We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery’s Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So, this week we gave everyone else a chance to chime in with their own lists and explain (or defend) their choices. You’ll find all of the staff faves of 2008 here.

By Christina Garibaldi, Daily News Coordinator

Pop music seemed to rule the airwaves this year, from the Jonas Brothers to Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift, so here’s a look at the biggest pop stars of 2008.

10. Pink: Turning her heartbreak into a smash single with “So What,” Pink made a huge comeback in 2008.

9. Leona Lewis: I believe there was a period of two months this year when you could not go anywhere without hearing “Bleeding Love.”

8. Demi Lovato: She’s adorable and talented, and she and best friend Selena Gomez had a YouTube fight with Miley Cyrus. What more can you ask for?

(Find out what who Christina picked as the top pop start for 2008, after the jump!)
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The Teen Choice Awards aired on Monday night and America’s reigning teen — Miley Cyrus, duh — was true to her overachieving self by not only hosting the show, but also performing her hit “7 Things” and winning three awards (for Choice TV Actress, Comedy; Choice TV Show, Comedy; and Choice Music Female Artist). Not bad!

Not surprisingly, high school was a pre-eminent theme of the night, as teen soap “Gossip Girl” walked away with six surfboards, including Choice TV Show, Drama and TV Breakout Show.
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by Rya Backer
Some 20-year-olds prepare for summer by, among other things, sending out resumes for that dream internship, stocking up on sun protection or registering to retake a class they just couldn’t get right the first time. Rihanna, however, spends the warmer months far differently from her peers: protecting her title as reigning Queen of the Summer Jam.

From 2005’s “Pon de Replay” to 2006’s “S.O.S.” to last year’s “Umbrella” (ella-ella-eh-eh … sorry, I had to), the leggy songstress takes her role as purveyor of catchy tunes very seriously. As she once told MTV News, “It’s important for me to make sure that my hottest song comes out in the summer.” Hottest song in the summer! Get it!? Anyway!

Naturally, she’s got something ready for 2008: “Disturbia,” penned by boyfriend Chris Brown, her latest single off her new reissue, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, promises to be the song of the season. At least, that’s what she says. It’s a tune she so took to that she “couldn’t wait,” to put it on the next album. So she opted to offer it to the masses, just in time to remain on her throne for the time being.

It does have some of those magical Rihanna summer-jam ingredients: simple dance beat, machine-enhanced vocals, random syllable repetition (move over “ella,” and make room for “bum-bum-bee-dum”). But what do you think? Can Rihanna claim the title for yet another year? Or should the queen prepare to abdicate? And if “Disturbia” isn’t the song that’ll permeate my brain from all directions on the beach, then what will it be? You tell us!