The biggest stories of 2008 centered on our quest to elect our 44th president. Our first batch of recommendations for 2009 includes a great book about No. 7 (Andrew Jackson) as well as a hangover cure, a cool documentary about a royal restaurant family in New York, some catchy old singles from a classic band, a solid new iPhone app, some tasty wings and prudent lifestyle tips for you to ignore in the new year.
Gatorade as a hangover cure -- If you can make it to the Quick Mart and get some, you'll thank us. Remember to have it on hand next time, too.
"Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven" -- Serving obscenely expensive food to ridiculously wealthy people is not as easy as it seems. This documentary by Andrew Rossi, which airs on HBO, follows Manhattan restaurant icon Sirio Maccioni, his wife, Egidiana and their sons -- Mario, Marco and Mauro -- through the conception of a new restaurant that opened in 2006 in the Bloomberg Building.
Sirio opened his first Le Cirque on the Upper East Side in 1974 and served presidents, Popes and other powerbrokers. His second restaurant, Le Cirque 2000, was open from 1996-2004, but gave way to the new place.
The restaurant stuff is pretty tame. What makes this film interesting are the struggles between Sirio, the patriarch, and his sons, who are going to take over the business. Arguments over details, such as whether the restaurant will have a jacket-and-tie dress code, take place in Italian and English. The sons realize that the old man's "regulars" are dying off and that the place needs to be a little more contemporary. Sirio isn't ready to hand over power yet.
Sirio likes the prosciutto and melon. The sons want foie gras ravioli. The pace of the film drags a bit in the middle, but you'll end up enjoying the parade of celebrities who attend the opening and pulling for the Maccioni clan to earn a positive review from The New York Times.
USA Today's iPhone application -- Say what you want about the content, but "America's Newspaper" had a huge impact on newspaper layout and design. This app, available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, has great looking layout, a slick interface, and the ability to share articles via e-mail, text or Twitter. You also can take art in instant polling, based on your location. It's a terrific application and, best of all, it's free.
"American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" -- Andrew Jackson was one of our more interesting presidents. Unless you are a presidential scholar, you may not know much about our seventh commander in chief. Newsweek editor and bestselling author Jon Meacham (Franklin and Winston) tries to change that with this lively account of Jackson's term.
Early singles by The Who -- During a recent walk with the dog, the iPod shuffled over a few chestnuts from Pete Townshend and Co.'s early catalog. "I Can't Explain," is a punchy expression of the first awakenings of love. The song "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" paints a layer of bravado over a base of self-consciousness. "The Kids Are Alright," an anthem for Mods has a soaring chorus that sounds as fresh today as it must have in the late 1960s.
Operation Clean Sweep -- It's Jan. 1. You're tired. You're hung over. You missed the polar bear plunge and don't feel like watching football all day. Why not take a half-hour to weed through your dresser and closet and get rid of clothes that you didn't wear in '08 and / or won't wear in '09. There are stories that even thrift store donations have decreased during these tough times. Why not donate a few items today and make it a point to weed through your stuff every month or so. Trust us. You won't regret it.
Making a "one a day" commitment -- As long as we're talking about New Year's Day, why not make it a point to do something every day for a year? Maybe it's something silly, like 25 pushups. Or recreational reading. Or meditation. Or drinking eight glasses of water. Write a promise down on a Post-it and see how long you can stick with it.
Lemon pepper garlic fingers from Wing Zone -- With 25 flavors of chicken wings and fingers, the new Wing Zone, housed in the former Giovanni's space at Van Buren and Brady St., has something for everyone. While the garlic parmesan was tasty, it was similar to wings available at Major Goolsby's and other places around town. The lemon pepper was refreshingly unique.
"Baseball Prospectus 2009: The Essential Guide to the 2009 Baseball Season" -- It may seem strange to recommend a book that won't hit stores until mid-February, but the gang at Baseball Prospectus has built up enough good will in its previous 13 editions that there is no need to hesitate. You'll find critical essays on all the teams and concise thumbnail sketches for roughly 60 players in each organization. You can pore over it from now until spring training and then haul it out again when your favorite club trades or acquires a hotshot prospect.
The "no call list" -- According to state officials, nearly a quarter of the more than 1.6 million numbers on the telemarketing "no call list" are mobile phones. That's good news. People who sign up by Feb. 28 will have their numbers on the quarterly no call list sent to telemarketers in April. Wisconsin residents can sign up at NoCall.Wisconsin.gov or by calling the toll-free number, (866) 966-2255.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
