Editor's Note

Happy New Year!

Well, that was one hell of year.

With a nod to the guys at Esquire who do the Dubious Achievements, Leo Banks (with a bit of assistance from yours truly) does the Weekly's annual roundup of the weird stories of the year. We dub 2017 "the year of the dick"—and we're sad to say we'll probably see just as many (if not more) in 2018. Giant props to my longtime partner in crime, Hector Acuña, for a magnificent cover that really sums up the zeitgeist. It was a joy to work with both of these old pros again.

Elsewhere in the book: Our crew of music writers look back at the best music of the year; film critic Bob Grimm picks his favorite films; theatre writer Sherilyn Forrester shines a spotlight on the best productions; staff reporter Danyelle Khmara takes us to a homeless vigil; Mark Russell tells us about Kingfisher's new oyster beer; comedy columnist Linda Ray takes in the Loft Cinema's Friday Night Shorts; calendar editor Emily Dieckman has some great ideas of how you can spend your holiday downtime; music columnist Xavier Otero clues us in on what's happening on the concert front in XOXO...; and, as usual, there's a whole lot more.

For all that was lousy about 2017—and I really miss Emil Franzi and Tom Petty, both gone too soon—it was still a great year for me: I got to welcome Isabelle Margaret Nintzel into my family. She and her big sister Olivia are eternal delights, and my wife Jennifer and I could not be more blessed.

Hey, and somebody handed me the keys to this newspaper, so that's been pretty cool, too. It's an honor to be here, standing on the shoulders of giants and working with a team of young journalists who inspire and amaze me every day. Hope you've enjoyed my stewardship so far—or that I've really pissed you off, since I'm not doing my job if someone isn't mad at me.

Here's my resolution in 2018: This paper is going to kick ass.

Have a fun (and safe!) New Year's eve, and good fortune in 2018—unless you're a dick.

— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor

This article originally misidentified theater writer Sherilyn Forrester.