If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re a voracious book reader, music listener, moviegoer, TV viewer, and (quite possibly) style watcher. But if anyone ever told you your pop-culture consumption over the past 11 months was a vain pursuit, well, now is your chance to prove ‘em wrong. Yes, PopWatchers, Entertainment Weekly is planning its annual Best and Worst of 2008 issue, and we want your picks for the best (and worst) movies, TV shows, albums (and singles), books, and style from this delightful calendar year. For me, the first nominees that popped into my head were from the small screen: a whip-smart (and often hilarious) news program that not only won a spot on my DVR, but frequently got played before my fictional faves (Countdown With Keith Olbermann, the best) and a reality competition so awful, I was awestruck once a week all summer long when I saw it perched atop the Nielsen ratings chart (America’s Got Talent, the worst). My other right-off-the-top-of-my-head picks: Little Jackie’s The Stoop (best CD) (that’s the band in the upper left corner of our picture) and Janet Jackson’s disastrous tour outfit (worst style). Perhaps the sight of that gold-casing heinoustry in the mirror every night led to the health woes that caused Miss Jackson to cancel so many tour dates this year?
But enough about my entertainment peaks and valleys from 2008 — it’s your turn to sound off. We’ll be mining your comments to create polls that will be the basis for reader-generated portions of EW’s Best and Worst issue, so nominate early (and often) on the message boards below!
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Michael, The Stoop? Wow, that’s one of mine too! You ARE adorable!
Best Film Nobody Saw: Bottle Shock
Best Mindf*ck: Synecdoche, New York
Awesomest Trend: MUSICALS! Not just the revival of movie musicals, but musical episodes of two of my favorite TV shows (South Park and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) make me wet my theatre-geek pants.
Great year for music, with Snow Patrol, Oasis, Coldplay, Band of Horses, the Killers, Fall out Boy, and Keane all releasing awesome new CDs.
Best TV: The Office, Entourage (great move making Vince have to regain his A-list status), Lost, and How I Met Your Mother.
Most Overrated Movie of 2008: The Dark Knight
Funniest/Best Movie of the Year: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Favorite TV shows:
1.Mad Men
2.30 Rock
3.The Life and Times of Tim
4.LOST
Worst Films: Cloverfield & The Happening
Best TV: 30 Rock (obviously) & The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Go Nene!)
here are some randoms i guess:
best tv this year: LOST (especially the desmond episode) and mad men
guilty pleasure tv: gossip girl
best music: dr horrible’s sing a long blog, fleet foxes, atmosphere, and beck
Top Moment? Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion in Dr. Horrible! Loved it.
tv: keith olbermann (forgot to say that!)
and whoever said “the dark knight” was overrated, i agree so much.
Best TV Show: Pushing Daisies
Show that got better with age: Supernatural
Best Comic Book Movie: Iron Man
Worst TV Show: The Hills
I don’t necessarily think these are the best in each category… but they are certainly, in my opinion, the most “pop culture”-worthy ones of 2008.
BEST MOVIE: The Dark Knight
BEST TV: Gossip Girl
HOTTEST SINGLE: “Bleeding Love”
BEST STYLE: Flannel and Plaid Make their Return
Best pop culture moments of 2008 include Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog and Iron Man; worst, The Phantom Dennis returning to menace Grey’s in what has to be the most ridiculous storyline on the show to date.
With the publishing industry melting down this year, 2008 saw publishers playing it safe with their book choices. Some old, consistent favorites continue to shine, and a few new voices broke through. My votes for best books of 2008 are: Digitally Daunted: 1) The Consumer’s Guide to Taking Control of the Technology in Your Life by Sean and Jean Westcott. 2)Life After Genius
by M. Ann Jacoby
pushing daisies!
clearly the american public has gone insane for letting this amazing show get away. the quircky stories, the bright colors, the fast-paced dialogue, it’s just so fun to watch! not to mention how easy it is to invest your time in such likeable characters. it will be a dark day when this season’s 13th episode airs.
Best Movie: Tropic Thunder
Worst Movie: Made of Honor
Best Show: Desperate Housewives
Worst Show: Family Guy
You people who say The Dark Knight is overrated, give me your reasons why and then I will be able to tell you why you are completely wrong. If you think it is overrated, it is probably because you don’t get it or all the hype around it made it impossible to live up to the lofty standards that people set up for it, even though it was that DAMN good.
Biggest Movie: The Dark Knight
Biggest Single: Womanizer
Best TV Show: CSI
Greatest Comeback: Britney Spears
Hottest Baby Tot: Jayden James
Best Movie: WALL-E, hands down
Best Song: Viva La Vida
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long blog deserves a huge shout out as the only good thing to come out of the writer’s strike.
TV: I’m torn between Gossip Girl and How I met your mother. I love both shows and can’t get enough of them
Movies: Tropic Thunder and The Dark Knight will be two of the very few movies that 2008 will be remembered for.
Music: Britney Spears
Furthermore, I’m very happy that Robert Downey Jr. is finally the star he was always supposed to be, I love the fuzz about Kate Winslet’s and Leonardo DiCaprio’s re-teaming and I am all excited about what Joaquin Phoenix, now that he has quit acting, will be doing next.
Best show: Supernatural
Book Phenomenon: Twilight Series
Movie: Dark Knight
Music- The Stoop, John Legend’s Evolver, T. I.’s Paper Trail and Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night are the best Cds I’ve heard all year. Movies- Loved the Dark Knight (even though I hate Batman) and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist TV- Smallville has been exceptionally good this year, and How I Met Your Mother is hitting its stride. I also love The Mentalist- this is the first new show I’ve tried out since HIMYM.
The best pop culture moment of 2008? Easy..Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Not only did it prove the genius of Joss Wheadon, we got to hear Doogie and Mal sing!
Oh, Best Single- American Boy by Estelle
Best marketing campaign for what ended up being an incredibly disappointing book: Brad Metzer’s “Book of Lies”. The trailer was brilliant, the book? Eh.
The Mentalist and True Blood: Best of the new TV season
Lost and Countdown…: Best of the returning shows
The worst movie news of 2008 directly followed the success of the best movie: Harry Potter moved to 2009 due to the overwhelming success of The Dark Knight.
Music’s Best? Best Song win at the Oscars for “Falling Slowly” from “Once” Beautiful performance and stirring speech
Politics: Obama’s use of the internet to solidify his campaign efforts and cement a win
Bill O’Reilly. He’s a major thorn in the side of every other news media but every attempt to discredit him ends up like egg on their faces because he still attracts millions of viewers. The networks can’t get rid of him or even put up a contender.
Best TV show – Lost
Mediocre TV show that improved greatly between seasons – Terminator: SCC
Once superb TV shows that progressively worsened since its initial season and hit depressing lows – Prison Break and Heroes
Best film – The Dark Knight
Best DVD release – Dexter season 2
Best single/album – Viva la Vida by Coldplay
Best vampires: True Blood. The show started out kind of rocky for me at first but now it’s really starting to pull me in.
Worst vampires: Twilight. They sparkle? Really? Really? You’re going with sparkle? Really?
worst movie: Made of Honor
funniest movie (that you didn’t think would be): Role Models & Finding Sarah Marshall
Best primetime TV: 30 Rock
Worst primetime TV: nightrider
Best Movie – The Dark Knight
Best TV Show – Supernatural
Also props to Joss Whedon for Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Best New Internet Site: Hulu.com
If I miss my shows, I can catch up with high quality episodes online. It’s also introduced me to shows I missed the first time around. I’m talking to you, Arrested Development.
Best TV show: Lost in early 2008. Supernatural in late 2008.
Late night show with most potential: Chealsa Lately
Worst Summer Movie: X-Files 2. First, they should have made it for the fans. Second, a summer movie with a winter setting. Burrrrr!
Best Trailer: Watchmen. I picked up the comic a week later.
Worst Newtork Move: Not bringing back shows right after the Writer’s Strike. R.I.P Pushing Daisies.
Best
TV: LOST (no questions there)
Guilty Pleasure: Gossip Girl
Movie: WALL-E
Documentary: Religulous
Music: Keane – Perfect Symmetry