BY KAREN OCAMB

What a watershed year! Never before has the nation and the LGBT community experienced such extreme highs and lows as in 2008. Americans elected the country's first black president—whose first job is to deal with the crumbling economy. In California, the state Supreme Court recognized lesbians and gays as an official minority denied the fundamental right to marry—a right which was then stripped away by a slim majority of California voters. But the backlash against the passage of Prop. 8 awakened a new awareness in the LGBT community nationwide—and a new cause for hope. Here is a brief look at Frontiers' top 10 stories of 2008

1. Barack Obama
On Nov. 4, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, 47, a black constitutional lawyer and former Chicago-area community organizer, was elected the 44th president of the United States. According to a Dec. 4 New York Times report, Obama raised a record $750 million for his presidential campaign, much through small donations online, which he employed to defeat a significant challenge from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. He has named Clinton as his Secretary of State.

2. Crumbling Economy
On Dec. 1, a leading group of economists reported that the United States has been in a recession since December 2007. In November alone, 533,000 jobs were cut, the largest decline since 1974. In 34 states, it is legal to fire someone simply for being LGBT.

3. Marriage Equality
On May 15, the California Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry had been denied to same-sex couples and declared lesbians and gays a “suspect class,” or a minority; gay couples started marrying June 16. On. Oct. 10, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality; the Iowa high court is expected to rule within months.

4. Prop. 8 Passes
Anti-gay ballot measures passed in Arizona, Florida and Arkansas but Prop. 8 in California, which repealed the right of same-sex couples to marry, shocked the nation and prompted a backlash from boycotts to the online video Prop 8: The Musical featuring Jack Black as Jesus. It also galvanized a new generation of activists.

5. HIV/AIDS
About 33 million people are infected with HIV worldwide; thousands more don't know their status because of ignorance and stigma, which the 17th annual International AIDS Conference in Mexico City tried to address. In August, the CDC revised its annual estimates of HIV infection rate to 56,000 new cases of HIV in 2006. Congress authorized $48 billion more in AIDS relief, primarily in Africa, while AIDS leaders called for a national AIDS strategy and significant progress was made in treatment.

6. Thomas Beattie
Known as “the pregnant man,” Beattie is a transgender nonoperative married man from Oregon who gave birth to a daughter and is now pregnant again.

7. LGBT Electeds
Among the 71 open LGBT people elected Nov. 4, Colorado's Jared Polis became the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Congress as a nonincumbent; Oregon's Kate Brown became America's first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the U.S.; and John A. Perez became the first openly gay person of color elected to the California Legislature.

8. Don't Ask, Don't Tell
More than 100 retired generals and admirals call for the repeal of the military's anti-gay Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. It is believed that about 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serve in the military; about 12,340 people were discharged between 1994 and 2007 under the policy. Obama promised to repeal DADT, but probably not in his first year.

9. Hate Crimes Up
Though the FBI statistics are not out for 2008, it feels like hate crimes have gone up, especially against transgenders such as Duanna Johnson whose alleged murder by Memphis police is being investigated by the FBI, and trans teens Simmie Williams Jr. (17), Angie Zapata (18) and Adolphus Simmons (18). In California, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney is facing first-degree murder in the shooting death of gay 15-year-old Larry King at their Oxnard school. Internationally, the rate of hate crimes against LGBTs is considerably higher.

10. Milk
Milk, a movie about the life and assassination of openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk produced by Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Dustin Lance Black and starring Sean Penn, captured the American imagination.

GETTING REEL: Frontiers’ picks for the Best Films of ‘08.

Compiling a top 10 list for 2008 was tough—because of a dearth, not wealth, of “deserving” titles. Sure, there were a lot of good films, especially documentaries (A Jihad For Love, Man on Wire), and a few with highly entertaining, provocative premises (like Bill Maher's Religulous, ultimately too mean-spirited and childish in its editing), but these play just as well on cable TV. Along with fellow film reviewer Gary M. Kramer, I wholeheartedly loved and will reserve space on my DVD shelf for the below Top Ten of 2008.

Lawrence Ferber’s Top 10

1. The Witnesses
A gorgeous gay teen, a bisexual cop, a sexually frustrated middle-aged doctor and a mother who hates children are affected by the first wave of AIDS in this by turns sexy, tense, nostalgic and moving (without Hollywood sentimentality) mini-epic.

2. Milk
Director Gus Van Sant, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, and the entire cast/crew did us proud with this long-awaited Harvey Milk biopic. It could easily have been eight hours long but the compact, important story they told was done so flawlessly.

3. Let The Right One In
A bullied Swedish preteen falls in love with a vampire—a child, whose gender and age is ultimately ambiguous—in this inventive arthouse horror film that delivers the gore, the scares, the romance and plenty of queer reads.

4. The Dark Knight
The best Batman film, period. What the hell else can I say, except suggest Leo DiCaprio, who contributes an intense performance to the relentlessly depressing Revolutionary Road, as the Joker for sequels.

5. Quantum of Solace
Joining Dark Knight as one of the year's most satisfying, and complex, popcorn films. Despite a suck-ass title song.

6. The Counterfeiters
Inspired by another little-known chapter from the Holocaust, in which Jews and criminals were drafted to create counterfeit money in a concentration camp, this Austrian drama deservedly won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film Award (although it wasn't officially released until Feb.'08).

7. Before I Forget
Alone, on the brink of destitute, HIV-positive, and pushing 60, it's the end of the road for Pierre, a character/alter-ego created by French writer/director/actor Jacques Nolot and depicted at various life stages in a half-dozen films. Nolot blends dry comedy, clever dialogues, Lynch-ian surrealism, awkward sexual exchanges and poignancy in this one-of-a-kind character study/climax.

8. Slumdog Millionaire
Kinetic U.K. filmmaker Danny Boyle brings us the date movie of the year, a gripping mix of City of God violence, suspense and romantic fairy tale with a celebratory Bollywood dance number as climax.

9. No Regret
A rich closet case falls for a handsome hustler in this genre-bending Korean import—not since Happy Together has there been as twisted, tortured and sexy a gay Asian romance.

10. The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela
Icelandic director Olaf de Fleur follows Filipino transsexual Raquela as she attempts to find new life and love in this artful, involving amalgam of reality and recreation.

Gary M. Kramer’s Top 10

1. Milk
Sean Penn is Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's rousing biopic which still creates a feeling of loss that echoes 30 years later. As good as the Oscar-winning documentary, this is a marvelous, touching and smart portrait of a queer hero who left an indelible legacy.

2. The Edge of Heaven
This absorbing, haunting story about six interconnected characters in Turkey and Germany is destined to be a classic of contemporary art-house cinema.

3. Jellyfish
Like a trio of good short stories, which this film resembles, Jellyfish presents characters each experiencing a profound crisis of identity. But it is the details that make this Israeli film so memorable—from an amusing/surreal production of Hamlet to offbeat wedding photography, and a heartbreaking poem—the filmmakers' brilliance and creativity is evident in every frame.

4. Synecdoche, New York
Sure, it's a maddening, pretentious, self-indulgent flight-of-fancy. And yet, even after multiple viewings, there is much to discover. From its hilarious opening third to its poignant finale, Synecdoche, New York is a film to be savored.

5. Savage Grace
Tom Kalin's first feature since 1992's Swoon was well worth the wait. Dramatizing the true story of the Baekeland murder case in all its sexy/gory details, this daring mix of incest and murder boasts a miraculous turn by Julianne Moore.

6. The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke's galvanizing performance as a washed-up, self-destructive wrestler looking for some kind of redemption is possibly the most devastating comeback this—or any—year. And the film is great, too.

7. Alice's House
Gay filmmaker Chico Teixeira's underseen gem is a stunning portrait of a desperate Brazilian wife and mother (the fabulous Carla Ribas), struggling for a bit of happiness from the men in her life.

8. Wendy and Lucy
An unforgettable showcase for Michelle Williams, this intimate, but highly affecting drama concerns a poor young woman who loses her dog. Yet the sharply observed Wendy and Lucy reveals that it is about so much more than that.

9. Trouble the Water
This sobering, life-affirming documentary chronicles the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, literally, from the perspectives of two survivors; their amazing camcorder footage reveals how people can endure almost anything.

10. Ballast
A simply astonishing drama—and an auspicious debut—this prizewinner at Sundance is relentlessly grim and emotionally intense. The searing performances by the trio of nonprofessional actors are devastating. So is the film.

Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight: Frontiers’ Picks for the Best Plays in 2008.

As evidenced by the recent Ovation Awards, it was an exceptional year for musicals in L.A. Yet the richly varied offerings included outstanding dramas and comedies as well. Following are the top choices among 2008 L.A. productions, separately selected by Frontiers' resident theater critic Wenzel Jones and “Aisle Say” columnist Les Spindle

Jones’ Top 10 (in random order)

1. The Fix
Michelle Duffy and Misty Cotton were searingly brilliant in this one-off concert presentation as, respectively, the wife and mistress of an American presidential candidate in this riveting exploration of political chicanery.

2. The Little Dog Laughed
Julie White ruled as overweening lesbian agent Diane who is determined that her gay movie star client remain closeted to portray a career-defining gay role. Brilliant writing, direction and cast completed the package. Oh, and some damn fine shoes.

3. Sweeney Todd
Judy Kaye was the best Mrs. Lovett ever. There were more layers of humor and ambition in her performance than there were in the crusts of her infamous meat pies. The rest of the instrument-playing cast was impressive as well.

4. Stupid Kids
Director Michael Matthews honed his cast into a tight ensemble in service to John C. Russell's script that covers the generally overworked territory of adolescence. An engaging production that featured a brilliant Kelly Schumann as, of course, the outcast girl.

5. Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story
A moody maiden effort by Havok Theatre Company, this two-hander, directed by Nick DeGruccio, was an efficient, if not necessarily documentary, musical recapitulation of Leopold & Loeb, which combined child murder, Nietzschean philosophy and sublimated homoeroticism. Delicious.

6. Secrets of the Trade
Chamber theatre at its best; an estimable cast in an intimate setting. John Glover, Bill Brochtrup, Amy Aquino, Mark L. Taylor and Edward Tournier were practically in your lap in Jonathan Tolin's nuanced tale of career-building in the world of letters.

7. 9 to 5: The Musical
Amazing techno-wizardry supported this surprisingly effective adaptation of the '70s film. Musical theater veterans Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty triumphed, and yet it was Allison Janney who won me over with her solo, “One of the Boys.” Of course.

8. Orson's Shadow
In a fine production of Austin Pendleton's play about an unsuccessful production of Rhinoceros directed by Orson Welles (Bruce McGill) and starring Laurence Olivier (Charles Shaughnessy), Sharon Lawrence's exquisite turn as Vivien Leigh, capturing the character teetering on the very brink of sanity, was unforgettable.

9. The Rainmaker
A good, solid production of a sturdy mid-century play. Mitchell Edmonds was touching as the father with a spinster daughter who finally gets her chance at love while Bridget Flannery hit all the notes as the girl who thinks she's plain and who won't be completed by some man.

10. Assassins
Richard Israel directed a seamless production of Sondheim's bleak rumination on the American Dream denied. The performances were peerless and the technical aspects, in such a confined space, impeccable.

Spindle's Top 10 (in order of preference)

1. Kiss of the Spider Woman
Inexplicably, it took 15 years for this Tony Award-winning musical drama by Terrence McNally and Kander & Ebb to receive its first L.A. mounting. In the hands of director Nick DeGruccio, it was well worth the wait—a heartrending gay love story driven by spectacular dancing, stellar performances, and a powerfully visceral staging.

2. Long Day's Journey into Night
Eugene O'Neill's epic autobiographical drama, in director Heidi Helen Davis' outdoor Theatricum Botanicum staging, seared with the shattering performances of a four-member ensemble headed by Ellen Geer.

3. Spring Awakening
In its L.A. debut, the Tony Award-winning musical shattered conventions of musical theater with its vibrant youthful energy and ingenious score, in a superb touring edition.

4. 9 to 5: The Musical
Who would have thought a three-decade old women's lib film farce could be parlayed into a fresh and melodic tuner that has Broadway blockbuster written all over it, highlighted by a zesty Dolly Parton score and three glittering star performances?

5. Dog Sees God: Confessions of A Teenage Blockhead
Bert A. Royal's hilarious yet heart-wrenching comedy enjoyed a spectacular local debut, highlighted by Nick DeGruccio's direction and a smashing lead performance by Joseph Porter.

6. Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara
The sleeper of the year and a show with a huge future—Vanessa Claire Smith and Jake Broder sparkle in this inspired combination of cabaret-style homage and probing bio-drama, exploring the tragicomic relationship between two legendary nightclub entertainers.

7. The Little Dog Laughed
Douglas Carter Beane's sexy and trenchant showbiz sendup arrived from Broadway virtually intact, providing one of the finest gay-themed comedies within memory.

8. All Shook Up
Mostly maligned on Broadway, this jukebox musical, incorporating vintage Presley tunes into a sprightly non-Presley narrative about 1950s small-town America, was the surprise smash of the season, as served up by Musical Theatre West and director Steven Glaudini.

9. Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story
Havok Theatre's auspicious debut was this chilling chamber musical, under the expert direction of the ubiquitous Nick DeGruccio and featuring sublime performances.

10. He Asked For It
Erik Patterson's timely and gripping portrait of gay relationships in the 21st century would be much higher on this list if the script hadn't lost some of its focus in the home stretch. Nonetheless, this has boundless potential as a watershed gay drama and boasted a haunting lead performance by Joe Egender.

Yesterday Once More: Frontiers’ picks for the Best Music of ‘08.

Some big releases of 1988... um, 1998... wait, we mean 2008 were from familiar names. AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, even New Kids on the Block had top 10 releases this year. In a year of change—yes, we can!—we're astounding by how backwards-looking the charts were (hello, soundtrack to Mamma Mia!). Since popular music seems to be sucking itself dry—metaphorically, at least—it was fitting for the year to be bookended by Vampire Weekend's January debut and the soundtrack to Twilight last month. Last time “popular music” seemed so out-of-touch with artistic ambition it was possibly 1998… or, um, 1988. —DAN LOUGHRY

Dan Loughry’s Top 10

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
I'm a sucker for a song that hooks you with a lyric like “Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?” This sweet Afro-Pop hasn't left my iPod since it's January release.

2. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
Their retreat from disco-glam sure is pretty, but there's pain in it, too. Proof—“A&E,” where a love gone wrong lands the lovesick one in the emergency ward, and the obsessive “Monster Love.”

3. Iglu & Hartly - & Then Boom
This L.A. rap/pop quintet's debut is import only. Too bad, 'cause it's a taste of one possible future for hip-hop. Seek it out.

4. Grace Jones - Hurricane
I didn't know I was missing her until this showed up, as fierce as her ‘80s heyday, but also more philosophical than anyone could have expected.

5. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
If there's a better mix-master of the history of music, I say bring them on. Until then, Gregg Gillis is the Party King of the turntables.

6. Jay Brannan - Goddamned
This soft-voiced folkie is a wicked romantic with a heart as big as his dick; we should all be so lucky to get to know him as well as the objects of his affection on this debut.

7. Sonny J - Disastro
This Liverpudlian pastiche artist made big pop from cut-and-paste sources—the Jackson 5 homage “Can't Stop Moving” and marching band thrasher “Enfant Terrible” were just the beginning.

8. Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto
They sound like Sparks gone wild on indie-rock. You might hate Hayden Thorpe's untamed falsetto. But it's a thrill listening to them come this close to utter ridiculousness every time out.

9. She and Him - Volume One
Actress/folkie hook up for make-shift collection of remakes/originals (her's). Yawn. Until the actress (Zooey Deschanel) opens her mouth and that gloriously contained voice emerges.

10. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Winner of the prestigious Mercury Prize, Elbow's fourth is a personal best grown from tragedy—dropped from record label; divorces; deaths. Yet Guy Garvey's warm voice breathes optimistic life into these tales from the darker side.

Bob Werner’s Top 10

1. Amy Winehouse - Frank
Why this 2003 U.K. release took five years to reach domestic soil I'll never know; more than likely to cash in on the enormous success of the slightly inferior Back To Black. Absolutely perfect.

2. Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. - Catnip Dynamite
There isn't an artist on the scene today who knows his way around pop music like this one-man band and former Jellyfish member. Only available as a Japanese import with a hefty price tag, it's more than worth it.

3. Panic At the Disco - Pretty. Odd
It's refreshing to know that there is a group of young men who are learning, and utilizing, the valuable lessons contained in the great music of the late ‘70s.

4. Adele - 19
This album came along just in the nick of time to hold us over until Lady Winehouse is consistently sober.

5. Guns N’ Roses - Chinese Democracy
Worth the wait? That's debatable. Satisfying as all get out? Absofuckinglutely!

6. Carly Simon - This Kind of Love
It’s here because she deserves it. And because Carly's still got it. But more than anything because it's simply lovely.

7. Elvis Costello - Momofuku
Finally! An Elvis Costello album on which I didn't have to use the fast-forward button! Certainly his strongest effort since 1994's Brutal Youth.

8. AC/DC - Black Ice
They haven't rocked this hard, or this well, since Brian Johnson first took over vocal duties for the late Bon Scott.

9. Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll!!!
Billie Joe Armstrong and company by any name is always a good thing… even if it only lasts for 32 minutes.

10. Patricia Barber - The Cole Porter Mix
Voices as fluid as Patricia's are too few nowadays, as are songs as rich as the ones she recorded for this collection of Cole Porter standards.