Best of the Candy: 2008's must-read posts

Before I sign off for 2008, I want to share one final list -- it's a recap of my favorite posts of the year. Here's a look at some of the blog's greatest hits, in case you missed 'em or want to relive the magic:

1. Pop Candy's Comics Crash Course -- Are you new to graphic novels but don't know where to start? What books might excite your kids? I delivered an enormous, four-part series appropriate for everyone with a curiosity about the comic-book world. It was even used in some libraries, and it makes for a handy shopping list.

- Part one: 25 essential graphic novels
- Part two: Family-friendly comics
- Part three: Must-see series
- Part four: My personal faves

2. My trip to Lebowski Fest -- There were Dudes and White Russians aplenty when I traveled to Louisville, Ky., for the annual Big Lebowski celebration.

3. Pop Candy's Twitter comic -- This one-of-a-kind project combined my Twitter entries with illustrations by Pop Candy readers.

4. My interview with Ed Asner -- It's hard to pick one favorite interview of the year, but chatting with this acting legend ranks way up there. Head to the podcast archive to hear conversations with Girl Talk, Aimee Mann, John Waters, Saul Williams, the casts of Battlestar Galactica and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and many others.

5. San Francisco meetup with Tim Sale -- We held a huge party at the Isotope comic-book lounge with comics legend/Heroes artist Tim Sale. There were festive pint glasses! A special Pop Candy cocktail! We had a big time, and some still may be recovering.

6. Pop Candy's High-School Survival Kit -- Inspired by the blog's teen readers, I wrote a four-part series about the intersection between high school and popular culture.

- Part one: The top teen TV shows
- Part two: The best high-school movies
- Part three: Twenty-five great high-school books
- Part four: The best high-school albums

7. My ride in the Wienermobile -- I'll never look at a hot dog the same way again.

8. Reflections on ROFLCon -- One of my weirdest weekends of the year was attending a convention where Rick Astley references and a dude wearing a Tron outfit were totally normal, everyday occurances.

9. 51 Things I Miss About D.C. -- Last month I moved to New York to soak in everything the Big Apple has to offer. However, I won't forget what I left behind in my former city.

10. Pop Candy's 100 People of 2008 -- Who made the year worthwhile? Check out my annual rundown, along with interviews with Dash Shaw, Danny McBride, Kristen Schaal, Kristen Wiig and Vampire Weekend.

Year-end list: Readers of the year

Pop Candy is fortunate to have many dedicated readers. This blog wouldn't be the same without those of you who comment, send e-mails, attend events and encourage me every day, and I'm very grateful for that. This year, I got to know several of you virtually and in person. Next year, I plan to work even harder at providing the content you love and more ways to connect with the community we've created.

That said, I've calculated the top commenters for 2008. This is no small feat -- I will say the No. 1 reader left more than 18,500 comments on Pop Candy throughout the year. Whew!

The top 10:

1. - A J -
2. nay10_is_TheDude
3. Cristobal
4. Ro_Ro
5. Mrs. Pookie
6. LoriS
7. apronk
8. Travelchick
9. BillK
10. LinkyPeppertree

I'd also like to give special recognition to these 10 readers, who are listed in alphabetical order:

1. BIG BUSINESS, for his unwavering support of Pop Candy and his organization of a spectacular meetup in Cleveland this year;
2. Dennis S., for his excellent pop-culture suggestions (especially the music-related ones);
3. hipsterwannabe, for his great tips and kindness to the Pop Candy community;
4. IamSneezy, for her hard work at organizing reader meetups and friendly e-mails (even when there may be an annoying technical issue);
5. JasonC, for his creative contributions, particularly his Whitless! comic based on Pop Candy readers;
6. OlGriz, for his longtime encouragement ... and surprise packages in the mail;
7. robertgold, for advice about music and New York City;
8. Sister Carrie, for her insightful and must-read contributions to our Lost discussions;
9. tvpam, for her tantalizing TV tips; and
10. Zack S., for his lovely link suggestions and comic-book updates.

Thanks to all of you who helped Pop Candy succeed this year -- I really do appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. If you have any ideas on how to help this blog grow in 2009, I am always willing to listen. Happy New Year!

Pop forum: Talk amongst yourselves

I'm not posting a featured reader today because so many of you are taking time off. However, if you'd like to use this as a discussion thread, feel free ... and please stay tuned for a very special year-end list that I'll be sharing later.

If you'd like to be spotlighted as a reader of the day in 2009, please e-mail a low-res photo and your USA TODAY screen name to popcandy@usatoday.com. I'll reply with more information. Thank you!

Early buzz: 'Lost' preview, best and worst DVDs, more

Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you all have grand plans to ring in 2009 -- I'm afraid I may have to cancel mine because I'm still a stuffy, coughing, contagious mess.

I have a few things to post before I go back to bed, including today's headlines:

- TVGuide.com already has a review of the Lost season premiere.

- Here's another sneak preview of the Lost episodes.

- MySpace has posted a new Watchmen behind-the-scenes feature.

- The New York Times profiles J.D. Salinger in honor of his 90th birthday.

- The A.V. Club lists the best DVDs of 2008.

- PopMatters lists the worst DVDs of 2008.

- I have Time Warner cable, so this is not good news.

- U2's The Edge talks a little bit about the Spider-Man musical.

- Bret Michaels is "pretty sure" he's done with Rock of Love. (But what about that hairstyle?)

- Holy cow, Comic Book Resources is counting down the best 100 comics of the year.

- Here's a peek at another song from the Lonely Island album.

- John Barrowman talks about the upcoming season of Torchwood.

- Bjork is trying to help Iceland's economy.

- The Queen has honored Robert Plant.

- Devendra Banhart's band and Fab Moretti's band have joined forces to make a fun video.

- Would you watch Scrubs without Zach Braff? Well, no.

- Joaquin Phoenix is looking rather hairy these days.

- Diablo Cody will live Twitter her new TV show.

- And ha, I'm just now catching up on Aimee Mann's Christmas spoof.

Year-end list: My favorite TV shows of '08

Can you handle another list? I hope so, though I have a feeling this one will get more attention for the items I omit than the ones I include.

Compiling my top 10 TV shows of 2008 was no easy task, mainly because I watch way too much television. Some series have fallen several slots since last year; others have been knocked completely off the list. (Sorry, Heroes.)

Take a look at my faves, then weigh in:

10. The Office. The gang at Dunder Mifflin still makes me laugh each week, although the Pam-Jim saga and some recent storylines bump it down a few notches. In 2009 I'm eager to see that much-anticipated spinoff, along with the post-Super Bowl ep.

9. Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. Considering how often I quote Tim and Eric, I should probably hand these guys a check the next time I see them. Their Adult Swim series is always hilarious, and it's the only show that gets the "DO NOT DELETE" setting on my DVR.

8. How I Met Your Mother. This series (along with The Big Bang Theory) gives me something to look forward to on Mondays. While Ted has become the most boring character of the bunch, this year I grew to love Barney more than ever, and I hope he'll get the good-guy ending he deserves.

7. Dexter. At some point, the suspense is going to become too much for me to handle. Jimmy Smits made a perfect best friend for Dex last season, and I can't imagine what the writers have in store down the line.

6. Torchwood. This show had a good first season, but the second year really made me a fan. Romance, loss, aliens, James Marsters ... what more do you need?

5. Friday Night Lights. I'll never understand why FNL never became a massive hit. Each week this show makes me laugh, cry and cheer, and I don't know a thing about football! No other series features so many characters that remind me of people I know. Also -- and I don't think this is recognized enough -- the central mother-daughter relationship is more realistic and powerful than anything I've ever seen on TV. Now, who would've expected that from a show about small-town sports?

4. 30 Rock. It makes me laugh harder and more often than anything else on the air. Let's see even more Kenneth next year, please. (Honestly, I don't really care about the guest stars.)

3. Battlestar Galactica. It's been a long goodbye, but I think I'm ready to watch these characters go out with a bang. This year didn't disappoint, especially with that final cliffhanger.

2. Mad Men. Oh, wow. I can't even type the name of this series without experiencing a soaring feeling in my chest and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Every detail of the second season required examination, and complex characters slowly revealed themselves in often shocking ways. I'll be worrying about Joan and Betty until the third season starts.

1. Lost. No surprise here -- this series remains my top choice, and its fourth season delivered action and surprises around every corner. Pass me a can of Dharma beer while we count down to Season 5.

Snag a sneak peek at new series

Are you curious about Cupid and Caprica? Are you dying to know if Dollhouse is a dud?

A few of you have pointed out that SpoilerTV has posted pilot scripts for 22 new TV series. If you dare to peek, take them with a grain of salt: Some of the shows have been rewritten, and there's no guarantee that what you see will match what makes it to air.

That said, if you're looking for a fun New Year's Eve activity, consider persuading your friends to act out the sci-fi comedy Boldly Going Nowhere (from the It's Always Sunny creators) or the show that some are hoping could be the new Lost, Flash Forward.

Cool stuff on DVD this week

It's a weak week for DVD releases, so I hope you received some good flicks in your stocking. (My husband got the Criterion edition of Bottle Rocket on Blu-ray, so I'm excited to watch that again.) Here's a quick rundown of what's new in stores:

Release o' the week: Towelhead. Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood) makes his directorial debut with this dark coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old Arab-American girl living in Houston.

Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget. In case you missed Cloris Leachman's crazy remarks, now you can see the whole thing uncensored.

Greek: Chapter Two. I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoy this ABC Family series about college shenanigans.

Secret Life of the American Teenager: 1st Season. Molly Ringwald prepares to be a grandma in this lite and family-friendly version of Juno.

Also out: Nip/Tuck: Season 5, Part 1; Kyle XY: The Complete Second Season; Surfer, Dude

Next week: Pineapple Express arrives on DVD! It's about time.

Year-end list: My favorite albums of '08

"Who listens to albums anymore?"

A musician posed this question to me a couple weeks ago when I asked him to name some of his favorite records of the year. He could easily list bands and songs, but he said there were maybe two or three full albums he'd heard more than once.

Even though I realize the album age may be fading, I'm listing my top 10 here anyway. Heck, maybe that makes this rundown more meaningful. Music is incredibly personal and subjective, and so is this list -- these records helped me get through several transitions and brought me the most joy in 2008.

My top picks:

10. Mates of State, Re-Arrange Us. The zesty pop duo returned with another singable, melodic album. Those sunshine harmonies between Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel can pull me out of the cloudiest of funks.

9. Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust. The poet's powerful lyrics combined with an industrial sound (produced by Trent Reznor) transcended all genres and seemed to give me an extra jolt of energy whenever I stuck it in my ears.

8. Beck, Modern Guilt. The musician went in yet another direction with this Danger Mouse-produced effort, and it worked.

7. Jessica Lea Mayfield, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. The performer came out of nowhere and blew me away with a soulful voice and songwriting talent that pulls at the heartstrings.

6. Rhino's Replacements reissues. I'm still getting hours of enjoyment from the remastered and expanded editions of the Replacements' catalog. Cheers to to Rhino Records for doing it right.

5. TV on the Radio. Dear Science. The band followed up the excellent Return to Cookie Mountain with another record that gets even better the more I hear it.

4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend. The year's most buzzed-about band twists African rhythms, classical sounds and a whisk of '80s nostalgia into something so pleasant, you're compelled to put it on repeat.

3. R.E.M., Accelerate. The guys returned to rock, and Accelerate proved they still have a few guitar-driven hits left in 'em. 

2. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes. The harmonies are so sparkling and seamless, it's hard to believe they're coming from human beings.

1. The Kills, Midnight Boom. The entire album is sexy, catchy, sweet and raw, and I absolutely wore it out this year.

OK, now it's your turn to share your top album picks -- after all, some of us have gift cards to spend!

Pop forum: Meet today's featured reader

Today's reader may have a Seinfeld or Batman quote up her sleeve, and there's a good chance she'll be buying the next U2 album. See what she has to say, then greet her in the comments:

Reader of the day: OHenryHeiress

Real name: Andrea Harnden
Why I chose my screen name: Seinfeld reference-- "The Braless Wonder!"
Where I live: Suburban Chicago
Occupation: Communications specialist
MySpace: myspace.com/annie47

Favorite movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Before seeing this, I'm not sure I would believe that movies could change your life!

Best concert experience: U2 -- Elevation Tour, 2001. This was the fall after Beautiful Day came out and was the summer anthem, and U2 was everywhere. It was less than a month after 9/11; they were so respectful and poignant, there wasn't a dry eye in the place when the names of the victims were displayed during Walk On.

Early buzz: 'Fanboys,' 'Scrubs,' superheroes, more

Hello, everyone! Yesterday I pretended to be very psyched and healthy, but today there's no getting around it: I'm sick. That evil, hacking woman who sat next to me on the plane home must have given me her germs, and I can only hope I'll recover in time for Party Whit to emerge tomorrow.

While I make a piping hot mug of TheraFlu, check out a few headlines:

- The Watchmen battle continues, and Warner Bros. is refusing to move its March release date.

- All of the indie kids are talking about Zooey Deschanel's engagement to Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard. Who knew those two were together?

- Woody Harrelson married his girlfriend of two decades.

- This video discusses the behind-the-scenes drama involving Fanboys, the much-delayed film about Star Wars fans.

- John Lennon appears posthumously in a new commercial. Is this cool or creepy?

- VanityFair.com has posted its new cover story about Cate Blanchett.

- Here's another list of the best indie movies of the year.

- The New York Times writes about the magical return of Scrubs.

- Whoa, this feature about real superheroes looks fascinating. I hope I never feel the sting of "stun pellets made from plastic Easter eggs filled with cayenne pepper and rock salt."

- Oh no, this Dollhouse review isn't so positive. (The show premieres Feb. 13.)

- Drew Barrymore and Jason Segel? That's kind of ... actually, that makes some sense.

- Will Arnett is on board for an Arrested Development movie.

- Pop reader Zack S. sent me a link to these T-shirts that feature film directors' names as metal band logos.

- Thanks to Paste for putting me on their list of best lists!

- And this Onion headline made me laugh: "Roomba Violates All Three Laws of Roombotics."