Great in '08!

I know that right now, everyone is fed-up with "end of the year" recap lists, and so am I. So instead of spending the time to go back and cover what was great, I will focus on what's to come that will become great. Here, in no particular order, is the 1st Annual paulrosenblog.com 20-best-upcoming-great-things-about-next-year-list.

1. The 2008 Presidential Election: I'm not a huge political analyst or anything, but this race looks way too close to call on both sides of the block. I still feel like a darkhorse may be riding to the front. The dollar is so weak and the war is so wack, we damn sure need a change.
2. Superbowl XLII: I made it in person to the last two bowl games... Detroit for obvious reasons (Shady Bowl was the shit) and Miami because my wife's beloved Bears made an appearance. This year we aren't planning to be there in Arizona, but it should be a good one regardless. I predict (ok, hope) that it wont be the Paytriots and Cowgirls.
3. The Detroit Tigers: with Cabrera's bat added to the equation, the D looks to be the team to beat next year.
4. Eminem's Next Album: come on, you didn't think I was actually going to give anything away here, did you?
5. End of the Writer's Strike: hopefully the WGA and the studios/networks can figure this out sooner than later. I'm getting tired of the reruns on late night and no new programming.
6. Detroit Pistons in the Finals: the D has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the last 4 seasons straight, and they will be there again this year. Call Vegas and bet on that. The difference from last year is that they will make it into the NBA Finals again. Stuckey is back, the starters are healthy and playing great, and with the new blood we are quite deep on the bench. Be afraid.
7. The Wire, Season 5: this show on HBO is hands-down the home of the best acting and writing on scripted television, period. If you haven't seen it, don't be retarded. Go rent or buy seasons 1-4 and then get into season 5. Word to Weebay.
8. NFL Network and Time-Warner Cable: get it together, boys. We don't want to have to go to the bar to see all of the Thursday and Saturday games. This season was bullshit because of it.
9. Whole Foods, Tribeca: the grocery stores in my neighborhood just plain suck. In March of next year, Whole Foods opens on Chambers Street. Thankfully.
10. Ernst Benz PVD Chronograph: this Detroit-based but Swiss-handmade watch company is throwing their hat in the ring to become a competitor with the best. The have a Mario Batali orange-accented piece dropping. But I'm about to cop the sick, black limited edition case with carbon fiber face chrono. Check the whole line out here.
11. 4th Year of Shade45 on Sirius: it's official, Shade45 will be back for another unique year. More of Cipha Sounds Effect in the morning, Rude Jude & Lord Sear's All-Out Show in the afternoons, and mixshows nightly from our very own DJ Muggs, Tony Touch, Clinton Sparks, Kay Slay and The Aphilliates are on the way. Also, every Saturday from 10 a.m.-8p.m. check out 50 Cent's very own G Unit Radio. You might even want to stick around to the end of next year for the 4th installment of Hanukkah Radio, hosted by yours truly (see post below). Go get a subscription to Sirius and check out the uncut, commercial-free hip-hop radio station you've always longed for.
12. Larger Memory Ipod Touch: I'll be frank, I never copped the iphone. I was turned off by the hype and the virtual keyboard, as well as the bullshit EDGE network from AT&T. But, I gotta admit, the wide-screen ipods with the Wi-Fi connectivity are sweet. When they get more memory (than the weak 8gigs they offer now) next year, I'm going to pick one up for sure. Fasho.
13. Albums Dropping By My Clients/Artists: of course, Shady Records and our clients at Goliath Artists have albums coming out next year. Be on the look out for awesome full-lengths (pause) from Cashis, Bobby Creekwater, The Alchemist, Mickey Avalon, B.o.B, The Knux, Blestenation, DJ AM and +44 (you may even see a solo effort from drummer/producer Travis Barker). Sorry, I can't reveal what 50's plans are yet- they are locked in a briefcase somewhere. No, I'm not telling you where.
14. The Dark Knight: I saw an on-line leak of the 6 minute clip featuring Heath Ledger as The Joker and his crew robbing a bank, and it was brilliant. Low-tech, edgy, raw and angry. I'm really looking forward to the second Batman installment from Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale as Batman. This new, modern movie series of my favorite superhero is the finest comic book film adaptation so far. Sorry, X-Men.
15. Palms Place Condos: the gleaming new condominium towers at Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas open in '08. Guess who plucked down duckets for a spot?
16. The Blackberry 9000 Series: as RIM stock continues to surge, there is a new Blackberry on the horizon. The 9000 is rumored to have a fully touch integrated screen a la the Iphone, a 3 megapixel camera, true 3G wi-fi internet connectability, and 8gigs of built-in memory. As a dedicated Blackberry loyalist, I will be copping one.
17. Porsche Panamera: in 2008 (maybe early '09), Porsche will release its first luxury sedan (4 door), the Panamera. Look for some images of it like this on-line, its amazing. Like a stretched out, bad-ass 911 for the seasoned taste.
18. Detroit Lions Firing Matt Millen: this has become some kind of joke. What kind of team keeps a General Manager on board for six straight losing seasons? The Lions showed promise this year starting off 6-2, then proceeded to turn into petrified garbage and lost 7 of the next 8 games to finish an awful 7-9. This is like punching yourself in the face, having it hurt, and then trying it again to see if it will hurt again. Yes, it will. Stop it. Seriously, get rid of this guy for the love of blog. Sign the petition, here. OR, read the article from the Detroit Free Press about this carbuncle.
19. thewingmen.net: as a fat guy, I had the idea of creating a blog or site dedicated to the review and praise of Buffalo-style chicken wings about a year ago. Next year, after collecting reviews and getting fatter, I plan to launch www.thewingmen.net- a site dedicated to the worship of the finest bar food ever created. Bars, pubs, restaurants, dives and diners around the world, its time to step your game up. You never know when The Wingmen will show up and eat your chicken, then write about it.
20. More Rosenblog!: don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll have more random blogging going on for the whole year of 2008, including better photos (courtesy of my new Panasonic Lumix with wide-angle capability), more music, polls, and exclusive information. Thanks for reading and supporting paulrosenblog.com for it's first 5 months!

So, there you have it... the 1st Annual paulrosenblog.com 20-best-upcoming-great-things-about-next-year-list. This was by far my longest post ever. I'm tired of typing. Discuss amongst yourselves, and Happy New Year from paulrosenblog.com!