Bossy Best of 2008

Everyone's putting out their Best of 2008 lists, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon and making one of my own. Here's what I loved this year:

Music:

These are all albums that came out this year, and actually I had quite a bit of trouble picking just 5. I have what you might call an iTunes addiction, to the point where I often refer to the day after Monday as "New Music Tuesday." These 5 were the ones I loved the most.

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Hip and nerdy at the same time, just like me!


Fave song: "Oxford Comma"


Rockferry, Duffy

I love Duffy's sultry soulful voice and her old-school style.

Fave song: "Mercy"


Paper Nest, Raining Jane

Plays right into my weakness for sensitive folky singer-songwriter types.

Fave song: "Broken Parts"


Hideaway, The Weepies

Listening to The Weepies always makes me happier. Always.

Fave song: "How You Survived the War"


Day & Age, The Killers

This one's only been out a couple weeks, but I'm already enjoying it just as much as their first album.
Fave song: "Human"

Honorable mention: One of the Boys, Katy Perry; Simple Times, Joshua Radin; Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket


Movies:

I don't see enough movies in the theatre to make a list of 2008 releases very interesting, but I do watch an awful lot of Netflix. So, these are the best movies I saw this year, old and new.

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

I am probably the very last person EVER to watch this movie, but somehow I missed it until I was preparing for B&B during the summer. I love everything about it: the chemistry between Emma and Kenneth (those were the good old days), the Mediterranean setting, the informal way with the language…I even love Emma Thompson's ridiculous tan.

Persepolis (2007)

Totally unlike any movie I've seen before, this autobiographical film based on the graphic novel is charming and completely engrossing.





Bringing Up Baby (1938)

I've already waxed poetic about this one here, but it bears repeating. Madcap, I tell you, madcap.





The Lives of Others (2007)

I watched this almost a year ago, but I'm still thinking about it. We've been inundated with enough World War II films that I have an understanding of that period, but the Cold War era remains something of an enigma. I love personal stories set against the backdrop of historical events. And you know I just love movies in German.

Milk (2008)

Again, I'm repeating myself, but really, it's that good. You'll want to go see it before the Oscars.





Honorable mention: Quantum of Solace (2008), Wall-E (2008), Joyeux Noël (2005)

TV Shows:

As with movies, much of my TV watching happens through Netflix, aka 6 months to a year late. I cannot speak to the current seasons of most of these (although Hulu is helping some), but what I saw on DVD rocked my socks off.

Mad Men (AMC)

Who knew the ’60s could be so fascinating? This show makes me crave cocktails at work, hats, and men in suits, although I'm happy to be watching from a safe distance when it comes to the smoke-filled meetings, and, you know, the subjugation of women.



Pushing Daisies (ABC—canceled)

Possibly the most bizarre premise I can think of, but the show is utterly captivating. They've created an entire alternate world for the characters to live in, and the look of it alone is enough to make you fall in love. Kristin Chenoweth is just too adorable, and Chi McBride gets the best sarcastic one-liners ever. I'm so sad that this show has been canceled.

30 Rock (NBC)

I. Love. Tina Fey. Almost as much as CameraMan does, but for different reasons.






The Office (NBC)

This will continue to be on my "Best of…" list until it goes off the air. It is the funniest show on television right now, and it's aging quite well.





How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

The other day CM and I were sitting on the couch, and he said, "You know what? I miss our friends on How I Met Your Mother." Pathetic as it may sound, I feel the exact same way. This show is so good I would almost pay $2.99 per episode on iTunes for the new ones. Almost.

Honorable mention: The West Wing, The Daily Show, Lipstick Jungle

Books:

In making this list, I know I'm forgetting some excellent books I read this year, but I had a little trouble remembering what I actually read. Maybe in preparation for 2009's list, I'll keep some kind of record. There were a few standouts I could remember, though.

Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald

I went through a Fitzgerald phase at some point during college, but I never read this one. It isn't plotted as well as some of the others, but the characters are so richly drawn. I like the idea of the main couple being based on him and Zelda, too.



American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld

A novel about the life of a First Lady remarkably similar to Laura Bush, this book provided some insight (although fictionalized) into the life of a woman to whom I had never given that much thought. I'm so excited to see what kind of First Lady Michelle Obama is going to be.


The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

This historical nonfiction reads like a novel, as the author recounts the events of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, juxtaposed with the story of serial killer H. H. Holmes. If only all history books were this compellingly written, I would give up fiction all together.



The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende

I love this kind of epic South American novel, full of supernatural elements right in the middle of real life. This reminds me of A Hundred Years of Solitude or Like Water for Chocolate. It makes me want to move to South America to be in a culture that could produce this kind of imagination.


Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh

Thanks to my To-Do list, I'm discovering some authors I never read before. I read 3 Waugh novels, and this is the best. He had a wicked sense of humor as well as a way of deftly dealing with deeper issues almost without you noticing it. After reading the book, I was disappointed by the 2008 film, but I'm looking forward to watching the whole BBC miniseries some time soon.



What were your favorites of 2008? What did I miss?