Just like it was for music, 2008 wasn’t really a great year for movies or television … the Writer’s Strike at the start of the year really decimated Hollywood and severely hurt television programming. That said, there were a few really amazing films (highlighted by really amazing acting performances) and a select few TV shows that really brought the entertainment this year. Here is my list of my Fave Movies of 2008 … I think the #1 pick might surprise you.

At #10 is The Incredible Hulk:

This movie may not have been the best superhero film of all time but it beat the hell out of Ang Lee’s Hulk and really did a service to both the comic book series and the TV series from the ’70s. This film really paid homage to the beloved TV series for the first half of the film and then represented the comic books very well in the second half of the film. All I know is that I had a really good time at the movies watching this film … and isn’t that what’s most important?

At #9 is W.:

Oliver Stone films are really hit or miss and this one was a pretty nice hit. Josh Brolin played a superb GWB and managed to put our soon-to-be ex-president in real context. I am no GWB fan by any stretch of the imagination but this film actually made him a sympathetic character. Props to Oliver Stone for actually doing the impossible.

In the #8 position is Doubt:

This film is all about the acting. And among the amazing acting performances, Meryl Streep far outshines everyone else in this film. She absolutely turned in the most powerful acting performance this year … she absolutely deserves all the Best Actress awards and, IMHO, the Best Actor awards as well — she is that good in this film. I feel bad for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, who both turned in exceptional performances, cuz Streep just steals the spotlight. She made this movie such a delight for me to watch.

At #7 is Milk:

At long last, the story of Harvey Milk’s life made it to the big screen … and Sean Penn did his memory a great service. Milk may not have been a blockbuster but it is a very important story that is told so expertly that I wish it had made more money at the box office. Penn’s cast of supporting actors were also pretty phenomenal … as a whole they told a tale that an entire generation of people were hearing for the first time — which was eerily similar to the events that were playing out on the streets of SoCal this past November.

At #6 is WALL•E:

OMG … what can I say about WALL•E that hasn’t been said a million times before? The movie is just cute as hell and actually caused kids and grown adults alike to fall in love with a sweet little animated trash compactor. I had my doubts about this film before I saw it for myself … but man, once I saw it — I was hooked. WALL•E is absolutely the Best Animated Film of 2008.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Films of 2008 as well as my list of my Fave TV Shows of the Year …

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So … last night Sarah and Mark hosted pretty much every single person they even remotely know at their home for their annual Holiday Party and managed to pull off another amazingly fun night of celebration, mirth and merriment. Honestly, except for getting to spend time with my parents, Sarah and Mark’s parties are THE reason I come home to Detroit so often. Here are a few of the photos that Mike G. snapped thruout the night:

At long last, I was finally able to meet Sarah’s childhood friend Chanda and her husband Leonard who I only ever heard about, saw in photos or on video … and speaking of video … for years, I’ve been aware of a junior high school talent show video that features Sarah, Chanda and a very untalented third girl dancing to Kid N Play’s song Gettin’ Funky. Wearing matching Nike t-shirts that read JUST on the front and DO IT. on the back, the ladies hip-hopped their way to glory … well, they didn’t actually win the talent show (we can blame that other girl for that) but they did turn in a pretty amazing performance. Fortunately for all y’all, Mike G. also managed to video us watching the performance tape so I can share it with all y’all after the jump …

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• Scientists are angry with Mariah Carey’s theory of relativity.
• Amy Winehouse’s ex-manager puts her alleged drug use on blast.
• In a new poll, a majority of Americans say they most admire President-elect Barack Obama.
• A woman who claims to be the biological mother of Michael Jackson’s youngest child sues him for $1 billion.
• Emma Watson is saving herself for Mr. Right.
• A woman gets fired for wishing a customer Merry Xmas.
• Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is 21, Sienna Miller is 27, Seth Meyers (SNL) is 35 and Stan Lee is 86 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
• A real life Mowgli lives in Argentina.

It is that time of the week (and the last time for the year) that we take a moment to pause and reflect upon the Hot Dude of the Week. So … let me be brief (Jockey briefs, to be exact) and present to y’all this week’s hotness Nick M.:

Plain and simply, Nick M. is a fine specimen of the male form and seems a great way to close out a year of Hot Dudes of the Week. Here’s hoping the coming year is chock full of more hotness and that we’ll have a lot more flesh to gawk at in the coming weeks of 2009. Woot!

[Photo credit: All American Guys]

Semi-new dad and Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden showed off his new look in SoCal yesterday as homedog debuted his newly grown facial hair porn’stache/goatee combo … check it out:

Yeah … I dunno about this one. I mean, I’m an avid supporter of the new porn’stache trend that seems to be very popular with the celebs these days but … I’m not sure this look particularly works for J. Mad. I think it’s the goatee that’s throwing me off … I’d like to see what he looks like with just the ’stache. I’m torn … what do y’all think? Thumbs up or down?

[Photo credit: X17]

Can you guess which celeb, who recently gave birth to her first child, stepped out to do a bit of pre-Xmas shopping this week while showing off her newly blondified hair?

OK, so this may not be much of a guessing game since I’ve done nothing to cover the person’s face … but honestly, I had a hard time recognizing who this person is even by looking at her straight in the face. It may be easy for some but I was stumped for a bit. After the jump, find out who it is …

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After enjoying a fairly successful relationship on both parts for the last decade, David Beckham has let his product endorsement contract with Pepsi Cola run out so that he can reportedly shift his focus to other of his more recent product endorsements … but I can’t help but wonder … could a deal with Coca-Cola be in the near future?

DAVID BECKHAM has canned his big money deal with Pepsi after TEN YEARS as the face of the soft drinks giant. Becks, 33, has thrilled his fans by dressing up as a gladiator, cowboy and surfer for the long-running TV advertising campaign. But the England footie hero, nicknamed Goldenballs, is now giving up his £2 million-a-year contract to focus on other work with companies such as Vodafone and Armani. Dad-of-three Becks — currently playing at AC Milan after being loaned out by his US team LA Galaxy — said last night: “I have nothing but good memories of my association with Pepsi. I’ve played a gladiator, a cowboy, a surfer, and worked alongside BEYONCE and JENNIFER LOPEZ as well as some of the biggest names in world football. I hope everyone who has seen the work enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it.” Pepsi hailed its work with Becks as “one of the most enduring partnerships in global brand history”. It added: “David’s football legacy will live on, and everyone at Pepsi will continue to be passionate about his success.” But the news will please the Consumer Association, which earlier this year complained to Becks that he was promoting unhealthy products to kids.

Altho pretty much all of Becks’s Pepsi commercials aired OUTSIDE of the US, I think it’s safe to say that their partnership was truly a match made in heaven. Both sides made a lot of money in the last ten years so I’m sure they are parting ways amicably. BUT, Becks is a very savvy businessman … he would NOT be parting ways with Pepsi if he didn’t think there might be a better deal down the line. I suspect his days of pimpin’ soda pop aren’t over … I guess we’ll have to wait and see. After the jump, as a farewell to Pepsi, check out one of Becks’s commercials wherein he plays a Wild West Cowboy fighting for a bottle of Pepsi against one of his fútbol cohorts …

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