A Year of Cheers and Jeers

As a boy, I used to love grabbing TV Guide in line at the grocery store, and reading over the CHEERS AND JEERS section. Often, the Cheers and Jeers were about shows I didn't watch, but I didn't care. The thrill of life reduced to the laudable and the execrable was a welcome relief to the relativistic academic culture of Amherst, MA. So, I decided to employ the Cheers and Jeers format as I look back at the year that will long be known as… 2007.

CHEERS! Weed. Friend, brother, secret lover.

JEERS! The Odor of Hong Kong. I'd describe it as a plate of fresh sashimi sitting in a Soviet-era sauna.

CHEERS! The Presence of Circle K in Hong Kong. Strange things are afoot… at the many Circle Ks in Hong Kong!

JEERS! Pinkberry. Good work, Pinkberriers, removing every ounce of joy from your "ice cream." This is the perfect capper to sex with five condoms on.

CHEERS! A New Generation of Jewish Humor Dominance. Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Judd Apatow… Toda for the laughter.

JEERS! "Blood and Treasure." Specifically, the use of the phrase "blood and treasure" when media talking heads and/or politicians discuss the costs of Iraq. It's a good example of how intellectually bankrupt Washington is when every politician and every anchor parrots the same worn-out phrase again and again and again, to radically diminishing effect (unless the intended effect is making my skin crawl).

CHEERS! The Golden Age of Television. The writers strike may herald its end, but when you can name off the top of your head four shows you don't even have time to watch (The Wire, The Shield, Man Men, Weeds) that people you trust claim are the best on television—it's a high. Speaking of highs: the Lost season finale. Those who saw it… are forever changed.

R.I.P, Charlie, R.I.P. Spoiler Alert!

JEERS! Romney, Guiliani, McCain, Thompson, Huckabee. A Massachusetts governor posing as an anti-immigrant gun-nut… A power-hungry lunatic running against Islam… A victim of torture who supports toture… Stockman from Iron Eagle III…and Mike Huckabee. Vote Keyes!

CHEERS! President Obama. Just so I can trot the globe with a big, "I don't hear you talkin' now, motherfuckers" grin on my face.

Let it be, let it be...

JEERS! Lack of Minutiae on the Blog. Share the inanity of life with the rest of us, people!

CHEERS! Basel. You can swim in the river that provides 80% of the city's electricity via hydropower. Switzerland, nicely played.

QUICK HITS ENTERTAINMENT JEERS: World War Hulk, the retarded brother on 24,
Maureen Dowd, sports posts on the blog (I know, I did one too), Chuck on Gossip Girl, hash.

QUICK HITS ENTERTAINMENT CHEERS: The Hold Steady, Guitar Hero III, iTunes, Serena on Gossip Girl, David Brooks in the post-Republican apocalypse era, This American Life, Speidi, the Dave Sandler 70s look, the Dog Bowl video.

CHEERS! Mr. and Mrs. Ross. Congrats to the happy couple!

JEERS! Missing My Friends. No fun.

CHEERS! Seeing My Friends. Tons o' fun! And I'll be back in town for a couple days next week—so let's meet at some seasonally charged bar for a little mulled wine and lunacy!