Best Lists - Movies, Plays, Books, TV..etc

Been reading the latest Entertainment Weekly magazine - which is basically a guilty pleasure mag with about as much intellectual depth as a cream puff. I know that. That's why I read it. Because it is the entertainment magazine version of a cream puff.

But...this latest issue is an admittedly pretentious listing of the 100 "greatest" movies, television series, novels, albums, and plays of all time. Is there such a thing as a critical best list in a magazine that is not pretentious? Ponders. Don't know. It does seem bit presumptuous for critics to list their favorite books, movies, albums etc - and state that they are "the best". They do it anyway. Of course. The fact that people pay them to do it and we buy mags with nothing but their lists and reviews...is another discussion.

Anyhow...I obviously have quibbles with their best lists, just a few. Also I've come to the conclusion that I have read, seen, watched, and listened to why too many of films, tv shows, novels, albums and plays in my lifetime. (Because I've read, seen, listened to and/or watched 95% of the items on each list, not to mention own several of them. Omnivorous culture junkie at your service.)

1. The top 10 Shakespeare Plays. (Am admittedly a bit of Shakespeare geek, considering I 've seen practically all of them and read them.)

( EW's List of 10 Greatest Shakespeare Plays )

2. 10 Greatest Musicals...

( EW's list of 10 Greatest Musicals and my quibbles )

3. 100 Movies...
( Read more... )

4. 100 best TV series...
( Read more... )

Another quibble is 10 Greatest Cult Classics, here's their list:

( 10 Greatest Cult Classics )

Nor do I agree with the 10 Greatest Sitcoms...

( list of 10 Greatest Sitcoms )

Why isn't Gunsmoke listed?? Gunsmoke is amongst the longest running tv series of all time and created a genre, more than one person has copied. Firefly, Defiance, Deep Space Nine, Star Wars, and others have copied bits of Gunsmoke. But do they list it? No. Instead The Rifleman is listed, the Rifleman???...and Freaks and Geeks which lasted only one season.

Why the hell is Ally McBeal on this list? Or Beverly Hills 90210??? I get Dallas, but...

Also have quibbles about the 10 Greatest Sci-fi Shows:

( The 10 Greatest Sci-Fi Shows According to EW )

Now if we were doing 10 Greatest Horror-Fantasy TV Series:
( 10 Greatest Horror - Fantasy TV Series )

5. 100 Greatest Novels
( Read more... )

6. 50 Greatest Plays of the Last 100 years
( Read more... )

The problem with being a culture junkie is you are constantly quibbling with best lists. ;-)