All things considered, 2008 was about giving credit where credit was due.
I’m talking about recognizing the genius of Tina Fey, from her work on “30 Rock” to the impersonation of a certain Alaskan; the attention given to AMC’s “Mad Men,” which proved that when you mix impeccable style, script and some relative unknown actors, good television is still possible.
Public opinion finally caught up with critical appeal in many cases, but there are still some deserving people, shows and performances that deserve a shout out. So, as we turn the page on 2008, I offer up eight performances to keep in mind in ’09.
1. Fred Armisen
When “Saturday Night Live” aired its final show of ’08, which featured a controversial sketch involving Fred Armisen as New York Gov. David Paterson, Armisen was already on my list — and not necessarily for his work as Barack Obama (which only got better as the campaign wore on). His Richard Wolffe impersonation helped make Ben Affleck’s Keith Olbermann sketch soar; my stomach literally hurt from laughing after he did Prince on Weekend Update, and the “Kissing Family” sketch ... there are no words. Armisen’s performances were consistently quality, yet he makes no overt attempt to steal scenes.
2. Rosemarie DeWitt in “Rachel Getting Married” I’m not sure I’d be friends with Rachel, but the fact that I could draw that conclusion from her performance in a film so filled with distracting dissonance and conflict says something. So often the actor who doesn’t get to play the “notice me, I wear heavy eyeliner and I cut my own hair with blunt shears while I was in rehab” role gets lost in a game of “he/she who acts the most, wins.” Not so with DeWitt. Her performance was deft, well-directed and engaging. She might be a supporting role, but she carried the film.
3. Craig Ferguson David Letterman had the good fortune to be on the wrong end of John McCain’s schedule, and Jay Leno grabbed headlines for making a bold switch from late night to prime time. All the while, there was a Scot in L.A. holding steady, quietly going about his business without a band, and quite often, with B-list guests. Craig Ferguson might not invite scandal, but he brings a brand of comedy that’s rare to late night TV: it's genuine, off-the-cuff, and you don’t feel bad about yourself for laughing with him.
4. Sherri Shepherd She came out of the gates strong during her first year on “The View,” declaring the world flat (sort of) and saying that she “didn’t think anything predated Christians,” but our girl of gaffes underwent a transformation in the fall of ’08, and not enough people noticed. Shepherd brushed off her court stenographer skills and during the election’s worth of debates, took notes, studied them, and joined America’s breakfast table with some well-formed opinions. Agree with her or not, she stepped up to the plate.
5. The kids of “Slumdog Millionaire” There are so many reasons to love “Slumdog Millionaire” — even the film’s sound mixing is an amazing achievement. But please, let’s give some serious praise to the kids who play the main characters, Jamal, Salim and Latika, as they probably won’t see their names in print enough this awards season. The “youngest” versions (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as Salim, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as Jamal, Rubiana Ali as Latika) and the “middle” versions (Tanay Chheda as Jamal, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala as Salim, and Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar as Latika) all gave performances that allowed the rest of the cast to shine. You did India and cinema proud, kids.
6. “Summer Heights High”
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Celebrity Sightings
Thank you HBO, for doing whatever it took to get “Summer Heights High” to my television screen. Chris Lilley’s talent is so amazing, I want to surround it with something exceedingly air-tight as to preserve its freshness for as long as possible. “SHH” could so easily be cloying or miss the mark and instead it exposes — in the most amusing way possible — the cultural flaws that clearly span continents.
7. Blair Underwood “In Treatment” Blair Underwood has been on television for decades — at one point in ’08 he was on three shows at once. And while his performances on “New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Dirty Sexy Money” were well and good, his performance on “In Treatment” commanded notice. Underwood’s talent is what gets him roles — not hype. There’s a lot to be said for that, and to top it off, he’s just a really nice guy, too. Please, someone get this guy a statue. It’s overdue.
8. Amy Ryan, “The Office” Loved her in “Gone Baby Gone” but loved her even more in “The Office.” In fact, while “The Office” was crossing the line from the pleasantly awkward to the nearly unbearable to watch, it was Ryan’s portrayal of Holly that gave the show some warmth. (And I know I’m not the first to say it, but damn it, doesn’t Michael deserve to have a mate as goofy as he is?) Please, take away some of the dollars from the overpaid actors on the network, and pay whatever is required to get Ryan back. Scranton needs her.
Honorable mention:
“Entourage Live,” aka “Speed-the-Plow” Jeremy Piven, who basically plays himself on “Entourage” as Ari Gold, took a leading role in “Speed-the-Plow” on Broadway as Bobby Gould, which is basically the same character as Ari Gold. Then Piven/Gold/Gould ate too much sushi, contracted mercury poisoning and had to leave the show. In one of the more awesome public statements of the year, “Plow’s” playright David Mamet commented on Piven/Gold/Gould’s fishy excuse and said, “My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.” Drama finally comes back to Broadway, art imitates life, and I love it.
The Scoop column returns Dec. 29. Until then, safe and happy holidays to all.
Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com.