2008 Entertainers of the Year: 5) Robert Downey Jr.

My life = pop culture and entertainment. It's really the only thing I know, love, and can talk at length about without ever getting sick of it. So it's fitting that since it is the end of the year, and 2008 was, as entertaining as ever, that I have put together my list of the top entertainers of the year. A single person or a phenomenon, each of my top five has played a part in making their mark on pop culture this year.

The number 5 spot belongs to actor Robert Downey Jr., who had a hell of a comeback year in 2008. After a tumultuous period in the late 90s where he was arrested numerous times on drug related charges, it's good to see someone get clean and put his talent to good use. The part of Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, was practically written for him, and great reviews and a great performance from Downey opened the 2008 summer blockbuster season with a bang. Iron Man made $98 million in its opening weekend, and worldwide, it has brought in over $500 million. He soon followed that up with Tropic Thunder, another well-received film in which he puts on 'blackface' and portrays a method actor playing an African American soldier.

Though Iron Man and Tropic Thunder came out in the summer, Downey is still reveling in the success of the two films. This month, Iron Man has topped many critics' best of the year lists, and he's received both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his performance in Tropic Thunder. He is currently shooting Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, and next year will start work on Iron Man 2. After spending years doing everything possible to ruin his career, it's good to see this movie star back on top.