James Brown passed away on Christmas Day. Or did he? James Mann ponders the Godfather of Soul.

At this special time of year, let’s not forget the REAL reason for the season… fabulously gaudy displays of Xmas lights! Heather Lorusso sure didn’t - and even in faraway Tokyo she found enough clever uses of wattage to soften the most humbuggy of hearts. You won’t find these in your neighbor’s yard.

If the Motion Picture Academy has learned one thing this year, it’s that independent and low-budget films are generally better than the crap that Hollywood is now pumping out. So what can the Grammys learn from this? Tim Wardyn goes over the lesson plan.

Just when it seemed a dead end for seven Temple University film students, who made their very first feature film, things turned around. Brittany Sturges reports.

Avowed comic fan Van Sias gives us the rundown on the best storylines of 2005.

It’s Gail Worley’s annual List of the Top 19 Quotes from Interviews she conducted with various Rock Types in 2005!

Andrew Ellis picks his top 19 independently-released records of 2005.

James Mann finds that even he thinks his musical soundtrack to 2005 was weird.

James Greene Jr. gathers highlights from the most recent trial of the still-very-young century.

Carl F Gauze selects the 19 most important public figures to pass away in the last 12 months. Sad – but true!

In the aftermath of Katrina, James Mann wonders if the government, the people – anyone – has learned anything useful lately. Listen up and think about it.

Our normally cheerful editor, James Mann , is cranky on the subject of public noise pollution masquerading as nostalgia.

Hunter S. Thompson took his life Sunday. James Mann shows what America and the world has lost.

“Oh, the albums I wish I had reviewed…” says Rob Walsh , Ink 19’s overworked reviews editor.

‘Big Oil’ has slowly taken us on a cultural down-hill slide in more ways than one. We’ve come to accept the idea of every customer working for them. Like any most any behemoth, give them enough rope, they’ll eventually hang themselves in front of some of us, like they did in front of David Whited.

Now that the lights are on and the popcorn’s been swept off the floor, Rob Levy reflects on the year in films.

So maybe it doesn’t all fall on the same calendar. It all still merits a mention, or so James Mann thinks.

Are there really 19 ways to use a CD that you just don’t like? Tim Wardyn thinks so.

Pop gems, nostalgia, stars, retro-dance, electric disco, New Wave, alternative, and Broadway. Yes, Virginia, this is Ben Varkentine’s list of great albums for 2004.

Listmania continues, with Rob Levy’s Top 19 albums for 2004.