It was a year that saw meteoric rises (Barack Obama) and falls (Eliot Spitzer), an exhilarating summer Olympics, and more battles on “The View” than we’ve seen since Rosie left.

Britney was out, out, out with a meltdown in January, then back at the top at the end of the year with her new CD, “Circus,” although PETA blasted the video for using exploited lions and elephants.

Suddenly, “Saturday Night Live” was a must-see again, with Tina Fey, as Sarah “You betcha!” Palin, uttering one of the best lines of the year: “I can see Russia from my house!”

“American Idol” brought us the Battle of the Davids, with David Cook announced the winner at 10:00:01, just as people’s DVRs clicked off.

It wasn’t enough to be a pregnant celebrity anymore; Jennifer Lopez upped the ante with twins in February and Angelina met the challenge in July. Maybe because the magazines doubled the payouts when the babies came in twos?

At the end of the year, the image of President Bush nimbly ducking two hurled shoes as the Secret Service kept a low profile launched a million cartoons, and videos. And for what will probably be a long time, O. J. is in. Which means he’s out. So, here is our annual In/Out list. If you want to be IN, read on:

IN .....................................................OUT

Bulls.....................................................Bills

Obama Nation.......................................Bush League

Canadian shoppers................................Parking spots

Tina Fey................................................Sarah Palin

Black Market.........................................Stock Market

Mets.....................................................Indians

Pregnant Man........................................Pregnant pop stars

Caroline...............................................Hillary

Leno.....................................................Conan

Ashley Alexandra Dupre.........................Eliot Spitzer

Playoffs.................................................BCS

Turner Gill.............................................Dick Jauron

Guitar Hero...........................................Sports heroes

Britney..................................................Britney

Shark....................................................Tiger

JAniston................................................ScarJo

Vinyl.....................................................CDs

Orchard Park.........................................Toronto

Robert Downey Jr...................................Edward Norton

Meryl Streep sings..................................Meryl Streep acts

HSM......................................................LOL

Bailout..................................................Jobs

Staycation.............................................Tourism

Erie Canal Harbor...................................The Aud

Renewable Energy..................................Offshore drilling

Work until death.....................................Retirement

Coca-Cola Field......................................Dunn Tire Park

Facebook...............................................MySpace

Frugality................................................Frivolity

Robert Pattinson.....................................Daniel Radcliffe

Charming Tom Cruise.............................Crazy Tom Cruise

YouTube highlights..................................Watching 'SNL'

Gordon Ramsay, philanderer...................Gordon Ramsay, family man

Hamster eats popcorn on piano................Sneezing baby panda

Throwing shoes.......................................Pounding shoe on desk

Spanx....................................................Thongs

Change..................................................Stay the course

Tap water...............................................Bottled water

Living roofs.............................................Windmills

Eating locally..........................................Eating globally

Jumpsuits...............................................Pantsuits