3. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
First of all, the art of the adapted screenplay is not duly appreciated. When a screenwriter elects to adapt a book, they have to create something entirely new while honoring the original text and respecting the mental ''movie'' already dreamed up by the book's protective fans through the weirdly cinematic process of reading. Such an undertaking requires major balls.
Okay, writerly tangent over. Nick & Norah, adapted by my friend Lorene Scafaria, is that rarest of creatures, a movie about young people that doesn't feel condescending or clueless. Maybe that's because it began as a passion project rather than a millennial-targeted cash grab conceived by a studio. Kat Dennings' Norah is shockingly cool for a girl who's supposed to be a goody-goody, and Michael Cera actually gets to be sexy. The beautifully sincere script is, in my ever-so-humble opinion, on par with any of the late-season award baiters currently on parade.
4. Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew
This is easily the best Gary Busey-centric reality show since I'm With Busey. D-list celebrities have always been game to expose themselves (sometimes literally), but this show takes candor to a whole new level. Maybe it's because the life cycle of the average micro-celeb has accelerated considerably; it's as if there's a new fast-track career path from American Idol to televised therapy. Seriously, though, rehab used to be taboo. Can you imagine, say, Elizabeth Taylor having consented to being filmed at Betty Ford? Nowadays, we've got Jeff Conaway threatening to commit suicide on VH1, a channel that used to be rather genteel. I can't complain, since I actually watch all this. I just pray that Bo Bice stays away from the hard stuff.
5. ShamWow!
I refuse to buy paper towels in 2009. These high-tech rags soak up beer faster than Steven Adler. And Vince from the omnipresent infomercial is the best fast-talker since the Micro Machines guy. In a way, the ShamWow! is perfectly representative of 2008: weird, woolly, prone to occasional suckage, but mostly bright. Yeah, I wrote that.
More from EW:
Best & Worst of 2008
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- Movie Review Year One (Jun 19, 2009) | Owen Gleiberman
- EW 1000 New Classics: Romantic Gestures (Dec 05, 2007)
- Movie News Oscar Cheat Sheet - Best Director (Aug 15, 2003)
