Out With the Auld - In With the New

2005 in Review ...according to Al.

• 2005 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival featuring Bauhaus, New Order, Prodigy, Coldplay, The Chemical Bros., The Raveonettes, Miss Kittin, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, Spoon, Nine Inch Nails, Gang of Four, Weezer, Josh Wink, Junkie XL, UNKLE, Gram Rabbit, and oh yeah...ME! Coachella 2006 will be held April 29 & 30. Stay tuned for this year's lineup.
• Sir Bob Geldof revamps the Live Aid concept & launches Live8. The concerts were simulcast on July 2nd in ten different cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Philadelphia, Tokyo, & Moscow and featured artists such as The Cure, Coldplay, Madonna, Annie Lennox, Jamiroquai, U2, The Killers, Elton John, R.E.M., Paul McCartney, and loads more. The highlight, however, was the reunion of Pink Floyd on stage. 150 bands & 1,250 music artists performed to audiences worldwide in effort to make a step towards ending poverty. The awareness was specifically directed towards the G8 summit and leaders in attendance. Over 30 million people participated in this event in one way or another to support Live8 and the Global Call to Action against Poverty.
• London's Underground subway system encountered a series of 'terrorist' attacks coinciding with the G8 summit. Three blasts occurred between tube stations throughout London. One blast also occurred on a double-decker bus. An Islamic website later posted a statement stating that al-Qaeda was behind the attacks.
• After five glorious seasons, HBO's stellar series Six Feet Under came to an end.
• Perry Farrell gave Lollapalooza another go this year limiting the infamous freakshow festival to one weekend & one location. Artists such as The Killers, The Pixies, Widespread Panic, Digable Planets, and more performed in Chicago's Grant Park for a weekend of Lollafantastic fun.
• The FCC finally pulls the plug on long-time shock DJ Howard Stern. Howard strikes back by taking his show to the big time on satellite radio. Howard's new show airs Jan. 9th on Sirius radio.
• Beatles fans everywhere celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death on Dec. 8th.
• The Chicago White Sox sweep the Houston Astros to take the World Series. It took eighty-six years to capture their first title. However, the Cubs have been losing since 1908.
• The NHL season resumed this year after a long, painful hiatus/lockout. The NHL as a whole continues to struggle with poor television coverage, low attendance, and organization abandonment. St. Louis Blues
• Queen returned to the United States to tour for the first time in 20+ years. The original three members (Brian May, Roger Taylor, & John Deacon) joined forces with Paul Rodgers (lead singer for Bad Company) earlier this year and continue to tour not only the US but various other countries as well.
• Floodwaters ravish New Orleans shortly after the arrival of Hurricane Katrina with waters reaching up to twenty feet in depth. Those stranded in the city struggle to survive for several days with no food, water, shelter or sign of relief. The rest of the country got the luxury of seeing these poor people suffer and die on live television. Technology. Improper construction & levee misdesign are labeled the cause on top of just plain ignorance. Thousands perish and a nice chunk of NOLA's population scatter throughout the country anywhere they can find residency. Gas prices soar while FEMA and government relief fail. Meanwhile, thousands are still left homeless, and the great city of New Orleans lay in ruins struggling to survive.

ILL-INI IN '05

• Illinois football says goodbye to head coach Ron Turner and hello to Ron Zook. Zook has a wretched first season at Illinois while Turner takes the off. coordinator spot for the Chicago Bears. Go Bears.
• Illinois Men's basketball has one of it's best seasons in school history. They finish 37-2 overall and earn yet another Big 10 championship. The Illini make their 1st appearance at the NCAA Final Four since 1989 when they fell to none other than Michigan. Unfortunately, they fall to North Carolina in the championship round. Deron Williams & Luther Head take the 1st train to the NBA and are currently making headlines. Meanwhile, Illinois continues to have a good season as they are currently unbeaten thus far.
• Illini hockey is having yet another outstanding season after taking the ACHA Division Championship last year. They are favorites for back-to-back championships this year and are currently 18-0-0 on the season.

in '05

Hunter S. Thompson_Johnnie Cochran_Paul Hester_Johnnie Johnson_Pope John Paul II_Eddie Albert_Robert Hunter_Brenda Howard_John Fiedler_Paul Winchell_Karl Mueller_Jonathan Adams_Anne Bancroft_Jean O'Leary_James Doohan_Edward Bunker_Kevin Hagen_Ray Davis_Luther Vandross_Robert Moog_Esther Wong_Leo Sternbach_Don Adams_Simon Wiesenthal_Bob Denver_Rosa Parks_Nick Hawkins_Stan Berenstain_Ruth M. Siems_Moustapha Akkad_Stanley "Tookie" Williams_Richard Pryor

...until next year.