HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here we are in a bright and shiny 2008 with bright and shiny iPods and bright and shiny stuff at the iTunes Store.

Tell me, does it get any better than this? I don't think so.

I won't waste another minute talking about this or that, let's just jump right into the free stuff. After all, that's why you're here, right?

First up, it's the kid with no memory or belly button, for that matter: Kyle XY.

I had never watched the show on regular TV because it was always on when I was doing something else. Still, it looked interesting and I kept promising myself to catch a few episodes. Here it is ending its second season and I still haven't had a chance to watch.

Well, thanks to the iTunes Store we can at least catch the season's final episode, Leap of Faith; it's a free download this week.

After watching I can tell you with complete confidence that Kyle XY looks like a really good show. Watching the free episode makes me want to watch the show from the very beginning, which, I suppose, is the reason the final episode is free in the first place. Good stuff.

OK, if one of your New Year's resolutions is to eat healthier and save some money then I've got a podcast that's right up your alley: The Budget Health Nut.

Host, Joe Dias, is a real down-to-earth type of guy and he's a whiz in the kitchen. In each podcast episode Joe steps us through the preparation of some really good looking food.

Joe Dias chats up recipes on The Budget Health Nut

I like to cook and I'm always looking for some good recipes that are easy, but look like I've spent a day in the kitchen. Joe's recipes are like that -- we're not talking opening up a can, or this or that, and producing a mystery casserole, no, we're talking real food, like pork chops, stuffed chicken, beef enchiladas, and so much more.

What's even better is that Joe's recipes are easy on the budget and waist line. How can you go wrong with a free video on how to cook cheaply, healthily, and produce food you'd actually want to eat?

There are 12 episodes so far, each about eight minutes long. So if you're looking for some ways to fulfill your New Year's resolutions that don't call for buying and eating a lot of low-fat yogurt The Budget Health Nut podcast is what you want.

This being 2008 it seems you can't spit without it having a political slant to it. Candidates are stump-hopping for votes and it's becoming a media frenzy out there, and everything is so darn serious.

Sometimes you need to step back, take a deep breath, and watch an episode of Barely Political, a podcast that looks at the lighter side of politics.

Crazy controversy is all part of Barely Politcal's attraction

There doesn't seem to be any consistent theme between episodes other than humor. I've downloaded several shows and they are all over the map; one episodes highlights a verbal confrontation between Bill O'Reilly and Senator Dodd while another lampoons the viral video craze while still another pokes fun at once-President Millard Fillmore (our 13th president for those keeping count).

Still, I watched and liked what I saw and if you don't have your political beanie screwed on too tightly I believe you'll get a kick out of Barely Political too. Definitely worth the price of admission.

That's going to do it for this week.

By the way, there's been some talk about Apple getting into the movie rental business. Apparently, Fox has signed on to allow movies to be rented through the iTunes Store. Along with Disney and Pixar, Apple could be setting the stage for yet another market make-over, just as it did with digital music. Digital movie purchases and rentals could finally be ready for prime time, and with it, Apple TV.

Of course, this is speculation on my part, but I wouldn't be surprised if something about Apple TV and movies gets announced at Macworld Expo. We'll see.

More free stuff at the iTunes Store: