Nauseating Nostalgia

Was it last night's Mexican Heatwave pizza that made me discharge violently from both ends? Perhaps it may have been the yummy but undercooked Fillet-O-Fish from Guildford's Maccie D's? No, it must've been Ulrika Jonsson's appearance on BBC2's Shooting Stars. She opted for the frizzy perm and thick black eyeliner look that was popular with younger women from Britain's inner city housing estates circa. the early eighties. Still, that should get a lot of the older male horny viewers tuning in to Big Brother this coming Friday.

Ulrika aside, it was mighty fine to see the once popular quiz show back on our screens and I was pleasantly surprised to find the format not looking out dated in the least, producers of other television quiz shows should take note. The inclusion of dead pan comic Jack Dee as team captain was a worthy replacement for Lamar and Self and it was a laugh trying to work out what must've been going through his mind as he stood face to face with an opera singer who belted out a rendition of that famous song that Pavarotti was best known for. Great stuff - and almost as funny as seeing one of many of Matt Lucas' alter-egos singing The Peanut Song in the program that preceeded it.

Which means that last night's Shooting Stars has been voted the best quiz show of 2008. Sorted. My other top personal picks of the year are as follows (based on personal taste and not necessarily items that have been released in 2008);

Best Album of 2008 - This award goes to Metallica's "Death Magnetic". Only because it's one of the few albums that I have actually bought this year that was quite passable. It marked a cliched return to Metallica's roots of the thrash metal genre and it proves that, even at their age, they can still cut the mustard for playing a fast song or two. Runners up include Anal Beard's "We, The Dreg" (a compendium of greatest hits from 1997 - 2001) and Kevin Ayers' "The Unfairground". Perhaps it's a good job that Megadeth have yet to release their album, as I would've automatically given the award to Mustaine's metal, 'cos I'm fucking biased like that, OK?

Best Book of 2008 - I've been too busy catching up with other peoples' blogs and burying my hooter in the back pages of the gutter press to do any real reading, but this year's prize goes to The DVD Book Of West Ham United (Open Umbrella Publishing in conjuction with ILC Media). It actually comes with a (yes, you've guessed it) two hour DVD displaying no less than 250 of the Hammers' top goals from the last twenty years. The actual book is the winner, author Martin Godleman writes in a concise and occasionally opinionated but witty style (describing the hooligan element of the seventies and eighties as "...a golden age of mental health issues in football supporters around the country"). The good thing about this is that you can pick up the book on a whim, flick through its individual chapters without actually having to read it in any particular order as chapters are named aphabetically from Allen, Allen, Ashton to Zamora.

Best Gig of 2008 - There have been many, from The Stooges to The Stranglers but the award goes to Half Man Half Biscuit at The Cornbury Festival. The Wirral's most famous foursome turned this blogger's gig going activities of the year into a religious experience without them even trying. Not only was this the first of two HMHB gigs that I attended in 2008, but it was their first gig that saw them play "Took Problem Chimp To The Ideal Homeshow" from 2008's seminal CSI:Ambleside album.

Best Blog of 2008 - He's only gone and done it again, but Stray Photon of Spraying The Rays is the winner for the third year in a row just for the many and varied topics that he has covered. Will someone please return his hat? The entire future of Hull City AFC depends on it.

Best Podcast of 2008 - Not that many in the running this year (OK, not many that I've listened to), but it was a well deserved win for Bobcast 58 by Robert Swipe. This is essential listening for anyone heavily into cult tv themes (Barry Gray fanatics generously catered for).

Best Waste of Money 2008 - Leyton Orient vs Swindon Town, Boxing Day. Seventy quid for two tickets in the gallery of the west stand at the Matchroom stadium. If only I'd known earlier that day that Palace vs Norwich was a one o'clock kick off, the money would've been going into Simon Jordan's fat wallet instead of Barry Hearn's. Not even Brisbane Road's complementary tea and coffee made up for it, but the salt beef sandwiches were good. The O's played more poorly than how I felt last night.

Best Guitar of 2008 - The Epiphone Joe Perry signature Les Paul supersedes last year's Epiphone Zakk Wylde signature Les Paul solely on the basis of its eccentric finish. Wether it's the amber coloured faux flame maple top or its plasticy back and neck, it's the one that has been mostly played at Ister Towers. What a downright dirty, sexy beast. Cheap, too.

Best Film of 2008 - Heath Ledger's portrayal as The Joker in The Dark Knight was a hard act to follow and would've won it (There Will Be Blood was another serious contender), but by a narrow margin, the clincher was Bubba Ho Tep. Although this film was released a few years ago, it's easily the silliest, most daftest and one of the funniest films I've seen all year. Trooly stoopid, but worthy.

Best Gadget of 2008 - Sudafed Nasal Decongestant spray or Boss BR600 multitrack machine? Close, but no cigar. The Nokia N96 mobile phone has helped me to access the net in lieu of proper home internet access. Not only is it wi-fi compatible, but it has an internal memory of 16GB for all your portable media needs and it also comes with a 5 megapixel camera sporting a Carl Zeiss lens. There's also a 3.5mm jack for headphones and a large screen so you can view those Top Gear episodes on the way to work.

Funniest Thing of 2008 - The ongoing credit crunch, but only if you're a communist. Have I missed anything out? What say you?