Yeah, first time I saw Rothko's paintings in person I was similarly floored. I finally got why he was (and is) considered great. No reproduction can do it justice.

My favorite stuff was Fingerman and his wife interacting with the mutants. If there is a sequel (please!) I'd like to see more scenes of their new life with mutants.

Also on "The Sopranos:"

He's playing the "Martin Scorsese" character, similar to his American Express commercial of a few years back.

Great Interview, Noel
One of best interviews the AVClub has had in a while.

Love "Constant Craving" but always thought the song was oddly structured. It seems to be missing a third verse.

Do you mean Wire the band or "The Wire" the tv show?

No argument from me. All of these discs are great, but they were all discussed earlier in the comments.

@ Satanism (and oh, how often I say those words):

You and Oblivion
"Like The Smiths, Suede seemed determined to carry on the great British tradition of releasing singles that worked like miniature albums, two- or three-track releases sporting B-sides as strong, or sometimes stronger, than the tracks they supported."

Indeed - they can do no wrong.

I agree. I hopped off the U2 wagon fairly early, but I bought the deluxe edition of the first greatest hits cds just so I could have the b-sides to their early singles, particularly their cover of Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot."

Back in the vinyl days, XTC had a best of called "Waxworks" and a companion album called "Beeswax" that contained their many B-sides and bonus tracks. Both were/are great.

@ Pinkney -

2009
Only read two books that were published in 2009: "Inherent Vice" by Thomas Pynchon and "The City and The City" by China Mieville.

Also:
"Devil's Radio" by Robyn Hitchcock (his take on rightwing talk radio)

Mr. Rabin doesn't need me to defend him, but I believe he was being ironic.

Au contraire. There was a lot of great stuff this decade. It's just that mainstream culture has collapsed and the good stuff is all a matter of personal taste and investigating the fringe.

I wish I lived in a world in which Jim Broadbent was the word's most profitable actor.

And she was always adorable as "Jeanne Tripplehorn" on Jon Favreau's series "Dinner For Five."