For your consideration (and mine)

I just got my Christmas present from my brother (and, yes, it is MARCH) which is an iTunes gift card. Any music/movie/tv recommendations? I could use something a little upbeat to get me out of the election results doldrums.

Here's my current playlist in great need of updating:
Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War (pick up the last album too if you haven't already)
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (did you hear Winona Ryder is dating the frontman -- of Salute Your Shorts fame?)
The National - Boxer
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Kinks - Well-Respected Kinks
Wagner - Das Rheingold (see below)

I've also become a big podcast subscriber for my walk to campus and for runs. In case any of you need more NPR in your life, here's what I've been enjoying:
Day to Day (it's the more light-hearted version of All Things Considered)
WNYC's Radiolab (they do some really great programs - I just listened to the one on Wagner's Ring Cycle and feel like some kind of Wagnerian expert. The War of the Worlds one is also really good)
PRI: To the Best of Our Knowledge (sometimes hit or miss depending on the topic)
Podrunner Intervals (thirty-minute interval sets - it makes a little noise to tell you when to switch from walking to jogging)
94.9 Wild Workout at Noon (a local station that makes some pretty decent hour-long mixes that keep running entertaining)

I'm open to book recommendations, too. The new Pynchon has been staring me in the face since I bought it for Christmas break and I just can't bring myself to pick it back up again - it's more the sheer weight of it than the quality. I'm also pretty sure Pynchon won't make for good beach reading. And the Oprah book isn't so bad -- I would recommend having another like-minded friend read it with you so you can have a rational conversation about destroying your ego.

And a final recommendation...I bought my purse from etsy.com (I opted for the grey one) and it was a positively delightful experience. The bag showed up within in a couple days with a handwritten note filled with gratitude. So go check out 'cutfinger productions' on etsy - they make some super cute stuff and send you really happy emails.