The X-Files: I Want to Believe

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
My brother and my girlfriend are both hardcore X-Philes while I am not, yet all of us were disappointed with this muddled, oddly anticlimactic tale of a psychic pedophile priest, a modern Dr. Frankenstein and too much emotional grappling between Mulder and Scully (“Don’t give up!!!” Aaaagh!).

The Education of Hopey Glass

THE EDUCATION OF HOPEY GLASS by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
There’s something achingly poignant in this latest LOVE & ROCKETS collection starring the Locas crew of aging punks and ne’er do wells, particularly if (like me) you’ve been growing old (if not up) along with them over the past 26 years. And Xaime’s artwork, while undeniably streamlined, remains dazzling.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
As the Bush Administration slowly, painfully winds down, let us take a moment to consider how even more unbearable it would’ve been without the righteous, hilarious, sometimes angry, always spot-on bullshit detectors at The Daily Show. In a media-oversaturated world, this is one show that remains utterly essential.

The Soup

THE SOUP
If you prefer a soupçon of train-wreck TV mocked by someone smart and funny, then E!’s condensed collection of head-shaking clips is both hilarious and cathartic. Hopefully the deluded narcissists of The Hills or Big Brother tune in to see how stupid and pathetic many people think they are.

The Colbert Report

THE COLBERT REPORT
When this show premiered in 2005, I was afraid that the Billo satire would get old quickly, but the brilliant Colbert has managed to craft perhaps the smartest ongoing satire of not just the right wing, but every short-sighted, knee-jerk, self-absorbed trait that makes America so Goddamn frustrating.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS
I am not well-traveled (to say the least), but the gastro-expeditions of Jersey-bred Chef Bourdain (a punk with the soul of a poet) not only make me feel like I’ve been to exotic locations, they actually make me want to go there (although I still don’t fancy offal).