Best Of 2006 (Page 5)

Video Games

Video Game of the Year
Guitar Hero II
Hands down, Guitar Hero II for Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 (when released in 2007) is the best video game of 2006. If you ever wanted an inkling into what it feels like to rock out playing the songs of some of the best bands in rock history then Guitar Hero is the game for you. Put your copy of Grand Theft Auto or John Madden Football back on the shelf and give Guitar Hero II a try. When you look up at the clock you will wonder where the whole night went.

Radio Shows

1. Drunken Master Review
Wednesday, 5pm - 6pm est., CKCU 93.1 FM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Real Audio at www.ckcufm.com

The Drunken Master Review makes it two years in a row as Exposure Online Magazine's best radio program. The Drunken Master, along with his co-hosts: Dual Nutter, Adrian Tripod and Colonel Troutman inform and amuse their audience with an uncanny amount of knowledge about movies past and present. They opine on films hitting theatres and those new on DVD with an enthusiasm similar to a kid's on Christmas morning.

2. Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap
Saturday, 7pm - 9pm est., CBC Radio One
Listen on the net in Windows Media at www.cbc.ca

Randy Bachman is a Canadian icon. His work in two of Canada's greatest classic rock bands (The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive) is now legend. CBC invited him to host a two hour program on Saturday nights leaving the content to Randy's imagination (how could you tell a legend what to play on the radio!). The show is a success both with Randy's knowledge of the music industry both in Canada and abroad (with the help of his wife in the research dept.) and his selections of music he chooses to play. But what is most exciting is his storytelling and anecdotal reminiscences about his 40+ years in the business. You get a first hand inside look at rock history from a Canadian perspective.

3. Both Kinds of Music
Wednesdays, 1:30pm - 3:30pm est., CKCU 93.1 FM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Real Audio at www.ckcufm.com

Richard Parks, the host of Both Kinds of Music, loves both rock and country music (hence the title of the show). Parks' ear for what is great in the indie scene of both genres of music, here and in the States is good enough to convert many music lovers who dislike country of the non pop variety. You will hear music from across Canada and the States (Texas and Tennessee seem to be his favourite locals south of the border) as well as the best in local stuff coming out of Ottawa and Montreal.

4. Punk World Order
Monday, Midnight - 2am est., CHUO, 89.1 FM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Real Audio at www.chuo.fm

Tony World Order and various guest hosts give you two hours of punk rock second to none in the radio world. Not shy to play local or international music both from the past and present, Tony is now the only radio show dedicated to punk in the Nation's capital. What is this world coming to?

5. The Legends of Classic Rock
Sunday, 7pm - 8pm est., CHEZ 106.1 FM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Windows Media at www.chez106.com

Jeff Woods hosts this fun show which tells the behind the scene stories about all the bands and artists you have come to love over the years. You will hear the inside stuff that led to the creation of all the classic rockers of the past; what got them together, how the albums were created, why the bands broke up, and everything else that is worth knowing.

6. Bob Ate My Homework
Monday, 2pm - 4pm est., CKCU 93.1 FM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Real Audio at www.ckcufm.com

Bob Whitmore makes up for his less than charismatic radio voice with an excellent taste in indie rock from the past and present. Not only a talented musician (a member of Ottawa garage rockers For 'N Giv'r) but a big fan of the music he plays. If you like garage, punk and psychedelic rock from the past and present with a focus on the independent scene, this show may become one of your favourites.

7. Definitely Not the Opera
Saturday, 1pm - 4pm est., CBC Radio One
Listen on the net in Windows Media at www.cbc.ca

Even if the show has shaved an hour off its time slot, Host Sook-Yin Lee still has the best weekly program dedicated to pop culture. Movie reviews, band and artist interviews, live concerts, and almost anything else you can think of pops up on DNTO. When 4pm arrives you wonder where the last three hours went.

8. More on Sports
Weekday, 3pm - 6pm est., Team 1200 AM, Ottawa
Listen on the net in Windows Media or Real Audio at www.team1200.com

Hosts John Rodenberg and Gary Galley cover the latest sports issues with great guests and lively discussion. The NHL is always the most popular topic and since Galley played 17 years in the NHL you get an inside view on Canada's most loved profession sport.

9. Cross Country Check Up
Sunday, 4pm - 6pm est., CBC Radio One
Listen on the net in Windows Media at www.cbc.ca

Rex Murphy hosts this phone-in show that covers a range of topics that are high in the minds of Canadians. Usually taking his cue from the hot media stories, Rex invites listeners to call in and give their opinions. Rex is also able to use his reputation in broadcast journalism to attract high profile guests to give insight into the issue being discussed. Cross Country Check Up is both informative and entertaining.

10. O'Reilly and the Age of Persuasion
Thursday, 11:30 - Noon & Saturday, 4pm - 4:30pm est., CBC Radio One
Listen on the net in Windows Media at www.cbc.ca

The Radio One series O'Reilly on Advertising was popular enough that CBC gave Terry O'Reilly another crack at the public airwaves to inform the listeners about how marketing and advertising impact our daily lives. O'Reilly has been in the business for years and he uses this first hand knowledge to great effect when putting forth his opinions as fact. If you ever wondered why radio commercials and other forms of advertising are the way they are then this show is a great primer.

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