I know that this weekly feature has become the go-to place for you to understand what are the top choices in the entertainment world today. OK, maybe not. But I have fun, anyway.
This week I want to share what are some major disappointments for me right now in the world of entertainment. Some of these are just bad. Some are missteps from major players. I mean everyone strikes out eventually right?
And this is all in fun, OK?

10. Justin Timberlake. The fact that this guy can continue to foist that banal tripe on a palate-numbed American society while the greatest song-writer of my generation continues to toil in relative obscurity really grinds my gears..

9. Time Magazine. I really can’t quibble too much with their list of the 100 greatest novels released since 1923. I am trying to read them all. But the inclusion of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go” has me nonplussed. If you want a dystopian classic, then Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” is the way to go. Quite simply one of my favorite novels of all time. But it doesn’t make the list.

8. Rachael Ray. She has a new talk show, in addition to the 623 cooking shows she has each week. My disappointment? That my mute button can’t turn the volume down lower. Is there a setting below silent?

7. Nancy Grace. I’m not disappointed in her. Really. I am disappointed that our culture of screaming talking heads has devolved to the point where she has a nightly talk show. She must be the poster child for rethinking our communal values.

6. Saturday Night Live. You were funny once. You used to be relevant. But lampooning GW each week is comedy aimed to the lowest common denominator. It’s too easy. And, if it’s too easy it’s probably not very funny. The ever-present wink in Amy Poehler’s eyes have been replaced with a look of pain.

5. Dane Cook. OK, you die-hards. Explain this one to me. A funny line every 10 minutes does not make for a great stand-up. If my math holds, that translates to 9 laughs in a 90-minute show. He’s just not funny.

4. Political Ads. I deal with the ubiquitous lawn signs. I even stomach the TV and radio spots (although, I think all of them are lying to me). But, do you really have to leave a pre-recorded message on my answering machine? Some republican dude I’ve never heard of is not going to convince me to vote for a democrat. Or vice versa. I don’t care if Van Taylor is a US Marine who served in Iraq in the war on terror. So, don’t leave it on my machine, ok? However, if you do want to explain to me why he just happened to take his 30 million of oil money and bought a house in this district just weeks before he announced his candidacy would be fine.

3. Gilmore Girls. This is painful for me. For the last 6 seasons Lorelai and Rory have provided the snappiest, smartest and most pop-culture riddled dialogue on TV. Last season saw a sharp downturn as Amy Sherman-Palladino planned her exit. Now, in season 7 we see ourselves in a horrible plot line, dialogue that no longer dances, and a series of actors who are re-reading their contracts trying to find an emergency out. I still tune in each week because I know what this show can be. But, without the Palladino’s, it’s obvious that this show is on its last legs.

2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I love Sorkin’s writing. He is a master at dialogue. His resume is chock full of classics (Sports Night, The West Wing) but this is quickly becoming a train-wreck. Don’t get me wrong. I love the show. It’s great to be able to like Matthew Perry, again (I’m finally able to get the horrible memories of the last 6 seasons of that Chandler character out of my mind.) Bradley Whitford is a consummate actor. But here’s the problem: Aaron Sorkin cannot write comedy sketches. The show within the show is horrible. There has not been a sketch yet that comes close to being funny. When you have to sit through a dismal Nancy Grace sketch followed by a conversation about how great a comedy writer Matt Albie is, then the whole show rings false. Either hire sketch writers for these scenes or don’t show them at all. Oh, and buy a few lightbulbs. This isn’t CSI: Burbank.

1. Sting. I made a commitment that I was going to listen to his entire new album, Songs From the Labyrinth, if it killed me. I promise you that was the longest 48 minutes and 24 seconds of my life. Sting, I know you have an enormous ego that needs feeding but could you do it recording something good?

Thoughts?