Everyone Has a Best Of....

Why should I exempt myself? It's a fun game of picking my favorites and you think I'm either right on, or way off. Either way, I get the chance to display some of my Favorites from the year 2009. Are you ready to jump for joy because my picks are groovy? Or perhaps you are ready to burst into tears at my terrible taste? Here I go!

**Top 5 Commercials of 2009:
(5) Playstation 3 makes me laugh. Coming in at number five is their newest commercial for the PS3, which advertises the blue-ray capability. It starts with a young teen complaining that his Grandmother can't stop watching movies while he's waiting to play. A representative of the company comes on screen to brag about the cool feature and remind the kid that his Grandmother used to push a hoop with a stick. A stick...a stick. Laugh out loud quality commercial.

(4) Number four: Victoria Secret's latest Christmas commercial. Producer Michael Bay (Transformers, Pearl Harbor, The Island and Friday the 13th), was asked to be involved with newest promotion of gorgeous lingerie. And he shows us that Charlie's Angels doesn't have to be cheesy! Between scenes of beautiful women in the rough and delicate feminine stages, Bay creates a sensory image for the customer that wants to make sexy a statement. The music choice - "Merchant of Death" from the Iron Man soundtrack. It's as if the intent is to make these models heroic. I'm a fan of the product anyhow, as are most women, and now I feel like I'm in charge. A solid vote from me.

(3) Next up: I nominate Stand by Me by Playing for Change. It was more than an incredible idea for a music video; it promoted unity across the globe. It called attention to the homeless on the street, an issue I certainly connect with, and the non-profit organization made a name for itself, raising money using the music of many street performers to grab the public's attention. Playing for Change has since made other amazing videos with similar themes and voices and they were given a top 10 spot on best album list for the year by the Associated Press.Beautiful!

(2) Running 2nd is a Viral commercial. A small ad agency in North Carolina, called Boone Oakley created a cartoon parody of what other agencies do and what they do. What's funny about it is the level of comic honesty the stick-figures express (and I'm putting that lightly). I'm not joking. I couldn't help but laugh out loud watching this and it was more of a "what-on-earth-that's-hilarious" sort of laugh. Ironically, at then end of the commercial, when they rolled their demo reel, I immediately recognized a Ruby Tuesday commercial that had circled the web and even TV. Despite their low-key status and not residing in a big city, they seemed have made a name for themselves just by being creative. Fantastic.

(1) Finally: Levi Jeans' "Go Forth" campaign has impressed me the most this year. It is a campaign that brings the old and the new together. Levi's campaign created a retro feel and went bounding through America seeking the identity of rising generations...soliciting that under it's name-brand jeans. Not only do the commercials recite century old poems, but the cinematography expresses the beauty and the depth of youth at the same time. The colors fade tainting to black and white, flashing between simple and sexy images that are as profound as everyday people. They've posted short documentary spots on their Facebook page that target communities around the country. They allow the public to post creative writing samples and photography on their website. They even donated $100,000 dollars to Charity: Water. And after all that: I want to buy a pair of Levi jeans an be part of it all too. Brilliant!

**Top 5 Music Videos of 2009
(5) In November Rihanna released her album, "Rated R," along with single and video Russian Roulette. I have never been a huge fan of Rihanna, as I felt, previously that the young star's voiced sounded forced more often than not. But this year, she has matured in a unique way. After her frightful incident with former boyfriend, Chris Brown, earlier this year, she took her pain and emotions and put them into incredible music. Russian Roulette is a tell tale of an abusive relationship and the video itself shows a woman's inner battle - her inner battle in getting out of the relationship. It also show split second scenes that seemed to replay her struggle. Her voice as well drenched with passion and ease.

(5) Tied at number 5, just because I couldn't make up my mind- is Beyonce's Sweet Dreams. Beyonce's videos from "I am Sasha Fierce" have been truly dynamic. They have showcased her vocal ability as well as her dance ability, and I'm loving it. Sweet Dreams not only is a great dance video, but just as in a dream, the colors and effects are rather surreal, from the her outfits to the floating glass after she busts through a mirror. It's an extremely sexy and visually appealing video.

(4) Weezer makes the chart for me this year. Recently released I Want You Too video and featuring Sara Bareilles. While the album does not contain this version, I found it impressive that Weezer pulled in Bareilles' talent to duet the song in a laid back recording video. The casual session resonates with the indie rock/pop sound despite the fact the Weezer is under a major label. It's simple and gives the song a fun image of two people falling in love, and enjoying life together. Fan-tas-tic.

(3) From late 2008 and all 2009 year long, Lady Gaga has made and HUGE impression among audiences of all types. I have a great appreciation for the talent that Lady Gaga has and uses in every avenue of her music. From her voice, to piano to her dance ability, she really has what it takes to draw a crowd and rise to the top of the charts. She is the first ever to have 4-Number-1 singles of of any album. With a re-release and some new tunes to follow-up of The Fame, Gaga rolls out a resounding new video to accompany "The Fame Monster": Bad Romance. The song itself carries ode to Alfred Hitchcock in the lyrics, and combines dance with a colorful Russian-Mafia type story. Her voice bellows through longer notes and her changing appearance throughout the video sheds Gaga's faces - both beautiful and, well, interesting to say the least. Amazing video.

(2) Coming in half-way, I pick Jordin Sparks, Battlefield. The song itself is a bit "anthem-y" and the video gives a very simplistic view of that. But it's important to note why this video really sticks out to me. Watch Jordin's face at about 2 minutes and 43 seconds in: the moment is a split second but it shows the determination of the song~ the sadness of struggle but the drive to move forward and conquer the challenge of a difficult relationship.

(1) U2's "No Line On The Horizon" has been a dynamic album this year. Complete with a 360 world tour, the band has once again shaken it's audience into excitement. One of the most incredible songs on the album, Magnificent, comes in as the number one video. It opens with the sun shining bright and the mystery of a glorious city covered under sheets as if it is being prepared to unveil significant beauty. From scenes of Bono's worshipful state to the revelation of unique people and the emasculate stone city, the song lifts the listener to think higher. Even the lyrics are truly compelling: "I was born/I was born to sing to You/I didn't have a choice but to life you up." Simple, beautiful, praiseworthy, Magnificent.

Honorable Mention: 2009 has been one of the most interesting years for the world of Music. The world lost one of the greatest inovators of pop music: Michael Jackson. Stepping beyond the Jackson 5 and growing up in front of our eyes, Jackson entered the 80s with a few dance moves no one could imagine to try. His album, Thriller, one of the most successful albums of all time. So in honor I will list on of my favorite dance videos of the Jackson era: Smooth Criminal.

So now the question is: what do you think?