Gifts For Christmas

We all have those people who are hard to buy for at Christmas. You know them, you love them but you just can't figure out what to buy them. Never fear; you've stumbled upon my list of presents for people who are difficult to buy for. Think of it as stuff-you-didn't-know-was-out-there-that-is-a-whole-lot-better
-than-another-sweater.

1. Battlestar Galactica Season One DVD Set. Yeah, yeah, my inner geek is showing with this selection but trust me, this is anything but some cheesy 70's sci-fi TV show. This is one of the best dramas on TV wrapped up in a well imagined environment. Forget that it's in space and forget that it has robots because this show delivers. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell and newcomer Katee Sackhoff deliver pathos, guilt and flawed human relationships on a level that should garner them all Emmy nominations. In an age where terrorism threatens us daily, this television show captures what we are all feeling and expresses it with solid writing and genuine emotion.
2. Patton Oswalt-Feelin' Kind of Patton. Patton Oswalt is usually seen on TV's King of Queens as the nerdy and frumpy Spence. On this album he cuts loose on society and tells us why he hates hippies, shares his favorite porno emails and takes us down memory lane as he remembers the wonders of PAAS Eatser Egg kits. You would have to be made of stone not to laugh at this album.
3. Global Frequency Vol. 1 Planet Ablaze & Vol. 2 Detonation Radio. These are anti-superhero trade paperbacks. Join Warren Ellis and myriad artists as they show you why it's important to believe that we all have to save ourselves in the post 9/11 world. Wishing for super heroes or the government to keep you safe isn't going to get the trick done. There are 1,001 agents on the Global Frequency and each of them is the top expert in their field. Enjoy the adventure without masks and capes.
4. The Great Influenza. Timely and well written, this look at the 1918 influenza pandemic will hold your attention until the end. This book is timely given the apparent inevitability of a bird flu pandemic. John Barry describes the disease, the men who fought it and the government that failed to do enough to stop it in vivid detail.
5. Johnny Cash-American IV The Man Comes Around. This is Johnny Cash's last album. The songs presented here are mostly covers with a few of his original works thrown in. However, it is much more than an album of Johnny Cash taking other artists material and making it his own. As you listen to it, you realize the melancholy tunes are him looking back upon his own life. The infinitely sad Hurt and apocalyptic The Man Comes Around are worth the price of the album itself. His now gravely voice and age are apparent on this album but come across as mature rather than worn out. Go see the movie and then listen to this album. You'll be fan.
   

OK, that's all I've got for now. Remember, try something new for those hard to shop for people. Nothing on this list costs more than a nice sweater and they can just as easily throw these things in a drawer and ignore them as they can that mock turtleneck.