As weird as it sounds, 2006 is almost halfway over, and we are already looking to the end of 2006. The U.S. is still in Iraq, Michigan is still losing jobs, and I’m not rich yet - so it sounds like 2005, and 2004, and every other year for the past long while. I don’t know what to think of this year so far. It just seems like another nothing year in a nothing decade. But even with it being just a so-so year, there have been some highlights, and plenty of lowlights as well.

Excuse me while I go dust off anything that looks like an award that I have received over the years (unfortunately, most of them are Little League baseball participation awards), to give out for the first ever Art Hates You Midyear Awards:

• Biggest Sports Surprise: Ok, the first Little League participation award I received is being given this year to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are in first place and battling for a playoff spot for the first time since an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was topping the box office chart. Now, let’s see if they are still for real in September, and then it will be something worth watching.

• Biggest Sports Disappointment: The second participation trophy is to the Summer of 2006. The Summer of 2006 will now forever be dubbed "The Summer of Sports Misery". First, the Red Wings go down to the upstart Edmonton Oilers and Hockeytown Café goes quiet for another summer. And later, the U.S. Soccer team looked like they were playing in the Youth World Cup and went down in the first round. But, the biggest disappointment of all goes to the Pistons. After running a 64-18 regular season record, the Pistons broke everyone’s hearts by losing in six games to the David Stern and NBA approved Miami Heat. Don’t get me talking about this anymore, it is still a very sensitive subject. Thanks for nothing guys!

• Best Movie of 2006 (so far): V For Vendetta. This movie has balls of steel, even if one of the producers is reportedly having his surgically removed (I am not lying, there are many stories on this). I am all for anarchic and anti-establishment action flicks, and this movie fit the bill and then some. In the same way The Matrix made people take a step back in awe, V For Vendetta proves that you can still make a smart and unapologetic action movie.

• Worst Movie of 2006 (so far): Mission Impossible 3. Come on, tell me you weren’t cheering for Philip Seymour Hoffman to kill Tom Cruise in this movie? This movie made less than both preceding films, and probably has ended the franchise. Now Tom, please get in your spaceship, take your alien baby, and leave this planet. But leave Katie Holmes for me, thank you very much.

• Best Song of 2006 (so far): Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. It sounds like the last thing you would heard on modern rock and hip-hop radio. But guess what? Both type of stations are playing this odd gem. The album St. Elsewhere is the challenging piece of hip-hop soul that is needed to freshen up the genre. Goodie Mob’s Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse lead the surprisingly successful group, which has climbed into the Top 20 of the Billboard Album Charts. If Tool’s 10,000 Days or the self titled Wolfmother album weren’t just a little better, I would call St. Elsewhere the best album so far. Maybe I’m crazy, but I really dig this song.

• Most Disappointing Album of 2006 (so far): Buckcherry’s 15. All right, Crazy Bitch has a trashy swagger to it, but the rest of the album fails to follow suit. In a shocking turn of events, the album is selling well, and could stand to become the band’s biggest selling record. Too bad it doesn’t come close to matching up to the band’s stellar debut. Hey guys, just stick to the old songs on tour, please!

There are plenty of other awards to give out, such as Biggest Unfulfilled Hype going to Pearl Jam and their second lovefest with the media, but we will hold off until the 2006 Year End Awards show up to discuss that in detail.

I am out of trophies to hand out. If you want a trophy of your own, go sign up for Little League just like everybody else…