On March 12, 2010 Apple began presales of it's revolutionary and magical iPad. Ofcourse, I was one of the first to jump online and place my order. After almost two months of waiting, it finially arrived.

I'm still playing around with it, learning all the ins and outs, but I can tell you this much, it is pretty amazing. In fact, I am posting this entry from the iPad. Awesome!

Well, it's really 33 if you break up Day Watch and Night Watch and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but who cares. I'm also not going say this is the definitive list, because I am pretty sure I forgot a few films, but this is a decent shot (pun intended).

The biggest winner is Viggo Mortensen who stars in five of the movies this decade. Director Danny Boyle does pretty well with two films as does Simon Pegg and Pixar Animation.

Starting at number 30...

30. Serenity

29. Avatar

28. Slumdog Millionaire

27. Blood Diamond

26. Zombieland

25. Day Watch and Night Watch

24. The Incredibles

23. The Fountain

22. 28 Days Later

21. Kingdom of Heaven

20. Where the Wild Things Are

19. Vanilla Sky

18. Sunshine

17. Traffic

16. The Dark Knight

15. Inglorious Basterds

14. Wall-E

13. Casino Royale

12. A History of Violence

11. The Road

10. There Will Be Blood

9. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. Pan’s Labyrinth

7. Shaun of the Dead

6. (500) Days of Summer

5. Star Trek

4. Howl's Moving Castle

3. Lord of the Rings (trilogy)

2. Children of Men

1. Stardust

In preparation for a work-related event, I along with Russell, president of the local stagehands union in Shreveport, Louisiana, set out to make three types of gumbo (turkey, turkey and sausage, and turkey, sausage, shrimp and crawfish).

Now, I had heard of gumbo and new it was a cajun stew served in Louisiana with the main flavor deriving from a dark roux, but I had never eaten it let alone make it. So here’s how we did it:

Prep work: Dice green bell peppers, onions, celery, and chop garlic. This is base of vegetables is called a Holy Trinity and very similar to a mirepoix, with peppers instead of carrots.

The secret to a great pot of gumbo is a dark roux, a very dark roux. I’ve made plenty of rouxes before to thicken cream and milk sauces, but never have I made a roux as dark as melted chocolate. The trick here is to use oil, in this case olive oil, instead of butter. The oil has a higher smoke point enabling it to cook for a longer time at higher temperatures. Also using a cast iron pot will hold the temperature steady. Finally, keep the mixture moving, slowly scrapping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning.

For our pot of gumbo we used one cup of olive oil and one cup of flour.

Next we add the garlic, followed by the onions, peppers, and finally the celery allowing each vegetable to cook for a few moments in the roux mixture before adding the next.

Chicken stock is added at this point. Stir briskly and non-stop while pouring in the stock to prevent lumps from forming. The gumbo begins to come together as it starts to thicken. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat. Next comes the protein.

In this batch, we used shredded smoked turkey, which we smoked ourselves for four hours the day before, and big slices of andouille sausage, which also spent some time in the smoker. Other traditional gumbos can include seafood ranging from crawfish to shrimp to crabs.

Add the seasonings: cayenne pepper, paprika, bay leaves, black pepper, and salt. I’m told that the longer you let it simmer, the better it will become with the flavors melding together over time. Before serving, add sliced okra and cook heated through. Okra is used in the winter and a spice called file is used in the summer. Both are thickening agents and a fresh touch at the end.

Serve over rice or with crackers and enjoy!