Here are the 50 most well-crafted, intriguing, mesmerizing, or just plain bad-ass characters of the past 50 years.

1. Vito Corleone- The Godfather
2. The Joker- The Dark Knight
3. Hannibal Lector- Silence of the Lambs
4. James Bond- Goldfinger
5. Anton Chigurh- No Country for Old Men
6. Jules Winnfield- Pulp Fiction
7. Tyler Durden- Fight Club
8. John Doe- Se7en
9. Gollum- Lord of the Rings
10. Red Redding- Shawshank Redemption
11. Wooderson- Dazed and Confused
12. Luke- Cool Hand Luke
13. The Dude- The Big Lebowski
14. Oscar Schindler- Schindler's List
15. Darth Vader- Star Wars
16. Forest Gump- Forest Gump
17. Daniel Plainview- There Will Be Blood
18. Indiana Jones- Raiders of the Lost Ark
19. Tony Montana- Scarface
20. Marty McFly- Back to the Future
21. Travis Bickle- Taxi Driver
22. Han Solo- Star Wars
23. Costello- The Departed
24. The Man With No Name- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
25. John McClain- Die Hard
26. The Terminator- The Terminator
27. Michael Corleone- The Godfather
28. Harry Callahan- Dirty Harry
29. Michael- The Deer Hunter
30. Derek Vinyard- American History X
31. William 'Bill' Munny- Unforgiven
32. Edward Scissorhands- Edward Scissorhands
33. Patrick Bateman- American Psycho
34. Ron Burgundy- Anchorman
35. RP McMurphy- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
36. Detective Alonzo Harris- Training Day
37. Butch Cassidy- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
38. Jack Torrence- The Shining
39. Mr. Blonde- Reservoir Dogs
40. Austin Powers- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
41. Lil Dice- City of God
42. Ferris Bueller- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
43. William Wallace- Braveheart
44. Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting- Gangs of New York
45. Malcolm X- Malcolm X
46. Sgt. Elias Grodin- Platoon
47. Derek Zoolander- Zoolander
48. Napoleon Dynamite- Napoleon Dynamite
49. Carl Spackler- Caddyshack
50. Bluto-Animal House

1)  The Notorious BIG- Ready to Die -(1994) Around the years '87-'88, a young crack dealer named Christopher Wallace began entertaining local passersby by rapping into a beat-up old amplifier on the street corners around Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.  Six years later, he was the biggest rapper in the world.  Three years after that, he was dead.   During the short flash that was his career, only one album was to be released, a top-to-bottom classic with the eerily prophetic title 'Ready to Die'.  This album has it all.  Sick beats, brilliant lyrics, crazy flows, and that intoxicating voice of Biggie Smalls.  Key Tracks: Warning, Juicy, Ready to Die.

2) Nas- Illmatic --(1994) Five months prior to Ready to Die, this 20-year-old Queensbridge native paired with producers Large Professor, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip and burst onto the scene with what would be his masterpiece. Calling the album Illmatic after his incarcerated friend Illmatic Ice, Nas originally wanted the cover to feature himself with Jesus in a headlock. Key Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, One Love.

3) Dr. Dre- The Chronic --(1992) Fresh off of his split with supergroup NWA, Dre took it solo and ended up creating perhaps the best produced rap album of all time. The Chronic would introduce Parliament-laced G-funk to the mainstream and made Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg stars before they'd ever even released albums of their own. Key Tracks: Nuthin' but a "G" Thang, F*ck wit Dre Day, Let Me Ride.

4) Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt --(1996) In 1996, Jay-Z blew audiences away with his debut effort and first release on label Roc-A-Fella records.  Sean Carter had been known as "Jazzy", a nickname that developed into his stage name Jay-Z as an homage to his musical mentor Jaz-O and to the J-Z subway lines that stop by Marcy Avenue.  Jaz-O had given Jay-Z his first break by recruiting him on the 1989 song "Hawaiian Sophie."  However, it wasn't until seven years later that J truly broke through, and he's never looked back since.  Key Tracks: Dead Presidents, Brooklyn's Finest, Can't Knock the Hustle.

5) Public Enemy-It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back --(1988) Chanelling the black anger and urban tension so in need of an outlet, Nation of Millions was one of the first truly socially conscious hip hop albums. Key Tracks: Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Hype, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.

6) The Wu-Tang Clan- Enter The Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers --(1993)  In 1993, Ghostface Killah and RZA decided to create a hip hop group whose ethos would be a blend of "Eastern philosophy picked up from kung fu movies, watered-down Nation of Islam preaching picked up on the New York streets, and comic books."  Recruiting the best rappers they could find, RZA set out to produce an album layered with eerie beats, martial-arts movie clips and soul music samples.  To decide who appeared on each song, he forced the Wu-Tang rappers to battle with each other.  The album's title originates from the 1978 martial arts film 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'.  Key Tracks: C.R.E.A.M, Protect Ya Neck, Bring Da Ruckus.

7) NWA- Straight Outta Compton --(1988) This debut studio album pioneered gangsta rap and scared a whole lot of white people in the process. Instrumental in shifting power to the west coast, Straight Outta Compton became the first album to reach platinum status without any airplay support or major tours. Key Tracks: Straight Outta Compton, Express Yourself, F*ck The Police.

8) A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory --(1991) Fusing hip hop and jazz, childhood friends Q-Tip and Phife Dawg and high school mate Ali Shaheed Muhammad created an unique brand of intelligent, socially concious music.  Low End features contributions from jazz great Ron Carter on upright bass. Key Tracks: Excursions, Jazz (We've Got), Scenario.

9) Snoop Doggy Dogg- Doggystyle --(1993) Following the success of The Chronic, Doggystyle debuted at number one and sold over 800,000 copies in its first week, the record for a debuting artist. Key Tracks: Gin and Juice, Who Am I (Whats My Name)?, Lodi Dodi.

10) Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx --(1995) Raekwon brought producer RZA and Ghostface Killah along for his solo debut, an album widely regarded as the pioneer of Mafioso rap, a genre later perfected by Biggie and Jay-Z (It was also the first hip hop album to name drop Cristal). It's title suggests that the music was as tough as Cuban link chain jewelry.  Key Tracks: Criminology, Glaciers of Ice, Rainy Dayz.

11) Outcast- Aquemini --(1998) Outcast's third studio album took its name from a combination of the duo's astrological signs (Aquarius for Big Boi and Gemini for André 3000). The sythesizer-laden, distinctively Atlanta sounding record took only 2 months to go platinum. Key Tracks: SpottieOttieDopaliscious, Rosa Parks, Return of the "G".

12) The Fugees-The Score --(1996) The second and final album of super-group Wycelf Jean, Lauren Hill and Pras. 18 million sold. Key Tracks: Killing Me Softy, Fu-Gee-La, Ready or Not.

13) 2Pac- All Eyez On Me --(1996) All Eyez was released after Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records and baddest mofo on planet earth, bailed 2Pac out of jail in exchange for signing to the label.  Arriving in studio to begin work hours after being released from jail, 2Pac would lay down what would become his crowning acheivement.  Key Tracks: 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, California Love, Ambitionz Az a Ridah.

14) Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force- Planet Rock: The Album--(1986)  Respectfully known as the "Grandfather" for his monumental impact on the early development of hip hop (it was he who in fact coined the term), Bambaataa recently became one of the first hop hop artists to enter the rock and roll hall of fame.  Representing Zulu Nation, he released the seminal Planet Rock over two decades ago as a collection of previous singles that had up until then never appeared on an album.  Key Tracks: Planet Rock, Looking For the Perfect Beat, Renegades of Funk. 

15) Boogie Down Productions-Criminal Minded --(1987) With Criminal Minded, KRS-One and BDP laid the groundwork for gangsta rap, as it was the first album to feature gun-toting MCs on its cover and crime naratives within its tracks. Their hardcore lyrics would become all too real after DJ Scott La Rock was shot and killed a mere five months after this seminal release.  Key Tracks: The Bridge is Over, Criminal Minded, South Bronx.

16) Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five- The Message --(1982) Releasing their debut album on upstart Sugarhill Records, DJ Grandmaster Flash and MCs Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, Cowboy, Mr. Ness/Scorpio, and Rahiem essentially wrote the rule book on turntablism, break-beat deejaying, and rapping.  The title track was the first hip hop song to integrate socially and politically concious lyrics. Key Tracks: The Message, Scorpio, She's Nasty.

17) Eric B. & Rakim-Paid In Full ---(1987) After Rakim responded to Eric B.'s search for "New York's top MC," the duo got to work as Rakim's friend and roommate Marley Marl allowed them to use his home studio.  They would end up creating one of the most influential rap albums ever for its use of samples, internal rhyme, complex lyricism, and laid back flow.  Key Tracks: Eric B. Is President, I Know You Got Soul, Paid in Full.

18) Dr. Dre-Chronic 2001 --(2001) Almost a decade after releasing his landmark album, The Chronic, Dre took back to the studio to begin work on his much-anticipated follow up.  Dre did not mince words about his motivations: "For the last couple of years, there's been a lot of talk out on the streets about whether or not I can still hold my own, whether or not I'm still good at producing. That was the ultimate motivation for me. Magazines, word of mouth and rap tabloids were saying I didn't have it any more. What more do I need to do? How many platinum records have I made? O.K., here's the album -- now what do you have to say?"    Key Tracks: Forgot About Dre, The Next Episode, What's The Difference. 

19) The Notorious BIG-Life After Death --(1997)-This double album released posthumously featured guest artists 112, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, R. Kelly, The LOX, Kelly Price, and Puff Daddy.  Considered a seminal mafioso rap album, it is one of three hip hop albums to ever be certified diamond (10 million US sold). Key Tracks: Notorious Thugs, Hypnotize, Ten Crack Commandments.

20) Eminem-The Eminem Show --(2002) Eminems fourth studio album was the first to be mainly self-produced and was the first of his albums to be released under Shady Records.  The album sold 1.32 million copies in its first full week of sales and would go on to sell 19 million worldwide. Key Tracks: Without Me, Cleanin' Out My Closet, Superman.

21) Beastie Boys- Licensed To Ill ---(1986)-Some fast facts: --It is the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart.  --It is Columbia Records' fastest selling debut record to date and sold over 9 million copies.  --Kerry King of Slayer made an appearance on the album playing lead guitar on "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn".  --The '3MTA3' on the cover image of the plane spells 'EATME' when viewed in a mirror.  --The original title for the album was Don't Be a Faggot but Columbia Records refused to release the album and pressured Russell Simmons into having the Beastie Boys to come up with another name.  Key Tracks: Fight for Your Right, No Sleep Til Brooklyn, She's Crafty.

22) Kanye West- Graduation --(2007) Amended to be released the same date as 50 Cent's 'Curtis' in a publicity stunt over who could sell more records, 'Graduation' not only won the bet but went on to win Rap Album of the Year at the Grammys.  Key Tracks: Stonger, Flashing Lights, Good Life. 

23) Puff Daddy & the Family- No Way Out --(1997) Originally titled 'Hell Up In Harlem' until the The Notorious B.I.G.'s death, the album topped the album charts in the US with 561,000 units sold in its first week of release. It would go on to win the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.  Key Tracks: Victory, Been Around the World, It's All about the Benjamins.

24) Ice Cube- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted --(1990) Primarily produced by The Bomb Squad, AMW made use of several tracks Cube had originally written for NWA before their acrimonious split. Taking on the american justice system, race relations, poverty, and drug addiction in South Central, LA, Cube produced an instant classic that is as powerful today as it was two decades ago. Key Tracks: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Endangered Species, Who's the Mack?.

25) Jay-Z- The Blueprint--Despite the unfortunate coincidence of being released on September 11, 2001, The Blueprint sold over 426,000 copies in its opening week, becoming Jay-Z's fourth consecutive album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.  Produced by Kanye West and Just Blaze, The Blueprint was reportedly cut in two weeks, with Jay-Z allegedly writing the lyrics in two days.  Key Tracks: Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Renegade, Girls, Girls, Girls.

26) Big L- Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous --(1995) Like Biggie Smalls' Ready to Die, Lifestylez was the only studio album to be released before it's creator was shot and killed.  The tremendously underrated LP introduced up-and-comers Jay-Z and Cam'ron.  Key Tracks: Put It On, M.V.P., Street Struck.

27) Mobb Deep- The Infamous...--(1995) This rap duo is the third act on this list to hail from Queensbridge. Key Tracks: Shook Ones Pt. II, Temperature's Rising, Survival of the Fittest.

28) LL Cool J- Radio --(1985) This first full length album release on Def Jam Records was primarily produced by co-founder Rick Rubin.  Key Tracks: I Can't Live Without My Radio, Rock the Bells, I Need a Beat.

29) Outcast- ATLiens --(1996) "It's deep. So deep that listening to 'ATLiens' you might feel like drowning, but the smooth vocals of Big Boi and the earthy flows of Andre always push you back up to the surface. They are players in the truest sense of the word; not just playing for ends but playing to win in the ultimate battle of life over death, good over bad, and righteousness over evil." --Steve Juon, RapReviews. Key Tracks: ATLiens, Wheelz of Steel, Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac).

30) Run D.M.C.- Run DMC--(1984) Run DMC's debut effort was the first hip-hop album to ever have a 5-mic rating from The Source. Key Tracks: Rock Box, It's Like That, Sucker M.C.'s

31) Bone Thugs N Harmony- E. Eternal 1999 --(1995) Released four months after executive producer Eazy-E's death, Eternal spawned the landmark single "Tha Crossroads", which won a Grammy, went double-platinum, and tied The Beatles' 32-year-old record (1964's "Can't Buy Me Love") for the fastest rising single on the pop charts. Key Tracks: The Crossroads, 1st of tha Month, East 1999.

32) Wyclef Jean- The Carnival --(1997) Wyclef kicked off his solo debut with an electric record that combined hip hop, reggae, folk, disco, soul, Son Cubano and Haitian music.  As a tribute to his homeland, the final three songs are sung in Haitian Creole.  Key Tracks: Gone Till November, We Trying to Stay Alive, Guantanamera

33) Nas- Stillmatic --(2001) Nas harkened back to his Illmatic days with his fifth release, 2001's Stillmatic, which instantly received a classic 5 mic rating from The Source magazine.  On Stillmatic, Nas retaliated against Jay-Z with the much-anticipated "Ether", which insinuated that Jay-Z had stolen lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G. several times and that he had sold out.  Key Tracks: Got Ur Self A..., One Mic, Ether.

34) GZA- Liquid Swords --(1995) GZA's second solo album is up with Cuban Linx as the best of the Wu Tang solo efforts. Key Tracks: Duel of the Iron Mic, Liquid Swords, Shadowboxin'.

35) Lauryn Hill- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill --(1998) After breaking with The Fugees, Hill released her solo debut in 1998, a fusion of Hip Hop, Soul, Reggae, R&B, and Gospel.  The album garnered ten Grammy nominations at the 41st Grammy Awards, winning five, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year.  Key Tracks: Doo Wop (That Thing), To Zion, Everything Is Everything.

36) Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP --(2000) Em's third studio album was gritty, angry, and brutally honest, lashing out against critics and illustrating the troubles that his newfound fame had unearthed. The album sold more than 1.79 million copies in its first week in the US alone, making it the fastest selling solo album ever. Since its release, The Marshall Mathers LP has sold over 19 million copies to date.  Key Tracks: Stan, The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady?

37) Wu-Tang Clan- Wu-Tang Forever --(1997) The long-awaited follow-up to 36 Chambers, Forever showcased a stream-of-consciousness style of rap.  Key Tracks: Triumph, Visionz, As High As Wu-Tang Get.

38) Jay-Z- The Black Album --(2003) J's 8th studio album was promoted as his last, though he would obviously return years later.  This epic has been mixed with everything from the Beatles and Grateful Dead to Linkin Park and Prince.  Key Tracks: What More Can I Say, Dirt off Your Shoulder, 99 Problems.

39) Cypress Hill- Black Sunday --(1993) This stoner opus marked the first time a latino group would go platinum.  They would later be banned from Saturday Night Live after Muggs smoked a joint on-air and the band trashed their instruments while playing their second single "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That".  Key Tracks: Insane In The Brain, Hits From The Bong, I Ain't Goin' Out Like That.

40) Kanye West- The College Dropout --(2004) After years of producing behind the scenes for the likes of Jay-Z, Kayne took the country by storm with his debut album, College Dropout.  It would go on to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album and expand the size of Kanye's head to unprecidented proportions. Key Tracks: Slow Jamz, Through the Wire, Jesus Walks.

41) De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising--(1989) Produced by Prince Paul, this album takes its title from a Johnny Cash song called "Five Feet High and Rising". Key Tracks: Me Myself and I, Buddy, Eye Know.

42) Eminem- The Slim Shady LP --(1999)-For a kid in 6th grade, I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Eminem intruduce himself to the world.  This was something unlike anybody I'd ever heard; raw, revealing, humorous, and at the same time brutally violent.  The album erupted a firestorm of opposition, as parental groups balked at lyrics that discussed everything from drugging a fifteen-year-old girl to desposing of Em's dead wife's corpse.  Key Tracks: Guilty Conscience, My Name Is, '97 Bonnie & Clyde.

43) 2Pac- Me Against The World --(1995) Recorded in a matter of weeks before Pac was to go to prison on sexual assault charges, MATW would make the embattled rapper the first and only artist to ever have a number one album while serving a prison sentence. Key Tracks: Dear Mama, Me Against the World, Outlaw.

44) Run DMC- Raising Hell --(1986) One of the most important rap albums ever for its success in bringing the genre mainstream, Raising Hell silenced critics who had called hip hop a passing fad.  It made its biggest mark with Walk This Way, a collaboration with Aerosmith that became the first hip hop video in heavy rotation on MTV.  Key Tracks: Its Tricky, Walk This Way, My Adidas.

45) EPMD- Strictly Business --(1988) One of 43 albums to ever receive a 5-mic rating from The Source.  Key Tracks: It's My Thing, Strictly Business, You Gots to Chill.

46) The Roots- Things Fall Apart --(1999) The Roots' fourth studio album turned out to be their commercial breakthrough.  During recording, the group laid down an astonishing 145 songs, which they later whittled down to the 14 that appear on the album.  Key Tracks: Adrenaline!, The Next Movement, Act Too (The Love of My Life).

47) Mos Def- Black On Both Sides --(1999) Mos Def's debut solo album post-Blackstar featured live instrumentation and socially-conscious lyrics. Key Tracks: Ms. Fat Booty, Brooklyn, Mathematics.

48) Beastie Boys- Paul's Boutique --(1989) Incorporating production by the Dust Brothers, the album makes use of samples from 105 different songs.  The sampling was uncleared, which was one of the last albums to do so before the landmark Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc. case against Biz Markie that forced artists to obtain the rights to any song from which they sampled.  Key Tracks: Hey Ladies, Shake Your Rump, The Sounds of Science.

49) 50 Cent-Get Rich Or Die Tryin' --(2003) Produced primarily by Dr. Dre and Eminem and introducing 50 as well as fellow G-uniters Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, Get Rich tore up the airwaves upon its release and remains one of the best club records ever. Key Tracks: In Da Club, Patiently Waiting, P.I.M.P.

50) Busta Rhymes- When Disaster Strikes --(1997) Busta's second solo effort reached #3 on the Billboard 200.  Key Tracks: Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, Dangerous, Turn It Up.

Honorable Mentions:

Method Man-Tical, Outcast-Stankonia, Nas-I Am..., LL Cool J-Mama Said Knock You Out, Big Pun-Capital Punishment, Beastie Boys-Check Your Head, Notorious BIG-Born Again, Run DMC-King Of Rock , Ice T-O.G. Original Gangster,Missy Eliot-Supa Dupa Fly, A Tribe Called Quest-Midnight Marauders, Salt N Pepa- Blacks Magic, Kurtis Blow-Kurtis Blow, Eric B. & Rakim-Follow the Leader, Gang Starr-Daily Operation, Common-Like Water for Chocolate, KRS One-KRS One, Nas-It Was Written

Jersey Shore--the crack-cocaine of American television.  So bad for you, yet so addictive.  Between this and those opening nights of American Idol when all the crazies come out, America has a couple of serious guilty pleasures.   Like some kind of twisted voyeurism, we all tune in, and within minutes start to feel just a little bit better about ourselves.  "I might have some issues, but at least I'm not 'The Situation.'"  And yes, I watch.  I hurt for these poor fools, and yet, I can't look away....

These toddlers do a (sadly) spot-on rendition of the Jersey Shore crew.  And remember kids....crack is whack.

         With the advent of the digitial music revolution, your favorite tunes are now more accessible than ever.  However, as with every great advancement, there are bound to be certain things that get left behind.  With the ipod, it can be argued, came the demise of the album.  Now that fans can pick and choose which songs they want to download off a new release, there is less and less of a need to create that cohesive, quality from top-to-bottom album.   
         Perhaps even more apparent is the antiquation of the album cover.  Back in the day (not that I was actually alive for most of this but...) a record was something to behold.  Often, it was just as much art on the outside as was contained within the grooves of the vinyl.  While there are certainly a couple groups out there still keeping it real with the album art, for the most part this is a lost craft--a casualty of the digital revolution.  Even if one were to argue that the quality of album art has remained high, with the majority of consumers purchasing their music digitally, it seems impossible that any one cover could gain enough exposure necessary to be deemed iconic.
         What makes album cover art iconic?  Well for starters, it is instantly recognizable.  The image it displays symbolizes the band itself, or, moreover, music in general.  It is simple, yet profound--worthy of being displayed on the back of a bumper, or framed in one's living room.  Of course, art is going to speak to every person differently, and I am not here to tell you what art was most visually stunning or held the most meaning.  Rather, these are the ten most iconic album covers of all time.  Comments welcome....

1. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon-In March of 1973 Dark Side of the Moon was released.  741 weeks later, it remained on the Billboard charts, longer than any other album in history. With an estimated 45 million units sold, Dark Side may be the greatest album ever (without a doubt in my humble opinion...)  Exploring issues of ageing, greed, war, and the mental illness that was inspired by Syd Barret's LSD-fueled descent into madness, the album was one of the first concept albums to ever hit record stores.  The landmark prism design was inspired by a photograph that longtime Floyd designer Strom Thorgerson had seen during a brainstorming session with colleague Aubrey Powell. Meeting Richard Wright's request for a "simple and bold" design, the prism also harkened to the band's famous stage lighting.  It has since come to epitomize the word "iconic."
2. The Beatles- Abbey Road- On the morning of August 8, 1969, photographer Iain Macmillan was given ten minutes take a photo of the fab four crossing Abbey Road for the band's next album cover.  Little did he know that that negative would go on to become perhaps the most iconic group shot in all of music.  A couple points of interest:
   --Paul McCartney is bare-footed and out of step with the other three, later providing fuel for the "Paul is dead" urban legend in late '69.
   --The man standing on the pavement in the background is Paul Cole, an American tourist unaware he had been photographed until he saw the album cover months later. 
   --The Abbey Road cover is the only Beatles album cover of their original UK albums to have neither the group's name nor an album title visible.
3. Queen- Queen II- It's hard to believe now, but when Queen II dropped in '74, critics were less than impressed.  Record Mirror wrote: "This is it, the dregs of glam rock. Weak and over-produced, if this band are our brightest hope for the future, then we are committing rock and roll suicide."  The reveiwer for Melody Maker expressed similiar sentiments, writing: "It's reputed Queen have enjoyed some success in the States, it's currently in the balance whether they'll really break through here. If they do, then I'll have to eat my hat or something. Maybe Queen try too hard, there's no depth of sound or feeling."  So how'd that hat end up going down, hotshot?
4. The Grateful Dead- Steal Your Face- To be clear, this is not a list of great albums (though all but this one are admittedly classics).  If it were, this selection would be nowhere near the top 10, not even if this was a list of Grateful Dead albums.  Widely considered to be the Dead's worst live album, the record was dubbed "Steal Your Money" by unhappy fans.  However, the image adorning its cover would go on to grace a billion bumper stickers and t-shirts, becoming almost synonymous with the hippie culture at large.  Designed by Owsley Stanley and artist Bob Thomas.
5. The Velvet Underground- Simple. Artful. Iconic.  Designed by close friend Andy Warhol, the origial record sleeve featured a yellow banana with “Peel slowly and see” printed near a perforated tab. Those who did remove the banana skin found a peeled, pink banana beneath.
6. The Beatles- Sgt Peppers- The Grammy Award-winning album packaging was art-directed by Robert Fraser, designed by Peter Blake and his wife Jann Haworth, and photographed by Michael Cooper. The collage depicts more than 70 famous people, including writers, musicians, film stars and several Indian gurus. The final grouping includes Marlene Dietrich, Carl Jung, W.C. Fields, Diana Dors, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Aldous Huxley, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Sigmund Freud, Aleister Crowley, Edgar Allan Poe, Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, William S. Burroughs, Marlon Brando, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and comedian Lenny Bruce. Also included was the image of the original Beatles bass player, the late Stuart Sutcliffe. Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jesus Christ were requested by Lennon, but ultimately they were left out, even though a cutout of Hitler was in fact made.  The final bill for the cover was £2,868 (equivalent to $72,460 today), which was roughly 100 times the average cost for an album cover in those days. 
   
7. Nirvana- Nevermind- Kurt Cobain conceived the idea for this cover while watching a television show on water births with drummer David Grohl. Cobain mentioned it to Geffen's art director Robert Fisher, who found some stock footage of underwater births that were then deemed too graphic for the record company. Instead Fisher sent a photographer to a pool to take pictures of a three-month-old infant named Spencer Elden, the son of the photographer's friend Rick Elden. Geffen prepared an alternate cover without the penis but relented when Cobain made it clear that the only compromise he would accept was a sticker covering the penis that would say, "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile."
8. Bob Marley- Catch A Fire- Perhaps it's a tad ironic that the lucky 20,000 to first get their hands on this 1973 vinyl release received an album that was in fact missing this landmark Bob headshot.  These folks instead received their record encased in a Zippo lighter sleave.  The sleeve opened at a side hinge to reveal the record within, an assembly operation that required hand-manufacture.  Not surprisingly, the Zippo idea was deemed too expensive to mass-produce and subsequent pressings featured the Ester Anderson portrait you see here.
9. Jimi Hendrix- Axis: Bold a Love- For all the accolades this famous cover has received, Jimi Hendrix was actually a little disappointed with the finished product. Although he appreciated the symbolic design, he mentioned in an interview that it would have been more appropriate if the cover art showcased his American "Indian" heritage. The British Track records art department had independently chosen to use the current fad for all things Indian to create the cover, and thus the album's cover has a photographed copy of a cheap, mass produced religious poster of the Hindu devotional painting known as Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam showing the different forms of Vishnu with a small, superimposed painting of the Experience by Roger Law blended in.
10. The Rolling Stones- Sticky Fingers- Andy Warhol appears yet again in the top ten with his work here for the Stones' Sticky Fingers.  The original record cover featured a working zipper that opened to reveal a man in cotton briefs.  The cover, a photo of Joe Dallesandro's crotch clad in tight blue jeans, was assumed by many fans to be an image of Mick Jagger. However, the people actually involved with the photo shoot claim that Warhol had several different men photographed (Jagger was not among them) and never revealed which shots he used.  The album also features the first usage of the "Tongue and Lip Design" designed by John Pasche.

Honorable Mentions:  Allman Brothers- Eat a Peach, Led Zeppelin- IV, Jimi Hendrix- Are You Experienced?, The Who- Who's Next?, Cream- Disraeli Gears, Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here, The Doors- The Doors, Led Zeppelin- I, Santana- Abraxas, The Beatles- Let It Be, Lynyrd Skynyrd- Street Survivors, Peter Frampton- Frampton Comes Alive, The Harder They Come Soundtrack, Parliament- Mothership Connection, Notorious BIG- Ready To Die, Nas- Illmatic, Public Enemy- Nation of Millions. 

So Big Mac is finally out of the closet.  Shocking, I know.  I'm long over it, but honestly, how much does it suck that EVERY SINGLE PLAYER I grew up idolizing is practically a proven juicer.  All those hundreds of prized rookie cards: Clemens, Bonds, McGwire...all worthless.  And I'm not going to even get into those cherished Red Sox World Series memories.  Ugh....
Well, to make my point, here's a list of the great ballplayers from my generation, and the degree of steroid suspicion associated with each.  Try not to throw up....

*=slight suspicion of steroid use
*****=proof or admittance of steroid use

Jose Canseco*****

Ken Griffey Jr-I swear to God, if he ever ends up positive, I'm quiting baseball for good.

Shutter Island (2010) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone).  In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.  See Shutter Island trailer.

Inception (2010)  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Produced and directed by Christopher Nolan. A CEO-type becomes involved in a blackmailing scandal.  See Inception trailer.

Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2011) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Directed by Martin Scorsese.  A look at the formative years of the 26th President of the United States, from his transformation from a privileged New York politician to commander of the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.

Sinatra (2011) A look at how legendary performer Frank Sinatra became involved with the Mafia.

The Expendables (2010) Starring every single action hero known to man including Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Brittany Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and Danny Trujo.  A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

Aquaman (2013) Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio

Grown Ups (2010) Starring Adam Sandler, Steve Buschemi, Chris Rock, Norm McDonald, David Spade, Kevin James, Gary Bussi, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Tim Meadows, and Colin Quinn.  Thirty years after their high school graduation, five good friends reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Brave New World (2011) Directed by Ridley Scott.  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Hamdam v. Rumsfeld (2011) A thriller set against the backdrop of the war on terror, The Challenge tells the inside story of a historic Supreme Court showdown. At its center are a Navy JAG and a young constitutional law professor who, in the aftermath of 9/11, find themselves defending their nation in the unlikeliest of ways: by suing the president of the United States on behalf of an accused terrorist in order to prevent the American government from breaking the law and violating the Constitution.

Escape from Tehran (2012) Written by George Clooney. During the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, a CIA operative and a Hollywood makeup artist create a fake movie project as an attempt to smuggle a handful of Americans-in-hiding out of Iran.

The A-Team (2010) Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), and Jessica Biel.  A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

Machete (2010) Starring Robert Deniro, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, and Rose McGowan.  The highly skilled Federale Machete is hired by some unsavory types to assassinate a senator. But just as he's about to take the shot, he notices someone aiming at him and realizes he's been set up. He barely survives the sniper's bullet, and is soon out for revenge on his former employers, with the reluctant assistance of his old friend Cheech Marin, who has become a priest and taken a vow of nonviolence. If you hire him to take out the bad guys, make sure the bad guys aren't you.

The Karate Kid (2010) Starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (Will Smith's kid)  12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Green Zone (2010) Starring Matt Damon.  Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons on Mass Destruction in an unstable region.  See Green Zone trailer.

Casino Jack (2010) Starring Kevin Spacey.  Jack Abramoff, a hot shot Washington DC lobbyist, and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.

The Odyssey (2012) Starring Brad Pitt. Directed by George Miller.  Odysseus and his 10-year journey home after the Trojan War, during which he is confronted by natural and supernatural threats including shipwrecks, battles, monsters, and the sea god Poseidon.  Tale is told through Odysseus' son Telemachus.

Clash of the Titans (2010)  Starring Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.  The mortal son of the god Zeus embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens.

Arrested Development (2011)  Starring Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Michael Cera, and Jeffery Tambor.  Presented by Ron Howard (executive producer).  A big screen adaptation of the critically-acclaimed television series centering on the adventures of the disfunctional Bleuth family.

This Must Be the Place (2010) Starring Sean Penn.  Directed by Paolo Sorrentino.  A bored, retired rock star sets out to find his father's executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.

Moneyball (2011) Starring Brad Pitt and Demetri Martin. The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Fair Game (2010) Starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.  Directed by Doug Plyman.  Valerie Plame's status as a CIA agent is revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Kill Bill Volume 3 (2014)  Directed by Quentin Tarantino.  Starring Uma Thurman.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)  Starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.  Directed by Tim Burton.  19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.  See Alice in Wonderland trailer.

The Rum Diary (2010) Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson.  Starring Johnny Depp.  Directed by Bruce Robinson.   Paul Kemp is a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean. Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.

Sin City 2 (2011) Directed by Frank Miller.  In the dark bowels of Sin City, Dwight plans to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan's death.

Sin City 3: Hell and Back (2012)  Starring Johnny Depp (rumored). Directed by Frank Miller.  On a dark night in Sin City, an ex-Navy SEAL named Wallace saved a young woman, Esther, from killing herself.  After a night on the town, she was kidnapped by mysterious people.  May God have mercy on those who stand in Wallace's way.

Untitled 300 sequel (2011) Directed by Frank Miller.

Inside Man 2 (2010)  Starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster.  Directed by Spike Lee.

The Book of Eli (2010)  Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis.  Directed by the Hughes Brothers.  A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.  See The Book of Eli trailer.

Stone (2010)  Starring Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton, and Milla Jovovich.  Directed by John Curran.  A convicted arsonist looks to manipulate a parole officer into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife in the lawman's path.

Due Date (2010)  Starring Robert Downey Jr, Jamie Foxx, and Zack Galifianakis.  Directed by Todd Phillips (of Old School and Hangover fame) A high-strung father-to-be is forced to hitch a ride with a college slacker on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time.

The Hangover 2 (2011) Directed by Todd Phillips.

Dinner For Shmucks Starring Zack Galifianakis, Steve Carell, and Paul Rudd.  An extraordinarily stupid man possesses the ability to ruin the life of anyone who spends more than a few minutes in his company.

Anchorman 2 (2012) Starring Will Ferrell.  Directed by Adam McKay.  The continuing adventures of San Diego news anchor Ron Burgundy. 

The Three Stooges (2010)  Starring Benicio Del Toro, Jim Carrey, and Paul GIamatti.  Directed by the Farrelly Brothers.  Set in modern day and centering on the slapstick adventures of Moe, Larry, and Curly.

The Wolfman (2010)  Starring Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro.  Upon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man is bitten, and subsequently cursed by, a werewolf.  See The Wolfman trailer.

Silence (2011)  Starring Benicio Del Toro.  Directed by Martin Scorcese.  In the 17th century two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (2010)  Starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Shia Labeouf, and Josh Brolin.  Directed by Oliver Stone.  As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two-tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor.

Escobar (2010)  Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day)  Based on the book "Mi Hermano Pablo" by Roberto Escobar Gaviria.  Oliver Stone (executive producer) presents the true life story of Pablo Escobar and how he rose to become one of the world's richest men by leading the Medellin drug cartel and inflicting terror upon Colombia.  

Killing Pablo (2011) Starring Christian Bale and Javier Bardem.  The true story of how the Colombian gangster and terrorist, Pablo Escobar, was assassinated and his Medellin cocaine cartel dismantled by the US special forces abd intelligence, the Columbian military, and a vigilante gange controlled by the Cali cartel.

Hemingway and Fuentes (2010) Starring Anthony Hopkins, Annette Benning, and Andy Garcia.  Directed and written by Andy Garcia.  Ernest Hemingway befriends boat captain, Gregorio Fuentes, who inspires him to pen the famous tale "The Old Man and the Sea."

Blissful (2010) Starring Javier Bardem.  Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams, Babel).  A man involved in illegal dealing is confronted by his childhood friend, who is now a policeman.

The Fighter (2010) Starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg.  The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.

The Hobbit (2011)  Screenplay by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens.  Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labrynth).  Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.

The Long Play (2011) Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Produced by Mick Jagger.  A drama centered on two friends who spend 40 years in the music business, seeing both the rise of R&B and hip-hop.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2010)  Starring Leonardo Dicaprio.  Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Based on the autobiography of Jordan Belfort.  A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration.

I Heard You Paint Houses (2011)  Starring Robert DeNiro.  Directed by Martin Scorsese.  A mob hit man recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.

Lincoln Starring Liam Neeson and Sally Field.  Directed by Steven Spielberg.  Based on the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  The sixteenth President of the United States guides the North to victory during the Civil War.

True Grit (2011) Starring Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, and Josh Brolin.  Directed by the Coen Brothers.  A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer.

First Avenger: Captain America (2011) Starring Samuel L Jackson (rumored).  After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals.

The Avengers (2012) Starring Robert Downey Jr, Scarlet Johanssen, Samuel L Jackson, Edward Norton, Don Cheadle, Lou Ferigno.

The Experiment (2010)  Starring Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker.  26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.

Jack Goes Boating (2011)  Directed by and starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  A stoner limo driver looks for different ways to improve his skill-set as a way to attract a girlfriend.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010)  Starring Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, and Antonio Banderas.  Directed by Woody Allen.  The movie centers around different members of a family, their tangled love lives and their attempts to solve their problems. 

Robin Hood (2010)  Starring Russell Crowe and Kate Blanchett.  Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator). The story of an archer in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion who fights against the Norman invaders and becomes the legendary hero known as Robin Hood.

The Next Three Days (2011) Starring Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson.  A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.

The Tree of Life (2010) Starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses a loss of innocence.  

Iron Man 2 (2010) Starring Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L. Jackson (rumored), Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, and Gwyneth Paltrow.  Directed by Jon Favreau.  More adventures from billionaire Tony Stark, who leads a double life as an iron-plated crime fighter.  Villains Whiplash and Justin Hammer enter the picture as his nemesi.

Thor (2011) Starring Samuel L Jackson, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman. Partially disabled medical student Dr. Donald Blake discovers his heretofore unknown alter ego, the Norse warrior, Thor.

Halo (2012) Presented by Peter Jackson (executive producer).  After they crash-land on an artificial ring-world called "Halo", a navy captain, his surviving marines, and a chemically-and-surgically-enhanced supersoldier named John-117 "Master Chief" must find out what the Covenant, the genocidal alien race they are at war with, are looking for on the ring. However, Halo holds more secrets than either side imagined.

Interstellar (2013)  Directed by Steven Spielberg with the screenplay by Jonathan Nolan.  An exploration of physicist Kip Thorne's theories of gravity fields, wormholes and several hypotheses that Albert Einstein was never able to prove.

Absolute MUST READ piece on the true story of the life and crimes of Marvin Harrison, former "squeaky-clean" hall-of-fame receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.  This will blow your mind....

The Dirtiest Player
By Jason Fagone
GQ
February 2010 Issue

"...Nixon was across the street and thirty yards away when [Marvin] Harrison started shooting. Pop pop pop pop pop pop—a great staccato gust of bullets. Steadily, Nixon says, Harrison unloaded both guns into the fat man's car, stippling the red Toyota Tundra with bullet holes as the fat man ducked in his seat. Eventually, the fat man sat up and sped off, heading straight toward Nixon's position as Harrison darted into the street and continued to shoot....

"...On September 3, 1991, when Marvin Woods [Harrison's half-brother] was 17, he was playing in the championship game of a schoolyard hoops league when his coach took him out of the game, subbing in another boy. Woods got angry. He left the game. When he rode back on his bike, twenty minutes later, he was carrying a Tec-9. He sprayed his substitute with bullets, killing him, and rode off. Marvin Woods is currently serving a life sentence for first-degree murder at the State Correctional Institution in Dallas, Pennsylvania. ..."

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

1. Colts- Beat Ravens in division round, Beat Jets in AFC Championship
2. Saints- Beat Cardinals in division round, Beat Vikings in NFC Championship
3. Vikings-Beat Cowboys in division round
4. Jets-Beat Bengals in wild card game, Beat Chargers in division round
5. Chargers-  Lost to Jets in division round
6. Cowboys-Beat Eagles in wild card game,  Lost to Vikings in division round
7. Ravens-Beat Patriots in wild card game,  Lost to Colts in division round
8. Cardinals-Beat Packers in wild card game, Lost to Saints in division round
9. Packers-Lost to Cardinals in wild card game
10. Bengals-Lost to Jets in wild card game
11. Eagles-Lost to Cowboys in wild card game
12. Patriots-Lost to Ravens in wild card game
13. Broncos
14. Steelers
15. Jaguars
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Texans
19. Panthers
20. Falcons
21. Bears
22. Seahawks
23. 49ers
24. Giants
25. Redskins
26. Raiders
27. Bills
28. Chiefs
29. Lions
30. Buccaneers
31. Browns
32. Rams

AFC Championship:
Colts over Pats

NFC Championship:
Saints over Vikings

Super Bowl:
Saints over Colts

1. Bill Russell--11 championships in 13 years and a gold medal to boot.  Just insane.
2. Rocky Marciano--Only heavyweight to retire undefeated at 49-0.  Not bad for a white guy from Brockton, MA.
3. Jack Nicklaus--73 PGA Tour wins, 4 US Open wins, and 6 green jackets.
4. Tiger Woods--71 PGA wins, 37 European tour wins, 3 open championships and 4 green jackets.
5. Yogi Berra- 10 World Series rings
6. Lance Armstrong--7 Tour de France wins, and heck, the guy even beat cancer.
7. Henri Richard--Nicknamed "The Pocket-Rocket" (I kid you not), Richard won 11 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in his 20-year NHL career.
8. Michael Jordan--6 championships in 8 years, 2 gold medals, and 1 NCAA championship with the Tarheels.
9. Michael Phelps--14 Olympic golds, 23 world championship golds, 37 world records held, and 1 marijuana charge beaten.
10. Joe Dimaggio--9 time World Series champion and 1 Marylin Monroe.
11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-6-time NBA champion, 3-time NCAA champion with the Bruins, and he was even assistant coach of last year's championship Lakers
12. Joe Montana--4 time Super Bowl champion and an NCAA national title at Notre Dame.
13. Pete Sampras--64 career titles including 7 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens.
14. Roger Federer--61 career titles, including 6 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens.  Shouldn't be long before he edges Sampras out for the top spot.
15. Pele-Only soccer player to be apart of 3 World Cup-winning teams.  Pele also led his original club team, Santos, to 10 championships in the Campeonato Paulinista league.  And let us not forget his 1977 North American Soccer League championship with the New York Cosmos.
16. Alexander Karelin--Though most remembered here in America for his stunning defeat at the hands of Rulon Gardner, "Alexander The Great" went undefeated in international Greco-Roman wrestling competition for thirteen years, the last six of which he didn't even give up a single point.
17. Mickey Mantle--7 World Series rings in 12 years and a 1956 Triple Crown.
18. Larissa Latynina--9 Olympic golds and 9 world championship golds.  Then again, it is gymnastics.
19. Carl Lewis--9 Olympic golds and 8 world championship golds.  Side note: Lewis was drafted by both the NBA and NFL, though never played a game for either.
20. Robert Horry--7-time NBA champion with 3 different teams.
21. Martina Navratilova- 167 singles and 177 doubles career titles (both records for men or women) Her singles career includes 9 Wimbledons and 4 US Opens.
22. John Havlicek-8-time NBA champion and a NCAA title
23. Cael Sanderson
24. Bill Dickey- 8-time World Series Champ
25. Magic Johnson--5 time NBA champion, 1 gold medal, and enough money to makes AIDS his bitch.
26. Bart Starr--5 time Super Bowl champion
27. Terry Bradshaw--4 Super Bowl rings and 5 crappy country albums.
28. Lou Gehrig--6 time World Series champion and the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.
29. Shaquille O'Neal--4 time NBA champion, 6 crappy albums and 11 crappy movies (see: Kazaam)   And he beat up Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya.
30. Babe Ruth--7 World Series trophies with both the Sox and Yankees.
31. Derek Jeter--4 time 5-time World Series champion.  Aaaand...moving on.
32. Tom Brady--3 time Super Bowl Champion, 105-29 career record, and 29 game-winning drives after a Patriots' fourth-quarter tie or deficit.
33. Larry Bird--3 time NBA champion and a gold medal.  He's also a pretty nasty coach.
34. Tim Duncan--4 time NBA champion with the Spurs
35. Steffi Graf

I listen to a lot of sports radio.  Probably a little too much for my own good.  Listening to the daily Patriots-related bitching and moaning this morning, it occurred to me that this has got to be the only team in football (with the possible exception of the Colts) that could head into the postseason with an assured first round home game and still incur daily abuse from its fanbase.  Every day, there is endless complaining, that the coach has lost his magic, the star receiver is dogging it,  the running game is garbage, the defense is too young, and the team as a whole is essentially a big fat disappointment and the signaling of the end of a dynasty.  And it was then it occurred to me how truly far this city has come.  With all the decade-in-retrospect articles flowing out of every publication on the planet, I thought it would be nice to put this little situation in perspective.  Lets take a look back to where Boston’s three major sports teams were on the eve of December 31, 1999.

The year 2000.  I was a typical tortured Boston sports fan in my first year of high school, which I guess made me a typical tortured high school freshman to boot.  The Red Sox were neck deep in their (then) eighty-two year World Series drought.  The Celtics were positively attrocious and the Patriots were still without a single ring to show for themselves.  Looking back, it feels like another lifetime.  Probably because in the past decade, every Boston sports fan has enjoyed literally a lifetime of golden sports memories, and that’s a good lifetime at that.

So it was the dawn of the 21st century, and the Celtics had won their last championship fourteen years earlier when I was less than a year old.  Then Len Bias died (on my first birthday), and then Reggie Lewis died seven years later.  Then the Garden closed up shop, and then Rick “all the negativity that's in this town sucks” Pitino took over the reigns.  From the 93-94 season until we landed Allen and Garnett in ‘07, the Celts posted a dismal 472-645 record.  And then it all changed.  The Green Men (well, black men if you wanna split hairs) won 66 regular season games in 07-08 en route to their first title of my conscious lifetime, and from there, anything less than another championship was a disappointment.  Literally.  With this squad, its #18 or bust.  

Then there’s the Red Sox.  In 2003, when Aaron bleepin Boone’s towering home run landed in the upper deck of Yankee Stadium to send the piteous Sox home in the 12th inning of game seven of the ALCS, I was sure I’d never watch another game of baseball again.  Cowboy up, my ass.  In 2004, it looked like it was all happening again, as the Sox lost game three of the ALCS to the Yankees 19-8, falling to 0-3 in the series.  And then Mr. Dave Roberts stole 2nd base, and the rest is history.  I still get goosebumps just typing that sentence.  The curse had been broken, and three years later the Sox would once again sweep the series en route to title #8.  Today, like the Celtics, its World Series or bust.

And finally there’s the Patriots.  The year I was born, the Pats would go to their first Super Bowl, in which they would get destoyed 46-10 by da Bears.  A little over a decade later, they would again fall in the Super Bowl, this time to Brett Favre (cringe) and the Green Bay Packers.  From 1998-2000 the Pats would finish 4th, 4th, and 5th in the AFC east.   And then Mo Lewis clobbered Drew Bledsoe  into the sideline, and a little-known 6th round pick named Tom Brady took the field.  3 Super Bowls, 6 division championships, and 1 perfect regular season later (sadly, they canceled the Super Bowl that year), the Patriots are the cream of the NFL crop. 

Well, almost.  The Patriots are a team in transition, a team that is undeniably a shadow of their middle-of-the-decade selves.  Ten years ago, just making the playoffs alone would have been cause for celebration.  But times have changed.  Boston sports fans have gotten accustomed to success of the highest order, and they’ve grown to become quite fond of it.  For the big three in Boston, anything but the top of the mountain is simply, for better or worse, unacceptable.

13 seasons after Cartmen, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny first entered our living rooms, South Park continues to be one of the most brilliant, provocative, and downright hilarious shows on tv.  After sifting through 195 episodes, here are Definitive Dose's picks for the 30 most awesomely hilarious moments thus far.

1. $3.50--Watch Clip
2. Dey Tuk er Jobs! --   Watch Clip
3. Stupid Mongorians! -- Watch Clip
4. Scott Tennerman Eats Cartman's Chili con Carne --   Watch Clip
5. "People Who Annoy You" -- Watch Clip
6. Kyle's Mom's A Bitch--Watch Clip
7. Trapped in the Closet --   Watch Clip
8. Tacos and Burritos --   Watch Clip
9. A Lonely Jew On Christmas-- Watch Clip
10. Lemiwinks --   Watch Clip
11. Kanye is a Gay Fish, Yo-- Watch Clip
12. "Whateva, I Do What I Want!"-- Watch Clip
13. Mr. Jefferson's Slumber Party -- Watch Clip
14. "Towelie, You're The Worst Character Ever" --   Watch Clip
15. Chocolate Salty Balls -- Watch Clip
16. Cartman's Dry Balls Dream -- Watch Clip
17. Montage! -- Watch Clip
18. Cartman Takes The Passion Too Far-  Watch Clip
19. Professor Chaos Goes Anime-  Watch Clip
20. Randy Chases The Dragon -- Watch Clip
21. "They Put A Little Suit On Him!"--Watch Clip
22. "Stick Your Finger In My Thresher"- Watch Clip
23. Cripple Fight!! --   Watch Clip
24. Cartmen Sings Poker Face- Watch Clip
25. World of Warcraft- Watch Clip
26. "No Kitty This Is My Pot Pie!"-  Watch Clip
27. Jew Gold- Watch Clip
28. Chef Returns- Watch Clip
29. Butt Faces -- Watch Clip
30. Douche and a Turd Sandwich-- Watch Clip

After much deliberation, here are Definitive Dose's picks for the 80 most memorable, iconic, and quotable movie quotes of the past forty years....

1. "Make him an offer he can't refuse."--The Godfather
2. "Life is like a box of chocolate; you never know what you're gonna get." --Forest Gump
3. "May the force be with you"--Star Wars
4. "I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner."--Silence of the Lambs
5. "The truth? You can't handle the truth!"--A Few Good Men
6. "Bond. James Bond"--James Bond
7. "Heeeere's Johnny!"--The Shining
8. "Say hello to my little friend!"--Scarface
9. "But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"--Dirty Harry
10. "If you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake and I have a straw and my straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"--There Will Be Blood
11. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."--Apocalypse Now
12. "Yippee kay-ay motherfucker"--Die Hard
13. "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."--Pulp Fiction
14. "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'"--Shawshank Redemption
15. "Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N."--Dazed and Confused
16. "You lookin' at me?"--Taxi Driver
17. "Freeedooooom!!"--Braveheart
18. "I see dead people." --The Sixth Sense
19. "I'll be back." --Terminator
20. "What in the box?!!"--Se7en
21. "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, poof. He's gone."--The Usual Suspects
22. "When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"--The Departed
23. "Yes they deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell!!"--A Time to Kill
24. "Show me the money!"--Jerry Maguire
25. "What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?"--No Country For Old Men
26. "King Kong ain't got shit on me!"--Training Day
27. "But this one goes to 11"--Spinal Tap
28. "I have had it with these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane!"--Snakes on a Plane
29. "Houston, we have problem"--Apollo 13
30. "If you build it, they will come"--Field of Dreams
31. "Adriaaaaan!!"--Rocky
32. "My precious"--Lord of the Rings
33. "I'm the king of the world"--Titanic
34. "The price is wrong bitch"--Happy Gilmore
35. "This. Is. Spartaaaaa!!"--300
36. "A little guilt goes a long way."--The Machinist
37. "I wanted to see exotic Vietnam... the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them."--Full Metal Jacket
38. "This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time."--Fight Club
39. "We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can."--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
40. "I like them French fried potaters."--Sling Blade
41. "You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and i will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts and then you will run a mile. Perfection. Let's go to work."--Remember the Titans
42. "Warriooors. Come out and plaaaay"--Warriors
43. "I feel the need for speed."--Top Gun
44. "Aaaallllrighty then"--Ace Ventura
45. "What do you mean 'you people'"--Tropic Thunder
46. "Now. Where was I?"--Memento
47. "Never underestimate the power of denial."--American Beauty
48. "I know it's pretty baby, but I didn't take it out for air."--Requiem For A Dream
49. "Why So Serious?"--Dark Knight
50. "It's not your fault." --Good Will Hunting
51. "Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again, but life goes on."--Blow
52. "Shomer fucking Shabbas!"--The Big Lebowski
53. "Your mother sucks cocks in Hell."--The Exorcist
54. "Whoo-ah!"--Scent of a Woman
55. "Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?"--Speed
56. "Free your mind, your ass will follow."--Platoon
57. "Do you like scary movies?"--Scream
58. "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."--Ferris Bueller
59. "We have an old saying in Delta House: don't get mad, get even."--Animal House
60. "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."--Back to the Future
61. "I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?"--Trainspotting
62. "You have smoked yourself retarded"--Half Baked
63. "I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?"--Meet the Parents
64. "Never shall innocent blood be shed, yet the blood of the wicked shall flow like a river. The Three shall spread their blackened wings and be the vengeful striking hammer of God."--The Boondock Saints
65. "I have no legs. I have no legs. I have no legs. I have no legs. May God bless you. I have no legs..."--Kids
66. "Is that my daughter in there?!!"--Mystic River
67. "That's right. I've killed women and children. I've killed just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned."--Unforgiven
68. "I'm a golden god!"--Almost Famous
69. "If you're gonna spew, spew into this."--Wayne's World
70. "One time at band camp..."--American Pie
71. "America. Fuck yea!"--Team America: World Police
72. "Look what ya did ya little jerk!"--Home Alone
73. "Funny like how?"--Goodfellas
74. "I promise, that one day, everything's going to be better for you."--Donnie Darko
75. "There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there."--American Psycho
76. "Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything."--Sin City
77. "Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time."--American History X
78. "Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than anywhere else on the face of the earth?"--My Cousin Vinny
79. "Just remember, the sweet is never as sweet without the sour, and I know the sour."--Vanilla Sky
80. " I am finished doing what I swore an oath to God 28 years ago to never do again. I've created, "something that kills people." And in that purpose, I was a success. I've done this because, philosophically, I am sympathetic to your aim. I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut. "-Kill Bill

The votes are in, and for the third straight year, a sophomore has captured the highest prize in college football.  In the closest race since the Heisman Trophy's inception in 1935, Mark Ingram edged out Tody Gerhart and Colt McCoy to become Alabama's first ever winner.

They say that the Heisman trophy is awarded not to who will make the best NFL player, but to who was the most outstanding college player of the previous year.  For every Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen that goes on to tremendous professional success, there is a Eric Crouch or Jason White that barely lasts an NFL snap. Here's a look at the 10 Heisman winners who had the greatest success in the NFL.

1. Barry Sanders (1988)         Oklahoma St           (RB)     Jr.
2. Roger Staubach (1963)      Navy                     (QB)     Jr.
3. Marcus Allen (1981)           USC                      (RB)     Sr.
4. Tony Dorsett (1976)           Pittsburgh              (RB)     Sr.
5. O.J. Simpson (1968)          USC                       (RB)     Jr.
6. Earl Campbell (1977)         Texas                    (RB)     Sr.
7. Tim Brown (1987)              Notre Dame            (WR)    Sr.
8. Paul Hornung (1956)         Notre Dame            (QB)     Sr.
9. Billy Sims (1978)               Oklahoma               (RB)     Jr.
10. Eddie George (1995)          Ohio St                  (RB)     Sr.

Ok.  I'm sick to death of this story already, but I feel like I've gotta weigh in here. And maybe its a little ironic that the last time I did an editorial, it was on Steve Phillips and his sorry excuse for venturing outside the bonds of matrimony. Well, at least I guess you can say Tiger knows how to pick 'em.

So on the way to work this morning one of the radio jockeys I happened to be listening to suggested that this Tiger debacle might be the biggest sports story of the decade. Really? Personally, I feel like this has got to be the biggest non-story since the bubble boy. So Tiger Woods cheated on his wife. I’m not saying that what he did wasn’t wrong, but why is this considered an earth-shattering, Extra-Extra-Read-All-About-It news story? Tiger Woods is famous. Tiger Woods is rich. This has got to be the 87th time a rich, famous person has cheated on their wife in the past year.  We've gone through this so many times, I've just been desensitized to it at this point.  He is certainly not the first star athlete to go “rogue,” and he certainly won’t be the last.

Now alright. I know there’s people out there who will say this is different. Tiger was supposed to be the good one. The squeaky-clean poster boy for all that is right in athletics. He had about a trillion endorsements and was just about the last person anybody would suspect of such a transgression. But did we really know Tiger? All he was for us was a soft-spoken guy who pretty much only talked about golf, stayed out of the limelight, and kept his personal business personal. He was a blank slate for us to fill with the qualities we all desired out of a sports hero, and so we did. So it turns out Tiger wasn’t all that we had imagined. Now this might be a big deal for Nike, but I frankly remain unfazed.

And back to that whole “biggest sports story of the decade” claim. Um, remember Michael Vick. The guy electrocuted dogs! Now, I suppose if he had had sex with them, this might have been a contender. A better comparison would have to be Kobe, and lest we forget that that whole scandal broke with a rape allegation! Turned out he merely cheated on his wife, and for awhile his rep took a beating. And then he won another championship and just like that, Kobe was back. America is a fickle nation. Trust me, once Tiger wins another green jacket or two, maybe passes Nicklaus, we’ll all be saying “who cares about a little infidelity. That guy can mash it.” As far as I’m concerned, that day can’t come soon enough.