MUSIC

10. Arctic Monkeys – The hype for their first album seemed overbearing before it was even released, but even though the inevitable letdown came, it wasn’t as severe as might have been expected. Either way, Whatever You Say I Am.. stands as one of the best British albums of the decade.

9. John Mayer – For his third studio solo effort, Mayer retained the blues-fused compositions of the live-album Try, placing sole responsibility on his audience to embrace a new, inspired John Mayer. Continuum retains the lyrical brilliance of past Mayer albums while differing in its musical structure, employing many jazz and blues elements which provide for a calm simplicity as opposed to oft-overproduced pop-rock discs.

8. Christina Aguilera – Faced with the prospect of growing up or fading out a few years ago, Aguilera was able to change her image and save her career. But it wasn’t until Back to Basics, her strongest and most mature album yet, that she finally found her sound.

7. Beirut – It may not seem like to say that Beirut has made the best album of Balkan gypsy music this year, but the real accomplishment was making it actually accessible. Even more impressive is that the album is mostly the work of multi-instrumental prodigy Zach Condon, a 19-year-old American who based the entire album on experiences in Eastern Europe.

6. Liars – Drum’s Not Dead – Drum’s Not Dead has all the hallmarks of a typical Liars album: chanted vocals, ringing guitars and hanging black clouds of gloomy dread pierced by flashes of bizarre humor. Yet Drum emerges as their best work – its gloom manages to dance as well as hover, and the propulsive drums give the songs legs that their other albums have lacked.

5. Secret Machines – Ten Silver Drops – Drops is the band’s most solid work yet, achieving atmospheric heights and jarring lows with more specified lyrics and a honed message. Through an impressive array of different sounds, the band manages to take 40 years of music and make it their own, incorporating everything from the power-drumming of Led Zeppelin to the ethereal soundscapes of Neu! to the craziness of Pink Floyd to the arena rock big sound of U2.

4. Grizzly Bear – Yellow House – Grizzly Bear’s second album is full of atmosphere, smokily redolent of simmering campfires and drafty log cabins. Delicate, even fragile sounding, Yellow House recalls a scaled back, poppier Animal Collective. Breezy and light while still substantial, the album sounds like it could have been recorded outside; you can almost feel the shady ache of tree-filtered sun sinking through the speakers.

3. Belle & Sebastian – It’s not often that a band tops itself without changing its sound, but The Life Pursuit is the sound of Belle & Sebastian hitting their stride. Even after ten years, the band manages to wring a distinctive edge out of a barely-changing sound.

2. Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and Will Beat Your Ass – Usually cohesiveness is the foundation of a strong album, but in the case of Yo La Tengo’s, it’s a lack of cohesiveness that makes it so unified. It may seem oxymoronic, but the reckless combination of disparate elements and the audacious style-changes that occur from song to song that make I Am Not Afraid one of the best albums of the year.

1. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain – Fresh off their Shortlist winning debut, TV on the Radio reach even higher with an album that’s impossible to pigeonhole into any genre

TV

5. Greys Anatomy – What was at first a surprise hit for ABC has now become the mostwatched show on television. Holding strong with a cast that is varied in many aspects (definetly a reason for its sucess), “Grey’s Anatomy” has managed to getviewers to follow them to Thursday nights by combining the tried-and-true elements of past TV dramas and comedies.

4. Heroes – A high-energy, fast-paced sci-fi tale, “Heroes” may be one of the most expensive shows on NBC revamped fall schedule, but it’s also its biggest hit. With a diverse, highly recognizable cast of nine, one can only hope that the writers don’t write in the apocalypse too early or the set designers don’t run out of money.

3. Studio 60 – A fictionalized take on the behind the scenes antics of a late night sketch comedy show, “Studio 60” is peppered with stars and driven by sharp writing. The show has all of the best qualities of an Aaron Sorkin drama, with sharp dialogue, dramatic storylines and longer than usual takes that follow the characters through the studio.

2. Scrubs – Scrubs may still be relatively new, but many of the best shows on television in recent years have it to thank for their existence. Beyond even the absence of a laugh-track, the show ushered in a new wave of inventive comedies by daring to experiment, a creative angle that’s kept the show viable into its fifth season.

1. The Office – Like many refurbished British comedies before it, “The Office” seemed destined to wash up on American shores soggy and deflated. Yet somehow, the show has grown to nearly match its predecessor, a seemingly impossible task that’s become a reality in the show’s third season.

FILM

5. The Departed – Having spent a lifetime telling the stories of New York City, Martin Scorcese moves the gang action to Boston, where the accents are different but the rules are the same. The cinematography and writing work together in amazing accord; as the plot intensifies, they become tighter with closer cutting, creating even more stress for an audience already anxiety-ridden from the many shocking plot twists. Scorsese makes sure to point out that this is a film of separation and the fact that Dicaprio and Damon are never seen in one shot together only furthers the divide between them.

4. The Prestige – The greatest aspect of the film is its characters, which are portrayed as people instead of one-dimensional cutouts. Neither Christian Bale nor Hugh Jackman plays their characters as an antagonist or protagonist, incorporating the same faults that befoul average people in their everyday lives. Also important is Christopher Nolan’s ability to tell a story quite well without the use of a strictly linear narrative form – the film goes back and forth between the past and present continuously but gives enough time to both to hold our interest.

3. Jackass – What then can be said about a movie that has absolutely no plot structure, underlying themes or anything that remotely helps advance the art of cinema? In the case of this movie, it is simply that it is pretty hilarious from start to finish. The skits range from simple childish acts like “Medicine Dodgeball” to the more horrifying act of attaching a leech to Steve-O’s eye. Why are such antics so hilarious? The reality becomes that there is no point – it’s simply funny for what it is.

2. Little Miss Sunshine – The surprise hit of the summer, Little Miss Sunshine combines classic film traditions and quirky characters into a consummate work of indie magic.

1. Borat – Borat will most likely offend every audience member in one way or another, but it is his ignorance and misunderstandings of the American culture that will have even the most offended of them laughing at the unexpected events until it hurts. This mostly unstaged feature sets a new standard for comedies and has been met with a tremendously positive response, even after two lawsuits.