Stuff Happens. British playwright David Hare’s riveting docudrama mixed fact and speculation as it followed the fancy political footwork that led to the Iraq invasion. Toronto’s Studio 180 gave it a terrific Canadian premiere, with a sterling cast that included Nigel Shawn Williams as a conscience-stricken Colin Powell and Barry Flatman as a surprisingly sly George W. Bush.

Luke and Noah (or “Nuke”) on As the World Turns. After sharing the first gay liplock on daytime TV in 2007, supercouple Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann) were left to gaze longingly at each other for over 200 days, and viewers feared “Nuke” might never kiss again. Thanks to a lot of YouTube activity and a full-blown kiss campaign waged by fans, the couple got back to doing what it does best in ’08.

Max Ophuls’s The Earrings of Madame de… on DVD. Rescued from the limbo reserved for “women’s films,” this 1953 classic was finally given its due in 2008. Featuring interviews, essays, a glowing introduction by Paul Thomas Anderson and Louise de Vilmorin’s source novel, this Criterion DVD package is every bit as elegant as the film itself.

Radiohead live. When it comes to the modern rock spectacle, no band reaches transcendence like the fab five.

Andrew Lloyd Webber on How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Maria proved that democracy can sometimes work, as Canada chose an amazing lead (Elicia MacKenzie) for the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Mirvish production of The Sound of Music. But Webber’s judging appearances were also a highlight, with his combination of nervous energy, musical passion and devastatingly droll asides.

Musical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elicia MacKenzie, the eventual winner in the CBC reality series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (CBC)

Dancing Queen in Mamma Mia. Who knew that Dancing Queen was a feminist anthem? And who knew that Meryl Streep could sing?

Time to Pretend by MGMT. Inspired by a praying mantis, punctuated by insistent electronic bleeps and featuring lyrics that promote rock-star excess (“This is our decision/to live fast and die young”), Time to Pretend was plenty hip. With its drum and cymbal crashes and mounting, reckless energy, this single felt like a much-needed vitamin shot.

The Show That Smells by Derek McCormack. What would you get if you put high fashion, old Hollywood, Tod Browning’s bearded lady, a few drops of Chanel No. 5, Lon Chaney, Guy Maddin-type melodrama and the Carter Family into a blender and pressed pulse? This freaky-gorgeous concoction. McCormack’s deft wordplay sometimes reads more like poetry than prose. Sublime.

Stunt by Claudia Dey. This stunning debut novel begins when nine-year-old Eugenia is abandoned by her unreliable father, Sheb, who’s detonated a shoulder-pad factory before skipping town. The determined heroine navigates the streets of Parkdale (described, perfectly, as a “tired beauty queen”) in her journey to find him, with the postcards Sheb’s sent from space as her only guide. The result is part magic realism and all poetic, wildly inventive imagery, and announces Claudia Dey as a major new voice in CanLit.

Man on Wire. In 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit performed the ultimate high-wire act, spending 40 minutes walking between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. No, this isn’t a typo; it actually happened. James Marsh’s doc is a smart study of Petit’s obsessive artistry.

Ellen Burstyn’s guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU. In a tenth season marred by weak scripts and lukewarm celebrity cameos, Ellen Burstyn’s guest appearance as Elliot Stabler’s estranged, bipolar mother gave Law & Order: SVU fans a rare reason to rejoice. Working in just a few short scenes, Burstyn delivered an unshowy, poignant performance.

Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. A wry, unsentimental yet touching look at young (lesbian) love, this graphic novel combines shrewd prose by Mariko Tamaki and exquisite imagery by her cousin Jillian, a regular illustrator for CBC Arts Online. Skim garnered a Governor General’s Award nomination for Children’s Literature (Text); what a shame it didn’t win.

British singer Estelle performs during the 2008 World Music Awards. (Claude Paris/Associated Press)

American Boy by Estelle. This Grammy-nominated single had the key elements of a summertime anthem: a sing-songy, circular vocal hook, a soulfully loping keyboard break and a Kanye West rap cameo.

Chelsea Handler. Though she claimed to be a “hot mess,” in 2008, Chelsea Handler demonstrated she was anything but. In her lawyer-baiting roundtable discussions of celebutantes and interviews with D-list guests, Handler proved a frank, un-sycophantic alternative to regular talk show hosts and made Chelsea Lately the most engaging thing on late-night. When she wasn’t winning over TV audiences, Handler was watching her nonfiction book, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, debut at number one on the NY Times bestseller list.

Iggy & the Stooges live. Some badass Montrealers might have stolen their gear, but Iggy & the Stooges did not hold a grudge. As the band tore through a set of Funhouse-era classics, a 61-year-old Iggy Pop gyrated, humped a speaker stand and urged fans to leap from the balcony to join him onstage. In the face of such raw power, they were only too happy to oblige.

Cloverfield. When it was released in January, this riff on the classic monster flick – shot, Blair Witch-style, entirely through the eyes of an amateur videographer – seemed clever but slight. In retrospect, though, it was the one genuinely scary horror film of 2008, complete with unnerving echoes of 9/11.

Mexico City by Jolie Holland. The ghosts of self-destructive geniuses haunt this track by peripatetic singer-songwriter Jolie Holland. But there’s also a sense of hope and redemption here, thanks to shimmering guitars, airy harmonies and a sunny brass section.

Christopher Plummer in Caesar and Cleopatra. George Bernard Shaw’s Julius Caesar is effortlessly superior – also a good way to describe Plummer in Stratford’s hit revival of the Shavian comedy. Giving a warm, witty performance, the great classical actor conquered theatregoers in his latest festival homecoming.

She & Him: Volume One. Unlike another actress-cum-singer we could mention, indie It Girl Zooey Deschanel is not about vanity projects. And man, can she croon. So when She (on piano) teamed up with Him (M. Ward, contributing guitar and stellar production), the result was an eclectic, delightful throwback that conjured up the Ronettes, Patsy Cline and a tiki lounge version of the Beatles. We eagerly await Volume Two.

Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand in a scene from the Coen Brothers film Burn After Reading. (Macall Polay/Focus Features/Associated Press)

Burn After Reading. Call it Coen Brothers Lite, but coming after the dark triumph of No Country For Old Men, this slapstick CIA satire was ridiculously enjoyable. The stellar cast included George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton, all fresh from super-serious dramas and having as much giddy fun as a classroom of kids at recess.

Ballast. Three downtrodden characters in the Mississippi Delta try to survive in the wake of another’s suicide. Their daily movements are recorded in a series of austere, near-silent tableaux — it looks like nothing’s happening. But seismic shifts are occurring within, and therein lies the beauty of Lance Hammer’s staggering debut.

Molly Parker and Lana Parrilla in Swingtown.Yes, the show’s take on the 1970s proved to be a big old disappointment, complete with fake moustaches, pot brownies and extra helpings of fondue. But as a swinger and potential swingee, Lana Parrilla and Molly Parker elevated every scene they were in, and made us believe Swingtown was a serious examination of the institution of marriage and a portrait of women inching towards liberation.

Happy-Go-Lucky. Call her a clear-eyed optimist. Sally Hawkins’s glass-half-full heroine in Mike Leigh’s delightful comedy made a potent argument for the positive outlook, Voltaire be damned.

The video for Shad’s The Old Prince Still Lives At Home. One of Canada’s best underground hip-hop talents, Shadrach “Shad” Kabango proved you don’t need a super-sized budget to produce a killer video. This early-’90s homage to the sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air became an instant internet hit. Shad’s attention to detail – check his mimicry of Will Smith’s facial expressions – means the Old Prince clip gets better every time you watch it.

Robert Lepage’s The Image Mill. Theatre magus Robert Lepage often leaves audiences in awe. He did it again – in a huge way – with his spectacular outdoor audio-visual show for Quebec City’s 400th birthday. Turning the concrete grain silos that line the city’s harbourfront into giant projection screens, Lepage created a panoramic 40-minute history of his hometown that thousands gathered to watch every night during the summer.

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