On the 5min Radar – Our Top Picks of 2008
Dec 28th, 2008 by Roxana
For some, the way to know how everything began. For others, the beginning of the end, and according to some, 2008 was supposed to be the last year of our collective existence. Planet Earth, eaten by a black hole. As far as I know, the world is still spinning on its axis….
2) 2008 Summer Olympics
What will you remember of the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
The magnificent opening ceremony, co-directed by filmmaker Zhang Yimou and choreographer Zhang Jigang? Perhaps it’ll be the political issues and demonstrations, or the one and only Michael Phelps? To me, the Olympic mascots say it all – The Fuwa!
3) R.I.P
Two big icons left this word in 2008, the fashion emperor Yves Saint Laurent and the pin-up classic Bettie Page. Also, some all-time-idols passed away: Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Estelle Getty, comedian George Carlin and our Golden Globe 2009 favorite, Heath Ledger.
4) Global Financial Crisis
They say it’s the greatest financial crisis since the great depression. If you play this video, close your eyes and ignore the old school narration style, it does sound incredibly current. Only time can tell what the history videos will call this crisis in the future, but there’s one thing you can be sure of: we will be in color.
5) Obama Wins U.S. Elections
As a fan of David Letterman’s “Great Moments in Presidential Speeches” I was a bit ambivalent about Obama’s victory. Sure, he can give a good old inspirational, larger than life speech, but where’s the humor? What can late night shows do with an actual great presidential speech?
This modern-day fairy tale by Trainspotting’s Danny Boyle is already collecting awards, and showing that smaller films can shake the world. And that a bit of Bollywood spice is needed in the sometimes-boring Hollywood, by combining social criticism without leaving the groove behind…You’re sure to relish in the delectable soundtrack, courtesy of A. R. Rahman and the powerfully talented M.I.A., who pumps an irresistible spirit into the film with her track Paper Planes.
7) Tweets Gone Wild – the Mainstream Rise of Twitter
Nerdy as it sounds, Twitter definitely deserves merit and a place in our top 10 of 2008 list, a this year wa a barrier-breaking one for Twitter, sparking a debate whether Twitter represents a “new breed” of citizen journalism. From a service that was barely stable for more than a few consecutive hours when we first started tweeting (5min totally hearts the Fail Whale, btw), Twitter has gone on to become more than just a another ranting ground for the tech-forward community, exploding into the mainstream of contemporary Web.
Spanning the pre-election buzz, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, arrests on foreign soil, a multitude of natural disasters across the globe, real-time plane crashes and just about any other bit of life-altering news (alongside the trivial, of course), this past year Twitter has proven to be a vital if non-traditional source of breaking news.
8 ) Farewell to Baltimore – The Finale of HBO’s The Wire
For five long seasons, the enigmatic city of Baltimore, Maryland, had become a home to those who, like myself, had become shameless junkies of the genius work of David Simon and Ed Burns. In their HBO masterpiece, The Wire, we were offered a glimpse into not only the city and the self-sustaining systems within, such as the drug trade and the local police department, but to the very heart and ultimate downfall of every American city, the potential deterioration of every moral belief system. Pegged as a crime drama, The Wire was (and still is) anything but your typical crime drama – it was one of the best television shows ever, if not the best drama I have ever had the privilege of following so religiously. And so, despite the curtain closing on five beautifully-executed seasons rich with complex characters and the feeling that you may never see the big picture in its entirety, I am still wondering – what could Jimmy McNulty be up to these days?
9) CassettePlaya’s To-Die-For Fashion
CassettePlaya, Carri Munden’s eye-popping fashion label, has had us wowed for some time now. After having dressed up the Klaxons, Dizzee Rascal and grime guys Boy Better Know, 2008 saw Munden enlisted by Nintendo DS to whip up artwork inspired by the console’s MySims game. CassettePlaya’s work references odd-ball motives such as retro video game, YouTube, virtual reality, rave culture and text-messing, armed with an unmistakable color pallet fueled by crazed creativity. Heck, she even paid homage to LOLCATS!
10) Britney: Reloaded
From Catholic school-girl outfits and circling hearts around the initials “JT” to soaring through rehab, a shotgun wedding and Reno divorce, yet another failed marriage to a failed rapper, procreating faster than you can say “comeback”, alternately shaving her head, touring gas stations barefoot, getting strapped with a 5150 involuntary psych hold and battling over child custody in court, Brit-Brit has done it all. Not quite ready to step away from the limelight, Britney Spears has completely owned 2008, making the inevitable comeback with the aptly titled Circus, her sixth studio album to date.
We can’t help it, Womanizer was that good.
Happy New Year from the 5min Team!
