My favorite music videos

So Meghan mentioned to me that she saw a music video for the first time in like, five years. It got me thinking. I've always been an MTV obsessive, so I've seen more than my fair share. Here are my five favorites

1. "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys: I could make a list entirely out of Beastie Boys videos, but this one is the standout. It's funny and matches the tempo of the song.



2. "Keep Fishin'" by Weezer: Many would argue that the video for "Buddy Holly" is the best. But for some reason, I think the premise of this video, with them appearing as guests on "The Muppet Show" is both hilarious and adorable. Animal fills in on the drums while Miss Piggy has Patrick tied up. Director Marcos Siega always gives his videos a great ambiance.



3. "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake: This video is as sexy as it is creepy. It's awesome, what else can I say.



4. "Are You That Somebody" by Aaliyah: When you think about it, this video should not be good. It has clips from the movie "Dr. Doolittle" playing in the background (the song was for the soundtrack). It has many not-so-subtle touches, like Aaliyah dancing with an actual hawk perched on her arm as she sings the line "like a hawk in the sky at night, boy you are my prey," but the video really is more than the sum of its parts. Aaliyah strikes a balance between sexy and badass, and the choreography is kick-ass.



5. "99 Problems" by Jay-Z: This video has an old-school feel that's suggestive of a time about 10 years earlier than it was actually released. It takes a lot for a rap star so huge to come off as still authentic and street, and he pulls it off in this.

Quote of the day

"During a backstage fight, I kicked a door and broke my knee again. I had to use a cane for the rest of the shows. Everyone thought I was pimpin', but I was limpin'."
--Sean Paul, in the May issue of Blender

You're still No. 9 in my heart, Portland State

Apparently the joyous shouts of "We're Number 9!" came to an abrupt stop at Portland State's engineering college recently. Officials there were over the moon about being listed No. 9 in U.S. News' Top 10 list of electrical engineering grad schools, alongside prestigious institutions like MIT and UC Berkely. But turns out the listing was a mistake, and that PSU is actually ranked so low that it doesn't even crack the top 70.