Movies: Each summer a slew of so-called movie blockbusters are hyped up starting in the spring months. Very few movies have the concept or the talent to actually live up to that hype, thereby creating a lackluster audience summer after summer. But after a few years of being fed up with sub-par comic book and pirate sequels that made boat loads (forgive the pun) of money in their first weekends of release, the movie industry found a boost in 2008. It all started with the $100 million weekend opening of Iron Man, a movie that put Robert Downey, Jr. back on the map. Then came Sex and the City: The Movie, a film that hopefully proved to Hollywood once and for all that women should be a major target audience. But the most important movie of the summer, and the anomaly to the belief that blockbusters cannot garner Oscar buzz, was The Dark Knight. Whether you believe that the movie would have had record numbers without Heath Ledger's untimely death or not is irrelevant. Nobody can deny that Chris Nolan's second installment of the once-tired franchise was the darling of audiences and critics alike this summer.
TV: In the past, the dog days of summer represented the doldrums of the television industry. After everyone's favorite shows taunted you with a cliff-hanging season finale, repeats of shows you have either already seen or never cared to see in the first place littered the three major networks and the cable stations. The recent history of television has changed that tradition somewhat, especially with the advent of the reality show. This summer was kicked off with yet another stellar Lost season finale. Some of us are still looking for that island. Grey's Anatomy also got back on track when Meredith and Derek finally got back together - for good. After the crowning of David Cook, the producers of American Idol moved over to look for America's favorite dancer, and found the incomparable and completely untrained hip-hop dancer Joshua. But nothing on television could trump NBC's ratings domination with the Beijing Olympics. Starting on Aug. 8, America found the best drama and action that television could possibly offer. And they weren't even created by J.J. Abrams.
Music: With the festival scene heating up and an impressive list of big name acts on tour, this summer turned out to be a live music showcase. Our favorite British rock enigma Radiohead sailed across the Atlantic to treat American music nerds to an exploration of its newest album In Rainbows as well as dusting off some juicy classics. The icing on the cake, however, came in the form of a mind-blowing light show tastefully synced up to every note. Speaking of Britain, and speaking of festivals, the mother of all festivals, Glastonbury, produced the greatest drama of the summer. Enter Jay-Z in one corner, the American hip-hop troubadour, and Oasis's Noel Gallagher in the other corner, Britain's resident music snob. After Jay-Z was announced as a Glastonbury headliner, Gallagher sounded off and said, "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music … I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong." Jay Z's response: He opened up his set toting a guitar and cut through an off-key version of "Wonderwall" before launching into his own hit "99 Problems." Well done Jigga, Well done.
Books: There was no eighth installment of Harry Potter to bring out hordes of people for midnight release parties and 16 straight hours of reading. Without the
boy wizard wonder, there were two very different characters who took over the hot months of 2008. The first important release was the autobiography of one of the most respected women in television, Barbara Walters. Although Walters is sometimes questioned for being the boring cast member of The View, her autobiography did not disappoint, mapping out not only her prestigious career but also her many affairs with men of all walks of life. The second was Breaking Dawn, the finale of a book series donned the "next Harry Potter." Stephenie Meyer finished the saga of Bella and her vampire lover Edward with these final pages, which is still topping the best-sellers list despite talk of an over-the-top ending. But even through the super-supernatural turn of Breaking Dawn, Meyer did give the people what they wanted: an ending in which Bella and Edward lived happily ever after together.
Celebs: California's decision to legalize gay marriage brought about the marriage of Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. The stars got married at a private ceremony at their L.A. residence on Aug. 16, becoming new faces in support of gay marriage. While the two stars said "I do," another couple simply came out (more or less). Lindsay Lohan is now dating Samantha Ronson quite publicly, even going as far as declaring "ILY" ("I love you!") on her MySpace blog recently. In other interesting news, Clay Aiken and Ricky Martin became biological fathers. And no, it's not what you think; they did not conceive with the women who parented their children. They donated their sperm to surrogate mothers. Aiken, who named his boy Parker, had his boy with Jaymes Foster, a 50-year-old record producer he befriended during his Idol days. Martin used a professional surrogate to father his twin boys; however no details have been revealed in regard to her identity or the children's names. So it was a gay summer - a sign that society is becoming more accepting.
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