Bush, the War in Iraq, a tanked economy and the impending take over of Miley Cyrus, it is easy to think there is nothing left to live for. At the rate we’re going, maybe our impending 2012 doom isn’t so difficult to believe.
But I like to go into an apocalypse with at least a positive attitude. These are the things I have enjoyed the most over the past ten years. Some require less comment, some deserve more, but all of them belong on the list for one reason or another.
You TubeLets face it. Some of our best times in the 2000’s have been gathered around the computer with the Numa Numa guy and Charlie the Unicorn. More importantly, YouTube became a platform for the common man to join the mass media. After all, could we have lived without Justin Beiber?
Of the social networking sights that have popped up over the past few years, none have had the same widespread impact. I knew things were out of control when I received a friend request from my dog, but Facebook has always been more than just adding friends. I like to think Sonoma State itself is run on Facebook. If I’m hearing about a lecture, a dance, or an event, it’s almost always through Facebook. I no longer give out my phone number to class members, “Just add me on Facebook.” However, the hours of my life lost to farmville will never return to me. But I think I can live with that.
American Idol
At the turn of the century, nothing was more funny than watching strangers make complete fools of themselves. American Idol was the dawning of the era of talent competition reality shows. The idea that anybody can make it big, and that your vote could make somebody’s dream come true propelled television of the new millennium. American Idol picked people of off the streets and turned them into actual stars (Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood) with the occasional oddballs (Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks). Of course, this all excludes the fact that show got a little tired five seasons in. But who knows - now that Elen is a judge the show may be worth a second chance. Maybe.
My iPod
Remember when your phone and your mp3 player were two separate devices? Or for that matter, does anyone remember life with CD’s? Portable music is now part of everything I do. I hate walking to class in silence. I can’t do homework even or sleep without my headphones in. I’m patiently waiting for Steve Jobs to invent the iPlug that can stay in my ear 24/7, and then I could get to work on the soundtrack for my life.
Johnny Depp
Whether you like him or not, this has been Johnny’s decade. From Jack Sparrow to John Dillinger, Depp has been delivering smash, sometimes weird, though always entertaining performances on the silver screen. He and pal Tim Burton are scheduled to release their latest oddball romp “Alice In Wonderland” in 2010. Maybe the legacy will continue. But if not, I can always go back to the entertaining myself thinking about Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter’s children. Is crazy hair hereditary?
Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest is a British-American director, actor, screenwriter, composer, and comedian. He is more widely know for directing, writing, and staring in a series of “mocumentary” films featuring the same troop of comedic actors including Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Fred Willard. The films “document” everything from heavy metal bands to dog shows. My personal favorite, “A Mighty Wind” (2003) pokes fun at the folk music scene. His more recent “For Your Consideration”(2006) spoofs the film industry itself. They may not be the “best”, but as far as I’m concerned the sky is the limit when it comes to Guest and his ideas. Personally, I’m hoping for an in depth look at the Bush administration. I’ve always thought Levy would make a good president.
Harry Potter
On the night of July 7, 2000, I was one of the thousands of children lining up outside of the local bookstore to receive their copy of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. Right around the same time, Chris Columbus was being approved as director for the film version of the first book, “The Sorcerer’s Stone”. What ensued was of one of the largest book franchises of all time. A franchise that would ensure the popularity of a series of books that in many ways, changed a generation. I and many others like myself awaited the new books with more eagerness than all of the Christmas mornings and birthdays combined.
One of the most valuable things J.K. Rowling brought us was an eagerness to read in an age of technology. Classic lessons of good vs. evil or right vs. wrong were given human faces for parents to discuss with their children. And as the children grew up, the books grew with them. I was nine when I first read my first Harry Potter Book. I was eighteen when I read my last. It’s the only thing that I never grew out of. And now with the franchise winding down, the last film is scheduled for release next year, I hope that the following generation will have something to be as excited about. I mean, once we get over the vampire fad of course.
