IVANA: wow
LENNY: wow what?
IVANA: there's actually an end to this awful year in sight
LENNY: there is? cool. does that mean i can go back to costa rica now?
IVANA: i'm not sure that 2008 will be any better, but at least it will be different than 2007
LENNY: well different is at least ... well.... different. you know that i remain a hopeless optimist
IVANA: as opposed to most of us, who are just hopeless
LENNY: i get my fill of the hopeless from my basketball affiliation
IVANA: did you realize that 2 of the 3 we named as our future “rookie mvps” are no longer employed? jj grossman, buddy deal and mike depippa were our three to watch last year
LENNY: or from the glass is still 1/3 filled dept, at least one still has a job
IVANA: yeah, and I saw buddy at the kroq xmas show and he seems really good. i don't want to jinx him but i think dennis blair is on course for a great year next year
LENNY: he has great records, which never hurts.... monte and avery keep churning out smashes
IVANA: the veterans like bill carroll and howard p., bill burrs and bonnie slifkin, mark czarra and stephanie harty, mark fischer and christine chiappetta, joe guzik and amanda walk, lorraine caruso, joey scoleri, depippa and adan, etc. will continue to break bands at modern rock, even if the format's interest in playing new music continues to wane
LENNY: if one has the patience to stay at the table and grind grind grind, hits can still happen.... it's just harder than ever and takes a lot longer
IVANA: it was a good year for indie labels at modern rock: silversun pickups, spoon and arcade fire, the shins and band of horses, plus fiction plane were among the bands making a dent at the format
LENNY: and i was thrilled to see arcade fire with a grammy nom. these are great bands that will all have actual careers
IVANA: unlike me, you mean?
LENNY: actually, i think you suffer from over-longevity, but who's counting
IVANA: i should be out on the proverbial ice floe?
LENNY: it took me awhile to "get" arcade fire, but i love their album now, so you were right again (as always) and have earned another year off the floe
LENNY: or maybe we should just say month to month
IVANA: gee, thanks! so what were your favorites of 2007?
LENNY: 1. Favorite new toys..... itouch and blackberry curve
IVANA: i haven't done any major purchasing of toys this year
LENNY: 2. Favorite movies of the year (so far).... No Country for Old Men, Black Book and Waitress
IVANA: i'm sure Juno will be my favorite movie after I see it
LENNY: i haven't seen it yet either, but will during the break, hence the "so far"
IVANA: i liked Michael Clayton best "so far"
IVANA: how about favorite music of 2007?
LENNY: 3. Favorite books of the year... Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda and Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura
LENNY: 4. Favorite Album of the Year: Bruce Springsteen's Magic
LENNY: 5. Favorite TV Shows: Friday Night Lights and How I Met Your Mother .... with The Big Bang Theory coming on strong
IVANA: wait wait wait, you can only come up with one cd you liked?
LENNY: well, i liked others but i like Springsteen so much more than anything else. i think his song, "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" is an all-time classic
IVANA: i came up with a list of cds everybody should hear from 2007: first, above all others, Aqualung's Memory Man
LENNY: ok, let's have the whole list
IVANA: also Spoon, Dan Wilson, The Shins, Amy Winehouse, Coheed & Cambria, Arcade Fire, Mark Ronson, Feist, Springsteen, Hanson and the Once soundtrack
LENNY: quite an eclectic group.... do you ever like any black music?
IVANA: i liked the Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings record, and Bettye Lavette, of course
LENNY: good and it's true, you turned me on to bettye lavette and solomon burke. so howzabout next year? is kate nash an early contender?
IVANA: my first picks for next year is the new nada surf cd, which is out on barsuk in february. And shelby lynne has an amazingly brilliant cd coming out next year on lost highway.
LENNY: nada surf is what i didn't do in costa rica, i chose kayaking instead
IVANA: oh jeez. so what do you predict for next year?
LENNY: the return of elton brand and shaun livingston, plus the addition of a great lottery pick and a world championship in the 08-09 season for the los angeles clippers
IVANA: ok, how about something i care about, like MY JOB??
LENNY: a friend asked me if i planned on being the "last man standing".... i do, it is my destiny.... you can be my eve
IVANA: wow. i'm created from your rib? who knew? i always figured that nan fisher and i were the cockroaches of modern rock--25 years and counting
LENNY: i guess the answer to that and many other questions will be blowin' in the wind until january.... cya then, so say goodnight, gracie. and a happy holiday season to all of us survivors
IVANA: goodnight gracie! here's to a better 2008 (not setting the bar too high here)
LENNY: i agree, better is better
IVANA: happy holidays