best of ‘08

Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf

Everyone’s doing their “Best of 2008″ lists, so I thought I’d put together one, too. One thing to remember, though — columnists like Michael Ausiello and Kristin Dos Santos get paid to watch as much TV as possible. (Seriously, Dream. Job.) So their lists are obviously going to be way more informed and inclusive than mine.

Also, I’m going to include movies and books and just make this one ginormous overview.

One more thing: when I say “best,” obviously I am being entirely subjective. Your best might be drastically different than my best, and that’s cool. However, this is not your blog, and it is my blog, so my blog, my bests.

(That kind of sounded like a disclaimer. Just infinitely shorter and with much less legalese.)

Movies
Out of 276 movies made in 2008, I saw a whopping…11. I used to go to the movies so much more frequently, but these days, I much prefer the convenience of Netflix.

Best Movie of 2008:
The Dark Knight: What can I say? It was the coolest movie ever.

Runners-up: The Secret Life of Bees, 21, Cloverfield

Books
I’m going with books I read in 2008, not necessarily those that were written/published in 2008. Sadly, I stopped keeping track of what I was reading practically after I started, so I have no idea exactly what I read this year. However, I am very clear on the best of the lot.

Best Book of 2008:
Velvet Elvis (Rob Bell): I am not being hyperbolous when I say this book really impacted me in a serious way and I think everyone should read it. Immediately. Multiple times.

Runners-up: I Kissed Dating Goodbye (Joshua Harris), Twilight (Stephenie Meyer), New Moon (Stephenie Meyer), Eclipse (Stephenie Meyer), The Host (Stephenie Meyer)

Best in (TV) Show in 2008
I’m going to steal Ausiello’s format, but again, my list of candidates from which to draw is extremely short, considering I only watched about 13 or so shows.

Best Drama Series:
Lost: Yes, I know, I didn’t even finish the season. (And it looks like I’m going to be right back where I started, seeing as how I am watching no TV for the month of January, which means I can’t catch up on last season’s DVDs before the Season 5 premiere later this month.) I still have yet to find a show as layered and as fascinating with such developed, well-written characters — especially one that’s managed to sustain those feats for four years.

Runners-up: Gossip Girl, House

Best Comedy Series:
Chuck: This show exudes awesomeness. Josh Schwartz completely and totally redeemed himself for the horror that was the final two seasons of The OC. I have loved every minute of its one-and-a-half seasons.

Runners-up: The Office, How I Met Your Mother

Best Reality Show:
Top Chef: I love this show. I discovered it midway through Season 4, but through the awesomeness that is marathons of reruns on Bravo, I not only caught the entire season, but I also managed to see the previous three seasons almost in their entirety. (Can I just take a moment to say I am so glad they replaced Billy Joel’s cardboard cutout of a wife with Padma Lakshmi?)

Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Hugh Laurie, House: I haven’t been quite as enamored with House as I have been in seasons past, but Hugh Laurie remains as stellar as ever. Seriously, I could watch the man recite the telephone book (preferably with his British accent), and I’d be in awe.

Runner-up: None, really — I didn’t watch a whole lot of other dramas apart from procedurals, and those don’t lend themselves well to stand-out talent.

Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl: Ausiello lists her in the Supporting Actress category, but even though the show is supposedly an ensemble, to me, Leighton is by far the best actress of the cast. I love Blake Lively, but Leighton is amazing. You have to be to make people actually care about a character like Blair Waldorf, who, in the hands of a lesser actress, would come across as horribly cliched and one-dimensional.

Runners-up: See Runners-up, Best Actor in a Drama Series.

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Zachary Levi, Chuck: There’s not much to say except, “YUM!” But seriously, Zach Levi is Chuck. He’s the cornerstone of the entire show, and he can play funny, sweet, noble, and Action Hero so well.

Runners-up: I’d say Steve Carrell, but lately Michael has really annoyed me. They’ve started writing him a bit too over-the-top.

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:
I struggled here and couldn’t come up with a clear winner. Yvonne Strahovski is awesome, but her character isn’t written in a way that is conducive with the category. The actresses in The Office and How I Met Your Mother really are supporting, and I didn’t watch any other comedies.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Michael Emerson, Lost: I don’t think he needs much of an explanation.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost: See Michael Emerson.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother: This guy is seriously one of the funniest ever. He is definitely light years away from Doogie Howser.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Amy Ryan, The Office: I am still extremely bitter that she hasn’t been brought on as a regular. She was awesome and, more importantly, she made Michael much more palatable.

Hottest host(s) of a Reality TV Show:
Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef: Seriously.