The Holiday season is a time of reflection and as a pop culture gadfly-consumer-whore, it’s a great time to think about the best in pop culture, 2009. Countless entertainment outlets are entrusting cultural experts on their “Top 10″ lists for film, TV, videogames, books, etc., but I’m not going to bore you with all that rigamarole.  Instead, I’m going to limit my choice to just one per category (yeah, right): Best Comic; Best Non-Fiction & Fiction Books; Best Song; Best Documentary; Best Feature; Best TV Show.

Overall, 2009 was a good year for entertainment, with Television really taking the cake on truly exciting fare coming out of Hollywood nowadays.

Best Comic:  X-MEN MAGNETO TESTAMENT

But, let’s start with comics, shall we? Now, I didn’t read many comics this year (there are just too many titles coming out and it gets expensive). But, the mini-series that really got to me was X-MEN: MAGNETO TESTAMENT, a 5-issue miniseries which you can now buy as a graphic novel trade publication. Written by Greg Pak, he himself a filmmaker turned Marvel Comics mastermind, he had the cajones to retell the story of young Magneto, by weaving in the Holocaust. On the contrary, Pak wrote a humanistic tale full of authentic and dark experiences that shaped the Magneto that we know today. It’s an origin story, much like Frank Miller’s seminal Batman: Year One but takes it one step further in crafting a storyline that doesn’t deal with men in tights and super powers.

Best Non-Fiction Book: HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED

NYT Columnist Thomas L. Friedman’s HOT, FLAT,  AND CROWDED, is a sequel of sorts to his bestselling THE WORLD IS FLAT.  Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the astonishing expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a planet that is “hot, flat, and crowded.” This is a great challenge, Friedman explains, but also a great opportunity, and one that America cannot afford to miss. Not only is American leadership the key to the healing of the earth; it is also our best strategy for the renewal of America. It’s a damn good read and makes you want to do something!

Best Fiction Book: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (and the rest of the MILLENNIUM TRILOGY)

I’m currently obsessed with the Millennium Trilogy, starting off with the first volume, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, written by the late Steig Larsson. Here’s the quick synopsis: 40 years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. But her uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired to investigate. He enlists the help of a young and brilliant computer hacker suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, named Lisbeth Salander.

Part Two, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE has just been published in the States and the final chapter, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, is slated for release in May 2010 (UK version is available now via Amazon UK). This trilogy is simply awesome. It’s like an Agatha Christie novel written by Michael Crichton and William Gibson that veers into Bourne Identity territory with government conspiracies, complicated genealogy and a kick-ass female character with all the ticks and quirks of Sherlock Holmes, House MD, Angelina Jolie’s character from HACKERS, Agent Dana Scully and River Tam from FIREFLY all wrapped into one. What’s more intriguing is that these novels were published posthumously, since the author, muckraking journalist and social activist Steig Larssen mysteriously died at the young age of 40. There are theories that he was “offed”, since his journalism work dealt with the underbelly of the Swedish socio-political system. Whatever the case, Larssen’s legacy lives on with this incredible trilogy that I am sure Hollywood will ruin one day. In the meantime, we can appreciate that Sweden has more to offer rather than just IKEA and ABBA.

Best Song (Tie): SWEET DISPOSITION by TEMPER TRAP & That Taylor Swift Song…

Melbourne rock band TEMPER TRAP really hit the scene in the States thanks to their appearance at South By Southwest earlier this year, and having their song, “Sweet Disposition” play over the teaser trailer for (500) DAYS OF SUMMER. It’s an amazing song that is indie, yet reaches for radio-friendly legitimacy. Who knows, I might get sick of it in 2010, when it replaces Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” as the next ubiquitous rock single of the year. In the meantime, I can still enjoy it’s solemnity, it’s early U2 influences and the graceful voice of lead vocalist Dougy Mandagi, who gets bonus points for being a dude of color, originally from Indonesia. Check out “Sweet Disposition”, which I am sure you may have heard: Man, love this song. This is a nice segue to another very, very radio-friendly song that will not escape my brain, nor my On-the-Go iPod playlist.

Yep, I have submitted to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” I’ve always said, deep down, I’m a thirteen year-old girl from the Midwest, and heck, this song friggin’ gets me, dammit! It’s catchy, sweet and every person’s admired someone from afar. And it’s awesome to see Taylor vs. Miley. It’s like Debbie Gibson vs. Tiffany or Britney vs. Christina. Cheese goes a long way, especially with regards to the music video for this song. I mean, Taylor Swift plays dual roles vying for the affection for the same guy! It’s as if David Lynch directed an episode of Dawson’s Creek or something. It’s bloody brilliant:

Best Documentary: MORE THAN A GAME

MORE THAN A GAME chronicles NBA superstar Lebron James and four of his teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Akron, OH. How they became one of the most heralded high school basketball teams in history and how they stuck together through hell and highwater, forming a brotherly bond that still exists today. Hands down, one of the best sports docs since HOOP DREAMS. It’s that good. It’s that riveting, like any great sports movie.

Best Feature: “Kids” Movies

It’s been pretty bleak for high brow, adult film fare in 2009. Sure, there was good stuff like THE HURT LOCKER, THE HANGOVER, UP IN THE AIR, and PRECIOUS, but I feel that historians will look at the final year of the Naughts/’00s as a remarkable benchmark for Youth movies as modern classics. Case-in-point: UP…. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE…. CORALINE….PONYO…. Children’s films went to a whole new level as these four titles cross-pollinated culturally, thematically and generationally too. Pixar’s UP was very much inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki, who directed PONYO.  Who knew that a movie about an elderly guy and a chubby Asian American cub scout (kudos to Pixar!) would be one of the most fun and hearfelt films of the year?

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and CORALINE, on the other hand, used digital technology but harkened back to a more rustic, old school look, and delved into dark depths, trusting the intelligence of their intended young audiences. Ironically, some parents were turned off by these films because they weren’t mindless entertainment distractions that served as by proxy babysitters.

Best TV: LOST

Entering its 6th and Final season this coming February, LOST is the last of its kind: A serialized, multi-character epic that mixes various genres from sci-fi, mystery, thriller, but also romance, drama and heavy duty Joseph Campbell and semiotics. Ever since the producers announced an end date for the show, the last seasons have been nothing but phenomenal.

It’s very much Stephen King’s THE STAND but with monsters, dieties dueling, time travel, love triangles, 70s cults, and my man John Locke.  Nothing is more riveting and fun on TV, save for THE WIRE, which ended a couple of seasons ago. Come the end of May, it’ll be a sad day, when I have to say goodbye to one of the great TV shows ever. And better yet, 100% shot on location in Hawaii. Check out this Spanish television promo for the final season of LOST. It frames the story perfectly:

And that’s it! Who knows what’s going to crop up next year? Could we have our next Dark Knight or next Michael Bay massacre? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, I hope you guys enjoyed this rambling blog post. Happy Holidays!