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Earlier today, we brought you a list of The Worst People of 2008, because we speak truth to power, if you can really consider Brody Jenner powerful (you cannot consider Brody Jenner powerful). So we wanted to take an equally meaningful look at some of our favorite people of the past year. A lot of times we are so busy searching the internet for the latest videos of rednecks driving ATVs into swimming pools that we forget to show our appreciation for the wonderfully talented people who produce so many great things that we genuinely love.
Charlie Day
It’s almost hard to believe that Charlie Day is only one fifth of an ensemble cast, because as far as we’re concerned, he carries the whole show. Sure, Dee is great, too, but Charlie is the real laugh-horse. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is uneven, with as many epic FAILS as epic WINS, but when it hits, it’s great, and when it hits, it’s usually because of Charlie.
Alec Baldwin
There’s just something about Alec Baldwin, man. Whether he’s performing impossible-seeming feats of comic acting on 30 Rock, barely skirting slander charges while promoting his Revenge Memoir, A Promise To Ourselves, or just calling Sarah Palin “Bible Spice,” the dude lights up a room like a firecracker fuse. His is the classiest, most graceful case of acquired situational narcissism Hollywood has ever seen – and we swear, at least half the time he seems totally in on the joke. But then somebody gets him started on the subject of parenting and oops, nevermind, nope! We love Alec Baldwin, and we’ve made a Promise To Ourselves over here that whatever he does, we’re going to be watching. He’s a National Treasure.
Chuck Bass
Chuck Bass is not an actual human being, but he’s still one of the best “people” of the year. He’s one of the most three-dimensional characters on television, and he says things like “I’m bored, and you’ve ruined my pants.” This season he has transformed from a villain into a sympathetic villain, and the cat and mouse game he’s playing with Blair is almost as much fun as actual flirting. No it’s not, but it is very fun. Chuck Bass 4 eva.
Heath Ledger
We’re not stupid. We know that a paragraph in an end of year Best Of list on videogum.com is probably the least appropriate or meaningful place to render a tribute to someone who has passed away, particularly someone so talented. But we don’t think that bars us from taking the opportunity to recognize that Heath Ledger was a great actor, and that is passing was unfortunate, and that we wish everyone could live forever. Even these guys.
Paul Rudd
Do we even need to say why Paul Rudd? Every “thinking person” either wants to bang him or be him. He can do absolutely no wrong, except die. (God forbid!) Paul Rudd is the best person on this list. Next.
Jon Chu
If you had told us a year ago that one of our favorite things ever was going to be an on-line dance battle between the director of Step Up 2: The Streets and Hannah Montana, we would have told you no, David Blaine. But Jon Chu changed that when he threw down the gauntlet to Miley Cyrus and then handily demolished her (no matter what the Teen Choice Awards thinks). We’re so into aggressive dance battles now! And he used the publicity for the entire feud to promote a charity! Top that!
Neil Patrick Harris
We don’t know how the residual check system for early ’90s TV shows works, but were so glad NPH’s started to run out or whatever so he had to come back and be famous again. Neil Patrick Harris will say yes to any assignment (even an internet musical!) and hit it out of the park. Neal Patrick Harris like Alec Baldwin in training.
Chris Lilley
Americans have criticized Chris Lilley’s mockumentary-style TV show, Summer Heights High, as being a Christopher Guest rip-off. But the thing is, Christopher Guest is so intensely great that even a rip-off can be the best thing on television. We’re not saying that anyone ripped off anyone else, we’re just saying that Chris Lilley’s a wonderful actor and performer, his show is very funny, and that you could do worse in this world than be a successful comedian whose main influence is clearly Christopher Guest.
Louis C.K.
There’s a reason we made the Videogum “Louis C.K. Promise,” and that reason is that Louis C.K. is the single best working stand-up comedian in the United States of America. His ability to casually relate to the audience with his cunningly observant anecdotes and highly personal stories is unparalleled. Even his long-winded YouTube videos promoting upcoming shows in Tempe, AZ are hilarious. And his Showtime comedy special last fall, Chewed Up, is one of the funniest performances ever filmed. If you’re not already a superfan, clean the stupid out of your brain and get on board, you fucking idiot.
Mr. Chi-City
It would be insulting to give Mr. Chi-City an honorary title like “Best Vlogger of the Year,” because we all know that vloggers are the worst. But his videos aren’t really vlogs. They’re long-form, intensely absorbing character pieces. If Orson Welles lived in our time, and was young, and black, and said ni$$a a lot, and was obsessed with women, and had a fridge full of Kool Aid, and hated bugs, this is probably what he’d be doing. We’re basically saying that Mr. Chi-City could vlog the phonebook and we’d watch it, which is saying a lot, because the only thing more boring than vlogs is the phonebook.
Carrie Fisher
Earlier this month, when Carrie Fisher dared to appear on The Today Show (to promote her BOOK, Wistful Drinking) without the requisite obvious and horrifying plastic surgery of a Hollywood woman her age, one of the editors of this site was so livid about the demeaning, cheap, and lazy way some blogs covered the appearance that s/he almost quit the internet. We don’t care if Carrie’s decision to use her brain to write books and punch up screenplays instead of chasing the body dysmorphia dragon ruins your childhood fantasies about Princess Leia in the gold bikini. It’s a fucking gold bikini. They sell them at American Apparel. If you love it so much, buy one for your nonexistent girlfriend and leave Carrie Fisher the fuck alone. Her “This is me: take it or leave it” attitude is refreshing and should be applauded. Carrie Fisher rules.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert will be on this list every year for as long as he lives, which we hope is a very long time. From his Q&A column, to his mocking dissection of intelligent design, to his earnest, heartfelt blog posts, no one is as forthright and clear sighted in the mainstream critical thinking game, and no one PWNS people as hard. Roger Ebert will demolish you clowns. Roger Ebert is king.
Sexman
The truth is that there’s no such thing as genuine appreciation of Sexman. At least we have the balls (and vagina) to admit that. Everyone who talks about how great Sexman is has their tongue firmly planted in their cheek. Because let’s face it, he is silly. His sailor-caliber cursing and angry rants about Samuel L. Jackson are funny because they are ridiculous. But our well-guarded, cynically ironic enjoyment of his work is nothing compared to the bold-faced critique he receives with every new video from the YouTube commenting community. They let him know on a regular basis that he is a gay retard who should get braces. And the fact that he unabashedly keeps going, for whatever reason, whether it’s because he likes the attention or because he genuinely has something to say, is respectable. Hopefully one day soon we will be laughing with him at least as much as we are laughing at him. 50-50.
Shane Mercado
You know what, sometimes you just have to dance. And you can’t be worried about whether or not your clothes look like discarded rags from the Units? factory or whether your room/dance floor has that threatening “mom’s about to walk in any second” vibe. You just play the song on your MegaTREBLE cellphone and perform an incredibly athletic, perfect rendition of an impressively complicated dance. Then you’re on Ellen.
Norm MacDonald
Whatever you think about Norm MacDonald’s roast of Bob Saget last summer…just kidding, there’s only one way to think of it: PURE GENIUS. The man so thoroughly parodied the roast tradition that it’s hard to imagine how they can even have roasts anymore. That was it. They’re done. Norm MacDonald Won. In addition to being the most astonishing and, we’re sorry, truly beautiful moments on TV this year, Norm’s reply to Jim Norton’s lazy insult: “Why, I don’t think there’s a person here who would not LOVE to watch Henry Fonda pick blueberries!” has become a bona fide teen street slang phrase. Jk, but that would be awesome. Norm MacDonald: best.
Tina Fey
Tina Fey was the Michael Phelps of comedy this year. The difference is that Michael Phelps is a boring pancake-eating robot who only knows three words: “swimming,” “Olympics,” and “gold medals.” Tina Fey, on the other hand, knows a ton of words, and she uses them to be one of the smartest, funniest writers in America. And we recognize, because we’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point, that at a certain point success reinforces success and compouns upon itself into some kind of self-congratulatory echo-chamber, but the fact of the matter still stands: Tina Fey is very, very good at what she does, and it’s nice that she’s starting to get recognition for that fact.
Zach Galifianakis
Comedy nerds have been slavishly fanatical about Zach Galifianakis for years, but one of the reasons he’s so great is that he clearly does not give a FUCK about what comedy nerds are slavishly fanatical about. His on-line videos this year have been odd, confrontational, and incredibly funny. Galifianakis, more than almost any other performer, seems to want nothing more than to make himself laugh, and considering the fact that half of this website’s posts are barely legible collections of inside jokes and deep cut pop culture references, that is something that we respect very much.
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You do realize the amount of women on the best is pretty pathetic, esp. considering how many are on the worst list. Hitchens is that you?
Amen!
To be fair, nowadays MOST of the women on tv who are pop-culture relevent tend to be extremely retarded and/or gross whores “looking for love” on Vh1. There are some very smart and very funny women around too, but they just don’t seem to get any attention by whoever is in charge of television stuff.
Most? That’s just not true. I think who you’re talking about belong in a specific genre..mostly reality shows where their male counterparts are equally retarded. Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathy Griffin the worst? Sexman, Chuck Bass the best? Really? I know it’s just another list, but compared to the other work on the site it’s pretty lame and random.
Well, I definitely agree with you there, especially Sexman. What?
Plus, it could be worse. You could be watching MTv right now and seeing that “Twilight Fans” have been declared the woman of the year.
I love Summer Heights High, obvs.
I also aspire to be Chuck Bass though due to my being 5 years older than him and not being able to pull off bright orange trench coats I’m a Charlie Trout at best.
Chris Lilley expands upon Guest’s work by not being just humorous in his parody, and through more deeply inhabiting his characters beyond saying funny lines. No offense to Guest in all of this, but I don’t think I could ever see him playing a teenage girl and suspending my disbelief as much as I do when I see Lilley do it.
And I swear I went to elementary school with Sexman, were it not for the fact that I’m not his age as of this post.
What…no Tracy Morgan?! For shame…
I refuse to believe that any of this was written by Gabe or Lindsay. It sounds like someone who tried to read videogum and then pretended to be Gabe or Lindsay by using their “catchphrases.” Fail. Also, the worst people list was just as unrealistic.
Also, bring back Double Dog.
It’s Deep Throat. My first guess is a gay male.
Yeah! Double Dog!
Maybe it’s because they’re being super complimentary instead of hypercritical?
and I’m voting YES to Prop DOUBLE DOG!
I mean, Charlie Day is the best and everything, but I’m pretty disappointed in your viral video choices. Where’s my homeboy, Damon Weaver?
Yeah, where is little Damon Weaver?!
Was this written by Gabe or Lindsay… because it sounds like someone (badly) pretending to be Gabe or Lindsay. Fail.
Also, bring back Double Dog.
THANK YOU for using that pic of p-rudd
my bad for commenting so many times, I always lose when it comes to this.
Chris Lilley.
that is all.
OMARI.
it’s always sunny is uneven? lies.
oh god and yes to zach g. he is the best. best. best. best. best.
Pretty good list here, overall…Well Done!. (But Alec Baldwin should have been on the OTHER list.)
Norm Macdonald? Not offense but he bugs the shit out of me.
You bug the shit out of me. Not liking Norm Macdonald is the line in the sand that I draw to tell whether you have a sense of humor or not. You do not.
Judgemental assholes bug the shit out of me
Roger ebert always spoils the surprises in movies.
charlie day it the BEST
I agree with you, especially about the suspension of disbelief when watching Chris Lilley as Ja’amie, though I think Catherine O’Hara does a lot to bring emotional depth to Guest’s film. The other actors in his films don’t have her range. I was also really surprised by how much I liked Jonah’s character; the relationship he has with his remedial English teacher is really sweet.
Chris Lilley is certainly very talented when it comes to transforming into a character like Ja’amie or Jonah, but aside from the brilliant first episode, he just didn’t make it consistently funny enough.
Who is Chuck Bass?
I’m Chuck Bass.
Chuck Bass is your wet dream and worst nightmare, all rolled into one.
Chuck Bass is your wet dream and worst nightmare, all rolled into one.
chuck bass is the sole watchable character on GOSSIP GIRL! everyone else is all like DRAMA but he’s like… chuck bass! aaaaand i think he’s a vampire!
and paul rudd is cool now? THAT MAKES 2008 THE BEST YEAR EVER!
Speed Racer should have been on this list. BEST MOVIE OF 2008. BEST CHARACTER OF 2008. if only for the line “Get that weak shit off my track!’
Speed Racer should have been on this list. BEST MOVIE OF 2008. BEST CHARACTER OF 2008. if only for the line “Get that weak shit off my track!’
tim and eric
Re: Roger Ebert’s place on this list, “…no one is as forthright and clear sighted in the mainstream critical thinking game, and no one PWNS people as hard…” – guess you guys don’t read the NY Times and have never heard of Frank Rich, right?
Lack of Damon Weaver and Omari is unacceptable, but even worse is the lack of those kids who rapped about the election to T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”. Each individual kid should have a spot on this list.
Yeah, Roger Ebert is the man. Just don’t ever read his reviews -before- you see a movie.
This list is pretty ace. I love watching that Norm roast.
for the sake of lost in the shuffle- please consider the wonderful year that Richard Jenkins had. Please see The Visitor, which he actually is getting some Oscar buzz for (cuz he rules in it) and then we have the wnderful speech in Step Brothers where he confesses he wants to be a tyrannasaurous rex. Great year for Richard Jenkins.
i got Chewed Up on DVD for Christmas and almost split my uterus open laughing so hard. i’m not kidding.
Honorable mention for Dane Cook’s brother, who overlooked familial bonds to rip off his bookkeeping client for about $3 million.