B is for Drew Brees

To: Everyone who wasn't cheering for this guy last night,

Look at this picture and tell me that you don't regret your choice. I dare you.


And a special high five to my cousin, Shane, the only legit Saints fan I've ever known.

B is for Gaga Bucks

For C Dub, and anyone who might be more into Lady Gaga than they want to admit.


Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

via The Daily What

B is for Bill Murray

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather. "

Happy Groundhog Day. Come on, Phil. Gimme springtime.

B is for "Ball... I've got nothing else to say."

Thanks to Deadspin. And the official Facebook fan page.

I've got nothing else to say.

B is for Conan O'Brien

This video probably won't be online much longer (NBC and their darn copyright restrictions), so hurry and watch. But I can't imagine a better way for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to have ended, than a stirring rendition of "Freebird" featuring Will Ferrell and the return of the cowbell, Beck, Ben Harper, one of the dudes from ZZ Top, and Conan himself showing some killer chops.

To all the people watching, I can never ever thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favorite quality, and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they would get, but if you work hard and you’re kind, I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.

- Conan O'Brien

B is for Bronze

I know that the whole "Best of 2009" thing is so three weeks ago, but I wanted to chime in anyway. But, since I'm three weeks late, I think I'll only give my third favorite of each category.

Movie:


I don't know why more people didn't love The Brothers Bloom. It was one of the most visually beautiful movies I saw last year (which says a lot when you throw in Where the Wild Things Are, Up and even Avatar). After seeing it, I finally started buying into Ricky's claim on how stunning Eastern Europe is. The film doubles as a quirky caper, and a much more accessible version of Joyce's Ulysses, which someone told me I shouldn't even bother trying to read. So just watch this instead.

Album:


Upbeat, sugary sweet, and the album that kept my head bobbing all summer long. I am having a surprisingly difficult time coming to terms with the idea that two of my favorite albums from 2k9, plus my very favorite album from 2k8 would have featured male falsetto vocals.

Book:


I didn't read anything that was actually written last year. So I choose from the books that I read for the first time in 2009. Don't judge me. At least I read. Initially, I had a hard time getting into A Farewell to Arms, but something finally clicked, and I ended up being glad that I toughed it out. Maybe I'm way off base, but this purportedly "anti-war" book seemed to infer that you can't escape the tragedies in life, even if you escape war.

TV:


The most consistently funny show on TV. I know it's not a teen soap, but this clip killed me:



I just rewatched that about seven times, and want to keep going, but the missionaries are on their way for dinner, so I've gotta finish this up.

Restaurant:


Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Remember this dude from Top Chef?


Despite the goofy hats, I liked him. And I loved the burger and marshmallow shake I had at his restaurant. Yeah... marshmallow shake. It's better than it sounds.

B is for Bizarre Christmas Tunes, vol. 4

The song itself isn't so bizarre, as the timing of it. After rediscovering how much I love the Strokes and declaring yesterday Is This It? Day, I found this video of Julian Casablancas itching for Christmas to be here.



For those of you who aren't familiar with the original SNL performance of this song, Jimmy Fallon's awful hair, and Tracy Jordan snapping his fingers for two solid minutes, you can watch it here.

Oh, and merry Christmas if I don't see you before then.