Nothing Earth shattering here. I just wanted to profess my love for the Metacritic.com Web site. Essentially a centralized collection of reviews on movies, tv shows, games, books, and music, Metacritic is consistently one of the most useful and entertaining Web sites to visit. It is also the subject of numerous awards and receives its share of recognition in the Web community. Yet, when compared to other Web-sites-as-household-names, it still manages to fly somewhat under the radar (although CNET's aquisition in August may change that).

Metactic collects and compiles reviews from all major (and some minor) publications into what it calls a "Metascore". Although sites that post reviews and feedback on products and services (especially music and movies) are nothing new, it is this "Metascore", combined with Metacritic's direct, no-nonsense interface that makes it stand apart.

The bottom line is such sites make us more informed consumers. In the case of typical products and services, such information can only lead to higher quality. For the entertainment industry, where quality is less of an emphasis than a monopolization of marketing exposure, such information empowers the little man -- in this case the independent artists, labels, studios, and filmakers. Let's face it, digging below 200 copies of the latest Ashlee Simpson CD at your local record store to uncover a real musical gem can be quite fun, and very rewarding.