The paper cups have finally been cleaned up, the embarrassing incidents forced far into the back of our minds, you've broken your first 3 resolutions, the wine stains are starting to fade from the carpets and you my friend are back at work or at school.

Yup, 2008 is officially on a roll now and I for one am excited (it may just be my happy pills tough...we'll see how I'm doing at midday). For one, there's hope that the terrible comebacks will remain in 2007 and 2008 will see a host of fresh new ideas, celebrities and who knows, maybe even a little talent on the side...or at least we're insured we'll have a Spiderman Sequel-less year and that's enough for me :*

So I'm being a little hasty perhaps. 2007 wasn't such a bad year (in Switzerland but that's coz everything's always happy there. That's what good chocolate can do for a country). There were some pretty awesome highlights such as:

The brilliantly awesomely amazing Pan's Labyrinth which in my opinion was the best movie of the year. Amazing storyline, solid acting and a dash of creepy paedophilic fawns made this modern fairytale the single most magical experience on the screen last year. Aside from Die Hard 4.0 which blew me away and didn't even bother to pick up the pieces of by awesomely amazed mind. Props to Bruce Willis. But seeing as you can't say that and keep your movie opinions credible, we'll move on perhaps...

The two most highly anticipated and highly rewarding albums of all time (that is all time between January and December 2007). Interpol's Our Love To Admire which grows on you like a bad case of "it's just a rash, it'll go away" and Nine Inch Nail's Year Zero which takes a hold of you like the urgent desire to come up with a witty analogy. My favourite song of the year had to be "The Heinrich Manoeuvre" by Interpol. So good I can forgive them finding the song title that is most prone to misspelling by unqualified over-opinionated bloggers (oh wait...)

Also musically, we saw a surprise entry into the "Whoa what a cool band, why haven't I heard of them before" category. Brooklyn based The National released Boxer and namely the song Mistaken for Strangers and my world was never the same again. Who thought unintelligible mumbling could make for a great song.

And of course, the amazing albums brought out by Bjork, The Arcade Fire, PJ Harvey and Editors. In fact, musically 2007 was an amazing year.

Except for that god damn lip gloss popping song! Good God people...why????

But anyway, away with 2007 and lip gloss and onto a brighter and sunnier 2008 (the irony of the rain currently falling outside my window hasn't escaped me). But as for the highlights of 2008, there are many...

The first and biggest anticipation for the year is a revolution in the movie world. Not since Donnie Darko or Lost in Translation or even Pi have we seen a movie of this calibre. Coming in the summer of 2008, the world will hold is breath for...

Yes that's right...cheerleaders...who are ninjas...but are also cheerleaders...and hot...and ninjas...it's absolutely brilliant!

The plotline (haha...plotline) goes a little something like this...these ninja cheerleaders (it makes me smile to say it everytime) have to find their kidnapped sensei and still juggle the cheerleading championships, school finals and keeping their secret ninja identities secret. Where do they find such founts of inspiration. It's like God himself wrote the concept. I'm paying my hard earned cash to see this...

And onto the slightly less exciting highlights to come...

After the awe-inspiring season finale of Lost last year, every single person in the world who isn't genetically descended from a moose (yes all you non-Lost fans) lost all reason and motivation in life waiting for the return of the guys on the island. And now on the 31st of January at 9:00pm, crashing in with a 2hour special, we'll finally find out who's boat it is. Actually, we probably won't. There probably won't even be a boat anymore. It'll be the Other Others or just a cloud of smoke pretending to be a boat.

But who cares? Lost is coming back folks!!!! Down with the moose-people!

If you want to see your eyes drops out of your head and roll endlessly on the floor while you flail your arms in panic and hope your dog Ruffles doesn't eat them like the last time, go right now to The Dark Knight website and watch the most amazing trailer since the 1980s Jurgens Trailer which revolutionized trailer parks around America.

Heath Ledger as the Joker frightened me so so very much at first but after watching his awesome (albeit carbon copy of Jack Nicholson) performance in the trailer, I'm more excited than a prisoner who accidentally has Monica Belluci fall on his lap. Mmmm...

Music-wise we have the offerings of Cat Power, Jack Johnson and Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls all releasing albums. It looks like it's gonna be an exciting year. Or at least a Spierman Sequel-less year (praise God!)

And I may write more regularly, we'll see....

This is the 1980 Jurgens Trailer. Awesome isn't it!