(25. The Matt Cassel era in Foxboro. Okay, this doesn't really count but I wanted 25 items on the list. And I am genuinely excited about it in a weird way.)
24. The return of "good" reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Biggest Loser. Yes, I know the term might seem like an oxymoron, but the summer network TV schedule was downright depressing. America's Top Dog? People jumping on giant rubber balls? Japanese game shows? Really, this is the best we could do in the wake of the strike? I'm telling you, I really should be in network TV programming because I promise I could do better than this.
23. 30 Rock (season 2) on DVD. This show is brilliant. They catch some flak for the crazy number of guest stars, but it really works within the context of the show. Season two had some legendary moments that I'm really looking forward to watching again. Werewolf bar mitzvah, anyone?
22. Rough Weather, a novel by Robert B. Parker. His novels have been hit or miss lately, but I still pick up every Spenser book as soon as it comes out. This will be no exception.
21. Spore PC videogame. This comes from the makers of "The Sims" and could have been titled "SimEverything." You create your own life forms and guide them through various stages of evolution, from the birth of their existence through intergalactic space travel. Yeah, super geeky. Whatever, I'm in.
20. Chuck (season 1) on DVD. This is one of the most enjoyable shows on television. I was hooked right from the pilot and I cannot wait to watch the incredible first season again. The nearly no-name cast is one of the best on TV.
19. Entourage season 5 on HBO. I have an irrational love for this show, and it will be interesting to see the course it takes this year after lead character Vincent Chase suffered a box office bomb to wrap up season four.
18. Just After Sunset, a short story collection from Stephen King. This one is a must for me. Some of his past short stories are classics.
17. Fringe, on FOX. It's Sci-Fi, it's J.J. Abrams, and it's got Pacey from Dawson's Creek. That is not the order of things that makes me interested in this show but I'll be giving it a shot.
16. Lost season four on Blu-Ray (December). It looks absolutely gorgeous in Hi Def and some of last year's plot points practically demand a second viewing. The Constant? The (spoiler alert?) island-moving frozen donkey wheel? Jin going kablooie? Yeah, I need to see everything again.
15. Heroes season three on NBC. I like the fact that the producers outright admitted that they made some major mistakes last year. The writers' strike killed any momentum that they could have generated at the end of the year, so I think shutting it down and starting up this fall was the right call. Everything I've seen and read so far looks promising.
14. and 13. (tie) How I Met Your Mother, seasons three (DVD) and four (CBS). I was a latecomer to this show, which is kind of a problem...because it is absolutely AWESOME. Everything about it is great. The concept is as fresh as could be for a multi-cam sitcom. The cast is incredibly appealing. The writing is sharp and hilarious. I just love this show! Here's my only problem: I'm still catching up via DVD, so I'm a full season behind, and the new season starts over a month earlier than last season's DVD comes out. Who scheduled that?!? Terrible call. But I'll DVR it until I get caught up in October. It will be legen...wait for it...DARY!
12. 30 Rock season three on NBC. This show might be going down but they're going down swinging. Bring on more stunt guest star casting. Whatever it takes to keep it alive!
11. The Brass Verdict, a novel by Michael Connelly. I think he has supplanted Parker as my favorite crime fiction writer going today. Everything he writes is thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and this new one looks like a crossover title involving his main guy, Harry Bosch, and recently introduced lawyer Mickey Haller. I'm in. If you have never read him and enjoy a good cop/P.I. yarn, just start at the beginning. You'll love them.
10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Blu-Ray. This was really clever, funny, and cute. I'm not sure how they are coming up with enough extras to fill up three regular DVDs but I can't wait to find out. Russell Brand was hilarious in this, unlike his trainwreck of a showing hosting the MTV awards on Sunday.
9. The Office season five on NBC. I adore this show. The Supersizing episodes last fall may not have been the best idea, but as a whole they had a great year. I cannot wait to see where and how things pick up this fall.
8. The Force Unleashed videogame on PS3. Kicking ass and using the full array of Force powers as Darth Vader's secret apprentice between episodes three and four? Hell yeah! The video clips look phenomenal. I apologize in advance for all the poor Wookiees I'm going to slaughter playing this game. I still love you, Wookiees. Nothing personal.
7. Iron Man on Blu-Ray. The Dark Knight might be a better film, but Iron Man was probably the most enjoyable movie of the summer. I can't to pop this one in again and watch it in glorious HD.
6. Chuck season two on NBC. I watched a six minute trailer of the upcoming season that they showed at ComiCon and...wow. It looks incredible. Kudos to NBC for giving this show the support it deserves.
5. Quantum of Solace, in theatres in November. Casino Royale rocked and the whole James Bond reboot idea was long overdue. I hear this one picks up ten minutes after the end of the last movie. Cool idea. I'm so there.
4. Downtown Owl, a novel by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman has become my favorite writer. His pop culture books are instant classics, whether I completely agree with what he is saying or almost laugh out loud at some ridiculous positions he takes. This is his first novel and I'm in, sight unseen. I don't know what it's about, and I don't care. He might be the only author that I can say that about right now: that I will immediately buy whatever he writes without knowing a thing about it: fiction, non-fiction, whatever. He's that entertaining. Okay, the same goes for Bill Simmons, my long lost twin brother. But that's a blog for another day.
3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in theatres October 31. Kevin Smith. Seth Rogen. Elizabeth Banks. Justin Long. Amateurs making a porno spoofing Star Wars. Yes, I'll be seeing this one. Also, I guarantee that this is Smith's biggest box office success to date, and it won't even be close.
2. Rock Band 2 videogame for PS3. Rock Band was one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of videogames, and it is so fun it's ridiculous. From all accounts they've taken everything great and improved it for round two. This cannot come out soon enough for me.
1. DEATH MAGNETIC, a CD by Metallica, available Friday. I've heard a few snippets of several of the songs and it sounds far and away like the best stuff they have done since The Black Album. One review I read said it's like a missing album bridging that and "...And Justice For All." St. Anger was almost impossible to listen to, so my hopes are high for a rebound. So far it sounds amazing.
So that's what I'll be consuming this fall.
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