Best & Worst 2008: TV moments

Best: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler put on their best Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton

It was the first time we saw Fey as the Alaska governor who can see Russia from her house. It was kind of scary, to be honest. A little too close to the real thing. (Ditto the pair’s later recreation of Palin’s interview with Katie Couric.) But nothing on “Saturday Night Live” has made us laugh as hard since.  (Dana Edelson / Associated Press)

Worst: ‘Real’ artists ragging on reality hosts

Things got very tense very fast at this year’s Emmy awards, when a group of reality TV hosts were tapped to emcee the festivities. Howie Mandell, Ryan Seacrest, Jeff Probst, Tom Bergeron and Heidi Klum starred in a flat and awkward opening sketch about having no script to read from. Emmy winner Jeremy Piven said of the bit, “I thought we were being punked.” Oh, lighten up, Pivs.  (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Worst: Britney Spears attempts Video Music Awards comeback No. 2....and that’s it?

No surprise boas or striptease performances. No surprise smooches with fellow pop stars. Instead we got Britney in a lame opening sketch with otherwise funny actor Jonah Hill, and a welcome address that ran less than a minute long. Don’t get us wrong, we’re loving “Circus,” but during the 2008 MTV VMAs we kind of missed crazy Britney.  (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

Best: David Letterman tears into John McCain for bailing on ‘Late Show’ appearance

Don’t stand Dave up. And don’t tell him you’re on your way to D.C. to help with the financial bailout plan if you’re really just prepping to talk instead to Katie Couric. Dave will bury you: “I was thinking about this – John, John, here’s how it works: You don’t come to see me … you don’t come to see me? Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day. That’s how it works. You see?”  (John Paul Filo / Associated Press)

Best: Paula Abdul’s moment of confusion on ‘American Idol’

Paula Abdul’s wacky demeanor has long amused “American Idol” fans, but the petite judge outdid herself in season seven, when assessing dredlocked contestant Jason Castro’s performance.

“First song, I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear,” Abdul told Castro. “The second song, I felt like your usual charm was missing for me. It kind of left me a little empty.”

There was just one problem: Castro had only performed one song. “Just on the first song, just the first one,” Randy Jackson corrected, as the audience let out a collective “huh?”  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Worst: Padma Lakshmi spits out dessert on ‘Top Chef’

Look at that face. Do you want to see that face gagging up food? Up close? The producers of Bravo’s culinary competition should have known better. Sure, it was priceless to see Ariane’s too too sweet dessert trigger the former model’s upchuck reflex, but did they really need to zoom in when she reached for the napkin? Probably not.  (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Best: The continued evolution of the relationship betwen Eric and Tami Taylor on ‘Friday Night Lights.’

“Friday Night Lights” has always nailed the difficulty in maintaining an adult relationship. This season, as the show airs on DirecTV, has been no different. The promotion of Tami to principal has added a new dynamic to the very real marriage, as Eric has been forced to adjust to a new role. “You know who I miss? I miss the coach’s wife,” he said early in this season. Rather than get angry, Tami does him one better. “You know who I can’t wait to meet? The principal’s husband.”  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)