When the long winded chase scenes with explosions and running and jumping and cars and motorcycles and stunts and super human feats comes along in most action movies, I tend to zone out. Despite the makers' concerted efforts to dazzle moviegoers with non stop action in films like The Island, Tomb Raider, etc. etc. – they just end up boring me to tears. Except in this case.

Somehow the entire Bourne trilogy manages to genuinely excite and thrill, even though it's made up almost entirely of what tends to be the worst parts of other movies. The final(?) installment, The Bourne Ultimatum, is no exception; it's a tight, tense thriller that leaves you breathless. And no one can argue that these are just plain entertaining to both men and women, which is rare for an action film.

Part of the credit goes to director Paul Greengrass, a master at capturing mayhem. He shot to critical stardom with his realistic portrayal of the Northern Ireland uprising of 1972 in Bloody Sunday and has continued to develop an exhilarating career, particularly with the last two Bourne installments. One can't forget the writing either when giving credit to the film's achievement – both the original material, the novels of Robert Ludlum, and the screenwriters responsible for putting his words into action.

The chase scenes, of which there are many, are truly remarkable and Jason Bourne, portrayed by Matt Damon (who deserves all the praise these films have earned him), relies on smarts as much as brawn to escape repeatedly from the multitude of people hunting him down.

To fully experience the awesome powers of Bourne, you should rent all three movies.

Oh boy, this category was really near impossible. I'm a total dunce when it comes to new music and I found it hard to know even where to begin to locate bands that I might like. I went to all the websites and top lists of the year, I heard a lot of the singles that were popular and critically acclaimed, and I walked away from it all thinking that most popular indie rock sounds more boring and annoying than ever and that dance music has sunk to a new low.

I asked my sister on Christmas Eve if she had any insights and she instantly pointed me towards Get Me Bodied by Beyonce . Of course! I totally forgot about the goddess of fun dance music; I forgot just how rad she is, niavely assuming that all things popular and current are bad–it wasn't true with Jacqueline Susann, it wasn't true with Sex and the City (go ahead, argue with me) and it's not true with Beyonce. She deserves all the fawning and adoration she gets.

Then, like a divine blessing on the decision to make this hit my song of the week, she appeared on the BET Awards we were watching that night (ends up the Yule Log was not airing Christmas eve as I had hoped, so we decided this was the best TV pairing with cheese, lamb, and Hitachino beer).

Her performance of Get Me Bodied in a robot sarcophgus that turns into shinny gold pants and a bra is almost impossible to describe. We were all stunned by the quality of her voice and her boundless energy for audacious dance moves.

If I had any doubts as to the merits of this professional, exuberant and bewitching woman, they flew out the window while I watched her take the stage. Best song of the year (that I am aware of), and best performance too.

2007 was the year Daniel Craig became a household name. In the much publicized and debated search for the next Bond, a competition that pitted Clive Owen against Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman against Goran Visnjic (Jim claims that Matthew Perry was also a serious contender, which is absolutely untrue), in the end it was Craig who won the coveted role – a blond! Weirdo fans cried in outrage.

Most of that outrage was quickly quieted by his performance in one of the best reviewed entries in the franchise. I will reserve judgment until I have seen the movie, but I saw the first few scenes and was not surprised to find that Craig is awesome. Even if the movie were bad, it would hardly matter in my eyes.

Daniel Craig stole my heart years ago as the highwayman lover to Moll Flanders in the previously recommended miniseries. His character's name was Jebby, a name that has become synonymous with sex appeal and charm in my mind.

Meanwhile, his career continues to take off.?He's currently weathering the dismal box office performance of the Golden Compass, but is slated to star in I, Lucifer and Bond 22.

I don't know, I'm a bit torn about this entry… Am I too old to be mentioning this girl? Until today, I really had very little idea of what or who a Lilly Allen was, except that she's pregnant and looked adorable in the Japanese Elle Girl I saw her in.

After more insight has been gleaned, I feel she may be one of those brassy girls that can be too much to handle. A bundle of nerves and contradictory extremes. She talks about the importance of body image, then drops a ton of weight. She posts photos of herself crying in bed on myspace – where she gained a following and began her career; but rather than seeming just weirdly sad, her openness is also inviting and sweet.

She reminds me of the insecurities and cockiness of a high school girl, and I guess I like her for that. Plus, she dresses in poofy cocktail dresses.

This year introduced a lot of ingenious but simple ideas for food and drink–like this weeks drink pick Radegast, a heated beer garden in Williamsburg–and this little spot of sweet tooth heaven, The Dessert Truck, which sits at 8th St. and University.

I went a few months after the buzz had died down on a chilly evening and ordered the seasonal pumpkin mousse for an after dinner surprise for Jim. The quality of the mousse, on which sat a heavenly dollop of toasted meringue, was great, especially for coming out of a tiny truck. The five dollar price tag only sweetens the deal.

The dude working was nice, almost verging on flirty (which I thought was adorable), and the menu he was peddling was filled with numerous alluring tasties like Chocolate Bread Pudding and Vanilla Creme Brulee. The menu changes with the seasons, so even though the caramelized banana waffle creation in the photo and the pumpkin mousse are no longer available this season, look out for other additions in the coming months.

It's been a great year for Williamsburg. Both a beer garden and a bowling alley opening is cause for celebration alone, but everyone should be over the moon that they both have been done so well.

Gutter has been open for months now, but I visited only recently myself, fearing major crowds from all the excitement its addition to the neighborhood has caused. It is the first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn for fifty years, after all.

We went on a quiet Saturday afternoon at about 4 and while we still had to wait a little less than an hour for our turn at one of the eight lanes, it hardly mattered a bit. See, Gutter also consists of a large, comfy bar where you can wait in the comfort of a booth with a pitcher of Six Point Sweet Action surrounded by vintage weird prints hanging on the walls and tiffany bar lamps overhead advertising various beers and patriotism.

I said it made me feel like I was somewhere like Wisconsin – I've never been to Wisconsin – but despite that fact, I wasn't far off. All the insides of the place were purchased from an old bowling alley in the Midwest, according to Gothamist.

When your number comes up on the light board, it's time to grab your shoes and bowl. The lanes too feel old and worn in, in a good way – though our lane was slightly wonky and took a while to return our balls. Everyone had a great time and in an accomplishment I can only accredit to my Wii bowling practice, I bowled better than ever before. I (seriously) bowled a 20 or so the last time I tried, but scored a respectable 88 at Gutter.

The only problem we found is that we were enjoying ourselves so much that we really wanted to add another game to our session. Due to fairness of the people waiting, though, we had to graciously retire for the evening. So make sure you book enough games for yourself when you get your shoes.

On our first visit to Arthur Avenue, we were bummed out to find all the markets were closed (it was a Sunday). Still, we succeeded in procuring some fig pastries and peach shaped cookies from Morrone Pastry Shop and Cafe, an old school shop seemingly run by a gaggle of long finger-nailed girls. Both were yummy in the way that only handmade baked goods can be.

Next we headed to Tra de Noi on a whim, and it turned out to be amazing. Real hearty home cooked Italian, not at all the kind of bland tourist spot one grows weary of in Little Italy. I devoured a heaping dish of clams and pasta and Mike had a plate of poussin that made us all envious and honored just to be able to smell it.

One the next trip, we made sure the markets would be opened and started with the biggest of them all: The Arthur Ave Retail Market. There I was confronted with lots of manly manliness at a counter full of dudes working Mike's Deli who had limited patience for a girl who didn't know exactly which salami she wanted. I ended up just asking for the best one which I was informed was the sopressetta. Best, indeed. It was one of the smoothest and flavorful I have ever had, and it makes the shrink wrapped grocery ones seem insignificant.

We also opted for smoked mozzarella. Actually, a shit load of smoked mozzarella, a hunk so large it looks more like a loaf of bread. Luckily we had a couple extra mouths to help in the devouring (though we've still only dented the monster). Lastly, I could not resist the marinated artichokes, especially since I had been in such an artichoke mood all week with this week's recipe.

We didn't stop there, however. The butcher shops looked too inviting, so I walked out of Biancardi's with a pound of red, lovely filet mignon at a price much lower than most places with half the service. I was tempted to get a rabbit they had hanging in the window – but something like that takes time and planning, so I will have to return once I've found the perfect recipe. Both at Biancardi's and meat stands in the retail market many specialty cuts and parts can be found which was the most exciting thing off all: calf brains, sweetbreads, hearts, livers, tongue, and more! They're all at Arthur Ave. and I am so excited, especially since the butcher we met was so kind and helpful.

2007 saw the revival of A Bronx Tale on Broadway, the Chazz Palminteri one man play about growing up around the Arthur Avenue area.

I don't know why, but it took me forever to finally get around to watching an episode of 30 Rock. Where have I been? How did I miss it? Thankfully, both seasons are on DVD, and in a single afternoon, you too can get acquainted with the one of the only genuinely funny sitcoms to have been made in recent memory.

It is sheer brilliance at times, and never really falters throughout both seasons (though I would have cut down the time Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy were in serious relationships). For the most part though, it just keeps getting better. Hence the Emmy Award – although unlike Everybody Loves Raymond (which I found weirdly depressing and not ever funny) this Tina Fey penned gem is more than worthy of the honor. There are lines that will have you laughing out old and repeating to friends. Why, just this weekend when we saw our friend Matthew and 30 Rock was mentioned, he turned to me and said “What am I, a farmer?” If this makes no sense to you, I won't ruin the joke with a poor written attempt to capture the delivery of Alec Baldwin – who is magnificent in his role as a rich mentoring executive.

No seriously – MAGNIFICENT – there is a scene in season two, you'll know it when you come to it – watch that and try to dispute me.

Shockingly, as good as he is, the rest of the cast manages keeps up with him. Not a single character is superfluous or annoying, which is a testament to the writing as well as the actors. Tracy Morgan is hilarious as Tracy Jordan, a difficult and insane former superstar who made a fortune in films like Honky Grandma be Trippin' and President Homeboy. There is no official mention of who or even if he is based on a real person, but there are touches of Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Other favorites are the innocent, devoted page Kenneth Parcell, played by Jack McBrayer, and Scott Adsit as the grounded good guy Pete Hornberger.

I really can't recommend this show enough. The ins and outs of producing a SNL type variety show bring to mind the classic Larry Sanders Show, and that is a huge compliment.

New shows were to begin in January but are on hold indefinitely due to the writers strike. If there were ever a place to prove to the bigwigs how important writers are they should sit down and watch 30 Rock, and so should you.

1080 Recipes, a huge, beautifully illustrated book of Spanish cooking is said to be “Spain's answer to the Joy of Cooking“, but not until this year was it available in the U.S.

Greek mythology says the artichoke began when lovely young mortal girl caught the eye of Zeus. He made her into a goddess, but homesickness caused her to sneak back to the world of mortals under Zeus's nose. He found this behavior to be tacky and, in disgust, threw her back to the world she missed so much – transformed into the artichoke plant.

The plant is a popular ingredient in the US, France and, of course, Spain, where this recipe comes from. Serrano ham, a delectable cured meat traditionally produced in the mountains of Spain adds a salty rich flavoring to the stuffing.

The recipe is easy but takes about an hour for cook time alone, so plan accordingly. Also, I am not sure how this was intended to be eaten, but I may have not trimmed the artichoke enough. It was still great but required a bit more participation to eat.