Amanda’s Favorites of 2008
Music, not necessarily released this year, but ones I discovered this year.
Favorite Track: Accidental Babies
I love O so much. I don’t love 9 quite as much, but it’s still a great album. Damien and his back up singer Lisa Hannigan are amazing together. I’d love to hear a solo album from her, actually, her voice is so magnificent.
Favorite Track: Hello, I'm In Delaware
I love, love, love acoustic guitar heavy songs. I believe elise_509 was the one who introduced me to City and Colour and goodness do I ever love it. Like Knives is a great song, but Hello, I'm In Delaware is definitely my favorite.
Favorite Track: What Sarah Said
Everyone has a band they just connect with, a band where some lyrics really hit you a certain way, and Death Cab is that band for me. I like about half of Narrow Stairs, but I love every single second of Plans. What Sarah Said always makes me cry - it never fails.
Favorite Track: Passing Afternoon
I discovered Iron & Wine in a big way this year. As I mentioned earlier, I love the acoustic singer/songwriter thing, and Iron & Wine is really fantastic at that. Love and Some Verses is a close second for favorite song, but Passing Afternoon is just so beautiful it had to be #1.
Favorite Track: The Best Day
Don’t laugh. I gave Taylor Swift a try one day and found out I really, really liked her. Her songs are catchy and bubbly and cute. The Best Day was the first song of hers I heard, and it reminded me of my Mom, which, I guess is a good way to hook me in. Embarrassing as it is, it made me cry. It’s just…a cute album. I like it, even though it’s not really my style.
Movies, some new, some old.
The Dark Knight
I’m sure this is on everyone’s list. But it is for a reason. I was on the edge of my seat every minute of this movie. And then after it was over I went in the bathroom and cried. Honestly. Heath was magnificent and it hurts thinking about him. Aaron Eckhart was also incredible and kind of got pushed aside by movie viewers. Yes, I preferred the Joker, but the transformation Harvey goes through is astounding. It’s a really great movie. I’m miss Heath so very much.
Iron Man
I’m not a big superhero movie girl, but damned if Iron Man wasn’t a whole lot of fun. RDJ has always been one of my favorite actors, since he was on Ally McBeal. And he was fantastic as Tony. He’s so snarky and funny, and hot. I thought Gweneth was great as Pepper (incidentally, Pepper Potts is my new favorite name) and Jeff Bridges obviously had the time of his life. It’s a fantastically fun movie. I can’t wait for the next one.
PS I Love You
I love sappy movies. I am such a cry-baby, and I watched this for the first time when I had PMS, so I cried a lot. I haven’t read a lot of positive reviews of this movie, but I really liked it.
A Walk to Remember
This movie makes me sob and sob and sob. I love it so very much. I discovered it again this year, and the fabulous elise_509 sent it to me after I whined about not being able to find it on DVD. ;) It’s such a sweet movie, my go-to “I’m in the mood to cry now” movie.
TV Shows, shows that I feel in love with/continued to adore in ‘08.
Chuck
What a cute little show. I haven’t seen season one, but it doesn’t take much time to understand the plot. It’s a fun, enjoyable show that doesn’t require you to think that much. Which I need with heavy shows like Lost and Supernatural.
Friday Night Lights
How did I live before this show? It’s a fucking crime this show doesn’t get more attention, because it’s 10x better than most crap on TV now. You will never find a more realistic show than this one, one filled with people who could be real, and some of the most amazing, subtle actors you will ever find. This show is fantastic, quality, and always at the risk of being cancelled. If you’re not watching it, for the love of God, watch it!
Leverage
Only about four (?) episodes have aired so far, but I love this show. It’s so much fun, so satisfying a viewing experience. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Christian Kane is pretty. It’s an enjoyable little show, with plenty of style, and I always look forward to it on Tuesday evenings.
Lost
Season four was the best the show has been in a couple of years. I’m actually really looking forward to the premiere in January, and for the past couple years, I honestly haven’t been.
One Tree Hill
God, this show is bad. It’s cheesy and unbelievable and awesome for just those reasons. It’s such a mindless show, and you can just check out mentally and have fun watching it. Which I do.
Pushing Daisies
This show could easily surrender itself to it’s own sweetness. But it’s such an amazingly run show that, while it is so sweet it’ll give you cavities, there are moments of realness to it. I connect with Ned because there are things about him (sheltering himself, not wanting to venture beyond what is comfortable) that really strike a chord with me. All of the actors on this show are supurb, and the writing is such that it acknowledges that morbidity of the nature of the show, and addresses the real issues of its characters rather than letting the sweetness take over. The cancellation of this show is, for me, the death of quality writing.
Supernatural
SPN has been really good this season. The Angel storyline is heading in and interesting direction, and the quality of the acting (from Jensen, who is always very impressive, and Mischa Collins in particular) is top-notch, and it really feels like the show has gained some momentum (season three kind of stalled, probably mostly due to the strike).
Ships, there are more, but these were my biggest OTPs of ’08.
Buffy/Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy & Angel 4 ever! This will always be my biggest ship, my forever ship, no matter how much time passes. ♥
Dean/Layla from Supernatural
Layla was around for one episode, and that was all it took for me to become obsessed with the idea of this pairing. It’s quickly become one of my biggest OTPs, and I cannot express my love for and the depth of my obsession with the relationship between these two characters.
Duncan/Veronica from Veronica Mars
I do not like Logan. I am probably quite alone in that, but that’s okay by me. Duncan was Veronica’s first love, and there’s just something about the relationship that I found much more appealing than her relationship with Logan.
Jack/Juliet from Lost
I discovered this year, fairly recently actually, that I’m a big Jack/Juliet shipper. I really see their relationship as an adult relationship. They’ve been through a lot of crap, and if Jack ends up with someone at the end of the series, I really hope it’s Juliet.
Jack/Sawyer from Lost
I’m always gonna ship them. The show keeps tearing them apart, but I love them together, even though I can’t seem to write them anymore. But some day I will. They’re just too pretty to give up on.
Matt/Julie from Friday Night Lights
Matty! I haven’t loved any character quite like I love Matt Saracen. He’s like…a real person. I want him to be my boyfriend. FNL is good at creating characters that could really exist. Matt is such an amazing kid, I love him very dearly, and I believe he really loves Julie. I believe they’re good together, and good for each other.
Tyra/Landry from Friday Night Lights
Tyra said it herself; she’s never felt about any guy the way she feels about Landry. I love how their relationship has grown and developed over the seasons. I believe they’re really important too, and really important for each other. Landry does not put up with Tyra’s BS, he challenges her, and whether she realizes it or not, he has helped her grow.
Ned/Chuck from Pushing Daisies
I’m heartbroken that Ned and Chuck will soon be disappearing from my TV. They really are an adorable, impossible, fated, meant-to-be pairing. Anna and Lee have such an amazing chemistry, and the writing of the show is smart enough, and they’re both good enough actors that they often rise above the shmaltzy nature of their relationship. There are real problems here, and they’re addressed, not glossed over in favor of the sickly sweet aspects. I think that’s what I’ll miss the most.
Rory/Jess from Gilmore Girls
I rediscovered these two through GG reruns on ABC Family, and I remembered just how much I loved these two together. Rory should have ended up with Jess, I’ll tell you that much. Logan was such an ass, and so bad for her. Jess was just right. I really believe they were meant to be together.
People, the people I love the most this year.
Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
They’ll always be a couple of my favorite people. They’re adorable, funny, irredeemable dorks. And they don’t pretend to be anything but just that. Gotta love ‘em.
Danneel Harris
Known most popularly as Jensen’s girlfriend, but I saw her for the first one on a Maxim Hot 100 show on VH1, and I remember thinking she was really cool and funny. And she’s really gorgeous. I like her a great deal.
Sandra McCoy
You can all have your J2 tinhats. I have a Jared/Sandy tinhat. I love her to death, she is a horribly, stinkingly adorable little person, and I have eternal hope that one day she and Jared are gonna get back together and have adorable babies.
David Cook
He has a great voice, and I’ve read/seen interviews of him and he’s just too cute for words. I haven’t managed to hear his album yet - I’ve heard mixed things - but I like his voice, so I can’t wait to hear it.
Julie Benz
I’ve known Julie since Buffy, where she played the amazing Darla, who developed much more as a character on Angel. And then I rediscovered her as Layla on Supernatural. She is a gorgeous woman, she’s funny, and I really have taken a shine to her.
Steve Carlson
I first became aware of Steve back in my Angel days, because he was Christian Kane’s (Lindsey) BFF, and they had a band together. But I never heard his solo work until I got into Supernatural and realized that fandom had adopted him. I like Kane, but I think Steve’s solo work is amazing. Groovin’ on the Inside is my feel-good album. If I’m feeling like shit, I put it on, and by the end, I’m doing good. Plus, I’ve got a chance to see vids of him at conventions, and damn is he ever a cutie pie.
Mandy Moore
I’ve always loved Mandy. She has fun, poppy songs that I enjoy, and if she’s in a movie, I’m a lot more likely to watch it. She’s so damned cute and bubbly, and if you asked me to pick a celebrity I thought was most like me, I’d pick her.
Megan Fox
Jesus is she gorgeous. I mean, look at her! She’s probably my second biggest girl!crush of the year.
Tricia Helfer
Speaking of girl!crushes, how hot is Tricia Helfer? Seriously, as 6 on Battlestar Galactica, she is so amazingly beautiful. I love her platinum blonde hair, but her real hair color is just as amazing. Plus, she rides motorcycles! Ug, love her!
Yunjin Kim
Girl!Crush #1, forever. She’s so freaking gorgeous it hurts. I love, love, love her.
Squee-Worthy Moments, things that made me pretty much lose my shit.
Barack Obama is elected President of the United States: Yes we did.
Alyson Hannigan is pregnant: Alyson and Alexis are going to have their very own Buffy baby. My Buffy-loving heart swelled.
Yessica Holloway is pregnant: Words cannot express the noise I made when I found out about this! Josh and Yessica have been my real life OTP pretty much since Lost started, and when I heard she was pregnant, I went crazy. It’s amazing. And when the season starts, it’s all people are going to ask him about, so I’m looking forward to that a lot! ;)
Sun Kwon is a fucking badass: I always knew this girl was in her, from the moment we were first introduced to her. Inside, she’s more like her father than she will ever admit. She’s got a vicious streak in her, and she’s capable of a lot more than she looks like she is. I cannot wait to see what season five brings for her.
Happy New Year!
If you're going out tonight, please be safe! I'll see you guys in 2009! ♥