OVERRATED
The recent Golden Globe noms included a few glaring omissions among films (I'm typically anti-Trekkie, but that "Star Trek" movie made me giddy) and at least one very undeserved inclusion from TV: NBC's "The Office" for best comedy/musical series. This has been a nosediving season for the once-riotous sitcom, with Steve Carell's Michael trying way too hard to be as laughably unlikable as Ricky Gervais' BBC "Office" boss, the relationship between Jim and Pam turning into just another boring marriage, and buffoons Dwight and Andy going too far over the caricature line. A little more Creed and Phyllis might actually improve things.
UNDERRATED
Why don't more bands release live albums these days? While the rock-critic majority is holding up Radiohead's "Kid A" as the album of the decade, I'd rate the Brits' live counterpart "Everything in Its Right Place" as a superior listen. Same thing with Wilco's and the Hold Steady's live collections, "Kicking Television" and "A Positive Rage," respectively. There are dozens of other bands I'm seriously jonesing to issue official live records (DVDs don't cut it), especially the White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Drive-by Truckers, Mastodon and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. In the meantime, anyone up for swapping bootlegs?
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
