My Rough Attempt at a "Best Of…" List.

(Ooooo Kirstin Dunst, you made my year with your stunning portrayal of Paris Hilton.)


Since everywhere I turn this week there seems to be the inevitable "Best Of 2006" lists by every critic I thought I would chime my little voice in as well. I am a complete pop culture junkie (esp. movies, music and theater) but this year I have been slacking far more than usual. I don't know if it was all of my time working as at the strip club or what, but needless to say my list isn't being compiled by someone that has seen it all. With that in mind, here were my favorite things in a variety of categories for 2006....

Movies:
1. Shortbus-Brilliant film by John Cameron Mitchell. Incredible incorporation of REAL sex on screen to explain self liberation.
2. Volver- Who knew Penelope Cruz had anything to offer but incredible cleavage?! Beautiful movie by Almodovar.
3. Little Children- My goddess Kate Winslet yet again comes through with an amazing performance.
4. Half Nelson- Disturbing account of a grade school teachers addiction to crack and his relationship with a student. If only all kids could have a teacher that dedicated.
5. Little Miss Sunshine- Can anyone watch this and not feel simply great about life? In addition, they use Sufjan Stevens music. What's not to love?

Least Favorite: Marie Antoinette- EWWWWWWWWWWW. Someone must be punished for this.

TV:
1. The Office
2. The Comeback
3. 24
4. Project Runway-GUILTY PLEASURE!!!!

Least Favorite: Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. EWWWWW. Someone must be punished for this....Aaron Sorkin.

Music:
1. Sufjan Stevens-The Avalanche
2. Regina Spektor-Begin to Hope
3. Nellie McKay-Pretty Little Head
4. Lily Allen- Alright, Still
5. Justin Timberlake- Future Sex/Love Sounds
Runner Up: Decemberists-The Crane Wife

Worst: Fergie-The Dutchess. Winner of the worst because it just gets in your brain but it is TERRIBLE.

Theater: Have REALLY been slacking in this department and plan on seeing a huge amount in the next two weeks. For some reason everything that I saw seems entirely forgettable at the moment.
1. Rufus Wainwright at Carnegie Hall- This could go under music but I feel like it was a true theatrical event. Having the chance to see one of my favorite singers do a legendary rendition of Judy Garland's entire 1961 concert was a once in a lifetime experience.
2. Faith Healer
3. Spring Awakening- As many reservations as I have about this show, I LOVE the music and can't stop thinking about it.
4. [title of show]
5. Lincoln Center Broadcast of "Light In The Piazza"

Least Favorite: "The Threepenny Opera," "The Times They Are A Changin"

Dance:
1. Ohad Naharin's "Telophaza"-Batsheva at Lincoln Center in what was to me a life changing performance. Tied for first is the performance I saw of Naharin's piece by Hubbard Street in April.
2. Larry Keigwin at Dance New Amsterdam. This was a huge surprise for me and I loved every minute of it.
3. San Francisco Ballet performing "Artifact Suite" at Lincoln Center made me jealous and crave such a corps heavy piece.
4. AsZure Dance Company at Fall For Dance. Purely enjoyable dance that made me want to see more. Mission accomplished.
5. ABT doing "In The Upper Room," "The Green Table," and "Glow-Stop" at City Center. Hey, I had to include them at some point didn't I?

Least Favorite: Sylvie Guillem "Push," Stephen Petronio at the Joyce, "Sankai Juku"

Art:
1. Modern Art Auction at Christies: An incredible display of work by Rothko, Warhol and other masters of the 20th century but most spectacularly, De Kooning.
2. Barnaby Furnas- Parting of the Red Seas in Chelsea
3. Vik Muniz' Mythological Garbage creations in Chelsea
4. Edvard Munch at MoMA
5. Bill Viola at MoMA
6. Francis Picabia's work displayed in the Dada Exhibit at MoMA


Books:
1. De Kooning-Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan
2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close-Johnathan Safran Foer
3. How To Be Alone-Johnathan Franzen (not from this year but just read it)

What about everyone else? Anything really stand out this year? I must be missing a few good additions.

Comments

[chris]

You missed a great year in Theatre. Lieutenent of Inishmore was my favorite play (even better, I thought, than the much feted History Boys). I don't think anything can top your musical recommendation. Spring Awakening (which could be described as "History Boys on crack") is amazing! Interesting that like you, I had some reservations when I first saw it at the Atlantic (I wished it hadn't been as emotionally distancing), but when I saw at on Broadway, I was weeping at moments that had never affected me before! This is definitely a show that gets deeper and deeper the more you see it. It's not surprising that the reviews, which were enthusiastic with qualifications off broadway, turned into out and out raves of the kind not seen in recent memory. Love it.

[tonya]

i must have missed something with spring awakening. to be honest, i was bored out of my mind for most of it -- wasn't anything i hadn't seen before... and the music -- it sounded like one long song played over and over again with a slightly different melody each time... but i am an old lady, compared to you!...

which strip club did you work at this year!!!

[Jennifer]

ditto on spring awakening, something's missing but love the music, i hope you got the soundtrack! (i did) as per the previous comment, in my opinion, spring awakening is a cross between history boys and altar boyz.

about sylvie guillem & push though...it was great (for me) to finally see her live on stage and loved the lighting in the performance.

[clothedambition]

Be sure to stop by the Yahoo group THE JUDY GARLAND EXPERIENCE for our New Years Spectacular. are featuring loads of rare recordings including Judy in a New Years skit,
a few snatches of Judy singing On The Good Ship Lollypop, an ultra
rare duet from the mid sixties, Judy on You Bet Your Life (sort of)
with host Grouch Marx (this sketch is a lot funnier than the last
Groucho/Judy sketch we had), a lost interview from Las Vegas, tons of
rare songs and so much more. So be there or be square!
If you are not yet a member of THE JUDY GARLAND EXPERIENCE, don't you
think it's time you joined? I mean you're missing out on all the fun!
Come join us now, everybody is welcome.
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/thejudygarlandexperience/

[Larry R.]

Just to confine this mainly to art, a few remarkable exhibits you did not mention were:

1) the Ambroise Vollard exhibit that just closed today at the Met. Vollard was a major dealer who sold work by Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Picasso, and more. The show included some amazing works, such as a Starry Night by Van Gogh borrowed from the d'Orsay, and Gauguin's great Where are we from, where are we now, and where are we going? - which to my amazement the Boston MFA allowed to travel.

2) also at the Met, the ongoing small exhibit of modern German portraits. This may really interest you, Matt, as the satirical nature of some of this work is closely allied with the subject and manner of The Green Table. (In fact, the George Grosz "Empire of the Sun" also depicts politicians haranguing around a green table.) The Neue Galerie, btw, also had a recent exhibit focussed on Klimt, whose Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer has been purchased for their permanet collection.

3) the ongoing exhibit of Spanish art at the Guggenheim, spanning from El Greco to Picasso, may well be the greatest show I have ever seen there. I spent 3 1/2 hours going through it.

As for theater, I would certainly add the Tom Stoppard "The Coast of Utopia," his trilogy on political intellectuals from Russia in the 19th century. It is a very demanding theme for the audience, but the acting (from stars such as Brian O'Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Billy Crudup) is phenomenal.