What. A. Summer. Bernie Mac, Estelle Getty and Isaac Hayes died, “The Dark Knight” shattered box office records, Jamie Lynn Spears had a baby and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” rocked the Nielsen ratings on ABC Family. Where were you when Miley Cyrus came clean about her breakup with Nick Jonas? Probably doing something better — we hope — because we were. In the newest Release Round Table, we present pretty much the best (in our opinion) of the hot-weather TV, movies, music and more, all in one place.

Chris Harnick, Release Editor:

I worked at TV Guide this summer so I was immersed in summer TV. There was the good, “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” and the bad, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” But currently, what once was a good summer show is meandering in the middle of the street, not crossing to the phenomenal side or to the terrible side. Yes, I’m talking about “Project Runway.” It’s been boring. Stella’s love of “leathah” is a double-edged sword; it’s entertaining but obnoxious at the same time. Tim Gunn, please make it work again.

Chris Harnick, Release Editor:

Mid-August saw the birth of what I can safely say will be my new favorite band, Fun. Yes, their name is Fun and they’re brilliant. Fun rose from the ashes of The Format, with former Format lead singer Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Andrew Dost of Anathallo. Only one song is out, but it’s quickly wormed its way into my heart. Listen and love at myspace.com/fun.

Lauren Roulette, Assistant Release Editor:

Working in retail all summer left me listening to the radio on a daily basis — the 20on20 to be more specific. This brought me back to the world of pop music that I thought I had left behind for good. I discovered that the Jonas Brothers and/or Miley Cyrus are gods among the youth of America.

My favorite new album of the summer was Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” After hearing the title track repeatedly, I had to give the rest of the album a listen and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Summer hits also brought along the songs that I never ever want to hear again. Two songs in particular: Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine.”

Meaghan Trainor, Release Writer:

I have to admit, $110 is usually a little more than I’m willing to spend to go to a concert. However, this time the Long Island in me seemed to take over, and before I knew it, I had tickets to see Billy Joel for the “Last Play at Shea” and a slightly depressing balance on my next credit statement. The thing is, if I had known how amazing the show on July 18 was going to be, I would easily have spent double that without a second thought. I knew there would be special guests; I did not know that I would end up seeing Billy Joel, Garth Brooks (who cares?), Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith), Roger Daltrey (of The Who), and … wait for it … Paul FUCKING McCartney in the same magical night. At several points I feared that the audience, in our rapture, might end up demolishing the old Shea Stadium ourselves.

Meaghan Trainor, Release Writer:

There’s not much I can say about “The Dark Knight” that hasn’t already been said. Putting aside Christian Bale’s over-the-top growly Batman voice and one or two minor plot issues that few people seemed to share with me, this movie was pretty close to perfect. I loved a lot of things about this movie, but I was absolutely obsessed with Heath Ledger’s performance. I knew Heath Ledger was a good actor, but his take on the Joker was out-of-control amazing.

The thing that really blew me away was how he managed to be both incredibly disturbing and evil but also really, really funny — and not in a campy villain or uncomfortable laughter kind of way, but genuinely and jarringly funny. I was so fascinated by his character that I took a copy of “The Killing Joke,” the graphic novel by Alan Moore that contains a version of the Joker’s original story, out of the library. I wanted to know more about the Joker — I’m the kind of person who always needs to know the “why” behind a character’s behavior — but after reading this and seeing the movie for the second time, I finally got it: it doesn’t matter why, and that’s the whole point. It doesn’t matter if the Joker was abused as a child or had his heart broken; he’s just an evil guy out to prove that the world is random and brutal and unforgiving. He wants everyone else to see the world as he does, and “The Dark Knight” seeks to reveal how tenuous the line between good/evil, sanity/insanity really is. This wasn’t just a great superhero movie or a great summer blockbuster; it transcends genre and enters the realm of great movies, no qualifier necessary.

Elena Cox, Release Writer:

After discovering and falling in love with electronic/hip-hop/alternative/whatever princess M.I.A. three years ago in a Nashville coffee shop, I will admit minor disappointment when “Paper Planes” became a staple on Top 40 radio. However, that did inspire me to search for new artists of a similar feel this summer. With a multitude to choose from, I gave my heart and speaker time to Santogold, aka Santi White, known for using warped electronics and who gained a minor following after her song was used for a Bud Light Lime commercial. I also was fortunate enough to come across UK band New Young Pony Club which formed in 2004 with a small cult following, yet reemerged in 2007 with the re-release of their single “Ice Cream,” which was also used in a commercial for “Gossip Girl” last season.

Ben White, Release Writer:

This summer I was sucked back into the vortex that is “The Mole,” a show that’s as addictive as it is crushingly mediocre. And lately, the Olympics have been on an unending loop on my TV. But the highlight of the summer has definitely been revisiting old seasons of “The X-Files,” which are every bit as daring, innovative and jaw-droppingly brilliant as other modern masterpieces like “Lost.” Re-watching old favorite episodes like “Blood” and “Bad Blood” remind me why I’ll always be a fan.