The Year in Review

It is hard to believe that 2008 is over already. It's been an incredible year, where a lot of great things happened. So with that, I present a few lists to recap the year.

TOP 5 NEW YORK MOMENTS
1. The Year of Trivia.
I got a wonderful job at "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire". I wrote questions for the Cash Cab board game. I wrote questions for Grasshopper trivia and my team dominates Trinity Trivia each and every week. Oh, useless knowledge!

2. Saturday Night Live & Presidential Politics
I was about ten feet from Lorne Michaels, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and James Downey talk about SNL's long history of presidential sketches and moments at the New York Times Center. I always love hearing behind-the-scenes stories and this event did not disappoint.

3. Katie Ellman Getting Serenaded By A Pink Gorilla
While at Extreme Trains, by friend and co-worker Katie Ellman had a birthday. Her fiancee (now husband) wanted to embarrass her and I was more than happy to help out any way I could. So he arranged for a singing telegram, but not just any singing telegram, but a singing telegram by a guy dressed up as a pink gorilla. It was awesome on so many levels.

4. August: Osage County
It won the Pulitzer and Tony for Best Play and well deserved. It's about the most dysfunctional family ever. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get your money's worth. Yes, it's 3.5 hours, but it is without question, the most incredible stage piece I have ever seen. I cannot possibly recommend this play enough.

5. John Oliver
I got to see Daily Show correspondent John Oliver twice this year: first as emcee for the Revenge of the Bookeaters benefit followed by a panel discussion with the Daily Show writers at the Paley Center. He is hilarious and I fall for him more and more every time I se him. Humor and a British accent -- does it get better than that?


TOP 10 LIVE MUSICAL MOMENTS
1. Paul McCartney - "I Saw Her Standing There" / "Let It Be"
I saw one of the Beatles sing in Shea Stadium. And if it could be any cooler, it was the at the closing of a Billy Joel concert. Cheryl has the full-bodied scream I was unaware I could make on her camera. I realized what a monumental moment is was and savored it for everything it was worth.

2. Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker - "Gloria"
Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker's cover of "Gloria" is one of my favorites ever. It's never been officially released and rarely played. It's been six years since I heard it last and I was so excited when they played it during the encore of their Newark show.

3. Paul Simon - "The Only Living Boy in New York"
"The Boxer" is my favorite Simon & Garfunkel song (see below), and in recent years "The Only Living Boy in New York" has risen up the ranks to second. The fact that this was an acoustic version and that I was mere feet from Mr. Simon, made this scoot up high on the list.

4. Paul Simon - "The Boxer"
A couple of weeks earlier, I was at Town Hall for a benefit show and Paul Simon came out and did a four song acoustic set. The highlight was an acoustic version of "The Boxer", my favorite Simon & Garfunkel song and in the top five of my all-time favorite songs.

5. Bruce Springsteen - "Radio Nowhere"
I made my maiden trip to Giants Stadium to see Bruce Springsteen for the first time in six years. "Radio Nowhere" is one of my favorite new songs in the past year and Bruce did not disappoint in his live rendition.

6. Ben Folds - "Landed"
I went to the Manhattan outskirts to Terminal 5 to see Ben Folds. Every time I see him, I am reminded of his genius. "Landed" is such a beautiful song and hearing it in a small venue made it all the more special.

7. Ray LaMontange - "Trouble"
I was happily surprised that Ray LaMontange sold out Radio City Music Hall. He has a gravely timbre to his voice that is so rich. He sounds incredible on CD, but hearing "Trouble" in person was amazing. He has a forcefulness in his voice that must be heard in person. Please check him out if he comes 'round again.

8. Billy Joel - "Summer, Highland Falls"
There's nothing like a song about manic depression in a stadium to get it rockin'. "Summer, Highland Falls" is my favorite Billy Joel song, and I always get excited when I can hear it live.

9. Steve Winwood w/ Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "Gimme Some Lovin'"
Steve Winwood was the opening act for the Tom Petty tour this summer. Halfway through Petty's set, he brings out Steve Winwood to sing his most known song from his days with the Spencer Davis Group, "Gimme Some Lovin'". This song has been a staple of my Best of the Best iPod playlist for quite some time, and having the Heartbreakers back him up only made it better.

10. Boston Pops w/ the Tanglewood Festival Chorus - "The Twelve Days of Christmas".
OK, so this one is a little out of place, but hear me out. I returned to Boston's Symphony Hall after a five year absence for the Holiday Pops and they did not disappoint. The highlight was a very creative arrangement of "the Twelve Days of Christmas". Each day was sung a la Queen, a la West Side Story, a la Oklahoma, etc... and it was wonderful. This would have been higher on the list had Keith Lockhart been conducing, but since the conductor was non-Keith, points were taken off.

TOP BOOKS I READ IN 2008 (not necessarily written in 2008)
1. Manhunt - by James L. Swanson
You got John Wilkes Booth. You got Lincoln. You got the assassination. You got the chase. This book was riveting.

2. Born Standing Up - by Steve Martin
Steve Martin is my ideal man. There is no way I would not love every word of this book.

3. Hitman - by Bret Hart
Hear me out on his one. Yes, it is an autobiography of a professional wrestler. But at over 550 pages, it is such a fascinating look at the rise and fall of one of wrestling's greatest superstars. I could not put this book down and I look forward to reading it again.

4. State By State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
Each state is represented in essay form by a different writer, native to that state. Sarah Vowell tackles Montana, while Jonathan Franzen handles New York, and John Hodgman gives his two-cents to Massachusetts. It's pretty much all of my favorite writers in one tome.''

5. I Love You, Beth Cooper - by Larry Doyle
A former writer for the Simpsons, Doyle pens a hilarious story about the perils of teenage love.

OTHER HIGH POINTS
1. Vegas, Baby!
Turning 30 was secondary to hanging with my friends in Las Vegas. It was the best distraction ever. It also helped that I was a winner.

2. Art Monk's Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction
#81 on the Washington Redskins, Art Monk is my all-time favorite football player. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was long overdue. And to go in with another class act, Darrell Green, made it a perfect day to be a Washington Redskins fan.

3. Christie's
I love Christie's auction house and this year did not disappoint. I went to previews of the James Brown estate auction - touching the last suit he performed in and saw threatening letters he wrote to his wife in prison. He also had the most garish taste in furniture of any human being ever. Towards the end of the year, I saw the most beautiful Louis Comfort Tiffany Wisteria Lamp circa 1905, estimated at only $200,000-$300,000, and eventually selling for $410,500. That same day I saw Helmut Newton photographs that went for $650K, and rare Marilyn Monroe photos.

4. Biking
I reclaimed a love of bike riding this year. Thanks to the organization of my roommates, I got back on the bike. We went to beautiful Whitehaven, PA and went on a 25-mile trail. It was peaceful and beautiful. I had so much fun, and despite my Dad's taunts, did not die.

5. Washington Post Tour
As a lifelong Washingtonian, I grew up reading the Washington Post. While visiting my hometown one weekend, my friend gave me a tour of her place of employment. It was awesome. I got to see where all my favorite Posties sit and revel in the history of the newsroom.

6. Teddy Roosevelt vs. the Bird
On that same weekend, I made my first trip to see the Washington Nationals. The only thing better than baseball, is baseball entertainment by oversized mascots. The usual presidents race was usurped by a special challenge by an oversized Teddy Roosevelt to the mighty Baltimore Orioles Bird. I still call shenanigans that Teddy Roosevelt won...

I heard the news that two of my childhood friends will be becoming parents in the next year, while I lost two influential professors. We also lost Paul Newman and Eartha Kitt but are also about to start a new era with a new president. Overall, 2008 has been a great year, appreciating all the good fortunes that have come my way. There's a high bar for 2009.

Quote of the Day:
"Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind ... the race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself." -Mary Schmich

Lewis Barlow

During my years at Boston University, I was fortunate enough to have many wonderful professors. Only a select few had a significance in my life, and Lewis Barlow was among those. He passed away on October 29th, but I just found out about it. To say I am saddened is an understatement. Prof. Barlow was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. It was through his encouragement that gave me the confidence to not only pursue a career a television, but also the faith that I would be successful.

It was ten years ago that I was a student in Prof. Barlow's Producing I class. My fondest memory of it was I project I did with my friends Meg and Jess. Prof. Barlow assigned us to come up with an idea for a documentary and pitch it to the class. We decided to to "the Rise and Fall of Theme Restaurants". During the heyday of theme restaurants, it seemed anything with the remotest of interests would become a theme restaurant, for example: The Model Cafe. The Model Cafe was a restaurant owned by supermodels Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. I was saying how this was inevitably going to fail because are you really going to look at a photo of Kate Moss and then order a hamburger with the works, fries and a soda? Barlow let out this belly laugh which at first startled me, but after that moment passed, realized we did a good job.

I would often find myself in his office, talking about the television industry, but also other minutia, like trivia. He would have loved that I was working on Millionaire now. In the late 1980s he was a contestant on Jeopardy! (he was also an early producer on Sesame Street, which further endeared me to him). In his favorite story, he recounted how he started off slow, but Double Jeopardy was very good to him and was in the lead going into Final Jeopardy. The category was American Women. The answer: She died in New Salem, Illinois in 1825. That was it. Barlow connected Illinois to Lincoln and said Lincoln's Mother. He was wrong. The correct question: Who was Anne Rutledge, Lincoln's mistress. Since hearing that story I have never forgotten that fact.

I feel incredibly blessed to have had Prof. Barlow as a teacher and advisor. He was a good man who touched the lives of me and countless student. Thank you Lew Barlow. Thank you.

May 2001 with Liz (Newell) Modena and Jill (Unger) Gold


May 2000 with Jill (Unger) Gold and Bill Lawson


Quote of the Day:
"A professor can never better distinguish himself in his work more than by encouraging a clever pupil, for the true discoverers are amongst them, as comets amongst the stars". -Henry Brooks Adams