Reflections on 2003

This was a very odd year to say the least. So I'm going to go through and list somethings that I thought as highlights of the year. (from a worldwide and my own perspective) Then I'll list some of the low points. (Which are of course more fun)

2003 the Good Bits

It was a musically good year, seeing releases from Madonna, David Bowie, The Moody Blues, Sarah McLaughlin, Cyndi Lauper, The Beatles, Erasure, Sarah Brightman, and Cheap Trick to name but a few.

Eddie Izzard did a stand up tour of North America and the UK. (and Pittsburgh was one of the cities he played)

Anne Rice released yet another volume in the Vampire Chronicles - Blood Canticle (sadly though this is the last one)

It was a good year for concerts too (If you lived anywhere but Pittsburgh) David Bowie embarked on his first world tour in years..(after a bout with the flu delayed it a few days) Elvis Costello continues to rock audiences (even though his new album doesn't) The Damned and the Misfits toured together in the Fiend Fest, The Moody Blues spent 3 months touring the US. (not bad for a bunch of old blokes) Duran Duran played a few dates in the summer than embarked on a sold out tour this November of small venues.

No I didn't forget the new Harry Potter novel...that I haven't read yet.

Elvis Costello was one of the inductees to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and he hosted Lettermen as well.

A fabulous year for movies: Love Actually, Pirates of the Carribean, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Bringing Down the House, yet another Lord of the Rings film. Gee I know there are more, I just can't remember them all now.

Tim Burton's new film - Big Fish opened in select cities this month. (and is getting nods for Golden Globe awards)

I had some lovely celebrity sitings this year: Brad Sherwood, Eddie Izzard, John Lodge and Justin Hayward.

Oh and we caught Saddam.

2003 the not so great bits

We started a war with Iraq over WMD's and we still haven't found any.

Elvis Costello married Canadian jazz songbird Diana (Krallomort) Krall.

Ah-nold gets elected governator of CA, proving that there are less than 10 working brain cells in that state.

Michael Jackson again gets charged for well...child molestation.. (Mostly because it's completely legal to be a total freak)

Danny Elfman married actress Bridget Fonda on Nov 29...the 2nd anniversary of the death of George Harrison.

The world lost, John Ritter, Johnny Cash and Maurice Gibb to name but a few celebrity deaths.

NBC unsuccessfully tried to clone BBC's Coupling series to replace Friends, it was cancelled after only 4 or 5 epis.

The RIAA started suing people who download music, but they haven't done anything at all to make people want to buy it.

Mexican Food Restaurant Chi-chi's files chapter 11 and gets hit with being the lucky restaurant to start a hepatitis outbreak in Western PA..thanks to some green onions imported from Mexico. (GRRRRR...poor Chi-chis)

Whose Line is it Anyway...is slowly taken off of ABC