The Useless Critic 2.0

Hello again - I hope you're enjoying this list. Or rather, I'm pretty ambivalent, because to quote Jenny and Johnny (RIP) - I'm having fun now.  I will start with the same sort of preamble as before: I am not writing this as a definitive guide, this is the list of albums I found most influential/noteworthy of the past decade. It's one person's opinion, so please don't swear by this. And if you disagree with me, I encourage you to write your own list instead of arguing with me, because you probably aren't changing my mind.  But for real, the last decade before the Earth melts into some Bisquick mix shit was full of good music. I can tell I am getting old because I am REALLY starting to abhor top 40 music (with the exception of Shawn Mendes, that kid is talented. Oh yes, and DNCE, which I realize now dates me a smidge. O.o)  48.) "When the Night" - St. Lucia  It's hard for me to conjure up a debut album by an indie pop act this decad...

Inspired in equal parts by Pitchfork, my love of useless lists, and all the other useless lists that are bound to circulate before 2020 dawns upon us ... I have compiled my Best Albums of 2010s list. Is it the penultimate one? God no. Do I care? Also, no. For example, I'm not including any Radiohead or Kanye West, and I know some people will be bewildered by that choice - but sans The Throne and Kids See Ghosts, I can't think of much I found too memorable by Kanye this past decade (I guess "Black Jesus?") But it would be insincere to call that one of my top albums since I barely listened to it. Radiohead - to be honest, I haven't enjoyed anything Radiohead has churned out since "In Rainbows." And even "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire was a hard sell for me. I'm talking about albums I connected with or found memorable in one way or another. And by all means, my opinion isn't end-all be-all, so feel free to disagree.  Somewhat related but m...

Hello/ Hola It was not easy having to decide on one actor that stood beyond all others in the 2000s. To make the decision I could not only give it to one person, so for the first time in Spotlight/Shoutout history the award is divided into two categories. Television Actor and Film Actor of the Decade. Let’s start with TV. Richard Coyle! This was the name that rose above them all. As I posted on my top television shows, the UK’s “Coupling” was the funniest show of all time. And it would not have made it that far, if not for the performance of Richard Coyle. He played the quirky, nervous, and socially awkward Jeff Murdock from 2000-2003 on the show. There is no other person on the planet who has entertained me better than Richard Coyle, his comic style was and is one of a kind. So many times I had almost fell on the floor laughing when he told jokes or was caught in awkward situations. After leaving “Coupling” Richard C moved to the London stage, performing in David Auburn’s Proof a...

By Nader Bouberhan Tragic times have fallen upon us with the loss of Brittany Murphy, and I will dedicate this to her. My Top Ten TV Shows of the Decade Buenas Noches, these are my top ten television shows as we say goodbye to 2009!! Here it goes . . . . . . 10. Family Guy Starting at number 10, “Family Guy” revived the world of animated humor, and it took off as a cultural phenomenon. During the years of 2004-2006 everybody was talking about “Family Guy” nonstop, and they still are. Creator Seth MacFarlane also has two other hit shows on FOX and is their powerhouse for animated comedy. 9. X-Men Evolution This show might surprise some as a top ten, but “X-Men Evolution” became a solid and reliable show for me. During one summer, I stayed up every night to catch the daily episode of XME on Cartoon Network. It brought back so many memories of the 90’s, but it was different. XME gave a new spin on the stories and helped connect them to teenagers. It had ways of joining old feelings ...