SMART LIST: What we talked about in 2008
![Sarah Palin via Tina Fey Fought it though she tried, Fey's spot-on impressions of the Alaskan governor who would have been vice president made the "30 Rock" star a "media elite" darling and, at least temporarily, the saving grace of "Saturday Night Live." But nothing that good lasts forever. Even if McCain and Palin had won, Fey was eager to turn in the updos and lipstick. "If [Palin] wins, I'm done," she said. "I can't do that for four years. And by 'I'm done,' I mean I'm leaving Earth."](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e79a1f3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x358+0+0/resize/500x358!/format/webp/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2F8d%2Fdea4ecb89ede52ba1fca3c95fe2e%2Flat-smart-1-kbmcz0nc20081219103711)
Fought it though she tried, Fey’s spot-on impressions of the Alaskan governor who would have been vice president made the “30 Rock” star a “media elite” darling and, at least temporarily, the saving grace of “Saturday Night Live.” But nothing that good lasts forever. Even if McCain and Palin had won, Fey was eager to turn in the updos and lipstick. “If [Palin] wins, I’m done,” she said. “I can’t do that for four years. And by ‘I’m done,’ I mean I’m leaving Earth.” (Dana Edelson / Associated Press)
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The mystery of Michael Phelps
Is he half-man, half-amphibian? A sort of 6-foot-4, 200-pound aquatic mammal? The world pondered for two weeks straight while watching 23-year-old Baltimore native Phelps swim to a record eight gold medals during the Beijing Games. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Britney’s comeback. Take 2
It worked out a lot better than 2007’s botched VMA performance. This year, Spears avoided the crotch shots, road rage and umbrellas-turned-weapons of destruction and instead gave us a sobering MTV documentary in which she admitted that, yeah, she made some pretty bad decisions. The response? Fans sent the singer’s new album, “Circus,” to the top of the charts. Well played. (Thomas Kienzle / Associated Press)
