Possum Holler

So it's a week late, but it's finally time to announce the winners of the first ever Possum Holler "Posse" awards. This, of course, is not to be confused with Possum's Academy Award Prophecies which will be foretold in about a month. Drum roll please......

Best Movie:
Key word here being "movie." Not "film." These semantics allow me to pick a fun flick and not feel I am doing a disservice to quite a few great films that I saw this year. And while I loved all of these movies nominated, what kind of wannabe pirate would I be if I did choose the obvious.
and the POSSE goes to: Pirates of the Carribean

Best Album:
So, I'm listening to Gruene with Envy at work the other day and 16 Days by Whiskeytown comes on prompting a conversation regarding Ryan Adams. My manager says, "yeah, he used to be kind of a buddy of mine." Intrigued, I enquired and it was revealed that in his younger days he was part of a punk rock band that Ryan was a fan of while growing up in Apex. The things you find out about people!
and the POSSE goes to: Rock n Roll by Ryan Adams

Best Roommate:
The obvious choice for this award had to be disqualified as it was pointed out that the cardboard deer technically never was my roommate as it spent the entire year either in the suite hallway, in the trunk of my car or in the closet. I was never officially roommates with Marc even though he put me up for way longer than one would usually consider welcomed, and, in all fairness, I never actually met Jimmy and Josh until after the new year even though I moved in with them in mid-December. So, by default,
the POSSE goes to: Will Hart

Best Live Album:
Since most of these artists rarely make it out to the triangle to play a live show, the next best thing is listening to a live album. Yet, the album from this group that stands out hands down in my mind reaches way down inside me like few others. The collection of songs from this troubadour has been in regular rotation since it came out.
and the POSSE goes to: Jack Ingram Live at Billy Bob's

Best Job:
This category occupied a large portion of my thoughts during the year, and when it seemed like all hope was lost, a great job came knocking on my door. But that still leaves us with the question of which job was the best leading up to my full-time, permanent status. As cool as it would have been, I never actually went on the road as a roadie...I just got to hangout with some, and working those 18 hour days prepared me well for the seven day a week schedule I've been keeping recently. I loved the railroad, and I still miss it, but the lesson I learned through it all was this: you work so hard to find a job that you forget that once you have a job you have to go to work.
and the POSSE goes to: Unemployed

Best Game:
The Cubs actually made it to the playoffs AND beat the Braves in the first round, and for an instant I forgot about my nature of pulling for losers. I forgot about the inevitable heartbreak and let myself get carried away by the notion of my all-time favorite team finally overcoming 95 years of bad luck. That series clincher was a great one, but I cannot look back without thinking about the bizzare and gut wrenching occurances that followed. KSU over OU was thrown in there just because that one game threw a monkey wrench the size of California into the college football bowl system, and the insuing chaos was amusing to watch for those of us outside of LA (both the city and the state). And credit where credit is due, watching the Heels beat Duke from the lower level in the Dean Dome my senior year of college was one of the most exciting moments of my life, but come on! I was enamored by these men wagering thousands of dollars on the drop of a card all summer. I think I watched more poker this summer than baseball! That in itself is an accomplishment.
and the POSSE goes to: Chris Moneymaker over Sam Farha (World Series of Poker)

Best Song:
Mile upon mile, I got no direction. We're all playing the same game. We're all looking for redemption, we're just afraid to say the name. So caught up now in pretending that what we're seeking is the truth. I'm just looking for a happy ending; all I'm looking for is You. And you came upon me wave on wave, you're the reason I'm still here.
It works on so many levels, it still blows me away after hearing it a thousand times.
and the POSSE goes to: Wave on Wave by Pat Green

Most Entertaining Television:
It would be unfair to give this award to Arrested Development since it is, in all actuality, a very good television show. And while Kids in the Hall re-runs are always fun, they are never quite as good without Will to share them with and make them funnier than they really are. So, I have to give this one to the only bottom feeding reality show that actually held my attention and kept me coming back week after week (hey, you have to do something when you don't have a job).
and the POSSE goes to: The Second Joe Millionare

Best Birthday Celebration:
C'mon, Will and Possum standing outside a dorm wearing Care Bears party hats, taking a toilet plunger to dinner at Chilis, playing improv games where Lori and Sarah play estranged lovers!
and the POSSE goes to: Sarah Wilda's birthday bash

Best Living Arrangement While Homeless:
I am appreciative of all the places I called 'home' while looking for one of my own, but no one else could offer a rundown house in the woods, no tv, no internet, no phone, water that smelled of sulfer. No other place came with the warning, "if you come home and there are people in the house that you don't know, just introduce yourself and roll with it." And most of all, no other place offered an actual bed! With apologies to King,
the POSSE goes to: Evan Travis's house

Now for what you all have been waiting for...a tradition that was thought to have been lost. This was a difficult decision. MAN oF The YeaR is an elite group of individuals: a tv culture icon, a US President, an adequate actor, the King of rock n roll reincarnated as a holy roman emperor. As is painfully evident by this very list of awards, we are often hesitant to go with the obvious choice, but there comes a time when you are forced to go with the obvious because no one else is in their league. Ladies and Gentleman,

The MAN oF The YeaR: Johnny Cash