“Holly Holy” by Neil Diamond

　　Like many people, I was extremely sad to hear the news about Neil Diamond’s retirement and battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Soon after arriving here at The A.V. Club, I suggested this two-part Inventory on all his pop-culture milestones, which I still really like. In Neil Diamond’s umpteen decades of performing, I’ve been lucky enough to see him a few times, and he always gives so much to his besotted crowd. Here’s a clip from 1971 of Diamond doing one of my all-time favorites, “Holly Holy.” [Gwen Ihnat]

Magician Eric Mead performing Cylinder & Coins

　　Followers of The Takeout will know about my obsession with magic tricks, and nothing has brought me more joy in the past year than watching magician Eric Mead perform on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us. Here, Mead performs a classic of magic called Cylinder & Coins, and what sets this apart is the impeccable sleight of hand and misdirection techniques employed here. It’s a beautiful piece of theater. [Kevin Pang]