing? Let me answer that very simply: "Spider-Man 3". It coulda been awesome, and I knew how to make it awesome. Unfortunately, nobody ever offered me the job of writing the script. I'm not presuming that in posting this blog somebody will offer me the job of writing the third Batman movie, but brief and unpolished as it may be, it's an idea. And now it's out there. And it's better to put the idea out there before the movie is made (and made poorly). And I'm not posting this as some kinda conniving form of clairvoiance so I can sue if this is in fact what they do come up with for the next movie. I'd just be happy the filmmakers had the same vision as me. If they don't, at least this way, when the third Batman movie does suck, you can think to yourself "Man, they shoulda listened to John." Not unlike how Gotham shoulda listened to Edward Gamine.

While I'm at it, I might as well point out that if Hollywood had come to me first, those STAR WARS prequels wouldn't have sucked so much. I'd already written those movies with my brother when I was ten.

My nephew’s 10 months old today. And with that comes a video. Now I know everybody thinks the kids in their own family are the cutest, smartest, and sweetest ever (no matter what other people - or just plain reality - say to the contrary) and I’ve tried not to be one of those obnoxious uncles that force feeds anyone within striking distance unsolicited stories, photos, and movies of my brother’s kid.

This is an exception, though. This cannot be helped. I can’t even wait another 2 months to post this in tribute to my nephew’s first full trip around the sun. I just watched the video just now and decided it absolutely must be posted immediately. It’s not just because it’s cute, either (although, it is quite cute indeed). But, rather than saying more, I think I should just introduce this with the same words my brother introduced it to me:

"Wyatt has recently taken up dancing and has a variety of favorite songs, but there’s one song that, no matter what he’s doing at the time, will make him drop everything and start dancing."



Now, I don’t need any additional reasons to love Wyatt more than I already do, but since "Cheers" is (and probably always will be) my favorite show of all time, I can’t help but be totally and completely swept away by this. Probably the only way it could be any better would be if he was getting down to the theme from "JAWS" (although, that would probably be a little creepy, wouldn’t it). Oh, how I love this kid. My family. My blood. My barfly.

While I’m at it, I might as well post my favorite photo of him wearing the Charlie Brown shirt I got him for Christmas:



Okay, that should hold me over for a little while longer until the next onslaught of overwhelming cuteness. Stay tuned.