Yes, it is that time again, and I realize I am taking a chance that a masterpiece or two will be released in the next 26 days or so, but it is either that or take the risk that procrastination will take over and it will be December 28th and I will rush this to press ( WordPress that is… ) and I have decided that the procrastination risk is much more likely.

So with out further ado JTk’s favorites of 2008:

Best Album of 2008: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The fourteenth(!) studio album from the perennial and criminally unappreciated Cave prove that aging rock performers don’t have to turn into Sting like caricatures of their former selves.

Mr Cave explains the title:

“Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ’s miracles – raising a man from the dead – but I couldn’t help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it.

I would expect nothing less from Nick after all these years….

Best T.V. Showof 2008: Dexter, Showtime.

This was the easiest choice for me out of all of these categories. Showtime has finally pulled an HBO – creating the best hour on TeeVee each week by stretching past the bounds traditionally imposed by network executives and show sponsors. Dexter is like the best shows of HBO – The Wire, Deadwood, and the Sopranos – smart, funny, scary all in the same 45 minutes.

And Dexter Morgan himself reminds me of Tony Soprano in that you know that he is at his core a killer and yet you still find yourself rooting for him inspite of that. Most of my favorite TV shows have been ensemble casts ( Seinfeld, Deadwood, the Wire, Cheers ) where the support characters are at least as interesting as the protagonist – but not Dexter – Michael C. Hall is the show, it is all about him.

Best Movie of 2008: Batman – The Dark Knight

Okay, I can’t even believe that this is my choice, but after all of the crappy batman movies, ( not to mention all of the crappy superhero movies ever made – which is almost all superhero movies… ) and the hype this received with Heath Ledger’s death, the fact remains that Christopher Nolan created the best movie of the year.

I think all of the hype surrounding Ledger’s death would have put me off even more if he hadn’t been so damn good as the Joker – we are not talking about the Tommy Lee Jones 2 face clown of Batman forever, Ledger turns the joker into a complex and compelling character.

Best Video Game of 2008: Spore

Leave it to Maxis (of SimCity fame) to create the most most unique and compelling game since, well, SimCity. Spore allows you to create the universe, to manage a species from its beginnings as a unicellular organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture.

But that does not tell the whole story – the interface is a joy and the hours melt away as you take on evolution of your species – you really do have to play it to understand how engrossing it it.

Best Book of 2008: Nixonland

If the past is prologue, and I can’t argue that it is not, then this book is a must read for anyone that wants to understand why the political landscape is the way it is today. If you don’t agree, you should read how Rick Perlstein’s outlines Nixons so called “southern strategy” and watch how it has been applied by Lee Atwater, Carl Rove, et all. ever since.

Perlstein writes in a style that is readable and compelling and brings a fresh take to the tragic tale of not only Nixon but the times he presided over that still shape our divided country today.