It certainly was my pleasure to compile my list of the Top Ten best pop-cultural events, products, and characters of 2009 -- and evidently, someone out there agrees with my picks! First, there's the clip above, which gives a glimpse into the making of the brilliant "Saturday Night Live" Digital Short, "Two Worlds Collide." Then, there was last night's "Community" mini-marathon on NBC, which gave those who still haven't jumped on board a chance to sample the show. If you are among them and have realized your error, I have good news: we have all 12 episodes of the series for you to watch right now. Last night's picks -- "Introduction to Film," "Introduction to Statistics," "Debate 109," and "Comparative Religion" -- offered a good sampling (the last is my favorite episode thus far), but you also shouldn't miss "Advanced Criminal Law," in which Jeff gets a chance to use his atrophying lawyer skills to defend Britta on a cheating charge, and "Environmental Science," in which Jeff gets a chance to see what it's like hanging out with Señor Chang outside class. But really, you should find something to like about every episode. Last night, I got to watch "Comparative Religion" with my sister and brother-in-law, who'd never watched before and are not sitcom laugh-out-louders, and when we got to the scene where Shirley catches Jeff and Troy at fight practice, even they couldn't resist cracking up at the characters' inability to think of another word that starts with F. If you also haven't seen it...you really should.

It certainly was my pleasure to compile my list of the Top Ten best pop-cultural events, products, and characters of 2009 -- and evidently, someone out there agrees with my picks! First, there's the clip above, which gives a glimpse into the making of the brilliant "Saturday Night Live" Digital Short, "Two Worlds Collide." Then, there was last night's "Community" mini-marathon on NBC, which gave those who still haven't jumped on board a chance to sample the show. If you are among them and have realized your error, I have good news: we have all 12 episodes of the series for you to watch right now. Last night's picks -- "Introduction to Film," "Introduction to Statistics," "Debate 109," and "Comparative Religion" -- offered a good sampling (the last is my favorite episode thus far), but you also shouldn't miss "Advanced Criminal Law," in which Jeff gets a chance to use his atrophying lawyer skills to defend Britta on a cheating charge, and "Environmental Science," in which Jeff gets a chance to see what it's like hanging out with Señor Chang outside class. But really, you should find something to like about every episode. Last night, I got to watch "Comparative Religion" with my sister and brother-in-law, who'd never watched before and are not sitcom laugh-out-louders, and when we got to the scene where Shirley catches Jeff and Troy at fight practice, even they couldn't resist cracking up at the characters' inability to think of another word that starts with F. If you also haven't seen it...you really should.

I have a theory about regret: until somebody invents a time machine, it's a huge waste of time and energy. That said, there are only two things in my life I wish I'd done differently.

The first is when I went to a wedding at a hotel a couple of years ago, and I didn't stick my face directly into the buffet's chocolate fountain, even though the waitstaff were all distracted at the time by the best man's toast. And my only other regret is that when I assembled my "Editor's Best of 2009 Top Ten" on Wednesday, I didn't include the Fourth Hour of "Today," hosted by the great Kathie Lee Gifford & Hoda Kotb.

This year, KLG & Hoda have taken their sister act into territory only traversed by a choice few seasoned comedy duos. It's their combination of broadcasting experience, status balance (Kathie Lee is high status; Hoda is low), going that extra mile to look like idiots for a laugh, and elusive, inimitable chemistry, that makes Kotb & Gifford so adept at playing off each other -- and they keep getting better. Loyal KLG & Hoda watchers will always vouch that the "SNL" sketch based on their show is a pale comparison to how funny the real thing is.

Above, I present a montage of some of Hoda & Kathie Lee's best moments on The Cocktail Hour of "Today," including the time they dressed up as Sumo wrestlers, the time they worked out with Richard Simmons, and instance after instance of animals tormenting poor Hoda.

To paraphrase a Hebrew song from the traditional Passover Seder, if this montage had only featured the two ladies driving around in those cupcake cars, it would have been enough.

By the way, there's an extended version of the "Best of 'Today'" montage as well, featuring highlights and bloopers from Al Roker, Matt Lauer, and the rest of the 7-10 gang. It's set to maudln Top 40 songs and it's over ten minutes long, but it's fun to watch if you pretend everybody in the clip was tragically killed.

2009 was a record year at the box office, but you wouldn't know it from talking to folks who work in Hollywood. By most insider estimates, it was a brutal year. With the studios scaling back on project development slates -- and looking, ever increasingly, to remakes and adaptations of books, comics, and board games -- the ripple effect has resulted in a dwindling job market and an all-but-dead spec screenplay marketplace. 2009 is also watershed as the year that marks -- for the time -- the death of the movie star. Sure, that's been a decade in the making, but this is the first year where not one of the top ten highest-grossing films was driven by star power. Conversely, 2009 was the year that audiences fully embraced 3D. And if James Cameron has his way, the 3D party is just getting started.

We are in a transformative period in movies, as Hollywood grapples with the emergence of online distribution (like this sweet site you're on right here), the new potential of digital filmmaking (bookended by "Paranormal Activity" and "Avatar"), and the challenges of building an audience in the land of endless options. It was a year of great movies -- arguably the strongest of the decade. Here's a look at some of the best (and worst), and what they tell us about the state of the game, after the jump.

The sleeping dog in the video above is the embodiment of 2009. Watch his legs pump faster and faster even though he's not getting anywhere. (Familiar feeling.) Is the dog dreaming about chasing a car tire? Or a rabbit? Or Johnny Depp? Could be. But it might be more sinister than that. When its head bolts up, it snaps backwards, like something is on its tail -- like it is being chased. And even when it is on its feet and awake, it is so delirious with fear that it keeps running and slams its head into a wall. Ouch. And, "Heh."

Thank goodness for pop culture. Otherwise, there would have been no way to survive the worst and final year of The Aughts, the decade that brought us endless war, global financial collapse, the end of those pesky polar ice caps, the death of Michael Jackson, and "Two and a Half Men." Maybe it was all just a bad dream, like the dog was having. Or not. But look -- and this is important -- not everything sucked during the past year. It just seems that way. Click "continue reading."

All right, 2009. Before you go and swap out places with the "Baby New Year" version of 2010 (you know the one in the diaper, the banner, and for some reason, a monocle?), let's take a look at what you have to show for yourself, at least in terms of what was on the TV Box. Here are my ten favorite TV shows/seasons/events and/or moments of the last year. On a stick! Just kidding: there's no Jeff Dunham here. Check out what is, after the jump.

Goodnight, 2009. This past year spent most of its time killing famous people and making a mockery of my cherished sports franchises (more on that later). So really, in this year-end moment of reflection, I'd like to sarcastically thank 2009 for a summer and fall full of cursing the heavens and heart palpitations. And I don't mean the good kind of heart palpitations.

Still, 2009 wasn't all bad! It was actually kind of awesome! Like my colleagues Tara and Charlotte, I've assembled my ten favorite things from this past year. It was a very competitive field; I couldn't even find space for "Surprised Kitty." Which makes "Surprised Kitty" the biggest snub of 2009. See? My Top 10 list is full of winners. The full rundown is after the jump.

As 2009 draws to a close, I've been doing some serious reflection on what I'll remember most fondly from my past twelve months of pop-culture consumption. To be sure, some of my final selections may seem played out at this particular point in time (witness Kevin and Jill's wedding video, AGAIN, above; I will never get tired of it, but you might); however, I'm trying to think long-term. In other words, these are the things you'll see in five years (or six months) and sigh fondly, "That's so 2009." For my full list, hit "continue reading."

As the year draws to a close, it's time for each of your editors to look back, reflect, and choose the best things we watched, read, heard, or consumed in 2009. Getting my original list down to just ten selections was a soul-searching struggle (sorry, "Mad Men"!), but I think this truly does represent all my favorite pop-culture products of the year. Check it out after the jump.