A&E

Ah, the year in music. Like virtually every year, there was something for everyone in 2008.

Lonely robots, rambunctious villains and curious children were all part of the cinema stew in 2008, as Hollywood recovers from a whirlwind year of record-shattering ticket sales, heated writers' strikes and the passing of a few wonderful actors. With the Oscar race in its final lap, here's a look back at the year's best, by category.

Review of Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion".

One of the most anticipated dramas of the season, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" illustrates delightfully rich storytelling. Benjamin Button's (Brad Pitt) journey is presented in a wistful, melancholic manner, emphasizing the rawness of loss, death and looming mortality. Director David Fincher's haunting fable is unlike many other dramas of its kind. This epic tale is about a man who ages backwards, coming into the world as an infant suffering from all the infirmities of an 80-year-old man. As each year passes, Benjamin becomes younger and younger until he achieves infancy at the end of his life.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is currently presenting "Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913–2008," the first major exhibition bringing together the magazine's historic archive of rare vintage photographs and magazine covers with its contemporary photos. The exhibition, which opened Oct. 28, 2008, explores the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, with portraits from the magazine's early period (1913–1936) and the contemporary Vanity Fair period (1983–present) as well as behind-the-scenes videos from key Vanity Fair shoots.

Clint Eastwood has been on the Hollywood shortlist for directing quality films since directing Sean Penn and Tim Robbins to Oscar acclaim in 2003's "Mystic River," winning the Best Director Oscar for 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" and weathering the lukewarm reception to "Changeling" earlier this year. But that doesn't excuse movie studios from throwing money at Clint and blindly accepting whatever stained package he gives them in return. This unchecked power has given us "Gran Torino."

Internationally renowned violist Jerzy Kosmala participated in the second Faculty Master Class last Monday as part of an inaugural series of events organized by the UC Irvine Music Department. Students performed pieces from some of classical music's greatest composers to a diverse audience of professors, students and community members.

"We are the last bastion against crappy, sound-alike radio in Orange County," says its philosophy on the KUCI website. "We are the voice of freedom for all the independent music that gets snubbed by the major labels. We are the defenders of the faith for those who choose to express a different opinion. We are corporate rock's worst nightmare. We are KUCI."

Overblown stage? Check. Melodic, atmospheric and sing-along numbers? Check. Two-hour rock spectacular? Definitely check. Coldplay in concert? Worth every painful penny.

Halfway through "Milk," we find Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) greeting campaign supporter Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch) near the steps of San Francisco City Hall. Like Harvey, Cleve too has cleaned up his stringy hair and replaced raggedy threads with business casual attire. Harvey is visibly upset. He tells Cleve that he wants him to keep his flamboyance visible regardless of the etiquette that political theater may require. To drive the point home, he frolics up the marble steps, twirling and singing on his first day as the nation's first openly gay public official.

The Killers is a fun band. Sure, there is the occasional lyric that can be interpreted as deep until the next one has you scratching your head, but this band isn't supposed to make you think. And the best part is, they're completely unapologetic about it.

Somewhere between the westerns of the 1960s and the melodramas of the 1930s lies Baz Luhrmann's original vision of "Australia." The outback native's fourth film strays far from his sling-shot angles and obsession with close-ups to give a sweeping, epic view of both the breathtaking Aussie landscape and the epic romance he created for it.