Lefty Side of the Dial

It's been a while hasn't it? I think the only remarkable thing about the return of the weekly Top Ten is how much less television I watch. The writer's strike did really cut a swath through my show watching schedule. Heck I'm even caught up on all my Daily Shows and Colbert Report episodes. So without further ado:

1. Torchwood (Season 2)
Torchwood season two has been so dang good. I'll even go so far as saying that in many ways Torchwood has outfoxed Doctor Who for me. While I'm looking forward to the next season of Doctor Who, I'm glued to each new episode of Torchwood.

2. Rock Band

Sure I play a lot of FPS (First Person Shooters) but as of late my favorite moments of gaming has been playing Rock Band with friends (both online and offline). I am loving the downloadable content and have been tearing up the Grateful Dead and Boston songs ferociously. I also have a new found respect for drummers. I only have four pads and a kick pedal but I still can't get my limbs to work together AND independent of one another.

3. Call of Duty 4

Speaking of FPS games, this one is a damn fine one. I've been playing with some other podcasters at this game and they make me look good. This is a great looking and fast-paced game that is easily addictive. It also just got some new maps which gives the game some new sheen.

4. R.E.M. "Accelerate"

I happened to have really liked R.E.M.'s last album, so I long felt that things were starting to come back together from one of my favorite alternative bands (do we still refer to them as college rock?). This album feels like it could have been made during the I.R.S. years at times, but with a little more spit & polish. Good stuff.

5. Battlestar Galactica (Season 4)

Battlestar Galactica has probably been one of my most anticipated shows, even more than those awfully long Lost waits. I'm glad to see it back, even if it is for it's last season. I am anxiously waiting to see how the last bevy of new episodes play out. (I can now move up The Shield into my most anticipated TV show slot)

6. Led Zeppelin "Houses of the Holy"

I do formally declare that this is now my favorite Led Zep album. It has now surpassed my devotion to Led Zeppelin II. I have been growing my Zep catalog buying one album a month, and last month this one just blew me away....even if it has the palate-cleansing D'yer Maker.

7. The Ben Stiller Show

Ben Stiller does a great Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono. Great cast in hit or miss sketches. They were no The State, but at times the show was so dang funny. I absolutely loved The Monkees sketch called The Grungies. Oh, and Judd Apatow had his hand in this as well.

8. Super Smash Brothers Brawl

I'm not a huge fan of arcade fighting games, so I'm rather surprised I am having a pleasant time playing this game. It basically takes lots and lots of Nintendo characters with other popular video game characters and you can fighter each other on some pretty cool stages. No once I get past the "what the heck does this button do?" factor I have had a good time playing this, and my Wii appreciated being turned on again after spending so much time on my Xbox 360.

9. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Sure the story is a bit thin on the campaign, and there are a few glitches, and bad guys spawn at weird places...but I have a soft spot for the Rainbow Six series, and thankfully the online multiplayer is an awful lot of fun. I enjoy the "ranking up" system that consists of getting kills in certain ways. Good fun.

10. Young Indiana Jones vol. 1

I have now commenced my run up to the new Indiana Jones movie. I am going to try to watch the TV series and then launch into the three movies. Now if I had a link somewhere I'd actually love to watch all of this in chronological order. Can anyone help me out with that? I've only finished the first disc of the series, and for the most part it was pretty good, but in a few places I found myself checking to see how much longer the episode was going to run.