The Top 10 Everything of 2008

After Grand Theft Auto IV earned $310 million in its first day on the shelves, setting a Guinness World Record in May for the biggest entertainment release of all time, the folks at MadTV decided "to bring the popular video game to life" by creating a spin-off that even Mom could enjoy. This board game has it all: drugs, sex, guns and a CD featuring the hardcore vocal stylings of Phil Collins. But while sales of Grand Theft Auto IV remained strong, MadTV got shanked like a prison snitch: In November, Fox decided to cancel the show at the end of its 14th season, ending its reign as one of the network's longest-running programs behind Cops, America's Most Wanted and The Simpsons. A note to sketch comedy writers: apparently, it's drugs, crime and cartoons that really pay.

Next The New Yorker, Nov. 17, 2008