2007 at a Glance

Movies

Naturally the summer is sequel heavy, and the best films are probably under our radar (Honestly, who saw Borat coming besides people who had HBO five years ago?) Here's the mostly superficial buzz as of January 1.

Spider-Man 3 (May 4*)-The best-looking Spidey previews of them all.
Shrek the Third (May 18)-Justin Timberlake adds his voice talents, not his junk in a box.
Hostel Part II (June 8)-More gore and sadistic violence. Boo yeah!
Evan Almighty (June 22)-The much-anticipated follow up to Bruce Almighty, starring the infallible (literally) Steve Carell.
Transformers (July 4)-Umm...isn't this one about two decades late?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13)-The worst of the Potter books should still be awesome on the big screen.
The Simpsons Movie (July 27)-Fanboys have been geeking over this one for a decade. Will it be a laugh riot or one big "D'oh!"?
Fred Claus (November 9)-Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughn in the story of Santa and his brother. The clips already circulating show promise.

Music

If film release dates are hard to predict, the music industry's are freakin' rocket science. Still, the hubbub on the Internets is focused on the following big-name albums that should be downloadable before you have to change your calendar.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Some Loud Thunder, January*)
Fall Out Boy (Infinity on High, February)
Son Volt (The Search, March)
Kings of Leon (Because of the Times, April)
50 Cent (Before I Self Destruct, TBA)
Aerosmith (TBA)
Coldplay (TBA)
The Cure (TBA)
Gnarls Barkley (TBA)
Michael Jackson (TBA)
Modest Mouse (TBA)
Panic! At the Disco (TBA)
Radiohead (TBA)
R.E.M. (TBA)
U2 (TBA)

Sports

For local sports fans, it'll be hard to top 2006, when the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series and University of Missouri basketball coach Quinn Snyder was finally canned. Here's a peek at the big stuff, anyway:

February 4: Super Bowl XLI. Chargers vs. Bears, anyone? At least we'll have the commercial breaks and food.
March 16: NCAA Tournament begins. Will the Bears be playing (likely in some far-flung western venue against an overrated ACC team)? We certainly hope so. Boise here we come!
April 12: Springfield Cardinals home opener vs. Midland. And thus begins Season Three at Hammons Field. We can taste the bratwurst already.
July 19-22: Price Cutter Charity Championship. Not only is the highest-profile local sporting event a nice golf showcase, it's one of the best weeklong parties of the year, too.
October: Baseball playoffs. Will the Cardinals again rivet us with an improbable playoff run? Not if their second-best pitcher is still a dude named Kip.

*All release dates subject to change.