Mandate? We'll leave that topic to the political arena. But in the realm of our annual S&V Entertainment Awards, ten music and eight movie critics have voted, and in each department the majority has ruled: Brian Wilson's SMiLE is the best CD of 2004, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the best DVD. Interesting. . . . After all, Wilson first attempted to crack his SMiLE 38 years ago. And King is based on a 50-year-old book set in a mythical prehistoric time - yet through the magic of 21st-century moviemaking, it resonates with viewers of all ages today. There are plenty of young punks below, too - literally (Green Day) and figuratively (Franz Ferdinand and directors like Kill Bill 's Quentin Tarantino and Lost in Translation's Sofia Coppola). Then there's the hybrid of Loretta Lynn's CD, pairing the Coal Miner's Daughter with a White Stripe. And remember, Star Wars fans: the trilogy that, for its time, was a quantum leap in film technology was also set a long time ago.

Top 10 CDs of 2004

Top 10 DVDs of 2004