TV
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES on The CW
Diaries is exactly the soapy thriller series you'd expect from Kevin Williamson, the man behind Scream and Dawson's Creek. Take a bite.
TV
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS hosts the Emmys
We predict awesomeness. The How I Met Your Mother star has charm, wit, and a stellar voice (should a musical number pop up on the Sept. 20 CBS telecast). He almost makes up for last year's five-reality-hosts debacle. Almost.
MUSIC
MAN ON THE MOON: THE END OF DAY, Kid Cudi
The Cleveland native and Kanye West protégé lives up to his mentor's immense hype with an amazing debut album. He raps and sings to delectable electro-infused beats, and already has a pair of kicking collaborations with indie duo du jour Ratatat — ''Pursuit of Happiness'' and ''Alive'' — that we simply can't get out of our heads.
BOOKS
THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF POETS, by Jess Walter
Cynical yet warm, this novel about a finance reporter (with a failing website written entirely in blank verse) is a delight.
MOVIES
9
Director Shane Acker reworks his Oscar-nominated animated short into a feature-length film about a postapocalyptic world populated by new life-forms composed of the discarded refuse of our old one. 9 is an existential, provocative piece that's decidedly for adults, but beautifully rendered in a medium that appeals to the child within.
TV
90210 on The CW
No doubt, last year was a bit rocky. But in season 2, the new 90210 has dropped the treacle, making the bad girl (AnnaLynne McCord's Naomi) even worse, while pouring on the sex, the smarts, and the funny. We're hooked.
MUSIC
''LET'S JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN,'' Jason Castro
With his signature warble, jaunty whistles and claps, and affectionate lyrics about reigniting a relationship, the dreamy-eyed season 7 American Idol contender makes falling in love with him again oh-so-easy.
BOOKS
I SHUDDER, by Paul Rudnick
The witty, sardonic playwright (Jeffrey) and screenwriter (In & Out, Addams Family Values) delivers an acerbic and entertaining memoir about his experiences as a child in New Jersey and an adult in showbiz.
VIDEOGAMES
SCRIBBLENAUTS for Nintendo DS
Don't choose your own adventure — write it! Help the hero, Maxwell, win challenges with problem-solving objects you suggest. As (almost) anything you type materializes, just try to stump the game's dictionary of more than 10,000 words.
READER'S CHOICE: DVD
DEXTER, season 3
The combustible, dangerous bond that serial killer Dexter (Michael C. Hall) developed with an increasingly unhinged avenging-angel prosecutor (Jimmy Smits, in an Emmy-nominated performance that deserves a win) made the Showtime hit's third season darkly hilarious. —Submitted by Dan
READER'S CHOICE: MUSIC
HUMBUG, Arctic Monkeys
''The latest Arctic Monkeys album is my Must for sure. I love those guys.'' —Delia
READER'S CHOICE: TV
THE LATE LATE SHOW with Craig Ferguson on CBS
''The Late Late Show in high definition should make any Must List. Ferguson was already the best host, best monologist, and best interviewer in late night — now CBS is spending the money to show him in HD, and spiff up his opening credits.'' —Chaddog
READER'S CHOICE: TV
WHAT WOULD BRIAN BOITANO MAKE? on the Food Network
''Who knew we'd actually want to know?'' —T.J.
READER'S CHOICE: MUSIC
KEEP ON LOVING YOU, Reba McEntire
''I love watching McEntire's sitcom in reruns, but let's get real, her true calling is music. I look forward to playing her new album in my car because I can always sing along to Reba.'' —Jeri
READER'S CHOICE: DIGITAL
SPIDER-WOMAN, AGENT OF SWORD on iTunes
''Comics are rad. Motion comics are radder. This one is just amazing.'' —Dan
