Fifth Annual Ralphies

My nominations for the fifth annual ralphies are now up. In a break from tradition, I am moving them over this year to The Resident Alien.

Fourth Annual Ralphies

I am late on it this year, but here are my 2007 Ralphies. Previous Ralphies are at these links: 2004, 2005, 2006. For newcomers, the Ralphies are "the little bit of annual indulgence among bibliobloggers to go outside of Biblical Studies and blog their "best ofs" of the year." This year, it seems like it is only the old guard who are indulging, Ed Cook, the originator, on Ralph the Sacred River, and Jim Davila on Paleojudaica. Perhaps this is a sign that bibliobloggers are now much more inclined than they used to be to post on material of personal rather than professional interest, and so the annual self-indulgence is not so appealing. If you ate Christmas dinners all year, would lunch on 25 December be such a treat? I must admit that the creation of my own personal blog earlier this year makes the annual self-indulgence feel a little less special than it used to, not least since I gush about Doctor Who all I want now on that blog. Nevertheless, the Ralphies are a tradition, and it's one I will still have fun honouring.

Song of the year: I was going to say Silversun Pickups, Lazy Eye, which I first caught on Jools Holland earlier this year. But a glance at Wikipedia shows that it was released in 2006, so I will instead vote for Arctic Monkeys, Fluorescent Adolescent:



Album of the year: well, there was a new album from the Fall this year, so of course it is my album of the year, Reformation Post TLC. I was tempted to name Von Sudenfed, Tromatic Reflexxions.

Gig of the year: we only went to two this year, Hannah Montana in Greensboro and They Might be Giants in Durham. Both were great fun. And yes, They Might be Giants did include in their set one of Jim Davila's favourites of the year, The Mesopotamians (and they were selling t-shirts of the same).

Film of the year: I can think of a lot of stinkers I've seen this year. Nothing bowled me over. I quite liked Ratatouille. I still haven't seen Bourne Ultimatum. I don't think we've been to the cinema or watched enough DVDs in 2007. Must put that right next year. I am definitely not watching enough films.

TV Programme of the Year: Spooks. Only joking. Doctor Who, of course. Series 3 was not as consistently strong as Series 2, but several individual episodes were the strongest ever, especially Human Nature and Family of Blood, which I discussed here (Doctor Who, Human Nature and Kenosis) and received a comment from the writer, Paul Cornell, and Blink. The series also featured the best ever moment in Doctor Who, in the episode Utopia (hilariously enjoyed by these two).

I suppose TV really is an area I invest time in. So I don't have anything to say about fictional books, but I have enjoyed a lot of television. Honourable mentions go to Life on Mars, Series 2, which was wonderful, Spooks Series 6, Sarah Jane Adventures, Series 1, Whistleblowers, Series 1. I have enjoyed loads of good BBC4 and Channel 4 documentaries too, too numerous to mention, though Secret Life of the Motorway was a particularly memorable highlight. There have been some good American TV series too. The best newcomer is definitely Chuck, already renewed for 2008. And Viola and I both like the new Bionic Woman in spite of the fact that no one else seems to. We quite enjoy but mainly endure Heroes.

Radio Program of the Year: Jon Ronson on, Series 3, some of which is still available for download. Honourable mentions: I'm Sorry I haven't a clue, still going after 35 years and still hilarious; Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie, which finally dragged me over to listening to Radio 2 for the first time. And just about everything I get the chance to listen on Radio 4. What would life be without it?

Podcast of the year: the Daily Mayo, my happy companion every day on the way back from work. This year has seen something of a podcast surge from the BBC and British expats like me who commute to work are utterly spoilt for choice (BBC Podcast Directory).

Sporting Event of the Year: I'll have to pass on this one; not a great year for English cricket or English football. The cricket World Cup was something of a shambles.

More 2007 Retrospects

Over on The Forbidden Gospels Blog, April DeConick has a helpful and very interesting Forbidden Gospels 2007 Retrospect. The blog is almost a year old and it's been a big hitter; I look forward to more of the same in 2008.

Bibliobloggers offering their Ralphies have been very thin on the ground this year. So far the only ones I have spotted have been Ed Cook, the originator, on Ralph the Sacred River, and Jim Davila on Paleojudaica. I am a bit late with mine this year, having been away over Christmas.

Third annual Ralphies

Over on Ralph the Sacred River, Ed Cook has announced the Third Annual Ralphies, the little bit of annual indulgence among bibliobloggers to go outside of Biblical Studies and blog their "best ofs" of the year. (See mine for 2004 and 2005). This year Ed is doing this as a series. I am keeping mine under one post title so as not to increase the self-indulgence, but I'll blog them in the order in which Ed presents the series, so will update this post at the appropriate times. My campaign of the last couple of years to expand the categories to include best gig, best TV programme, best radio programme and best sporting event seem to be bearing fruit -- best TV programme has been added already. But enough of the preliminaries. Here are my initial entries, following Ed's lead:

Song of the year: Murray Gold's Song for Ten, performed by Neil Hannon. This is a geeky choice, I know, but it made an instant impact on me in last year's Doctor Who Christmas episode, "Christmas Invasion", as David Tennant looks out his (10th doctor)'s outfit. It qualifies as 2006 because the track was only recently released, on Murray Gold, Doctor Who, December 2006.

Honourable mention: The Killers, Read My Mind.

Album of the year: The Killers, Sam's Town. (There was no album by The Fall this year, sadly).

Honourable mention: Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not

Gig of the year: Franz Ferdinand at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, 7 April. It was a particular thrill to be able to get to see one of my favourite British bands out here in North Carolina. (See Viola's blog post on).

Honourable mention: The Wedding Present, Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, March. Same comment as previous. (See Viola's blog post on).

Film of the year: Casino Royale is the only one that made a real impact on me this year, successfully rebooting the Bond franchise, even if it's not quite as great as some people think. Too much of Daniel Craig pouting for my liking. I probably didn't watch enough films this year, so my choice here is uninformed. Honourable mention: Inside Man.

TV programme of the year: Doctor Who, of course! Last year saw a brilliant return for the series after an absence of many years, and it came back transformed, superbly conceived by Russell T. Davies, one of the great contemporary British screen-writers. The second season, starring David Tennant as the tenth doctor, and Billie Piper again as his assistant, fully met our expectations. It was wonderful. Now we await the Christmas day episode co-starring Catherine Tate and the third series in the Spring.

Honourable mention (and a close second): Torchwood, the superb adult-oriented gritty spin-off from Doctor Who, currently airing in the UK on BBC3 and BBC2, created by Russell T. Davies. Some are even saying that they prefer it to Doctor Who.

TV comedy of the year: Extras, the second season of Ricky Gervais's brilliant sitcom. Honourable mentions: Lead Balloon, Catherine Tate.

Other honourable mentions: although nothing is quite up to the standard of the best British TV over here, Heroes is good so far and well worth watching. Battlestar Galactica is still worth watching too.

Radio programme of the year: The Making of Memory -- superb Radio 4 documentary series, part of their Memory Experience series of programmes.

Honourable mentions: I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: funny as ever. There has been so much fantastic radio this year and the perennials keep the world turning around for me, Today, Test Match Special, Simon Mayo, Start the Week. I catch most of these via the BBC Download and Podcast Trial, one of the major changes to my life in 2006. The availability of so much good Radio 4 and Five Live radio via download has been a godsend. Speaking of which, how about a new category?

Podcast of the year: To concentrate on podcasts available outside of the BBC radio programmes above, the top was Baddiel and Skinner's World Cup Podcast -- made me laugh out loud all the way through the World Cup, and cheered me up when we lost to Portugal. Honourable mention: Ricky Gervais on The Guardian in February -- pretty enjoyable.

Sporting event of the year: well it's certainly not the Ashes this year! (American readers: The Ashes is the name for the most famous cricketing rivalry of all, England and Australian. After winning the Ashes back in the summer of 2005, we have just lost them again in Australia). The Sporting event has to be the World Cup, in spite of England's less than brilliant performance. Viola and I wrote a lot about our first experience of The World Cup in America in The Americanization of Emily.

Second Annual Ralphies

I am beginning to work through my bloglines backlog of posts and still with hundreds to go, I realize to my horror that some go back weeks. One item of particular pleasure is the annual indulgence of bibliobloggers giving their "best ofs" in the Second Annual Ralphies. As regular readers will know, this is an academic New Testament studies based blog in which personal posts are only very rarely allowed a place, but the Ralphies are a pleasure I did partake of in 2004 (first annual Ralphies) and very much later than everyone else, I thought I'd add mine for 2005 too. I suppose there really ought to be a cut-off point for best-ofs, perhaps 2 January or something like that, and in recognition of that I am going to fictionalise the date of this posting back to 2 January.

Best nonfiction book: John Peel: Margrave of the Marshes: this is the unfinished auto-biography of the greatly missed John Peel, completed by his wife Sheila. He is still so greatly missed. I still can't quite believe he's gone.

Best fiction book: I didn't read any from 2005.

Best film: King Kong, I think. Honourable mention: Pride and Prejudice. Most overrated: either Crash or Batman Begins.

Best CD of the year: The Fall, Heads Roll

Song of the year: Kaiser Chiefs, I Predict a Riot; Madonna, Hung Up; The Fall, What about us?

As in 2004, I add a couple of extra categories and campaign for these to be added in 2006 too. I didn't go to any gigs in 2005, so drop that category here, but my move to America made me more conscious of the joys of BBC radio, and of British sport, so I add some extra categories:

Best TV programme: Dr Who wins hands down -- I thought I'd died and gone to television heaven. If you haven't seen this series yet, with Christopher Eccleston as the ninth doctor, and penned by Russell T. Davies, you are in for a real treat (it premieres in the US a year late, on Sci Fi in March). It wasn't just the best of 2005, but one of the best TV series ever -- I am serious! And as if it could get any better, it went and got better with the Christmas Invasion starring tenth doctor David Tennant, with a new series to look forward to in the spring.

Best radio programme: I'm sorry I haven't a clue -- still going strong after 34 years, and hilarious as ever -- makes driving home listening to the radio dangerous.

Best sporting event: England winning the Ashes, of course.

Best ofs

In The First Annual Ralphies, Ed Cook challenges other bibliobloggers to come up with their own best-ofs. I doubt that mine will be of much interest to anyone who reads the NT Gateway Weblog since they are not exactly NT-related, but here are mine anyway, since Ed does ask us all:

Best Fiction: I haven't read a single fictional book published in 2004. Sorry.

Best non-fiction: very tough. I must admit that I am surprised how much I have enjoyed Crossan and Reed's In Search of Paul, though there must be some other hightlights that I am forgetting. Why is it that amnesia sets in the moment one is asked to do this?

Best Film: on Film 2004 tonight, Fellowship of the Ring was at the top because of its late 2003 release. If I'm allowed that, I'd have that. If not, I'd probably say Spiderman II. Honourable mentions: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Bride and Prejudice, Farenheit 911 and The Passion of the Christ.

Best TV programme: Curb Your Enthusiasm (US); Little Britain (UK). Also enjoyed Smallville, Tru Calling, 24.

Best album: Scissor Sisters, with Franz Ferdinand a close second.

Best single: Band Aid 20, even though not a patch on the original, which still moves me to tears.

Best gig: The Fall, Stourbridge (actually the only gig I went to in 2004).

Most missed: John Peel

It's good to see Helenann Hartley pitching in with her Best ofs for 2004. I love Father Ted and The West Wing too. If I'm allowed repeats, I should probably also add The Prisoner on BBC4 earlier in the year, a real treat.