The week in Pop: My favorite things

Once again, It's time for a roundup of my pop-culture favorites for the week. Take a look, then add your own to the mix:

Best TV show I saw: Dexter. I wasn't sure where the whole Doakes-Dex thing was headed this season, but, holy smokes, now it has gotten good! Parts of Sunday's episode blew my mind so much that I was sure the writers had decided to end the series right then and there. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I desperately don't want the season to end.
I also enjoyed: Torchwood (what a kiss!), 30 Rock, Nip/Tuck, Bones

Best CD I heard: I'm in a Fleshtones phase right now, so I'll throw it to the band's yet-to-be-released album, Take a Good Look. I played a song from it in this week's podcast.
I'm also listening to: All of a sudden, everyone is telling me to listen to Vampire Weekend, so I am, and I like them a whole lot. I like BIG BUSINESS' description: " Think of them as Paul Simon (Graceland) having drinks with the Talking Heads while listening to Belle and Sebastian." I'm also enjoying a group called Pale Young Gentleman; they describe their sound as "Jacques Brel meets Randy Newman meets rowdy thespians."

As for more familiar things, the other day I popped in Tori Amos' latest CD (American Doll Posse), which I didn't listen to much when it came out, but now it seems to fit my mood. And my husband is a big Animal Collective fan, so I've heard some Strawberry Jam in the car.

Best movie I saw: No Country For Old Men. I saw this a couple weeks ago, but I don't think I've mentioned it yet. The Coen brothers blew me away once again with this one, and I clenched my stomach the entire time I sat in the theater. Some people have told me they had trouble with the ending, but I don't really understand what they mean -- the ending worked for me, the acting worked, the cinematography worked and it was the best movie I've paid to see in a long time.
I also enjoyed: Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, 49 Up, I'm Not There. (OK, so I have mixed feelings about I'm Not There. Cate Blanchett did a swell job, but the rest of it didn't live up to my expectations. See it if you're a diehard fan, wait for the DVD if you're not.)

Best book I read: I tore through the fourth Scott Pilgrim over Thanksgiving. Bryan Lee O'Malley's books are fun reads that are so fast-paced my brain sometimes struggles to keep up with my eyes.
I'm also reading: The current issue of Stop Smiling, Big Questions 10 by Anders Nilsen, James Sturm's America, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel by Ed Hamilton

OK! What's been delighting your ears 'n' eyes this week?